What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in November

Concerts, classes, crafts, and more are on the calendar in November at CPL. And don’t forget the big Fall Book Sale – check out the Event Calendar for all of our November offerings!

Chocolate for the Holidays

Saturday, November 3, 2018, 2:00 – 4:00PM

Long time chef, chocolate expert and former Cheshire Library Assistant Director Maria Brandriff will demonstrate how to make both decadent truffles and some healthier chocolate treats to give as holiday gifts.   Recipes and ample samples will be available. Registration is required.

Sunday Concert: Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem

Sunday, November 4, 2018, 2:00 – 3:00PM

This New England-based folk quartet is now in its15th year and features Rani Arbo (fiddle, guitar), Andrew Kinsey (bass, banjo, ukulele), Anand Nayak (electric and acoustic guitars) and Scott Kessel (percussion). This band’s steadfast brew of wit, camaraderie, and musicality leaves audiences everywhere humming and hopeful, spirits renewed. Join us for the first concert of CPL’s 2018-2019 Sunday concert series, made possible by the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library! No registration required.

Family Zumba

Mondays: November 5, 19, and 26, 2018, 4:00 – 4:30PM

Perfect for younger Zumba fans and their grown-ups. Family Zumba features kid-friendly routines and up-beat music! Caregivers are encouraged to attend and participate. This class helps develop a healthy lifestyle and incorporate fitness as a natural part of children’s lives by making fitness fun. No registration required.

Transcend Physical Reality for Your Healing and Empowerment

Monday, November 5, 2018, 6:3- – 8:00PM

Would you like to be able to raise above your everyday consciousness and create a new reality in your mind, so real that it shifts physical reality? You have all the power you need within you, but first you need to be able to transcend physical reality and look deeper into the essence. Your ability to transcend physical reality has tremendous healing power. You are not a victim but a director of your life.  Author and healer and former Cheshire resident Sue Maisano will help you understand how to transcend physical reality to heal/empower yourself and achieve your true heart’s desires with least resistance. Registration is required.

South Asian Festival

Tuesday, November 6, 2018, 3:00 – 4:00PM

Join us for an afternoon filled with exciting activities for children of all ages! Create your own Rangoli artwork, apply henna skin art, learn the origins of henna, create fun crafts, and more! Registration is not required for this event. (Please note public schools are not in session this day.)

Finish That Book

Tuesdays: November 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018, 5:00 – 8:00PM

National Novel Writing Month, is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000 word manuscript between November 1 and November 30.  Join other writers for a quiet and relaxing space to write. Drop in, no registration required.

Trivia Night @ The Waverly Inn

Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 6:30 – 8:00PM

Join us for a special Trivia Night at The Waverly Inn (286 Maple Ave, Cheshire). Come by yourself or bring friends, test your knowledge of pop culture, current events, history, music, and of course, literature! It’s all for Pride, not for Prize. Don’t forget to bring your appetite, as the Waverly Inn has tasty eats to purchase. Registration begins October 24, and is required for this adult program.

Friends of Cheshire Public Library Fall Book Sale

Thursday November 15 – Sunday November 18, 2018

Thousands of gently used books, cds, and dvds. All proceeds benefit the Friends of Cheshire Public Library, who make all of our fantastic programming possible! Members of the Friends get a sneak peek on Wednesday night, and memberships will be available for purchase at the door. Support the Friends!

  • Wednesday, November 14, 6:30 – 8:00PM: Preview Night (members only)
  • Thursday, November 15, 9:00AM – 8:00PM
  • Friday, November 16, 9:00AM – 4:30PM
  • Saturday, November 17, 9:00 AM – 4:30PM
  • Sunday, November 18, 12:00 – 3:00PM: “Bag of Books” Sale

Create Holiday Cards

Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 6:30 – 8:00PM

One of the many joys of the Holiday season is sending cheerful cards to the ones you love. Join Sue Bernier and create 3 Holiday cards using “Stampin Up” rubber stamps and paper. Attendees 15 years old and up. Registration is required, starting November 14.

Chocolate is Good for You!

chocolate02Have you heard the good news? Dark chocolate is actually beneficial to your health. What are the benefits? How about:

People who eat dark chocolate have a lower risk of heart disease. Why? the flavonals in chocolate reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Polyphenols in chocolate improved insulin sensitivity even in people who did not have diabetes.

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which is the same chemical that your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love. Who wouldn’t want to feel that good?

