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Project Library: Rats!!

What's Cooking Rats!!

That’s right, Rats!! Chocolate covered Rats, that is, made from delicious dried apricots with peanut ears and Starburst candy tails. It’s what’s for dinner, if you use What’s Cooking?, A Cookbook for Kids based on the Disney Pixar movie Ratatouille.

In a burst of hands on creativity to deliver a book review for fellow staffers, Head Chef Nancy Wurm from the TSCPL Bookmobile department enlisted fellow cooks Sandra Lane and Robin Clark to create several tasty dishes from the book for the staff to sample.

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Posted on February 15, 2008 by Karen at 08:30 AM | | Comments (1)

Project Library: Handmade Marshmallows

Hot ChocolateLibrary customer, Robin, submitted this delicious project taken from the book "Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort" by Fred Thompson. What a fun project for cold, wintry days.

If you are looking for a project that will wow kids and adults alike with a yummy taste, try the recipe in this book for marshmallows. They are easy to make (but they have to "set-up" overnight) and taste remarkably good. They melt deliciously in hot chocolate, and taste just as good all by themselves or rolled in powdered chocolate or strawberry drink mix. I found marshmallow making to be a fantastically fun time for the whole family. Plus the hot chocolate recipes in this book are divine!!

According to Robin, the following was what was most helpful about this project: easy to read, simple to make recipes, uses common ingredients, and it was yummy.

Thanks for sharing your project with us, Robin.  If this book doesn’t help satisfy your sweet tooth, check out these other books on S’mores, Chocolate Drinks, and Desserts.

If you’re interested in submitting your own project fill out the Project Library form and tell us about your completed (or half completed) projects: meals that you’ve cooked, breads and cookies that you’ve baked, quilts that you’ve sewn, volcanoes that you’ve erupted, papers you’ve written, babies you’ve named, pictures you’ve drawn, rooms that you’ve decorated, or dogs that you’ve trained. Send us pictures or video of your library projects, a brief description, and the titles of the books or other library resources that you used to help complete your project and we’ll post them here in the Project Library column.

 

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Karen at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Easy dinners for busy families.

Once-a-Month Cooking Work too many long hours and don’t have the energy to make a home cooked meal for your family when you get home? Does the cashier at the drive-thru window of your favorite fast food joint recognize your car and has your order memorized? Can’t bear the thought of eating mac ‘n’ cheese again? Fear not—the ladies of Once-a-Month Cooking have the solution for you!

Frustrated with my own dismal dinner plans, I set out to find a cookbook that not only laid out my meals for me, but were reasonably easy to make and most importantly, were things that I would actually eat. I didn’t want to roam around the grocery store guessing what I might need to make a weeks worth of meals—I wanted the book to just lay it out for me and tell me what to do. I stumbled across this book when a friend suggested I look at freezer meals. Sure enough, this book had everything I was looking for! Comprehensive shopping lists (from basic staples to the unique things I would need for each dish, laid out in grocery store order so I wouldn’t have to run around like a crazy person), several pre-set menus that ranged from 2 weeks to a month (depending on the size of your freezer and your level of ambition), and easy instructions for simple meals. The best part was finding that I was willing to try all the recipes, as well as making things my very picky husband wouldn’t turn his nose up at.

After setting out to try my two week experiment, here are some things I learned that the book doesn’t necessarily tell you:

 

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Posted on July 01, 2007 by Meghan at 12:58 PM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 8

SauerkrautIn this last installment of sharing staff recipes, we’re featuring New Year’s Eve traditions and recipes. Thanks for joining us on our 8 week spree of staff recipes.  I hope that you tried some out and found some new recipes to share with your family and friends over the holidays.

