Reference@TBML

Adult Summer Fun @ TBML

Here at the library, we've been working hard at expressing ourselves.  In conjunction with the adult summer reading program, we've hosted several events to help you expand your creative boundaries.  Thus far, we traveled the enchanted roads of New Mexico with a presentation by Olivia Placencia and Mary Gates from the State of New Mexico Visitor Information Center in Anthony.  We found out that the state's Departments of Cultural Affairs and Tourism have partnered with Travelocity to present the New Mexico CulturePass to help travelers plan trips in New Mexico.  For more information about the Museums and Monuments and the Culture Pass click here.

We then learned about Creative Floral Arranging in a presentation by Sharon Baron from C.R. Blossoms on Solano in Las Cruces.  Ms. Baron spoke to the group about how flowers should be prepared for a beautiful floral arrangement.  She mentioned several tips to creating your own beautiful, unique fresh floral arrangements.  Participants were able to create their own floral vase with greenery and flowers they selected and arranged.  Attendees enjoyed this hands-on experience and especially enjoyed their floral arrangement!

 Last week, Karim Martinez, a representative from NMSU Extension and Outreach, presented a healthy summer nutrition program which included safe handling tips for foods during summer grilling and picnics.  All who attended were able to prepare their own yogurt parfait which included mangos, strawberries and sliced almonds.  Yum!  This was a healthy recipe and also good for people with diabetes.  Find this recipe and more at this NMSU site. 

It's not too late to get in on the fun!  Come join us on Mondays over the next couple of weeks for the following programs:

Monday, June 22: End of Story: An Altered Book Workshop

Monday, June 29:  Exotic Gardening in Las Cruces

Monday, July 6:  Rag Rug Heirlooms

CL

Cook It Up!

Need a few new meal ideas to spice up your life?  Need some culinary inspiration in time for that special Valentine's Day dinner?  Check out some of our recent additions to the cookbook collection below:

The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift--From the hosts of NPR's The Splendid Table comes this collection of advice, inspiration, and recipes.

Pizza: Grill It, Bake It, Love It by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough--Make your own pizza from scratch and wow your family and friends!  Enough recipes to accomodate all tastes and dietary proclivities.

Olives and Oranges: Recipes and Flavor Secrets From Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Beyond by Sarah Jenkins and Mindy Fox--Go exotic!  A beautiful book with inspiration from the Mediteranean.

Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes With a Latin Twist by Ingrid Hoffman--Meld the flavours of the Hispanic and Latin diaspora with more traditional American recipes and love the results!

Also, consider finding some of your recipes online with these sites:

Epicurious--THE one-stop shop.  Expansive and thorough, this is a definite must-see!  Registration is free and optional.

All Recipies--Another large and excellent site worth checking out.  Registration is also free and optional.

101 Cookbooks--An excellent site for those interested in whole foods cooking.  Special sections for dietary needs and restrictions including: Gluten Free, High Protein, and Vegan.  Totally free site.

VegWeb.com--It can be hard for vegetarians and vegans to find recipes as well as community.  VegWeb.com provides both with plentiful recipes and community-added comments and recipes.  Worth a look!

BES

Coffee Connoisseur!

One of the best coffees in the world comes from the back end of a civet (a cat or weasel-like creature that lives in South-east Asia and China). As horrifying as that sounds to me, to a coffee lover, that’s the ultimate cuppa. Kopi Luwak is what it’s called and apparently, when the civet eats the bean, it passes through the digestive system and what comes out the other end is a better cup of coffee. It’s also the most expensive coffee in the world, running $120 to $600 per pound.

 

   
The coffee lover's best friend.

For those with much simpler, civet-digestion-free tastes, there are a wide variety of coffees to choose from. Sweet, strong, fruity, bitter, blended…whatever you’re looking for, it’s out there. It’s fascinating to read the reviews, especially for those of us who have always thought coffee was just supposed to be able to keep you awake and peel wallpaper at the same time.

 

Check out some of these great review sites:

http://www.coffeegeek.com/

http://www.coffeekid.com/

http://www.coffeereview.com

 

For more information on Kopi Luwak, check out this site:

http://luwakkopi.com/

(Note: There is a store attached to this site, but I’m not advocating the store, just the information)

MMN