Cookin' for books The ninth annual Women's Prison Book Project pancake breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 14 at Walker Church, 3104 16th Av. S., Mpls. For $6, you get all the buttermilk or vegan pancakes you can eat, plus Southern-style grits, fruit salad, coffee, tea and juice. You also can buy books that have been donated, but deemed unusable for the group's needs (hardcovers $3, paperbacks $2.) For 13 years, the WPBP has sent free books and resources to women in prison nationwide. To donate (paperbacks only), check out current needs and drop sites at www.wpbp.org.
Remembering World War II Picture a stern Uncle Sam in an apron declaring, "The National World War II Museum wants you!" That's the gist of a new project, Kitchen Memories, by the museum based in New Orleans. It is seeking individual and collective memories of shopping, rationing, growing, cooking, serving and eating during the war from those who lived it. They are also encouraging people who did not experience life on the home front to gather stories from someone who did. The resulting collection of stories, recipes and memories of World War II is designed to encourage oral history and talk across generations. For guidelines on submitting kitchen memories, photos or recipes, go to www.nationalww2museum.org/calendar/kitchen-memories.html.
Baby's first appliance Where was this when we were feeding our babies? In Europe, apparently. Now a baby foodmaker called the Beaba Babycook is available in the United States. The compact countertop appliance steam-cooks vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in less than 15 minutes, then purées or blends them to the desired consistency. You can also use it to quickly reheat or defrost precooked foods. The contraption arrived with some controversy after U.S mothers raised concerns about the plastic content of its bowl, but those finally were tracked down and allayed. Good to know when someone has your back, eh? Williams-Sonoma is the distributor here and the product, which is cute as a button, is available at www.williams-sonoma.com for $149.95.
Speaking of kids The Push-Up is 50 years old and to celebrate the frozen treat, Nestlé is seeking new artwork for the tubes. Ages 6-12 can enter their ideas by going to www.pushupandcreate.com and clicking on their state. Besides having their artwork showcased, each of three winners will get a $1,000 gift card for art supplies and a $2,500 donation to his or her school.
KIM ODE