I haven’t shared any of my own recipes or traditions over the last 8 weeks, so I’d like to share one that’s easy to do for New Year’s Eve/Day.  My family originates from western Pennsylvania and it is tradition there to eat sauerkraut and pork for New Year’s in order to bring good luck for the upcoming year.  There’s not much to my “recipe” for this dish.  Simply fill a crock pot up with your favorite kielbasa and sauerkraut and let it heat up.  Keep it going all night and the next day and you won’t have to worry about cooking anything up while you might be dealing with any hangovers or sleepiness from staying up so late the night before.

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Posted on December 27, 2006 by at 09:22 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza week 7 part 2

Outside of Christmas goodies, we only had an entry for what one staff member serves on Christmas day for dinner.  Bonnie in Administration shared her recipe for shredded pork tamales with us and they sound delicious!

*note: Bonnie states that she substitutes Pedro Lopez Mole for the red sauce.*

SHREDDED PORK TAMALES

Tamal:
18 dried corn husks
2 T vegetable oil
shredded pork
18 pitted olives
¼ c onion, chopped
¼ c basic red sauce *see note above*
tamal dough

Shredded Pork:
1 lb. pork boneless shoulder
1 T chile powder
¼ tsp cumin seed
¼ tsp pepper
1 small onion, cut in fourths
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp dried oregano leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed

Tamal Dough:
1 c lard or shortening
3 tsp baking powder
2 c reserved pork broth
2 c masa harina
1 tsp salt

To make shredded pork:
Place all ingredients in 3 quart saucepan.  Add enough water to cover.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 1½ hours.  Drain; reserve 2 c broth for tamal dough.  Cool and shred pork.

To make tamal dough:
Beat all ingredients in a large mixing bowl on low speed, scarping bowl constantly until mixture forms a smooth dough.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. 

To make tamal:
Cover corn husks with warm water and let soak until pliable, at least 2 hours.  Cook and stir onion in oil in a 3 quart saucepan until tender.  Stir in sauce, shredded pork and remaining ingredients except tamal dough and olives.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat cover and cook 15 minutes.  If mixture is too dry, add a little reserved pork liquid.  Prepare tamal dough.  Drain corn husks; pat dry with paper towels.  Spread ¼ c dough across center of each husk ½ inch from edge to within.  Spoon 2 T pork mixture into center of dough, top with 1 olive.  Roll husks around filling starting with dough edge.  Fold both ends up toward center.  Secure with string if necessary.  Place tamales on rack in Dutch oven or steamer.  Pour boiling water into Dutch oven or steam just under rack so water does not touch tamales.  Cover Dutch oven.  Keep water simmering over low heat 1 hour.

Posted on December 22, 2006 by at 11:32 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 7

How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella LawsonChristmas morning is almost upon us.  At my home, we usually don’t have time for breakfast amid the flurry of wrapping paper and new toys.  I usually wind up eating the nutritious “snacks” (i.e. pistachio nuts and chocolate) that Santa has left in my stocking. We have some staff members here who think ahead and plan on what they are going to feed their masses on Christmas morning.  Thanks go out to Kathy, Emily, and Donna this week for their breakfast recipe contributions.

*This recipe was submitted by Emily in Technical Services—“These are the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning, they only take a minute or so to mix up and bake in 20 minutes; just enough time to get everyone out of bed for presents!”*


CHRISTMAS MORNING MUFFINS
Adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

1⅓ c all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
⅓ c granulated sugar
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ c milk + enough orange juice to make 2/3 of a cup
¼ c unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
½ c plus 2 T dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.  In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and nutmeg.  Pour ¼ cup milk into a measuring cup and add enough orange juice to bring the liquid up to ⅔ of a cup total.  Add melted butter and egg to the liquid and beat to combine.  Pour liquid ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and mix gently, until just combined.  Lightly fold in cranberries.  Fill muffin cups with batter.

Mix together 2 tsp granulated sugar and ½ tsp ground cinnamon and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Good by themselves or spread with unsalted butter and orange marmalade.

