CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Cooking is providing a distraction for some of us during the coronavirus pandemic, and one northern suburb is looking to share recipes.
The Evanston Public Library is soliciting recipes from residents for a new cookbook.
Since we are all eating at home so much these days, the Evanston Public Library figures gathering recipes from Evanstonians is a nice way to cope with the quaratine.
"We want to reach out to our community, everyone is stuck at home. We want to make something cozy, something comforting," said Collections Manager Betsy Bird.
Bird said not only can cookbooks be a source of ideas, but they can also give a peak at history, like a local one the library has from the 1920's.
"It's a facinating document. It's really sort of a finger on the pulse of a time that is long past and things quite frankly we wouldn't want to eat today," Bird said.
The Cozy Evanston Community Cookbook aims to inspire people with new recipes, and find a way to connect residents during the quaratine.
Collections Manager Betsy Bird shares some of the submissions they have already received.
"There's banana cupcakes with chocolate-peanut butter frosting, which is right above the recipes for Peanut Slaw...Caramel Apple Dip, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cottage Cheese or Garlic Yogurt..." Bird said.
The library plans to publish the cookbook online so people can use it right away, but also print some copies to have in the library and serve as a little time capsule of our COVID-19 quaratine.
Evanston residents can email recipes to the library at cozycookbook@gmail.com through April 30.
There’s a limit of one per person and the library would like you to include a paragraph about what the dish means to you.
Bird said they’ve already received at least 20 recipes and are hoping to get more that show off the city’s diversity.