Spectacular Flaming Dessert

Last Sunday we met for our last Book Club of 2013 at Rachel's house. I was the last to arrive and Marie greeted me with, "Merry Christmas! We are all upstairs with drink in hand!" I said hallelujah to that, sister.

Sure enough, the Mimosa's were generous and there were other options available as well, including ginger wine, of which I had only one sip. (Promise, Santa, I was a good girl!)

I was floored when I saw the spread on the table. Rachel really went to town.

She made scones, which were still warm, and she kindly split them and had them ready for spreading with strawberry jam and whipped cream. She had fresh baked cookies and finger sandwiches - egg salad and ham and tomahto (as she would say). Along with another round of Mimosas and ginger wine, we were on our way to happily stuffing our bellies. Yum!

In between bites, we did talk about the book, Zealot, by Reza Aslan. Marie mentioned that it was a little hard to get back into it after reading little slices. So much to remember! So many names and rulers and priests and what not. I agreed. It's a bit like reading a history textbook. But I enjoyed it very much. I especially enjoyed learning about James, the brother of Jesus and all the shenanigans with Paul. Oh how they disagreed!

The book answered all my questions about what Jesus' mission was on earth and also why he was singled out as a messiah above all the others out there doing the same thing.
It certainly gave a new angle on the whole "messiah" issue.

 LOVE this shot of Jarby photo bombing Louise. We may need to make this our Book Club profile picture.

By the way, Rachel, your house was decorated so nicely for the holiday and your tree was gorgeous, as well. Love the cat/angel on top of your tree. I thought I took a picture of it, but, alas, could not find it on my phone.

After our discussion and the stuffing of our faces, Rachel brought out the very special Christmas Pudding, which she lit on fire and pranced around with!

The "Figgy Pudding" was delish with some extra brandy (sorry, Santa!) and yes, whipped cream. (Geez no wonder it's been harder to squeeze into my jeans....). A beautiful presentation and so good!

I snuck into the kitchen for a refresher (don't tell Santa) and found this kitty all cuddled up to the heat vent under the kitchen sink. Yes, I hear it will be very very cold the next few days. Like minus 30. So, bundle up and find a heat vent to love up just like this very smart feline!

Next up, we'll read Dan Brown's Inferno. We seem to be stuck a bit on this topic - heaven, hell, burning.... whatever! I'm sure that the new year will bring us many lighthearted, lovely titles that we'll enjoy over the summer months? (chuckle)

Wishing you guys a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and hope to see everyone at the next Book Club in January or early February at Marie's. Can't wait!

The Cover Up

It was pretty much a guarantee - we'd be treated to a delectable meal supervised and served by Mike. The only question was : what would it be? Three independent journalists were unleashed on the case. Who would get the exclusive? Katie, Jarby and Rachel all arrived on the scene at the same time, their journalistic noses ready to sniff out the story.

Arriving on scene, greeted with open arms by Louise (who apparently was in on the cover up), the three noticed the overwhelming aroma of intricate spices mixing in a wonderful tempting brew. It was impossible to say what was cooking. Something Greek? Italian? The hunt for clues was on!

But first! Marie (in on the cover up as well!) led the charge to keep them off the trail by opening several bottles of wine.

And then! The three were led off track by a sumptuous red pepper hummus dip served right in front of them with crackers. Would this diversion prove successful? Only for a while.

As the appetizer and good conversation kept the journalists pretty well hypnotized and temporarily sated, Mike was able to sneak off to the kitchen unaccosted and do his dirty business, keeping them all in the dark!

He couldn't keep the lovely smells from drifting through the air out of the kitchen and directly into the waiting nostrils of these cub journalists. They were quickly back on the "scent". What was that lovely aroma? Mike still was not giving up answers. The lovely cub reporters would have to do some deeper digging.

Alas! The time finally came. A clue was unleashed. But no! It was only another diversion. A lovely salad of butter lettuce and artichokes was served on beautiful pink china. How long would this cover up go on? How could the three of co-conspirators keep this up?

Louise threw another wrench in the investigation when she pulled out a huge basket of two different kinds of warm bread. Down this path went all three journalists, distracted by the knowledge that something savory, hot and wonderful was coming. But the bread was so good!

Finally! The time arrived. And.....Katie was the first to grab the exclusive! She got the first bowl of long simmered tender beef stew. Delicious!

We all enjoyed the unveiling and the award for our hard efforts was a choice of ice cream. Mango? Blueberry Creme? Rum Raisin? Such a hard decision. Delicious!

