Blog Post
Great Lakes, Great Cheese
by Debbie G.
Time for cheese lovers and locavores alike to celebrate. Michigan is now home to a great cheese cooperative: the Michigan Cheesemakers Cooperative that includes three very local cheesemakers, Four Corners Creamery @ Boulevard Market in Tecumseh, Greystone Farm and Creamery in Chelsea and, of course, Zingerman's Creamery in Ann Arbor. You can fill up on Al Vino Drunken Goat from Four Corners or the cheese of the month at Zing's, Detroit Street. Do Wallace proud and buy Michigan.
Blog Post
Ann Arbor Art Center
by flora
How many other cities can boast a 100-year-old local arts organization? I don't have an answer, but I do know that Ann Arbor is pretty lucky. The Ann Arbor Art Center celebrates its centennial this year; join in the celebration by attending one of the many upcoming art exhibits or WineFest, coming up May 6-8.
First up, catch the tail end of Potential!, a juried show of art from Washtenaw County's high school artists, which runs through Sunday, May 9th. May will also feature several other awesome exhibits, such as the post-painting paintings of Kristen Letts Kovak, an exhibit of print art by various Michigan artists, and even an exhibit of hand-painted skateboard decks which will be sold to raise funds for the Ann Arbor Skatepark. Coming up in less than a week is WineFest, which features three wine dinners May 6th, 7th, and 8th, each with a different twist. WineFest is a fundraiser for the Art Center and its various projects, and also includes silent and live auctions, special exhibits, and wine tastings. Tickets are available online.
Blog Post
Rory Freedman & John Salley at VegFest
by flora
Number-one New York Times bestselling author Rory Freedman of the popular in-your-face Skinny Bitch diet books and former Detroit Piston John Salley are keynote speakers at this year’s VegFest, an annual vegetarian tastefest presented by VegMichigan. VegFest will be at Ferndale High School on Sunday, April 18th, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The event also features over twenty-five area restaurants serving samples of a variety of vegetarian foods, cooking and raw food demonstrations, and children’s activities. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students at the door.
Blog Post
Macrobiotics
by celesteh
Macrobiotics might sound like a throwback to 1968, but there’s been new buzz about what was once called “the brown rice diet.” The macrobiotic diet seems to be an extremely healthful way of eating that revolves around eating locally and seasonally, focusing on a yin/yang system of balance. It’s not as complicated as it may sound. Mainstays are cooked whole grains, seasonal steamed vegetables, sea vegetables, beans/soy/miso, fruit, nuts, and some fish. Meat, dairy products, refined foods, and refined sugar are not part of the diet. Interested yet? Well, you might be cringing a little now that I’ve mentioned the “no refined sugar” part – but don’t worry, there are alternatives to satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings. Many claim that macrobiotics has changed their life and their health dramatically and are firm believers in the diet. AADL has some books available if you’d like to take a closer look!
Blog Post
google books = good bread
by DavidQ
Not long ago, my parents and I went to Seva restaurant here in Ann Arbor... my favorite local spot for vegetarian food and hipster-gazing near the PBR tap. That night, they were featuring parsnip chowder on the menu. Very good soup and apparently the only recipe that Seva has ever given away. Our server informed us that it had been in Vegetarian Times years ago, but that was as much as she could tell us. I used all of my librarian super powers (in this case, the AADL Research page) to track it down. The VT section of the database yielded nothing and did not seem to go back that far. Our periodicals section at the downtown branch seemed like it might have my recipe, but I still wasn't sure of the year. So... I did a Google search, and the recipe is in Google Books. Sometimes we librarians get a little prickly about stuff like this, but I am glad to know that I have multiple resources at my disposal. Indeed, I recently discovered the best bread recipe in the universe on the shelves of the library in the Tassajara Bread Book, and of course someone put it on hold. I'll check it out again (or maybe buy it), but in the meantime, the preview copy of the book has the basic Tassajara recipe in it. I baked my bread directly from the laptop this weekend and managed to keep most of the dough off of the keyboard.
The details of the Google Book Settlement are still being discussed and interpreted, and as a society we still need to figure out fair ways to use digital books like this. But it's a resource to keep on your radar screen and in your recipe book. No doubt, the delicious food that you may make from these books will stimulate rich discussion of digital publishing and copyright at the dinner table.
Blog Post
Italian Holiday?
by anonymous
Ever dream of going to Italy? Can't afford it? Using the library is a great alternative!
First, you can experience the sights through art books in our collection. The works of greats such as Botticelli, Bernini, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio will transport you into the culture of Italy. However, if you wanted something a little closer to the real experience, you could try this book of paintings within the Uffizi. It's basically a tour in itself!
If you want to feel like you're actually walking the streets of Italy, try a book on the architecture of Brunelleschi, the famous creator of Florence's Il Duomo, or maybe something a little broader.
