No Potato Peel Pie

Last night I had Book Club at my house-an event preceded by deep housecleaning and several days of cooking. At the organizational meeting last August, it was decided that the meal should be simple and most foods "out of a can".

No one seems to be following that rule as at every hostess has offered two main dish choices and two dessert choices. I served two soups; White Bean Chili and Minestrone, with a Tossed Salad and Beer Bread. Four Layer Torte and Hawaiian Cake followed for dessert. I happily have lots of leftovers. I did not serve potato peel pie. I just couldn't think of a way to make mashed potatoes sweetened with beets palatable. *(see below for other offerings)

The hostess also gets to choose the book. I chose The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I read the book last fall and can't recall a book that I loved so much, well maybe the Harry Potter books or Chronicles of Narnia. It is a historical fiction love story but the main focus of the book is on the transformative powers of reading.

I am now totally obsessed with the Island of Guernsey and while I was showing Jeff some photos of it on YouTube he suggested our Book Club go there for a field trip. The Book Club thought this a good idea only if we could also stop in London since Juliet, one of the main characters, lived there for awhile!

I guess the Book Club is stuck in a food theme as next month the hostess picked, I Was Told There'd be Cake by Sloane Crosley

* The reason these ladies, all unknown to me except one before the club, didn't want to join the existing book club at the library is because they wanted to also enjoy alcoholic beverages while they intellectually discussed the books. So I served a Cranberry Orange Brandy Slush, Hot Cider with Cinnamon Schnapps and Hot Buttered Rum. With the exception of the Slush, all had non-alcoholic options for the two designated drivers.

Anyone else read "Five Quarters of the Orange"?

I joined a new book group this fall. The one I was in last year met at the library for an hour. We sat on hard wooden chairs and drank instant coffee. Nice ladies, but not much discussion. The librarian choose the books.

A group NFDL friends got together this summer and I was invited to join. This group has more rules than the library group; lots of food MUST be served but don't try to show off, alcohol must be available, the person who hosts the group at her house gets to choose the book and lead the discussion. It must be the food and alcohol because there sure is more discussion!

Last month we read Jeanette Walles memoir The Glass Castle. I kept thinking, " What is wrong with these parents?" It is hard to imagine that most of the kids in that family were resilient enough to succeed in life.

This month is Five Quarters of the Orange. Since two themes of the book are food and migraines, the book was VERY interesting to me personally. It is full of symbolism. I was impressed how the author Joanne Harris wove two timelines of the story together. I had to take notes to keep it all straight. But, my lack of understanding French and German got to me a little. I kept having to run to the computer to look up words and phrases. What would I have done before the computer? Call the reference librarian? And then, as if the French and German wasn't enough trouble, the father in the book made up his own language "Bilini Enverlini". Even when the code to understanding was given, I still found it difficult to find the real words hidden in all the extra "ili's" and words written in reverse. Fun read but I wonder if is available in "Cliff Notes"?