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Posted on December 20, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 6 part 2

Holiday CookiesToday’s entry continues from Wednesday’s holiday goodies posting.  We had so many people submit recipes for this specific topic, I had to split them up into two postings.  Thanks go out this week to Luanne, James, and Kathy this week for their entries for the Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza!

*This grandma cookie recipe was shared with us by Luanne in Youth Services—“Grandma made these cookies every Christmas for her grandchildren.”*

GRANDMA LANDUYT’S RANGER COOKIES
1 c shortening
1 c dark brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 T vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
2½ c flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 T baking soda
1½ c oatmeal (uncooked)
1 c nuts

Preheat oven to 400˚. Mix together the shortening, sugars, vanilla, and eggs.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the sugar mixture.  Mix well. Form ball, no larger than the size of a walnut and place on a cookie sheet. Press down on the cookies with a fork or water glass. Bake for 12 minutes.

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Posted on December 15, 2006 by at 03:13 PM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 6

Holiday GoodiesIt’s not the holiday season without copious amounts of goodies to scarf down for weeks on end.  You can’t go anywhere without someone offering you a bit of fudge, toffee, a cookie, a piece of cake or bread, or some other delectable treat.  Its fun to bake during the holidays, but it seems once I bake it, I can’t wait to give it out to others to try so I don’t wind up eating it all myself!  For the next couple of entries, the holiday recipe extravaganza is featuring holiday goodie recipes, whether they be they kind you snack on all day long, eat after dinner, or serve up on Christmas morning.  Thanks go out to Mark, Lissa, and Jennifer this week for their contributions. Keep reading to see recipes for a delicious fruitcake, carrot cookies, snow ball cookies, and sister-in-law cookies and look for part two of holiday goodies on Friday.

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Posted on December 13, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 5

Party Time!It’s hard to get through December without being invited to at least one holiday party.  Whether you’re gathering with family, friends, or co-workers this week’s featured recipes are sure to please and quite easy to make.   Thanks to Donna, Lissa, and Valerie this week for submitting recipes for the Perfect Party Recipes feature on Culinary Cuttings.  Keep reading to find out how to make Senuous Salad, Texas Caviar, Tortilla Chip Dip, and Spinach Balls.

*The following recipe comes from Valerie in Adult Services*

SPINACH BALL APPETIZERS
3 eggs
2 (10oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, squeezed dry
1 medium onion chopped fine
¾ c grated Parmesan cheese
¾ c butter
1 crushed clove of garlic
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 ½ cups Pepperidge Farm seasoned stuffing mix (not cubed)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat eggs.  Stir in other ingredients, except stuffing.  When well mixed, add stuffing mix. Let the mixture sit for a while (10-15 minutes) to absorb stuffing.  Shape into 1-inch balls; arrange on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes—until golden brown. Serve hot.  These freeze well. 
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Posted on December 06, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Holiday Staff Recipe Extravaganza Week 4

mittensThis week’s recipes aren’t necessarily holiday related, but they are definitely timely.  The theme this week is Cold Comfort Foods.  The weather is turning colder and it’s time for some heartier dishes that will stick to your ribs and keep you warm while you’re out shopping for gifts.  Featured this week are recipes for a sausage and apple pie, manicotti, hot turkey salad, broccoli soup, and sugared popcorn. Thanks go out to Scarlett, Anne, Jeri, and Lissa for their contributions.

*From Scarlett in Adult Services—originally taken from Homecooking Around the World by David Ricketts.*

FRENCH-CANADIAN SAUSAGE-AND-APPLE PIE WITH CHEDDAR
Crust
1 recipe Pastry, (see below) or 1 ready to use, refrigerated, folded pie crust
1½ c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Pinch sugar
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut up and chilled
¼ c solid vegetable shortening, cut up and chilled
2 T sour cream
2 T cold water, or more as needed

Preheat oven to 400˚.  In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, sugar, butter, and shortening.  Pulse briefly, just until mixture is crumbly.  Scrape mixture into a bowl.  In a small cup, stir together the sour cream and water.  Gradually add it to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until mixture comes together.  If mixture is too dry, add more water, 1 tsp at a time, until dough comes together.  Place ball of dough in a 9” greased pie pan, press out with fingers, and poke holes in the crust with a fork. Bake in 400˚ oven for 10 minutes.  Remove foil.  Prick pastry with fork if it has bubbled up in spots.  Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.  Remove to wire rack to cool.  Leave oven at 400˚.

