Category Archives: Cooking

Grilled Salmon and DEET

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Lisa with apple in front of mountains

Demonstrating advanced trail food preparation

When my husband and I moved here from Chicago, I thought that I was finally coming into my element. Mountains, ocean – all the things the Midwest couldn’t provide. We had mastered what the flatland could offer us in regards to camping, so we were ready to up our game. For those of you lucky enough to have been born and raised in this lovely region, you know that my attitude was like thinking I was ready to play in the MLB because I batted cleanup in t-ball. Thankfully my husband was more experienced in these matters, and managed to keep up safe, dry, happy, and entertained in the wild. He’s since joined the Mountaineers and has been scrambling on the tops of mountains, while I have contented myself with scrambling eggs at camp and taking photos of mountains from the relative safety of familiar flat land.

Needless to say, I have some learning to do. I think I’m finally over the hump of thinking I’m always on the verge of being eaten by bears. Seeing a bear retreat in horror from my loud approach last weekend helped me realize that they don’t want to deal with me either. Now I’m going through the enjoyable process of checking out the library’s resources on all things outdoors. I know this isn’t a shock, but there is a lot here to get through.

Scout's Backpacking Cookbook

Not surprisingly, my first foray into outdoor ed. was the cooking section. It looks like I may be able to salvage that ill-conceived food dehydrator purchase from the kitchen gadget bone-yard after all. There are a ton of books in this area, so I quickly eliminated anything to do with RV or car camping (we’ve got that down). My favorite was The Scout’s Backpacking Cookbook, by Tim and Christine Conners. This book was packed with useful information about equipment, cooking techniques, meal planning, safety, ‘Leave No Trace’ cooking and camping, and recipes. There were also wonderful appendices that provided measurement advice, additional reading, and helpful websites.

Other picks:

The Trailside Cookbook by Don Philpott

Camp Cooking in the Wild by Mark Scriver

Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Washington CascadesWith the food taken care of, choosing a destination was my next priority. When we camp, we choose our destination based on a few different things. Weather is the most obvious determining factor; last weekend we went over the mountains to find the sun. On other trips we’ve selected sites because they were off pleasant drives, or offered a selection of excellent hikes. The Mountaineers Books has a fantastic series of Day Hiking titles that cover different regions of Washington and Oregon. My favorite book that I found about exploring Washignton was the Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Washington Cascades, by Allan May. May created a guide to geography, history (human and natural), and recreation in the Washington Cascades, all wrapped into a very enjoyable read.

Note: Sometimes published info about campgrounds, trails, and roads can be outdated. To be certain that you can actually get to where you’d like to go, call ahead to the ranger station in the area you’re planning to visit to make sure that everything is open.

The Backpacker's ManualLast, and certainly not least, I looked into info on safety and preparation. This is perhaps the largest section of outdoor materials we have because there is much to be said on the topic. For a beginner’s overview to all things backpacking, The Smart Guide to Hiking and Backpacking is a good place to start. More advanced advice on trip planning, cooking equipment, and more can be found in The Backpacker’s Field Manual, by Rick Curtis. I found some really helpful illustrations and ‘how to’s’ in Basic Illustrated Wilderness First Aid, but I strongly recommend attending some courses on the topic if you are serious about venturing into remote areas. If not, be sure to trek with someone who has.

Other titles that I found helpful tips in:

Hiking with Dogs by Linda B. Mullally

Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips by Mike Clelland

Making Camp: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, Paddlers & Skiers by Steve Howe, et al.

So there you have it – my newbie backpacker reading list. Come in and browse the shelves; there’s a lot more here for those who are more advanced than I am. As for me? I have a date with the food dehydrator – who doesn’t want to try powdered cheese?

Lisa

Cookbooks for Free

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“How much does this book cost?” is a question I get occasionally from pre-school aged children on the library’s bookmobile. The idea of the free public library is a foreign one to some young minds. You probably totally get this concept since you’re reading this blog. Free books? Of course! Count me in!

I love to check out all of the glossy, beautiful cookbooks that our library has to offer just to see if they are worth purchasing for personal home use. Here are the ones that I’ve found at the library and loved so much that I just had to add them to my home cookbook shelf:

stirfryingStir Frying to the Sky’s Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery with Authentic recipes and Stories by Grace Young. This is a complete guide to stir frying with over 100 recipes, stunning photos, and many great tips. We especially love the Cashew Chicken recipe at our house.

inthekitchenIn the Kitchen With a Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories about the Food You Love by Melissa Clark. The only thing lacking in this cookbook is photos, but it is full of stories, and fantastic recipes to cook delicious meals and fill you up. We love the Spicy Chicken Barley Soup. Try it!

whattocookHere’s one that I purchased as a gift for a new cook. What to Cook & How to Cook it:  Fresh & Easy by Jane Hornby. The fantastic thing about this book is that it is so visual, almost like a visual menu. It has photos for each step of each recipe, from laying out all of the ingredients to the finished product. It shows you everything. How easy is that?

I’m in the ‘holds’ line to check out these cook books:

barefootcontessaBarefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten looks like a keeper. I love all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks and this one probably won’t disappoint. I’ll check it out from the library first just to be sure.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman is very popular these days. There’s quite a buzz about this one, so, of course, I must check it out. Literally.

myfavoriteAnd, finally, here’s one that I just found on the new book shelf. Oh, my, but this one is gorgeous and glossy. Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. With a name like that, he must be a great chef, right?  That’s Stone Fruit Bruschetta on the cover. Each of the recipes have a stunning photo and look delicious.

I can answer that child’s question for you: books cost a lot of money! Check out these fabulous cookbooks and others at your free public library.

You hungry now? I am. Buh-bye, I’m off to cook!

Leslie

Fail Magnificently

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Here we are, firmly wedged into the month of January. The magical glow of New Year’s Eve and memories of our ambitious resolutions have already started to fade. While some just might make this the year that they actually stick to their three-times-a-week gym pledges, others may be looking for a way to gracefully bow out of their publicly-announced best intentions. Thankfully, the Everett Public Library is here not only to support us in our triumphs, but also to help us get through our moments of weakness. So, if you want to kill your resolutions softly by making the best of your surrender, I have a list of books for you.

Here are my recommendations for failing magnificently at some of the more common New Year’s resolutions.

The Butchers Guide to Well-Raised Meat

Eat Healthier and Lose Weight

This is the granddaddy of them all. Who hasn’t sworn, after a long night of New Year’s Eve snacking, that it was time to get the potbelly situation under control? Perhaps you’ve spent the last couple weeks faithfully logging calories and exercise on your new My Fitness Pal app, but today you find yourself caring less than usual. Before you hop in the car after work, blow by the YMCA, and hit the drive through, consider picking up one of the following books to help you break your resolution with a bit more class.

The Pastry Chef’s Apprentice, by Mitch Stamm, provides a really accessible introduction to creating delicious pastries in your home kitchen. Stamm includes a lot of what I like to call ‘action shots’ of what dishes should look like during crucial stages of each recipe. If you’re as lousy of a baker as I am, you know how valuable it is to actually see what the recipe means when it tells you to mix the dough to a certain consistency.

If you prefer savory over sweet, Warren R. Anderson’s Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage may be up your alley. The first half of this book is a richly-illustrated discussion of different methods of making and smoking sausages; the second is a collection of great recipes to try your hand at.

Other sweet and savory honorable mentions to consider:
Chocolate, from Practical Cookery
The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat, by Joshua and Jessica Applestone

Who knows? Perhaps making your own guilty pleasures from scratch might burn some calories in the process and ensure that you’re using healthier ingredients.

