Don’t know what’s cooking?

In a predicament about what to cook for parties, friendly get-togethers, holidays, or even everyday meals? Come to the Framingham Public Library and browse our large collection of cookbooks.

A good cookbook can inspire you with tips and ideas for creating interesting , healthy and tasty meals or dishes. Here is a sampling of some the newest additions to the collection:

Just married & cooking : 200 recipes for living, eating, and entertaining together / Brooke Parkhurst & James Briscione.
Includes lists for pantry essentials, meal planning tips and recipes for a host of holidays and events, and everyday advice for how to keep the magic alive in the kitchen.

Italian, my way : more than 150 simple and inspired recipes that breathe new life into Italian classics / by Jonathan Waxman
The all-star chef’s simple, seasonal dishes inject fresh perspective into classic dishes.

Eat greens : seasonal recipes to enjoy in abundance / by Barbara Scott-Goodman & Liz Trovato
For those who prefer their vegetables fresh the authors cover all the basics, from how to purchase and prepare a variety of vegetables to a brief overview on growing your own greens Also included are charts denoting each vegetable’s nutritional value.

If it makes you healthy : more than 100 delicious recipes inspired by the seasons / with Sheryl Crow and Chuck White
More personal and more enlightening than the typical celebrity cookbook, this health-focused collection from Sheryl Crow and her personal chef is a refreshing addition to an increasingly crowded field.

Plenty : vibrant vegetable recipes from London's Ottolenghi / by Yotam Ottolenghi
Ottolenghi offers a vibrant and versatile collection of mouth-watering dishes that elevate vegetables from paltry side-dish status to superstar prominence.

My father's daughter : delicious, easy recipes celebrating family and togetherness / Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow showcases a wealth of dishes, from soups to pastas to main courses and more. A helpful pantry section includes recipes for basics such as slow-roasted tomatoes and numerous types of stocks. While many recipes are vegetarian, Paltrow does include meat dishes.

Hungry girl 300 under 300 : 300 breakfasts, lunches & dinners under 300 calories / Lisa Lillien
Lillien’s goal is to make guilt-free cooking easy for anyone to enjoy. Each recipe has no-sweat instructions and features readily found ingredients (the most exotic is soy milk), which make this cookbook very appealing. The tips scattered throughout further guide readers to healthier eating.

No whine with dinner : 150 healthy, kid-tested recipes from The meal makeover moms / Liz Weiss, Janice Newell Bissex
No Whine with Dinner turns mealtime whines into "wows" with nutritious and delicious recipes kids and parents will love.

Kindle E-Books now available through Minuteman!

You can now borrow Kindle E-books from the Minuteman Library Network website

(http://www.mln.lib.ma.us), and, with the click of a button, have them delivered to your Kindle device or mobile Kindle reading app.

Instructions:

1. Visit the Minuteman Library Network Website.
2. Click on the link for “Overdrive”
3. Review the Quick- Start guide here
4. Search for an e-book – go to “Advanced Search” and change format to “Kindle Book”
5. Check out a Kindle book (library card required).
6. Click on "Get for Kindle." You will then be directed to Amazon.com to redeem your public library loan. You may be required to login to your Amazon.com account -- or create a new account -- if you're not already logged in.
7. Choose to read the book on your Kindle device, mobile Kindle reading app, or Kindle Cloud Reader.

Notes:

1.  You have to create a digital media account for yourself with your library card number and PIN. Do that here.
2. You will need to have an active Amazon.com account in order to use this service.  It is suggested that you set one up first on your computer.
3. Public library books require an active Wi-Fi connection for wireless delivery to a Kindle device. Library books will not be delivered via your Kindle's 3G connection. If trying to send to a Kindle device and do not have an active Wi-Fi connection, you may instead choose to load your library book via USB. Both Mac and Windows users can manage Kindle content through a USB connection.

For more information and assistance, look here:

Overdrive Kindle help

Amazon’s Library Kindle help

Recycling every day items

Doing fall cleaning? Replacing old appliances? Here are some ways to recycle everyday items.
Appliances like microwaves, toasters, and refrigerators that still work and are less than 8 years old may be used by Habitat for Humanity in their ReStores. See http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx and click on Massachusetts to find a ReStore. For nonworking appliances, go to Recycle-Steel.org to find a nearby steel recycling center. Older air conditioners or a second refrigerator that still work can be recycled through Mass Save at http://www.masssave.com/. Look under lighting and appliances for instructions on recycling your second refrigerator. Once your fridge is picked up, they will send you a check for $50.00!

Do you have old eye glass that you no longer need? New Eyes for the Needy will gladly accept them including old sunglasses. Go to NewEyesfortheneedy.org. You can also contact the Lions Club to find a local drop off box for used eye glasses. There is a box in the Pearl St. lobby of the library.
People are constantly upgrading their electronics. The chain store Best Buy allows you to drop off old electronics for recycling no matter where you purchased them from. You can also log onto DigitalTips.org to find other places to recycle your digital goods. If you want to recycle your old cell phone log onto CellPhonesforSoldiers.com to print a free shipping label to send the phones to the recycler. The recycler will use the proceeds to purchase and send calling cards to troops stationed far away. For other recyclers of cell phones go to GoWirelessGogreen.org.

