Time For A Little Mystery: The Thin Man

Way back in January Skylar hosted book club for The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, a very entertaining detective story set in 1930’s New York City. The two main characters of the book like to, well, drink! This is perfect for any book club at Skylar’s house.  We were even lucky enough to have Ella come!

On the Menu

          Red Asian Pears with Vintage White Cheddar wrapped in Prosciutto

Olive Oil and Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Crispy Prosciutto

Recipe

Roasted Onion, Squash, Fig Salad with Mustard Maple Balsamic Dressing 

Recipe

Roasted Garlic, Parsnips, and White Bean Soup

The main course was Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce.  They were amazing and gone quickly!

Now for the most important part of the evening. .. the cocktail! Skylar went with The Bronx Cocktail which the characters enjoy in the movie version of the book. 

The Bronx Cocktail 

Recipe adapted from The Essential Bar Book

2 oz of gin 

1/4 oz dry vermouth

1/4 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz fresh orange juice

Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker. Shake over ice and strain into coupe glass. 

Garnish with orange peel.

Jamie is not a fan of gin so we switched her's out for vodka. Tasted great too!

Katie could not make it for this book club so we decided to cheers her over Skype!

 

We would highly recommend the film version of this story.  It is funny and the costumes are amazing.  Next up, The Blood of Flowers hosted by Jamie.

What Alice Forgot Book Club

 Abbie chose What Alice Forgot  by Liane Moriarty for her last book club selection of 2014.  Skylar helped her with this one because her last few selections..or all.. were not well received. You may recall that we read Moriarty’s other novel Husband’s Secret earlier in the year.  These books are fun to read and actually lead to very interesting discussions.

Everyone had busy holiday schedules so Abbie decided to do a brunch meeting instead of the typical evening gathering.

The Menu

Omelets

Oven Baked Hash Browns

Fresh Pastries

 Omelets are great because all the chopping can be done the night before and people can chose what they want in theirs.  Which is perfect for the picky guest! None of us are, though, people wanted a bit of everything.

No baking required! These beautiful pastries were baked fresh at La Flor Bakery, a real hidden gem!

No brunch would be complete without a mimosa! For a little twist use fresh squeezed clementine juice. We love Lamarca Prosecco.  It has a nice clean taste that is great on its own or in a cocktail. Plus, it is inexpensive and easy to find.

Ginger Pigs from La Flor Bakery

Skylar’s dress was sewn by our great grandma, Mary Smith!

So host a brunch! Read a pager turner! Stay tuned for our next post where we feature Katie hosting The Girls From Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe.

FCM Book Club: The Room

Abbie hosted the discussion of Room by Emma Donoghue.  While the story did not lend itself to a themed menu anyone would enjoy eating (think mushy frozen vegetables and canned fruit) it did lead to a great discussion. Everyone was very excited to see what cocktail would be served since breast milk was a central theme in the book. We get that serious about the books! However, even Abbie would not be that creepy! She served a white chocolate martini made from two ounces White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur and one ounce triple distilled vanilla vodka.  Just add to a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake then serve. When a drink is this simple good alcohol is a necessity.  Don't scrimp!

White Chocolate Martinis

A Little Nervous and Rightly So!

Jamie and Ella

Katie and Cindy

Spicy Pickled Asparagus Wrapped in Ham

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Dinner started with a creamy asparagus soup followed by broccoli casserole. It sounds strange but is liked by everyone who has tried it! The key to a successful book club meeting is making dishes that can be prepared in advance. Dessert was taken right out of the book, one treat the characters got to enjoy. A traditional yellow cake with, of course, five candles.

Room is a very interesting read.  Not everyone loved it but it sure makes you think.  If you have not read it put it on your list! Next for the FCM Book Club, Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell.