My daughter and her book club assembled to discuss Just Kids (See ReadandExceed.Blogspot.com), eat
dinner, drink booze, and swap White Elephant gifts. I got invited because I was
once a guest call-in consultant/participant and I volunteered to make the food
during my DC visit. But before I get to the food, let me explain the
hospitality of their book club.
Prerequisites: Assemble smart
women who aren’t shy about drinking, giving opinions, eating, and taking care
of each other. Most of all, they need a high risibility factor.
Assignments: Pick one of two kinds of books—either one with sex, drugs,
violence, and WWII material or a dud that requires only votes for 1) who read
it and 2) who liked it. We read a dud. So the book discussion
consisted of 1) raising hands and 2) thumbing up or down. If the book’s a
dud, the group will spend more time picking the next book than discussing the
current book. At first I was disappointed. I’d gotten up at 6 AM to finish
reading the book—rising before my 1 year old grandson. When I
announced that, I was met with a mixture of disbelief and dismay. Undaunted, I
kept whining: After the meal...“When are we going to talk about the book?”
After the White Elephant opening...“When are we going to talk about the
book?” After we tossed the bottles into the recycling...“When are we
going to talk about the book?” The professor in me
just wouldn't let go. Now, in
retrospect, I've come to appreciate the nuance of their style of discussion. Why should they waste their time on a
dud? Rather, this
hands/thumb “discussion” afforded us precious time to converse about far more
important issues.
Discussion: Establish a barber shop atmosphere where everyone can talk
about anything in any way she wishes. We talked about the practice of metzitzah b'peh, facial depilatories, embarrassing body functions, the
dog vomiting, and buying a turkey breast from Target. And what I mean by
“talk” is shout, swear, interrupt, cajole, openly mock, thoughtfully consider,
and hilariously reminisce. All in good fun. All with a sense of
camaraderie. I was disturbed that some people may be getting their
feelings hurt. In retrospect, I imagine that these are gals who would
pick each other up from an airport the Sunday after Thanksgiving, offer
consolation each other’s disappointments, and (far harder), be happy for each
other’s successes.
Grading: I want to have a book club like this.
***************************************************************
Appetizers: mango/peach salsa, bruschetta, nuts
Meal: turkey breast, make-ahead mashed potatoes, spinach soufflé
Before I conclude with the recipes, I want to thank my daughter
and her book club for their hospitality. Best ladies night I’ve ever
experienced. By far.
The Recipes
Les plus vieux pots font
la meilleure soupe.
Here’s the original recipe…
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
Here’s my variation because I didn’t have a mango…
1 small can sliced jalapenos
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes
(about 1 1/2 lbs) [I used cherry tomatoes.]
2
cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp
extra virgin olive oil
1
teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8
fresh basil leaves, chopped or fresh thyme, cilantro, parsley [I used
cilantro.]
Salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1
baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
olive
oil brush on bread
1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set rack to toast bread.
2.
Slice into tomatoes and scoop out juice and seeds. Dice. Why use
plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there
are fewer seeds and less juice. That said, you could use others.
3 Mix together tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Add vinegar and
olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/4 inch thick
slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place
on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top
rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size
of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in
the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to
turn golden brown.
Alternatively, you
can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle
for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub
some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each
slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5. Align the bread on a serving
platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl
separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place
some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the
tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
Makes 24 small
slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with
cottage cheese on the side.)
2 requirements for the turkey breast…
1. Size; Buy the biggest turkey breast
that will fit your slow cooker. But if you don’t have a slow cooker that
would fit the size of the turkey breast you need, buy one that fits into your
Dutch Oven. No Dutch Oven? Use a large casserole dish with a lid.
2. Gravy: Buy a turkey breast with a
gravy pouch. No pouch? But a can/jar of turkey gravy. Worst case
scenario—turkey gravy packet with lots of water.
Preparing the turkey breast…
1. Pat it dry—inside and outside.
2. Remove any innards & discard.
Cooking the turkey breast…
Put the turkey breast in your slow cooker or Dutch Oven. Pour
gravy inside and on top. Cook on low setting of 170 F. for 4-8
hours. It’s done when it registers 165 F.
Serving the turkey breast…
Pour the gravy in a gravy boat and carve the turkey.
To recap…I’ve tried to make this look like a respectable recipe. But,
frankly, it’s just cooking a turkey breast in gravy on low until it’s 165
F. J
SPINACH
SOUFFLE
16 servings from Mary Ellen Holdsberg
Cook & drain 2 10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach.
Add to spinach 2# cottage cheese, 6 eggs beaten, ½# grated
cheddar cheese (1 cup), 1/2c. melted butter, salt & pepper to taste ,
and crushed red pepper or garlic powder.
Bake uncovered and without opening door for 45 mins. or until set.
This recipe could be cut in half.
My didn’t soufflé. Maybe it was because I added 1 large
carton of cottage cheese, but I don’t think that’s why. It was probably
because I stirred the eggs into the cheese mixture instead of beating them
first. Maybe I should have cooked it longer than 45 mins. Or maybe the
soufflé dish was too deep.
Anyway, it tasted fine. It just wasn’t a soufflé.
TO-DIE-FOR MAKE-AHEAD MASHED POTTOES
By Helping Hands on
January 23, 2004 http://www.food.com/recipe/to-die-for-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes-81902 Servings: 8-10
o 8 medium potatoes (I used 6 white and
2 sweet and peeled them.)
o 1/4 cup chives (I used green onion
tops, chopped)
o 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I didn’t add
salt.)
o 2 garlic cloves, minced
o 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
o 1 pinch marjoram (optional) (I didn’t
have this.)
o 1/2-1 cup thinly sliced green onions
o bacon bits or 2 slices cooked crumpled
bacon
o milk (Add only if you need
thinning—mine didn’t.)
o paprika (optional—not for me)
1. Boil potatoes until tender.
Drain.
2. Beat softened cream cheese and sour
cream in mixing bowl.
3. Add cheese/cream to hot
potatoes. Beat until smooth.
4. Add butter, chives, salt, pepper and
onion powder and beat until well-mixed.
5. Add a little milk if needed.
6. Add garlic, green onions, and marjoram
and beat until well-mixed.
7. Pour into either casserole dish.
(Or crockpot.)
8. Dot with additional butter and
sprinkle with paprika. (I omitted this.)
9. Bake for 25 minutes in 350°F oven or
cook on low in crockpot for 2-3 hours. If cooked in crockpot, add a few
additional drops of butter and stir, just before serving. (I baked because I
wanted a browned look.)
10. Sprinkle with bacon crumbling just
before serving.
NOTE: Can be
refrigerated overnight in either casserole dish or crockpot. Warm in oven until
steamy.
Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 (230 g) Servings Per
Recipe: 8
