Due to the peculiarities of our family schedule, I assumed primary chef responsibilities in the Kokoris household right around the time when my daughter was born.
This was a problem, because for most of my life, I have been a "cereal for dinner" kind of guy. Over the past two years, though, I have branched out. I now consider myself an expert in eggs, pasta and chili. Unfortunately for my family, the list kind of stops there.
When I delicately broached the subject of having eggs twice in one day last week, my wife hit her limit. Thankfully, the library has my back. Hinsdale Public Library has a truly amazing collection of cookbooks, classics and new titles alike.
Actually, we surveyed our patrons in October (which is National Cookbook Month) on their favorites and, just in time for the holidays, we've put the most popular titles on display. These include:
• Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa at Home and Make It Ahead"
• The James Beard Award-winning "Silver Palate Cookbook"
• Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"
• Haniyeh Nikoo's "A Persian Kitchen Tale"
• The ever-popular "Joy of Cooking"
Hinsdale is indeed an Ina Garten kind of town, as her memoir, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," is currently the No. 2 most in-demand book in our collection. We have seven copies and they're all checked out!
Cooking is naturally the talk of the library with staff right now with holiday meals approaching, so it's a good time for me to navigate this fraught subject. If you've been to the library's many (standing room only) food programs, you likely know Susan, who is quite the chef. She's a big fan of Carla Lalli Music's cookbook, "That's So Good." Another favorite, "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz, sounds right up my alley.
Susan and our resident foodie librarian, Mike, have a program on regional breakfast dishes coming up on Feb. 13 and it's almost full. Sign up today! There are also a few spots left in Susan's Holiday Cookies from Around the World Lunch and Learn for seniors, sponsored by The Birches.
After going deep down the rabbit hole of desserts - we have dozens of books on sweet treats, including one, "Spooky Food," that includes recipes for Brain Pudding and Bloody PB&J - I needed to peruse some healthier options. One of our children's librarians, Katherine, was my go-to source for this topic. She is a vegan and a yoga instructor - in fact, she'll be leading Grandparent & Me Yoga for kids on Dec. 12 with one of our trustees, Kim Kiyosaki. She recommended "Unbelievably Vegan: 100+ Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes" by Charity Morgan and "Vegan Comfort Classics" by Lauren Toyota.
If you need inspiration, head to the 641s in our nonfiction collection upstairs. We have cookbooks for all diets and palates, from vegan to paleo. Next year, you can go low carb or low sodium, sugar-free or gluten-free-you name it. We've got cookbooks for all of them.
If you're too busy this Thanksgiving week to make a stop, fear not. HPL cardholders can access New York Times Cooking recipes from home. Just head to hinsdalelibrary.info/nyt for your access code each day. You can also download the Libby app and use your library card to read countless digital magazines from your phone, tablet, or computer, including Bon Appetit and Cook's Illustrated.
Get inspired with me at the library this winter. Engage in some creative kitchen experiments, shock your family with an unexpectedly gourmet dish or bring delicious homemade cookies to your favorite hungry librarian.
- John Kokoris is the marketing and outreach manager at Hinsdale Public Library.
