SBPL

SBPL
The Best Deal in Town!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...


by Jill Eisner
Senior Librarian
Information Services


Seasons Greetings Everyone!

Hope you're all staying warm and safe this holiday season. After the excitement of the holidays dies down, cozy up in front of the big screen with some new picks from our collection:

The Attack


The Attack (2012) Poster

Starring Ali Suliman, Evgenia Dodena

Amin Jaafari is an Israeli Palestinian surgeon, fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, an exemplary career, and many Jewish friends. But his picture-perfect life is turned upside down when a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves nineteen dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife Sihem, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the relative security of his adopted homeland and enters the Palestinian territories. 2012, rated R. In Arabic with English subtitles. Drama.

Room 514

ROOM 514 (HEBREW)

Starring Asia Naifeld, Guy Kapulnik, Rafi Kalmar.

Anna, an investigator in the Israeli military, is ordered to interrogate a senior officer who is alleged to have abused an Arab family. Her questioning is greeted with sarcasm by the accused commander, while her colleagues, including her lover, advise her to stop the case. Unfortunately, her idealism against the perceived abuse of power might have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved. If you liked A Few Good Men, you'll like Room 514. 2012, not rated. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Drama.

Vikings - Season 1


VIKINGS - SEASON 1

Starring Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf Skarsgard, Nathan O'Toole.

Journey into a thrilling ancient world in this epic new series from The History Channel about history's bravest and most brutally fearsome warriors: the Vikings. Ragnar, a would-be Viking chieftain, longs to fulfill his destiny as an explorer and conqueror, alongside his ambitious brother Rollo and loyal wife Lagertha. But as Ragnar leads daring raids in distant realms across the ocean, treacherous forces in his Norse homeland conspire against him. 2013, rated TV-MA. Action/Adventure.

Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Jill

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Smart Lab Grand Opening


Now you can make your own music, movies and podcasts at the library. Come to the Smart Lab grand opening this Saturday, December 7, at 1:15pm to find out how.

The Smart Lab has an iMac digital media workstation with GarageBand and iMovie.  A microphone, guitar, keyboard,  headphones, video camera and green screen are also available. You can book up to two hours at a time on the iMac when the Smart Lab is not being used for programs.

Schedule time with a librarian if you are new to these GarageBand or iMovie by emailing us at southbrunswicklibrary@gmail.com or calling us at 732-329-4000 x 7286.

You can also use Lynda.com in the Smart Lab to study a wide variety of computer applications including GarageBand and iMovie.  Click on this link for all of the software training available from Lynda.com.  You will need to schedule this training at the library by contacting the Information Desk.

 The  Smart Lab will host all of our technology programs including computer classes, robotics using Legos and Scratch , digital story telling with Story Starter and more.

We hope to see you at the grand opening of the Smart Lab this Saturday, December 7, from 1:15pm until 3pm.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  After you're done overeating and can't move off the couch, why not take in a movie or two over the holiday break?  Here are some recommended ones from the collection:

Parkland


 PARKLAND
Directed by Peter Landesman. Starring Ron Livingston, Jackie Earle Haley, Mark Duplass, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti, Tom Welling, Marcia Gay Harden, Colin Hanks, Zac Efron, Jacki Weaver.

November 22, 1963 is a day that changed the world forever when beloved American President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Parkland is the true story behind that tragic day, told from the vantage point of individuals who are forced to make split-second decisions after this incomprehensible event that will change the world's landscape forever.  2013. Rated PG-13. Drama.

Parade's End

PARADE'S END
If you are patiently (or impatiently) waiting for the return of Downton Abbey, try this racier version starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall.  Based on the quartet of novels by Ford Maddox Ford, adapted for the screen by Tom Stoppard and directed by Susanna White. Also starring Rupert Everett, Roger Allam, Miranda Richardson, Adelaide Clemens.
 
An epic story of love and betrayal, set during a formative period in British history, from the twilight years of the Edwardian era to the end of World War I.  2012. TV-MA. Drama.