So indulge yourself! We have some great cookbooks featuring chocolate.

choc Chocolate : from simple cookies to extravagant showstoppers / Nick Malgieri.
A primer on basics and every kind of chocolate from cocoa to chips and white chocolate (and why it isn’t really chocolate in the strictest sense) to big dark slabs of the world’s favorite luxury food and the many, many ways to enjoy it.

jacket2 Chocolate : 90 sinful and sumptuous indulgences / by Elisabeth Johansson.
You can never have too much chocolate—or too many chocolate recipes! From Mocha Squares to spicy Aztec Pralines and Fudge Cake with chocolate-caramel icing, this big, bold, beautiful volume features more than 90 treats that will tempt any chocoholic.

cakeChocolate from the cake mix doctor / by Anne Byrn.
Starting with versatile supermarket cake mixes and adding just the right extras-including melted semisweet chocolate bars, chocolate chips, or cocoa powder, a baker at any level of experience can turn out dark, rich, moist, delicious chocolate layer cakes, time and again. Not to mention sheet cakes, pound cakes, cupcakes and muffins, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and bars.

More than 100 spectacular — and often simple — recipes. It is divided into three sections: “Intensely Chocolate,” in which the sumptuous flavor of chocolate is the star; “Essentially Chocolate,” with lighter chocolate desserts; and “A Hint of Chocolate,” with recipes that use chocolate’s spicier qualities to their best effect.

Featuring more than eighty recipes from the author whose name is synonymous with chocolate desserts, this cookbook offers such delights as Triple Mousse Cake, Chocolate Walnut Torte, and Chocolate Truffles–all with lower fat and fewer calories.

 

Over 100 delicious and inventive variations of the original Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie recipe–from all-chocolate extravaganzas to tempting add-ins such as macadamia nuts, Amaretto, maple syrup, granola, and peanut butter–have been collected here from cookie chefs across the country.

jacket8Chocolate-covered Katie : over 80 delicious recipes that are secretly good for you / Katie Higgins.
Katie shares over 80 never-before-seen recipes, such as Chocolate Obsession Cake, Peanut Butter Pudding Pops, and Ultimate Unbaked Brownies, that use only real ingredients, without any unnecessary fats, sugars, or empty calories. These desserts prove once and for all that health and happiness can go hand-in-hand-you can have your dessert and eat it, too!

Chocolate creators know they can turn to Maida for tantalizing confections, cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, and sauces that transcend the ordinary and make for memorable dining experiences.

 

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The Ghirardelli chocolate cookbook : recipes and history from America’s premier chocolate maker / photography by Leigh Beisch.
The recipes range from simple sweets to show-stopping desserts, while a special section on hosting a chocolate party comes just in time for holiday baking and entertaining.

December 16th is Chocolate Covered Anything Day!

Did you know that there is a day to celebrate covering foods with chocolate? This year December 16th is chocolatetopChocolate Covered Anything Day! Now, with whispers of a chocolate shortage have been present in the news lately it is even more important to celebrate this day with some fantastic treats. Chocolate covered fruit such as strawberries, banana, and pineapple are well known and loves and less obvious treats like chocolate covered pretzels and more savory treats have become more popular in recent years, a day like today is just the inspiration you might need to explore other less obvious pairings, like chocolate and bacon.

chocolate1So, in honor of today cover your food in chocolate or simply make something tasty with it. Like all good things chocolate is better when shared so, in spirit of the holiday season, share some of your chocolate treats with your friends and family. Here are some books to give you chocolate related inspiration:

1. Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers by Nick Malgieri

2. Chocolate: 90 Sinful and Sumptuous Indulgences by Elisabeth Johansson

3. The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making Sweets, Candy & Chocolates by Claire Ptak

4. The Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg with Ann Krueger Spivack and Susie Heller

5. Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts by Alice Medrichchocolate3

6. Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate desserts by Maida Heatter

7. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Recipes and History from America’s Premier Chocolate Maker photography by Leigh Beisch

8. Chocolate Lover’s: From Hot Fudge Soufflé to Chilled Biscuit Cake by Chris and James Tannerchocolate4

9. Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate by Alice Medrich

10. Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker’s Guide to Chocolate by Alice Medrich

For even more chocolatey goodness and inspiration check out: Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn, chocolate5Chocolate: A Sweet History by Sandra Markle, Chocolate: a Love Story: 65 Chocolate Dessert Recipes from Max Brenner’s Private Collection by Max Brenner, Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates by Fran Bigelow with Helene Siegel, Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier, 1000 Chocolate Baking & Dessert Recipes produced by theChocolate6 Bridgewater Book Company, Ltd, or Sweet Christmas: Homemade Peppermints, Sugar Cake, Chocolate-Almond Toffee, Eggnog Fudge, and other Sweet Treats and Decorations by Sharon Bowers.