The Lacuna report

Hello everyone!   I didn't have time to read the book this month, so Heather was kind enough to write up our notes:

"Hello literature lovers, here is May's book club report...It seemed to come up quickly this time, I guess because the first was a Wednesday. The subject was "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver a fascinating mix of historical fiction and pure fiction. The book proved daunting to most, only a few women got through the whole thing, (politics can be kinda boring it seems) although some vowed to finish the novel.

The time frame spans 1929-1951, with the story taking place in Mexico and America. It shed light on the McCarthy hearings and what was going on with the imagined communism threat, a shanty town that sprung up around the white house in Washington dubbed "Hooversville" during the great depression, the intimate workings of  the marriage between Diego Rivero and the love of his life Frida, and the time Leon Trotsky lived with them. World War II figures into the tale, as well as the unusual lingo of the 40's. and America's art treasures of the time. Transcripts, letters, book reviews and first and second person accounts all intertwine to fascinate the stubborn reader who vows to wade through all 507 pages. An excellent and interesting read, and the Mexican food was to die for! "

 Laura - guacamole and chips



Heather M. - Chicken Enchilada Casserole, just like mom used to make!









Julie - roasted veggies





Katie S. - Mexican grilled corn and watermelon agua fresca




Debby S. - Angel Food Pineapple Cake (1 angel food cake mix, 1 20oz can crushed pineapple, bake for 30 min. in a lightly greased 9x13 on 350!)




  Our next book is The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, A Love Story by Ree Drummond about how a big city girl falls in love (and cooks for) a cowboy in Oklahoma.     What is not included in this is how she made her blog into a book into a media empire!  But you can see it all here and on her show!   If you haven't picked up the book yet, there are three copies still available through the library system...place your hold today (it is a pretty quick read).

Our meeting is Wednesday June 12th at 6:30pm, in our usual location.

Blood, Bones & Butter report

This month we returned to our cozy home in the basement of the church (thanks again to Heather for hosting at her home while this space was otherwise occupied!)

The book had mixed responses this month.  Some folks were really drawn to it, and I think others of us are finding chef autobiographies are starting to sound all the same ;)  Everyone was pretty appalled by the neglect and poor boundaries Gabrielle received as a teenager.

(I've misplaced my notes, but want to get this posted, so I'll come back and fill in more when I find them...please add in the comments if you have more you'd like to share with everyone who couldn't make it!)

Deborah S. - Made a wonderful Cheddar/Chille Bread, which we are encouraging her to submit for the Pillsbury bake-off!

Katie made super yummy eggs on biscuits (like the author used to eat on the stoop when she first moved to NYC) and delicious Rum-Raisin Sauce to go on ice cream.  So tasty!

In tribute to the family's giant yearly party, I made a variation on Lima Bean Salad. (Martha Stewart's recipe and photo...I appear to have forgotten to take my own!)


Laura brought the author's Braised Chicken Legs with Shallots and Vinegar.

Julie brought something tasty and baked that for the life of me I can't recall what it was called.  Spice cake maybe?

Heather brought delicious strawberries and cream:

I apologize for this being the worst report ever!  Next month I'll jump on it right away ;)

Next month's book is The Lacuna a novel by Barbara Kingsolver, who we read long ago with her nonfiction Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. The book takes place in Mexico, so plan for a fiesta!  Most of the books are checked out already, but the library does have 7 copies of the 19 hour long audiobook available...just enough time to listen to it before the meeting on Wednesday May 8th!

The Wilder Life report

This month we met at Heather's house and discussed The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure.

Only one person finished the book, though about half of the group seemed to be enjoying it alright.  The other half found it annoying.  Generally the split did seem to be between folks who felt passion for the Little House Books, and those who did not.  The author was clearly obsessed, and a children's book editor herself, which for those of us familiar with the series found reasonably interesting.

But admittedly, this definitely did not have the feel of a well plotted researched non-fiction book, but rather a blog that got published.  And frankly, as a group, we are getting a bit tired of this trend. Also, the lack of recipes was disappointing, (but easily explained by the fact the author used the Little House Cookbook, as some of us did).

Heather hosted and made a tasty variety of treats for our meal including meatloaf with spicy bbq sauce, smoked oysters and crackers, mashed potatoes, and a yummy cabbage dish.

Dawn cooked Almanzo Wilder's favorite Fried Apples N Onions.

 




Laura made biscuits and cranberry jelly from the Little House Cookbook.

 

Katie W. made delicious apple dumplings with ice cream (which I apparently did not photograph).




 

Katie S. made Ox Tails with Browned Flour Gravy  (Liza Lou loved the leftover bones...thanks Katie!)

Next month we will be back at the church, and discussing Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton.  Sno-Isle Libraries doesn't have a ton of copies.  There are two copies of it on cd available, two downloadable audiobooks, and seven copies of the downloadable ebook, but no paper copies free right now.  If you want to buy it, you can get one pretty cheap on half.com, too.

Looking forward to discussing this with you on Wednesday April 10, 2013 at 6:30pm!

Lunch in Paris report

This month we discussed and ate the delicious food of Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.

Overall the reception to this book was quite warm.  The romance was nice, without being disgustingly sweet or too frustrating.  We were glad to have someone who appreciated the awesome life in France they were experiencing (unlike the lady from Trail of Crumbs).

What we enjoyed most was seeing the cultural differences of life in France (plus, the food, of course!).  The incident with the mother-in-law giving her a reality check about the size of dessert she was going to eat was a very good example.  It wasn't a guilt trip, but sincere concern for her health, in the sense that the cultural expectation wasn't "eat lots of what I serve to accept my love", but "experience it yes, but don't overindulge just because the opportunity presents itself".  We agreed that American portion sizes are just crazy, and we as a culture need to seriously examine ourselves.

What we all envied was the lifestyle where you can walk to a fabulous market every day and select fresh produce and meats and cheeses and cook them that day, without it being a big production or part of a laborious commute like it would be here.  And it was pretty much agreed that language would be the most challenging barrier of a move like this, but would probably be worth it for the experience.

Our dinner was truly lovely...it really is fun when we have great recipes to choose from!

To start out Laura H made the Better Than French Onion Soup (which looked lovely in the individual pots with cheese, but we ate them before I remembered to take a picture!)

    


Katie W. baked the Savory “Cake” with Bacon, Figs and Chervil which was very tasty...a bit like a corn bread but maybe 10 times better.

 
Dawn made the Fennel Salad with Lemon, Olive Oil, and Pomegranate Seeds and the Lentils with White Wine, Herbs, and Tomatoes.

Katie S. used puff pastry to make a savory treat: Goat Cheese, Tomato, and Anchovy Tarts!

Heather McN supplied some delightful frozen treats...eggnog gelato and raspberry, too (sorry I forgot to get a picture...one again, too busy snarfing down the delicious treats!)
 

Next month, we will again be meeting at Heather's house (due to a conflict at the church),  and discussing The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure. There are a few extra copies just for the bookgroup waiting at the Mountlake Terrace Library behind the desk, or you can order it through the library's website.

Midnight at the Dragon Café report

Heather was kind enough to write up this month's meeting for us:

"Hello readers, "Midnight at the Dragon Cafe" by Judy Fong Bates, was our read for the month of January.

 It was billed as fiction, but we suspect there was a lot of her life in the tome, a coming of age tale of Annie, our young female protagonist growing up in a small Canadian town. As the only child in the only Chinese family in town who of course run the only Chinese restaurant around, she keenly feels the cultural divide between her and the other girls. The book chronicles the difficult, sometimes unbearable living arrangements meant to be endured by her parents, herself and her older half brother who arrives to help in the restaurant.

Some of us were remembering "The Fortune Cookies Chronicles" and how that book set the stage of understanding and intertwined with this one concerning the underground railroad of people who staff these ubiquitous establishments so prevalent there is at least one in every town in America. Enjoyable were the passages of Annie's playmates, their family structures so different from hers, what they ate and how they lived. We also liked the time period the 60's; simple, elegant, a little surreal. We felt bad for the mother, trapped in a loveless, sexless union and agonized over how she dealt with it. Our sympathies went out to the young, innocent mail-order bride who entered the picture to late to save her future in that family unit. Everyone generally liked the book as the writing was memorable.

A bit of grumbling about "no Chinese recipes" and about how sometimes her storyline was anti-climatic and strange, some dialog confusing. Some gross sidebars on odd customs like eating monkey brains while the beast still lives, but it didn't spoil our appetites much, as we happily munched on the awesome homemade Chinese dishes brought by all."

Laura - Boston Cream Pie + egg rolls

Julie - Chinese short ribs

 Katie W. - Chinese Almond Cookies

Dawn - BBQ pork (store-bought, alas), egg flower soup

Heather - stir fried veggies

 Katie S. - General Tso's Chicken

Next month's book is Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.   Here is an author interview. There are currently 4 copies available from Sno-Isle that you can place holds on, plus cds and ebooks.

We will be meeting on Wednesday February 13th at 6:30pm.

Look forward to seeing you then!

The Language Baklava report

This month we discussed  The Language Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber.  Most of us found the book fairly enjoyable, though a few folks couldn't get into it.

What we loved best about it was how it wove together the themes of food and family.  We discussed how much we loved Bud's complicated relationship with his family, which lead to a very animated discussion about our own families, and the food we share.    Foods that have powerful connections to our childhoods included coddled eggs, grandma's egg sandwich, bread pudding, kielbasa, homemade spaghetti sauce, and piroshki.  This also brought up the quote "Everyone's mom makes the best potato salad".

Humor also played a good part in this book, and we talked about how food and humor go together...and that really both of them are things that make family bearable.  Which is part of why we felt Bud's rich uncle was so appalling.  Greedy and miserly, there was no humor (and very little food) to be found in that house.

Some of our other favorite parts of the book were the trip with her grandmother to the Chinese restaurant (though it was painfully mortifying to read) and the chapter where she moved to Jordan as a child...striking in how easy it was for her, but so sad for the young British boy.

We had quite the feast this week.  Overall healthier than our usual fair, until you count the fabulous cookie exchange we had at the end!

Dawn
Subsistence Tabbouleh

 

Katie S.  Homecoming Fatteh 

 Heather McN

Cumin Roasted Chicken Legs and Brownies with Almonds

  

Julie D. 

Bud's Royal Mjeddrah

 

and

Distract the Neighbors Chicken

Katie W. -  Fattoush - Bread Salad

Sonja K-G –  Mona Lisa Cream Puffs

Vernetta S. – "Start the Party " Hummus and vegetables







And for the cookie exchange:
Dawn – Coconut Meringues

Heather McN – Peanut Butter Raisin Cookies (from Creative Cookbook - only 4 ingredients!)

Julie D. – Cake Balls (my favorite!)

Katie W. –  Peanut Blossoms

and Melting Snowmen

Katie S.- Spritz Cookies

Sonja K-G – Chocolate Crumb bars








Next month's book is Midnight at the Dragon Café by Judy Fong Bates. Here you can find a little information about the book's background.   Here is an author interview. There are currently 4 copies behind the desk at the Mountlake Terrace Library waiting for Foodie Book Group members.  

We will be meeting on Wednesday January 9th at 6:30pm.

Look forward to seeing you then!