Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash Book Review and Giveaway

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash is a hardcover children's book that is by bestselling author Alan C. Fox with illustrations by Eefje Kuijl. This adorable book is the story of a child named Benji's experience of growing a banana squash from start to finish. Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash is based on a real-life event that happened when Alan Fox was eight. It teaches kids about patience, love, dedication, and perseverance and how much fun it is to grow their own foods.

My kids enjoying our harvests.

Our Thoughts:
Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash is a wonderful story of garden-to-table. I love how Benji is so patient even though he sees nothing come from the seed he plants at first. After a while he reaps the reward of his determination and nurturing.

We loved this cute book and its lovely illustrations. The book starts from the beginning where Benji picks the perfect spot in the ground and plants the seed to his family sitting around the table eating the cooked squash with butter and brown sugar. The pictures are fun to look at too. One picture shows Benji trying to dig the hole himself with the shovel and he fell over on his back flinging dirt and earth worms into the air. Another shows his dog bouncing a ball on a small trampoline as Benji carries the large squash inside the house. My kids will treasure this book.

Teela and Zari enjoying the Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash book.

I recommend this sweet and endearing story to anyone. It is perfect for those who want to teach their children about where their food comes from or even help them grasp the concepts of being more patient...because it will certainly pay off in the end. It is wonderful for those city folk that want to give a piece of country life to their kids.

BUY IT
Purchase The Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash book for $17.95 on Amazon.




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Prize: Win a copy of Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash Book {US ONLY}

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Foodie Friday Squash Curry Soup

Squash Curry Soup
Makes 6-8 servings
This soup is usually made of a mix of butternut and acorn squash and has the same effect as baked pumpkin. You can also use a combination of winter squash you have on hand in roughly the same amount. We made this with Delicata and Spaghetti squash. This is why the soup in the picture isn't as orange.

Ingredients:
4 cups butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup salted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken/vegetable broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder or my favorite Kohinoor Sheek Kebab Special
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Also great to top with Lawry's seasoned pepper, chives, thyme, cilantro and/or sage

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet with some foil so that clean up will be easier. Roast the squash for 40-45 minutes or until it is very tender. Allow squash to cool.

While the squash is baking, sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in the butter in a large pot over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and soft. Add the broth, bring to boil. Scoop the cooled squash from the skin and add to the broth. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sour cream; bring to simmer. Stir in seasonings. Serve.

Foodie Friday Yellow Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
2 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
garlic salt to taste (I used my Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic seasoning blend)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
3 slices toast; buttered, garlic salt sprinkled on them, and ripped into bite size pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté sliced yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and onions in some vegetable oil or butter over medium heat until onions are see through.

Place sliced yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and onions into large bowl and fold in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Sprinkle garlic salt to taste and also fold into mixture.

Butter a casserole dish with lid large enough to hold everything. Place mixture into casserole dish and top with Parmesan cheese and toast. Bake with lid on at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes taking lid off for last 5 minutes.