17 Girls 

[Cover]
Directed by Delphine Coulin. Starring Juliette Darcha, Louise Grinberg, Roxane Duran.  

A disturbing example of peer pressure, inspired by events which took place in  Massachusetts in 2008. When Camille accidentally becomes pregnant, 16 of her friends and classmates decide to follow suit, throwing their town and school into chaos.
2011. Not rated. In French with English subtitles. Drama.



Enjoy!

Jill


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

Hi Everyone,

Here are some new titles you might enjoy from our movie collection. The portrayal of Alfred Hitchcock in The Girl is even creepier than his movies were. Check it out for Halloween!  Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Jill

The Girl


[Cover]

Directed by Julian Jarrold.  Starring Sienna Miller and Toby Jones.
An unflattering portrait of iconic director Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Hedren, his leading lady in The Birds and Marnie. 2012, rated TV-14. Drama.

Stories We Tell

[Cover]


Written and directed by Sarah Polley, narrated by Michael Polley.
In this inspired, genre-twisting film, Oscar-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who's telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets behind a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. 
2012, rated PG-13. Documentary.



Mud


[Cover]

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols.  Starring Joe Don Baker, Ray Mckinnon, Reese Witherspoon, Jacob Lofland, Matthew Mcconaughey, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, Tye Sheridan and Sarah Paulson.  Two boys, Ellis and his best friend Neckbone, find a mysterious man named Mud hiding out on a deserted island in the Mississippi. Mud tells the boys fantastic stories about his life, including how he killed a man in Texas and vengeful bounty hunters are coming to get him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper. The boys agree to help him, but it isn't long until their small town is besieged by bounty hunters out for blood. 2012, rated PG-13. Drama.



Jill Eisner
Information Services

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Health Insurance Marketplace


The Health Insurance Marketplace at  is now open. 
Americans who are uninsured, or who buy their own health insurance have a new way to shop for coverage.The website, www.healthcare.gov has guides, videos, checklists and more - and live web chat available 24/7 - to help individuals, families and small business shop for health insurance.
Consumers can call 1-800-318-2596 to speak with a trained customer service representative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Representatives will be available in English and Spanish and there will be a language line to assist callers in over 150 additional languages.
 
 
Assistance in applying on the Health Insurance Marketplace is also available by visiting

University of Medicine and Dentistry RWJ Eric B. Chandler Health Center
277 George St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1311
732-235-6700
The Health Insurance Marketplace is linked on the South Brunswick Public Library's webpage and can be found directly at www.healthcare.gov.



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Information Services

Hi Folks,

I love this time of year!  Summer's coming to an end and the Fall weather is already upon us.  Nothing is more relaxing to me at the end of a long work day than to sit down with a nice cup of tea and watch a good movie.  Here are some recent additions to our collection which I really liked:


Robot and Frank


[Cover]
Directed by Jake Schreier,  starring Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Sarsgaard. Set in the not-too-distant future:  Frank is an aging ex-jewel thief with memory problems whose two grown children are worried that he can no longer care for himself. In deciding what to do with Frank, the most likely option appears to be putting him in a nursing home. But Frank's son comes up with another option: buy Frank a walking, talking robot programmed to look after him and improve his physical and mental health. Frank resists the robot at first, but he warms to it after realizing that it could be the perfect heist companion.
2012, rated PG-13. Comedy/Drama.

(Librarians: Take particular note of how the future of libraries is portrayed in this movie.)

What Maisie Knew


[Cover]
Directed by Scott McGehee, starring Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgard, Steve Coogan, and Onata Aprile. After her parents’ bitter divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself shuttled between her selfish mother and vain father, who value her only as a means for provoking each other.  A heart-breaking, modern-day interpretation of the Henry James novel. 
2012, rated R. Drama.

Liberal Arts


[Cover]
Written and directed by Josh Radnor, starring Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, John Magaro.  Thirty-something Jesse falls for a precocious nineteen-year-old college student when he returns to his alma mater. 
2012, rated PG-13.  Drama.



Enjoy!  Let me know what you think.


