The DaVinci Code

In February of 2004, Vicki picked The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown- what a stunning read! Really makes you think and ask questions...she decorated with a rose theme for "the Sacred Feminine". Rose petals were scattered on the table, a pink rose laid on each napkin. The beautiful centerpiece was made of  roses and baby's breath. A picture of the Last Supper for study was on display. In Vicki's words: "For the DaVinci Code:  trying to remember my co-host...hmm - was it Debbie M?  I think we put roses on the table because of the significance of the Rose in the book.  Shrimp Versailles (Paris) and English Broccoli (for the England connection the book).  Remember how much fun we had with the anagrams for each person's place setting?  They had to figure out their name as an anagram to know where to sit! I think I included the list of them on my scrapbook page...my favorite was Margie's! I believe the gift was in a special box (like the crypto box in the book) and was it a cross necklace?  Think I got all of that right...but you may have it all anyway in your wonderful scrapbook. "
Well, Vicki, your cohostess was Debbie M...and you both did a lovely job with this book club...

Synopsis

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth...(Barnes & Noble)

Vicki served tossed salad with Italian vinaigrette, Shrimp Versailles, English walnut broccoli, sesame knot rolls, and dessert was chocolate mousse.

Shrimp Versailles:    (Serves 12)

½ cup and 1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup and 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
4 ½ pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined without tails
3  8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, cubed
½ cup and 1 tablespoon milk
1 ½ cups shredded swiss cheese
¼ cup and 2 tablespoons dry white wine
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
¾ cup fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup and 2 tablespoons melted butter

1.     Preheat oven to BROIL. Lightly grease a 3 quart baking dish.

2.     In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the green onions. Toss in shrimp and saute until pink, about 5 minutes.

3.     Remove shrimp with slotted spoon and set aside. Add cream cheese and milk to skillet, stirring constantly until cheese melts. Stir in Swiss cheese, wine, cooked shrimp, and red pepper. Cook until all cheese is melted and shrimp are heated through.

4.     Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Combine bread crumbs melted butter, sprinkle over shrimp mixture.

5.     Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.

An excellent accompaniment to cooked pasta; I think I used Angel hair pasta!

ENGLISH WALNUT BROCCOLI CASSEROLE 

Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

2 pkgs. frozen broccoli
1/2 c. butter
2 c. milk
2/3 c. chopped walnuts
6 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
2/3 c. water
2/3 of a pkg. of stuffing (8 oz.)

Cook and drain broccoli. Turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole. Melt 1/2 cup butter, blend with flour and crushed bouillon cubes to make smooth paste. Gradually add milk, cook until smooth. Pour over broccoli. Heat 2/3 cups water and 6 tablespoons of butter until melted. Pour over stuffing and walnuts, toss, coat well. Top broccoli with stuffing mix. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Each guest had to solve the anagram for their name to know where their place at the table was- Margie's was "I'M IN KARMA RAGE"...cute idea since we had anagrams in the book. The door prize was a rose inlay box containing a silver cross necklace and a cross keychain.

 

 Roses are a symbol for love and gratitude. As the pink rose was the most prevalent among the old garden roses, it was most strongly associated with these sentiments. While different roses may have more specific meanings, these are still the underlying message of any color rose. Pink roses also now carry a connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. Different shades of pink also carry their own significance. Dark pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and are a traditional way to send a message of thanks. Light pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration, and can also be used as an expression of sympathy.

And last but not least, Mr. Holmes says it best-

But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

We go from pink roses to blue virgins, Virgin Blue, next month....

Ghosts Of Boyfriends Past

Our December of 2003 book was Ghosts of Boyfriends Past by Carly Alexander.
 The door prize was a free plane ticket anywhere in the US to go visit an old boyfriend (just kidding…). But that is how we roll…

From the Publisher

'Tis the season to be single...
Madison Greenwood's first post-college Christmas is more Sex and the City than It's a Wonderful Life. Sure, she does the home-for-the-holidays thing, but with her cynical gay pal Leo tagging along, her mom confessing to an extramarital affair, and every guy she ever dated (or lusted after) in high school beating a hot path to her front door, the movie version of her life is anything but G-rated. Still, a girl's got to sow her wild oats while she can, right?
Five years later, Madison's more interested in nesting than sowing, and the Christmas of her twenty-sixth year finds her looking forward to the gift of a proposal. Her Scottish boyfriend, Ian, is picture-perfect...in an impressionistic sort of way. The idea of him -- his looks, his career, his to-die-for accent -- fuels fantasies of home, hearth, and a whole new life across the Pond. Too bad the reality is a sham. A married sham.
By the ripe old age of thirty-one, Madison would like to believe she's learned something about relationships. About what she really wants, and what she sure as hell doesn't need. As the holidays roll around once more, she's grateful, as always, for the blessing of good friends, but lonely for that one special person. The one she might just find under the mistletoe the minute she stops looking...

