Book Club at Shannon's House

We had another fantastic book club!!  

Thanks Shannon so much for the delish food! It was wonderful!

Now we ARE expecting Shannon to post some of these recipes!! Especially for this absolutely melt in your mouth delicious white chocolate bread pudding!  I mean it was to die for!! 

There just maybe a mob at your door demanding the recipe soon.

We all loved Major Pettigrew and since we discussed the book being made into a movie I thought I'd share Helen Simonson's answer to a question about just that...

 If your book were to become a movie, who would you like to see star in it?
"My family have been joking that it often takes so long to make a movie that maybe Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) will be old enough to play the Major.  I’m keeping quiet on casting, but I do think the Major is a great chance for a mature actor to play a wonderful romantic lead, and any movie made of the book would also offer strong, central roles for under-represented South Asian actors."  


You can read more from her interview here

Book club is so great because of the women who are in it

so with our further ado...

Kristie & Britney

Here is the picture you have been waiting for...

Drumroll please...

 The couple of the night... Robyn & Brenda.

Ok, so I'll offer a little explanation.  Brenda & Robyn were on the couch ready for their picture to be taken, & the way they were sitting (one on the arm of the couch the other leaning in) looked just like they were posing for an engagement photo. There was a little teasing and next thing we know they are on the floor making a bona fide engagement portrait -- in front of the fire and everything!  It is almost Valentines Day after all!

Needless to say there was some serious laughing.  I could hardly see through my tears to take the picture.  I love these girls!

Heidi, Kara & Iris

Bethany & Shannon

Kaley, Stephanie & Stella

We had a grand time and can't wait for book club in March at Kristie's house where we will review Mocking Jay -- see you there!

Happy Valentines Day!

Book Club is Thursday night (7:00) at Shannon's house!! 

Please let us know if your coming so Shannon can make plans.  Can't wait to see all of you to discuss...

"The real pleasure of this book derives not from its village conventions but from its beautiful little love story, which is told with skill and humor" -- Alexander McCall Smith

Recipes

Here are the recipes from book club...

Creamy Tomato Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites,  
note: modified from original posting. Don't panic, I made it better! 

1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can chicken broth  (I added more because it was too thick)
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
 optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

1. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,  carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. (If you're adding red pepper flakes, add them now)
3. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for 30  minutes.
  

4. Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth.  You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine.

5. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls.  Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.




Turkey Tea Sandwiches

Recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Scallion cream cheese:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Sandwiches:

• 1 loaf dense raisin-nut bread, -- I used a cranberry bread and whole-grain nut bread
• 8 thin slices fresh or smoked turkey breast

For the scallion cream cheese, combine the cream cheese, scallions and the salt and pepper in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Do not whip.

Remove the crust from the bread. Lay out the slices of bread and spread them all with a thin layer of scallion cream cheese. Place a single layer of turkey on half the slices, cutting the edges to fit the bread. Top with the other slices of bread, cream cheese side down. Lay the sandwiches on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with damp paper towels and wrap the sheet with plastic. Refrigerate until the cream cheese is cold and firm. Place the sandwiches on a cutting board and, with a very sharp knife cut each in half crosswise, and then cut each half diagonally to make  small triangles. Serve chilled.

January Book Club

Book Club was at my house this month.  Thanks ladies for braving the cold temperatures and making it a great night.

Unfortunately not everyone read the book -- OK, only Kara read the book -- but there were several of us that came super close to finishing.  This seems to happen with the book we read over the holidays.  We usually pick a longer book because we think we will have more time to read -- but really I think we have less.

Kara brought up some great points and told us about the metaphors though out the book.  She also brought a copy of a painting discussed in the book.  Thanks Kara for all you work.

We had homemade tomato soup and tea sandwiches...

and chocolate cheesecake...

Just for fun we took a quiz about some of the past books we have read.  Kara was the big winner -- remembering the most!  I am pretty sure Brenda was the "idiot" ha ha!

Britney & Robyn

Kristie & Christie

The always photographed together Shannon & Bethany

 

Brenda, Heidi, Kara & our current mascot Iris

We'll see you all next month at Shannon house to review Major Pettegrew's Last Stand

Another list...

Here is the list the editors at Amazon picked for the best Fiction in 2010:

   

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
by Karl Marlantes

Freedom: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) 
by Jonathan Franzen

To the End of the Land 
by David Grossman

The Imperfectionists: A Novel
by Tom Rachman

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
by Helen Simonson

One Day (Vintage Contemporaries Original)
by David Nicholls

The Hand That First Held Mine
by Maggie O'Farrell

Skippy Dies: A Novel
by Paul Murray

The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel 
by Brady Udall

Memory Wall: Stories
by Anthony Doerr

Book Club Thursday!

Could there be a better way to start the new year?  I don't think so!

Book club is Thursday night @ 7:00 -- my house.

I can't wait to see all of you and and enjoy some good food and discuss The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Please let me know if you are coming so I can plan the menu - thanks & see you Thursday.

Favorites...

Here is a list from Reading Group Guides of their favorites for 2010.  

Best of List: New Favorites

31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Oxygen by Carol Cassella
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Perfection by Julie Metz
The Photographer by Didier Lefèvre and Emmanuel Guibert
Rainwater by Sandra Brown
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Testimony by Anita Shreve
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf


Maybe we should should vote on some of these next time?

The Best White Elephant Ever!

"Mom, can you tell the lady who gave you this thank you?!"

When Myles got it out and saw that it was brand new, he asked me if we should give it to my grandma for Christmas. I considered, but the girls seriously objected.

I thought it was especially fun to post on our blog since we all happened to be reading at the time.

We can't wait to try out the hand waxing station it came with, as well.

So, thanks, Shannon. Great choice!

Christmas Par-tay

The Christmas party was a hit again this year. Thanks so much Shauna for hosting!  We loved the "bow game" where we had to watch Shauna like a hawk to see where she put her bow (on her body) -- we had to follow her lead or we were out.  Kristie was the big winner & Shannon was the big looser.

First the food... and this isn't even all of it!

And now for the lovely ladies...

( I do have to apologize for the blurry photos - I blame Shauna and her near dark conditions) ha!

Kristie & Brenda

Christie & Kara

Bethany & Shannon

Robyn & Britney

Shauna & Heidi (wow is my head so much bigger than Shauna's)

And now for the white elephant exchange.

It was a blast!  One of the best for sure!

Brenda with her ear plugs, sleeping mask and some sort of foot spray(?)

Britney will be whipping up some new maternity clothes with her handy dandy Sew Quick hand-held sewing machine!!

Shannon got the coveted (by Kara) K-Mart watch

Here is Shauna with her soon to be stolen earrings.

Christie was just in love with her monkey socks -- can't you tell?

Not to be left out of the monkey mayhem Kristie got some hot pajamas.  So hot in fact that I took them home!

Ooohhh what is it?

One hot photo of Britney's husband!!

The secret was that under that picture was really this print...

If you would like to print one out for yourself just go here.

Now back to the white elephants...

Robyn received an onion, some garlic and...

Hannah Montana Crest -- who wouldn't want that I ask!?

And finally Shannon got to shakin' her gourd -- if you know what I mean.

Thanks everyone for such a fun night!  And thanks again to Shauna for hosting.  These little treats were our parting favor. They were filled with goodies. Now Don't forget to read The Idiot for next month or Shauna will expect her favor back.

 

See you next year!!

(January 7th to be exact)

Yep!!

We will be having our traditional white elephant gift exchange!

Can't wait to see you all on Thursday!