Are you looking to get started with recipe testing and selection for the holiday season? Perhaps you are looking to add a few new recipes to your weekly repertoire. The library can help! The library has both print and electronic cookbooks covering a wide range of skills, diets, geographies and specialties.
If you want to update or expand your menu for a crowd, you might find some ideas in “Holiday Cheer: Festive Inspirations for Your Best Season Ever!” from the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living or “The Side Dish Bible: 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need” from America’s Test Kitchen. “The Holiday Kosher Baker: Traditional & Contemporary Holiday Desserts” by Paula Shoyer and “FoodFest 365!: The Officially Fun Food Holiday Cookbook” by Yvan Lemoine are just two of the cookbooks available as e-books through the library apps Libby and Hoopla.
Are you cooking for a crowd with a range of dietary preferences? The library has titles such as “Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe: Celebratory Menus and Recipes From New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants” by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda as well as “Gluten-free Wish List: Sweet & Savory Treats You’ve Missed the Most” by Jeanne Sauvage.
To add some seasonal emphasis to your cooking, titles like “The Snowy Cabin Cookbook: Meals and Drinks for Adventurous Days and Cozy Nights” by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson and “Wintersweet: Seasonal Desserts to Warm the Home” by Tammy Donroe Inman have you covered from start to finish of your meal.
And for anyone who appreciates a themed menu or has a library lover on their invite list, check out the ebook “A Literary Holiday Cookbook: Festive Meals for the Snow Queen, Gandalf, Sherlock, Scrooge, and Book Lovers Everywhere” by Alison Walsh.
To keep the learning going, why not join the library’s Spice of the Month Club? Each month of this take and make program introduces a new spice with a sample, information sheet and recipe or two. Share what pictures of what you make on Facebook! Try one of October’s featured recipes for pumpkin butter found in “The Pumpkin Cookbook: 139 Recipes Celebrating the Versatility of Pumpkin and Other Winter Squash” by DeeDee Stovel.
Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients:
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly until thickened and darkened. Cool, and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
You could even follow that up by checking out “The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World” by Padma Lakshmi. No matter how you want to update your menu, the collection here at the Goshen Public Library & Historical Society has what you’re looking for!
You can access our full online calendar at goshenpubliclibrary.org.
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