If you Give A Mouse a Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie...

 Compost Cookies are multifaceted: crispy, chewy, sweet, salty.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie....

Sweet, but not easy, Compost Cookies (do you love that name?)  are the kind of cookies you need to make a project out of.  Because if you're like me, first, you ate all the potato chips before you found the time to make them. Wait, what? Cookies with potato chips?  Not only that, there's more, lots more, including ground coffee...!?

The next time, you bought the chips and the pretzels, but you didn't realize you needed milk powder, and glucose (see below for source!).  And then finally, you need butterscotch chips, not just chocolate chips (and make those mini chocolate chips, by the way) to make these danged things.  Oh, and that finally you got organized and read the entire recipe and saw that you actually need to make a graham cracker crust first (yes, FIRST, you have to make a recipe in order to make the recipe) and you don't have any graham crackers on hand, of course.

Hmm, it's slow going, but I did it.

The reward?  Here are some of the reactions to these amazing cookies that have it all: 

"These are the best cookies I think you've ever made!" ( from my son Andy). (And I've made a lot of good cookies through his 22 years!)

"They have what in them?  Potato chips and ground coffee?  I don't think I want one." (from our neighbor's son.)  Then, after trying one:  "Can I pay you to make these for me?" (Thanks, Dirk!)

"These are even better than the ones they make at their store in the city!" (from our other neighbor's daughter Liz, who lives in Manhattan).  Wow, Liz, thanks! Maybe because they were fresh and warm out of the oven?

No matter.  Make these cookies if you have a cookie monster in your life, or if you are one.   But just plan ahead.  You'll thank me later.

Compost Cookies are complicated!

 
Click on the link below for the amazing Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies:
http://milkbarstore.com/main/press/recipes-and-how-tos/#compost

Some things I learned in making this recipe three times:

• Cream the butter and sugar together for the full amount of time in a stand mixer, like a Kitchen-Aid - a portable mixer will not work.  

• Not only should the dough be refrigerated ahead of time, but the baking sheets should be also, otherwise the cookies will brown too quickly. (I made this mistake.)

• You can double the recipe, and the cookie dough ages well for 1 or 2 days, just be sure the baking sheets are refrigerated too, as above. (Especially helpful if you want to prepare the dough today, and bake the cookies off tomorrow, which you may want to do, since they take so darn long to prepare!)

• Use Cape Cod brand potato chips which are sturdy and Herr's mini pretzels.  

• You can buy milk powder in any grocery store.

•  Glucose can be found at Michael's with the Wilton cake decorating supplies.   

You can take out Christina Tosi's cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar, from our library's intralibrary loan program.  What a fun book to cook from or even just to read. (Christina Tosi recently appeared as a judge on the Food Network's show "Chopped".)

The renowned Momofuku restaurant group in New York City is run by David Chang, who hired the talented Christina Tosi to work on the management side of his business, but who was always baking and bringing in unusual desserts for the staff.  David prevailed upon Christina to create desserts for his restaurant with the evolutionary end result being the creation of the stand-alone baker(ies - there are now two) Momofuku Milk Bar from whence this cookbook came.

By the way, Momofuku means "lucky peach" in Japanese.

Also, if you love to cook or just eat, sign up for my cooking demo/and class, the Science of Cooking, here in the Library on August 5th, Tuesday, from 1 - 3, sponsored by the Adult Summer Reading Program.

We will be cooking, tasting, and learning about the Science of Cooking using Jersey fresh fruits and veggies.  Sign up on our Events Calendar - hope to see you there!

Diane Whitman
@whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian
With Apologies to "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..."
 

TMI: Too Much Information - Facebook Class

What's free, informative and fabulous?  - our next Facebook Class, to be held on Friday June 6, 2014 from 12 - 1 in our beautiful Smart Lab.

We'll show you how you can sign up if you're new to the game.  For regular users, we'll talk about managing your privacy settings, and take your questions.  (If your questions are not answerable in the time we have allotted for class, we'll even email you later!)

Here's a recent issue I was asked about:

"I don't want to include my birth year on my Facebook page but it somehow appears on my Timeline and is visible for my Friends to see. Help!"

Here's how to keep your day and month available (so that you get birthday greetings!), but bypass the inclusion of your birth year in your profile (some things are best left private, after all!):

1. Log in to your account.
2. Click on your Name in the upper left hand corner
3. Click on the Update Info button to the right of your name.
4. Click on the About tab.
5. Locate the Basic Information box.
6. Hover over your birth year until you see the Edit button and then click it.
7. Click on the down arrow to the right of the year.
A dialog box appears with the following choices:
   
     Public
     Friends
     Friends Except Acquaintances
     Only Me
     Family

8. Check mark next to Only Me.
9. Click Save Changes button.

Now, to check and make sure that you have implemented the change you wanted, hover your mouse over your birth year in the Basic Information box.  Point the cursor over the lock icon.  "Only Me" should pop up.  If so, congratulations!  You have successfully hidden your birth year information.

