The Christmas Jars and The Christmas Box

December 14, 2008

The newest members of Book Club - they can't be permanent members because they were only interested in the food and the socializing. They didn't seem to realize that in our Book Club, we really DO talk about the books!!

YUM!

I had to post this one too! Courtney's Christmas Tree veggie pizza!

CONGRATULATIONS to Carly and Courtney! Looks like our Book Club will be "mommies only" in a few months! We look forward to your new additions in May and are glad you finally won't be bored by all of our countless mommy stories ;)

Thanks to Carly for hosting Book Club this month. The books were both very well enjoyed and everyone seemed to really like reading Christmas books for a change of pace. The food was good as always. The gingerbread was killer, so Carly, you better post your recipe!! We were also impressed that Courtney revealed her inner Martha by making a beautiful Christmas tree veggie pizza!

Personal Reflections

• I thought the Christmas Box was sort of ho-hum. It isn't going on my bookshelf or on my list of Christmas Classics (what list of Christmas Classics?). I liked the message (spend more time with your kids because childhood is fleeting and priceless) but I agreed with Libby's thoughts that the entire book was kind of a downer. I also don't like reading about children who die young, so that could have been part of it. It was a sweet story but it never grabbed me.
  
• The first book on my list of Christmas Classics will be The Christmas Jars. I loved it! It hooked me in and didn't disappoint! Looking back on it now, it seems that it could have easily been construed as cheezy because of the way it all came together in the end, but I didn't think that at all. There really was some Christmas Magic in that book! I love that it has inspired many of us to create our own Christmas Jar tradition.

Spinach Quiche

I got my recipe from All Recipes. Here is the link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Light-and-Fluffy-Spinach-Quiche/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

The changes I made were to use plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and I added some sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese.



We missed you Starr, hope your eye is feeling better!

Yay!

I'm finally on and typin with one hand...sleeping boy in the other. 2 things: I promise to share the sweet potato soup recipe. It is souper easy:) And Starr, The Namesake is one of my favorite books. The movie was satisfying too, for lovers of the book especially. That is Jumpha Lahiri right? I just heard something on NPR about her writing a new book. I'll do some research and get back here.
I'm looking forward to next weekend...hand cramping, more later. Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with lots of good eats and shared time with family and friends. I look forward to seeing each of you in a couple of weeks. I have read both books already (surprise, I am not finishing them up on the weekend of). Liked one, LOVED the other one! See you soon!

The Pleasure Was Mine

I just finished this last night. I didn't know it was going to be one of our choices this next time and really wanted to read it. I was surprised to stumble upon a stack of them at the library two weeks ago. I read it in memory of my grandmother, who had Alzheimer's Disease. So, in some ways it was hard to read, but a great book. It was a relaxing read and a good time of year for it. Hope all is well with each of you.
-Libby

Dec 14 Book Club

I sent this via email too since we are still getting used to the blog but thought it might be good to have it here as well so that we can easily remember the books we've voted on in the future.

HI Ladies! Sorry it took me a week or so to get this out! I tried to find some good books for our next list. There are 3 very different options here, let me know what you guys prefer. As Jennifer said, we are planning to meet on Dec 14. Hope you're all having a great week.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is actually categorized as a young adult book but I've spoken to a several adults who loved it and the reviews seem to be great.

Christmas Jars by Jason Wright
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
I thought it might be fun to find a book with a Christmas theme since we're meeting so close to Christmas. These two are pretty short (approx 120pgs each) which is why I included both, however, if everyone thinks two is too much, we can cut it to one. They are both fairly older publications so hopefully you can find them used or at the library.

The Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays
This is the "One City, One Book" choice that we decided we didn't have time to do within the month the city was running the program. We could still read it ourselves if we want.

Waldorf Salad Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup walnuts halves
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (I left out only b/c I didn't have any)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large crisp apples, such as Gala (I used one honeycrisp b/c they are my fave and one granny smith to add some tartness)
2 ribs celery (with leaves), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (leaves chopped)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 head Boston lettuce, trimmed, washed, and dried

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and break the nuts up into small pieces.
Whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl and season generously with pepper.
Halve, core, and cut the apples into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. Add the apples, celery and raisins to the bowl, and sprinkle with the lemon juice; then toss with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
When ready to serve, toss walnuts into the salad. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter, or divide them among 4 salad plates. Place the salad on the lettuce and serve.

Thanks for setting up the blog Jennifer, this will be a great way to chat and share recipes! I will email/blog soon about the next book club. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Sweet Potato Dumpling Recipe

I enjoyed having you all over Sunday evening for Book Club.
And, thank you, Jen for setting up this blog for us

Here is the recipe I promised. . .

Sweet Potato Dumplings

1 Large sweet potato (can use 2, depending on size)
1 can of biscuits (10 count)
2 sticks of butter (if desired, only 1 to decrease the fat - I do this)
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar (if desired, only 1 - I do this)
Nutmeg
Melt butter and pour in a 13 X 19 inch casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pull each biscuit apart (making it 2 biscuits). Using flour, roll the biscuits flat. Peel potato and cut sweet potato into sticks, about the size of your ring finger. Place two sticks into each biscuit half and fold it to close. Repeat this process until all biscuits are used.
Boil water. Add sugar to the water and stir until melted. Add vanilla. Place the biscuits (seam side down in the baking dish, on top of the butter). Pour the sugar water mixture into dish with the potato biscuits. Sprinkle each one with nutmeg. Bake for 35-45 minutes. ENJOY!!

