Superheroes

To keep our superhero theme going this March, a quirky cookbook from our collection that I’ve been wanting to highlight is Matthew Mead’s, The Official DC Super Hero Cookbook: 60+ Simple, Tasty Recipes for Growing Super Heroes. Mead utilizes many children’s favorite characters – such as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and so many more – to help them connect with cooking. Recipes like the Up, Up and Away Parfait, Green Arrow Fruit Kebobs, Holy Guacamole, and the Bat Cave Chicken Stew are perfect for a birthday party, after-school snack, or just a fun way to teach your little ones about preparing food. Bright photos, funny commentary, and beloved action heroes make this book a fan favorite. If you’re interested in checking this book out, or finding similar titles, look for the call number, “J 641.5 Mea” in the Juvenile Non-Fiction section. Your family is sure to EAT up these yummy recipes!

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin

 

Ingredients

· 3 tablespoons olive oil

· 6 cups broccoli florets (from 1 small head)

· Kosher salt

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 cup heavy cream

· ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

· 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

· ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts

· ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted

 

Steps

1) Put a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil followed by the broccoli and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.

2) Reduce the heat to medium, add the cream and nutmeg, and cook until the cream reduces slightly and the broccoli is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the Gruyère and cook, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.

3) Remove from the heat, stir in the scallions, top with the panko, and serve

 

From: 5 in 5 for Every Season: 165 Quick Dinners, Sides, Holiday Dishes, and More

By: Michael Symon’s with Douglas Trattner

 

Cheese-Trio Artichoke & Spinach Dip

 

Ingredients

· 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

· 1 tablespoon butter

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

· 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

· 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

· 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

· 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped

· 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

· 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

· Toasted French bread baguette slices

 

Steps

1. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

2. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Add the mushroom mixture, artichokes, spinach and red pepper.

3. Transfer to a 3-qt slow cooker. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through. Serve with baguette slices.

 

Makes: 4 cups

 

From: A+ Recipes From Schools Across America: 245 Top-of-the-Class Recipes

By: Taste of Home

 

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 André 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, André 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!

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

 

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