My Kind of Holiday, Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day!

February 5, 2016December 23, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The first Saturday of February is officially International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! I have to say that this is a holiday I can really get behind. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods. Even after spending five summers of my younger days working in a mom and pop ice cream store, I never tired of ice cream. Just typing this has me craving a treat. I do not care if it is steamy hot outside, or so cold that I am huddled on the couch with several blankets, I still am always up for ice cream.

So how am I going to celebrate without letting my kids know that I relish the idea of ice cream for breakfast? Perhaps I will be sneaky and have hot chocolate with a dollop of ice cream rather than my usually coffee that morning. Maybe I will be nice, and a little ambitious, and do a waffle bar or something that will allow for ice cream and whip cream in the early morning hours. Of course, that would require me finding that waffle iron that was a wedding gift ten years ago, which I do not remember having seen since our last move.

Not sure how you want to celebrate this fun and silly day? Well, if I could I would just bust out the ice cream and enjoy. However, if you need to be a little more subtle, like myself, here are some books with recipes and ideas that might get you started.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, and More by Bruce Weinstein

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with Nancy J. Stevens

No-churn Ice Cream: Over 100 Simply Delicious No-Machine Frozen Treats by Leslie Bilderback

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer

Ruby Violet’s Ice Cream Dream: Ice Cream, Sorbets, Bombes, and More by Julie Fisher

G elato!: Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti & Granite by Pamela Sheldon Johns

Coolhaus Ice Cream Book: Custom-Built Sandwiches With Crazy-Good Combos of Cookies, Ice Creams, Gelatos & Sorbets by Natasha Case & Freya Estreller

Solving the Meal or Snacktime Blues

January 21, 2016January 14, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

If you are anything like me, you spent the start of the school year determined to pack healthy lunches and have healthier snack options available for the kids, and most likely yourself. Even if you do not have kids, at some point you have had the urge to jazz up your own meals, make cooler appetizers for some function, or just eat better. Maybe you want to sneak some extra vegetables into dinner, or even dessert, or new dietary restrictions have you trying new combinations and ways to make everything taste great while still being reasonably good for you. snack

I started off the school year with fresh baked muffins (with pureed vegetables hidden inside), plenty of fruit and whole grains in the snazzy bento box style containers for each of my kiddos. I had a snack box in the refrigerator and one in the pantry with pre portioned healthy snacks to fulfill requests. And now? Well, lets just say that the lunches are not nearly as well planned and motivation to keep everything healthy and organized is waning.

I have one young picky eater in the house, and a husband that dislikes casseroles, crock pot cooking, and vegetables in general. It is easy to fall into a rut of making the same the few meals over and over, and picking meals that seem to be the easiest to make even when there are better options. I have found that I regularly need motivation, ideas, and more to keep things healthy and tasty- as well as eaten by the whole crew. Getting everyone involved in the meal planning, shopping, or cooking is a big help. If they get to pick the food, or help in preparing it, they are all much more likely to eat, or at least try, what is on their plate.

Here are some books that I have recently found (some just moved into the Parenting section in the children’s room) to help inspire and re motivate myself and anyone else struggling with healthy meals, healthy snacks, and fun foods that are tasty and healthy.

Stealth Health Lunches Kids Love: Irresistible and Nutritious Gluten-Free Sandwiches, Wraps and Other Easy Eats by Tracy Griffith

So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger

Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love by Katie Sullivan Morford

Weelicious Lunches: Think Outside the Lunchbox with More than 160 Happier Meals by Catherine McCord

ChopChop: the Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with your Family by Sally Sampson

The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals by Missy Chase Lapine

Regular readers know by now that I can never stop with just a few recommended books. So, if those listed above are already checked out or you are looking for more you might want to try: Beating the Lunch Box Blues: Fresh Ideas for Lunches on the Go! by J. M. Hirsch, Insanewiches: 101 Ways to Think Outside the Lunchbox by Adrian Fiorino,Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld, The Cleaner Plate Club by Beth Bader & Ali Benjamin, Double Delicious! : Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives by Jessica Seinfeld, and The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook: Delicious, Inspiring Meals for Busy Families by Debra Ponzek.

January is National Soup Month

January 7, 2016January 28, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

national soup

How fitting that January – the coldest month of year – is National Soup Month! Great time of year to experiment and enjoy some home-made soup!

Love Soup – 160 all new vegetarian recipes features black bean and squash soup in the fall, smoky eggplant soup in midsummer, rib-sticking chowder, or seductively perfumed wild mushroom soup for Christmas. Love Soup also provides recipes for breads, hummus, pesto, salads, and homey desserts–and simple menus that put soup at the heart of the meal.

Soup offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both classic favorites and fresh new ideas. In these pages, you’ll find inspiring soups designed to fit any occasion at any time of year—from a quick and simple meal to an enjoyable lunch in the garden.