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Posted on November 29, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Staff Holiday Recipe Extravaganza Week 3

Pizza!Continuing with our Holiday Recipe Extravaganza, on this week’s post we’re sharing some of  TSCPL staff’s not so typical Thanksgiving recipes or traditions.  Thanks go out to Lissa and Tanya for contributing!

*This holiday tradition was submitted by Tanya in Adult Services—“My only and favorite holiday recipe is a large Mama Keno (tomatoes, feta, spinach, roasted garlic) from Papa Keno’s and a six pack of New Belgium Trippel.  Not traditional, but goes over fabulously for any holiday celebration and the leftovers reheat very well!”*  Sounds delicious, Tanya!
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Posted on November 22, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Holiday Staff Recipe Extravaganza Week 2

Thanksgiving DessertsWhat’s Thanksgiving Dinner if you don’t have any sweets to top off the sleep inducing turkey, stuffing, and potatoes? This week we have two variations on cranberry sidedishes and some yummy desserts. Thanks to Marta, Scarlett, Jeri, and Arion for their Thanksgiving entries this week in our continued Holiday Staff Recipe Extravaganza feature of Culinary Cuttings.

*From Marta in Adult Services*

PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1½  c oil
16 oz can pumpkin
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3 T cinnamon

Cream together the sugar, eggs, and oil.  Add pumpkin.  Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Pour in a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 325˚ for 40-60 minutes.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before removing.

Frosting for Bundt Cake
1 c powdered sugar
¼ c melted butter
3 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
Milk

Mix above ingredients together. Frosting should be thin enough to run slowly down sides of cake. But don’t make it too thin or it will run right off.

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Posted on November 15, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (1)

Culinary Cuttings: Holiday Staff Recipe Extravaganza Week 1

Thanksgiving CookeryIt’s officially the holiday season!  No matter that Halloween was only about a week ago, the stores have rolled out the decorations and I’m pretty sure I heard a Christmas song on the radio yesterday.  Even though it may seem that the holiday decorations are put out earlier and earlier each year, it’s never too early to start testing new recipes out for family gatherings.  This year we’ve decided to feature some of TSCPL's favorite recipes that we make during the holiday season.  Starting this week through the week of New Year’s Eve, we’ll post a new Culinary Cuttings entry that includes staff recipes, whether they are family favorites or new recipes found in library books or on the internet. 

This week we’re featuring a couple of side dishes that have made their ways into Cadie and Sherry’s Thanksgiving feasts.
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Posted on November 08, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (1)

Lost in the Stacks: The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America

The Making of a ChefLife at America’s premier cooking school, the Culinary Institute of America, is anything but glamorous: frenetic, demanding, humbling, and difficult, yes, glamorous, no.  Writer Michael Ruhlman spent two years at the CIA attending classes and talking to students, chefs, and administrators in order to get a firsthand look at a culinary education.  From his first attempts at making sauces in Skills to his final class on the grill station at the CIA’s American Bounty Restaurant, Ruhlman generously shares the intimate details of kitchen life in The Making of a Chef.

The book itself is not unlike the school in its whirlwind pace and its demands of the reader – woe to the unlucky reader who doesn’t grasp the concepts of mise en place or “being in the weeds” for Ruhlman explains it once than dashes on to in depth discussions of force meats, mache, and his inexplicable obsession of whether brown sauce should be made with a brown roux or a pale roux.  Ruhlman also uses lots of italics to capture the cadences of the teaching chefs’ lectures which, although a bit distracting, are a surprisingly effective way of understanding their passionate lessons.

