One Summer, America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

We  recently read One Summer, America, 1927 by Bill Bryson.  While it was not one of our favorites, we did learn a lot about America during the summer of 1927.  Here is what goodreads had to say about this book . . . "The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield near Paris, he ignited an explosion of worldwide rapture and instantly became the most famous person on the planet. Meanwhile, the titanically talented Babe Ruth was beginning his assault on the home run record, which would culminate on September 30 with his sixtieth blast, one of the most resonant and durable records in sports history. In between those dates a Queens housewife named Ruth Snyder and her corset-salesman lover garroted her husband, leading to a murder trial that became a huge tabloid sensation. Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly sat atop a flagpole in Newark, New Jersey, for twelve days—a new record. The American South was clobbered by unprecedented rain and by flooding of the Mississippi basin, a great human disaster, the relief efforts for which were guided by the uncannily able and insufferably pompous Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge interrupted an already leisurely presidency for an even more relaxing three-month vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gangster Al Capone tightened his grip on the illegal booze business through a gaudy and murderous reign of terror and municipal corruption. The first true “talking picture,” Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer, was filmed and forever changed the motion picture industry. The four most powerful central bankers on earth met in secret session on a Long Island estate and made a fateful decision that virtually guaranteed a future crash and depression.  All this and much, much more transpired in that epochal summer of 1927, and Bill Bryson captures its outsized personalities, exciting events, and occasional just plain weirdness with his trademark vividness, eye for telling detail, and delicious humor. In that year America stepped out onto the world stage as the main event, and One Summer transforms it all into narrative nonfiction of the highest order."
Even though we did not care so much about the book, we cared about having a delicious dinner, as always.  The menu for the evening included the following . . .

Appetizer
Smoked Trout Dip and crackers (purchased)

Salad

Pear and Cheese Salad, from Colorado Classique cookbook
Dressing:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼-1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
6 tablespoons olive oil

Salad:
1 16 ounce bag of mixed lettuce greens (I used spring mix baby greens)
1 pear julienned ( I chopped the pear just before serving)
½ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
¼ cup candied pecans (see below)

Mix all dressing ingredients.
Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.  Just before serving stir in dressing to taste and then sprinkle candied pecans on top.

Candied Pecans:
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (honey might work as a substitute)
1 ½ tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 ½ cup pecan pieces
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine corn syrup, sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a large bowl and combine until blended.  Stir in the pecans to coat.  Spread pecans on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes.  Using a fork, stir pecans to recoat with sugar mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes longer or until pecans are golden and coating bubbles.  Transfer pecans to foil.  Working quickly, separate nuts with a fork, cool.  Pecans can be made ahead, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Main Course

Lemon Chicken 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more to brush on chicken
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¾ teaspoon rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or 6-8 thighs or a combination
1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish
(I also sprinkled on 1-2 teaspoons Penzeys Spices, Sunny Paris Seasoning)

9 x 12 baking dish

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Remove from heat.
3. Add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
4. Pat the chicken pieces dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken pieces with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Tuck the lemon wedges around the chicken.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. Remove from heat and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with the pan juices.

Steamed carrots

1-3 carrots (depending on size)
Peel carrots, slice into ¼ inch slices, cut slices in half if large.
Place carrots in pot with about ½ inch of water, steam for 8-10 minutes, so that carrots are not over cooked.  Drain water and serve with dollop of butter.

Dessert 
Susan Crossley's Awesome Apple Cake 
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 apples
sugar and cinnamon mixture

1.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs.  Then add flour, baking powder and salt.
2.  Spread batter in a large buttered pie dish.
3.  Top with a single layer of sliced apples.
4.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Dot with butter.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Test for doneness in center.

We served it with Dulce de Leche ice cream by Haagen Daz.  Delicious!