You can recycle your printer cartridges instead of tossing them into the trash. Those can be dropped off at Best Buy and Staples stores. Staples will give you $2.00 credit towards a new cartridge!
Did you know that you can recycle pantyhose, knee highs, and tights? The No Nonsense company melts them down and they are turned into plastic items like playground equipment and plastic chairs. Go to NoNonsense.com to print out a shipping label, box up your old hose and send them away.

Hurricane Names

Follow this link for tips on preparing for a Hurricane: Preparedness tips

Only 10 hurricanes since 1851 have passed within 75 miles of Boston. The most recent was almost exactly 20 years ago: Hurricane Bob.

When you think about it, it may seem curious that hurricanes and tropical storms receive names each year, while other kinds of storms -- such as severe thunderstorms and the fierce tornadoes they sometimes produce -- do not.

After all, the largest and most intense thunderstorms can spawn dozens of tornadoes that impact cities and communities across multiple states. So why are names reserved only for those storms that reach tropical storm and hurricane status? Why not simply use the date on which a hurricane makes landfall as its name?

In fact, that's just how hurricanes and tropical storms were labeled in the United States all the way up until the 1950s.

Before 1950, military weather forecasters in the U.S. were responsible for assigning a number, not a name, to tropical storms. For example, the fifth tropical cyclone of the 1932 hurricane season was called Hurricane Number 5. In later years, the military phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie, etc.) was used to assign names.

Beginning in 1953, tropical storms were assigned female names. Names were listed in alphabetical order, with the first tropical storm of the year given a name beginning with "A."

In 1978, both men's and women's names were included in the eastern North Pacific storm lists. In 1979, the Atlantic Basin list of names was expanded to include both male and female names. Today, once a tropical disturbance intensifies to tropical storm strength, with wind speeds above 39 mph, the National Hurricane Center gives it a name.

Member nations of the World Meteorological Organization have since revised the list to include names common to English, Spanish, and French-speaking peoples. The order of men's and women's names alternates every year. For example, in 1995 the list began with Allison. In 1996, it began with Arthur.

In the event that more than 21 named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.

Occasionally, a name is retired from the list when an associated hurricane has caused many deaths or a tremendous amount of damage. Some retired names include Andrew, Bob, Camille, David, Dennis, Elena, Fran, Frederic, Katrina, Hugo, Ivan, Opal, Rita, Stan, and Wilma.

Source: www.weather.com/ 08/24/2011

New financial planning information available

The American Consumer Credit Counseling organization, a non-profit, has published two very useful booklets. Understanding Credit Reports explains what credit reports are, how they are scored and how to receive one. The Personal Financial Workbook is for tracking your daily expenses and much more. The booklets are available for free upstairs in the Reference Department Job Center.

Last week for individuals and families using Massachusetts Health Connector to buy or change health plans

The first annual six-week open enrollment period to purchase individual health insurance ends in one week.

Until August 15, Massachusetts residents who either want to purchase individual or family health insurance coverage or want to switch their existing coverage will be able to do so will via the Health Connector, or directly from health plans. After August 15, under a new state law, the window of opportunity shuts until next July.

Until last year, Massachusetts individuals and families could buy or switch their health plans at any time they needed to throughout the year. Concerns about abuse from “jumpers and dumpers” – policyholders switching to more extensive and expensive coverage right before they needed care and then switching back or even dropping that plan after they received treatment – prompted the legislature to enact open enrollment, which is, of course, only “open” during a very limited time frame.

The law means that unless some individuals or families act within the next week they will either be stuck with the plan they have or, for many of those who are currently uninsured, with no plan whatsoever.

This open enrollment period only applies to residents purchasing insurance for themselves or their families, not to residents who are eligible for employer- or government-subsidized coverage or to self-employed residents.

The open-enrollment period doesn’t apply to everyone though. Certain residents who meet “special conditions” are exempted from the open-enrollment restrictions.

The Department of Public Health’s Office of Patient Protection will consider applications for waivers from people who have been denied insurance coverage because they missed the open enrollment period, depending on the reasons why they missed their opportunity during the open enrollment period

For more information, residents can visit to the Health Connector’s web site, mahealthconnector.org, call the Connector at (877) MA-ENROLL, or call the HelpLine at 800-272-4232.

Emergencies and pets: What to do

Pets are valued members of our families and it is important to know what to do with them in an emergency. We have had some severe weather this past winter and summer.
Are you prepared to take care of your pet in an emergency situation like a hurricane or tornado? The American Red Cross has some useful tips on what to do with pets in an emergency. They also have a checklist available at this web site.
Red Cross Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist
Here are some titles of books on the topic in the library collection:
The Dog Bible by Tracie Hotchner (636.7 Hotchner)
What Every Pet Owner Should Know by Dr. Karen Halligan (636.8 Halligan)
The Original Dog Bible: the Definitive New Source for All Things Dog by Kristin Mehus-Roe (McA 636.7 Original)