The Bookseller

The 3 of us fully expected to enjoy reading The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson.  After all, Swanson is a local author - she resides in Denver - and we like to support Colorado and its authors.  However, we were sorely disappointed with The Bookseller.  The story takes place in Denver during the early 1960's, which was the fun part of the book.  It was interesting to read about "new" shopping centers such as University Hills, which has since changed immensely, if it's even there anymore.  The Bookseller tells the story of Kitty Miller - a single woman in her late 30s who owns a bookshop with her best friend on Pearl Street in Denver, and begins to have nightly dreams of an alternative reality in which she's a married woman with children (and no more bookstore). Swanson does a good job of confusing the reader as to what exactly is the main character's "real" life.  It was a fast, engaging read and great for discussion but not one of our favorite books we have read this year.  The following recipes are variations of foods mentioned in the book, such as Kitty enjoyed eating and making PBJ sandwiches, so I made PBJ Bars for dessert.  We'd love to know what you think of the book.  Please add your comments and enjoy the food!  It was a hot evening so we had cold food!

Main Course
Extreme Chef's Salad
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
8 cups salad greens-I used romaine, torn into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into julienne strips
4 ounces baked ham, cut into julienne strips
4 ounces smoked turkey, cut into julienne strips
2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
1 ripe avocado, diced
4 ounces radishes thinly sliced
6-8 ounces mushrooms sliced
4 ounces red pepper, cut into julienne strips
4 -6 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
4-6 ounces rinsed and drained white beans
10 grape tomatoes, halved
6 ounces Kalamata and assorted Greek olives, pitted and sliced in half
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dressing of your choice, such as shallot or herb vinaigrette, ranch, or blue cheese

Wash and dry lettuce and tear into bite sized pieces.  Toss the lettuce with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over salad right before serving and toss again.

Fruit Salad

1cup honeydew melon, cut into small pieces

1 orange, each slice cut into thirds

1 apple, each thin slice cut into thirds

2 cups red grapes (about)

Salad Dressing:

Juice and zest of ½ orange

Juice of ½ lime

Juice of ½  lemon 

1 tablespoon honey, add more if needed

Place all fruit in large bowl, mix fruit gently.

In separate small bowl, mix all juices and honey together for dressing and pour over fruit.

Refrigerate until serving.

Dessert

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars (from Barefoot Contessa's cookbook, barefoot contessa at home)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy Low Fat PB - 18 oz jar)

3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups good quality raspberry jam or other flavor of your choosing (18 oz jar)

2/3 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 9x13x2 inch baking pan.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes.  With mixer on low speed, add vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter.  Mix until well combined.

Spread two thirds of the dough in the prepared pan, using a spatula to spread mixture evenly.  Spread jam evenly over dough.  Drop small globs of remaining dough evenly over jam.  Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; the dough will spread when it bakes.  Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into small squares.  Yum!

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr was read by our group in May.  All the Light We Cannot See was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award.  In 2007, the British literary magazine Granta placed Doerr on its list of 21 Best Young American novelists.  We certainly agreed, fabulous book!
The main character, Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks. When she is six, Marie goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris in June of 1940, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.
In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure’s.
Doerr’s gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of multiple characters, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.
Our dinner for the evening included the following, with recipes including food and ingredients mentioned in the book.  We hope you enjoy!

APPETIZER
Stuffed Mushrooms
15-20 large white mushrooms
1/2 pound of Italian Sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 crushed cloves of garlic

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup marinara sauce
Clean mushrooms with a moist paper towel and remove stems.  Chop stems and set caps aside.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a skillet, saute sausage until brown.  Drain and put into a large bowl.  Salute onion, garlic and mushroom stems in the same skillet with the drippings until tender.  Add to the bowl with sausage and stir in remaining ingredients.  Fill each mushroom cap and place on a large baking sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.
NOTE:  I usually have filling leftover so if you need more servings, just increase number of mushrooms.  Filling is also great with scrambled eggs in the morning!