The Home Winemaker's CompanionDrink Less

This one generally goes the way of weight loss pledges, so in order to help you fail in the same spirit, I suggest the alternative of taking up home brewing, wine making,or distilling. You may find that in the end you’ll opt for quality over quantity because you’ll come to prefer the fruits of your own labor to a couple of Sessions. For the beer drinkers, I recommend checking out The Complete Joy of Home Brewing and The Brewers Apprentice. If wine is more your thing, you can try The Home Winemaker’s Companion. For those of you who secretly harbor dreams of bootlegging and rum-running, you can try your hand at hooch with Making Pure Corn Whiskey. Please remember to brew, stomp, and moonshine responsibly.

Fly SoloSpend More Quality Time with the Kids

Dads of the world, my apologies, because it looks like the fun books for breaking this resolution are more geared towards the ladies. A quick stroll through our travel books turned up these gems:

Fly Solo: the 50 Best Places on Earth for a Girl to Travel Alone, by Teresa Rodriguez Williamson
Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide, by Marybeth Bond
Solo Traveler: Tales and Tips for Great Trips, by Lea Lane

Get Rid of that Old Junk in the Garage

But isn’t one man’s trash another man’s treasure? Are you really going to let that other man steal your carefully horded booty? Absolutely not! American Junk and This Old House Salvage-Style Projects may give you the inspiration you need to turn mom’s odd obsession with fancy antique doorknobs into a lucrative business making pretty coat racks.

Driveways, Paths and Patios

Keep the Lawn and Garden Tidy

Technically my recommendations here won’t break this resolution, but they will help you fulfill it a way that you might not have intended. It may be that you love a serene outdoor environment but the closest you’ve ever come to having a green thumb was the result of a misguided attempt to paint the Silvertips logo on your garage door. If that’s the case, you can design your outdoor space to look tidy while being relatively maintenance-free by exploring other options. Walks, Walls & Patio Floors and Driveways, Paths and Patios will tell you all you need to know about designing an attractive, zero-gardening landscape. If you can’t bear the thought of having a yard that isn’t lovely and green, consider going au naturel with the help of Beautiful No-Mow Yards, by Evelyn J. Hadden. This approach will require you to put in a fair amount of gardening effort at the beginning, but after a while you should have easy sailing.

Swear Less

If you find that your cuss jar is rapidly filling once again, it might be time to let go and embrace the fact that you have a potty mouth and you find swearing amusing. To help you along the way to self-acceptance, I recommend a couple foul-mouthed titles that are designed to make you laugh. The F**king Epic Twitter Quest of @MayorEmanuel tells the sometimes true, sometimes fanciful, and completely inappropriate story of the 2011 mayoral election in Chicago. If they ever made an audio book out of this title, you wouldn’t want to listen to it with the kids around. Speaking of audio books – my other recommendation, Go the F**k to Sleep, by Adam Mansbach and illustrated by Ricardo Cortes, was just narrated by Samuel L. Jackson (the video is on YouTube – I recommend listening with earphones). I’m also happy to report that we carry ¡Duérmete, carajo!, the Spanish-language adaptation of this recent best seller.

Machida Karate-Do

Manage Stress Better

Or just take up a contact sport to help let out your frustrations in a healthy way. I have never been very good at managing the different areas of life that cause me stress, so instead once or twice a week I go play ice hockey. Problem solved. So, if you need to get out some pent-up aggression, but you don’t have the budget to pick up an expensive team sport, consider some alternatives. May I suggest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, or Mixed Martial Arts?

Step Away from the Internet

If you’re reading this post, you’ve already failed at this resolution. That’s all right, you can still learn to spend your time online doing something more productive. We have many great books on creating and marketing an online business, using social media to make money, and using the internet to help you find a better job. Here are just a handful of titles that can get you started:

Social Networking for Career Success, by Miriam Salpeter
Likeable Social Media, by Dave Kerpen
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Crowdsourcing, by Aliza Sherman
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing, by Jennifer Abernathy

For those of you who are still sticking to you goals I salute you! Let me take this opportunity to remind you that the library also has books to assist you in leaving the rest of us in your dust. For my fellow magnificent failures out there, happy 2013, and have fun making lemonade out of your lemons.

Lisa

Feast for a Voyeur

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In the spirit of giving thanks, breaking bread with friends and family, and cooking for the masses, library staff recently gathered around the table for a most delicious feast: a meal of literary delights.

What started out as a seasonal celebration for our Facebook page turned out to be one of the most creative and enjoyable projects I’ve worked on in recent memory.

All of this feasting, got me to thinking…

You may recall a post I did a couple of years back called Voyeuristic Literature. If you enjoyed peeking into the lives of others through their personal writings and forgotten grocery lists, you’ll really like what I have in store for you today. With my mind turning towards holiday parties and, inevitably, food, I give to you a plentiful peeper’s cornucopia, a feast for a voyeur.

Handwritten Recipes: a Bookseller’s Collection of Curious and Wonderful Recipes Forgotten Between the Pages by Michael Popek is exactly what it says it is in the title. Popek has found hundreds of handwritten recipes on cards, scraps of paper, even the backs of restaurant checks.

I feel like there are two great treasures preserved here. First, of course, are the handwritten recipes themselves. Both the penmanship and content of the recipes harken back to olden times, where my Grandmother worked full-time and still came home and put dinner on the table for her family. Recipes like eggs in a basket, sour milk biscuits, and orange kiss-me cake take me back to her kitchen where I first learned how to use a gas stove and the simple joy of eating raw almonds while stirring, kneading, or basting. 

On the other hand, there are definitely unrecognizable recipes as well. Dishes like rinktum tiddy, rice dainty, and chocolate porcupine make me think of someone getting into the rum before making the rum balls and waving a culinary wand to create such unrecognizable dishes. If urban foraging is considered culinary wizardry using only found ingredients, I propose we all start trying these old-fashioned, WTF recipes and call it wizardry using only found recipes.

But not to be overlooked are the books into which these recipes were actually wedged. The juxtaposing  of a recipe for pasta with artichokes, capers, and tomatoes found inside a 1969 edition of Dune: Messiah by Frank Herbert or a recipe for red pepper quiche inside a 1986 edition of It Came From Schenectady by Barry B. Longyear is, to me, the whole reason to become a fan of literary voyeurism.

Mainstream media has, for years, portrayed the cooks and chefs of America as somewhat plain individuals who are more concerned with proper garlic mincing techniques than the possibility of a Godzilla-like creature overtaking the Earth in the near future. Everyone is capable of pursuing whatever hobbies they like, even if these hobbies aren’t necessarily thought of as being complimentary. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that reading Science Fiction isn’t that far off from working with me in my kitchen. You just never know what the ending will ultimately be.

Come In, We’re Closed: an Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy is a different sort of window into someone else’s kitchen. Each chapter features a different restaurant and the meals the staff create for themselves after hours. Staff photos and pictures of the meal are interspersed with the recipes and stories from the staff and owners.

I was salivating to see what the people who spend their work shifts cooking for others would cook for themselves after closing time. It turns out that different restaurants cook different things—this didn’t surprise me. But what did surprise me is how easy to replicate some of these recipes truly are. That’s not to say all are simple, basic recipes—this is far from the truth. But if you’re looking to give yourself and your family a taste of haute cuisine you’re sure to find some gems in this tome.

Local restaurant The Herbfarm in Woodinville is featured in the middle of the book:

Fittingly, The Herbfarm’s family meal starts—and often ends—amidst the herbs. In fact, few staff meals here are ever created without the cooks first foraging in the quarter-acre of raised beds outside their back door. It is a time-worn tradition. Decades before the term “local” became a trendy restaurant catchphrase, The Herbfarm’s founders, Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck, used the Seattle seasons to craft their menus and educate their customers. With a near fanatical devotion to the harvest—some have even referred to The Herbfarm’s style as “micro-seasonal”—the menus change bimonthly to accommodate local crops. Along with fruits and vegetables from their nearby four-acre farm, all the meals here are literally built from the ground up.

So, we know the restaurant changes its menu all the time. But we still get a sample after hours menu from the day the authors interviewed the staff on location. How does this sound to you? Whole herb vinaigrette with mixed greens, Iowa-style fried chicken, strawberry cake with orange and thyme biscuits, homemade tarragon and cherry soda. My stomach is rumbling and I just ate breakfast—sign me up.