We all enjoyed the book, Exclusive, by Sandra Brown. Her old school style of journalistic writing was easy to digest and fun to play along, uncovering the conspiracy high up in President's own house.

Rachel brought some Sandra Brown books to share - thanks Rachel!

It was fun to see everyone! We had lots of good suggestions for upcoming books. We chose to read 

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Aslan, Reza

 It is available in hardcover, Kindle, and audio CD. Rachel will host our next gathering after Thanksgiving.

Enjoy the fall now that your belly has been treated to that wonderful comforting beef stew meal. What a treat! Thanks so much Mike, Marie and Louise for all the hard work that went into putting that fabulous meal together.

We look forward to seeing you again soon - perhaps we shall See The Naked Fish? :)

Enjoy the read!

Katie

Lukewarm Leftovers

Happy late summer! I'm sorry I missed the last gathering, but I wanted to get Marie's note about it on record. I don't have too much of an opinion on the book as I only read the first chapter so far. Should I continue? There was certainly not a lot of enthusiasm expressed?!!

Katie

Here's what Marie wrote: 

"Thank you Jarby for hosting our last book club gathering where we discussed The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta.  Our reception of the book was so-so.  Thank you Jarby for NOT serving leftovers for dinner but rather delicious salad, chili and corn bread to die for!  Key Lime pie for dessert topped everything off nicely.

Louise will be hosting our next gathering some time mid-September.  Stay tuned for more details around dates, time and place.

Our next book is:   Exclusive by Sandra Brown

Scandal strikes the First Family. How exactly did the President and First Lady's only child die? According to the White House, the baby died of sudden infant death syndrome. According to the ambitious female news reporter, Barrie Travis, their story veils the truth. Unfortunately, Barrie suffers from a tarnished reputation, because once she was too quick to report without checking her facts first. Joining with an enigmatic former presidential aide and a retired news editor, she uncovers the real story. It reveals the ugly side of too much ambition, too little moral character, and an overload of revenge. While chasing leads and villains, the reporter falls in love with a man she believes is romantically involved with the First Lady. A very readable book in which the mystery lingers to the final sentence

Happy reading!"

... and the lights came on!

I knew that something was up when I pulled up to Marie's house and saw bright orange extension cords snaking out the front door and across the street.

I then spied a neighbor, stealthily sneaking in a pan of baked tortilla shells.

The house was dark and quiet. Hmmmm. This is not like Marie's usual soiree's at all!

Well, she'd been patiently awaiting the power to come back on. But, no dice. No matter, we sat down in her comfortably cool dining room and started noshing on a shrimp ceviche that was sumptuous and lovely. The margaritas were strong and cold!

Mike shared wares from his new business - jewelry that we all eyed and of course wanted to put immediately around our necks. He also showed some original artwork that tempted - especially for those of us with some bare walls to fill!

Rachel and Jeannie had tales of woe as well regarding the power (or lack of ) at their house. But, they soldiered on through it like 250,000 other power customers out of luck. Gee, we do tend to take for granted those little things like the light coming on when we have to use the bathroom! And try checking your teeth for food particles in dim candlelight.

Alas! We just sat down at the beautifully set and candlelit dining room table when all of a sudden, we realized the power had come back on. We enjoyed some background music as we began. We were treated to Gazpacho to start out, and then Marie served those tortilla shells filled with a wonderful southwestern salad. After stuffing ourselves silly, Key Lime pie appeared magically on our plates. Man, what a nice refreshing dessert.

I got the biggest belly laugh of my life when somehow, we got on the topic of George W. Bush and the fact that he's an "artist". Jarby passed around pictures of his paintings and I couldn't help but guffaw at that. I'm still chuckling, in fact. Someone said ,"TMI!" And, yes, I have to agree.

It was interesting to try and talk about the book (Gulp, by Mary Roach) at certain moments. (Like when eating!) But, once you've read the book you become familiar with terms like "poop", mucosa, excrement, churning and acidic. Hah! The author was delightfully funny and also, I feel like I learned a few things I didn't know like what the heck is Fletchering? Well, now I know! I also feel a little more familiar with the cow's gut and I feel very endeared toward my own saliva.

Most of us were pleased to have read the book, although some fessed up to not having finished it. I wonder if they will "churn" through to the end?

Well, next time we return to a more standard format - and will be reading a fiction book chosen from a list Marie came across - "40 Books You Can't Put Down" or some such thing. We had read most of the top 10 until she read aloud "The Leftovers". It sounds interesting - a sort of Rapture occurs and the townspeople left have to cope. Tom Perrotta is the author. Jarby agreed to host the next gathering late July.