MAIN COURSE
Cassoulet (with help from Julia Child)
3 ½ cups great northern beans (soaked overnight)

1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
1 link Andouille sausage
1 chicken thigh
½ pint beef stock
½ pint tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Bay leaves
1 cup onion, cut into 1” long slivers

• In large pot, place great northern beans with enough water to cover well.  Bring to boil, and boil for 5 minutes  Turn off heat and let beans sit in hot water for 1 hour.
• Pork tenderloin is roasted in separate roasting pan to inside temperature 175-180°.  I rubbed the tenderloin with Long’s Peak rub (found at Savory Spice), salt and pepper.
• In separate pot, add beef stock, tomato paste, wine, water and bay leaves.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook chicken thigh and Andouille sausage.  
• Cut tenderloin into bite sized pieces, shred chicken thigh, and cut sausage into bite sized pieces.
• Use a 4 quart casserole dish or a dutch oven.  Layer ingredients in the dish, starting with beans (drain liquid they were sitting in), meat and onions.  Set left over sauce from cooking chicken and sausage aside.  The casserole can be refrigerated overnight before cooking.
• 2 hours before serving, heat ingredients on stove top until bubbling (if refrigerated).  Sprinkle 1 cup bread crumbs over the top.  Bake uncovered 20 minutes at 375°.  May need to cover as it dries out quickly.   Reduce oven to 350° and add left over sauce if it is becoming dry.  A crust may form so break it up by poking it with a fork and pressing it down, every 20 minutes or so.  Bake 1 hour altogether.  

DESSERT
Cherry and Pear Clafoutis
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups fresh cherries (Pitted-*French recipe is un-pitted)
2 pears-peeled, cored and sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream, half/half, or creme fraiche
2 tablespoons Amaretto or other liqueur
6 tablespoons flour (I used gluten free/almond mix)
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and use lower rack of oven. Lightly butter 11x7x2 inch oval baking dish or 9 1/2 inch ceramic dish 2 or more inches in height.
2. Pat the fruit dry. Arrange the fruit in the baking dish.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the vanilla, milk, cream, and liqueur. Beat in the flour, salt, cinnamon until   well blended.
5. Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake for 35-40 minutes until it is set and firm in the center and top is lightly browned.
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

NOTES: 
Clafoutis can be made with other fruits such as apricots, peaches, plums, or blueberries.You can add some lemon zest in the dough. You can sprinkle top with vanilla sugar or confectioner’s sugar when warm.

Batter (make up to step 4) can also be prepared 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated and covered.

The Keeper of Lost Causes

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

What an enthralling book!  One that is a definite page-turner, especially as the reader nears the end.  Here's what Goodreads had to say about The Keeper of Lost Causes . . .

The #1 international bestseller from Jussi Adler-Olsen, author of The Absent One—perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.Carl Mørck used to be one of Copenhagen’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of Copenhagen’s coldest cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead … yet.   Darkly humorous, propulsive, and atmospheric, The Keeper of Lost Causes introduces American readers to the mega-bestselling series fast becoming an international sensation.

As always, our meal was enjoyed as we chatted and laughed our way through the discussion of The Keeper of Lost Causes.  We highly recommend this book and the food we shared.  Enjoy!

APPETIZER
Danish Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Canapés
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced dill and reserve sprigs  for garnish
• Dash of ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 8 4x4-inch slices Danish pumpernickel bread (Available in the refrigerator-deli   section of most supermarkets)
• 1 English cucumber-cut into 16 very thin slices
• 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon


Mix first four ingredients and half of the chives in a small bowl.  Add the dash of black pepper to this mixture.  Spread the bread with the butter mixture. Place 2 slices of cucumber on each bread slice. Divide smoked salmon among bread slices. Sprinkle salmon with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chives and dill sprigs.

MAIN COURSE

Pork Tenderloin in Mushroom Cream Sauce (Classic Danish dish)

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin, cut into ½” steaks, 6-8 steaks

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped

½ pound mushrooms, coarsely sliced

1-2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

3 oz. white wine, not too sweet

3 oz. chicken broth

8 oz. table cream

4 medium sized potatoes.

Peal or scrub potatoes, quarter, boil until tender.

