It is officially Fall! The foliage is becoming crisp and turning vibrant shades of red and amber, and of course, we celebrate all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice. The days are now shorter, and the air is much cooler. This is the time of year to spend the mornings curled up under a warm blanket reading a library book while sipping a coffee or a hot chocolate. Or bundling up during the evenings in a thick sweater and cozy scarf while at bonfires and football games. 

With the winter season fast approaching, this is the perfect time of year for families to gather together and cook and bake their favorites. Teens and even younger children will benefit by being involved. It is never too early to pass along cherished recipes while teaching them the importance of healthy nutrition and kitchen safety.

In this blog, I will provide four autumn meal inspirations (some are my own photos), with specific recipes for each. I will also provide three autumn and winter craft inspirations so you can decorate your home and make it beautiful and festive for the upcoming season. Lastly, I will provide additional resources for cooking and baking delicious fall recipes, making gorgeous crafts, and creating a perfectly inviting space.

If you would like even more ideas for creating beautiful autumn crafts, below is a link containing fun projects. Also highlighted is our newest free crafting database, Creativebug, as well as a myriad of wonderful resources for cooking and baking the perfect fall meals and creating festive crafts from our CCPL catalog.

50+ Fancy DIY Fall Craft Ideas to Bring Autumn to Your Home

For more inspiring crafting ideas, please visit CCPL’s newest free crafting database, Creativebug. Creativebug has thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. It brings the latest in art and craft education to its members, and they work with renowned artists to do just that. It is the number one inspirational resource for DIY, crafters, and makers, with thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes available for FREE with your CCPL library card.

You may also check out our CCPL catalog for more information on recipes for delicious, hearty autumn meals, beautiful craft projects and tips for creating a warm and inviting home such as:

• The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook: 500+ Recipes for Warming Dinners, Holiday Roasts, Seasonal Desserts, Breads, Food Gifts and More by America’s Test Kitchen
• Half Baked Harvest Every Day: Recipes for Balanced, Flexible, Feel-Good Meals by Tieghan Gerard
• From Harvest to Home: Seasonal Activities, Inspired Decor and Cozy Recipes for Fall by Alicia Tenise Chew
• The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning: Everything You Need to Know to Can Meats, Vegetables, Meals in a Jar and More by Diane Devereaux
• Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece and Cyprus by Yasmin Khan
• Wonder Pot: One-Dish Meals from Slow Cookers, Dutch Ovens, Skillets, Pressure Cookers and Casseroles by Better Homes & Gardens
• The Great Big Pumpkin Cookbook: A Quick and Easy Guide to Making Pancakes, Soups, Breads, Pastas, Cakes, Cookies and More by Maggie Michalczyk
• Nachos For Dinner: Surprising Sheet Pan Meals the Whole Family Will Love by Dan Whalen
• Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim
• Baking for the Holidays: 50+ Treats for a Festive Season by Sarah Kieffer
• The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy!: 120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts and More by Ree Drummond
• The Mighty Bean: 100 Easy Recipes That Are Good for Your Health, the World and Your Budget by Judith Choate
• Apple Kitchen: From Tree to Table – Over 70 Inspiring Recipes by Madeleine and Florian Ankner
• Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan
• Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless: 100 Surprising Vegetarian Meals Straight From The Oven by Raquel Pelzel
• Fruit Desserts: 100+ Delicious Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season by Martha Stewart
• Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-Based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes by Dana Shultz
• Pumpkin Chic: Decorating with Pumpkins and Gourds by Mary Caldwell
• Easy Homemade Pottery: Make Your Own Stylish Decor Using Polymer and Air-Dry Clay by Francesca Stone
• Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home by Emily Schuman
• The Block Collection: 150 Inspiring Stash-Busting Shapes to Knit and Crochet by Heather Lodinsky
• The New Bohemians: Cool & Collected Homes by Justina Blakeney
• Simple Farmhouse Life: DIY Projects for the All-Natural Handmade Home by Lisa Bass
• The Art of the Host: Recipes and Rules for Flawless Entertaining by Alex Hitz
• The Gift of Gathering: Beautiful Tablescapes to Welcome and Celebrate Your Friends and Family by Bre Douchette
• Christmas at Home: Holiday Decorating, Crafts, Recipes by Country Living Magazine
• Beeswax Alchemy: How to Make Your Own Candles, Soap, Balms, Salves and Home Décor from the Hive by Petra Ahnert
• Elements of Family Style: Elegant Spaces for Everyday Life by Erin Gates

Image credits:

Unless otherwise noted and/or linked, all images were shot during the making of this blog.

