That's So Library!

by Glenice Lilje

Quick and Easy Meals

After a long day, do you ever find yourself staring into your fridge, wishing the random food items would magically come together and create a decent meal?  Have you ever gotten into an argument that quickly escalated because you were hangry and simply asked, “What do you want to eat?” Maybe you’ve tricked yourself into ordering another meal from Skip the Dishes or UberEats and justified it because the ingredients themselves would cost the same as the take-out bill plus there is less to clean up after. I have done all of the above…almost weekly, in fact.

Even with the help of food delivery programs, I still find myself struggling to construct a well-balanced meal on the daily. Honestly, how did our parents do this?  Luckily, I am not alone and it turns out that some celebs have found themselves in the same predicament as well.  They are just like us!  Below are some new additions to our cook book collection to help curb our hunger and provide tasty recipes to add to your rotation.

The Quick-Fix Kitchen by Tia Mowry

You may remember Tia Mowry from Sister, Sister back in the 90’s.  Today you can catch her on many Hallmark Channel movies. As a busy mom and actor, Mowry shares her hacks and tips for creating nutritious, hearty dishes that doesn’t take you away from the family for too long.  Not just recipes, included are helpful food shopping tips, help with meal planning, meal prep guidelines as well as pantry organizational hacks.

The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach

Creator of the popular blog, Dinner: A Love Story, Jenny Rosentrach was struggling with wanting to make better eating decisions both for her health and for the planet.  Problem is, she didn’t want to give up the meat that she also loves. So like me, she decided to be a “weekday vegetarian” with meaty splurges for the weekend. With more than 100 recipes, The Weekday Vegetarians is packed with tips, techniques and food for thought that is sure to increase the meat-free meals and shake up your weekly rotation.

Together: Memorable Meals Made Easy by Jamie Oliver

Now, more than ever, getting together for meals has never felt so important. Each chapter of Jamie Oliver’s new book, Together: Memorable Meals Made Easy, features a meal with simple ingredients that can be mostly prepped ahead.  For any one that has prepared a large feast, you know what a godsend it is being able to prep things ahead of time so you can maximize the time you spend with your guests. Oliver strives to take the stress out of cooking by equipping you with tips to help you stay organized and ahead!

by Glenice Lilje

Eazy, Breezy, Fantasies

To escape the monotony of the daily grind, I like to escape with what I call a breezy read. Otherwise known as beach reads, these are the kind that you can put down and pick them up again without having to go back a couple of chapters to remember what you just read.  They can be cheesy romances or a suburban thriller with an improbable twist. Honestly, as long as the writing is good and the dialogue is natural, I can forgive over a mediocre plot.

The last couple decades, the rise in fantasy shows and movies have increased significantly. From your Harry Potter to Game of Thrones. These epic fantasies suck you into a new and foreign world. There is usually an important quest to save the world, royal bloodlines constantly fighting for control and spectacular magic battles. What better to escape to than a world where our rules and physical laws do not apply?

Combine these two elements and you have yourself an entertaining afternoon or two.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (2020)

[2021 Alex Award winner, Lambda Literacy award-winning author]

My most recommended book of the year.  I even listened to the audiobook which made it all the more enjoyable as the narrator gave each character a better voice than anything I could ever come up with. This book was such a breezy read with quirky yet endearing characters that are reminiscent of those a la Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). The House in The Cerulean Sea follows our prickly protagonist as he discovers his truest self while finding an unlikely family in an unexpected place.

The Ex Hex by Erin Stirling (2021)

Erin Stirling gives us a classic rom-com trope that is hard to resist: a small-town witch is going through a heartbreak, has a little too much to drink and casts what she thought were harmless curses on her ex. Who hasn’t? What she didn’t anticipate was running into the same ex years later or the undeniable chemistry between them. The Ex Hex is a story of second chances, magical mishaps and love. Best enjoyed with a cozy blanket and an espresso martini or a warm cup of hot chocolate.

Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow Trilogy:  Carry On, Wayward Son, and Any Way the Wind Blows (2021)

I stumbled upon Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park and immediately gravitated to their easy writing style.  I was glad to find out that she writes a whole array of things: stories about teenagers, stories about adults and now she brings us a series about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings. The Simon Snow books one part ghost story, one part love story and two parts mystery. A hero’s journey filled with kissing, monsters, traumas, triumphs and an ending about endings.

by Glenice Lilje

The Joy of Cooking

One of the hardest things for me is coming home after a long workday and staring at the fridge in hopes that the measly ingredients in there will inspire me to make something magical.  I was never one to plan out weekly’s meals as I find that my moods change throughout the week and whatever it is I had planned just isn’t appealing to me anymore.  I don’t know how my mom got dinner on the table each night.

As I fight the urge to utilize yet another food delivery service, I have to admit that I do eat better when I eat at home.  Another positive is evading the walk of shame of not having to carry a pile of pizza boxes past my neighbours to the recycling room. Although it has been a couple of months since returning to campus and getting back into a regular routine, there are still some days where I find myself staring into my fridge awaiting inspiration. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

Visit the BCIT Library for our collection of cookbooks and some new ones featured below.  For other titles or material pick up information, simply click here.

Sheet Pan Everything: Deliciously Simple One-Pan Recipes by Ricardo Larrivee

Ricardo and his team has created easy and fuss-free recipes.  Nothing is harder than getting dinner on the table after a long workday.  This cookbook takes the stress out of cooking and clean up by using one, simple sheet pan.  From Cheesesteak Subs to Parmesan-crusted Pork Chops and even dessert such as Giant Ice Cream Sandwiches! Inside are 75 easy-to-follow recipes that will turn anyone into a hero of your every meal.

Mandy’s Gourmet Salads:  Recipes for Lettuce and Life by Mandy Wolfe

Simpsons’ fans will argue that “You don’t win friends with salad”.  Chef Mandy is here to contradict that with her collection of gourmet salads.  Co-founders Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe team up with food and travel writer, Meredith Erickson to introduce readers to a wide array of recipes. Not just rabbit food, Chef Mandy shares recipes of her homemade dressings and shows the reader how to combine flavours and textures to take your salad game up a notch. Starting to get sick of salads?  Try changing it up with other recipes for smoothies, grain bowls and even desserts such as salted pecan shortbread squares!

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

Not a cookbook, but cooking adjacent. This lovely homage to Anthony Bourdain was curated by his associate, Laurie Woolever.  Included are Bourdain’s previous writings as well as an hour-long interview that was conducted shortly before his passing. Readers will be taken back to some of his favourite places, how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and in some cases, what to avoid. Many admirers and colleagues have also contributed essays and anecdotes of special moments they shared with Bourdain.

by Glenice Lilje

MMWIG Awareness and Residential School Survivors

Did you know that Indigenous women and girls are five time more likely to experience violence than any other population in Canada? Or that they make up 11% of all missing cases and 16% of all female homicides even though Indigenous people make up 4.3% of the Canadian population (Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2021)? Or that over 150, 000 Indigenous children were taken away from their families only to be left with an estimate of 80,000 survivors (Reconciliation Canada, 2021)?

For decades, Indigenous women and girls have been forgotten or seen as lesser than due to the public’s perception of them as shaped by colonial stereotypes.  The rates of violence, exploitation, mistreatment, and crimes committed against them have become an urgent issue in Canada. Yet after many tragic losses, It is only as recent as 2016 the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched as a federal government initiative as their response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #41. This would include the investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls and residential schools.

There is much to be done to right the many years of wrongdoing.  We can hope to focus on the prevention of future tragedies, improve awareness and continue to lift up Indigenous voices.  Below are some reads with Indigenous voices that can be found at BCIT Library.

Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story  by David A. Richardson , 2015.

Helen Betty Osborne, Betty to her friends and family, dreamed of becoming a teacher. In 1971, Betty left home to attend residential school and high school in The Pas, Manitoba. Later that year, Betty was abducted, sexually assaulted and brutally murdered by four drunken frat boy types. She was only 19. It took over 15 years for anyone to be convicted for their part in her murder. Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that hopes to raise awareness to the injustice and the disparities experienced by the Cree and Indigenous communities.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, 2020.

Michelle Good’s award-winning Five Little Indians is the story of Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie as they are taken from their families and sent to a small, remote, church-run residential school.  Barely out of childhood, they are released after years of being detained, without any skills or familial support and into the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. We follow these five survivors over time, as they struggle to overcome their own individual traumas from the suffering they endured during their years at the Mission.

Stolen Life:  The Journey of a Cree Woman  by Rudy Wiebe, 1998.

Warning: this autobiography is not for the weak-hearted.  This is a story about terrible injustices, murder and a courtroom drama and the true life events of Yvonne Johnson, a Native woman who has decided to speak out.  We start with Yvonne’s early life growing up in Butte, Montana.  We later learn of the story of her brother’s murder while in police custody, the sexual abuse she endured from multiple family members, and then her escape to Canada.  Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman grants the reader access to Yvonne’s turbulent childhood and the spiritual guidance she receives as she heals from her traumas.

For more reading visit:

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls | Official Website

Native Women’s Association of Canada: Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls Fact Sheet

Gov’t of Canada | National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Reconciliation Canada | Official Website