Charlie's Little Angels

Once upon a time there were two occasionally naughty children called Syon and Ayana. They were actually mostly good. But they were also high-spirited and creative; terrific qualities which sometimes led them into mischief, especially when they were together! Then, one day, Charlie, the F2 monkey came to spend the weekend with them. Syon and Ayana remembered when F1 Monkey had come to visit, and how sad they felt when he had returned to school. This time, they were determined to be so well behaved that Charlie would never want to leave.

All weekend, Syon & Ayana said “please” and “thank you”. They didn’t blow raspberries or shout at each other. They ate every last morsel at mealtimes and even tidied their toys away at night. On Saturday, as Ayana was under the weather, Syon took Charlie with him to the supermarket. They bought all the ingredients they needed for the pizza they were making that evening.

 

They were making their pizza from scratch. They helped Daddy mix, knead and shape the dough. When the base was ready, Syon, Ayana & Charlie spread the sauce, sprinkled on the cheese and added all the yummy toppings they had chosen. Syon chose mushrooms, Ayana, salami and Charlie, a banana! Nobody else wanted banana on their pizza, so Charlie was gently coaxed into opting for olives instead. The end result was so delicious that everyone was happy (and very, very full)! It was also so much fun to make, Syon decided to share the recipe (at the end of this story) with everyone in the Orange Group.

Then, it was time to snuggle up in their beds for the night. Last Christmas, Syon and Ayana had asked for bunk beds so they could sleep in the same room, as they liked doing everything together. Now that Charlie was part of the gang, he would join them that night in their very special bunk bed (which was sometimes a spaceship, a cave, a pirate ship and a lots more fun things during the day).

But something strange happened as Syon & Ayana lay sleeping; Charlie slipped away to make a phone call. Syon, a light sleeper, heard the scuttle of little monkey feet and the beep of the telephone, and so crept down to see what was happening. He saw Charlie perched on the counter chattering excitedly into the kitchen phone. He could only catch the tail-end of the conversation, “They are little angels, I’m sure they won’t mind!”

A groggy Syon (and a more rested Ayana) woke the next morning to shrill squeals and happy hoots. Their room was packed to the rafters…with monkeys! Big and small, spotty or stripey, smiling and grumpy- every kind of monkey imaginable! Mommy and Daddy, drawn by the noise, was taken aback to see so many monkeys (on top of the two they already had, plus Charlie) in their home. That’s when Charlie with a beaming smile announced that he had so enjoyed his visit he had decided to stay. And not just him, his entire family would be moving in!

Syon & Ayana loved Charlie but they weren’t sure about having a whole gaggle of monkeys to stay…forever! They looked imploringly at Mommy and Daddy as this was clearly a job for grown-ups. Mommy and Daddy gently drew Charlie aside (what they had to say might, after all, offend the other monkeys). They assured Charlie they loved him and even liked his family, but could not accommodate them all, year-round. The monkeys would always be welcome in their home, especially Charlie, who was such a bundle of fun.

Charlie blushed with pleasure at this compliment. Being a clever monkey, he realised that hosting his family of three dozen, was a tough ask for anyone. So, he happily agreed to visit instead, just by himself (every chance he got)!

And Charlie and the Little Angels parted the best of friends, with special memories of a wonderful weekend together.

Charlie's Pizza
 

Base 500g strong white flour 10g sea salt 5g dried yeast 300ml warm water 30ml olive oil 2 cloves crushed garlic   Topping 1 tube tomato puree ½ small onion finely sliced ½ red pepper sliced Sliced peperoni Sliced mushrooms Green olives Grated cheese 1 banana sliced (optional)

Method 1.          Mix all the base ingredients together and knead for 15 minutes until the dough is elastic and stretchy 2.          Place dough in a bowl, cover and leave to rest for 1 hour 3.          Preheat the oven to 230°C 4.          Roll out the dough onto a sheet of baking paper until it is about 5mm thick.  Cover with cling film and leave to rise for ½ hour 5.          Spread the tomato puree evenly over the pizza base and top with the cheese 6.          Sprinkle the remaining toppings over the top of the pizza 7.          Transfer the pizza to the top shelf of the oven, placing the baking paper/base directly onto the wire shelf (use a flat baking tray to slide the base on and off) 8.          Bake for 12-15 minutes