About Pat S

Pat is the Youth Services Specialist at the Williamsburg Branch.

Memorial Day

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Pat S

Memorial Day is the first holiday of the year where you can comfortably party outside. It’s the party that signals the start of summer. Every family seems to have one person who claims the title of Grill master. There is an art to grilling and if you’d like to do more on your grill then just cook hamburgers, then check out some of these titles:

1,001 best grilling recipes: delicious, easy-to-make recipes from around the world by Rick Browne

The complete idiot’s guide to grilling by Don Mauer

Fearless guide to grilling by Reece Williams

Easy grilling: simple recipes for outdoor grills

Betty Crocker grilling made easy: 200 sure-fire recipes from America’s most-trusted kitchens

So fire up that grill, and enjoy the great outdoors!

Herbs and Spices

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Pat S

spice and herb bible I love to cook with herbs and spices. Just a little pinch of this or that could make the world of difference in how good my meals taste. It took me a while to figure out what herbs paired well with what foods but hopefully the chart below will help you.

Beans (dried) – cumin, cayenne, chili, parsley, pepper, sage, savory, thyme

Beef – basil, bay, chili, cilantro, curry, cumin, garlic, marjoram, mustard, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme

Breads – anise, basil, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, lemon peel, orange peel, oregano, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme

Cheese - basil, caraway, celery seed, chervil, chili, chives, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, horseradish, lemon peel, marjoram, mint, mustard, nutmeg, paprika, parsley, pepper, sage, tarragon, thyme

Chicken - allspice, basil, bay, cinnamon, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger lemongrass, mustard, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme

Corn - chili, curry, dill, marjoram, parsley, savory, thyme

Eggs - basil, chervil, chili, chives, curry, dill, fennel, ginger, lemon peel, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, sage, tarragon, thyme

Fish - anise, basil, bay, cayenne, celery seed, chives, curry, dill fennel, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, marjoram Fruits -allspice, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mint

Lamb - basil, bay, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, curry, dill, garlic, marjoram, mint, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme

Potatoes - basil, caraway, celery seed, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, poppy seed, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

Salad Dressings - basil, celery seed, chives, dill, fennel, garlic, horseradish, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, rosemary, saffron, tarragon, thyme

Salads - basil, caraway, chives, dill, garlic, lemon peel, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

Soups - basil, bay, chervil, chili, chives, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, marjoram, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme

Sweets - allspice, angelica, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, lemon peel, mace, nutmeg, mint, orange peel, rosemary

Tomatoes - basil, bay , celery seed, cinnamon, chili, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, gumbo file, lemongrass, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme

Now that you know the basics, why don’t you check out some of these books and start enjoying more flavorful foods. Your taste buds will thank you!

The contemporary encyclopedia of herbs & spices : seasonings for the global kitchen by Tony Hill

The spice lover’s guide to herbs & spices by Tony Hill

The spice and herb bible by Ian Hemphill ; with recipes by Kate Hemphill

Spices of life : simple and delicious recipes for great health by Nina Simonds

May is National Salad Month

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Pat S

One of my favorite crowd pleasers to take to a picnic is the 7- Layer Salad. I use the recipe below from Allrecipes.com.

7- Layer Salad

Ingredients

1 pound bacon
1 large head iceberg lettuce – rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
In a large flat bowl, place the chopped lettuce and top with a layer of onion, peas, shredded cheese, cauliflower and bacon.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle over salad and refrigerate until chilled.

Makes 12 Servings

For Additional Salad recipes try these books:

Salad As A Meal : Healthy Main-Dish Salads For Every Season By Patricia Wells

Salads : Innovative Main Courses, Appetizers, Desserts, And More by Peter Gordon

What’s a Cook To Do?

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Pat S

Whenever I go to a bookstore or a library, one of the first places I head is to the cookbook section. Plain and simple, I love cookbooks! You would think by the amount of cookbooks I look at that I am a Master Chef, but I’m not. There is still so much that I need to learn before I can claim that title.

While perusing the library’s shelves for the perfect cookbook to blog about, I came across, What’s a Cook To Do? by James Peterson. Mr. Peterson has provided the reader with 484 essential tools, tips, techniques, and tricks to dispel some of the confusions they may have when it comes to being in the kitchen and cooking.

Chinese Tea Eggs

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Pat S

I found a website called www.lifehacker.com that had the prettiest Colored Tea Eggs that would be perfect for Easter. When peeled, the hard-boiled eggs resembled cracked marbled eggs in a variety of vibrant colors. (For a picture of the eggs just click on the website link.)

The websites author states:

“Jayne, the chef behind culinary blog Barefoot Kitchen Witch, decided to mix things up this Easter by combining the tradition of dying Easter eggs with the traditional method of preparing Chinese tea eggs:

I’d seen recipes in a couple of my Asian cookbooks for Chinese Tea Eggs, a typical street snack found in parts of China. Basically what you do is hard-boil your eggs normally, and then, when they’ve cooled enough to handle, roll the eggs around on a hard surface to crack them. You don’t want to crack them too hard – you still want the shell to stay on the egg. But you want to develop a nice overall cracked look.

The old-fashioned way to finish the recipe involves reboiling the eggs in a mixture of salted water infused with soy sauce to give the eggs a dark crackled ceramic appearance. Jayne reboiled them in water colored with gel food coloring. The colors seep through the cracks in the eggshell, leaving behind the colorful veining you see in the picture above. Have a nifty kitchen chemistry trick of your own, Easter-related or otherwise? Sound off in the comments below.”