Lisa and Alisa served us a delicious Christmas dinner of beef tenderloin, creamed spinach, potato casserole, salad, and ice cream sundaes for dessert.
Appetizers were stuffed mushrooms and seafood potstickers.

Lisa's Potato Casserole

 ( Not sure  if this is the one I made but it is one i make sometimes.)

4-5 large baking potatoes sliced thin

1 large onion sliced in thin rings

1 pint of sour cream

1 brick of sharp cheddar cheese grated

In a greased 9x13 pan put a layer of potatoes (I put salt & pepper on each layer of potatoes)  next a layer of onion.....next dollop sour cream on the onions then a layer of cheese.  You should have at least 2 layers worth of ingredients if you have extra do another layer ending in the cheddar cheese.

Cover with foil & bake for about 1 hour...remove foil & bake till top layer of cheese is browned.   Bake at 350.

 

Lisa's Creamed Spinach

 

1 large bag of fresh spinach(from Costco...don't know how much that is) cooked & drained.

 Make a cream sauce from butter,flour & 1/2 & 1/2.....don't know measurements??

Add drained spinach to sauce.  add a dash of nutmeg & season with salt & pepper.

I sometimes add a white cheese( mozzarella or Monterrey jack) probably about 2 cups.  

 

I've told you before that although Lisa's recipes can sometimes be non-specific (as all really good cooks recipes are) they are worth trying cause they are always fabulous...

 

Lisa had her house decorated for Christmas as only Lisa can, with votives in glass globes with marbles and a gold bow at each place setting for us to take home as favors. The door prize was Godiva chocolates, a Sting CD, and a few other surprises. We also did our annual gift exchange with snow globes this year. (from the book, of course)

 

 

Next blog will skip to February 2004- and The DaVinci Code...great discussion book...

Dinner and a Book: Standing In The Rainbow

Dinner and a Book: Standing In The Rainbow

Meatloaf

Bread Alone

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”
James Beard (1903-1985)

I have to agree with James Beard on that...

Before I begin about the book Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks, I feel I must address the state of bread in the USA. I grew up eating the white sliced stuff in the Colonial or Merita wrappers, nasty, soft, and tasteless. As Julia Child said, “How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?”  Lately, all we hear is that we need the whole grains. Well, I am here to tell you that whole grains can be made into a good loaf of bread- my recently married daughter, Lindsay, even grinds her own wheat and makes her own bread. And it is delicious! BUT,  I have a secret guilty pleasure- the White Mountain bread that Publix bakery makes!! Mmmm, good! Makes great sandwiches, French toast, etc. Although I try to eat my whole grains daily, sometimes you just have to have some of that unhealthy, soft, squeezable white bread. OK, enough said….

Synopsis

Thirty-one-year-old Wynter Morrison is lost when her husband leaves her for another woman. Desperate for a change, she moves to Seattle, where she spends aimless hours at a local bakery sipping coffee and inhaling the sweet aromas of freshly-made bread. These visits bring back memories of the time she aprenticed at a French boulangerie, when her passion for bread-making nearly led her to leave college and become a baker.
Once again, the desire to bake bred consumes her thoughts. When offered a position at the bake shop, Wyn quickly accepts, hoping that the baking will help her move on. But soon Wyn discovers that the making of bread—the kneading of the dough—possesses an unexpected and wondrous healing power—one that will ultimately renew her heart and her soul. (from Barnes and Noble)

In November, 2003, Roxanne and Vicki hosted- Roxanne made her delicious spaghetti and meatballs (although she says she does not have a recipe she did give me the ingredient list for the meatballs- so I came up with a Rachael Ray recipe that is very close...I don't think we will ever get Roxanne's secret sauce recipe so we will have to settle...). Served alongside was salad and bread. ( I will share my recipe for Texas bread with you). Vicki did a chocolate cake with caramel sauce to end our delightful meal.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
(adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, and from Roxanne)

1 pound spaghetti
Salt for pasta water

1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1 tsp parsley flakes
Salt and pepper

Sauce-
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup beef stock
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, preferably Italian

extra Parmesan cheese for passing at the table

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place large pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it boils, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente.
Mix beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch medium sized meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until no longer pink inside.
Heat a deep skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, crushed pepper, garlic and onion. Saute 5-7 minutes until onion is soft. Add beef stock and crushed tomatoes. ( You can also add parsley, basil  , oregano, at this time- whatever flavors you like.) Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Toss hot drained pasta with few ladles of sauce and grated cheese. Turn meatballs in remaining sauce. Serve together with MORE cheese. Yummy!!

