A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

Diana Lamb

Fresh ideas for healthier menu options

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Do you make food resolutions? Maybe you are determined to eat less refined sugar, include more vegetables, or expand the number of home-cooked meals for your family in 2025. If you are in need of some inspiration, Smiley Library can provide you with fresh ideas from our latest additions to our cookbook collection.

Tieghan Gerard is serving large portions of comfort food that are do-ably delicious in her latest book, “Half Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy.” Creamy turmeric lemon chicken and orzo, baked broccoli cheddar-gruyere, and loaded potato topped with sour cream, bacon, and green onion are some of the soup options to fill your bowl. For some oven-baked dinner options, do try sheet pan mac and cheese, double-baked taquitos, gochujang margherita pizza, and cider-braised beef brisket. Tieghan offers a select number of desserts including blackout sprinkle cookies, maple banana pudding, apple honey cake, and frosted peanut butter brownies.

One way that people express their love and appreciation for others is through cooking and baking. Pamela Anderson did this for her two grown sons with a housewarming gift of family favorite meals written on recipe cards. Later, those cards were developed into her cookbook, “I Love You” for all of us to enjoy. Vegetables and bread take center stage with nourishing recipes for crispy saffron-spinach rice cake, harvest veggie pot pies, salad pizza, heirloom tomato galette with cashew cream, and herby French potato salad. Pamela’s love for bread shines through with cinnamon rolls with maple glaze which includes a sourdough variation, crispy stacks of waffles, soft pretzels, and rustic sourdough. These dishes and more are all Vegan-friendly as no animal products appear in her recipes.

“I love the excitement that dessert brings to daily life. A weeknight dinner feels a little more special topped off by dessert.” If you are a fan of sweet treats but also desire to reduce refined sugar, then check out “Not Too Sweet” by Jessica Seinfeld. Pineapple upside-down coconut cake, roasted strawberry pop tarts, chocolate brownies, and figs in a blanket are a sampling from the 100 recipes on offer. As an added bonus, many desserts are also gluten-free, grain-free, and/or dairy-free.

Finally, here is an extra helping of recent titles for mealtime inspiration: “Ottolenghi Comfort” by Yotam Ottolenghi, “Simply Jamie” by Jamie Oliver, “Martha the Cookbook” by Martha Stewart, “The Pasta Queen” by Nadia Caterina Munno, and “When Southern Women Cook” edited by Morgan Bolling.

Sweet baking recipes and stories for your happy holidays!

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We are in the midst of oven season and holiday baking is still in high gear. Whether you are looking for a new quick and easy brownie recipe or an impressive show-stopping dessert, these new sweet baking books may give you the inspiration you’ve been looking for.

The front cover of Sarah Fennel’s book “Sweet Tooth,” features a fudgy, fresh-from-the-oven cookie dotted with melty chocolate chunks and flaked sea salt ready to be popped into your mouth. This inviting cover is a teaser for a variety of desserts both familiar and new. Banoffee cake combines the flavors of ripe bananas and toffee between layers of cream cheese frosting and swirled with extra caramel. Blueberry pie cookies have all the flavor of fruit pie, including the crust, but without the extra work. More intriguing treats are crème brulee cheesecake bars, lemon meringue pie macarons, and cherry Danish cake. Sarah has a concluding chapter called ‘Dessert for One.’ In this section, you’ll find recipes for single lady apple crisp, a single peanut butter-fluff crispy treat, plus the single-serve double chocolate chip cookies (makes two) featured on the front cover. Do not despair, as every recipe in the chapter comes with a QR code for the full-size version.

It’s 3 p.m. and you’re craving something sweet, a mid-day snack to go with that last cup of coffee or tea. “100 Afternoon Sweets” by Sarah Kieffer can fill that need with a variety of brownies, bars, pies, and snack cakes. If you prefer a fruit-filled treat, then you may want to try a slice of cranberry caramel upside-down cake while fresh cranberries are in season. There is also maple orange carrot cake, creamy raspberry bars as well as blueberry muffin cake. For chocolate lovers, Sarah provides lots of options such as chocolate peanut butter pie baked in a 9×13 pan, milk chocolate swirl brownies, double chocolate cake, oatmeal fudge bars, and brownie cheesecake bars.

