I love cooking and baking, and am always looking for new cookbooks and recipes. Anytime I bring a cookbook back to the library I'm asked, "Did you find a new recipe?," "Try anything new?", "Need us to taste test anything?" Food days are greatly enjoyed here at the Smithville Branch, as well as exchanging recipes. Here are a few staff favorites, and maybe a personal favorite or two.
MCPL has a wonderfully, diverse selection of cookbooks, ranging from simple, economical, nutritious meals to wildly indulgent (maybe even decadent) desserts. But did you know that one can find recipes in some works of fiction?
With all of the beautiful strawberries available this summer, I am reminded of the scrumptious strawberry shortcakes my mom used to make “from scratch.” Knowing the recipe by heart, Mom sifted all of the dry ingredients into a crock, hollowed out the middle for the eggs and milk, and used her fingers to gently (and lovingly) combine the mixture. Afterwards, she cut out the shortcakes using the end of a recycled can.
Do you feel it? Autumn is just around the corner! Soon, there will be a refreshing crispness in the air; pumpkins will start showing up in markets; the leaves will start to turn glorious shades of yellows, oranges and reds. These are some of the things we all associate with the changing season. In a short time, summer’s heat will be a fuzzy memory. Change is in the air.
Every year since I was a child, my family has roasted our leftover Halloween pumpkin. Yes, I mean the whole pumpkin. “Why?” you might ask. I answer: pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie; pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin ice cream and even pumpkin soup!
We roast the pumpkin, scoop out the soft insides, and freeze the puree for the holidays coming up right around the corner.
Gatherings with family can be difficult for people who have certain food allergies. Food allergies are on the rise for both children and adults. There has been a 50% increase in food allergies over the past decade in the United States. The most common allergies are milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, seafood, soy, and wheat.
The Christmas season is now upon us, and I can’t wait to make (and eat!) some Christmas cookies! I remember when I was little, going to my grandma’s house in the weeks before Christmas for a day of baking. I would help her mix up the dough, cut out the cookies using her huge supply of cookie cutters, and patiently wait for the first batch to come out of the oven and cool enough that I could begin my cookie decorating extravaganza. There were all kinds of colors of icing and sprinkles to use.
This time of year, everyone is looking for the best bargains. Having a library card at Mid-Continent Public Library is a fantastic bargain! Videos, CD's, books, magazines, and online resources are all at your fingertips. Using your library card is a great way to save all year long. Take a break from shopping, and stop by your local library. It is always a treat.
Have you been to allrecipes.com? It’s so much fun! Use it to search for any type of recipe and to compare the many versions that thousands of cooks have posted on the site.
MCPL has a wonderfully, diverse selection of cookbooks, ranging from simple, economical, nutritious meals to wildly indulgent (maybe even decadent) desserts. But did you know that one can find recipes in some works of fiction?