I look forward to seeing everyone again soon. Have a wonderful summer and I hope the power stays on!

Katie

Hot, Wet & Wild

Our gathering last night at Taste of India (Hot) came with a waiter who felt the need to do some fancy footwork while delivering drinks (Wet & Wild), landing one right in the waiting lap of Louise. Poor thing (I'm talking about the waiter - he felt so bad!) Louise, too, as it was downright chilly in there and she had about a half glass of wine in her lap. Gah! What a way to start things out.

Once we got settled at a brand new table and had decided on our orders, things got calmer. The mood was quiet and the ambience was serene with cool chandeliers above that gave very dim lighting. It was a delight to have a quiet atmosphere to talk and be able to hear each other! I confess we took quite a long time deciding what to order - the menu goes on for pages and pages. The table started out with Papdum (crispy lentil wafers) and Spicy Pickles, along with two special sauces. I ordered the Tandoori Mixed Grill. This came on a platter, the meat piled on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and squash. With ground lamb, shrimp, and chicken, it was more than one person could possibly finish. Yum! Around the table I saw Chicken Tikka Masala and two different specialty Shrimp dishes, along with other spicy and savory things. Add on Basmati rice and two kinds of Naan, and you can imagine that we were all well stuffed by the time the bill came around.

Rachel treated us to Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc to go with our meal, and that was a nice treat, as well. Louise and I marveled at the lovely decaf coffee that was served after the meal - delicious! Thank you Rachel, for spoiling us!

We read The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. Everyone appreciated the humor and the spot - on descriptions of historical figures. What research that must have gone into putting it all together. Someone mentioned that it took about 3 years for Jonasson to write the book. It was certainly a long book, and one that won't be forgotten soon. Images of that elephant squashing a bad guy and also images of Allan's peed- upon slippers cannot be "unseen".

Next up, we'll read Mary Roach's Gulp - about the human digestive tract. Should make for some very interesting and enlightening reading!

See you all again in the latter part of May - perhaps Mother Nature will find some pity for us and provide some much need sunlight to all of us here in dreary winter-that-never-ends MN!

Happy reading (burp!) that seemed apropos.... 

Katie

Jellyfish!

Well, we can all pat ourselves on the back for being adventurous! The Jellyfish in Scallion Sauce arrived at the table first. As Marie dug in, she said, "The texture is like that cartilage that you find on a piece of chicken, you know?" (I think she just wanted it all to herself.) With that, the lazy susan made its way around the table as we all crunched the delectable jellyfish. Jarby took hers with a terrified look on her face. But, alas, it was very good!

Dishes kept arriving left and right as we spun susan all night long - even at one point spinning so hard we knocked the Chinese beer right over.

Let's see - this is what we pretty much polished off: Shiitake Mushrooms with Baby Bok Choy, Quick Fried Crispy Fish (Flounder, we learned), Cumin Lamb, Szechuan Potato Fries with Peppers, General Tao's Tofu, Ground Chicken with Pickled Bean Sprouts (and freakin' hot peppers!), Dry Sauteed Green Beans, Pork Shreds in Peking Sauce all served with Steamed White Rice.

Marie ordered Chinese beer for herself and Mike (in Mandarin!) which was pretty cool. Love the fact that Mike can speak some Mandarin as well, right along with her.

So, Little Szechuan was a big hit! I only wish that parking would have been more convenient. I walked 2 blocks in the -20 degree night and wasn't sure my face would defrost before the night was over.

Great service and a wonderful private dining area made the perfect gathering spot to talk about Frankenstein. We were all blown away by the fact that Mary Shelley even wrote a book such as this, with a seeming vast knowledge of geography and the psychology of man. The book was far deeper in scope than any of the movies that have ever been made on the topic. I know that if I ever watch a Frankenstein movie again, it will be with a new angle and knowledge in mind. Louise shared some info about the author's past and upbringing that helped explain some things. Also, she shared that the book formed out of a nightmare Shelley had while at a writer's retreat.

Next up - we will read "The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson

Rachel will take the reins to let us know where we will meet next. We're thinking mid - to late- March planning around Easter / Spring Breaks.

Have fun reading - this looks like a fun book. "Imaginative, laugh-out-loud...a brilliant satire." The Telegraph

Have a wonderful February and do keep warm. Fire up the fireplace and read....!

Katie