Donna's Texas Bread

2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water
1 3/4 cup warm water
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp shortening (that is the white solid stuff in the cans, very bad for you!)
2 cups whole wheat flour
4-5 cups unsifted all purpose flour

Sprinkle yeast over the very warm water, stir to dissolve. Add the rest of the warm water, then the sugar, honey, salt and shortening. Stir in the whole wheat flour, then the white flour, 2 cups at a time , to the desired consistency. Knead dough on floured surface for 10 minutes. (Gives you a good workout...) Add last cup of flour as needed. Place dough in bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. (1 to 1 1/2 hours) Then punch dough down, shape into 2 loaves and put into 2 (8 or 9 inch) well greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise 45 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, remove from pans and brush tops with butter. Delicious hot or cold!

( When I married my husband Phil many years ago, he talked about his Texas roots so much I decided to make this bread just for him...that was many years ago, but after reading the Bread Alone blog I just wrote, I think I am inspired to try this again...sometime...when I have lots of free time...and nothing else to do...)

Roxanne and Vicki carried out a Thanksgiving theme, we all told things we were thankful for, and we kept it simple just like the book...the door prize was a woven bread basket, homemade bread and a tea towel.



So go to your kitchen, and get something to eat- I know I have made you hungry!!!

The next blog will make you lose your appetite- it's about Ghosts of Boyfriends Past...

Violets Are Blue

October, 2003- and now time for the vicious vampires!!! We read James Patterson’s Violets Are Blue. Susan and I decorated with spider webs, goblins, strange visitors(?), Ouija boards, spooky stuff…but the levitating didn’t get off the ground….(get it??)

Synopsis

Alex Cross has never believed in vampires. But when two joggers are found slain in a manner that suggests a macabre ritual, he has to reconsider. Someone believes in vampires enough to have committed a series of bizarre murders that appear to be the work of one. Local police are horrified, and even the FBI is baffled. (Barnes & Noble)

The menu was appropriate:
Yummy Mummy Appetizers (Tortilla Rollups)
Mixed Nutcases

Bloody Michaels and Pina Ghouladas

Vampira's Pork Chops (with "special sauce")
Ghastly Rice
Green Screams
Stuffed Jack-o-Lanterns
Booberry Muffins
Your choice of Whines

Blood Velvet Cake

Donna's Yummy Mummy Appetizers

8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream (only use about 2/3 of it)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 green onions, chopped (use green and white parts)
1 tsp Picante sauce
1 tsp- 1 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos (in pickle or Mexican section)
1 pkg (10 inch) large flour tortillas

Mix all together- spread on each tortilla almost to the edge. Roll up jelly roll fashion- place in a
ziploc bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or more). To serve- use serrated knife and slice into bite
size rounds. Serve with leftover picante sauce to dip.

Stuffed Jack-o-Lanterns
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

Make your favorite homemade applesauce.
Take baby pumpkins- cut off and reserve the tops of each pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds with a
small spoon . Stuff with your applesauce. Put top back on. Great presentation.

Ina Garten's Homemade Applesauce
(The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Zest and juice of 2 large navel oranges
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 pounds Granny Smith apples (6-8)
3 pounds sweet red apples (such as McIntosh or Winesap, 6-8)
1/ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place zests and juices in large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and toss them in the juice. Pour into nonreactive Dutch oven. Add the sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until apples are soft. Mix with a whisk until smooth. Serve
warm or at room temperature.

The door prize was an inflatable coffin (?!?), filled with a game called Mastermind and other scary goodies.


On to more peaceful reads, our next blog will be about bread- Bread Alone- no vampires, no blood, no scary visitors...

Bryson City Tales

Before we get to the vampires, I want to backtrack.

As a book club, we love to go on trips that are inspired by the book we read, so in May of 2003, after reading Bryson City Tales by Dr. Walt Larimore,  we headed to Bryson City, North Carolina, USA, and stayed at Jaye’s sister-in-law Kikky’s beautiful home in the mountains.  Along the way we stopped at the Fryemont Inn and had a delicious dinner.  Monica, one of the owners, graciously shared a couple of their recipes to include in this blog.

Lto Rt-front to back-
Jeanne,Lisa,Joanne,Margie,Vicki,Jaye,Lois,Debbie H and Susan

Synopsis

A true story with the heart, the humor, and the humility of a raw young doctor in his very first days as a new family doctor in a little town in the Appalachian Mountains.

