Beautiful Soup!

"Of soup and love, the first is best."

Old Spanish proverb

Who doesn't love soup? I know I do! A really great soup warms you up on a cold day and, with the right ingredients, can be very filling and healthy. Soup is one of the oldest dishes known to man. Soups started out more for medicinal purposes, but by the middle ages, soups were being prepared for everyday meals.

Growing up, we mostly had soup from a can. My Mom made a few different soups from scratch, but they did not appeal to me as a child. Now, homemade soup is one of my favorite things to make. A few of mine are even quite popular with many of my friends! I'm not a great cook, but I like to make meals from scratch as much as possible, and soups usually have a great and uncomplicated recipe.

To help you get started at soup-making, or to give you a few new ideas, check out the list of books and web sources below. Have fun!

From the Catalog:

-- Soup forward by Eric Schlosser

-- Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette

-- The 30-Minute Vegan: Soup's On: More Than 100 Quick and Easy Recipes For Every Season by Mark Reinfeld

-- 500 Soups: The Only Soup Compendium You'll Ever Need by Susannah Blake

-- Cooking Light: Soup from the editors of Cooking Light

From the Web:

-- 50 Soups from Foodnetwork.com

-- 30 Easy Soup recipes from Better Homes and Gardens

-- Best Homemade Soup recipes from Country Living

-- Best Soup and Stew Recipes from Epicurious

-- Top 10 Recipes for Soup from Taste of Home


And here is a link to one of my favorite go-to soup recipes, Bean and Barley soup, from Eating Well.

Soup Of The Evening

Lewis Carroll

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,

Waiting in a hot tureen!

Who for such dainties would not stoop?

Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!

Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,

Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,

Game, or any other dish?

Who would not give all else for two

Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?

Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!

Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,

Beautiful, beauti--FUL SOUP!

--Post by Tracy

To Market, To Market To Buy A Fat Pig

Summer is officially here and so are the local farmer's markets. And judging by the number of markets in the area and the number of people who are at them every week, they are more popular than ever. Who can resist all of the fresh fruit and vegetables. Not to mention the baked goods!

The hardest part, though, is figuring out what to do with all of that wonderful, fresh food. To help everyone out, here are some cookbooks from the library and several websites with shopping and cooking tips. Enjoy!

From the Catalog:

-- At The Farmers' Market With Kids: Recipes and Projects For Little Hands by Leslie Jonath and Ethel Brennan

-- The Farmstand Favorites Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes Celebrating Local, Farm-Fresh Food with foreword by Avis Richards

-- EatingWell In Season: The Farmers' Market Cookbook by Jessie Price

-- The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally by Ivy Manning

-- Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison

-- The Locavore Way: Discover and Enjoy The Pleasures of Locally Grown Food by Amy Cotler

-- To Market, To Market To Buy a Fat Pig [DVD] - Rick Sebak special

From the Web:

-- Western Pennsylvania Farmers Market Interactive Map -- from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

-- 10 Farmers Market Shopping Tips -  from About.com

-- 6 Steps to Mastering the Farmers' Market - from Good Housekeeping

-- The Crisper Whisperer: 10 Tips to Take to the Farmers' Market - from Serious Eats

-- From Farm to Table: Farmers' Markets - recipes from AllRecipes.com

-- Cooking from the Farmer's Market - recipes and tips from Epicurious.com

-- Farmers Market Recipes - from FarmFresh.org


--Post by Tracy

Pi in the Sky

Pi -- symbolized π -- is a mathematical concept. Take any perfect circle, measure the circle's diameter (the distance of a straight line through the middle of circle) and the circumference (the distance around the circle). Then divide the circumference by the diameter.

The answer you'll get -- roughly 3.14 -- is the answer you'll always get. Pi is an unchanging constant, true of every (perfect) circle regardless of the circle's size. Pi is also, interestingly enough, an infinite number: while we generally round off at 3.14, the actual number of pi is 3.14159265358979323 ... and so on.

March 14, being 3/14, is National Pi Day. So we've rounded up some resources about pi (the number) and pie (the rather tastier treat). Be sure to celebrate this day as you best see fit.

(We like key lime ourselves.)


PI: 

Read about pi (from the Catalog):

Non-fiction:

-- Pi: A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Number by Alfred S. Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann.

-- The Joy of Pi by David Blatner.

-- Pi-Unleashed by Jörg Arndt and Christoph Haenel.


Fiction:

-- Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool - This YA read features Early Auden, an unusual kid who is reading through the number pi like it's the best story he's ever heard.

-- Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Tired of his full name, "Piscine Molitor Patel," the book's hero soon comes to style himself "Pi" ... in tribute to the irrational number.