Hello, my little chef friends, and welcome to Cook! The! Book! Where we take a book and make a recipe inspired by it! Oh no, don’t butter your books! Thank you, now, instead of broiling dictionaries, we will be making a tasty recipe inspired by Jessica Love’s book, Julian is a Mermaid. Without further ado, let’s begin!

Julian is a Mermaid follows a boy named Julian and his Abuela as they ride the bus back to their home. On the ride there, Julian sees real live mermaids! They have beautiful hair and tails; Julian is just dazzled by them and tells his Abuela he is one too. His Abuela goes for a bath and tells him to be good while she is gone. While she is, let’s get our recipe together. What should we make? Grilled cheese? Meatloaf? Hmm…What would a mermaid eat? OH, I know…how about fish?? That sounds perfect! Let’s make tilapia with mango salsa, perfect for Julian, who is our Afro-Latinx mermaid! 

For this meal, we will need a few things.

Salsa Ingredients:

Fish Ingredients:

While Abuela is in the bathroom, Julian makes his aquatic transformation. He grabs palm fronds and flowers from around the house for his headdress and ties a window curtain around his waist for a beige tail. What would you use for your costume? While we think about that, let’s preheat the oven for our fish (at 350 F) and let it bake. Next, we will dice up our respective ingredients (supervised by a guardian, of course) to make our salsa. Now, all we have to do is wait on our tilapia to finish cooking, so let’s check in on how Julian is doing, shall we? 

Uh, oh! 

Abuela has found Julian in his mermaid outfit and the mess he made in the process. What will she think of him being a mermaid? 

Read Jessica Love’s heartwarming story, Julian is a Mermaid, and eat like a mermaid with our seafood concoction! 

MMM, look at it, delicious!!

What does a talking tree, a racoon, and a hummingbird have in common? They were all acquainted with Pocahontas…the 1995 Disney film version of her.  But what was the real Pocahontas like?  Born in the Powhatan tribe, she became famous for her interactions with the settlers of Jamestown, as well as accounts of her saving John Smith from being executed by her tribe.  But how accurate is that?  Does Disney do her justice and present her like her real-life counterpart?  Let’s break it down!

Ingredients:

Steps:

1. Mix cornmeal and salt.
2. Add lard or butter to the mixture.
3. Add boiling water and mix thoroughly.
4. Add buttermilk (or the milk/vinegar mixture) and mix thoroughly until it becomes a dough.
5. Roll 12 equal-sized balls out of the dough and flatten them into small cakes.
6. In a large cast-iron skillet (or a large baking sheet), cover the surface with lard or butter and place the cakes on top.
7. Cook for 30 minutes in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven.
8. Serve hot with butter, honey, or maple syrup and enjoy!

Original Recipe

Sources:

• The True Story of Pocahontas
• Britannica: Pocahontas
• Historic Jamestowne: Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend
• Historic Jamestowne: Pocahontas
• A Short History of Jamestown
• History: Jamestown Colony

June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month. Fruits and vegetables are essential to our health and well being ~ they provide so many valuable nutrients that our bodies need including calcium, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Please check out this important fruit and vegetable phytochemical color list here.

In this blog, I will teach you how to build a beautiful and delicious Mediterranean warm grain bowl using fresh fruits and vegetables and dark leafy greens. I will also provide my own photos of healthy meal inspirations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then I will outline tips and tricks (courtesy of my friend, Andrea) for effective gardening. Lastly, I will provide a link to resources for fresh local produce available at various Southern Maryland farmer’s markets, farm stands and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).

