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Meet Leo (age 10)

“My brother is the coolest person I know! After Grandma.”

Personality: Leo loves reading, his grandma, and playing football with his older brother, Matt. He gets anxious sometimes and can worry, but Matt has experience dealing with anxiety, so both have learned to support one another.

Family: Leo’s older brother Matt has achondroplasia, but Leo and their dad do not.

Meet Emma (age 9)

“Do you like this dress? I made it myself! It has stripes!”

Personality: Emma has a big personality. She loves being the center of attention to show off all her favorite outfits and will talk your ear off about her two sisters: “They’re both taller than me now, but that’s only because they don’t have achondroplasia.”

Family: Emma is the middle sibling, and the only one in her family with achondroplasia. She has an older sister who was already growing fast when she was born—and now her younger sister is taller than she is, too.

Meet Sofia (age 8)

“The best part about people is getting to show them I care!”

Personality: Sofia loves animals and helping others. She is most comfortable in her home where it’s quiet and she can spend time with her mom.

Family: Sofia has achondroplasia but her mom does not. Sofia’s mom tries to provide a supportive environment to help Sofia build independence and confidence in her ability to adapt how and when Sofia feels it’s necessary.

Meet Haruki (age 10)

“I don’t like croissants…Just kidding. I LOVE croissants!”

Personality: Haruki is a ball of energy. He loves people, loves parties, and loves playing soccer. Both of his parents have achondroplasia, so they have a lot of experience with having been short-statured kids themselves! It’s helped Haruki become more independent (sometimes, a little too independent!).

Family: Both of Haruki’s parents have achondroplasia which means Haruki will be able to learn a lot from his parents’ experiences growing up.

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Grandma’s Famous Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ¾ cups warm water
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
Whole or chopped fresh rosemary leaves, dried oregano, fennel seeds, herbes de Provence or other dried herbs, for garnish (optional)

PREPARATION

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, and yeast. Add the warm water to the flour mixture and stir until all the flour is incorporated and a sticky dough forms. (Expect a very wet dough; no kneading required.) Pour 2 tablespoons oil into a medium bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn to coat, and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 24 hours or for up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to bake, brush the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with oil. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer to the prepared pan. Using your hands, spread the dough out as much as possible, adding oil to the dough if needed to keep it from sticking. (Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t yet cover the full pan; it will once it relaxes and rises.) Place the dough in a warm place and let rise until about doubled in bulk. The rising time will vary considerably depending on the season. (In the summer, it may take only 20 minutes for the dough to warm up and rise; in the winter, it can take 1 hour or more.) When the dough is ready, it should be room temperature, spread out on the sheet, and fluffy.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Using your palms, pat down the focaccia to an even thickness of about 1 inch, then, using your fingertips, dimple the entire dough. Drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle the entire surface of the focaccia evenly with the sea salt and herbs, if using.
Bake, rotating once front to back, until the top is uniformly golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the focaccia on the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool, then slide out of the pan. Enjoy it hot.

Recipe from: Classic Focaccia Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com)

Emma’s Any Shape Pretzels

INGREDIENTS

1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup whole-grain or dark rye flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving
½ cup baking soda
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Mustard, for serving

PREPARATION

Combine 1 ½ cups lukewarm water (110 to 115 degrees), yeast, and honey in a large bowl; stir to combine. Add the rye flour, 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and kosher salt; stir again.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 12 to 15 minutes, adding up to ¼ cup all-purpose flour if needed, until the dough is soft and smooth but not sticky. (Tip: to prevent dough from sticking to hands, rub a small amount of melted butter or vegetable oil on them.)
Lightly brush a large bowl with some of the melted butter. Shape the dough into a ball, seam side down, and transfer to the bowl; brush the surface of the dough with melted butter, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise in a warm spot for up to 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Lightly brush two parchment-lined baking sheets with butter. Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 pieces. With your hands, roll one piece into a snake with thinly tapered ends, about 16 inches long. (Cover remaining pieces with plastic wrap while working.) Transfer to prepared baking sheet, looping one end, then the other, over the midpoint of the roll, making whichever creative shape you prefer. Repeat with remaining dough. Let the pretzels rest 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, placing two racks in and above the center of the oven. Meanwhile, bring 10 cups water to a boil in a large pot. When the pretzels are ready, stir the baking soda into the boiling water. (Note: if you double the recipe, make a fresh pot of the baking-soda wash for each batch.) Gently lift 2 or 3 pretzels, depending on the surface area of your pot, and slide them into the bath, knot side down. Poach for 30 seconds, turn them over, and poach 30 seconds more. Using a long-handled mesh strainer, transfer the pretzels to a kitchen-towel-lined sheet tray to drain, then return them to the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle freely with sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, turning the trays halfway through, until dark brown. Transfer to a cooling rack until just cool enough to eat. Brush the tops with melted butter, if you like. Serve with mustard.

