From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Here's a recipe that's a new twist on an old favorite!

Strawberry JalapeñoSalsa
15-20 strawberries, chopped into small even dice
1/3 medium red onion, finely minced
handful of cilantro, well rinsed and finely chopped
1 Jalapeño, finely minced, seeds and all.  (leave the seeds out for less heat)
juice of 1 lime
fresh cracked black pepper

• Mix everything in a bowl.  Chill until ready to serve.

Notes:  Don’t make this much more than an hour or so before serving.  Like all salsas, it will wilt and the fruit will get a little mushy.  An hour is the optimal amount of time for the flavors to meld and the juices to start flowing.  Longer than that and the salsa will slowly start to lose its fresh appearance.

Taken from http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/05/strawberry-jalapeno-salsa.html

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     With summer vacation fast approaching and the need for fun, good snacks, these looked too good to pass up!

CAKE BATTER GRANOLA BITES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups oats old fashioned
• 2/3 cup cake mix dry
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sprinkles
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well until oats are all well coated.
2. Refrigerate mixture 1-2 hours. You want it to be workable enough to hold their shape.
3. After refrigerating, roll into balls and eat up!

Taken from...http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/05/cake-batter-granola-bars/

Book Talk....

     Have you ever read anything by Gayle Forman? I hadn't, so I recently picked up If I Stay. It was only a couple hundred pages if that, so I thought it would be a quick, easy read. This little gem turned out to be quite a surprise. Full of emotion and insight, If I Stay will make you fall in love with Mia and her family and make you visit some of those hard choices we must make in real life with her. It will cause you to evaluate what you believe about death and what you truly believe about living. I found it to be heartbreaking and reaffirming all wrapped up in one. Stop in to the Waverly Public Library and check it out today!

AND.....It's going to be a movie!

Plus....there is a sequel....

 

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

It's that time of year again!!! I know you either love rhubarb or hate it, but I happen to LOVE it! And this is one of the easiest yummiest ways to eat it! Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

Rhubarb Dump Cake

Ingredients Edit and Save

Servings: 12
Yield: 9x13 pan

• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (between 3 and 4 cups)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (3 ounce package) strawberry jell-o
• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the jell-o, and finally the cake mix. Pour the water and melted butter over the top. Do not stir. Bake for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.

Tuesday is a good day to read!

     Our director listened to this man, Simon Sinek,  speak at the Public Library Association conference this year and we recently added his new book Leaders Eat Last to our collection. If you are in the position to be a leader or in the position of being led, this is a very enlightening book. If you enjoy this snippet, look Simon Sinek up on www.youtube.com, he has several half hour to hour long presentations where he lectures about leaders and leadership. Good stuff!

Check it Out...

Outlander

     One of my favorite books of all time, Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon is currently being made into a mini series that will air this August on Starz.

     Outlander is part historical fiction, part romance, part fantasy/time travel part epic love story/saga, all wrapped up in one. Claire Randall is a British nurse in the 1940s during the war and newly married. Her and her husband, Frank, a history professor, are on holiday in Inverness, Scotland. While sightseeing and looking for herbs, near the standing stones of Craigh na Dun, the unthinkable happens. Claire is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland. At first, when she encounters the British red coats, she believes that she has stumbled upon a re-enactment that is part of some movie set.  Soon, she becomes painfully aware that things are not as they seem when she notices the date on a sheet of paper in the study of one of the men who grabbed her from the woods. 1743! At least, the Clan McKenzie have her and not the British red-coats. Being married to a history professor in the 1940s who was quite interested in his own family tree's history too, Claire quickly catches up to her circumstances and what is happening around her, even if it is unbelievable at its best! In order to avoid being taken by the British red coats and to ensure her safety, Jamie Fraser, a young Scotsman from the Clan McKenzie, volunteers to wed her. At first, Claire refuses, but then realizing the futility of her situation, concedes. The story that follows is the greatest love story of all time....
     Grab it at the library before seeing it in person this summer!

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

I happened to be home over lunch the other day and caught an episode of The Chew. On it they had what looked like an easy and yummy granola recipe. Here it is!

Lizzie's Granola (from The Chew 05/01/2014)

Ingredients:
4 Cups rolled oats
2 C. unsweetened coconut
2 C. slivered almonds
1 C. cashews
3/4 C. olive oil
1/2 C. honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 C. of your favorite dried fruit (such as dates and dried cherries, chopped)

Step by step instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the oats, coconut, almonds, cashews, oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.Toss together to coat. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 30 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet.
3. Remove to a large bowl and toss. Add the dried fruit and serve. If not using right away, store in an airtight container, adding the dried fruit to order.