While the joys of reading this book lie in the peek behind the scenes and after hours of some of the world’s most renowned restaurants, I am delighted to earn a bonus: learning about an amazing local restaurant. I can’t wait to try it out in person.

No matter how you spend your holidays, I truly hope you are fortunate enough to spend your time with people who appreciate you and your cooking. While I have plans to enjoy a wonderful evening with friends and their new baby at Thanksgiving and head home to family in St. Louis at Christmastime, I will always enjoy metaphorically (and sometimes literally) peeking through the window into the world of other people’s’ cooking. So keep your curtains closed!

Carol

Slow Cooking With Your Kindle

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I’ve been exploring Everett Public’s Kindle holdings on Overdrive, which one can link to from our homepage. E-Readers have their detractors, but I enjoy the convenience of selecting a book at any hour of the day and being able to read it instantly. Also, it’s ideal for travel as it takes up almost no space in your carry on and you don’t run the risk of leaving your library book on the plane.

I recently purchased a slow cooker. It’s great because it doesn’t heat up the house or me on those hot summer days.

I wanted to expand my horizons beyond the cookbook that came with it, so I searched ‘slow cooker’ on Overdrive.  I found two titles: The Art of the Slow Cooker and The Everything Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook.

The Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss has, as the title page says, ’80 Exciting New recipes’. Some of Schloss’ recipes will probably be a bit overwhelming for novice slow cooks. However, his creations are quite impressive. He takes slow cooking to a gourmet level, beyond tossing a bunch of ingredients into a pot and letting them cook all day. Most of the recipes are packed with ingredients and seem to be geared toward people who actually know how to cook, unlike myself. The recipes have prep times of between 5 and 45 minutes.

There are times when Schloss gets a bit pretentious. For example, his description of the ‘glory of curry’ in the recipe for Curried Vegetables and Dal: “The blend of aromas aerating your head and the cacophony of sensations titillating your throat are as complex as any food in existence.” I feel a bit light-headed after that description.

One dish I hope to try soon is a Corn Chowder with Jalapeno.  It is one of the easier dishes to prepare, with easily found ingredients. Apparently, the jalapeno is included to titillate rather than burn.  “Every bite should provide a tingle; every bowl should leave your lips with a characteristic jalapeno glow”, Schloss says.

The Art of the Slow Cooker is illustrated with photos of many of the dishes.  However, unless you have the Kindle Fire, which has a color display, you will see, for example, a rather unappetizing black and white photo of a bowl of corn chowder.

The Everything Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook by Rachel Rappaport is geared to a more general audience. It has 300 recipes for various occasions. The emphasis here seems to be on healthy meals with just a few minutes of prep time. Each recipe has nutritional information for a serving of that dish, something that The Art of the Slow Cooker lacked.

The book has 17 chapters including chapters with pork, beef, vegetarian, and vegan dishes. Chapter 6 covers one of my favorites, Chili.  There are 16 Chili recipes!

‘Secret Ingredient Beef Chili’ looks to be particularly delicious.  The ‘secret’ ingredient in the recipe is mango.  Rappaport says, “The mango melts into the chili and adds a fruity depth of flavor.”  The recipe serves 8 and it looks like a fairly nutritious dish with 200 calories per serving, just 3.5 grams of fat, sodium is 450 mg, carbs at 25 grams, 9 grams of fiber, and 19 grams of protein.

This book also has a chapter of breakfast recipes. With the slow cooker, one need never miss breakfast again. A number of the breakfast recipes in the book are started just before bed and are ready when you get up in the morning.

One of the best, in my opinion, is the ‘Ham and Egg Casserole’. It only has seven ingredients and can be ready for the slow cooker in about 5 minutes. One just pours a mixture of eggs, spices, cheddar cheese, chiles and ham into the cooker over two slices of sandwich bread. Set the cooker to low and cook for seven hours. When you wake up, breakfast is ready!  Just lift the casserole out of the cooker and slice it up on your cutting board. It serves six, and each serving has 140 calories and 11 grams of protein.

