When it comes down to it, a great children’s book is determined by two factors:  (a) how much kids love it, and (b) how many consecutive times an adult can read it aloud before going insane.  The first criteria is obviously the most important, but considering how many other ways parents can be driven crazy (I submit The Wiggles as Exhibit A), it’s extremely special to find books both parties will love.

With that, I give you the adventures of Skippyjon Jones, an imaginative Siamese cat who fancies himself a brave, sword-fighting Chihuahua.  Author Judy Schachner’s mischievous feline day-dreamer is tops in our household, as my son greets me after work with a hug that usually grips Lost in Spice or Mummy Trouble. Schachner’s engaging style keep even an exhausted parent from mailing in a bedtime read.  Her tongue-twisting stories force accents, sound effects, and sing-a-longs that will have listeners and readers cracking wide grins by the final page

One word of caution, however:  since picking up our first Skippyjon book, I haven’t figured out how to get my son to stop “bouncing on his big boy bed.”  *sigh*

—Dave

Recommended for active imaginations and weary parents.

Whether you plan to celebrate the feast of St. Valentine by candlelight with your significant other, or you’re having a slumber party with your besties, you will *heart* this light and dreamy dessert. I saw Ina Garten whip this on TV more than a few moons back, and I’ve been making it, by popular demand, ever since. This heart-shaped mold and the striking contrast of the red sauce with the white cream make for a stunning presentation. And, though Ina serves it with a bright red raspberry/Grand Marnier puree, fresh berries are a perfect complement on their own (I find the sauce to be a bit overpowering). The strawberry stands are already popping up in my neighborhood. Sweet!

Coeur a la Creme

Ingredients for the Cream:

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce (recipe below)
2 half-pints fresh raspberries

Directions for Cream:

1. Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

2. Line a 7-inch sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

3. To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

Ingredients for Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce:

1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions for Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce:

1. Place raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and orange liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Yield: 2 cups

Dessert serves: 6 to 8

Recipe Credit: Ina Garten, 2004
Photo Credit: www.soniatasteshawaii.com

—StellaCadente*

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There are certain thing every camera user likes to ding their system of choice over: Canon users can complain about the flash system or AF of some bodies, Sony uses complain about high-ISO, yadda yadda yadda. But the howls and yelps from Nikon users for years have been there: Where are the fast primes? Where are the lighter, cheaper f/4 zoom lenses?

Well, Nikon just took a major stab at making its users happy with the 24mm f/1.4 and the 16-35mm f/4 VR, both lenses made to fit full-frame cameras (but will of course work on DX models).

How big is this? These aren’t merely updates with new technology: The last time Nikon made a 24mm f/1.4 was … never. There has never before been a general-purpose Nikon lens faster than f/2.8 and wider then 28mm. Ever.

And the last consumer-aimed constant f/4 Nikon zoom (not counting the exotic 200-400)? I’m going to go with the 70-210mm, released in 1986.

Of course, the question that remains to be seen is “Are these any good?” and “Are these a sign of future Nikon lenses that more people have been asking for, like a 35mm f/1.4, 70-200mm f/4 or 300mm f/4 VR?” The short answer is “Who knows?” But we can take a good guess until I test both models. They both feature nano crystal coating, and while you could put that coating on a poorly designed lens, all such Nikon lenses released so far have been exceptionally sharp and contrasty. The 24mm prime focuses down to 25 centimeters, which isn’t bad for such a fast lens. The real trick will be to see how accurately it autofocuses, particularly at distance — this can sometimes be a trick for wide, fast lenses because you’re mixing limited depth of field with big frames of view, getting lots of different junk in front of AF sensors.

Another question is how useful VR will be in a lens that goes as wide as 16mm, and thus doesn’t need very fast shutter speeds to begin with. Of course you can turn it off, but that will keep the street price from being too low. Of course, this sample Nikon photo, taken without a tripod at a 1.5 second exposure, shows that there may be some value.

I will test both of these as soon as they are available. I have been using the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 — a very good lens as long as you have a camera with focus micro-adjust to fix Sigma’s poor quality-control — and it will be interesting to see how they stack up.

Of course, you pay for all this, and it ain’t cheap. The 24mm f/1.4 clocks in at $2199, and the 16-35mm f/4 VR is $1259.