"The Namesake"

Hi everyone! I really hate that I missed out on book club last weekend. It looks like from the picture that you all had a great time.

I just finished reading "The Namesake" last night and I really enjoyed it. Has anyone else read it? What did you think? I really enjoyed following the main character's lives and to see how they all evolved.

I'm always looking for something good to read, so also let me know if there are recent books that you have read that really stood out to you!

Pumpkin Polenta with Spinach and White Beans

From Rachel Ray - you can probably find the exact recipe on Food Network.com but it is so simple so here it is off the top of my head:

Polenta (she calls for instant but all I can find is the "log")
Can of pumpkin (or if you are motivated like Libby you can cook your own pumpkin)
Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Parmesan cheese (I use the shaved kind)

Garlic (several cloves)
Onion
Spinach (she calls for frozen but I use a bag of fresh)
1 can of white beans (drained)
Salt, pepper, nutmeg

If you are using instant polenta (tell me where to find it!), follow the directions on the box - you will cook it in broth. Stir in pumpkin. If you are using a log of polenta, add broth and pumpkin and heat through. Personally I can't get it creamy so I use a stick blender. Stir in parmesan at the end until it tastes right.

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add white beans and spinach. Cook through and then add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Serve spinach on top of polenta. Yummy!!

Now I want to know how to make sweet potato and apple soup, spinach and artichoke dip, waldorf salad, and sweet potato dumplings. Yum what a delicious fall feast we had!!

Still Summer

October 19, 2008

Robyn, Courtney, Carly and I met at Libby's to discuss Still Summer. Although many of us were skeptical that this would be a really cheezy book from the description, everyone really enjoyed it.

Thoughts...

• I still can't get over how evil Olivia was.


• Oh my gosh, we never talked about the ending! Were you excited when Cammy dug Michel's letter out of the trash? Do you think she'll go visit him? Do you think their love was real or just circumstance? I can't believe we didn't talk about this because when I finished the book I really was looking forward to discussing it! (It was Isabella's fault since Nick called me home since she wasn't going to sleep)


• Those pirates still give me the creeps.


• I am surprised that none of us saw it coming that Olivia was Cammy's real mother. Once it was revealed it seemed so obvious.


• Would you read anything else by this author (I am too lazy to look up her name). Except for her book about a kidnapping, I would read other stuff by her. Has she written more than just the two?

From the Beginning

What started as a conversation between friends has blossomed into a wonderful book club. While we sometimes lose members to babies or job transfers we find new friends to share great books and great recipes with. We started with Mary P, Jennifer, Kim, Courtney, Holly, Mary K, and Emily. Guylene joined us at the second meeting. We have since been joined by Robyn, Carly, Michelle, Diana, Libby, and Starr. (I don't think I left anyone out) Now we consist of Jennifer, Courtney, Guylene, Robyn, Carly, Libby, and Starr. In one of our recent books, Peony in Love, there was a group of educated women (when educated women were not the norm) who were poets I think that were called the Banana Garden Five. We borrowed that idea and since there are seven of us, we are calling our blog Banana Garden Seven.

Here are the books we have read over the years:
1. My Sister's Keeper - August 14, 2005 at Mary's- this is many of our favorite book club selections.
2. Icy Sparks - at Kim's - Guylene was VERY pregnant with Emma!
3. The Secret History - at Mary K's - a bear of a book and a not very well attended meeting
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany - at Jenn's
5. Memoirs of a Geisha - at Guylene's
6. The Secret Life of Bees - at Emily's - this was Robyn, Michelle, and Carly's first book club
7. The Kite Runner - at Jenn's I think
8. The Poisonwood Bible - at Robyn's - this book was loooooong too!
9. Their Eyes Were Watching God - at Courtney's - we wanted to read a "classic" that took us back to our high school English classes
10. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - at Guylene's
11. The Ladies' Auxiliary - at Michelle's - I think this holds the record for smallest meeting - it was Michelle, Robyn, and Jennifer - luckily for us, Michelle had some bagel bites in the freezer to help bulk up the meal selection!
12. The Glass Castle - at Jenn's - the first nonfiction/memoir
13. The Tender Bar - at Carly's - three people were pregnant at this one!
14. Middlesex - at Diana's
15. Garden Spells - at Courtney's
16. Water for Elephants - at Robyn's
17. Manic - at Guylene's - Libby's first book club
18. Keeping Faith - at Jenn's - Starr's first book club; the second (but far inferior) Jodi Picoult book we have read together
19. Peony in Love - at Starr's - the second Lisa See book we have read together but it was a toss-up as to which was the group's favorite
20. Still Summer - at Libby's

What I also wish I had was a list of all the delicious recipes we've had. We are all guilty of grabbing chips and dip from the store on the way to book club but we have also all made some really tasty dishes. I look forward to sharing our recipes here!

Welcome!

Hi ladies! Welcome to our new book club blog! Hopefully we can use this to keep track of the books we read, post our favorite recipes, and share other good books. Happy Reading!