Tag cooking

A bright striped cover features a white a circle with the title and author information in it.

Hooray! I Ate My Math Homework!

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A bright striped cover features a white a circle with the title and author information in it.

by Jean B.

HCLS offers many resources for supporting students: skill building activities on our website, research materials and guidance, Brainfuse online tutoring, and free access to computers and printing, to name just a few. Explore a new place to look for homework help – the cookbook aisle!

Why not start the school year with a plan to do more family cooking that fosters math learning and fun? Cooking with kids builds a wide range of math skills — from counting, sorting, and measuring, to sequencing, fractions, ratios, and budgeting. Best of all, instead of a completed worksheet, cooking produces something delicious to eat and share!

Start early and involve even the youngest children in kitchen tasks and food conversations. Ask them to count the ingredients or compare the measuring cups to find the biggest or smallest. Talk about the steps in the recipe and let them name what goes first, second, third, last. Make a pattern with cookies on a pan or fruit on a plate.

To get some great ideas for things to make with the littlest cooks, check out Look and Cook Breakfast: A First Book of Recipes in Pictures by Valorie Fisher. With simple recipes presented visually, pre-readers can decipher what happens at each step, while the grown-up oversees the sharp tools and oven. You’ll soon be feasting on Tasty Toast, Choco Pillows, and Topsy-Turvy Eggs! Older chefs can tackle more involved tasks. Challenge them to double or halve the quantity of one ingredient or work out the fractions involved in dividing a pizza equally. Let them help with grocery shopping, evaluating the price of ingredients for value or the correct quantity for a recipe.

Inspire them with The How-to Cookbook for Young Foodies by Janna Saltz and the editors of Delish, which offers great information on cooking techniques as well as recipes the whole family can enjoy like Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet, Chicken Tacos, or Chocolate Pizza.

Even cleanup can be a math game – your student builds spatial reasoning skills by puzzling out the best way to fit dishes in the dishwasher.

Cookbooks + Kids + Math = a win for everyone! This fall, strengthen your student’s math skills, create new and interesting meals, get help in the kitchen, and inspire a young chef!

Jean is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Central Branch. She loves talking about books with people of all ages, but especially enjoys leading the Heavy Medals book club for fourth and fifth graders, exploring award-winning books of all genres. 

Jet Tila in a black Tshirt leans against a beige brick wall, with a street unfocused behind him.

May is AAPI Month: Events and Book Clubs

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by Sahana C. and Piyali C.

As the days get ever longer, and late spring graces us with sunshine and the promise of summer, celebrating the vibrant, colorful nature of Asian American culture aligns with the spirit of the season. At the library, we love to explore and learn through stories, whether they come to us in book form or from community knowledge, through crafts, cooking, and artwork. Take an adventure through a story to explore Asian American and Pacific Island cultures with us.

Celebrity chef Jet Tila holding a bowl of food, against a dark background. The table in front of him holds a pineapple full of fried rice and other dishes.

Taste the Tradition: Exploring Asian Cuisine with Jet Tila

Tue, May 21 | 7 – 8 pm
online
To receive the Zoom link, register here.

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with an unforgettable evening featuring celebrity chef Jet Tila. He shares his personal story, culinary insights, and favorite recipes. From traditional flavors to modern twists, immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Asian cuisine and culture.

A bestselling author, Tila has been nominated for Emmy and James Beard awards. His cookbooks include 101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die (also available as an e-book) and 101 Thai Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die (also available in e-book format). He grew up in the first family of Thai food, then attended both French and Japanese culinary school. A born educator and storyteller, he was appointed as the inaugural Culinary Ambassador of Thai cuisine by the Royal Thai Consulate, the first-ever chef to represent his country’s culture and cuisine.

He appears as a host, co-host, judge, and competitor on many Food Network shows, such as Tournament of Champions, Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and Guy’s Grocery Games. He also holds six culinary Guinness World Records.

International Grocery Store Tour: Shopping for Chef Jet Tila’s Cooking Demonstration

Mon, May 20 | 4 – 5 pm
Meets at H-Mart (3301 North Ridge Rd., Ellicott City)
Adults, plus teens with adults.
Register here.

