Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Sonia's Staff Pick

For this month’s staff pick, Sonia chose to highlight Gotham City Cocktails: Official Handcrafted Food & Drinks From the World of Batman, by AndrĂ© Darlington and Ted Thomas. This unique cookbook has 70 drink and food recipes inspired by one of DC’s most iconic superheroes. This hardback book is beautifully bound with fabric and gold lettering/design. Many recipes are accompanied by a color image and a blurb about how the recipe ties into Gotham City. Some things that I think make this book especially unique include the Equipment Checklist, a Brief History page, and several blank note pages in the back where readers can add their own comments (if owned personally of course). Sonia said that her favorite recipe from this book is “Barbara Gordon’s Lemon Chicken, found on page 130. She stated, “I like the simplicity of the dish as I already had all of the ingredients on hand to make it and I love the pairing of lemon and chicken”. Gotham City Cocktails describes this recipe as being “famous at the Gotham City Police Department. It is a running joke that if James Gordon cannot be found, it’s best to assume Barbara has made her chicken, It is that good”. To find this title in our in-house collection, look under the call number, “641.874 Dar” in the Adult Non-Fiction section. If you are a fan of this book and would like to check out similar titles, AndrĂ© Darlington has 12 other titles, many of which are also themed cocktail books. Let us know what you think of March’s staff pick and the recipes within!






Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Skillet Swedish Meatball Madness

 


Sauce

· 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

· 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

· 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

· 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

· 1 cup chopped onion

· 1 cup sliced mushrooms

· 2 tablespoons light/reduced-fat cream cheese

· 2 teaspoons whipped butter

 

Meatballs

· 1 pound raw extra-lean ground beef

· 1/4 cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs

· 1/3 cup egg whites (about 3 large eggs’ worth)

· 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

· 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

· 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Steps

1) To make the sauce, in a large bowl, combine broth, flour, mustard, and vinegar. Whisk until uniform.

2) Bring an extra-large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms. Cook and stir until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

3) Carefully add broth mixture, cream cheese, and butter to the skillet. Cook and stir until cream cheese and butter have melted and mixture is uniform, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the large bowl.

4) In a second large bowl, thoroughly mix meatball ingredients. Firmly and evenly form into 20 meatballs.

5) Clean skillet, if needed. Re-spray, and return to medium-high heat. Place meatballs in the skillet. Cook and rotate until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

6) Reduce heat to medium low. Carefully add sauce, coating the meatballs. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

 

Makes: 4 servings

 

From: Clean & Hungry: Obsessed!

By: Hungry Girl

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

BLT Rolls

 



Ingredients

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 12 small vine-ripe tomatoes, rounded ends removed, tomatoes cut into 4 slices

· 1/2 cup mayonnaise

· 1 package (24) small party rolls, halved crosswise

· 4 cups prewashed mixed baby greens

· 12 slices bacon, cooked and quartered crosswise

 

Steps

1) Salt and pepper tomato slices. Assemble sandwiches: Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on cut side of each roll top. Place a few salad greens and 2 pieces of bacon on each roll bottom. Add 2 tomato slices to each roll bottom. Cap with top and serve.

 

Makes: 2 Dozen

 

From: Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers

By: Pam Anderson

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Spicy Eggplant Pie

 


Ingredients

· 200 grams (2 small) Japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds

· 1 ball of Pizza Dough, shaped and waiting on a floured peel (page 26)

· 70 grams (1/4 cup) Basic Tomato Sauce (page 34)

· 8 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

· 1 medium garlic clove, chopped

· 4 grams (1 teaspoon) minced chili pepper (Thai, cayenne, or serrano)

· Generous pinch of fine sea salt

· 6 cilantro leaves, torn

· Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

· 1 gram (1 tablespoon) dried aged bonito flakes

 

Steps

1) Put the pizza stone in a gas oven on a rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven on bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 10 minutes. (For an electric variation, see page 18.)

2) While the oven preheats, place the eggplant rounds on a baking sheet and broil for a couple of minutes, just until the tops are lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

3) With the dough on the peel, spoon the tomato sauce evenly over the surface, leaving about 1 inch of the rim untouched. Sprinkle the sauce with the ginger, garlic, chili pepper, and salt. Distribute the eggplant rounds over the surface.

4) With quick, jerking motions, slide the pie onto the stone. Broil for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes under gas (somewhat longer with an electric oven; see page 18), until the top is bubbling and the crust is nicely charred but not burnt.

5) Using the peel, slide the pie onto a platter or serving tray. Distribute the cilantro on top, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with the bonito flakes.

 

Makes: one 10-to-12-inch pizza

 

From: My Pizza: the easy no-knead way to make spectacular pizza at home

By: Jim Lahey

 

Monday, February 26, 2024

National Snack Food Month

If you’re anything like me, you’re a snack-aholic; which is exactly why BPL is taking National Snack Food Month very seriously. Salty, sweet, and everything in between, we’re right there with you and we want to help you celebrate this February. There’s truly not a bad time for a snack but they really come in handy during movie nights, game days, cocktail hours, and casual parties. If you’re looking for a new recipe to enhance your snacking experience, you’ve come to the right place. Check out the following recommendations:

  • The Super Mom's Guide to Simply Super Sweets and Treats for Every Season: 80 Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Snacks for Perfectly Imperfect Moms by Deborah Stallings Stumm

  • Making Snacks That are Sweet, Salty & Crunchy by Megan Borgert-Spaniol

  • The Unofficial TikTok Cookbook: 75 Internet-Breaking Recipes for Snacks, Drinks, Treats, and More! by Valentina Mussi

  • Snacking Bakes: Simple Recipes for Cookies, Bars, Brownies, Cakes, and More by Yossy Arefi

While these cookbooks are snack-specific, nearly every one of our cookbooks features a good snack recipe or two! Check out our fruitful collection under the call number “641” in both the children’s and adult nonfiction sections for even more. Be sure to let a staff member know which recipes curved your cravings and which book helped you celebrate this delicious month!









Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Curly Mac ‘N’ Cheese

 


Ingredients

· 1 package rotini

· 6 cups milk

· 3 tablespoons cornstarch

· 3/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

· 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

· 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

 

Steps

1) Preheat oven to 375°F. In large saucepot, cook pasta as label directs. Drain.

2) Meanwhile, in a 4-quart saucepan, with wire whisk, mix milk, cornstarch, salt, and nutmeg until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until mixture has thickened slightly and boils. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Gradually whisk in Parmesan until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

3) Spoon pasta into shallow 3 1/2-quart or 13” by 9” baking dish. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to thoroughly mix. Sprinkle Cheddar over top. Bake until Cheddar has melted and mixture is hot and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

 

Makes: 6 main-dish servings

 

From: Pasta!: Our Best Recipes From Fettuccine Alfredo & Pasta Primavera to Sesame Noodles & Baked Ziti

By: Good Housekeeping

 

Sonia's Staff Pick

For this month’s staff pick, Sonia chose to highlight Gotham City Cocktails: Official Handcrafted Food & Drinks From the World of Batman...