Perhaps you're anxious to taste some real Italian food? Unfortunately, you'll have to cook it yourself. But books on Italian Cooking will be able to make that a bit easier for you.
In order to hear Italy, you can try your hand at speaking it yourself. With our fantastic Italian language-learning collection, you'll be able to go from a beginner's lesson, to something more advanced. Although, if you tired yourself out with all that cooking, you might just like to listen to some opera.
If you're really into this whole plan, maybe you want to get some more background? There are tons of Italian history books. There are also biographies on key figures, such as Caesar, Lucrezia Borgia, Savonarola, Garibaldi, Mussolini, and the well-known Medici family.
Maybe all of these books are too much for you, and you really need a break? Well, luckily, AADL also carries movies. Something lighthearted, like Roman Holiday might help you through your journey. Or, if you'd like something a little more thrilling, perhaps The Talented Mr. Ripley? We even have films in Italian, like La Dolce Vita!
It may not be exactly the same as climbing the Spanish Steps, but it's as close as you can get without actually going! But, if you ever decide to go, don't forget your travel book.
Blog Post
Brewed in Ann Arbor
by amy
With another brewery set to open, this seems like a good time to reflect on the history of drinking and brewing in Ann Arbor. Local historian Grace Shackman has written about the old Ann Arbor Brewing Company on 4th Street and the once-popular Court Tavern. And did you know that an old West Side bar once stood on Bach school's playground? You can feast on several other articles detailing the history of drinking and dining in Ann Arbor...and while you're at it, why not raise a toast to Ann Arbor's Lost Eateries?
Blog Post
The Vegetarian Myth
by ballybeg
Lierre Keith is passionate about eating in a manner which does not cause suffering to living creatures or the planet. Her answer to that mandate for 20 years was to be a vegan. But after 20 years of feeling tired, cold and hungry all the time, in constant pain from her disintegrating spine, and after learning how the destructive forces of agriculture and eating outside one’s local food base are degrading the planet, she has flip-flopped into a passionate crusader for the moral, political and nutritional imperative of eating grass-fed animals from local farms. This is not a journey she has made lightly or even willingly. The facts she bares in The Vegetarian Myth have led her to her new orientation - facts which are as unsettling as they are convincing. This book adds greatly to our understanding of eating and living well.
Blog Post
Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
by manz
Alert the cookie jar! And the kitchen! The cookie invasion has commenced! (Do people still use cookie jars?) Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar was published just in time for holiday baking. The authors of Veganomicon, Vegan With a Vengeance, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World bring us a cookbook with 100 vegan cookie recipes. (See here for a few recipes.) Cookies! I haven’t been this happy about a cookbook since Vegan Brunch (also by Moskowitz) came out, which still leaves me obsessed with pancakes.
This new book is good for those who are looking to bake delicious cookies that will please those with dietary restrictions AND those without. Take them to your next gathering. Folks will say, “these are vegan?” Yes. “But what about the eggs?” Nope. And most everyone is happy. Happy baking!
Blog Post
Preparing Your Thanksgiving Feast
by darla
It's that time again. Are you ready for another winter holiday season? Here at the AADL we have MANY cookbooks to help make your Thanksgiving preparations run smoothly. Here's a sampling of the numerous titles we offer:
Betty Crocker Complete Thanksgiving Cookbook : All you need to cook a foolproof dinner
The title says it all. Hooray for "foolproof"!
How to cook a turkey : and all the other trimmings
From the editors of Fine cooking magazine. When you have no clue how to deal with that bird.
Thanksgiving 101 : Celebrate America's favorite holiday with America's Thanksgiving expert
Rick Rodgers, the "expert", is a cooking teacher, food writer, cookbook author, freelance cookbook editor, and radio and television guest chef. He even has his own website with lots more recipes - http://www.rickrodgers.com.
The Thanksgiving Table : Recipes and ideas to create your own holiday tradition
This was published by Chronicle Books, so it's nice to look at as well as helpful.
What Can I Bring?
The perfect cookbook for when you are visiting someone else's house.
Paula Deen Celebrates! : Best dishes and best wishes for the best times of your life
Let Paula make your decisions for you.
The Healthy Hedonist Holidays : A year of multicultural, vegetarian-friendly holiday feast
An alternative to turkey with all the trimmings.
Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates : Festive meals for holidays and special occasions
Another good book for holidays with vegetarians. And the Moosewood always has yummy ideas.
Veganomicon : The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Need ideas for cooking for those vegan family-members? Look no further.
The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods : More than 200 recipes for creating old favorites with new flours
In case you, or someone you love, need to avoid gluten.
Happy Holidays From the Diva of Do-Ahead : A year of feasts to celebrate with family and friends
Diane Phillips, the self-proclaimed Diva of Do-Ahead, says she is "the coach to help you get the dinner prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy your family and friends".