Some of the cooking concepts are pretty technical, but for those willing to wade through the jargon (or those who are adept at skimming), The Making of a Chef offers a fascinating look at the personalities and philosophies that influence today’s chefs.

Lost in the Stacks is a featured column by staffer Julie. Check back for more of her great finds!

Posted on September 11, 2006 by Meghan at 10:10 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Are you part of the Fast Food Nation?

Charles Dickens raised the social issues alarm during the industrial revolution when he published Hard Times in 1854. Over fifty years later in 1906, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle led to improvements for meatpackers in Chicago’s stockyards. Since 2001, Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation has been changing the way Americans thing about how they eat.

Chew On This by Eric SchlosserFast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal is a groundbreaking investigative work and cultural history which began as an article in Rolling Stone. In a new book for pre-teen readers, Schlosser reveals Chew on This: everything you don’t want to know about fast food, including gross-out facts to surprise and scare readers. Plus, watch the movie trailer for the big screen adaptation of Fast Food Nation, coming to theatres this November.

If fast food isn’t your thing, check out these new, notable and revealing books about the ethics behind modern food production.

In The Omnivore's Dilemma: a natural history of four meals by Michael Pollan, modern agriculture makes it difficult to see the ethical, environmental and monetary cost of the foods in our supermarkets, but Pollan tours a corn farm, a feedlot, an organic farm and a sustainable agriculture farm to show us the hidden costs and help us make informed choices. In The Way we Eat: why our food choices matter by Peter Singer, the man who started the animal rights movement with his book Animal Liberation now tries to convince us to shop with principle, and provides a field guide to ethical shopping.

Or if you like the upbeat and quirky stories behind popular foods, read more books about food habits or food preferences.

Posted on September 03, 2006 by Lissa at 09:44 AM | | Comments (2)

Culinary Cuttings: The End of the Grilling Season is Almost Here!

The BBQ Queens' Big Book of BarbecueEven though the weather outside may still be 90 degrees and die hard fans will still grill at tailgate parties well into the winter, Labor Day is almost upon us and you know what this means: no more white shoes or handbags and your grill is about to go into hibernation.

I suggest that you laugh in the face your kitchen appliances and the oncoming cold weather by grilling to your heart’s content this upcoming Labor Day weekend. Notice that I’m posting this well in advance so that you have the time to come to the library to pick up some of the following books, do your research as you salivate over recipes, and stock up on groceries in time to have a three day all grilled food extravaganza the weekend after next.

The following is a list of barbecue and grilling books that we think you’ll love:

Beer-Can Chicken by Steven Raichlen. This book is sure to be a classic someday, it definitely has been checked out quite a bit.  It covers how to make beer-can chicken as well as other strange recipes for the grill such as doughnut burgers, sugar-grilled steaks, and prosciutto-grilled prunes.  Make sure to also check out Raichlen’s The Barbecue Bible.  It contains over 500 recipes for grilling and detailed directions to boot on the basics.

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Posted on August 23, 2006 by at 09:48 AM | | Comments (0)

Super Baby Food

Lissa's plums









Super Baby Food is highly recommended by mom’s groups and contains absolutely everything you should know about feeding your baby and toddler from starting solid foods to age three years

Why not just buy jars of baby food? The author, Ruth Yaron explains: “The best food for your baby comes out of your kitchen, not from an industrial food plant. Making your own baby food gives you the power to insure that only healthy, whole foods are used as ingredients. Homemade food is more natural, more tasteful, and much more economical.”

Does making your own baby food really save any money? I bought organic black plums (2.99/lb) from a food co-op, peeled, sliced, pureed, and froze them into portion sized cubes, which took about an hour. When I crunch the numbers, I was able to make 2.5 ounces of plum baby food for about 65 cents, and the same sized jar of organic plum baby food costs 89 cents. Factoring in my time against the pleasure of working with my hands to create something useful complicates the equation, so you will have to draw your own conclusions.

