July 29, 2021

Are you a gardener, watching your harvest grow this summer? I am, and since the start of the pandemic, I've really enjoyed digging (literally) into my backyard and doing more projects than I ever have before. Weekends off with my husband (for the first time in the decade we’ve known each other) provided the perfect opportunity to work outside creating quite the sanctuary in our backyard! Not only did we expand our garden (again) and build more planting areas around the yard (again), we’ve created a winding path up to a woodland area where I can sit and read. We’ve also created new areas for wildlife and pollinators, including a wildflower patch, bee hotels, and my favorite addition: a pond...

Adults Books Food Health Resources Home And Garden Reading Recommendations Wisconsin's Digital Library

May 21, 2020

As many are during this time, I am cooking more homemade food than ever! I’ve always loved cooking and baking, but now that I have a bit more time at home and am trying to keep my immune system in tip-top shape, I’ve been focusing even more on healthy, homemade meals (but still as tasty as ever!) As someone born with food intolerances to soy, dairy, and egg, (who outgrew them, only to have them reappear after a semester abroad back in college), I’ve always had to be conscious of what I eat and learned early on how to cook most of my meals at home due to safety concerns at restaurants. A few years ago, I was researching nutrition while going through a severe case of mononucleosis and went plant-based to try...

Adults Books Catalogs and Collections Food Health Resources Websites

April 10, 2020

If you are anything like me, baking is an outlet for stress during the best of times. I love looking at beautiful baking cookbooks, checking out my favorite bakers and bloggers on Instagram, and bookmarking new recipes. During this period of self-isolation, I am leaning in and baking even more than I normally do. I have already made my favorite chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, artisan bread, and even tried my hand at macarons. The macarons were not successful, but it was a fun experiment! I will be making my second attempt this weekend! Here is a list of some of my favorite baking cookbooks. I have also included links to these chef’s blogs and social media accocunts so you can find some baking...

Books Food Reading Recommendations

January 4, 2018

Did you recently purchase an Instant Pot or receive one has a gift? Then your next step is to visit the Marathon County Public Library to learn about everything you can do with it! Instant Pots were a popular gift idea this past holiday season. This electric, programmable kitchen appliance supposedly helps folks save time when cooking, making it easier for people to make vegetables and other healthier foods. According to the manufacturer, these kitchen gadgets can act as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, steamer and warming pot, meaning you can do the bulk of your cooking all in one place! Now that it's open and out of the package, what can you...

Books Food Reading Recommendations

November 21, 2017

Thanksgiving is just two days away, with many people gathering their ingredients, digging out their family recipes and planning their trips home.  But some community members aren't fortunate enough to have the financial resources for a Thanksgiving meal, or to have a place to spend the holiday. Luckily, there are handful of generous organizations and establishments that will offer free Thanksgiving meals during certain hours on November 22 and 23. The organizations and businesses offering these meals are spread across Wausau and its surrounding communities, making them easy to access no matter which part of the city you reside in.   Blue Willow Cafe  Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.,...

Food Community Holidays

July 24, 2016

Last month, MCPL partnered with the Monk Botanical Gardens in Wausau to offer a two-part class focused on growing and cooking with your own herbs. During part one of the class, a local Master Gardener volunteer helped folks at our Wausau Headquarters plant their own herb container gardens. A week later, during part two, participants descended upon the Gardens' newly-completed outdoor kitchen garden to learn how to cook with the herbs they planted. Local chef Brian Freund led part two of the class and taught attendees how to make three different recipes using the herbs that will eventually grow in their container gardens. The first is for chimichurri, a sauce or marinade made from fresh herbs and typically...

Events Food

November 24, 2015

Rep. Sean Duffy recently organized his third-annual Hunger and Homelessness Summit on Nov. 9 in Rothschild to bring together people from throughout central Wisconsin – government, business, individuals and non-profit folks – to discuss hunger and homelessness. More than 100 people participated, and I attended the summit to participate in discussions and learn about other community efforts that may help some of the patrons we serve at the library. As we gather with our families and friends in our homes to share holiday meals, I thought this would be a good time to share information not only from the summit, but also about available library resources. The need for overnight shelter and food assistance has...