Jill

Monday, September 16, 2013

Benefits of the Museum Pass Program



My husband and I took had a weekend “getaway” in New York City for Labor Day.  It is the first time I have had a chance to use one of the Friends of the South Brunswick Public Library museum passes.  As a Friend, I was able to reserve and take out one of the two Guggenheim Museum passes.  Reservations are easy to make online on the library website at http://www.sbpl.info/help-the-library/friends/museum-pass/ and you can reserve a pass up to 90 in advance.  I had this pass reserved for the holiday weekend since the beginning of the summer.  The pass admits up to four people for free and lets you purchase half-price ticket for any additional guests you may have. That saved the two of us the $22.00 admission each ($18.00 for seniors).  It also gives you a 10% discount at the three museum shops, at the restaurant The Wright and the espresso and snack bar Café 3.  But for the current show at the Guggenheim, the more advantageous benefit was the ability to skip the line!

 On Monday morning, we arrived at the Guggenheim museum at about 9:30 a.m. – their doors open at 10:00.  Already at 9:30, there were lines forming at the door.  After a little exploring, we found that there were three separate lines.  One, which had about 60 people standing on it at 9:30, was for people who had pre-purchased tickets for the current show.  The second line was the no-reservation line for people just wanting to get in for the day and that line had about 40 people standing on it.  The shortest line (in the center) was the line for members, which only had about 15 people on it and that line was adjacent to some planters where the people could sit!  Since we had the library pass, we joined the shortest member line!

James Turrell, Aten Reign, 2013
When the doors opened at 10:00, the members were let in first!!  We were escorted to the ticket desk where we showed the pass and were given tickets for the show and we went directly into the museum first.  Now, this may not seem to be too big a deal, but for the current show, James Terrell, this was important in order to get the best viewing advantage without having to wait.  The main exhibit in the rotunda, titled Aten Reign (2013), “is the centerpiece of James Turrell’s first exhibition in a New York museum since 1980, [which] recasts the Guggenheim rotunda as an enormous volume filled with shifting artificial and natural light.”  The best way to view the central piece of the exhibit is to lie down on a mat on the floor directly below it or to sit on one of the benches that surround the rotunda that have a sloped back to help you rest your back and head look up because the installation is overhead, spectacularly filling the central rotunda of the museum.  It takes about 15 minutes for the full range of color changes and it is worth the wait – the colors were ethereal and intense and hovered in the 6-tiered ellipse seemingly without structure or seam.  James Turrell, an artist who is known for his installations of “perception, light, color, and space, with a special focus on the role of site specificity in his practice” will be on exhibit at the museum only through September 25 and then it will be gone forever. 

These one of a kind experiences, like Christo’s The Gates that were installed in Central Park for a month in 2005, are what make living in close proximity to NYC so distinctive.  If you want to see this once-in-a lifetime transformation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous the museum, you should plan to visit soon.  If you want to see the museum the way the architect intended, with an open central atrium, you might want to wait until October when this piece will be removed, although I think that Mr. Wright would approve of this temporary installation that shows the simple beauty of his elliptical design to a magnificent extent.
  
You can read more about this exhibit and other exhibits and get information about the museum at http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/exhibitions.  And don’t forget to reserve the pass today, there are only a few more weeks to make plans to see James Turrell’s amazing installation and if you want to lay on the floor or sit on one of the inclined benches without having to loiter until a spot opens up, the pass is the key!!


I am not sure if the Friends other passes to the Garden State Discovery Museum, the Grounds for Sculpture, the Insectropolis, or the Zimmerli have the same skip the line policy or if there would even be a line to get into those museums, but the benefit of not paying the ever increasing admission fees is worth becoming a Friend to get the privilege of taking out a pass.  The Friends have purchased a museum membership to each of these five museums and the member benefits are passed along to you! Check the website to see what the pass provides and how many people it covers – every museum has different membership benefits.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

What Vanilla Pudding Wishes it Was...Plus Our New Cafe



Have you made vanilla or chocolate pudding from a mix recently? Childhood memories must be playing tricks on me: those mixes just do not taste as good as I remember them.