Saved by Soup: more than 100 low-fat soup recipes to eat and enjoy everyday. Author Judith Barrett lost pounds and inches using these mouthwatering recipes, each of which contains less than three grams of fat per serving. And cutting the fat posed no bar to creating soups with incredible flavor and only one gram of fat.

Soup of the Day. This tantalizing collection of 365 recipes offers a soup for each day of the year. From January to December, you’ll find daily inspiration and a seasonal soup that will satisfy any craving or fit any occasion.

The New England Soup Factory Cookbook contains more than 100 mouth-watering recipes. It also includes anecdotes and inspiring stories that provide insight into Marjorie Drucker’s creative process and her passion for all things soup related.

Soup Makes the Meal is divided into 50 menus, each including a soup, a salad, and a bread recipe. Best of all, the soups don’t require homemade stock, many (but not all) of the breads are quick breads, and the salads range from light to hearty.

Sunday Soup: a year’s worth of mouthwatering easy-to-make recipes features 60 recipes, one for each Sunday of the year and then some. With recipes like Gulf Coast Shrimp Gumbo, Dreamy Creamy Artichoke Soup, and Icy Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon and Dill you can enjoy soup in every season.

The Soup Club Cookbook: feed your friends, feed your family, feed yourself. Four busy moms and neighbors who started making and sharing soup dinners once a month provide recipes for filling soups and sides, as well as storage tips and instructions for starting a neighborhood soup club.

Soup & Stew includes more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both classic preparations and innovative ideas for the busy cook. In these pages, you’ll find tempting options for every occasion, from first-course soups and light puréees to meaty braises and comforting stews.

Food Made Fast. Soup is about delicious food, simply prepared, with easy-to-follow recipes and tips. Each book emphasizes keeping a well-stocked pantry, planning ahead, and using fresh ingredients as the keys to cooking delicious meals with a minimum of time and effort.

For all things soup – click here.

Seriously Simple Holiday Dinners

December 16, 2015November 23, 2015 / Mary / Leave a comment

I don’t know about anyone else, but I normally have no time to cook dinner during a regular work week never mind a holiday week. The thought of preparing an elaborate holiday meal, in addition to all the shopping, gift wrapping, entertaining, cleaning –(Oh, my God, every obscure relative will be descending on me to critique my housekeeping!)–makes my brain shrivel and my knees buckle.

Fortunately, others have traveled this path before me and left a road map for breezing through the holidays:

Seriously Simple Holidays : Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season by Diane Rossen Worthington.
Gift ideas, wine and cheese pairings, menus, Diane Worthington has it all covered from Rosh Hashanah to Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

The Ultimate Appetizers Book : More than 450 No-fuss Nibbles and Drinks, Plus Simple Party Planning Tips by Better Homes and Gardens. From super quick dips and snack mixes to elegant pastries and bite-size sweets, these no-fuss recipes will please any crowd.

Cocktails for the Holidays : Festive Drinks to Celebrate the Season by the Editors of Imbibe Magazine. Mix holiday drinks like a pro with the help of this book. It includes favorite seasonal recipes from bartenders around the world for every festive occasion.

Fix-it and Forget-it Christmas Cookbook : 600 Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes by Phyllis Pellman Good. If cooking holiday dinners wears you out, this book is the answer. Let your slow cooker do all the work. Prep it, forget it, and go join the party instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Easy Entertaining : Over 250 Stress-free Recipes and Sensational Styling Ideas by Darina Allen. Short-cuts, tips, hints and general good advice for making your holiday easier. “Keep it Simple” is the motto of this book that will help you pull off a holiday party simply but in style.

Desserts 1-2-3 : Deliciously Simple Three-ingredient Recipes by Rozanne Gold. Three ingredients that yield fabulous desserts? Yes, indeed! The results are delicious and look like they took a lot more labor than they did. It’s a holiday miracle.

What’s Better Than Pizza and Cookies?

October 7, 2015September 16, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

Enjoying them in October! Fantastic weather, beautiful foliage, and it’s National Pizza month and National Cookie month! Feeling a little down? Go outside with a handful of your favorite cookies. Find a picnic table and munch on hot pizza pie! Soak up the beautiful weather and add some tasty food. Want to be creative and make your own cookies and pizza? The Cheshire Library has books to inspire and tantalize!

PIZZA

Pizza: grill it, bake it, love it!

Pizza: a slice of heaven

Cool Pizza to Make and Bake

Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

Revolutionary Pizza

American Pie: my search for the perfect pizza

COOKIES

Martha Stewart’s Cookies

Crazy About Cookies

Slice and Bake Cookies

Gluten-Free Cookies

Simply Sensational Cookies

The Gourmet Cookie Book

There are many more books to choose from. Click on the headings Pizza and Cookies and our catalog will come up so you can browse to your heart’s content.