Food Libraries Online Resources

July 27, 2015

Residents throughout central Wisconsin still have until the end of August to help individuals and families in need of food, through the MCPL food drive. The library is working with the Marathon County Hunger Coalition on the food drive, which ends Aug. 22, to benefit food pantries across our area. Anyone from across the central Wisconsin area or beyond is welcome and encouraged to drop off non-perishable items during regular business hours at any MCPL location: Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, Stratford and Wausau. If you would like to donate, please consider some of these suggested items: canned fruit and vegetables, cereal, peanut butter, packaged or...

Food Libraries Summer Library Program

June 29, 2015

We were very happy to collaborate recently with Marathon County UW-Extension on a program at MCPL Wausau about chickens! Heather Schlesser, dairy and livestock agent with Extension, provided our audience with a primer on all that's involved with raising a clutch of chickens - the variety of breeds, diet, shelter, diseases to keep an eye out for and more! If you missed the June 9 program, you can watch the whole program below. Or, if you'd like to catch the program in person, Heather will present similar programs Sept. 3 at the MCPL Athens branch and Sept. 23 in Marathon City. A very special thanks to Heather for sharing her knowledge of chickens with those who came to the program. And one fun fact...

Events Movies Food

June 28, 2015

Throughout the summer of 2015 the Marathon County Public Library is working with the Marathon County Hunger Coalition and hosting a food drive to benefit food pantries across our area. The food drive began in early June and continues through the end of August. Anyone from across the central Wisconsin area or beyond is welcome and encouraged to drop off non-perishable items during regular business hours at any MCPL location: Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, Stratford and Wausau. It may seem obvious, but unlike some other aspects of the library usage, no library card is needed to help others in need! What may not be obvious to some is the extent of hunger, food insecurity and...

Summer Library Program Food Health Resources

May 5, 2014

How many times have you picked up your smart phone, tablet, laptop, or another electronic device today? Perhaps you feel like you are always online because of work or school, plus all of the time you spend online at home. Can you imagine spending a week without using your devices for entertainment? This May, consider participating in Screen-Free Week. Screen-Free Week is an annual event where participants pledge to spend seven days without using screens for entertainment. You do not need to stop using your computer or device for work or school, but the point of the pledge is to find other sources of entertainment for you and your family. Take the pledge, and see what activities you can discover, or perhaps...

Reading Recommendations Events Food

November 16, 2012

Looking for a simple idea for a homemade gift? A new cookie recipe? A creative way to decorate your home? We have books for that. Check out some of these titles from our collection. Christmas All Through the House by Gooseberry Patch www.mcpl.us?isbn=9780848734541   Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook www.mcpl.us?isbn=9780470874035   A Hanukkah Holiday Cookbook by Emily Raabe www.mcpl.us?isbn=978-0823956265   Yule by Dorothy Morrison www.mcpl.us?isbn=9781567184969   A Kwanzaa Holiday Cookbook by Emily Raabe www.mcpl.us?isbn=9780823956296   (from the MCPL Newsletter, Nov. 2012-Jan. 2013)  

Newsletter Food Books

February 23, 2011

Throughout the month of March, you can help raise funds for the Library by dining at the Perkins Restaurant on Grand Ave. in Schofield! Pick up a voucher at any MCPL location, show it to the folks at Perkins, and the Library will receive 10% of the value of your order! Alternately, you may print the voucher using the following link: www.mcpl.us/PerkinsFundraiser2011.pdf Thank-you to the Friends of the Marathon County Public Library for coordinating this fundraiser. If you'd like to learn more about the Friends, visit www.mcpl.us/about/friends For other ways you can help support the Library, visit www.mcpl.us/about/donate and www.mcpl.us/about/volunteer  

Food

July 11, 2007

On Wednesdays during the summer I enjoy seeing the vendors at the farmer's market on River Drive.  I especially enjoy the signs for fresh peas.  They remind me of the peas I picked as a child from my father's garden and lead me to think of fresh summer foods grown locally and eaten at tables in our community. In 2006, NPR's the Talk of the Nation discussed the topic of eating local, thinking global.  Experts concluded that "eating locally might make us healthier and safer...and it would be better for the environment, too."  For those interesting in reading further on the topics of food and the ethics of food consumption, the following books may be...

Reading Recommendations Food