Well, by this time you've probably made a run to the grocery store and bought everything you might need, and maybe a little be more than that, to get you through a lengthy stay at home. In addition to all the extra groceries you probably have a lot more time on your hands than is typical too.
Even if you are working and learning from home, there is not a lot of extracurricular activities going on away from the house right now, which leaves you with a little extra time to devote to things like taking up a new hobby or spending quality time with those close to you.
Perhaps one of the things you can do with all this extra time on your hands is devote yourself to learning to prepare a new dish, cooking with the kiddos, and enjoying a leisurely home cooked meal with the family. Use our downloadable resources to get started!
There are over 2,000 books about cooking and food in our OverDrive eBook collection, 70+ food and cooking shows to watch in hoopla, several hundred instructional films and lessons to be viewed from kanopy, and cooking magazines to peruse in Flipster.
Maybe you have a junior master chef in the house or you are wanting to teach the kids those life skills that we all eventually need (especially if we like to eat). They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, so why not spend a little quality time cooking with the kiddos? OverDrive has tons of option for cooking with kids, but here are a few options to get you started...
" Deanna F. Cook presents more than 50 recipes designed for the cooking abilities and tastes of children ages 6 to 12. Basic cooking techniques are explained in kid-friendly language, and recipes include favorites like applesauce, French toast, popcorn chicken, pizza, and more. ~ From the Publisher
"Creativity, hard work, and lots of fun—that's what it takes to cook like a master. Beloved television competition show MasterChef Junior fosters all of this within each of its pint-size home cooks, and what they whip up is truly impressive. This book aims to give any aspiring young chef the tools he or she needs to hone essential cooking skills, with 100 recipes inspired by dishes that the contestants served in the first five seasons, as well as timeless techniques and tips and advice. " ~ From the Publisher
"No one has helped more families find time to fit home-cooked meals into their daily routines than Rachael Ray. Now with the help of Yum-o!, the organization she founded to help kids and adults develop a healthier relationship to food and cooking, she has put together the ultimate family cookbook, which includes recipes that both kids and their parents will love cooking--and eating--together!" ~ From the Publisher
Check out these cookbooks available via OverDrive that are geared towards cooking those sit down family meals. Here are a few to get you started.
"Are you stressed out over how to feed your family a nutritious meal at the end of a long, busy day without turning to convenience foods or the drive-through? Now, the nation's most trusted authority on heart-healthy living presents a cookbook bursting with nourishing, flavorful recipes to please the palates of family members of all ages." ~ From the Publisher
"The host of the #1 in-kitchen show on the Food Network delivers a cookbook to fill America's yearnings for authentic comfort food. Nancy Fuller believes in bringing family together around the table, sharing stories and table manners. Her philosophy is to feed others with delicious, simple meals from the heart. Her straight-shooter approach to cooking will takes the hassle out of dinner preparation." ~ From the Publisher
"NAACP Image Award Winner
After bestselling author Alice Randall penned an op-ed in the New York Times titled "Black Women and Fat," chronicling her quest to be "the last fat black woman" in her family, she turned to her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, for help. Together they overhauled the way they cook and eat, translating recipes and traditions handed down by generations of black women into easy, affordable, and healthful—yet still indulgent—dishes." ~From the Publisher
Are you wanting to learn how to make new dishes from other cultures? There's Mexican, Italian, Chinese, French, and Middle Eastern cookbooks to be found in OverDrive. Here are a couple of cookbooks to help you get started in adding a little international flair to the dinner table.
"After twenty years of traveling throughout Mexico, Chef Ivy Stark became enchanted by the colorful, tasty native foods and was determined to bring them to America. Stark introduces both beginners and skilled cooks to such traditional foods as Mexico City corn, smoked fish tostadas, plantain croquettes, and much more." ~ From the Publisher
"In The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, Chinese food blogger and cooking instructor Diana Kuan brings Chinatown to your home with this amazing collection of more than eighty popular Chinese takeout recipes—appetizers, main courses, noodle and rice dishes, and desserts—all easy-to-prepare and MSG-free." ~ From the Publisher
Maybe you prefer getting your cooking lessons or learning about food and cuisine via an engaging and entertaining TV show? If so, there is a good selection of food and cooking television shows to choose from in hoopla and a good many instructional films and lessons to be viewed from kanopy. Here are a few to try.
""The Great British Baking Show" is the ultimate baking battle in which passionate amateur bakers compete with the goal to be named the UK's best. Each week, the bakers tackle a different skill, the difficulty of which increases as the competition unfolds."
There are several seasons of the show available on hoopla. Look for them here.
"Join Chef Vivian Howard's personal and culinary journey from the top restaurants in New York to her return to Eastern North Carolina as she explores the rich bounty of farm fresh cooking, family and community. Each episode of A Chef's Life follows Vivian out of the kitchen and into cornfields, strawberry patches and hog farms as she hunts down the ingredients that inspire her seasonal menus."
"Follow Alice Waters through a year of seasonal shopping and cooking, and discover both the recipes and vision of an artist and an advocate. She and her now-famous restaurant Chez Panisse became a major force behind the way Americans eat and think about food, launching the explosion of local farmers' markets and redesigned supermarket produce departments.