This will definitely be on my to-do list for Easter!

3-2-1 Cake

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Pat S

I received an email the other day that really intrigued me. Included in the message was a recipe for 3-2-1 cake. I love cake, but know from experience that if I make a cake I will eat the whole thing. This recipe is for a one serving cake, perfect for me!

3-2-1 cake

1 box of angel food cake mix

1 box of cake – your choice of flavor

In a large container with a lid (or a gallon ziplock baggie), combine the two cake mixes and mix together well.
Close container and store till needed.

Cake instruction

In a small bowl or mug, add:

3 Tablespoons cake mixture.
2 Tablespoons water
Microwave for 1 minute

How simple is that? You can have a warm piece of cake in less than 3 minutes! This recipe is great for portion control and you can get creative on what you want on top. I have sprinkled the top with cinnamon or added a dollop of whipped cream. The choice is all yours and the possibilities are endless!

The Unoffical Hunger Games Cookbook

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Pat S

unofficial hunger games cookbook

Suzanne Collins wrote the book, Hunger Games in 2008. Since then it has rarely sat idle on the libraries bookshelves. Book chat groups, library patron’s young and old have requested to read it and on March 23rd 2012, it will hit the big screens. Are you prepared? How about hosting a Hunger Games party and then trekking to the theaters for the first showing? Out of ideas? Well have I got a book for you! The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines arrived at the library in December of 2011 and it is full of recipes with quirky names like: Creamy Bashed Potatoes, Katniss’s Craved Cheese Buns, and Peeta’s Cinnamon Bakery Bread to name just a few.

Katniss’s Craved Cheese Buns – yields 1 dozen buns

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

¾ cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450⁰F. Grease a cookie sheet.

2. Mix Bisquick, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, sugar, milk, and cheese until well blended.

3. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 – 10 minutes.

5. In a microwave bowl, combine butter, ½ teaspoon of each: garlic powder, Old Bay season, and kosher salt. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds, until butter is melted.

6. Generously brush tops of biscuits with butter mixture.

Bread machine books

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Pat S

bread machine baking
Wintertime is soup and homemade bread time at my house. There is nothing more comforting to have good smells wafting from the kitchen on a cold winter’s day. I will admit that I have never mastered the whole kneading and rising process of making bread, instead I opt for using my trusty bread machine. After all, it’s still homemade in my book!

Country White Bread – 1 1/2 pound loaf

½ – 5/8 cup water

5/8 cup milk

1 ½ Tablespoons butter or margarine

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe. Select Medium Crust setting and press START.

2. Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 – 10 minutes, if it appears dry and stiff, or if your machine sounds as if it’s straining to knead it, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms a smooth, soft , pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch.

3. After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 2 hour before slicing.

For more bread machine recipes, check out these books:

The bread lover’s bread machine cookbook: a master baker’s 300 favorite recipes for perfect-every-time bread, from every kind of machine by Beth Hensperger

Biggest book of bread machine recipes.

Bread machine magic: 138 exciting new recipes created especially for use in all types of bread machines by Linda Rehberg

The breadman’s healthy bread book: use your bread machine to make more than 100 delicious, wholesome breads by George Burnett

Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Pat S

strawberry Hearts and chocolate = Valentine’s Day!! Are you ready? It’s not easy to find the perfect card that expresses exactly how you feel about a loved one, or what gift to get them. How about whipping up some sweet yummies in your kitchen? For me, two chocolate recipes come to mind, chocolate truffles and chocolate covered strawberries. Word of warning, Who Wants Candy? by Jane Sharrock is loaded with yummy candies. Your waistline may not like you after you start making some of the recipes.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

8 – 10 fresh medium strawberries

1 ounce semisweet chocolate baking square

1 tablespoon evaporated milk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Leaving the green stems intact, wash, drain, and completely dry the strawberries by patting with a paper towel. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. In a top pan of a double boiler over hot but not boiling water, melt the chocolate, milk and vanilla extract together, stirring until smooth.

3. Insert a toothpick into the stem end of the strawberry and dip the lower two-thirds of the berries into the chocolate. Drop the berries onto the lined baking sheet. Let stand till the chocolate is firm.

4. Serve immediately or lightly cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, storing no more that 4 – 8 hours. The berries can be refrigerated for up to 2 days but may lose their eye appeal when stored more than a few hours.

Tip: To keep the berries from having a flat side, turn a plastic colander upside down and place the toothpicks holding the dipped berries into the holes of the colander. Place the colander filled with berries into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The Chocolate Truffle recipe is also included in this book on page 171. Check it out!

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Pat S

make the bread buy the butter Have you ever wondered if it was cheaper to make something homemade or just buy it at the store? Well, I found a book that will help shed some light on that question. While perusing the New York Times Notable Cookbooks for 2011, I came across Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese. The author takes 120 items and evaluates them. She includes recipes and cost comparisons so you can choose to either make or buy.

Sample entry from the book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese:

Cocoa

Make it or buy it? Make it.

Hassle: None at all

Cost Comparisons: Swiss Miss charges about $0.38 per 1 ounce packet of cocoa. One ounce of homemade cocoa costs about $0.18

1 ½ cups dark brown sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. Sift the ingredients into a bowl. If any of the salt or sugar gets left in the sifter, just pour it into the cocoa mix and whisk to blend. Keeps indefinitely in a lidded jar.

2. To make hot chocolate, use 2 tablespoons per cup of hot milk. Stir in ¼ teaspoon vanilla