Here's something that perhaps you didn't know:  if you would like to keep your information private from apps (like games) your friends  may use on Facebook, follow these steps as well. (Yes, your information may be shared through the games that your friends play even without you using those games yourself.)

1.  Log in.
2.  Click on the down arrow on the uppermost top right of your page.
3.  Click on Settings in the drop down.
4.  Click on Apps in the left menu bar.
5.  Find the "Apps others use" section and click on Edit.
6.  Uncheck all boxes.
7.  Click the Save Changes button.

That's it!

(Note that the above steps are for using a PC, you will have to modify somewhat for mobile devices.)

Facebook Class will be held in the Smart Lab, right next to Meeting Room A/B in the South Brunswick Public Library.  Hope to see you there!

Diane Whitman
Twitter @whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian
Technology Instructor

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

The Past

     

Hi Everyone!

I think you'll like these new titles we've recently added to the collection:  

The Past 

Directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Berenice Bejo and Tahar Rahim. 

An Iranian man deserts his French wife and two children to return to his homeland. Meanwhile, his wife starts up a new relationship, a reality her husband confronts upon his wife'request for a divorce.  

2013, In French and Persian with English subtitles. 130 mins. Rated PG-13. Drama.

Short Term 12

Short Term 12 Directed by Destin Cretton, starring Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr.

Grace is a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker, and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason. But Grace's own difficult past - and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself - throws her into unforeseen confusion, made sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility, a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection.  2013, 96 mins.  Rated R. Drama.

In A World...

In A World...

Directed by Lake Bell, starring Lake Bell, Jeff Garlin, Fred Melamed, Rob Corddry, Eva Longoria.

An unsuccessful vocal coach competes against her arrogant father in the movie trailer voice-over business.  2013, 91 mins.  Rated R. Comedy.

Enjoy!

Jill Eisner

Sr. Librarian

Information Services

Smitten Kitchen: Salad Days Start Here

What exactly does that mean - salad days?  I (erroneously) thought it's when you were young and poor and all you could afford was salad.  But with the state of food availability in the United States, the affluent are the ones who eat salads all the time and the poor eat fast food burgers and pizza, so that didn't make sense...

It turns out that "salad days" refers to the time when you're young and GREEN, but not necessarily poor, although those three do oftentimes go together!

As we approach Memorial Day and the real beginning of grilling season, we still need some awesome salads no matter what we're throwing on the barbie, and whether we're in our salad days or not.

Here's a super easy, inexpensive and delicious salad that you can make with your eyes closed - well, not exactly, unless you're one of those TV chefs who can chop without looking.

Photo by the Smitten Kitchen

Vinegar Slaw with Cucumbers and Dill 
adapted from the Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman

1 medium head green cabbage
1 seedless cucumber (the kind wrapped in plastic where you can eat the peel because it's so thin)
2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons of kosher salt
4 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup cold water

Core and thinly slice the cabbage and put in a large bowl.  Thinly slice the cucumber - no need to peel, and add to bowl.   In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the veg.
Best when marinated for an hour or two in the fridge.

Leftovers keep well, and this salad is great with anything grilled - the acid in the vinegar offsets and balances the richness of the meat.

Feel free to substitute and add:  for example, instead of cukes, use green apples or blueberries (yes, it totally works with this), or carrots.

Find The Smitten Kitchen in our Library now:  call number 641.5 PER, and enjoy the salad days of summer!

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Twitter @whitlibrarian

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Sr. Librarian
Information Services

Hi Everyone,

It's miserable out; it's a good day to stay home, snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie (or two). Here are some new interesting titles that we've recently added to the collection:

Broadchurch

Starring Olivia Colman and David Tennant.
This highly acclaimed British crime drama brings together two compassionate detectives to solve the murder of an eleven year-old boy in a small coastal town. Under the glare of the media spotlight, the two race to find the killer. 2013, not rated.  Drama. Season 





All is Lost

Starring Robert Redford.  After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face.  2013, rated PG-13. Drama.

.

      Broken

Starring Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Eloise Laurence. The summer holidays have just begun and young Skunk's afternoons are full of daydreams and curious wanderings, with the exception that she must regularly give herself injections for her type-one diabetes. When, one day, Skunk discovers her bitter and angry older neighbor, Mr. Oswald, savagely beating Rick, a psychologically troubled boy from the neighborhood who has been callously and fictitiously accused of rape, Skunk's innocence begins to vanish. 2012, not rated. Drama.