Want to cook one of Jet Tila’s recipes? Shop for all the right ingredients at the local H-Mart with a knowledgeable guide. Discover the perfect fresh and frozen items to cook like a chef. The tour is not required to attend Chef Jet Tila’s online cooking event.

A strongly illustrated design with a dramatic female figure and spirals of feathers in reds and golds.
The title and author appear in a white handwriting font on top of a photograph of a Chinatown.
Colorful letters and simple eye illustrations against a stark black background.

To escape in a book, join one of our many book discussion groups around the system. If book discussion groups are your thing, we’ll be reading across Asia this month:

Between the Lines, hosted at Brewing Good in the Savage Mill, reads and discusses Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens and celebrates India on May 17.

On May 20, the Asian American Literature Book Club reads Mott Street by Ava Chin, which explores the time around the Chinese Exclusion Act.

In Other Worlds, a science fiction book club, meets on May 27, in person and online, to talk about Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, a futuristic novel that has close ties to East Asian history.

If anime or manga suits you, make sure to check out our anime clubs at HCLS Savage Branch. The Advanced Anime Association for adults meets on June 6, and Anime & Game Hangout for teens meets on May 7 and May 21.

Drop in and make a craft on May 14 from 11 am to 12 pm and from 2 to 3 pm at HCLS Miller Branch, inspired by AAPI artwork.

If you’re a foodie and want to experience the world through food, check out the first of our potluck style Recipe Exchanges on May 25 at Savage Branch, where we’ll talk about dumplings and noodle dishes across Asia and enjoy some as snacks.

An Indian woman wearing an elaborate red and multi-colored embroidered dress raises her arms, with her hands flexed above he head. Background is purple and blue.

We bring back our popular Rock on With Bollywood class to teach the community the basic steps of this famous form of dance from India. Beloved Bollywood dancer Jaya Mathur is gearing up to demonstrate and teach the basic steps of Bollywood dance. Jaya breaks down the steps for beginning dancers; don’t hold back even if you are just starting your Bollywood dance journey. And if you are an expert, come and show how it is done.

Rock On With Bollywood is happening on Wednesday, May 8 at 7 pm at HCLS Miller Branch. Seats are limited, so register here to claim your spot. You must be 18 or older and need to sign a waiver.

As we get close to summer reading and celebrate Global Adventures, head to the library to make a start, traveling across Asia from our own backyards!

View the full listing of AAPI-related classes here.

Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Savage Branch. They enjoy adding books to their “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for them already.

Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates Light But Not Fluffy and co-facilitates Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.

A miniature Chrismas village, with an unexpected figuring having fallen through the ice of the skating pond.

Holiday To-Do List #1: LAUGH!

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A miniature Chrismas village, with an unexpected figuring having fallen through the ice

by Cherise T.

Goals for the holidays must include laughing out loud. Serious humor bursts the stress bubble, making shopping go quicker, cooking smoother, and socializing more relaxed. Also, it never hurts to take some solid jabs at consumerism.

First stop, Jean Shepherd’s classic, A Christmas Story. This gem can be found as a book, e-audiobook, movie, and musical soundtrack at HCLS. Shepherd gained fame as a radio announcer who included comedy stories in his show. A Christmas Story is his autobiographical tale of nine-year-old Ralphie who wishes for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He is stymied by the adults in his life who respond, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Along the way, Ralphie’s dad wins an unusual prize in a puzzle contest, a provocative lamp shaped like a leg in a fishnet stocking. There’s an unforgettable scene where Ralphie’s friend, Flick, takes on the dare of whether his tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole. Spoiler alert: it does.

Need a good laugh and can’t spare much time to read? Go for just one short story, “Christmas Means Giving” by David Sedaris. In fact, if there’s no time to read it, or even if there is, listen to Sedaris’ own charming presentation of this tale of woeful holiday excess. Sedaris reimagines loving thy neighbor and the joy of giving. Who can resist a Christmas card that includes a friend’s stock portfolio? To keep the merriment going, listen to “SantaLand Diaries” as well, picturing the man behind the voice as an elf at Macy’s, assisting in the mayhem that is getting photos taken with Santa in midtown Manhattan. Both essays can be found in Holidays on Ice, available in many formats: print, e-book, e-audiobook, digital audio, and audio on CD. “Christmas Means Giving” is also in Sedaris’s The Best of Me collection that includes many of the writer’s best works and is available in print, e-book, e-audiobook, and audio on CD.

