Straight Out of the Box: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

I am a devotee of food blogs, and one of my favorites is The Pioneer Woman Cooks, at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/.  I don’t really know why I like her. It’s not food I would normally cook, or a lifestyle I yearn for, but her photographs make it all look so delicious! Everything she makes looks amazing. And the photos document each step closely that by the end of it you feel like you are standing there ready to lick the spoon…

She’s already published one cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl, and I just cataloged her latest one, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. Loaded with the great photos she is known for, they are just the thing to thumb thru if your meal planning needs a kick-start, you’re in the winter doldrums, or you pine for a life among real cowboys. And if you are intrigued by her life you can learn all about it in her new biography too – The Pioneer Woman : Black Heels to Tractor Wheels–a Love Story. 

–Erin

Off the Shelf: Keep Calm. There’s Nothing a Cupcake Can’t Solve

What is a good way to brighten a late winter day?  Bake cupcakes!  Make cake pops!  How to get started? Check out these titles here at Cedar Mill Community Library.  Relief from the winter blues is just a bite away.

Martha Stewart’s cupcakes : 175 inspired ideas for everyone’s favorite treat by Martha Stewart

Cake pops : tips, tricks, and recipes for more than 40 irresistible mini treats by Bakerella

 What’s new, cupcake? by Karen Tack

 BabyCakes : vegan, (mostly) gluten-free, and (mostly) sugar-free recipes from New York’s most talked-about bakery by Erin McKenna.

Gluten-free cupcakes : 50 irresistible recipes made with almond and coconut flour by Elana Amsterdam

Cupcake cakes by Lisa Turner Anderson

                

And now that you have a big, beautiful plate of cupcakes all ready to eat, it’s time to read some stories all about cupcakes with your favorite little one.

Cupcake: a journey to special by Charise Mericle

 Tina Cocolina: queen of the cupcakes by Pablo Cartaya

 If you give a cat a cupcake by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes by Jane O’Connor

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann

By Ginny W., Youth Services

           

Blurbs from the Branch: Post-Holiday Healthy Cooking

Cooking together has become a tradition in my family over the last few years.  As I’ve gotten older, my mom, brother and I bustle around my parent’s kitchen over various holidays to cook both our favorite meals from years past as well as new culinary creations.   When I used to prefer curling up with a book any chance I had, avoiding the kitchen at all costs, I now like to help my brother and mom in the kitchen, trying my hand at creating delicious dishes. 

To get inspiration, I like to check out some of our cookbooks at the library.  A few of my favorites that I’ve come across lately are Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger, and Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. 

The pictures alone in Food From Many Greek Kitchens will make you want to drop all of your responsibilities and catch the next plane to Greece.  While I wasn’t able to try all of the beautiful recipes in this book, the homemade tzatziki and the tomato salad were good enough that they will most likely become a staple in my lunch routine.

Ellie Krieger, a nutritionist who focuses on balance in one’s diet has a great philosophy on cooking in general: nothing is off limits.  That being said, her recipes in The Food You Crave  follow a “usually-sometimes-rarely” pattern, listing foods you should usually eat, sometimes eat and rarely eat.   She does a great job of laying out essential nutrients that are important for good health as well as lists the items we should all keep on hand in our pantries in order to make a great meal any time. Her maple glazed walnuts are an absolute staple in my snack routine and the book includes plenty of colorful pictures to illustrate the dishes.

Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day is one of my favorite cookbooks of the new books that are out.  This foodie San Francisco author is a vegetarian who cooks whole, natural foods that contain a ton of pop and has a way of speaking to you as if you were a dear friend.  Like Krieger, she lays out the ingredients stocked in her pantry and fridge most often: everything from spices and nuts to yogurt and beans.  Heidi also outlines the kitchen equipment she uses most which is helpful for a relatively beginner cook like myself.   Over the holidays, my parents, brother and I enjoyed many recipes from this book.  The turnip chips were incredibly addictive and tasted like sweet potatoes.  They were sweet but tangy with a hint of lime juice and paprika for added flavor.  The rye soda bread was dense and hearty; a wonderful accompaniment to the slightly cheesy and crunchy wild rice casserole.  The little quinoa patties that held together surprisingly well in the cooking process, were substantial and so delicious that my meat carnivore father raved about them. 

All three of these cookbooks have seasoned authors and cooks behind them yet the recipes are not too difficult for a novice cook nor too easy for a seasoned one.  The items are healthy but not boring and will please anyone’s taste buds.

- Hannah

The inside scoop: holiday traditions

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Solstice,Twelfth Night, Festivus, Saturnalia or one of the many other winter holidays, you probably have your own unique traditions to make the holiday your own, or to fight off the winter blues.  Here are a few of ours:

Rita likes to stay cozy by watching black and white movies.  “Every year I have to watch It’s a Wonderful Life at least once. Reminds me of when life was simpler and smaller and everybody in town knew your name.”

Lisa likes to counter the wintry weather with cooking and warm wooly sweaters.  She wishes everyone a Merry Knitmas!  Here’s her library shopping list:

55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne & Carlos

Shall I knit you a hat? By Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise- The rabbits are making hats for ALL their friends for Christmas.  (Check out the adorable illustrations to find out how they handle the reindeer’s antlers!) []

Microcrafts- lots of very small and the very cute project ideas.  Stocking stuffers!

The Geometry of Pasta – Lisa loves the graphics and instead of cooking the pasta, suggests perhaps glueing it and spraying it gold for holiday decorations.

If it’s holiday baking that you’re after, channel the spirit of classic Betty Crocker. Or follow the lead of Julia Child – watch Julie & Julia while cooking from one of her books (a cup of wine for the soup and a glass for the cook!)

Amy comes back every year to Truman Capote’s bittersweet and beautiful short story, A Christmas Memory. A boy and his best friend, a sixty-something-year-old cousin with the mind of a child herself, not having any money of their own and dependent on unkind relatives, make their own wonderful Christmas for just the two of them.  For anyone wanting a less commercial, more home-made holiday, this story shows how little, everyday things can be made into something magical. 

What are your holiday traditions?

 

 

Blurbs From the Branch: Baking Season

I love baking and the holiday season provides plenty of opportunities for me to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies. Of course I have my favorite recipes I fall back on year after year, but I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. Here are few books I’ve discovered that have provided me with enough inspiration to last all year long.

 Hello, Cupcake! by Alan Richardson and What’s New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack are two books that made me fall in love with cupcake baking all over again. The cupcake decorating ideas in these books range from the simple to the elaborate. With only M&M candies and tinted frosting, you can put together cupcakes that look like mini cherry and blueberry pies. Create poinsettia themed cupcakes using cinnamon stick gum and a few mini M&Ms. If you’re ready for something more challenging, try making polar bear cupcakes using doughnut holes, flaked coconut and white spice gumdrops.

 When I’m looking for a quick and easy meal, I often turn to Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals. This book is loaded with yummy recipes that are not only quick, but flavorful as well. Two of my favorites are Southwestern Chicken & Black Bean Burritos and Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon. My husband’s favorite has to be Marinated Grilled Flank Steak with BLT-Smashed Potatoes.

 Finally, when the kids want pasta and I’ve cooked all the spaghetti and mac & cheese that I can handle, I pull out a few recipes from Pasta Every Way For Every Day by Eric Treuille. My kids would live on the Butter and Parmesan, Cream and Parmesan or the Three Cheese pasta if I’d let them. For the rest of the family, the Mushroom Al Forno or Zucchini and Basil with Cream top the list of favorites.

 Happy cooking!   

                                                                         -Shannon