Check out the Super Baby Food website, or read other library books on making your own baby food.
Lissa's plums

Posted on August 06, 2006 by Lissa at 11:27 AM | | Comments (1)

Culinary Cuttings: "Wayne's Beef Macaroni and Cheese" from Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics

This recipe was submitted by staff member Kathy and comes from Paula Deen’s Kitchen Classics (pg 263).  I was sitting near Kathy the other day in the staff room while she was eating this dish.  The funny this is that I had almost the exact same lunch that day: leftover cheeseburger macaroni from Hamburger Helper.  I have to say that this looked and smelled so much more delicious than mine.  According to Kathy, it’s the cumin that really makes this meal taste so good.

Paula Deen's Kitchen ClassicsWayne’s Beef Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 8-10

One 1-pound box elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 cups of chopped green bell pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 pounds of lean ground beef
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon each dried basil, cumin, and dried oregano
2-3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.  Heath the oil in a skillet; add the peppers, onion, and garlic, and sauté until soft. Add the ground beef and sauté until browned.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and the basil, cumin, and oregano.  In a large bowl, combine the macaroni and the beef mixture.  Spread this mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.  Ground turkey or chicken can be used in place of beef, if desired.

Click here for more cookbooks about southern cooking.

Thanks so much to staffer Kathy for sharing!

Posted on July 19, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (3)

Frankfurter Spectacular, anyone?

Frankfurter Spectacular (Photo Courtesy Candyboots.com)

Wendy McClure, author of I’m Not the New Me, has struck comedic gold a second time with her second book entitled The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan: Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s. These super-scary recipes first made their debut on Wendy’s website Candyboots.com. Then the snuck into the pages of her first book in all their gelatinous glory (in brandy snifters, no less). Readers demanded that she share the rest of her horrors with the world and Wendy readily complied with snarky commentary and all. Read your copy while sipping on a Slender Quencher today!

Or don’t. Because it’s really, really nasty. Take Wendy's word for it!

Stop by Wendy’s Flickr account to witness brave souls recreating these culinary, erm, masterpieces.

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Posted on June 16, 2006 by Meghan at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Play with your food!

Summertime is quickly approaching and school will soon be out of session.  What are you going to do with your kids for the summer?  Put them to work in the kitchen!  Tell them to play with their food! 

Clare Crespo, Hey There, Cupcakeauthor of Hey There, Cupcake and The Secret Life of Food, has whipped up some wacky and creative recipes to make your food look like items you might (or might not) find around the house for both kids and adults to enjoy. Although both books are heavy on the dessert side of things (and really, there’s nothing wrong with that!), The Secret Life of Food does offer up some recipes for items that can be served for dinner.  Why not have a Football Meatloaf or a Mutant Chicken with a side of Monster Head Potatoes and some Hawaiian Shirt Punch? Or maybe some Handwiches with Potato Flip-Flops and some Hand Punch? Or maybe you want to disguise your dessert as your dinner or lunch?  Hey There, Cupcake can help you out with that sneaky task.  Serve the Hamburger Cupcakes at your next barbeque, the Sushi Cupcakes instead of a California roll, the Spaghetti and Cupcakes for those carb-friendly athletes in your family or the Egg Cupcakes at your next brunch.

Any way you want to do it, the recipes are easy, the decorating is fun, and tricking your friends and family is hilarious. Put yourself on hold for one or both of Clare Crespo’s books today.  Make sure to check out her website, too!

Posted on May 24, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

James Beard Foundation Announces Cookbook of the Year

Hungry Planet: What the World EatsEvery spring, the James Beard Foundation hands out awards in the culinary field for the best cookbooks, restaurants and chefs, restaurant design, broadcasting, journalism, and achievement.  This year’s cookbook award goes to Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio.  Click here for this story in USA Today.