Back in the day, it was dinner at 6 – don’t be late! – and if we had dessert on a weekday, it was usually watermelon or peaches in summer, and in winter, jello, canned peaches or pudding, served up in footed dessert cups.  But that was only if you ate everything on your plate, of course.

Sometimes the vanilla pudding was folded together with bananas and vanilla wafers in a square Pyrex baking dish.  And always, whipped cream from a can was available to squirt on top. Simple tastes for simple times.

Following is a recipe for pastry cream which undoubtedly tastes better than those long ago desserts, although it can never surpass the warm memories of time spent at the family table, admonitions of  no elbows on the table! no talking with your mouth full! no interrupting! notwithstanding.

There is a richness and depth of flavor from the combination of half and half, egg yolks, pure vanilla and fresh butter in this pastry cream which simply can’t be duplicated in pudding mixes.


Alien invasion at the Library!
Coffee and books - a great combination...



















Grover’s Mill Coffee House in West Windsor, known for great coffee - they roast the beans themselves! -  just opened a café in our Library, and I was honored to make the cakes for their Grand Opening:  white cake with almond scented pastry cream, and whipped cream frosting.  The cakes, never from a mix of course, were enormous.  The ingredients tally: 48 eggs, 9 sticks of butter, 3 quarts of half and half for the pastry cream, and another 3 quarts of  heavy cream for the whipped cream frosting (certainly not from a can!). 

One customer came to the desk saying, “I just had to come over to see who baked this, because I took one taste and thought, “A real person baked this, not a bakery!” “.  

I used The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book (in our Library!) for their pastry cream recipe.   Pastry cream is a very straightforward, but not necessarily “easy” preparation.  You have to follow the directions exactly (don’t run out of the kitchen to do something else in the middle!), but if you do, your pastry cream will be perfect. A little technique here goes a long way.

Pastry Cream adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

2 cups half-and-half
½ cup granulated sugar, divided as follows:  6 Tablespoons , plus 2 Tablespoons
½ teaspoon kosher salt, (or ¼ teaspoon regular table salt)
5 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)


In a medium saucepan, heat up the half and half, 6 Tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt together over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to keep from burning or sticking to the pan.  In the meantime, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and cornstarch.

When the half and half just comes to a simmer, ladle out one cupful and add in a slow steady stream to the egg yolk mixture, being sure to whisk constantly (a helper could come in handy here – or just nest your bowl in a damp kitchen towel so the bowl doesn’t move). 

This gradual addition of the hot liquid brings up the temperature of the egg yolks slowly so the eggs don’t turn into hard bits of scrambled egg.

When that cup of hot half and half is completely incorporated, slowly whisk the egg mixture back into the bowl of the still simmering remaining half and half.  Then lower the heat to medium and whisk until thickened and a few bubbles pop slowly on the surface of the pudding.

Immediately remove from heat and add in the butter and vanilla extract (and almond extract, if using).

Transfer to a bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the cream (or a piece of parchment paper if you prefer not to have plastic in contact with your food).
Cool for 3 hours.  (Can be made a few days ahead of time.)

Besides using pastry cream for a great cake filling, make a quick dessert by combining with bananas and vanilla wafers for a retro combination; mixing with peaches and gingersnaps; or pairing with blueberries, raspberries and amaretti cookies.  Adding a flavored liqueur like framboise (raspberry), Grand Marnier (orange), or Amaretto (almond), when adding the vanilla extract would be a nice addition too, along with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

After consuming the fake “pastry cream” which most bakeries serve, people forget how delicious simple things made from scratch can be.   This is one of those quintessentially old fashioned recipes that makes you feel like you’ve re-discovered an old friend, even if you’ve only ever had the boxed pudding mixes.

Try this with coffee made from the freshly roasted coffee beans now available in our new cafe - the Grover's Mill Coffee House at the South Brunswick Public Library, and enjoy with a good book!

Diane Whitman
Twitter @whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian
Grover's Mill Coffee Loyalist




Wednesday, August 28, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Information Services

The Invisible War

[Cover]

Directed by Kirby Dick, starring Helen Benedict, Anu Bhagwati, Susan Burke, Kori Cioca.

