Public Event
Baking w/Sweeteners 101 w/The People's Food Co-Op
Monday December 7, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room
Grade 6 - Adult
Blog Post
Rustic Baking Books
by Eahagen
Autumn is here! It’s time to unpack your coziest sweater and curl up with a good read. After you’ve turned a few pages, perhaps your appetite could be further satisfied with homemade apple-scented baked goods. These books: Brown Eggs and Jam Jars : Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites and Honey and Jam : Seasonal Baking from my Kitchen in the Mountains are perfect.
Both books feature rustic cooking and baking, and are organized seasonally, featuring the best recipes for Autumn, such as “Apple Cider Doughnut Cake” and “Maple-Sriracha Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.” These books have beautiful photographs, often sharing the author’s homesteads and rural lifestyles, which make them great for casual browsing. Imagine your glorius weekend, fingering through a few cookbooks while lounging in your comfiest clothes, and then pushing those sleeves up and getting to work on an autumn-spiced treat. Amazing!
And if you’re interested in more baking titles, see this list.
Lectures & Panel Discussions
An Afternoon with Chef Mei Lin, Season 12 Top Chef Winner
Saturday October 3, 2015: 1:00pm to
2:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Adults And Teens In Grade 6 And Up.
Crafts
Outline/Flood Cookie Decorating
Saturday December 5, 2015: 1:00pm to
3:00pm
Downtown Library: Secret Lab
Adults And Teens Grade 6 And Up
Public Event
Trader Joe's Holiday Appetizers
Saturday December 12, 2015: 1:00pm to
2:30pm
Downtown Library: Secret Lab
Blog Post
Two Delightful New Picture Books
by eapearce
The AADL always has lots of fun new picture books on our shelves, but I was particularly pleased with two brand new books that I discovered just the other day.
Under a Pig Tree, by Margie Palatini and Chuck Groenink, is a hilarious mixed-up book, where the word and picture "fig" is replaced with the word and picture "pig." Initially an educational tale about the history and prominence of the delicious fig fruit, the story becomes a whole lot funnier when one imagines PIGS growing on trees instead! "Nothing is better than a pig right off a tree," states the book. "Look for the ones on low branches. They droop a bit, but feel nice and soft." This is accompanied by an image of a cheerful couple picking a plump, enthused pig off of a tree. At the end of the book are delicious recipes (using FIGS, not PIGS) that readers will want to try out!
In Mr. Postmouse's Rounds, an adorable little mail-mouse makes the rounds to the homes of other animals delivering letters and packages. The illustrations are the true standout of this book: each animal lives in a home perfectly suited to their needs, and author/illustrator Marianne DuBuc has drawn the homes in cross-section so that readers can see inside! From moles and ants, to snakes, bears, octopi, turtles and penguins, the diversity of animals and animal-homes pictured in this book are fun and fascinating. And, the packages that Mr. Postmouse delivers are clever and will amuse readers of all ages!
Check out these, and our other great new picture books in the NEW areas at all our locations!
Lectures & Panel Discussions
Permaculture Basics - What is Permaculture? with The People's Food Co-Op
Monday October 26, 2015: 7:00pm to
8:30pm
Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room
Adults And Teens Grade 9 And Up
Blog Post
It's Easy Being Green: A Sustainable Living Expo / Sunday, September 27, 12:30-5:30 PM
by erin
It's Easy Being Green is a day-long learning, local buying, and eating exposition celebrating living a life that’s better for the planet and not so hard on the wallet. From supporting efforts to reduce your carbon footprint to learning homesteading skills for living a more hands-on, DIY life, It's Easy Being Green has you covered!
Join us on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, from 12:30-5:30 PM. The library is open from 12:00-6:00PM. FREE Parking on Sundays too!
The Expo features:
A Keynote presentation, "Plants, Pollinators, and Why They Matter," plus 11 learning sessions on a variety of topics including bike commuting, rain & container gardening, permaculture, fermentation, and more.
Over 20 vendors selling upcycled, recycled, handmade wares including jewelry, clothes, bath products, artwork, wool and other fibers. Plus vendors selling mushroom growing kits, outdoor animal keeping supplies, fermented products, and shrubs (drinking vinegars). Vendors include The Brinery, McClary Brothers Drinking Vinegars, Ann Arbor Seed Company, Happy Fuzzy Yarn, Divine Iguana, Lead Head Glass, among others.
Opportunities to chat with representatives from area organizations such as Recycle Ann Arbor, Project Grow, Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers, Sic Transit, Natural Area Preservation, Slow Food Huron Valley, Agrarian Adventure, Leslie Science & Nature Center, Ecology Center, and other green neighbors.
There will be three outdoor food vendors: The Shimmy Shack (vegetarian/vegan), and Mani Strada (the new venture from the Mani Osteria & Isalita purveyors) and Hello Ice Cream..
Learning Sessions Schedule:
12:30-1:15
Keynote: Plants, Pollinators, and Why They Matter with Joseph Tychonievich, Greensparrow Gardens
1:30-2:15
Family Bike Commuting with Michael Firn of Sic Transit Cycles
Container Gardening with Growing Hope
2:30-3:15
Rain Gardens with Jesse Tack of Abundant MI Permaculture and Whole Culture Repair
Mending Workshop with Karen LePage of Gentle Clothing
Bee Keeping with Jamie Berlin of Ypsi Melissa
3:30-4:15
Permaculture with the People’s Food Co-Op
Keeping Animals with Harnois Farms
4:30-5:15
Intro to Canning with Cynthia Hodges
Vermiculture with Starr Valley Farms
Fermentation 101 with The Brinery
Blog Post
It’s National Waffle Day!
by manz
Today just happens to be National Waffle Day, so let’s talk about breakfast. Breakfast is also good for lunch or dinner, and with good purpose – breakfast foods are delicious and wonderful! Waffles, toast, fried potatoes, piles of bacon, eggs any way you like it – the list goes on.
Here are a few all-star breakfasty books featuring waffles and beyond to wake you up and fuel your day at any time:
Vegan brunch: homestyle recipes worth waking up for-- from asparagus omelets to pumpkin pancakes
The big book of breakfast: Serious comfort food for any time of the day
What's your favorite breakfast food, and when's the best time to eat breakfast?!
Blog Post
Library Lists: (Useful!) Fitness, Nutrition and Exercise Materials
by eapearce
Lots of fitness, diet, and exercise books and materials seem to be repetitive or refuse to acknowledge that losing weight, dieting, and being fit are all difficult things to do! Others are too boring to make it through, despite having potentially useful tips. Even motivated people looking for some good information can become discouraged wading through the endless materials on fitness and diet that are out there. For some actually useful, beneficial and well-laid-out materials on exercise and health, try:
Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog: The format of this recently published book is over 100 short directives for how to lead a life of health and fitness. Drawing on the most recent science, and ignoring any of the “fad” diets that have sprung up in the past few decades, this book is an easy and useful guide to both physical fitness and nutrition.
Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run is the wonderfully honest story of Alexandra Heminsley, a woman who decided to take up running in her mid-thirties. She expected immediate weight loss, toned legs and the lauded “runners high”… but that’s not exactly what happened. She admits that starting to run can be a brutal and discouraging experience, and talks about motivating herself to get past those first miserable weeks (okay, months) and ultimately reaping the rewards of a running lifestyle.
Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred: Although most workout DVDs don’t do it for me, Jillian Michaels’ are a huge exception. Her workouts combine cardio, strength training and ab workouts in 20 minute workouts that really WORK. Each of her DVDs contains multiple workouts that progress by intensity level as you gain fitness and improve. 30 Day Shred, along with Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30 are the perfect solution if you nee d to work out at home and really want to sweat.
Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual clearly and concisely explains how to eat well. Incorporating many of the rules that he describes is easy, and this book is so compact that it’s a great one to have around the house when you need a reminder of how and why to eat healthy. Advice such as “Things that never go bad aren’t food,” is clever and really hits home.
No Sweat: In this brand new book, University of Michigan researcher and professor uses the results of her own research—and that of others—to explain why so many people begin exercise regimes with the best of intentions, but then fail to stick with them after a few weeks or months. Her information and advice are extremely useful, and this book is a quick and straightforward read.
Making healthy, complete meals is a challenge for everyone, and it can be especially difficult to get the nutrients and the right amount of calories when you're increasing physical activity or maintaining an active lifestyle. The Runner's World Cookbook contains over 150 easy and varied recipes that will help with overall nutrition (whether you're a runner or not!). I love the healthy, diverse, and straightforward recipes it offers. It even contains vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options for the athlete with dietary restrictions.
For even more excellent materials on health and fitness, check out the extended list here.