Below are tips and tricks for effective gardening from my good friend, Andrea (she is an expert gardener!):

• Tulle and deer netting can be used to protect baby (new or “true”) leaves as they begin to develop and open up. Tulle should be wrapped around the actual plants, and deer netting around the entire perimeter, anchored by stakes and/or rocks.
• There are beneficial bugs for your garden, such as bees – which are wonderful pollinators. For more on this topic, check out Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving by Frédérique Lavoipierre.
• Spearmint, lavender and peppermint act as deterrents for pests (be sure to plant them in pots or use essential oil/spray on and around plants, as planting directly into the ground will cause them to become invasive and grow out of control). 
• Fish gardening: Native Americans knew that the secret to bountiful crops was fish fertilizer – fish heads, the entire fish, sardines, etc. can be planted directly below plants for nitrogen and calcium-rich soil. Use one fish head/one fish per 15-18 inch area of soil.
• Marigolds deter most pests like rabbits, mosquitos, cabbage worms, etc.
• Sweet potatoes are a good plant for shady areas (sweet potatoes and sunflowers also have edible leaves, as well as their seeds).
• Companion gardening: Another ancient Native American trick uses the Three Sisters technique (usually with beans, squash and corn, but sometimes also with sunflowers and pumpkins).
• Vertical gardening: If you are tight on space, consider growing up instead of out, by utilizing lattice pergolas and trellises. Certain vegetables can be grown vertically, and there are also many benefits to this type of gardening. For more on this topic, check out Vertical Vegetables: Simple Projects That Deliver More Yield In Less Space by Amy Andrychowicz.

Resources: 

You may also check out our CCPL catalog for more information on building the perfect bowl, recipes for fruits and vegetables and tips for gardening such as:

• Bowls: Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities by America’s Test Kitchen
• Build-a-Bowl: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal by Nicki Sizemore
• Great Bowls of Food: Grain Bowls, Buddha Bowls, Broth Bowls and More by Robin Asbell
• The Complete Salad Cookbook: A Fresh Guide to 200+ Vibrant Dishes Using Greens, Vegetables, Grains, Proteins, and More by America’s Test Kitchen
• The Mighty Bean: 100 Easy Recipes That Are Good for Your Health, the World and Your Budget by Judith Choate
• Oh She Glows for Dinner: Nourishing Plant-Based Meals to Keep You Glowing by Angela Liddon
• Vegan, at Times: 120+ Easy Recipes for Every Day or Every So Often by Jessica Seinfeld with Sara Quessenberry
• Practically Vegan: More than 100 Easy, Delicious Vegan Dinners on a Budget: A Cookbook by Nisha Melvani
• The Budget-Friendly Vegan Cookbook: Healthy Meals for a Plant Based Diet by Ally Lazare
• Simple Fruit: Seasonal Recipes for baking, Poaching, Sauteing and Roasting by Laurie Pfalzer
• The Fruit Forager’s Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond by Sara Bir
• Juice Manifesto by Andrew Cooper
• The Vegetable Butcher: How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini by Cara Mangini
• Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables: Kale, Cauliflower, Broccoli,  Brussels Sprouts and More by Laura B. Russell
• A Girl and Her Greens: Hearty Meals from the Garden by April Bloomfield
• Martha Stewart’s Vegetables: Inspired Recipes and Tips for Choosing, Cooking and Enjoying the Freshest Seasonal Flavors from the editors of Martha Stewart Living
• Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage, with Tara Wigley
• Grow Your Own in Pots: With 30 Step-by-Step Projects Using Vegetables, Fruit and Herbs by Kay Maguire
• Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden: Planting and Tending Small Fruit Trees and Berries in Gardens and Containers by Christy Wilhelmi
• What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden? 100% Organic Solutions for Berries, Trees, Nuts, Vines and Tropicals by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth
• The New Heirloom Garden: Designs, Recipes and Heirloom Plants for Cooks Who Love To Garden by Ellen Ecker Ogden
• The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-Sufficiency in Any Size Backyard by Gary Pilarchik
• Grow More Food: A Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Getting the Biggest Harvest Possible from a Space of Any Size by Colin McCrate & Brad Halm
• Gardening for Everyone: Growing Vegetables, Herbs and More at Home by Julia Watkins
• Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow and Harvest the Best Edibles by Katie Elzer-Peters
• Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving by Frédérique Lavoipierre

………………………

Image credits:

Unless otherwise noted and/or linked, all images were shot during the making of this blog.

The end of World War II was marked by celebrations and festivities all over the world. Look online at Post-World War II images, and you’ll see people on the streets cheering, waving flags, and, in the case of Times Square in New York, a soldier kissing a complete stranger out of sheer happiness. But what about in countries that lost the war? In Japan, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent surrender of Japan to the Allied powers ended the war…but not the nightmare. In peaceful regions of the country, the people faced varying degrees of hardship. From bombing raids to food shortages, things weren’t easy. With the bombing of two major Japanese cities, the suffering encountered by people near those regions increased.

The 2016 animated film “In This Corner of the World” shows us the perspective of what life was like near the city of Hiroshima before, during, and after fire and radiation swept through the city.  But how much of this movie is fact?

Let’s break it down!

Sources: 

• “Miai”: Meetings to Arrange Marriages | Nippon.com
• “Plants Go to War: A Botanical History of World War II” by Judith Sumner (Turn to Page 107-108)
• RESEARCHING JAPANESE WAR CRIMES
• “War and Public Health”, edited by Barry S. Levy, Victor W. Sidel
• Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Long Term Health Effects
• Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Causes, Impact & Lives Lost – HISTORY
• Acute Radiation Syndrome: A Fact Sheet for Clinicians.

Now that we have broken down the historical accuracy of “In This Corner of the World,” why don’t we recreate some history! Tempura is a staple of Japanese cuisine that dates as far back as the 16th-century AD. Introduced in the port city of Nagasaki (another city that was destroyed in World War II by an atomic bomb), this popular dish was made with flour, sugar, sake, and then deep-fried in lard. With the more modern use of vegetable oil and availability of other ingredients, recipes in the 1900’s traditionally used flour, water, and eggs for the batter.  Vegetables were commonplace and used frequently for tempura, though some locations used seafood in their recipes.

Here’s a basic tempura recipe to get you started:

Ingredients:

Anastasia – the last of the Romanovs of Imperial Russia. On the night of July 16 (or 17, according to some reports), 1918, Bolsheviks, under orders of the Supreme Soviet Council of Russia, Yakov Yurovsky, led Anastasia, her family, and some of their servants to a basement in Yekaterinburg, Russia under the pretext that they were being protected from counter-revolutionaries. They were then met by a volley of gunfire from a group of executioners who cornered them downstairs.  

However, rumors began to circulate stating that while the Romanov family was killed that night, one member may have survived – Anastasia.  According to the 1997 animated film, Anastasia, she found her way out of Yekaterinburg and lived her life as an orphan somewhere in communist-controlled Russia. But was it true? Did a young girl survive that night and escape from the basement?

Let’s break it down!

Sources:

• Gale In Context | High School: Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov
• Gale In Context | High School: Grigori Efimovich Rasputin
• Gale In Context | High School: Anna Anderson
• Anastasia | Biography, Pretenders, & Facts | Britannica
• Grigori Rasputin | Biography, Facts, & Death | Britannica
• History.com | Woman claiming to be Anastasia Romanov arrives in the US

Now that we broke down the historical accuracy of Anastasia, why don’t we recreate some history! Medovik is a layer cake that was popular in the Russian Empire. Created in the 19th century, this cake is made with honey and smetana, a type of sour cream. This dessert would have been very prevalent in the Russian court as one of the many things that the imperial family would have eaten at the time. Since smetana is not something found easily in local markets, you can substitute regular sour cream.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the cake layers:

For the sour cream frosting:

For the topping: