Light the pumpkin-scented candles and put clean sheets on the sleeper sofa. Thanksgiving is coming, and so are the relatives.
Holidays can be stressful if for no other reason than the sheer amount of cooking and cleaning involved in hosting a houseful of people. Although we can’t come over and clean your house, your friends at the Grand County Library District can offer some help when it comes to feeding your guests.
Every one of GCLD’s five libraries has a wide array of mouthwatering cookbooks and magazines to suit every taste and dietary restriction. Just pop into any branch and our staff will direct you to the cookbooks — 641 for you Dewey enthusiasts — where you can browse to your heart’s content.
If you prefer to explore our collection from home, you can access our catalog at http://www.GCLD.org. You’ll be able to see what’s available at each branch, and you can even request cookbooks from libraries across the state. You can access our large eBook and digital magazine collection from our website, too. You’ll find cookbooks and cooking magazines available for instant download, perfect for that last-minute recipe.
Your library can even help you out with dessert. Each year, The Friends of the Grand County Library hosts a Thanksgiving pie sale with a delicious assortment of homemade pies. Pies are $12 to $15 and are available at the Grand County Administration Building (second floor) Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. until all pies are sold.
If you’d like to bake a pie for the sale, you may drop it off at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library on Nov. 25 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), or at the Administration Building on Nov. 26 (8-9 a.m.). For more information, contact Christine Lee at 708-990-5967.
To give you a jump on your holiday menu planning, here’s a recipe that never fails to please. My family would not consider a Thanksgiving meal complete without this dessert. I hope your family will enjoy it too. Happy Thanksgiving from Grand County Library District!
The World’s Best Banana Pudding
One large box of instant pudding, banana or vanilla (if you can’t find the large box, you can use 2 small boxes)
1 large carton of Cool Whip
3 cups of milk
1 can of sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk
5 or 6 bananas
1 box of vanilla wafers
Combine the pudding, condensed milk, 3 cups of milk, and half the carton of Cool Whip.
On the bottom of a 9×13 dish, make a single layer of vanilla wafers. (I usually stand some up on their sides around the edges of the dish, too.)
Next, add a layer of 2 or 3 of the bananas, very thinly sliced.
Then, top with half of the pudding mixture.
Repeat the layers once more…a layer of wafers, a layer of bananas, and the rest of the pudding mixture.
Top with the remaining half carton of Cool Whip.
I always sprinkle the leftover vanilla wafer crumbs and broken pieces all over the top.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight, then enjoy.