“You see a cake or a tart in our pastry case, but I see something entirely different: a gift, a first date, a reunion. Behind every dessert, there is a story to share.” Pastry chef Dominique Ansel, creator of the famous cronut, presents a personal collection of 42 stories and their corresponding recipes in his latest book, “Life’s Sweetest Moments.” You may want to leisurely read each story first, enjoying these personal yet relatable tales along with the photographs of every beautiful dessert. When you’re ready, there are easy treats like homemade cherry macadamia granola, buttermilk pancakes, plus brown butter, dark chocolate, walnut and sea salt cookies. For advanced home bakers there are more challenging creations such as Nutella milk bread, raspberry rose souffle, and croquembouche.

We at Smiley Library wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you in the coming new year!

Time to think about holiday food delights!

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‘Tis the season to start thinking about and planning for all of the holiday-related events that will be here before you know it. Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving, bringing a side dish or dessert, attending a potluck, or participating in a cookie exchange, Smiley Library’s cookbook collection is here to provide inspiration, helpful kitchen tips, and loads of delicious recipes. Here is a sampling from our new additions.

In his latest cookbook “Preppy Kitchen Super Easy,” much-loved social media star John Kanell brings us his current collection of “simple dishes that feel special.” Elevate your breakfast choices with make-ahead recipes like breakfast in a cup which are mini fritatas for protein on the go. Other choices are “Ice cream” overnight oats, strawberry French toast casserole using croissants, and overnight cinnamon rolls oozing with a brown sugar cinnamon filling and covered with cream cheese frosting. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, easy, cheesy popovers, browned butter and garlic mashed potatoes, sweet-and-spicy corn pudding, plus chocolate chunk-pecan pie bars may be welcome additions to this year’s feast.

These next two books cover the spectrum of portable baked goods from savory to sweet. Baby ham and cheese croissants, Pom’s Boxing Day sausage rolls, jalapeno cheddar shortbread buttons, and irresistible miso garlic butter party mix are a sampling from Jessie Sheehan’s “Salty Cheesy Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes.” If you participate in a cookie exchange or are looking to upgrade Santa’s plate of goodies, then check out “Zoe Bakes Cookies” by Zoe Francois. Some holiday-inspired choices might include chocolate brownie mint sandwiches, stained glass holiday cookies, granny’s espresso shortbread and soft molasses cookies.

“Baking in the American South” by Anne Byrn, pays loving tribute to southern bakers and highlights over 200 recipes for home cooks everywhere to try. Cornbread and biscuits are staples of southern baking and well represented here with a great variety of each. Cleora Butler’s jalapeno cornbread or Shelby Foote’s cornbread would be a tasty accompaniment for your next batch of chili. Soups and stews are so much better when eaten with hot biscuits and melted butter. Stella Park’s light and fluffy biscuits, Nathalie Dupree’s cream biscuits, granny’s sourdough biscuits and Mama Dip’s sweet potato biscuits will make it hard to decide which recipe to try first. Pie is the dessert of choice at Thanksgiving so do consider adding Jean Young’s sweet potato custard pie, Kentucky brown sugar, Zephyr Wright’s pecan or Betty Kennedy’s black bottom pie with a gingersnap crust to the dessert table alongside the traditional apple and pumpkin pies.

With all the extra holiday cooking going on, you may experience cooking fatigue or burnout. If you do, then turn to “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” by Caroline Chambers for a boost of inspiration and emotional support. What sets this book apart is that almost every recipe makes a complete meal that comes together in 15 minutes to 1 hour. Examples of 15-minute meals are spicy ramen and snap pea stir-fry, garlicky grains with asparagus and sausage, smashburger sammies, and cheater chicken tinga tostadas. The last chapter is a small but delicious collection of four desserts including caramelized peach snickerdoodle cobbler.

