Welcome to the home of the Wise Owl Podcast and Reading Time Books, a site for children of all ages. I am a mom and was a fiction writer for many years and then took some time off and when I came back to my writing roots I found a love for reading and writing children's stories. I have so many plans and interesting activities set up for the future and I'm always open to input!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and generously oil or butter a muffin tin.
Set a mesh strainer over a bowl and sift together the cornmeal, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
Microwave the butter on low-power until it’s mostly melted and very soft. Whisk in the eggs and emulsify.
Whisk the yogurt and milk into the butter and egg mixture until uniform in color.
Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until well combined.
Divide the batter evenly between 9 standard-size muffins.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out without batter on it.
Serve hot, cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
These inventive empanadas included not just the usual ingredients – tortillas, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese – but also peaches for a sweet and savory mix.
2 tomatoes
2 onions
1 can of corn
2 cups yellow cheddar cheese
1 can of peaches
1 pack of tortillas
2 lemons
1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno
1 can of black beans
Instructions:
Wash all ingredients
Open the peaches and rinse with the colander
Repeat step two for corn and black beans
Cut tomatoes, onions, and peaches
Remove seeds and stem from jalapeno and chop
Grate the cheese
Remove stems from cilantro and chop
Squeeze two lemons
In one bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, corn, peaches, cilantro, jalapeno, black beans, lemon juice, and mix
In another bowl, combine tomato, corn, onions, cheese and mix
Take one flour disc and put ½ a spoon of your favorite filling on one side. Close it and fork-seal the edges
Make as many empanadas as ingredients allow
Put 4-5 in an air fryer at 365 degrees for 13 minutes
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
2 loaves of whole wheat baguette, halved and cut into squares
1 pack of arugula
1 tablespoon of lemon (juice)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Sauté 1 tablespoon of olive oil and minced garlic (6 cloves) until brown.
To a blender or food processor add cooked garlic, panko bread crumbs, 2/3 cups of bail, sundried tomatoes, and 2/3 cups of parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes, and 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil, then blend until small bits remain.
Add rinsed/drained chickpeas and blend/pulse until a moldable “dough” is formed.
Scoop out rounded 1 tablespoon amounts of dough and form meatballs.
Reheat skillet and add a little olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and brown for about 5 minutes (may be done in several batches).
Place meatballs on baking sheet and transfer to oven to bake for 15 minutes.
Blend 1/4 cup of olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic.
Brush olive oil garlic mixture onto bread. then toast bread in oven until done (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, heat a small amount of olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Add 3 cloves, chopped garlic and onion and sauté until browned.
Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, and oregano and heat on medium for about 2 minutes stirring continuously.
Add canned tomatoes and handful of basil and turn to simmer as meatballs and garlic bread cook.
Toss arugula with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste then set aside.
Serve by placing meatball on top of garlic bread square. Top with tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese, and basil. Serve with arugula salad on side.
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
One day, in the moon when the cold nights return, an urgent message came to the village of the four hunters. A great bear so large and powerful that many thought it must be some kind of monster.
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
What happens when a moose makes a mistake? Is a deer really a moose? Is a cow? Or is it just . . . a moose-take?
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Did you know that outer space, what we call the universe, is absolutely silent as there is no atmosphere for sound to travel through! And it isn’t possible to walk on planets like Neptune, Jupiter, or Saturn as they don’t have a solid surface like we do on Earth. They’re made up mostly of different gases like hydrogen and helium. And they spin more rapidly than Earth – while the Earth spins on its center once every 24 hours, Saturn spins once every 10 hours.
And there are more stars in outer space than there are grains of sand on Earth. It is believed that there are between 200-400 billion stars just in the Milky Way, which is our spiral shaped galaxy in the sky that contains the sun and all the stars, and of which Earth’s solar system is a very, very small part. It is believed that there are about 100 billion galaxies like the Milky Way, which means there could be around 100 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy alone!
The magical, mysterious Milky Way Galaxy
And did you know that the Sun is about one million times larger than the size of the Earth, which means 1 million Earths could fit inside the sun and it takes the light from the Sun about 8 minutes to reach Earth.
The sun, earth and moon
The moon, on the other hand, doesn’t have any light of its own. The light from the sun’s rays bounce off of the moon and reach the Earth in 1.25 seconds. This is how we get moonlight. The first person to walk on the moon was Neil Armstrong in 1969. You can still see traces of his footprints on the moon’s surface. This is because there’s no wind on the moon, and so the footprints are still mostly intact 52 years later!
Footprints on the moon
The moon and the sun are the reason the ocean has waves and tides that switch from high tide to low tide. The gravitational pull from the moon and the sun keep changing.
And have you ever heard of Mount Everest? If so, I bet you think it is the highest mountain ever. While it is the highest mountain on Earth, the highest mountain known to man is on an asteroid called Vesta and is over 13 miles high or 72178 feet high: which is three times as big as Mount Everest.
Vesta
So now you know more about outer space. What was your favorite fact? Thanks for exploring with me. See ya next time when we travel … Around The World.
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Follow the adventures of the heroic PAW Patrol puppy, Marshall, as he learns to protect the Adventure Bay community!
MORE FUN STORIES!
Reading Time Books
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Where does a special journey begin and where will it take a little girl who wants to find the stars? A perfect calming story for naptime, bedtime or any time.
Hello! I am a mom and writer. I think teaching kids about science and nature and exploring is the gift we give as parents and I am enjoying every moment of it! Please click below so you can find out how to support the podcast, books and videos. Thank you!
Wise Owl: Reading, Learning and Exploring 