The Kindle won’t replace paper, but for convenience it can’t be beat. A search for cooking and food on Overdrive will bring up over twenty cookbooks. That’s a lot of books to carry out of the library, but with a Kindle or whatever eReader you might have, you can leave your book bag at home and carry those books with ease.

David

Twick or Tweet

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Back in the seventies there was a lot of talk about the generation gap, the set of things that separates one generation from another. For example, my parents did not wear bell bottom jeans. I did. These jeans were one small part of the generation gap between me and my parents.

Music is another important part of the gap. As a child, I was defined by The Monkees, The Beatles and later The Boomtown Rats and Madness. My parents: Mitch Miller and George Jones.

In more recent times, technology has become perhaps the most important piece of the generation gap puzzle. It seems that kids these days are born knowing how to use devices that people of my generation can only stare at in wonder, waiting for them to open cans or launch a nuclear device.

As I approach my sixth decade (that’s age 50 for those of you who aren’t on top of the math thing), I’ve decided that I need to take a stand on what defines my personal generation gap. Thus, Twitter does not exist for me. Oh, I’ve used the MySpace and still use Facebook (while secretly hating it), but I have not and will never tweet.

But recently I’ve discovered books that use the limitations of social networking (i.e. how many characters can be in an entry) as a starting point. And this I find interesting. Setting a strict limitation and then trying to create art within that limitation is an exciting exercise.

And so, I leave you with a few titles, some twicks, some tweets.

The Ten, Make that Nine, Habits of very Organized People. Make that Ten: The Tweets of Steve Martin by Steve Martin 

Steve Martin is a generation older than I, but he decided to explore Twitter as a means of keeping his comedy chops sharp, of perhaps creating new material that he could use on his current bluegrass tour, and finally as a way of receiving funny responses from his followers. He has collected some of his tweets into a slim volume, perhaps a thirty minute read. It’s not the funniest book I’ve come across, but it is charming and fun to see how Mr. Martin used Twitter in perhaps a different way than most users, and how his usage evolved over time.

Eat Tweet: a Twitter Cookbook by Maureen Evans 

Yes Virginia, there is a Twitter cookbook. This collection of 1000 recipes follows the tweet format of 140 characters or less per entry, providing social networkers with a veritable feast of outstanding food. Betty Crocker, move over. But just a little bit; these recipes don’t take up much space.

Twitterature: The World’s Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less by Alexander Aciman 

The premise of this book is to synopsize literary classics in less than twenty tweets (making the maximum number of characters available 2800), with a sense of humor. This limitation forces long passages to be described succinctly. For example, from Tolkien’s The Hobbit: “Walking walking walking … Still walking – this is so boring!” Good for a chuckle or three.

iDrakula by Bekka Black 

Bekka Black’s iDrakula is a modernization of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The original text consisted of letters and diaries, and this update uses a similar format but with text messages, emails and Web browser screenshots. The story is not an exact retelling of Stoker’s classic, but Black sets an excellent tone with the opening text: “Renfield had a psychotic break. Carted off to Bellevue. More l8r.” An excellent addition to the Dracula canon.

For some more social networking inspired books, try the following:

Tweet Heart: a Novel in E-mails, Blogs, and Tweets by Elizabeth Rudnick
The F***ing Epic Twitter Quest of @MayorEmanuel by Daniel Sinker
Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

Ron

A Craving for Cupcakes

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Cupcakes, known as fairy cakes in Great Britain, are not new but have become very popular in the last few years. But what started this craze? Perhaps the popularity started with Sprinkles™, a cupcake factory started by Candace Nelson in Beverly Hills, California. Candace was inspired by her great-grandmother who ran a restaurant in San Francisco and was known for her desserts. After Candace Nelson was interviewed for the Oprah show everyone wanted to either purchase or make cupcakes. This simple little cake, served in a paper liner and baked in a muffin tin, has risen from being a staple for a classroom party to being an acceptable item to serve at an elegant sit down dinner.