Hungry Planet received a starred review in Publishers Weekly:

“For their enormously successful Material World, photojournalist Menzel and writer D'Aluisio traveled the world photographing average people's worldly possessions. In 2000, they began research for this book on the world's eating habits, visiting some 30 families in 24 countries. Each family was asked to purchase--at the authors' expense--a typical week's groceries, which were artfully arrayed--whether sacks of grain and potatoes and overripe bananas, or rows of packaged cereals, sodas and take-out pizzas--for a full-page family portrait. This is followed by a detailed listing of the goods, broken down by food groups and expenditures, then a more general discussion of how the food is raised and used, illustrated with a variety of photos and a family recipe.” Finish reading this review here.   

Thanks to staff member Kathy for this update!

Posted on May 10, 2006 by at 11:30 AM | | Comments (2)

Do you have your Ticket to Read?

Ticket to ReadStarting on Monday, May 1st 2006, Ticket to Read (the Adult Summer Reading program) officially starts! We will be running the program all the way through August 31st. Here’s how to participate:
 
-         Tickets (or reading logs) require the patron to read or listen to FIVE books/audiobooks. Tickets should be completed with titles, authors and the patron’s contact info.
-         Patrons may fill out as many tickets as they like. The more tickets they fill out and return, the better the chance of winning a prize in our weekly drawings or having a chance at one of three grand prizes to be awarded at the end of the summer.
-         Patrons may turn in tickets to the following locations: Periodicals Reference, New Books desk, Red Carpet desk or any Bookmobile.
-         Tickets will be collected at 4pm every Friday for the weekly drawings. Drawings will start on May 19th.
-         We will have several programs featured in conjunction with Ticket to Read. Check the web calendar and stay tuned to PaperCuts for more details!


Why bother filling out tickets? Did we not mention FABULOUS PRIZES? Yes! We will be giving away MP3 players in our grand prize drawing, perfect for downloading e-audio titles from Netlibrary and music from OverDrive. Get your ticket today!

Posted on May 01, 2006 by Meghan at 10:51 AM | | Comments (0)

Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals...

Rachael Ray's Express Lane MealsIf you’re familiar with the Food Network, then you might already have been introduced to Rachael Ray.  Her shows include “30 Minute Meals”, “$40 a Day”, “Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels” (I want that job!), and the “Inside Dish with Rachael Ray.”  Ray is probably best known for the show “30 Minute Meals”.  The premise is that you should be able to prep and cook a meal in 30 minutes time.  How appealing is that?  Now if I could only have my groceries delivered to my house while I’m at work, this 30 minute business might actually happen at my house.  Regardless of the time it takes to actually get the supplies you need, some of these 30 Minute Meal recipes have been tried out by my coworker Meghan and she can avow to the 30 minute length of time that it takes to make these meals.  The library has 12 titles by Rachel Ray, with one new one on the way, Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals. 

The following recipe for “Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta”, recommended by Meghan, comes from the book 365: No Repeats, A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. 

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Posted on April 19, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (6)

Lost in the Stacks: Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America

CookoffInsider information! Fronting! Bee swarms! And that’s just at the Great Garlic Cook-Off.  Join food writer Amy Sutherland as she spends a year observing the competitive cooking circuit, from National Chicken in April to the Pillsbury Bake-Off the following February, to a myriad of smaller recipe contests and regional cook-offs in between.  The competition is fierce and tension runs high as amateurs and “contesters” (people who almost make a career out of entering cooking contests) struggle to create and cook original, innovative recipes that meet all the requirements for each individual contest and look and taste fabulous.  If the recipes are somewhat less than mouthwatering – Sweet Meat Bars anyone? – the quirky contestants and the thrill of the competition are appetizing reading fare indeed.

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Lost in the Stacks is a featured column by staffer Julie. Check back for more of her great finds!