A groundbreaking investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. Follows the stories of several idealistic young servicewomen who were raped and then betrayed by their own officers when they courageously came forward to report.
2012, not rated.  Documentary.

Liberal Arts


[Cover]

Directed by Josh Radnor, starring Allison Janney, Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Reaser, Elizabeth Olsen, Zac Efron, Richard Jenkins.

When Jesse, a 35-year-old
New York college admissions adviser, is invited to his Midwestern alma mater to attend his favorite professor's retirement dinner, he quickly falls back in love with the university life. But when he meets 19-year-old student Zibby, the daughter of his professor's friends, he suddenly finds himself caught in a moral dilemma: does he pursue a relationship with this kindred spirit, or does he break her heart and return to the real world?
2012, rated PG-13. Comedy/Drama.

Before Sunrise 


 

Directed by Richard Linklater, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.
A young American man meets a beautiful French student on a train bound for Paris, falls in love and asks her to share his last night in Vienna.  1995, rated R. Drama/Romance.




Friday, August 9, 2013

Rules for Cinnamon Doughnuts


Rules for Cinnamon Doughnuts

Rules are made to be broken.  I agree with that, but only sometimes.  People can be divided into two camps – rule followers and rule breakers.  Me:  rule follower - I have to walk against the traffic and bike with the traffic.  If you’re walking with me in the neighborhood, I’m uncomfortable walking on the right, so just so you know?  We’ll be staying to the left.

Such rules make sense, and are intended to keep you safe.

With recipes it’s different, safety is not the issue (unless you’re talking about sanitation and safe cooking/storing temperatures, about which I am even more of a stickler).  When cooking, most recipes can be used as guidelines, whereas when baking, most recipes need to be followed to the letter. 

Not so with this recipe for Ina Garten’s Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts baked in a doughnut pan - baked, not fried, in a nod to health, a very slight nod, almost an imperceptible one because after baking, these doughnuts are dipped in melted butter and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. And because of that they are glorious – especially when still warm from the oven. 

You don’t actually need a doughnut pan – bake these as I did in a standard muffin tin.  I dislike having dedicated one-use items in my kitchen – too much clutter - and prefer to have versatile, good quality basic items instead.  The resulting cakes did not look like Ina’s but were certainly just as good tasting.

Not so beautiful but delicious!
Do I feel like I got away with something?  Maybe.  (Full disclosure - I actually used a silicone baking mold that someone gave me for Christmas - the muffins stuck, I recommend using a standard metal muffin tin, so yours will look better than these!)

This morning I heard a snippet of a BBC radio broadcast and the phrase “the allure of bending the rules” jumped out at me.  I can see where rule bending might be an attraction, more for some people, less for others. 

For me, my Catholic angst prevents me from reveling in this allure and I much prefer to stay on the side of the rule followers, walking on the left, biking on the right, but occasionally baking in muffin tins instead of doughnut molds…

Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts  from Ina Garten’s Foolproof

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt)
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1 ¼ cups whole milk
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the topping:
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin, or spray  with Baker’s Joy (baking spray with flour).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 

In a small bowl whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.

Portion into 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes, and removing them when a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter.  Mix together the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the muffins in the butter, then coat with the sugar. 

Best when warm.

The more experienced you are with cooking, the more you know some of the unwritten rules of cooking, and will follow them in all your recipes.  Here’s a few I see broken often:

Don’t crowd the pan when you’re sautéing. Take the time to cook in two batches or more. If you don’t, the food will steam instead of fry, and will never get a nice brown sear.  

When you’re using a gas grill, preheat the grill with all burners on high with the lid closed for 15 minutes.  Then change the setting to the desired temp and cook your food. 

Salt your food to taste during cooking, it won’t be the same if you only add salt at the end. 

When a recipe says sift together, it’s perfectly ok to whisk all the ingredients together instead. 

When baking, switch your pans left the right, front to back, halfway through the baking time.  This ensures more even cooking.  Just be quick, lest your oven cool down too much.

