A Book Club Brunch: All the Light We Cannot See

Skylar was the host for All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  This is an amazing book that everyone should experience. Stories like this make for wonderful discussion and, of course, Skylar always does fabulous menu.  She focused on cultural menu items rather than foods that were mentioned in the book because food was pretty scarce throughout the story.

Blueberry Jam Prosecco

The Cocktail

Makes One

§  1 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. blueberry jam
§  ³⁄₄ oz. fresh lemon juice
§  1 ¹⁄₂ oz. vodka
§  3 oz. Prosecco 

In a cocktail shaker, combine the jam, lemon juice, and vodka with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and then strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with prosecco and garnish with fresh blueberries.

The Menu

Apple Strudel

Sage Sausage

The cheese plate consisted of a wild mushroom Brie, a double cream Brie, and a Chèvre with blueberries. Skylar also served a mint and feta frittata (recipe here) along with the apple strudel and sage sausage. 

Really! Read this book.  You will be thankful you did.  Next up is Jamie hosting a discussion of  The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion. Thanks to Skylar for the wonderful brunch.

Three Weissmans of Westport

The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine was selected by Abbie.  She hoped it would be a light and fun read at a difficult time.  It was a bit more serious then she had wished. Set in Connecticut it is a story of a mother and her two adult daughters and their struggles both separately and with each other.  People liked it and it was a good conversation starter. The lesson learned was not to take even a moment with the ones you love for granted.

The Cocktail

For the cocktail we took a recipe for a Connecticut Bullfrog and modified it for our friends who do not care for gin. We named it after the central location of the novel.

The Westport

Makes one if using a one ounce shot glass

·       2 parts vodka

·       1 part white rum

·       1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice

·       1 part maple syrup

In the interest of serving a group we mixed one cup vodka with one fourth cup of the other ingredients in a pitcher and shook in a cocktail shaker to chill.  Strain and serve.

The Appetizers 

What is the best accessory to a cocktail these days? Roasted garbanzo beans! These are crunchy snacks that are actually good for you and people LOVE them. To make:

·      Prepare a one pound bag of garbanzo beans according to directions.  This means starting 1 to two days ahead to allow for soaking and then boiling.

·      Drain the beans in a colander until most of the moisture is gone

·      Toss the beans with two to three table spoons of olive oil

·      Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt or seasoning of your choice

·      Bake at 350° for approximately 45 minutes.  Stirring every 15 minutes.  The cooking time varies.  You want them crispy not burned!

If you do not have time to cook the beans from scratch canned beans will work too.  Just drain really well.

The Meal

The menu for the evening featured Red Curry Sloppy Joes. These were featured in our favorite magazine, Sunset. These work really well for entertaining because you can make the slaw the night before, it is actually better when it sits for several hours or more.  Also, you can cook the meat mixture ahead and let it simmer on low.  Double the recipe though.  They are that good!

When all else fails Talenti gelato and sparkling Cava are a perfect way to end the night. Our favorite flavors are the Caribbean Coconut and Sea Salt Caramel but we are not picky!

Hosting next is Skylar with All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Big Little Lies

Our book club members are HUGE fans of Liane Moriarty.  She is the author of Husband's Secret and What Alice Forgot. Her newest book Big Little Lies did not disappoint. Now, we realize that these books are more of a fun read rather than intellectual giants but we believe you need balance in life and book club! These books also allow a temporary escape from day to day life and lend themselves to lively discussion.

The Appetizer 

To start Cindy served Pea Pesto Crostini with Prosciutto.  This is a recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  We love the recipes from Cooking Light because they involve the use of real food rather than processed low-fat ingredients. However, we used whole milk ricotta.

The Cocktail

The book focused on events that occurred during a school function and the catalyst for these events was a “pink fizzy drink”. We recreated this cocktail by making a strawberry simple syrup, adding one ounce of vodka and topping with sparkling wine.  The amount of syrup you use per drink varies depending on how sweet you want it. As a caution: these are dangerous!

To make the strawberry syrup bring 1 cup water and one cup cane sugar to a boil, once the sugar is dissolved add one cup strawberries and simmer for about ten minutes.  Let the mixture cool and blend in your food processor.  Chill for at least an hour before serving.