Many local bakeries sensed the enthusiasm and added cupcakes to their regular items. One could also order cupcakes online or purchase mixes from the best known cupcake bakeries. Then the cupcake cookbooks started to be published. Of course, there had always been recipes for cupcakes contained in baking cookbooks but rarely was a whole book devoted to this small cake.

In 2009, Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes was published and started a trend. Wild about Cupcakes contains recipes for over 130 cupcakes, everything from all types of chocolate cupcakes to Christmas pudding cupcakes. The simply titled, Cupcakes, contains 39 recipes including Peanut Butter mini cupcakes, rhubarb yogurt cupcakes, and fruit tart cupcakes.

Then there are the cupcake books that have recipes that are more audacious and creative, such as Hello, Cupcake and What’s New, Cupcake?. Some of the cupcakes in these two books look like anything but cupcakes. It depends on what you consider more important: the taste of the cupcake, or the artistry involved in its creation. And then, for those for whom a bite or two will suffice, there’s Mini Cupcakes. These cupcakes are baked in a 2 ounce paper soufflé cup (more commonly known as a nut cup).

Not to be forgotten are the books for children about cupcakes. For the budding baker there’s Super-Duper Cupcakes and Cool Cakes & Cupcakes. Cupcakes have even made it into children’s fiction with the delightful picture book, Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake, in which Little Mouse finds a chocolate-chip, raspberry cream cupcake but it’s too big for him to carry home. He doesn’t need to worry though as many animals come to help him by taking bites out of it until it’s just the right size for him to carry home…in his tummy!

So, regardless of age or baking experience, there’s a cupcake book out there just waiting for you to drool over.

Suzanne

Check Out Some Motivation

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Regardless of whether or not you composed a list of resolutions on Saturday, most of us can benefit from eating better, exercising more, and reducing the impact of stress. I’ve been working on little changes over the last couple of months and, thanks to resources found at the library, I’m well on the way to achieving my goals.

Book cover of "The Food You Crave"If you watch The Food Network, chances are you’ve run across one of Ellie Krieger’s cooking programs. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition, is a registered dietician, and makes eating healthy easy and fun. Her cookbooks, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes For A Healthy Life and So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes For Every Meal Of The Week showcase clear and concise recipes that integrate healthier ingredients into everyday meals. The dishes are satisfying, healthy, and most of all, delicious.

Book cover for "Small Changes Big Results"Another book by Ellie I’m loving is Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan To A Better Life. Focusing on better eating, moving more, and improving emotional health, this book is all about making small changes over a long period of time. Each week there are three minor changes that build on the previous week’s changes. I chose to read the book straight through, making the prescribed changes at the suggested time. You could also decide to pick and choose, skipping changes that don’t fit your lifestyle. I’ve found making small changes and building on a solid foundation is the only way I will stick with something, so this book really worked for me.

CD album artCD album artCD album art

In addition to Ms. Krieger’s books, I’ve been checking out some high-energy CDs to help me keep a steady pace while I’m working out. Some artists who keep my energy high and my spirits up include AC/DC, Adam Lambert, Cascada, Daft Punk, Gnarls Barkley, Scissor Sisters, and Weezer. I also love checking out compilation CDs. Compilations like 80s Metal Gold, Now That’s What I Call Music, and Vans Warped Tour keep me motivated to move and are a great way to add a little variety to any workout routine.

With a bit of determination, and a little help from the library, any goal is achievable.

Carol

Resolutions

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Like most Americans, I set a few New Year’s Resolutions each year. Sometimes I achieve them. Sometimes I fail miserably.

book cover2010 was a successful year for me. I cooked a lot more with help from the library’s cookbook collection. In the fall I read all 800+ pages of Anna Karenina, which I have vowed to read every year for several years. Much to my surprise, I do enjoy the occasional meaty Russian novel. And with that I resolve to read Doctor Zhivago in 2011. (Now that I’ve said it, there’s no going back is there?)

book coverOn a more practical level, I also resolve to whip my pathetic lawn into shape this year. Organic Lawn Care Manual has thus worked its way onto my reading list.