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
@whitlibrarian
Rule Enforcer



Friday, August 2, 2013

Zucchinis and Twitter

Zucchinis and Twitter

It's that time of year again when good looking zucchinis are in every New Jersey market, and you can't help buying them because they look so fresh and healthful.  If you have a garden you probably have been resorting to dropping zucchinis off at neighbors houses. (Ringing the front door bell and running? -  well, maybe not that bad.)

In any case, here's a yummy way to not only use up but to enjoy zucchinis (and/or any kind of summer squash) in a versatile and delicious preparation:  Zucchini Butter.

(from Food 52's website)
Zucchini Butter is perfect warm and unctuous slathered on bruschetta, as a dip for crackers, carrot sticks or even zucchini sticks.  Or you can just do what my friend Carol did and simply eat this out of the bowl.  She proclaimed this "the best zucchini I ever ate", and my friend Barb texted me the next day for the recipe to make for her weekend guests.

This comes from the website Food 52, which I initially found because it sponsors and publishes an awesome competition for the best cookbooks of the year, but which I keep in my Twitter feed because it showcases some of the best food trends and recipes out there.  (www.food52.com, @food52 on Twitter)

Did I mention that Zucchini Butter is easy, cheap, and would keep well in the fridge for a day or two if all of it is not eaten immediately?

Yep, you should buy some zucchinis right now and have this tonight.  Disclaimer -  this may have been fantastically delicious because of the great quality of the ingredients I used:  fresh from the farm zucchinis and onion, flaky Maldon sea salt, black pepper imported by a friend from India, and olive oil purchased from Natirar Restaurant which they import themselves from Tuscany.  Which all goes to prove that sometimes great cooking is really just great shopping.

But don't despair if you don't have these same exact ingredients - the silky smooth "buttery" texture that the zucchini takes on from cooking down and having its flavors concentrated will still be present and wonderful; if not that elusive sweetness and freshness that you get from cooking with just picked ingredients.


Jennie Cook's Zucchini Butter adapted from Food 52's Twitter Feed, from July 24, Kristen Miglore

1/4 cup good tasting extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion (OR 2 shallots, OR 3 large cloves of garlic - in fact, anything from the allium family, to give that onion-y flavor)
Sea salt, if you have it, kosher or regular salt if you don't
Freshly cracked black pepper
3 or 4 medium zucchini (1.5 to 2 lbs.), grated to make anywhere from 6 to 8 cups (can mix in yellow summer squash too!)

Saute the onion (or shallots), sprinkled with salt and pepper, in the olive oil in a large skillet on medium low heat for 5 or 10 minutes until softened and translucent.  (If using garlic, cook only for 30 - 60 seconds.)

In the meantime, squeeze out handfuls of the zucchini to rid the squash of excess water, and then add all the wrung out grated zucchini to the skillet.  Add more salt, turn up the heat to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  It's ok if the zucchini browns here and there, it will just add to the flavor.

Serve warm, or gently reheat if used later.  Yields about 2 cups.



Enjoy the bounty of the Garden State in summer!  And sign up for my All About Twitter class at the Library on Friday, September 27 from 12 - 1 to learn how to get connected.

Diane Whitman
@whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian
Jersey Girl/ Tweeter


Wednesday, July 31, 2013

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Information Services


Hi Everyone,

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out these new titles from our collection:

Take This Waltz


[Cover]
Written and directed by Sarah Polley. Starring Sarah Silverman, Michelle Williams, Luke Kirby, and Seth Rogen.

Margot is happily married to Lou, a good-natured cookbook author, but when Margot meets Daniel, a handsome artist who lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable, setting up an unusually true and unsentimental portrait of adult relationships.

2012, rated R. Drama.



Hemingway and Gellhorn


[Cover]

Directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Clive Owen.

Tells the story of the passionate love affair and tumultuous marriage between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls
2012, rated TV-MA. Drama.


Side Effects

[Cover]

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.
2013, rated R.  Drama/Thriller.




Hope you like them as much as I did!

Jill