May Classic of the Month: Old Time Recipes by Helen Wright

In happy celebration of spring (finally!), farmer's markets, flowers blooming, and fresh fruit, we at Cosimo are happy to present Old Time Recipes by Helen Wright as our May Classic of the Month.

Old Time Recipes For Home Made Wines, Cordials and Liqueurs from Fruits, Flowers, Vegetables and Shrubs, originally published in 1909, is a descriptive, charming cookbook for those who want to make their own wines and liqueurs from any and all available ingredients, including fruits, flowers, vegetables, and shrubs. It includes an introduction from the author and the ingredients and instructions for making and fermenting your own spirits, from wine and ale to sherry, brandy, cordials, and even soda. Not only is this book interesting for those who want access to recipes from the old country, it's also good for those looking for a laugh: cock ale, cowslip wine, koumiss (a tartar wine that uses fresh mare's milk), and elephant's milk recipes are all included.

About the Author
Helen Saunders Wright is the author of two books, The New England Cookbook (1912) and Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines (1909).

Cosimo is proud to present this title in paperback. Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore. Happy cooking!

April Classic of the Month: The Enchanted April

In celebration of spring, we at Cosimo are happy to announce The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim as our Classic of the Month.

Driven to action by the dreariness of their lives in London, two not-quite friends, in the hopes of finding renewal, plan to rent a medieval Italian castle for a month. They are joined by two other women, a socialite and a dowager, each also seeking a remedy for their dissatisfactions. As the quartet eventually (though not necessarily gracefully) settles in together, they share the beauty and joy of their springtime palace, and each becomes reacquainted with the self they had forgotten. Whether or not the enchantment can carry into their lives and loves in the "real" world is the question. The basis for the 1992 film, of the same name, with Miranda Richardson and Alfred Molina, this is a classic to cherish.

About the Author
British novelist Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941) wrote numerous books, including Elizabeth and Her German Garden and The Solitary Summer.

Cosimo is proud to present this title in paperback. Happy spring!

Finding Peace Amidst March Madness: Spiritual Places In and Around New York City

Emily Squires and her husband Len Belzer teamed up to write this wonderful book on where to find serenity in the characteristically hectic city. We are excited to share with you that Spiritual Places is our book of the month for March. While books for NYC tourists are easy to find, Squires and Belzer decided to showcase the grand island in a different light: where to get away from the hustle and bustle and find a moment to relieve stress.

The authors discuss the various locales with reflections on what they learned while in the space. This is a great guide to places around the boroughs that soothe the psyche and gladden the spirit. We hope you get a moment to sit down with this great read.

But if you find yourself just one of the many commuters with little time to spare, we are proud to announce that the book is available on the Kindle and Nook, for your on-the-go lifestyle.

Emily Squires passed away in November 2012, and as a testament to Emily's nature and writing, following is a sample from the book Spiritual Places In and Around New York City written by Emily and her husband Len Belzer:

THE CLOISTERS

Underneath all the texts, all the sacred psalms

and canticles, these watery varieties of sounds

and silences, terrifying, mysterious, whirling and

sometimes gestating and gentle must somehow be

felt in the pulse, ebb, and flow of the music that

sings in me. My new song must float like a feather

on the breath of God. — Hildegard of Bingen

This riveting glimpse into life in the Middle Ages is an essential place on any seeker’s itinerary- especially if you were a nun or monk in a past life. The art is celestial - paintings and illuminated

manuscripts, intricately woven tapestries from churches and castles, a treasury of gold, silver, jewels, ivories, and enamels - each chosen specifically for the Cloisters from the vast collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But it’s the feeling of the place that makes it so rare. Madrigals and Gregorian Chants echo through high stone-arched corridors. Chairs are set in small chapels for meditation. Beatific statues of saints and Mary with baby Jesus cast their gaze upon you. Recent interest in such figures as the 11th century’s Abbess Hildegard of Bingen have stirred a new appreciation of things Medieval, and the crucial role of herbs in the Middle Ages is being reexamined. The historically accurate garden at the Cloisters gives us an idea how some of them were used. Arcane plants like fever few, agrimony, mallow, and burdock were used by the nuns and their parishioners for cooking, weaving, and painting

as well as healing.

Espalliered pear trees work their way between Gothic buttresses under warm red-tiled roofs. Covered arched walkways enclose small gardens with chirping birds, bubbling fountains, and quince trees laden with fruit. The softest of green grass calls Rumi to mind: “When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.” All this high atop a hill in Fort Tryon Park with a sweeping view of the Hudson. Hie thee there!

(from Spiritual Places In and Around New York City by Emily Squires & Len Belzer; Cosimo Books, New York, 2008) 

April Fool's Day, what is it really all about?

 I'm sure you know what April Fools Day is. It's a day when you have an excuse to play all kinds of pranks on anyone and call it a holiday tradition. For instance, you could put a very large spider in your boss's drawer (its safer if its fake) and laugh out loud when they jump out of their chair and fly from their office. Make sure you take credit though, otherwise it's not as fun. But where did it all come from? And why April 1st?

The Romans celebrated Hilaria, which was one day in a week long festival, and was a day of joy and happiness. In The Canterbury tales, Geoffrey Chaucer mentions the 32nd of March, which would technically be the 1st of April, and on that day the rooster is tricked by the fox. During the Middle Ages, when New Years Day was March 25 many areas had a week long celebration that ended on April 1. The thought process being that those who celebrated New Years on January 1, thought those who celebrated a week long New Years festival that ended on April 1 were fools. Therefore the origins are sketchy. And so is the significance of April 1st.

So we don't exactly know why or where, but we certainly know how people celebrate! And it really does vary. In France and Italy they tape cut-out paper fish to each others backs. In England they give you until noon to pull off a prank. If you play a joke after noon you become the April Fool. The US celebrates without any rules, simply trick, lie, joke, and steal (just kidding about that last one stealing is wrong) and call the person afflicted by your actions an April Fool! Start thinking of your pranks now and happy fooling!

Happy First Day of Spring!

This year, in a somewhat refreshing change of pace which can surely be blamed on global warming, winter barely made an appearance before spring began to bloom. It's difficult, I'll admit, to really see fault in the early onset of warm weather, unless it becomes cold again in a few weeks. But we all know it's there. Lurking beneath the sunny warmer days is the cold fact of global warming. It's upon us and there's nothing we can do to stop it. There are, however, things we could do to prevent an overall worsening. Some things are simple and can be done on an individual basis. Other things will require a more global movement and awareness, which will take time. So while you may be basking in the wonderful rays of the warm sun on this glorious day, consider the small ways you could change your lifestyle/routine to help the planet. Visit Green Living Tips to find out more.

Maybe you're already committed to helping the planet. Maybe you've already done a great deal to change your lifestyle so that everything, or most everything, you do is as green as it possibly can be. Ready to do more? Yeah? Check out Earth Fever: Living Consciously with Climate Change. This book touches on more than climate change and living green. It's a book filled with solutions for global warming, lifestyle change, and soul searching. It is a comprehensive look at how you can better your life and better the planet all in one journey.