At Westerly Library & Wilcox Park: Glorying in all the wonders of lunch

What is the deal with brunch? It’s not breakfast, it’s not lunch, it’s some morphing of the two that I will admit is loved by many. Call it what it is, a glorified breakfast with alcohol. It is, in my humble opinion, an abomination (not because of the alcohol. That, I fully support). But for goodness sake, if I go to a restaurant at 1 in the afternoon on a Sunday to watch football, I want lunch! Full disclosure, I have never liked traditional “breakfast” foods like eggs and pancakes so I understand that this is merely my weirdly passionate opinion. But for now, let’s glory in the wonder of lunch.

“Modern Lunch: +100 Recipes for Assembling the New Midday Meal” by Allison Day offers recipes that will help save money and be healthier than grabbing takeout or fast food. In the introduction she writes, “A modern lunch is special, simple, (mostly) make-ahead, healthy, share-worthy, community building, money saving, colorful, and delicious.” You’ll find recipes that are quick and creative that you can enjoy.

Another great idea for your lunch is to create bowls that allow you to make things ahead, customize, and improvise. America’s Test Kitchen always has great recipes and tips, and “Bowls: Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities” is no exception. Along with each recipe, ideas about how to make it vegan, to kick it up a notch, or to make it heartier are offered. A couple of bowls I plan to try include chimichurri couscous and the Shakshuka bowl that includes smoked paprika (favorite spice) and cannellini beans (one of my favorite beans).

Yes, you can prepare something specifically meant for your lunch, but for me, one of the pleasures of lunch is that you can use last night’s leftovers to have a beautiful, satisfying meal in the middle of your day. That, my friends, brings a smile to my face. Unlike brunch, which makes me mourn the loss of a gorgeous sub sandwich that might have been had it not been for fact that brunch was tragically being served until 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon. Come to the library to find some great cookbooks that offer fabulous midday meals! Viva la lunch!

Top Requested Books

• 1. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
• 2. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
• 3. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry
• 4. “Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese
• 5. “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hilderbrand
• 6. “Spare” by Prince Harry
• 7. “Pineapple Street” by Jenny Jackson
• 8. “Simply Lies” by David Baldacci
• 9. “Small Mercies” by Dennis Lehane
• 10. “The Wager” by David Grann

Top Requested DVDs

• 1. “80 for Brady”
• 2. “Triangle of Sadness”
• 3. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”
• 4. “Living”
• 5. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”
• 6. “Moving On”
• 7. “Champions”
• 8. “Maybe I Do”
• 9. “Mafia Mamma”
• 10. “65”

This Week

MONDAY — 2-4 p.m., Quilting Group – Bring your supplies and practice your crafting skills with others; 4-4:45 p.m., Couch to 5k Run Club – Our running group is designed to help almost anyone go from a “non-runner” to a “5k distance runner” in 8 weeks, following the C25k® program; 5-7 p.m., D&D Creators Club – Instead of playing a formal campaign, you will have a chance to have all of your D&D questions answered, build worlds, and even play our teen-created D&D trivia game! This program is for teens in grades 7-12.

TUESDAY — 1-4 p.m., Community Resource Advocate – Visit our volunteer Community Resource Advocate, who can help connect you with local services/resources; 4-5 p.m., Tabletop Tuesdays – Ages 8-12 are invited to join us in playing various tabletop role-playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons! Snacks provided; 4-5:30 p.m., Spring Dungeons and Dragons – This program is for teens in grades 7-12, and preregistration is required; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Knit and Crochet Group – A friendly knitting, crochet, needlework, and yarn craft club.

WEDNESDAY — 10-10:30 a.m., Family Storytime – Geared towards ages birth-11 years; 5-6 p.m., Pride Club – Meet other LGBTQIA2+ teens and allies while enjoying snacks, playing games, and hanging out; 6-6:30 p.m., Sing & Stomp – This music and movement program is aimed at children from birth through 5.

THURSDAY — 10-11 a.m., Parent Support Network of RI Information Table – Stop by the table at the side entrance of the library to hear from PSN about their mobile harm reduction outreach program that provide supports to people who use drugs and those experiencing housing instability; 1-2 p.m., Homeschool Hangout – Meet and hang out with other homeschooled teens in grades 7-12; 2-3 p.m., Veteran’s ‘Rolls of Honor’ Ceremony – The Town of Westerly Veterans ‘Rolls of Honor’ Memorial Committee will host a ceremony at the Westerly War Memorial to present a bronze plaque with more than 130 new names of Westerly wartime veterans. The event is open to the public; 4-5 p.m., Teen Art Club – Are you a teen artist? Join us to share your art and create new projects; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Chess Club – Players of all skill levels are welcome.

SATURDAY — 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 27th Annual Virtu Art Festival – The Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce is proud to host the 27th Annual ‘Virtu’ Outdoor Arts Festival! The event will take place in Wilcox Park, and will feature the works of professional artists and crafts persons. Virtu will be held rain or shine and admission is free; 1-3 p.m., Esports and Tabletop Games - Enjoy an afternoon of gaming with both tabletop and video games. Use our Nintendo Switch console or bring your own in handheld mode to play along with friends.

Caroline Badowski is the head of adult services at Westerly Library & Wilcox Park.