March book club options

I really had a great time last Sunday, thanks Courtney for hosting book club (and for the sinful cupcakes!).
Here is my selection for next month, I thought I would try to pick something a bit different.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer (Author), Annie Barrows (Author)
- Guernsey Island is just a couple of miles off the coast where I grew up, the book got great reviews

Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America
by Jay Parini (Author)
- Yes, I dared put a non-fiction as one of our options ;)

The Book Thief (Paperback)
by Markus Zusak (Author)
- This one seems like a safe choice in case we don't feel too adventurous...

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

This month's read was by Lorna Landvik.

You can hardly even see those cute baby bumps!

An enjoyable book for all of us, which led to a really good discussion. The book followed 5 women who met as young wives/mothers and started a book club in the 60s. It followed them through the 90s. It touched on personal growth as well as societal issues such as womens' rights, civil rights, AIDS, Vietnam, etc. Although it was set in such times of societal upheaval and could be serious at times, it was overall a light and enjoyable read.

Thanks to Courtney for hosting! We all fell in love with Connor Wesley's adorable nursery! Courtney and Carly were caught off guard by a surprize baby shower. And what better gift from fellow book club members to the baby boys but books!

The food was yummy as always. We had cowboy caviar, banana flax muffins, crepe cake, ham pesto biscuits, tomato and mozzarella pizza, topped off by some delicious Maxie B's, I mean, homemade cupcakes.

For some reason I didn't remember to take pictures of the cupcakes or the present opening, but I hope you enjoy these.

Starr, we missed you! Hope you're feeling better and we'll see you soon.

Guylene is hosting next time...

Better Late Than Never??

So I have to admit that I have been slack on checking the Banana Garden Seven Blog... BUT i finally checked in this morning and although the season has passed, here is the Gingerbread recipe, maybe you can use it next year. I had a great time last night as always. Hope you ladies all have a great week. AND Thanks again for the surprise shower, what a cute idea to get books from the book club. I'm sure we will use them often. :)

Gingerbread Cake
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: 12 servings
Softened unsalted butter, as needed
1 cup vegetable oil, like soy, peanut, or corn
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsulphured molasses
1 to 2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup water
1 tablespoon baking soda
Serving suggestions: Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Lightly butter a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, molasses, and crystallized ginger. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Whisk the molasses mixture into the flour mixture until evenly combined.
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Whisk the hot water into the batter until just combined. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake in the center of the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.