Here is the email I received from Monica Brown, the innkeeper at Freymont Inn:

Hello! I hope you are having a good day. I have attached the recipes you requested. Hope this helps. Happy blogging! Best Wishes, Monica Brown________________________________________________________________

Grandma June's Baked Tomatoes

4 cups peeled and diced fresh or canned tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup V8 juice
1 tsp sugar
1 cup seasoned salad croutons
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Combine vegetables, juice and sugar in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until everything begins to soften, about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into large bowl, and add croutons. Toss until well mixed. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake an additional 5 minutes more.

Lemon Chess Pie

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornmeal
1/4 cup milk
1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp grated lemon rind (lemon zest)
1 9" pie crust

Combine sugar and eggs and beat well. Toss together the flour and cornmeal and add to egg mixture. Gradually add milk, butter, juice and rind. Pour into pie crust. Bake in center of a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cool and chill.
This pie was my father-in-law's favorite. He said his mother told him the name derived from the simplicity of the ingredients. When someone would ask what this pie was called, the answer was "jes pie!". (Southerners will understand this, others probably won't...)

Jaye also made her blueberry cupa, cupa , cobbler that was featured in an earlier blog- you can search for it...

The door prize was a Bryson City bird house and wine glasses. Jaye and Lois also gave everyone a bird candleholder to remember the trip...we have the best book club as I have said before!!

A few blogs ago, I told you about the special Dinner and a Book Chalk Board that my friend , Monika Brown, made for us- well, here it is!

The Glass Lake

Debbie H picked a good book for September, 2003- The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy. Since I am part Irish, I especially enjoyed the story.
Barnes and Noble gives us a peek into the book:

Synopsis

Night after night the beautiful woman walked beside the serene waters of Lough Glass. Until the day she disappeared, leaving only a boat drifting upside down on the unfathomable lake that gave the town its name. Ravishing Helen McMahon, the Dubliner with film-star looks and unfulfilled dreams, never belonged in Lough Glass, not the way her genial pharmacist-husband Martin belonged, or their spirited daughter Kit. Suddenly, she is gone and Kit is haunted by the memory of her mother, seen through a window, alone at the kitchen table, tears streaming down her face. Now Kit, too, has secrets: of the night she discovered a letter on Martin’s pillow and burned it, unopened. The night her mother was lost. The night everything changed forever…

For the centerpiece of the table, Debbie had a large glass bowl filled with blue marbles on the bottom, water, and a boat floating on the top. Debbie lived on a lake, so she also had several boats docked to take us for a moonlight ride to discuss the book. That was hilarious, as none of us were good rowers and the boats spun around and hit each other several times. But fun was had , and the book was discussed- finally!

Debbie H and Donna served Irish pot roast, twice baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables. Smoked salmon was our appetizer, and chocolate trifle was our dessert.

Debbie's Pot Roast
( I make this all the time- best ever pot roast!)

1 3-4 pound boneless chuck beef roast
1 tsp seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp regular salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp beef Better Than Bouillon
1 thinly sliced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine (any kind that you would drink, not cooking wine!)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine seasonings and rub the roast with them. Heat the oil in Dutch oven and brown, searing on both sides. Spread the bouillon paste over the meat, cover with onions, garlic and bay leaves. Combine the soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and half a soup can of water and pour over roast. Cover and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, until tender. Remove bay leaves. (You can also add small carrots, potatoes and onions the last 45 minutes if desired).

Donna's Chocolate Trifle

1 pckg of chocolate fudge cake mix

1 pkg. (6 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup of strong coffee

1 carton (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

6 heath bars (1.4 oz each) crushed

Directions:  Bake cake according to package directions. Cool. Prepare pudding according to package directions; set aside. Crumble cake; reserve 1/2 cup. Place half of the remaining cake crumbs in the bottom of a 4-1/2 or 5 qt trifle dish or decorative glass bowl (duh, we use the decorative glass bowl!). Layer with half coffee, half of the pudding, half of the whipped topping and half of the crushed candy bars. Repeat the layers and combine remaining crushed candy bars with reserved cake crumbs; sprinkle over top. Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving.

 

The door prize for the evening was a good-luck necklace made of Connemara marble, a framed picture of our beautiful Chastain Lake, a book of Irish wit, and Irish scarf and Bailey's Irish Cream...

To close this blog entry, I would like to include one of my favorite Irish blessings:

 

 

 

May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now
And bless you evermore.

 

Next month we changed it up from Irish shamrocks to vicious vampires...