Are you struggling to figure out what to cook for dinner? Are you heading to a party and need to bring a dish? 

The Consortium Library can help you out! We have access to several cooking magazines.

Bon appétit has “articles on cooking and entertaining, including recipes, kitchen tools and serving suggestions for all occasions”. In their November edition, the article “Show Off With Sides” has recipes sure to please those with discerning tastes. A few of their yummy suggestions include recipes for Sweet and Spicy Squash with Scallion Oil and Golden Sweet Potato Rolls. 

Not a gourmet, try the magazine Real Simple, a magazine that “provides good-to-know information for those who are looking to make life easier”. Their November issue has an article on “5 Easy Dishes”. Why not try their “Air Fryer “Stir-Fry” with Beef & Veggies”, a great way to try out your air fryer. 

Food & Wine magazine is “for those interested in various aspects of food, wine, entertaining, and travel. Topics include home, travel, what’s new, and healthy eating”. In their article, “Northern Exposure” from their December 25/January 26 edition, learn about foods from Greenland or read “Roasts with the Most” and get a recipe for Duck à l’Orange.

 How do I find out if the Consortium has a magazine that I want to read?

It is easy, just go to the Consortium Library home page, click on the Search Collections and choose Journal Titles, in the little box put the name of your magazine and voila. You are ready to cook.

Alaska Digital Library also has cooking magazines. You can find them at the ADL or use the Libby App. You will need your library card number (Wolf Card/ student ID) and your PIN (not your password). Don’t know your pin, ask the Circulation Desk for help.

Want to feel paper in your hands rather than reading online? Come browse our collection of cookbooks. No dinner is complete without a recipe from the quintessential baker extraordinaire, Martha Stewart. The Consortium has several of her books. If you are just starting out as a cook try “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School : lessons and recipes for the home cook” or  “The Martha Stewart Cookbook : collected recipes for every day”. Do you prefer sweets to savory? Try “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes : 175 inspired ideas for everyone’s favorite treat”.

Are you having a vegetarian guest for dinner and think all vegetarian food is tasteless? Try the cookbooks from the Moosewood Restaurant, a vegetarian favorite. These books range from traditional recipes in the “The New Moosewood Cookbook” to “Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home : fast and easy recipes for any day”  and wraps up with recipes from around the world with “Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant”.

Stop by the Reference Desk for more delicious suggestions.

While spring might bring the urge to get planting, it’s crucial to heed the advice of experienced gardeners like Jeff Lowenfels (Anchorage Daily News columnist) before you get planting. Whether you are a beginner or expert gardener, the Consortium Library can help you create the garden of your dreams. We have fantastic resources: newspapers, gardening magazines, books and online resources. If you can’t find what you need, ask at the Reference Desk and we will be happy to assist you.

Check out the resources below to begin your gardening journey.

Jeff Lowenfels in the Anchorage Daily News
Lowenfels’ most recent column says it is still too early to plant, “Soil temperature just as important as air temperature as you start planting.” The Consortium Library has online access to the ADN. To find it on the Consortium Library’s homepage, go to Databases, click on A from the alphabetical list, scroll down the page, and select Anchorage Daily News. If you want to read it like a newspaper, choose: image. If you want the articles without the formatting, choose: text. To find Jeff Lowenfels’ columns, enter his name in the search bar and hit search. He also has a podcast.

Magazines
Better Homes and Gardens
From the Consortium Library’s homepage, choose Journal Titles, in the search box enter the name of the magazine, and find the issues in MasterFile Complete.

Horticulture Magazine
From the Consortium Library’s homepage, choose Journal Titles, in the search box enter the name of the magazine, and find the issues in MasterFile Complete.

Sunset Magazine
Read their most recent gardening column, “Your Spring Garden Checklist” by Kristin Guy. To find it, go to the Consortium Library’s homepage, choose Journal Titles, in the search box enter the name of the magazine, and find the issues in MasterFile Complete.

Online Resources
University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
The CES has resources on Alaska-specific programs, research, and articles on “agriculture and horticulture; health, home and family development; natural resources and community development; 4-H and youth development.” Check out their website on Gardening in Alaska or learn about Berries and Wild Edible Plants.