Fry mushrooms in butter until tender, add garlic, onion, fry until clear, do not overcook, remove from pan, set aside, do not pour out remaining juices.

Salt and pepper the tenderloin steaks, fry over medium high heat, in remaining juices.  DO NOT OVERCOOK. Fry only until meat is no longer pink. (About 3 minutes per side).

Remove tenderloin steaks, do not pour out cooking juices.  

Pour white wine and chicken broth into pan, let it come to a boil, add cream, let that boil for 3-4 minutes.

Return meat, vegetables to pan, cook over medium/low to warm up, let sauce slightly thicken if needed.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Pickled Red Cabbage

½ head red cabbage, finely chopped

2-3  tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons redcurrent jelly (I used a combination of boysenberry and raspberry jelly)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients except for the cabbage in a large pot, heat until butter melts and all ingredients are well blended together.

Add cabbage, stir well, cover and let cook over medium heat until cabbage is tender, but not over cooked.

Remove lid, let it boil for 3-4 minutes to reduce extra liquid.

*Note:  Beaujolais wine tasted delicious with this meal.  A bottle was saved from the fall!

DESSERT
Cheese Danish Pie Crust Squares
Serves 4
1 package of Pillsbury Pie Crusts
6 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
High quality fruit preserves (I used peach/apricot preserves & strawberry preserves)

Use packaged pie dough according to instructions on carton.  Cut into squares until you have 16 squares.  Press down in the middle of your squares to make a small circular indentation.
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together with a fork until it has the consistency of icing.  You may need to add more cream cheese or powdered sugar.  Scoop a small amount in the center of each square.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
When cool, scoop some preserves on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Serve and enjoy! These are great with coffee.

A Tale For The Time Being

A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki was another great read.  While it was difficult to become engaged with the story at the beginning, it quickly captured your interest.  Here's what Goodreads had to say about it . . .

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying, but before she ends it all, Nao plans to document the life of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in a ways she can scarcely imagine.
Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.
Full of Ozeki’s signature humour and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.
This is Ruth Ozeki's third novel, shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2013.

We decided to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant since none of us believed we were cooks of Japanese cuisine.  RICE Bistro in Littleton, Colorado made us feel right at home.  Their food was delicious and the atmosphere elegant. A very enjoyable evening us all.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry

We so enjoyed reading, The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin. Read below to find out what Goodreads had to say about this delightful book (albeit with a few editorial changes) . . .

A. J. Fikry's life was not at all what he expected it to be. His wife died, his bookstore was experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, was stolen. Slowly but surely, he isolates himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who was hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who kept on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. only saw them as a sign of a world that was changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appeared at the bookstore. It was a small package, but large in weight. It was that unexpected arrival that gave A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It didn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it was moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry was an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. 

Our delicious dinner that evening included the following recipes.  We hope you enjoy this book and this meal as much as we did!

Appetizer
Hard Salami & Havarti Cheese with crackers of choice

Salad
Bag of baby mixed greens
Cucumber
Radishes
Pea pods
Tomato
Salad Dressing:
Girard’s Champagne or dressing of choice

Place mixed greens in bowl, wash and slice vegetables, toss into greens.
Serve with salad dressing.

Entree
Jeanette Wilson's Lasagna
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound bison
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces of mushrooms, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced
1-12 ounce can of tomato paste
3-14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon minced dried parsley

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

24 ounces of Ricotta cheese
8 ounces of sour cream
2 eggs
1 pound of shredded mozzarella
8 ounces of shredded parmesan
1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles (Barilla brand preferred)

1.  Brown meats, then add chopped onion and saute until onion is translucent in large skillet.  Stir in chopped mushrooms, along with minced garlic and saute for a few minutes more.
2.  In a saucepan, mix tomato paste, diced tomatoes along with all the seasonings.  Simmer for 1-2 hours, removing bay leaf at the end of the simmering time.
3.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Ricotta cheese, sour cream and eggs.
4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease lasagna pan.
5.  Begin layering in this order: light layer of meat sauce; 3 noodles laid across pan; another layer of meat sauce; layer of Ricotta/egg mixture; layer of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses; repeat until lasagna pan is filled.  Finish with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top.
6.  Bake lasagna at 350 degrees for one hour.  If needed brown cheese on top under broiler for a few minutes.
7.  Cool for 5-10 minutes, cut into squares and eat your heart out!

