This just out from Janet' Randolph's Dying for Chocolate blog:

August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Day. Obviously I've blogged many different Chocolate Chip Recipes from cookies to ice cream to truffles to pound cake to cheesecake to pancakes… and a lot more. I usually throw some chocolate chips in most of my recipes. It's almost always appropriate because you can never have enough chocolate!

Nutrition almanac by John D. Kirschmann and Nutrition Search, Inc — A comprehensive book that includes information regarding the best foods to eat for certain health conditions.

The 150 healthiest foods on earth : the surprising, unbiased truth about what you should eat and why by Jonny Bowden — Readers will find out what nutrients each of the 150 featured foods contain and other helpful information.

Some fun facts about blueberries:

1. The blueberry muffin is the most popular muffin in the United States
2. The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey
3. A single bush can produce as many as 6,000 blueberries a year
4. There are only three commercial fruits native to North America: blueberries, cranberries and Concord grapes

Learn more about National Blueberry Month.

Looking for tasty, fresh ingredients? A smaller grocery bill? A smaller carbon footprint? A smaller waistline? Check out these great titles for an organic solution:

Anna Getty's easy green organic : cook well, eat well, live well by photographs by Dan Goldberg and Ron Hamad

Clean food : a seasonal guide to eating close to the source, with more than 200 recipes for a healthy and sustainable you by Terry Walters

Looking for some quick and easy snack recipes? Interested in the finest culinary delights? Check out this list for some great cooking inspiration.

Real food has curves : how to get off processed food, lose weight, and love what you eat with more than 100 recipes by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough ; photographs by Nisha Sondhe

Ribs, chops, steaks, & wings : irresistible recipes for the grill, stovetop, and oven by Ray Lampe ; photographs by Leigh Beisch

Saturday June 12th from 1:00-2:00PM, teens in grades 7-12 join us to make a delicious gift for your dad. Register here to attend.

Do you like fresh produce? Do you want to support local farmers? Are you, like me, not a fan of going shopping? I recently discovered Door to Door Organics, and now I have fresh produce delivered to my house once a week. It's great! They have several different basic orders to choose from, and you can customize your order and add items however you'd like. The food comes from local farms including Beautiful Earth Family Farm and Two Creeks Organics, both located in nearby Chelsea. I heartily recommend their goods and their service.

Not sure what to fix for dinner? Fix-it and Forget-it cookbooks have many slow cook recipes to choose from. With just a few ingredients, your next slow cook meal is on the way.

We're celebrating Earth Day all week (April 18 - 23) and want you to join us! There will be events for adults, teens, tweens and children, including:

• Earth Week Mural Art Creation — Sunday, April 18, 1:00-3:00PM
• Recycled Crafts — Tuesday, April 20, 5:00-5:45PM
• How to Become a Master Gardener — Tuesday, April 20, 7:00-8:30PM
• A Michivore Life — Wednesday, April 21, 7:00-8:30PM
• Energy Alternatives — Thursday, April 22, 7:00-8:30PM
• Scrapbox Fun! — Friday, April 23, 10:00-11:00AM

Also, be sure to share your green tips and tricks with the community by posting on the Electronic Green Board.

Tom Bloomer, co-founder of Michivore.com, will give you all the facts on eating locally grown fruits, vegetables and meats plus tips on doing this easily and inexpensively in his presentation A Michivore Life on Wednesday, April 21 from 7:00-8:30PM. This program is for both teens and adults. No registration is required for this program.

What better day than April First to play with your food? All around the world people host Edible Book Festivals where folks create and consume incredible edible books. What a great idea, combining and celebrating two of the most wonderful things imaginable: Books and Food!

Good Eats: The Early Years by Alton Brown

This hefty guide to the first six seasons of Alton Brown's TV show, Good Eats, includes an episode-by-episode rundown of every single show including the recipes featured and behind-the-scenes info on how each show was made. Brown's wry sense of humor and no-nonsense approach to cooking come through, making this book a treat as well as a useful resource.

Do you know how much food you throw away each year? Ever wonder how much that's costing you? A new website, Love Food Hate Waste, has a ton of great information about how we can save money by wasting less. There are tips for making fresh produce last longer, recipes for using up the little bits of various foods you might have left over, and you can even add your own tips and join the community of folks to discuss and ask questions.

Photo by svacher used under Creative Commons license

No, you’re not dreaming! This Sunday, February 28, visit the Canton “Mini” Farmers Market anytime between 10:00AM and 2:00PM inside the Cady-Boyer Barn at Preservation Park (500 N. Ridge Rd. just north of Cherry Hill Rd.). Buy local foods and select Michigan-made products, including apples, cider, honey, eggs, cheese, grass-fed meats, jerky, smoked fish and meats, jams, baked goods, pasta and BBQ sauces, salsa — even dog treats! Also, mark your calendar for the other two “Mini” Market dates: Sundays, March 28 and April 25. For more details, visit cantonfun.org.

Mixed drinks have undergone a massive revival. High end restaurant menus often have artisanal cocktails listed with specific and detailed ingredients. Old drinks have been refashioned and new beverages created by cutting edge bartenders, often called mixologists. Why not try creating these luscious libations in your own home?

The essential cocktail by Dale DeGroff

Mix shake stir : cocktails for the home bar : recipes from Danny Meyer's acclaimed New York City restaurants by Danny Meyer

As a Catholic kid growing up in Detroit, Paczki Day was always a very big deal at my school. The entire day was dedicated to fun, games and food, especially the yummy — and extremely fattening — Paczki which were provided for the students. Traditionally celebrated in the United States on Shrove Tuesday (i.e. the day before Ash Wednesday), to Americans of Polish descent - or any anyone who grew up in Metro Detroit — Paczki Day means eating paczki — those scrumptious jelly-filled, deep-fried donuts.

This week, from February 14-20, happens to be National Pancake Week! I don't know about you, but pancakes are one of my all-time favorites. If you're a pancake lover too, celebrate this week by reading some pancake books, trying out some pancake recipes, and of course, eating pancakes. Maybe one night this week you can have pancakes for dinner - that's always a fun thing to do! Enjoy those flapjacks this week, everyone!

Here are some great sites for frugal advice - all available in your feed reader:

• Lifehacker - for example, their article The Best Times to Buy Anything, All Year Round
• MintLife Blog - such as Ready, Set, Action! What TV Characters Teach Us About Money
• The Grocery Cart Challenge - Can your family's grocery bill be $60 a week?
• Money Ning - Has a frugality category for budget-centric advice
• Get Rich Slowly - Another personal finance blog, frequently with cost-cutting advice

Also, some books here in CPL's collection:

The complete Tightwad gazette : promoting thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle by Amy Dacyczyn, a.k.a. The Frugal Zealot

Suddenly Frugal : How to Happier & Healthier for Less by Leah Ingram

Chef on a shoestring : more than 120 delicious, easy-on-the-budget recipes from America's best chefs by Andrew Freidman

If you’re a chocolate lover, February 9 is no ordinary day — it’s the day that Hershey’s Chocolate Company was founded in 1894. Hershey’s was started by Milton S. Hershey, the son of a Mennonite family who had little formal education but went on to become one of the richest men in America. By 1905, Hershey had built a state-of-the art factory to mass-produce chocolate bars, wafers and other delicious delectables. By 1907, his company had cracked the code and created what would become their best-selling product: the Hershey’s kiss. Coincidentally (or not!), Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so celebrate by getting your sweetie some Hershey’s kisses and checking out a book about this American original.
(© 2010 BookLetters LLC)

When the snow is falling on a weekend morning, I just want to watch it through the window while relaxing with another cup of coffee, and another, and another. The next step in this scenario is some delicious food to soak up the caffeine. What could be better than a home-cooked breakfast or luxurious brunch?

Gale Gand's brunch! by Gale Gand

Vegan brunch : homestyle recipes worth waking up for-- from asparagus omelets to pumpkin pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Bread for breakfast by Beth Hensperger ; photography byLeigh Beisch

Mollie Katzen's Sunlight cafe by Mollie Katzen ; with illustrations by Mollie Katzen