Water Cooler

If you’ve ever aspired to make homemade tomato sauce, you’ve likely hesitated because of the assumption that it will take a whole day of laboring over a simmering pot to complete. Tomato passata is the Italian secret that will defy your expectations.

The Summer Paralympic Games are set to kick off on Aug. 25 and will bring athletes from all over the world to highlight their achievements and talents as they compete with various disabilities.

The Olympics officially wrapped up this weekend, but if you still have the bug for watching amazing athletics, Kanopy has you covered. Spokane Public Library users have access to this streaming service for free. Visit Kanopy.com to start streaming.

Many of us consume caffeine every morning and sometimes multiple times throughout the day. We do it for that caffeine “high” that makes us feel alert and awake. But how exactly does caffeine interact with our brain and body to make us feel that way?

Whether it be a no-frills cup of drip or something more gourmet, Americans love their coffee. For something that seems so quintessentially American, most of us don’t know all that much about it. Learn a bit more about this delicious, humble bean.

Smoky skies aren’t very inspiring for summer beach reads, but for better or worse, it does set the tone for environmental literature that speaks to our love for nature. Here is a mix of titles you can check out from adventurous and reflective nature writing.

Nature has always been associated with good health. In today’s lifestyle marketing, “natural” is nearly used as a synonym of “healthy.” Open-air classrooms were popular in the early 1900s as a way to teach ill school children while exposing them to plenty of fresh air and sunshine per the medical advice of the time. Nineteenth-century public asylums began to be designed with acres of surrounding gardens and natural landscapes.

As this hot summer has reminded us, tree canopies are excellent for providing shade and lowering surface and air temperatures.

One of the simplest breads in the culinary universe is roti, an Indian bread made from whole wheat flour. This bread is unleavened, meaning it requires no yeast, unlike the more popular Indian flatbread naan.