Don't forget to check out the movie showings at the library!

Enjoy!

Jill

Food 52 Cookbook + VB6 = #awesomedeliciousness

Food 52 Cookbook + VB6 =  #awesomedeliciousness

French onion soup - something that sounds so appealing on a menu, but no, how could you possibly eat that plus an entree if you've had all that cheesy goodness to start?  Way better to make it at home.  And I have the perfect recipe for you - from the Food 52 Cookbook  Then have a salad after and you can still feel virtuous.

What's even better is that this French onion soup is dead easy to make with a store bought stock, but it becomes totally transformed into the best restaurant quality when you make your own.  Don't be scared off - if you can turn on your oven and roast some veg, you've got it in the bag.  And the stock is totally vegan, if you care, or even if you just want to eat more vegetables.

When I was in my twenties, I served French onion soup to two vegetarians, not realizing that the beef stock I used was not ok!  They loved the soup, and then confessed that they were sick later.  Oops!  I wouldn't make that mistake today...Here's how to make a great all veggie stock according to Mark Bittman's cookbook VB6:

Fast and Flavorful Vegetable Stock , Slower Variation
adapted from Mark Bittman's The VB6 Cookbook

2 medium or 1 large onion, quartered
4 carrots, cut into large pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into large pieces
1 pound button mushrooms, washed but left whole
4 - 8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled but crushed
1 bunch fresh parley, including stems
4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roast the veggies - onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic on a half sheet pan or roasting pan lined with foil (no clean up!), for 30 - 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Put the roasted veggies and everything except for the final salt and pepper in a stockpot with 3 quarts of water.  Boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.  (The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavor.)

Remove from heat and strain out the vegetables.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Keeps for a week in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.  (Use for everything and anything  calling for stock!)



Now on to the French Onion soup of your culinary dreams:

French Onion Soup
adapted from the Food 52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and Marrill Stubbs

3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
3 lbs. onions, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade (or beef stock)
2 cups red wine, or beer
To serve:  2 slices crusty bread for each person
Cheese - can be sliced deli provolone, or better:  1/2 cup each gouda, gruyere, and parmesan mixed together OR see vegan variation below.

In a large stockpot, melt the butter and olive oil.  Add the garlic and cook slowly for 5 - 10 minutes until caramelized.  Add the onions, large pinch of salt, a few grindings of pepper, the thyme and bay leaf and stir. 
Cook over medium/low heat until the onions are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Pour in the stock and wine or beer, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered for 1 - 3 hours.  Taste and add more stock and/or salt and pepper as needed along the way.

To serve, put one slice of bread in the bottom of a deep bowl.  Add a ladleful of soup.  Then take one additional slice of bread for each person, and top with cheese.  Toast that bread in a toaster oven until melted.  Place the cheesy bread on top of the soup.

Be transported to a happy place.

(For a vegan variation with no apologies, sprinkle the second piece of bread with panko, salt, LOTS of freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Toast as above, and drop into the soup.)

Find these cookbooks and more in our own Library, or our member libraries.  Did you know you can use your South Brunswick card at any of our member libraries, which are almost all the libraries in Middlesex County? What's more, you can have books brought directly to our library from those libraries instead.  You can do this online, or call us at the Reference Desk at732-329-4000 extension 7286.

Diane Whitman
@whitlibrarian
Homemade stock convert
Reference Librarian
South Brunswick Public Library

Fundraiser Dinner for SBP Library Foundation on Saturday, April 26

Tickets are Still Available for Library's All-You-Can-Eat (Not Just) Beef Steak Dinner 

The South Brunswick Public Library Foundation's 10th Annual All-You-Can-Eat (Not Just) Beef Steak Dinner fundraiser will be held this Saturday, April 26 at 7 p.m. in the South Brunswick Senior Center.  Tickets are still available for $50 each and can be purchased online or at the Library. 

It's true. You can help your Library by simply buying a ticket to eat as much steak and/or pasta as you like while consuming as much beer and/or soda as you like! Not a bad deal!

The evenings' menu includes: cold antipasto, sliced beef tenderloin dipped in sweet butter and served on fresh sliced French bread, penne pasta in a tomato basil sauce, golden French fried potatoes,  and a surprise dessert! The catering is being done once again by The Brownstone, of the Housewives of New Jersey fame!  Beer and soda are being generously donated again by High Grade Beverage.

Tickets are $50 per person in advance at the Library and also online at:

http://www.sbpl.info/help-the-library/foundation/tickets/. 

Fundraiser Dinner April 26