The sweet and savory sensations of summer dining

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Summertime and outdoor cooking naturally go well together. If you are looking for some grilling tips and more mouth-watering recipes, then you’ll definitely want to take a look at this book with a napkin at the ready. Pitmaster Moe Cason serves up flame-cooked smokey, juicy burgers, ribs, chops, brisket, and more in his book “Big Moe’s Big Book of BBQ.” Enhance the flavor of your barbecue masterpiece with Moe’s brines, spritzes, spice rubs, and mop sauces. He shares lots of advice and 75 recipes for fun and delicious backyard eats.
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Icy blackberry sage granita, peaches and cream semifreddo, tartufo layered with two flavors of gelato, sweet cherries, and wafer cookies encased in a chocolate candy shell, plus malted milk tiramisu are some of the spoonable desserts from this next selection. “Dolci!” by Renato Poliafito highlights the delectable heritage of Italian and Italian American recipes with an emphasis on desserts and baked goods. Some more melt-in-your-mouth delights are a sunny limoncello pistachio tart, rich chocolate hazelnut cake, panettone bread pudding, also cannoli cake with cinnamon, candied orange and mini chocolate chips.
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Christopher Kimball and his team at Milk Street are a trusted resource for quick, easy-to-prepare, and reliable recipes with an international flavor. Their latest cookbook, “Milk Street 365” is filled to the brim with over 700 recipes accompanied by color photos of each dish. Your dinner plans during summer might include steak salad with walnuts, pomegranate molasses and blue cheese, pita burgers with crisped cheese, Peruvian stir-fried chicken and noodles, toasted tacos with adobo beans, or perhaps spaghetti with lemon pesto.
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Chicken bacon ranch bombs, Fruity Pebble pancakes, animal-style mac ‘n’ cheese, and Pop Tart lava cakes are a sampling of the creative and playful recipes you’ll find in “The Mythical Cookbook” by Josh Scherer. This is not your typical cookbook as there are chapters dedicated to foods that are spicy and deep fried, plus bacon and cheese each get their own chapter. For all the daring and adventurous eaters out there, do check out the last section titled, “Eat Something that Scares You.”

Go on adventures with food, and savor every bite!

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This time around, a potluck of new cookbooks is selected for your perusal. Inside each book, there is a little something for most everyone to enjoy. Happy adventurous eating!

Valerie Bertinelli’s latest cookbook “Indulge” is an invitation for us to enjoy what we eat as if it is a special occasion. She shares stories and life lessons in her warm and friendly style alongside a nostalgic collection of much-loved recipes. These include Maple Pecan Scones, Sausage and Olive Cheese Bites, Beverly Hills Chopped Salad, Mom’s Hero, Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Herb Bread Crumbs, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with a scoop of No-Churn Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream.

Brining, drying, smoking, pickling, curing, and freezing are some of the methods cooks use to preserve a variety of foods at their peak of flavor. These larder-building techniques and more can be found within the pages of “Cured” by Steve McHugh. Steve also includes 150 recipes to try such as Chipotle Marmalade Chicken Wings, Baked Rice with Shrimp and Chorizo, Kimchi Bloody Mary, Freezer Yeast Dough, plus Brown Butter Lemonade Blondies.

Alyse Whitney is elevating our party dip spread with her cookbook, “Big Dip Energy.” Inside the pages of this colorful and fun book are 88 sweet and savory recipes along with lists of recommended dippers both store-bought and homemade. Trade up your onion, bean, and ranch dips for Cincinnati Chili Dip, Green Goddess Hummus, Pizza Your Way Dip, and Spicy California Roll Guacamole. Graham crackers, shortbread cookies, and waffle cone pieces can be used to scoop up a bite or ten of Strawberry Shortcake Dip, Holy Cannoli Dip, chocolatey Dirt Pudding Dip, and Whipped Peanut Butter Cup Dip.

At Sugar Taco, an LA plant-based restaurant, diners are treated to Mexican food favorites that are bursting with traditional flavors and free of any animal ingredients. Some popular dishes are Carne Asada Fries, Al Pastor Bowl, Jackfruit Barbacoa Tacos, Gorditas and Cinnamon Sugar-Coated Churros. To cool the heat of a spicy bite, there are refreshing drinks like Passion Fruit Margaritas, Palomas, creamy Horchatas, and Watermelon Agua Fresca. Now, you can replicate these dishes and more from their new cookbook “Sugar Taco at Home” by Jayde Nicole, Nia Gatica Campos, and Alan Campos.