Take it away, Louise!
* * *
I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy being in the library. All those stories, ideas, and knowledge right there for the taking. I was fortunate to get a job at the Burbank Public Library right out of high school. I thought it was something to do part-time while attending college, and yet here I am, still at the library after some 40+ years! Maybe that's because I really love my work and have the wonderful opportunity to combine all my interests into my job. I especially love mysteries, having graduated from Nancy Drew school of mystery readers. I began writing a mystery column in the library newsletter under the nom de plume of "Aunt Agatha." This has evolved into the creation of my blog, Death in the Stacks.
I frequently
attended author signings at local bookstores, and I thought: I can do
that. So I began to invite authors to speak at the Burbank Public Library. A
chance meeting several years ago at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
hooked me up with the L.A. chapter of Sisters in Crime and I was able to book
several programs a year with this great group of mystery writers. Our patrons
loved it!
When I asked Avery Aames
aka Daryl Wood Gerber to visit the library for the finale of our
"Eat...READ...Live" summer reading club, I knew her Cheese Shop
Mystery series was the perfect fit to our event. Her new Cookbook Nook series
was an added bonus. While we had platters of cheese, crackers, and fresh
fruit catered for the evening, it kept nagging at me that we hadn't arranged to
serve any Brie. Since her most recent book was To Brie or Not to Brie,
we really must have some Brie! I looked at some recipes online to
see what kind of ingredients were used in dips, then came up with my own
version. In all modesty, this simple little recipe was a huge hit at the event.
Hot Brie and Pesto Dip
8 ounces Brie with
the rind removed
2 large pkgs. (8 ounces each) cream cheese
1/4 cup of
grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of Basil
Pesto
1/4 - 1/2 cup of
pine nuts, as desired
Put the cheeses in a
crockpot and let them melt together on LOW. When the cheeses are melted, stir
in the pesto. Keep the crockpot cooking on low, stirring
frequently. About an hour before serving, put in the pine nuts. This
recipe filled my 1.5 quart crockpot. It would be easy to double or triple the
recipe for larger pots and more guests. Great with crackers. [Note: it takes about a half hour for the cheese to melt.]