The Meal

For the meal we served a sandwich that is always a surprisingly big hit: A Rueben.  The sandwich is comprised of sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing on Rye bread.  We are big corned beef enthusiasts.  In March we stock up at Whole Foods and put the extras in the freezer.  If you cannot find corned beef you can use thick sliced deli pastrami. To make the sandwich:

·      Toast the bread in the oven for a few minutes
·      Flip the bread over and place a slice of  Swiss cheese on each piece
·      Top with the sliced corned beef that was cooked according to package directions
·      Toast for a few more minutes so the cheese melts

·       Remove from oven then top with sauerkraut and Thousand Island
·      Done!

We always choose Bubbies sauerkraut and Litehouse Thousand Island, which is from an Idaho company! We served the sandwiches with kettle chips. 

Look for our 90’s Rock album out next year.

Such a good time! Really! Read this book and try the Pink Fizzy. Next up The Three Weissmanns of Westport  by Cathleen Schine.

The Blood of Flowers

A little while back Jamie hosted us for a delightful evening of cocktails, food, and discussion on a really great novel. Jamie picked The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. I will admit at first we were a little skeptical about the book but once we got started we knew it was going to be a great story.

The story takes place in 17^th century Iran and follows the story of a poor girl and her mother. Everyone enjoyed the story and it made for great conversation. We would highly recommend it. 

Do you like bitter? If the answer is yes then continue to the cocktail recipe of the night- Negroni Sbagliato. Not a fan? Then we would suggest  passing  on this one and grabbing a beer like Jamie and Cindy.

 Negroni Week is also coming up so this is a perfect cocktail to celebrate!

Jamie served cedar grilled rosemary salmon, herbed rice pilaf, and salad. Tony was a little bit worried about leaving Jamie in charge of the grill but she did a great job!

Of course we ended the night we a chilled bottle of champagne. Is there any other way to end bookclub?

Cinco de Mayo: Tacos and Tequila

We love any excuse to enjoy Mexican cuisine and cocktails. So a gathering for Cinco de Mayo was in order.  A variety of tacos, fresh Mexican crema, and tequila cocktails made for a great meal.  We would suggest trying them all.

Homemade Mexican Crema

1 cup regular sour cream

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp salt

Shake all ingredients in a mason jar and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. 

If you are not ready to use it within the 3 hours then return to fridge. 

However, make sure to sit it out at least 30 minutes prior to serving. 

The Paloma cocktail is a very popular drink in Mexico. 

It is light, refreshing and goes great with spicy food!

 Paloma 

(Serves 1)

3 oz- 100% Agave Tequila Blanco

1/2 cup fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice 

(about half a grapefruit)

1 oz simple syrup 

(you can also use agave syrup here but it is much sweeter so we would use less)

Half the juice of a lime

 Splash of club soda

Mix the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. 

Pour over ice and top with a splash of soda water and garnish with a lime wheel.

We also made up a batch of Rick Bayless' Margaritas. His recipe is hard to beat! 

We do make a few minor adjustments to it. 

We add more tequila and more lime juice for each drink. Please do not use cheap orange liquor!

The Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for restaurant style salsa just add a side of beans and tortilla chips. Our pick for the best ready-made chips are Juanita's. 

 You cannot find better unless you fry your own!

What is better than one style of taco? Three! The beef tacos began with Josh sautéing red onions and garlic. He then added thinly sliced skirt steak and seasoned them with spices including Hungarian paprika. This spice adds a very different type of heat to the beef.  It is a sweet rich heat. 

The beef tacos were topped with the Mexican crema and chopped green onions.

The chicken verde tacos are a family favorite. Start by shredding chicken.  Skylar used chicken breast she had cooked in the dutch oven but a rotisserie chicken works great too and saves time.  Add salsa verde and chopped cilantro .  Top with Mexican crema and shredded cabbage mixed with lime and cilantro.

To make the shrimp tacos sauté peeled and detailed shrimp in olive oil and garlic until pink. Top with a fresh salsa of cilantro, chopped tomato, red onion, radish and lime juice.

We ended the night with a traditional shot of Corralejo Reposado.  A very crisp finish!