“My personal Festivus would include both latkes and Christmas cookies,” affirms Hannah Hart in My Drunk Kitchen Holidays!: How to Savor and Celebrate the Year. The intoxicated and intoxicating chef wants to be sure everyone can make a “decent” latke with her “Love the Way You Latke” recipe that includes the important step of removing all extra moisture from the potatoes and onions before cooking. Hart is okay with skipping the holidays but doesn’t want anyone missing out on unique, delicious food and drink. Because Hart wants readers to take care of themselves, the cookbook even has a face mask recipe. For more year-round joy, explore her “MyHarto” YouTube channel. Remember, everything’s more festive served in a wine glass, especially mashed potatoes. Cheers!

Cherise Tasker is an Adult Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch. When not immersed in literary fiction, Cherise can be found singing along to musical theater soundtracks. 

The book cover depicts a wooden spoon holding pureed tomato, set against a yellow backdrop with the title and author in red lettering.

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Angie Engles Leave a comment
The book cover depicts a wooden spoon holding pureed tomato, set against a yellow backdrop with the title and author in red lettering.

by Angie E.

If you’ve ever felt like a lost soul in the kitchen, fear not, because Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (also available as an e-book) is your culinary guardian angel. This book is a lifesaver for those of us who often find ourselves struggling to whip up a decent meal or decode complex recipes.

With its straightforward approach and comprehensive coverage, it’s like having an understanding, all-knowing mentor guiding you through the culinary maze. Recently, I got a new stove and it has inspired me to cook full-heartedly again. In some ways I feel like I’m starting over from scratch with cooking and baking, and this book is helping me get back on track.

One of the most remarkable aspects is its clarity. Mark Bittman breaks down each recipe into simple, easy-to-follow steps that even the most inexperienced cook can grasp. From basic knife skills to advanced techniques, he covers it all with patience and precision. As someone who often struggles with what seem like convoluted cooking directions, I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate his straightforward approach. How To Cook Everything lives up to its name. It truly covers everything you’d ever want to cook. Whether you’re a meat lover, vegetarian, or somewhere in between, this book caters to all tastes and dietary preferences. The recipes range from classic comfort foods to international delights, making it an priceless resource for any chef, amateur or otherwise.

Bittman provides valuable time-saving tips and shortcuts. He gets that not everyone has hours to spend in the kitchen, so he offers matter-of-fact suggestions to streamline the cooking process without sacrificing flavor. These tips are a windfall for those days when you’re short on time but still crave a homemade meal. One of the biggest challenges for a helpless cook is not having the exact ingredients a recipe calls for. Bittman encourages flexibility, offering alternative ingredients and substitutions. This approach inspires you to experiment and adapt recipes to suit your pantry’s contents, making cooking less stressful and more enjoyable.

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of How To Cook Everything is how it boosts your confidence in the kitchen. Bittman’s writing style is encouraging and motivating. He makes you feel like you can conquer any recipe, no matter how intimidating it may seem.

Angie is an Instructor & Research Specialist at Central Branch and is a co-facilitator for Reads of Acceptance, HCLS’ first LGBTQ-focused book club. Her ideal day is reading in her cozy armchair, with her cat Henry next to her.

A bright red cover shows illustrations of two people laying with their heads next to each other, up and down. One has long dark hair and a striped shirt, and the other has short ginger hair and a blue shirt.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

Kristen B. Leave a comment
A bright red cover shows illustrations of two people laying with their heads next to each other, up and down. One has long dark hair and a striped shirt, and the other has short ginger hair and a blue shirt.

by Kristen B.

