The library is celebrating National Library Week tomorrow, 16 April 2009, with an International Bazaar, Music & Dance event. So grab the kiddos and head down for some loud fun!

Location : 715 S. Capitol Blvd, Boise ID 83702

Contact : (208) 384 - 4076

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Grab your passport at the door, then visit countries near and far, including China, France, Germany, India, Iran and Mexico! Enjoy dance performances in the Hayes Auditorium at:

5:45 - Korea
6:30 - India
7:15 - Intertribal Native Council

With everyone being so health-conscious these days - worrying about cholestrol, diabetes etc, I’ve been trying to find the perfect recipe for an eggless chocolate cake.  I also have a few vegan friends whom I thought would be delighted with such a finding!  I’m not sure if this is the perfect recipe yet.  But I must say, it meets most of my requirements.  It’s not as sweet as I’d like it to be (I’ve got MANY sweet teeth!) but it is as moist as moist can be.  A cake is just not a cake to me unless it’s moist!  It serves very well as a base cake to any type of icing/frosting.  1  less ingredient = a lower cost for this cake + a healthier cake - what more could you ask for!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hersheys)
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cold water

Directions

1. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
2. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder into a big bowl.  Add the sugar to this dry mixture and mix it well.
3. Make three wells in the dry mixture - pour oil into one well, vinegar into the 2nd one and vanilla extract into the 3rd well.
4. Pour the cold water all over and stir with a fork or whisk lightly.  The trick here is to NOT overmix it, but just to combine it till all the dry mixture is wet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Frost with your FAVOURITE frosting.

 What I have tried differently

1. I usually half this recipe and bake it in an 8″ round cake pan - it took about 32 minutes.
2. I have tried replacing the cold water with cold coffee - the result?  It sort of brings out the richness of the chocolate flavour but gives a slight tinge of the bitterness of coffee (I am not a coffee drinker!)  I still liked both versions of it.  The next is to try replacing the cold water with milk (as recommended by a friend). 

I love coleslaw, always have!  I’m generally not a “vegetable person” - but coleslaw is one of those exceptions.  It has enough of an unhealthy twist to it to make me happy

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package of coleslaw mix
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Combine everything EXCEPT the coleslaw mix in a big bowl (which you will use to add the coleslaw mix into) - mix it thoroughly until it is smooth.
2. Add the coleslaw and mix well.  Toss it if you can.

What I do differently

1. I leave out the onions - just because I don’t like raw onions.
2. I use a 10 oz packet of coleslaw mix instead of the 16 oz packet so that I have more of the sauce/liquid in the coleslaw.  You can also double the recipe of the sauce/liquid i.e. double everything except the coleslaw mix.
3. I use Apple Cider Vinegar INSTEAD of white wine vinegar because I always have apple cider vinegar at home.

This is such an easy recipe that I could make it with 1¾ eyes closed!  Try it!