Recipe from: Rye Pretzels Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com)

Sofia’s Cinnamon Smiles

INGREDIENTS

1 envelope (2 ½ teaspoons) dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
4 ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting and rolling
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, more for the bowl
3 tablespoons ghee (Indian-style clarified butter) or melted unsalted butter
Cinnamon, sugar, and honey to liking

PREPARATION

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ¼ cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees). Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Place 4 ½ cups flour, the salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade or in mixer with a dough hook. Mix to blend. Add yeast mixture, milk, yogurt, egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and ¾ cup warm water. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes in a processor, 5 to 8 minutes in a mixer, 8 to 10 minutes by hand. Dough should be soft but not too sticky. Add flour as needed.
Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll them into balls, place them on a lightly floured baking sheet, and cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Let rise until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes.
If using a tandoor, heat it to about 450 degrees. If using the oven, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack and heat oven to 450 degrees. If using a barbecue grill, set it up for direct grilling and heat to medium-high.
Roll out a dough ball on a lightly floured work surface into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Roll and stretch one end to make a teardrop shape. Brush off any excess flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
If using a tandoor, drape one piece of dough over the round cloth pillow called a gadhi. Press the bread onto the hot clay wall. Cook the naan until the top is puffed, blistered, and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a skewer, gently pry the bread off the tandoor wall, taking care not to scratch the clay. Brush the top of the bread with ghee or melted butter, then place in a cloth-lined basket for serving. Repeat with remaining dough.
If using an oven, turn on the broiler. Lay 1 or 2 pieces of dough on the pizza stone. Cook until the bottoms are browned and the tops blister, puff, and are lightly toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven, brush tops with ghee or melted butter, and place in a cloth-lined basket for serving. Repeat with remaining dough.
If using the grill, brush and oil the grate. Lightly brush top of dough with butter and place butter-side down on grate a few at a time (do not crowd the grate). Grill until the bottoms are browned and the tops start to puff and blister, 1 to 2 minutes. Lightly brush the tops with a little butter. Invert bread, and grill the other side until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cloth-lined basket, brushing tops of each with any remaining butter.
Mix together cinnamon and sugar to liking and sprinkle over the buttered naan. Drizzle honey to finish.

Recipe from: Naan (Indian Flatbread) Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com)

Haruki’s Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Croissants

INGREDIENTS

1 package active dry yeast
¾ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 to 3 ½ cups Original Bisquick™ mix
2 tablespoons sugar

PREPARATION

In 1-cup measuring cup, mix yeast and warm water; let stand 5 minutes. In large bowl, stir 3 cups of the Bisquick mix and the sugar; gradually stir in yeast mixture.
On floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding remaining ½ cup Bisquick mix as needed. Roll dough into 12-inch round; cut into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at wide end, to form crescent shape. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray; place rolls, point sides down, on cookie sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees) 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Uncover rolls. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Recipe from: Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls Recipe - BettyCrocker.com

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Achondroplasia Children's Book

No matter how someone grows, we all rise in love

We all have different traits that make us unique—where we are from, the color of our eyes, which hobbies we enjoy—the list goes on. Sometimes we can be afraid to share what makes us special, but Rising Love is a book that teaches us to have confidence in our own unique ingredients.

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