 

Posted on April 14, 2006 by Meghan at 08:50 AM | | Comments (1)

Cooking Light's Diner Meat Loaf "Muffins"

Culinary CuttingsStaff member Carol recommends this easy meatloaf recipe from Cooking Light magazine, March 2006 issue.  She said it was “PDW (Pretty Darned Wonderful), easy to make, not a lot of special ingredients, cooking time was about 20-25 minutes, and the prep time was maybe 10 minutes.  Not too bad!”  After speaking with her, I even found out that she was making this recipe away from home and didn’t have everything she needed right on hand so substituted some dried ingredients for fresh (i.e. onion, garlic, etc) and it turned out wonderfully!  Also, as these are already in individual servings, Carol suggested that you could pop a couple into some freezer bags and save them for a day when you just don’t feel like cooking and need some comfort food.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 ½ pounds of ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

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Posted on April 12, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Get-togethers with Gooseberry Patch

Get-togethers with Gooseberry Patch Gooseberry Patch, known for their down-home cookbooks has produced their first color cookbook, entitled Get-Togethers with Gooseberry Patch, and what a gem it is! Known for their very simple ways, this cookbook really is no different than their others.  It has the same simple recipes, but now there is color photography, which makes the recipes even more tempting.  The Seafood Lasagna (see below for recipe) is just such a jewel. It is probably the most complicated of their recipes but it is worth the effort.  Another great recipe that is less complicated is the Butter Rum-Glazed Applesauce Cake.  The Chocolate Bread Pudding is also a recipe that you shouldn't pass up.  It's just divine.  If you are looking for simple but wonderful recipes with great photography this cookbook is the one for you...

Check out the Gooseberry Patch website for more information.

 

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Posted on March 22, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Culinary Cuttings: Something Warm from the Oven by Eileen Goudge

Something Warm from the OvenEileen Goudge, the author of the Carson Springs trilogy, has published her first cookbook featuring family recipes that sometimes find their way into her books. Staffer Kathy tested this book and some of the recipes out.  Here is what she had to say: 

“All of her recipes use ingredients that are readily available and her recipes are very easy to make.  I have tried the Kahlúa Brownies as well as her Banana Bread and they both got rave reviews. I also made the apple crisp and it was delicious, even when it was cold!  Within the book there is a section that has baking tips, which provides very useful information, especially for someone new to baking.  I really liked this book and I ended up buying it for myself.”

Check out Eileen Goudge's website for some sample recipes and information on her books.

Thanks to staffer Kathy for this review!

Posted on March 19, 2006 by at 04:11 PM | | Comments (0)

Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship, with Recipes by Amanda Hesser

Cooking for Mr. LatteLife in the city, love, and unforgettable meals—can a food writer find happiness with a man who has an empty refrigerator?” Amanda Hesser, food critic for the New York Times, spends her days and nights mingling with New York gourmands and enjoying meal after lavish meal at the city’s top restaurants. Along comes Tad Friend, New Yorker staff writer, whom Hesser and her friends nickname “Mr. Latte” because of his appreciation for after dinner lattes, a faux pas in the epicurean world. As their relationship develops, Hesser is able to overlook this gaffe and even learn a few things from Mr. Latte. This narrated epistolary cookbook, composed mainly from columns Hesser wrote for the New York Times, reads like an entertaining novel but contains a greater depth as the reader witnesses the mutual affection grow between Hesser and Friend over their shared meals. At the end of every chapter, Hesser includes several recipes for dishes mentioned in the text. Hesser exhibits her deep devotion for food in her recipe choices--among the most interesting are Ginger Duck and Smoked Salmon Hors d’Oeuvres—but most of these foods are a bit out of reach for the weeknight family dinner. Hesser is also the author of the cookbook, The Cook and the Gardener: A Year of Recipes and Writing from the French Countryside, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award. Though it is a classic example of the formulaic plot, ‘learning to love someone in spite of, and also because of, their imperfections’, Cooking for Mr. Latte is a tasty treat to be enjoyed again and again.

Reviewed by Kate Williams

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Posted on January 20, 2004 by Meghan at 11:50 AM | | Comments (0)