Small confession: I love baking competition shows. Is it in a tent? Does it involve quirky hosts and obnoxious quantities of sugar? I’m in! I was laid up one summer, and The Great British Baking Show had just made it to Netflix. I was totally hooked, up to and including the holiday, junior, and professional versions. In case you’re wondering (though I know you’re not), I’m entirely on Team Sue & Mel and miss them again every new season.

Earlier this year, I was in something of a reading funk so I went surfing through our “Recently Purchased” lists, which is always a good way to find a new title or two. Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly caught my eye with its bright colors and funny title. Click for more info: this romance takes place during a cooking contest. Click to request it: Yes, please!

It’s adorable, funny, sexy, thoughtful, and altogether lovely. Recently divorced, Dahlia wants nothing more than to start over. Her ex-husband has remarried and is expecting a child. Her career is nonexistent, but she’s a great cook, a decent baker, and could really, really use the prize money. Dahlia has a nagging internal voice that’s not particularly self-supportive, but she showers acceptance and happiness on everyone around her. Tripping with a platter full of fish tacos on live television is only one episode that comes to define her – and you can’t help but root for her. London’s a little more confident, assured, and prickly – or so it seems. They are nonbinary and trans, and they took a big step by announcing their pronouns to the world on the show. These two literally, honest-to-goodness crash into each other on set, and the story never looks back.

It’s a romance, folks, and it hits all the expected beats perfectly. We have montages of exploring L.A. and talking about their dreams, inevitable misunderstandings, and steamy make-up scenes. London’s family, loving but problematic, allows their coming out as queer and trans to happen organically within the story. It never seems condescending or overly explanatory. Dahlia’s issues are, in some ways, more relatable, being all about meeting expectations and her fear of disappointing. Honestly, Dahlia made me cry – but I’m a softie for a happy ending. The cooking competition provides the secondary characters and the drama: after all, someone has to go home and someone has to win. If you’re looking for a fun, summer romp, you should click to request it!

Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball in season (but not all at the same time).

Be part of HCLS’ Summer Reading Adventures.

A colorful main dish is surrounded by smaller metal bowls of whole spices.

Recipe Exchange: Asian American Chefs and Asian American Cuisine

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A colorful main dish is surrounded by smaller metal bowls of whole spices.

by Sahana C.

Come talk food with us!
Wednesday, May 24 at 7 pm | Savage Branch
Register here.

In Asian American households, food is a love language. Sliced fruit, set gently next to a workspace, is an invitation to take a break, or an apology. Homecomings are ushered in by welcome feasts, and almost every restaurant occasion ends with a polite battle over the bill. Food is affection, and especially in immigrant households, it is a connection to family, to a far-away home, and it is a consistent way of showing (but not telling) love.

Growing up with my Bengali mother, rainy days off meant khichdi (a mix of rice, lentils, and vegetables) and aloo bhaja (thinly sliced fried potatoes) for lunch. My brother and I would scrap over the last few aloo bhaja in the bowl, before our mother would smile indulgently and take a few from her plate to split between us. I’d sit in the kitchen as my mother cooked big, elaborate, multi-course meals, watch her season and spice, and wait for the oil to sputter specifically, never once consulting a recipe. She would have one of her aunts on speakerphone, talking about family back home and interjecting with quick questions on what to substitute to make our American ingredients taste as close as possible to the Indian ones.

I grew to appreciate food, to understand cooking, and to have a standard repertoire of recipes after learning from my mother. It was a common language we shared, this mutual culinary interest. And it’s only grown. I cook with and for friends, I follow cooking blogs and sites and social media accounts, I favorite every restaurant I pass by with an interesting-looking menu, and most of all, I like to talk about food with people. On desk at the library, I’ll see someone flipping through a cookbook I’ve read, and I’ll want to stop and talk. I’ll notice someone looking at a book written by one of my favorite food personalities, and I can’t help but smile at it. And most of all, I love when people share their recipes with me, when I can hear about the food, the stories, and the cuisines that influence them.

It’s important, also, to know about innovators. To know about the people who are pushing the cuisine, who are changing it, who are going back to the roots of a tradition or practice to better understand it. There are so many Asian American chefs who are pushing the envelope on what elevated Asian American cuisine looks like, and there are just as many Asian American chefs who are looking to create the most traditional experience they can with their food. All of that is what makes the cuisine not just Asian, but Asian American. It’s the blend of respect for culture and tradition, and the simultaneous push to the modern that makes Asian American food so unique.

To celebrate all of the above, we’re having a Recipe Exchange on Wednesday, May 24, from 7-8 pm at the Savage Branch. It’s themed around Asian American chefs and Asian American cuisine, where we’ll look at a few highlighted chefs and some of their most popular recipes. I’d love for you to join us and bring a recipe of your own to share. We’ll discuss our favorite tips, tricks, and techniques in community, and do it all the way food was meant to be enjoyed – together.

Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Savage Branch. They enjoy adding books to their “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for them already.

A wooden cutting board holds chopped green herbs, a stainless steel knife, and a small metal bowl with grated cheese. Nested colanders sit next to the board.

Cozy up to some new cookbooks

Holly Leave a comment
A wooden cutting board holds chopped green herbs, a stainless steel knife, and a small metal bowl with grated cheese. Nested colanders sit next to the board.

by Holly L

With temperatures falling outside, there is no better time to get cozy inside with some comfort food cooking. If you’re looking for inspiration, consider one of these new or new-to-our-collection cookbooks to liven up your repertoire.

In Tasty Total Comfort: Cozy Recipes with a Modern Touch, the minds behind the food site Tasty.co present a whimsical collection of comfort food from around the world. With 75 easy-to-follow recipes, this vibrantly photographed cookbook has you covered from breakfast to midnight snacks and all the little (or not so little) meals in between. The tone is approachable and playful (tater tot casserole on the cover) and, in addition to providing the reader with such tempting recipes as Korean Hot Dogs, Fried Chicken Adobo, and Spumoni Sundae Brownies, it gives reassurance that cooking, like eating, should be fun.

With Natural Flava, brothers Craig and Shaun McAnuff showcase the vibrant vegan Ital cuisine of Jamaica’s Rastafarians. According to the publisher’s website, “Ital means clean, natural, and unprocessed as much as possible. Rastafari is an expression of unity with all things, and the Ital diet reflects that through a sense of peace and togetherness with the natural world.”
Although Caribbean cuisine may be famous for meat-centric dishes such as jerk chicken, the region is abundant with fresh fruits and vegetables such as plantains, yams, jackfruit, and guava that lend themselves to many tasty plant-based recipes. From coconut pancakes with warm blueberries to potato and chickpea curry with roti, the McAnuff brothers share a bounty of quick and delicious recipes that highlight the rich culture of their Jamaican heritage.

For me, nothing says comfort food like dumplings. And I think Top Chef alum Lee Anne Wong, author of the cheekily-titled Dumplings All Day Wong, might agree. Like a proper dumpling, this 2014 cookbook is stuffed with tasty goodness, featuring recipes for such tempting bites as Kimchi Mandu and Miso Short Rib Dumplings. Wong begins the book by covering the basics, in this case, dumpling wrappers, and provides suggestions for both store-bought and homemade. From there, she describes various dumpling folds and offers several recipes for each dumpling type as determined by fold/shape. Now that you’ve read the word “dumpling” eight times, don’t you want to try to make and eat your own? With Chef Lee Anne at your side, you can’t go wrong, (but you might go Wong)!

In the follow-up to his acclaimed 2020 celebration of Mexican-American cooking, Chicano Eats, Edwin Castillo shows us his sweeter side. In Chicano Bakes, southern California-based Castillo shares recipes that featured in his childhood in Orange County: pan dulce, tres leches cake, and panque de nuez (sweet pecan loaf), as well as creative twists on Mexican classics such as red velvet chocoflan. Through the 80 recipes and vivid color photos featured in this book, Castillo opens a window onto the delicious, vibrant world of his life, family, and Mexican-American culture.

Whatever region of the world or section of the Dewey Decimal system your appetite takes you to, come browse our cookbook collection for a read that’s sure to bring you warm, delicious comfort.

Holly is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Miller Branch. She enjoys knitting, preferably with a strong cup of tea and Downton Abbey in the queue.

Cover image by Roy Stephen from Pixabay.

