After a long and snowy winter, we are so excited that spring is just around the corner. It's the perfect season to flip through cookbooks and find new recipes that celebrate fresh, local vegetables. We happen to have an amazing selection just waiting for you on our shelves right now.
• "Cook Real Hawai'i" by Sheldon Simeon
One of the NYTimes best cookbooks of 2021. See Simeon on Tuesday, April 5, with the AAPI Communities in Conversation author series. Find out more at https://hinsdalelibrary.info/aapi.
• "Cook this Book" by Molly Baz
A staff favorite, this book combines bold flavors and comforting recipes.
• "The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen"
This flavorful and plant-filled cookbook celebrates the relationship between food and family.
• "The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in her Back Pocket" by Katie Workman
The perfect companion for a busy parent.
• "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking" by Samin Nosrat
Master the four elements of cooking with this instructive guide.
• "That Sounds So Good" by Carla Lalli Music
Follow along every Tuesday as Music posts a YouTube video preparing one of her kid friendly, down-to-earth and comforting recipes.
• "Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen" by Yasmin Kahn
An HPL Bite Club favorite, Zaitoun is a beautiful dive into Palestinian food and culture.
If you want those veggies to be as local as possible, learn to grow vegetables in your own backyard at our "Vegetable Gardening for Beginners" class at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19. From the basics of building raised beds to keeping your plants productive, this class will equip you with all you need - including the plants! You'll plant seeds in class and wait for your seedlings to sprout in the library until they are ready to be planted in your yard.
Regardless of gardening acumen, every resident can get excited for Hinsdale's very own Chef Grace Goudie to join us at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5. Chef Grace recently gained national attention on The Food Network's "Chopped: Casino Royale" series. She will join us to demonstrate a favorite recipe, answer questions and share some Chopped secrets. In-library attendance is limited, so register soon. A virtual option also will be available.
Want to try your own hand at a Chopped Secret Ingredient Basket? Sign up for HPL's Chopped Challenge! You'll receive a basket with a variety of interesting ingredients. Prepare a dish using all of them and send us a photo and description of what you made. We will post the dishes on our Instagram page for voting. The winner may just have a chance for a photo opportunity with Chef Grace.
Here's one more book that can help you succeed:
"The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You've Got to Make Something Great" by Food Network Kitchen
Register for our events at https://hinsdalelibrary.info/events/. Include an email address when registering to be sent a virtual meeting invitation or other instructions.
And hey, some more big news from the library. We're about to transition to a new online catalog. Features include a more accurate search with all formats in one result and title recommendations based on your ratings - so you'll have an easier time finding every cookbook in our collection.
- Lizzy Boden is the adult
services manager at the
Hinsdale Public Library.
