Book Club: Arrowood

October is Cindy’s favorite month to host book club.  She loves spooky books, decorating, and having one final gathering outside before the weather turns too chilly.  The book was Arrowood by Laura McHugh.  If you loved R.L. Stine’s Fear Street stories when you were young here they are all grown up. The night was perfect. We had cocktails and a fire bowl outside.

The Cocktail: Caramel Apple Martini

1 ounce caramel vodka

2 ounces vodka

3 ounces unfiltered apple cider

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Serve in a martini glass. Makes one.

These are SO good which means they are dangerous.  Enjoy accordingly!

The Appetizers

Pumpkin salsa served with pumpkin tortilla chips

Pumpkin shaped deviled eggs

Salty cured meats and cheeses

Black olives…. A Halloween Staple

The Menu

Salad Greens with Roasted Butternut Squash. Cranberries, Feta and Walnuts with a Shallot Vinaigrette

Pumpkin and Sage Crème over Fresh Papperdelle

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

This salad was a huge hit! Roast the cubed butternut squash until soft then let cool. The vinaigrette was shallots, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and white balsamic vinegar. The pasta is a twist on traditional Alfredo and the added pumpkin lowers the fat and adds great flavor. If you are not a fan of sage try basil instead.

Thanks to Cindy for a wonderfully spooky evening.  Love book club!

The FCM Book Club: The Aviary

The October meeting of the FCM Book Club was hosted by Cindy.  She loves decorating for the month of October and plans way in advance.  Please see The Great Pumpkin Harvest.  Her chosen book was The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell.  She was in hopes that it would be as wonderful as the October pick of last year, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

The weather was so unseasonably warm we were able to gather outside.  Cindy’s yard is perfect for outdoor Fall parties. There was even a fresh carpeting of yellow leaves.

The evening started out with pumpkin martinis and appetizers that included festive deviled eggs and Cindy’s much loved spinach dip.

 

To keep dinner simple we dined on all beef hotdogs roasted over a crackling fire and a bean soup that was topped with freshly grated cheese and chopped onion. Pumpkin ale was served with dinner.

After dinner we discussed the book around our fire bowl.  Overall, we thought it was worth reading.

Desert was served inside when it started to get a little chilly. Champagne accompanied a Chocolate Espresso Soup topped with Marshmallows. Please see recipe here.

Skylar found the marshmallows at Whole Foods and we used a dash of Appleton Estates rum.

Up next is Abbie hosting The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.