The book cover is a photograph of a charcuterie board, with assorted vegetables including tomatoes, pepper strips, cucumber slices, broccoli florets, and halved radishes. There are also three small white bowls of assorted dips.

Cooking for the New Year

sahanacallahan Leave a comment
The cover photograph shows a turquoise pot with a wooden spoon, filled with pasta, basil, and tomatoes in a creamy sauce. The pot sits on a wooden cutting board next to basil leaves and a white dish of red pepper flakes.

by Sahana C.

Try new recipes, new techniques, and new cookbooks in the New Year! 

The New Year brings new resolutions, fresh starts, and the perfect time to try new things. This year, while you are still getting into a brand new routine, here are a few cookbooks to use as inspiration. 

The book cover is a stylized line drawing of a wok in gold, with five red flames underneath and three white lines representing steam rising above it, all against a black background.

Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals, for example, is great for folks who are trying to keep things simple but aren’t willing to sacrifice on flavor. Melissa Clark makes sure most, if not all, are ready within the hour. For those who are into the chemistry of cooking, J. Kenji López-Alt has come out with one of the most comprehensive texts on using woks in your kitchen. The lessons in The Wok: Recipes and Techniques extend beyond just the wok, with tips and tricks for knife skills and how to brighten up any dinner.  

The cover photograph shows an assortment of fresh brown loaves of baked artisan bread atop a counter.

For those who have decided to take up home-made bread-making and baking as their resolution this year, The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from Bread In 5 keeps things both exciting and reasonable in the midst of everyone’s busy lives. This book has been touted as the “only one a baker needs,” and it’s still the best place to start for novices looking to get their foot in the door.

The book cover is a photograph of a charcuterie board, with assorted vegetables including tomatoes, pepper strips, cucumber slices, broccoli florets, and halved radishes. There are also three small white bowls of assorted dips.

While last year was big for board-style meals and decoration (with charcuterie, butter boards, and hummus boards trending on social media), America’s Test Kitchen provided a perfect introduction and inspiration for making boards at home. Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings is incredible inspiration for grazing tables and an easy way to feed guests when hosting, while keeping the actual work of preparing food to a minimum.  

In the spirit of including new recipes in your repertoire, we invite you to join us on February 22 at the Savage Branch for the first of our Recipe Exchanges! We discuss our favorites, learn and borrow from others in the community, and then look specifically at the evolution of African American cuisine and soul food.  

Cookbook Corner
Wed, Jan 18; 7 – 8 pm
HCLS East Columbia Branch 
For adults. Register here.
Explore various culinary cuisines/chefs of the world. A new cuisine/chef every month.

Recipe Exchange: Black Chefs and African American Cuisine
Wed, Feb 22; 7 – 8 pm
HCLS Savage Branch
For adults.
Do you want to learn more about Black chefs and the history of African American cuisine to find out where your favorite soul food dish originated? Indulge your culinary curiosity at the first of our recipe exchanges. See our events calendar for more information.

The book cover depicts an illustration of a live male turkey at the top, superimposed above a maize-colored arrow that points to a roasted turkey on a platter at the bottom.

At the Table Together

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by Brandon B.

The book cover is a photograph of a roasted turkey on a white china platter, with silverware in front and garnished with greens.

The Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity for families to gather at the dinner table, express their love, enjoy each other’s company, and give thanks for what life has to offer. On Thanksgiving Day, people watch the parade in New York, the national dog show, and football games, but the holiday feast is the main event. Many families showcase a variety of food choices from their respective regions or countries.

Some families could decide to have mashed potatoes with their turkey instead of macaroni and cheese. Many people prefer collard greens to green bean casserole, or sweet potato pie over pumpkin pie. Apple, cherry, and blueberry pies might also make an appearance. Even though turkey, ham, and other meats can be served during Thanksgiving, plenty of plant-based or meatless options are now available for vegans and vegetarians. Many pescatarians will have seafood as one of their main entrees for their feast.

The book cover depicts an illustration of a live male turkey at the top, superimposed above a maize-colored arrow that points to a roasted turkey on a platter at the bottom.