Dessert
Apple Crumble Cake
3 large tart mixed apples (around 4 cups), peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried blueberries or raisins (optional)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour (I used almond flour)

1 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Butter an 8 inch square pan.
In large bowl, place apples and dried fruit together and sprinkle orange juice over fruit, mixing well. Pour into pan.
Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and nuts. Cut in butter as for pie crust. Sprinkle evenly over apple mixture.
Bake 375º for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Also good topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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!

The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings, a powerful and sweeping historical novel by Sue Monk Kidd, begins, fittingly, with an image of flight: Hetty “Handful”, who has grown up as a slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, recalls the night her mother told her that her ancestors in Africa could fly over trees and clouds. That day, Handful’s mother, Charlotte, gave her daughter the gift of hope— the possibility that someday she might regain her wings and fly to freedom.  Throughout Kidd’s exquisitely written story, Handful struggles, sometimes with quiet dissidence, sometimes with open rebellion, to cultivate a belief in the invincibility of her spirit and in the sacred truth that one does not need actual wings in order to rise.  Inspired by actual historical figures like Sarah and Angelina Grimké and Denmark Vesey, and enlivened by original creations like Charlotte and Handful, The Invention of Wings is the extraordinary story of two struggles for freedom: the battle of Handful to find the wings her mother promised and the equally intense quest of Sarah to liberate her mind and spirit. This triumphant novel also speaks with wisdom about the nature of evil and injustice, the courage to dare what seems unattainable, and the hope inside of us that the worst darkness can’t extinguish. (Excerpt from Sue Monk Kidd's website - www.suemonkkidd.com)

We hope you enjoy this book as much as we did!  Lively chatter and delicious food occurred the night we shared this book with each other.  Here's our menu for this book club discussion . . .

APPETIZER
Roasted Asparagus Spears with Prosciutto
2 bunches of asparagus (the thicker the stalks, the better)
12 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and trim asparagus spears, cutting off several inches from the stem end so spears are uniform in length.  Cut prosciutto slices into thirds - sharp knife or kitchen shears work equally well.  Dry asparagus before wrapping a strip of prosciutto around each spear of asparagus, like a barber-pole stripe.  Leave tip of asparagus showing.
Place wrapped spears on nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Delicious served warm or at room temperature.

MAIN COURSES
Fried Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut up into desired size pieces

Dredge:

Flour- enough to dredge chicken
Salt, pepper to taste
½ teaspoon baking powder
Cayenne pepper (if desired)

Batter:
1 cup flour (about)
Salt, pepper to taste
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Milk- add enough to flour mixture to make light pancake batter

Deep Fryer- follow directions on fryer:
Oil should be heated to about 365-370℉, ease pieces into oil, one at a time until there are 3-4 in fryer.  Fry at least 15 minutes, check for doneness by cutting into meat- juices should be clear and meat is thoroughly cooked.  Serve warm.  Yum!

Collard Greens

2-3 large leaves of fresh collard greens, stems removed
2 slices bacon finely chopped
¼ cup onion finely chopped

Steam collard greens for 5 minutes then set aside.
In separate pot, fry bacon and onion until mostly done, do not drain grease.  Add collard greens to grease and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer on low heat while rest of meal is being prepared.  Be sure to add small amounts of water as needed, so that greens do not burn.

DESSERT
German Apple Torte
3 Large Eggs

1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 medium Granny Smith or other tart apple (cored; peeled and diced; 1 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon Vanilla
½ cup raisons
4 ounces almond paste

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 quart baking dish. Dust bottom and sides of pan with flour; tap out excess.

Beat the eggs in mixer bowl on high speed until they're creamy and frothy. Reduce speed to medium. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and almond paste combine after each addition.

Add apples, raisons and nuts to flour mixture and fold in gently until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the top of the torte is crusty. Remove the torte from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.