-- Contact by Carl Sagan - This sci-fi novel uses pi as a story-altering plot device.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Read about pi (from the web):

-- Pi Day - The holiday's website.

-- A Brief History of Pi - from the San Francisco Exploratorium.

-- 100,000 Digits of Pi - Courtesy of the University of Illinois.

-- The Pi-Search Page - What to see where your birth date shows up in the infinite numbers of pi?  Use this search engine to look through the first 200 million digits!

-- Pi Land - Some fun with pi.

News about pi (from the web):

-- Friday is Pi Day - It's an official national holiday!  A look at some of the nation's celebrations of Pi Day. (USA Today)

-- Calculating Pi for Pi Day - An Associate Professor of Physics calculates pi using everyday objects. (Wired.com)

-- Pi Day: An Infinite Number of Ways to Celebrate - A collection of features celebrating Pi Day. (NPR)

-- See a Man Recite 1,010 Digits of Pi. From memory. (Washington Post)

American Pie Council: Check out the official website of the American Pie Council, who is celebrating Pi Day. Be sure not to miss their fantastic activity packet!

PIE:

Read about pie (from the Catalog):

-- Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich

-- The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

-- Pies and Tarts: How to Make More Than 50 Scrumptious Pies and Tarts by Carla Bardi

-- Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes For Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites from the editors of Martha Stewart Living

-- Simply-- Gluten-Free Desserts: 150 Delicious Recipes for Cupcakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Old and New Favorites by Carol Kicinski

-- Crazy About Pies: Irresistible Pies For Every Sweet Occasion by Krystina Castella

Read about pie (from the web):

-- How to Make a Pie From Start to Finish - from TheKitchn.com.

-- Pie-Making 101: How I Overcame My Fear Of Crumbling Crust - from NPR.org.

-- Perfect Pie Recipes and Tips - from Epicurious.com.

-- How to Make a Pie Crust, Step by Step - from AllRecipes.com.

-- The Pie Academy - from the author of Pie (see link above).

-- Pie Making Tips - from The American Pie Council

Watch videos about making pies:

-- How to Make Apple Pie - from AllRecipes.com

-- Apple Pie Recipe and Video - from JoyOfBaking.com

-- Joyce Maynard's Homemade Apple Pie - from Curious.com



-- Post by Ms. B and Tracy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is next week. Are you ready? Do you still need a few last minute ideas to add to your menu? Are you looking for some decorating tips? Or maybe you want some craft ideas to keep your kids busy while you prepare the meal?

If so, you've come to the right place. Check out these websites and books and DVDs from the county library collection for lots of great ideas.

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

On the Web:

PBS Food -- Thanksgiving recipes, meal planning tips and more.

King Arthur Flour -- For your baking needs (includes gluten free recipes).

Eating Well  -- Looking for a healthier menu for the big day? Then be sure to check out the recipes from the cooks at Eating Well.

Cooking Light -- More recipes and advice for a healthier menu at Thanksgiving.

Martha Stewart -- Feeling ambitious? While it might be a bit late to plan a Martha Stewart style Thanksgiving, you might still find a thing two that might work for you.

Food Network -- From the many chefs at Food Network, you will find all kinds of Thanksgiving advice.

Cook's Illustrated -- A Thanksgiving Guide from America's Test Kitchen. Also, check out their cooking timeline for helping in getting organized.

From Our Collection:

How to Cook a Turkey : And All the Other Trimmings by the Editors of Fine Living -- Never cooked a turkey before? Have, but it's been awhile? Then this is the book for you.

Thanksgiving: Festive Recipes for the Holiday Table by Chuck Williams -- This Williams-Sonoma book well help you create a happy and festive holiday atmosphere.

Thanksgiving : How to Cook It Well by Sam Sifton -- From a former New York Times restaurant critic comes this handy book that tells you how to prepare, and survive, your Thanksgiving dinner.

All New Crafts for Thanksgiving by Kathy Ross -- This book has instructions for kids to make place cards, napkin rings and even a cornucopia out of everyday items from your home.

Jacques Pepin Celebrates! Thanksgiving -- Want to try a French take on Thanksgiving? Then check out this DVD with famed chef Jacques Pepin and his family sharing their holiday traditions.

Vegetarian Times Complete Thanksgiving Cookbook by the editors of Vegetarian Times -- If you'd rather have a vegetarian Thanksgiving check out this cookbook filled with lots of meatless alternatives for Turkey Day.

Thanksgiving: The American Holiday by Laurie C. Hillstrom -- If you are all prepared for Thanksgiving day, then you might want to spend some time learning more about the history and traditions of this great holiday.


-- Post by Tracy