We can help you plan for Turkey Day with a wide variety of cookbooks from our collection. Fine Cooking Thanksgiving Cookbook: Recipes for Turkey and All of the Trimmings, from the editors of Fine Cooking magazine, will help prepare your holiday feast. With Rick Rodgers’ Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America’s Favorite Holiday with America’s Thanksgiving Expert, you can explore timeless dishes and helpful holiday tips. Preparing for a plant-based meal presents certain challenges; Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe offers celebratory menus and recipes from New York’s premier plant-based restaurants.

The book cover depicts a variety of fruits and vegetables, vegan cheese and crackers, and three cocktails on a platter, all resting on a white table.

Being thankful for the time that you spend with your family and friends is vital. Our society has had its recent share of trials and tribulations, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic. We as a nation have a lot to be thankful for. So please, cherish the people you love and the time you have to celebrate together during this holiday season.

Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at HCLS Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.

Image of a woman in a red shirt, red lipstick, and a white apron holding a cookbook across her chest. Red gingham border decorates the left edge.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

Kristen B. Leave a comment
Image of a woman in a red shirt, red lipstick, and a white apron holding a cookbook across her chest. Red gingham boarder

by Kristen B.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan could be easily categorized (and perhaps dismissed) as “women’s fiction” since it offers a solid look at four women’s lives in 1942 Britain. I rather despair of idea that novels about women and their daily travails are some how less weighty or less literary than more masculine options. This book is a highly readable reminder that not all the wartime effort took place on the continent and upon the seas, amid spies and battles. The first page provides a list of what a week’s worth of rations were for an adult – and let me tell you, it wasn’t much! Rationing continued in the UK for more than a decade after the end of the war, and I have wondered if we could have sustained that kind of national effort. We tend to look back at the 1950s of a time of growth and prosperity in the US (although not for all demographics), but it was a very different prospect for our allies.

World War II poster featuring a woman in gloves and hat talking to a grocer that read: Help Win the War on the Kitchen Front.

It naturally fell to women to figure out how to make rations stretch to feed their families. In the days before packaged or frozen foods, everything was local and homemade, and the reality was that nobody got enough to eat by modern standards. Gardens (along with pigs, chickens, and bees) were a survival strategy, not just patriotic palaver. The BBC really did host a show called The Kitchen Front, which included ideas and recipes to make rations work and stretch – whether it was tinned sardines, Spam, or some other unfamiliar type of protein, like whale meat. This book starts with that show and adds a fictional local contest to find a relatable female host.

Of the four main characters and contestants in the book, Audrey spends her entire waking life working to feed her family and maintain their house. Her husband was an early RAF casualty, and she has three growing, hungry boys. Her husband was also an artist who mortgaged their home to the rafters, and she is left baking pies and cakes to try to make ends meet. Her home and garden become the center of the story in crucial ways.

The other three main characters each have their own private battles to fight. Gwendoline is Audrey’s sister, though she married up with the local fat-cat businessman and landowner. While a social success, the marriage and the man have proven to be unhappy decisions. The kitchen maid and apprentice cook at Gwendoline’s manor house, Nell, needs a little confidence in her own skills. She provides a young, hopeful perspective. The final woman, Zelda DuPont, worked as a French-trained chef in fancy London hotels before the war brought her to head the canteen at Gwendoline’s husband’s pie making factory. Zelda has fought tooth and nail to succeed in a man’s world before an unscrupulous, handsome cad leaves her heading to the country, an unmarried mother to be.

The convenient machinations of the contest and various plot lines bring all four women together, with Gwendoline having a connection to each of the women but Audrey operating as the beating heart of the story. The plot is mostly predictable, but I didn’t mind that at all. The characters are so wonderful, each in her own way, that I loved spending time with them. Not only did I need to know who wins the BBC contest, I enjoyed their unique points of view and individual struggles. Is it better to marry for love or money and position? Is it better to have a career or raise a family? It is better to be in service or more independent? There are no right answers, but women still struggle with these questions and the myth of “doing it all.” But when we support each other and do it together, everyone wins.

The Kitchen Front is available in print, large print, ebook, and eaudiobook.

Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).