Books
Check out the display of gardening books as you enter the Library. You can find many more by searching the Library’s catalog, too. Here’s just a sample:

The Alaska gardener’s handbook
Lenore Hedla.
“Flowers, vegetables and other food crops, lawns and groundcovers, sunrooms and greenhouses, trees and shrubs.”

Alaska gardening guide
Ann D. Roberts.
“Alaska Gardening Guide is arranged in three parts; a section on planting basics for the beginning gardener, a more in-depth section dealing with specific problems encountered in the various areas in Alaska (like cold soil, premature bolting to seed, or heavy precipitation), and a final section packed full of techniques and tips for raising particular vegetables.”

Alaska’s wild plants : a guide to Alaska’s edible harvest
Janice J. Schofield.
“Profiles more than seventy wild, edible plants native to Alaska with color photographs and descriptions, and includes information on plant habitats, harvesting wild plants, and related topics.”

There’s a moose in my garden : designing gardens in Alaska and the Far North
Brenda C. Adams.
“What do you do when a young moose calf wants to dine on your freshly planted Siberian iris? How do you harness the wild beauty of the north for your own backyard? There’s a Moose in My Garden tackles these questions and more with practical advice from an award-winning gardener. Adams provides helpful tips for far northern gardeners on how to design and build beautiful and healthy gardens. The book outlines the entire planning and planting process, covering such aspects as low-angled sun, soft light, expansive vistas, and a cool climate.” 

Indigenous food sovereignty in the United States : restoring cultural knowledge, protecting environments, and regaining health
edited by Devon A. Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover; foreword by Winona LaDuke.
“An anthology of essays, written from the perspective of practitioners from around the nation, that both identifies the challenges facing Indigenous communities in revitalizing and maintaining traditional food systems, as well as highlights the inspiring and successful food and health initiatives in Indian country.”

The Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA) is having a fundraising event this Monday, May 6th, at 6 pm at the Bear Tooth Theatre, 1230 W. 27th Avenue in Anchorage.

The fundraiser features the 1939 classic “Only Angels Have Wings,” which  has been reimaged from film to digital format using 4 K digital restoration. This adventure romance film features Cary Grant, Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth with action packed and visually stunning aerial scenes. Nominated at the 1940 Academy Awards for “Best Effects, Special Effects,” it won a place on the National Film Preservation Board’s National Film Registry in 2017.   Come enjoy a fun flight through the jungles of South America.

The film was chosen to highlight some of AMIPA’s own collection of historical flight cinematography and impart the importance of preserving these rare films. Prior to the screening AMIPA will be exhibiting their own  “aviation-themed motion picture clips,” carefully preserved from 8mm and 16mm film to 2K digital.

AMIPA was created in 1986 and since then has worked hard to stop the loss of historical film. They joined the Consortium Library in 2004 as a preservation partner. AMIPA can be found on the third floor of the Consortium Library. You can follow AMIPA and their events on Facebook.

Want to be a writer? UAA’s Native Student Services is one of the sponsors of a free writers panel and Alaska Native Book Fair. Students and staff have the opportunity to meet authors; Lily Tuzroyluke, Willie Hensley, Katherine Gottlieb, Carlton Smith, Ethan Atwater, Barbara Atwater, Bev Sims, Yaari Walker, Phyllis Adams, and Maria Williams. This is an excellent opportunity for potential writers to meet their favorite Alaskan authors and learn their success stories.

A Native Book Fair will be held simultaneously with authors selling and autographing their books. 

• Friday April 19, 2024
• Native Book Fair, 12pm-4pm
• Writers Panel, 2pm-3pm
• CIRI Building: 725 E. Fireweed Lane, First Floor, in Anchorage, Alaska

The event will be live streamed at www.facebook.com/events/808704001306061/

The events are sponsored by: Alaska Center for the Book; Alaska Native Media Group; Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Alaska Pacific University; Atwood Foundation; ASD Indigenous Education; Best Beginnings; CIRI; Talking Circle Media; UAA Native Student Services.