Whether you resolve to read more short stories, learn American Sign Language, exercise more, set up a personal budget, become a magician or teach your old dog new tricks, the library is here to help. (Incidentally, these are some of the things I’ve resolved to do in the past.)

Happy New Year!
Mindy

At Home: Crafts, Gardens & Cookbooks (2010 Gift Guide)

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The staff of the Everett Public Library has put together a fabulous gift guide of books and music in a variety of subjects. You’re sure to find something to please every reader on your list. Why not give yourself a gift and check one out today?

Click here to read or print the complete list. Read on for our guide to Crafts, Gardening & Cookbooks.

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Toe-up Socks for Every Body by Wendy D. Johnson
For the knitter in your life, novice or expert. Johnson provides detailed instructions for knitting toe-up socks and 21 delightful patterns, with something for all ages. Maybe the recipient will knit you a pair of socks!

 Karakuri: How to Make Mechanical Paper Models That Move by Keisuke Saka
Saka’s fun mechanical paper creations will be an inspiration for anyone who enjoys crafts. It’s a better gift book than library book because it comes complete with color patterns. Now, should I make the flying fish or the space traveler bicycle?

 Kid Made Modern by Todd Oldham
This fresh and modern craft book is for the entire family and might also appeal to adults without kids. Each chapter features projects inspired by some of the best-known designers of the mid-20th century. Most of the items are both functional and beautiful, designed to enhance your home décor or wardrobe.

 From Art to Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Garden Design by W. Gary Smith
Lovely and inspiring, Smith’s book will thrill both novice and experienced garden designers. Exploring various artistic means and processes used in drawings, paintings, sculpture and dance and how they can translate to landscape design, Smith provides encouraging insight as well as practical advice for the reader.

Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy
First published in 1982, this newly revised edition highlights the beauty and functionality of landscaping your yard entirely with edible plants. Wonderfully illustrated, Creasy’s book is one of the season’s best “how to” books for planning, maintaining and harvesting a self-sufficient garden.

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From Seed to Skillet: a Guide to Growing, Tending, Harvesting, and Cooking Up Fresh, Healthy Food to Share with People you Love by Jimmy Williams and Susan Heeger
Taking you from planting to preparing your own healthy, home-grown meals, Williams learned to garden from his Gullah grandmother. Filled with pragmatic ideas, beautiful illustrations and inspiring recipes, this book is sure to enchant both gardeners and locavore enthusiasts.

 The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser
This is a superb compendium of timeless recipes published in the Times since the 1850s. Hesser’s chronologically arranged collection of over 1600 tested and updated recipes provides both a narrative of American culinary history and a valuable cookbook of old standards and new trends. Sure to delight the cooks in your life.

 Sarabeth’s Bakery: from My Hands to Yours by Sarabeth Levine and Rick Rodgers
Filled with decadent treats, Levine’s beautifulbook will inspire beginning and experienced cooks alike. Clear instructions, often accompanied by step-by-step photos, make even complicated baking creations approachable. A tremendous gift book for the baker in your life, Levine’s book is both lovely and practical.

 Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
More a family cookbook inspired by contemporary French cooking rather than a traditional French cooking book, Greenspan’s collection is overall neither labor-intensive nor requires hard-to-attain ingredients. It is a gorgeous book seemingly written by a good friend who loves food preparation and sharing her knowledge with you.

Fannie’s Last Supper: Re-creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Cookbook by Christopher Kimball
Kimball researched and planned a dinnerfor over two years, ultimately hosting a foodie’s 12-course dream dinner party, complete with Victorian dinner settings and an all-star guest list of celebrity chefs and epicures. A companion to a holiday season PBS special, Kimball’s work is  great entertainment for armchair chefs and history buffs.

For more gift book ideas and reading lists, see this page in our Readers’ Corner.