February Spice Club – Cardamom

February Spice Club – Cardamom

by | Feb 23, 2022 | Programming

Looking to start your day off with a kick? Or prefer to save your sweets until after dinner? If so, this month’s recipe, Sikarni, will work for any time of the day! This Nepali dessert has a tart and sweet taste – combining the flavours of this month’s feature spice, cardamom, with cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and pistachio! Be sure to start prepping this recipe well in advance, to allow time for draining the yogurt/sour cream mixture and chilling the finished product.

Don’t like the look of this recipe? Get creative! We’d love to see what you come up with instead! While the program is now full, we have shared this month’s recipe below and invite you to follow along and join the discussions on the Facebook Spice Club event page!

FUN FACT: Cardamom has been produced since ancient times – used by the Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks and Romans!

READING LIST: If you are looking for some more inspiration to keep adding cardamom to your recipes, check out these cookbooks from our collection.

Sikarni*

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 cups plain yogurt
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 tsp saffron (or tumeric)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, lukewarm
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup unsalted, thinly sliced pistachio nuts
  • Whole, shelled pistachios for garnish 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a large bowl, mix yogurt and sour cream together.
  2. Pour the yogurt mixture into a large colander with a cheesecloth liner.
  3. Allow to drain for about 12 hours.
  4. Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl.
  5. Dissolve saffron in lukewarm cream.
  6. Add sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, dissolved saffron (or tumeric), and pistachio nuts to the yogurt mixture; fold in thoroughly.
  7. Chill overnight in refrigerator.
  8. To serve, scoop a cup of chilled dessert onto a serving plate, topped with a generous amount of unsalted, shelled, whole pistachio nuts.

*Recipe from Global Road Warrior™️ by World Trade Press. Access this online database for free with a Huron County Library card to get information about holidays, festivals, culture, travel essentials, and other beneficial travel knowledge.

Bird Bingo

Bird Bingo

by | Feb 2, 2022 | Programming

Winter is a great time of year to spot birds around Huron County! Whether you are out on the local trails or watching your backyard bird feeders, there is still plenty of bird activity to enjoy despite the colder temperatures. So bundle up and join our Bird Bingo to see how many local birds you can find for a chance to win a birding prize pack. The Huron County Library is pleased to partner with Ontario’s West Coast and Nature’s Nest to help you attract more birds to your backyard. The prize pack includes a squirrel buster feeder, 10 pounds of seed, Feed the Birds book, suet and suet feeder, and more!

To win, complete a row or column on the Bingo sheet and return to your local Huron County Library branch by March 4, 2022 to be entered into a draw. Sheets can be printed at home (see link below) or picked up from your local branch. This activity is open to all ages! And if you manage to capture some photos of some of the birds you find along the way, feel free to share on social media and tag us @HuronCountyLibrary Happy birding!

Birding Resources & Coming Events

The Huron County Library has a number of resources available to help you learn more about birds, tools to help with birdwatching, passes to local parks, and more: 

 

 

February Spice Club – Cardamom

January Spice Club – Ground Mustard

by | Jan 26, 2022 | Programming

There is no better way to cozy up during this colder weather than with a steaming bowl of baked beans! While we all know about the brightly coloured condiment bottles of yellow mustard, the mustard plant has many more uses! Mustard seeds can also be pressed to make mustard oil and its edible leaves can be eaten as mustard greens.

The United States has a number of variations of baked beans – from the Northern New England version, which uses maple syrup for flavoring, to the Boston area, which uses molasses, to the Southern United States, which uses mustard! Mustard is to be credited for giving the southern style beans their tangy taste!

Don’t like the look of this recipe? Get creative! We’d love to see what you come up with instead! While the program is now full, we have shared this month’s recipe below and invite you to follow along and join the discussions on the Facebook Spice Club event page! 

FUN FACT: Did you know that the wild mustard plants are closely related to the radish and turnip?

READING LIST: If you are looking for some more inspiration to keep adding ground mustard to your recipes, check out these cookbooks from our collection.

Southern Baked Beans*

INGREDIENTS:

  •  1 lb navy beans, soaked
  •  1 onion, chopped
  •  ½ cup molasses
  •  ½ tsp dry mustard
  •  ¼ cup brown sugar
  •  1 tsp salt
  •  ¼ lb salted pork, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a non-reactive saucepan, combine onion, beans, and water to cover.
  2. Simmer for 60 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  4. Remove 1 cup bean liquid and combine it with the molasses and seasoning.
  5. Layer the salt pork and beans in a heavy baking dish.
  6. Pour the molasses mixture over all. Add additional liquid to cover.
  7. Cover the dish and bake it for 4 hours.
  8. Uncover the dish and bake it for an additional 60 minutes, until tender. Throughout the cooking process, add more liquid if needed.
  9. Serve hot.

*Recipe from Global Road Warrior™️ by World Trade Press. Access this online database for free with a Huron County Library card to get information about holidays, festivals, culture, travel essentials, and other beneficial travel knowledge.