July 2007 Host: Angela

Angela making mojitos.


Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

Summary

This is the story of a friendship spanning more than thirty years among five diverse women who live in the same neighborhood. Their friendships begins after the formation of a book club called Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (AHEB). The name is derived from a snide comment made by one of the husbands. The women all come from different backgrounds and their ages vary. Faith is ashamed of her past which includes an alcoholic mother who frequently abandons her. Audrey is full figured and flirtatious. Slip is a tiny woman with strong opinions and is an involved activist. Kari is an elderly widow who wants nothing more than to raise a child. Merit is shy, beautiful, and suffers in silence. Their lives and the lives of their children are told through the book club meetings which are held every month. Each chapter in the book begins with the title and author of the book they are reading (a definite bonus for booklovers). There are many different subplots in the book which are narrated by the five characters, and then a sixth character in the latter part of the book Although humor is weaved throughout the book, many serious subjects are touched upon such as spousal abuse, postwar depression, homosexuality, HIV, cancer, and alcoholism.

Discussion

-This was a fun and light read, overall, an enjoyable book.

-The book at times seemed contrived. The characters were stereotypical (e.g. battered wife, sexpot, widow) and didn’t have much depth. The problems they encountered were almost too neatly taken care of and put in the past.

-Did anyone notice how perfect and talented the kids were?

-A homosexual named Grant was thrown into the mix in the latter part of the book and he eventually joined the book club. It was not understood why the author even included this character in the book, except perhaps to incorporate the issues of AIDS and HIV in the story line.

-The ending of the book was a disappointment. We are left to assume that one of the women died. It would have been interesting to read how the other women coped with the death of one of their friends - and how if affected future book club meetings and their friendship.


The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Summary

Reality and fiction are blended in this collection of interrelated short stories that depicts both the mental and actual things that soldiers carried during the Vietnam war. They carried guilt, fear, pantyhose, letters, bibles, guns, ammunition, and the additional burdens that remained even after the end of the war: those burdens of horrifying memories of fear and death. Each chapter describes the experiences of various soldiers and their subsequent effects. One of the stories depicts a character who drove to Canada and stayed for six days while wrestling with the decision as to whether or not he should dodge the draft. Although the character eventually does go to war, he continues feeling shamed during and after the war by his act of cowardice. Another character kills a young boy and every aspect of that kill is seared into his mind. He realizes the victim’s full potential and creates fantasies for him. Ironically, the beauty of life is depicted in this chapter. After a kill, the soldiers revel in the fact that they themselves are still alive, and this is when they feel most alive. One soldier manages to bring his girlfriend out to Vietnam. She begins to exhibit disturbing characteristics and becomes a completely different person due to her exposure to the war and a foreign land. Metaphors and symbolism are apparent in the stories such as the soldier who fantasizes about death. He shoots a water buffalo repeatedly in a very deliberate way so as not kill it. Death can occur by a land mine or in a field of human waste. The author blends characters and various incidents that truly renders the experience of the nightmarish Vietnam war. This book of war literature was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Discussion

-One potential metaphor for the water buffalo story was that the psyche, or pride of a soldier being slowly killed but refusing to die. The author who served in Vietnam may have seen this done to a viet cong soldier.

-More to be added.

Menu

Drink: Mojito

Appetizer: Chips and Mango Salsa

Salad: To Be Added

Entrée: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw

Side: Potato Salad

Dessert: Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Drink: Mojito

Ingredients
1 tablespoon simple syrup
(1 part sugar, 1 part water, bring to a boil to dissolve)
10 mint leaves
2 lime quarters
1.5 ounces rum
soda water
sugar cane

Muddle together syrup, mint leaves, lime quarters.
Add 1.5 ounces of rum. Top with soda water. Add one stick of sugar cane to each drink

Appetizer: Mango Salsa and Chips

Salad: Recipe to be added

Entrée: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

5 pound pork shoulder, trimmed

Rub

3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons coarse salt

Mix ingredients for rub and rub onto pork roast. Cook in crockpot 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high. Pull the pork out of the juices, skim fat off juices, shred meat and return to pot to rewarm. Leftovers freeze well. Serve with coleslaw.

Side: Potato Salad

Ingredients

8 large baking potatoes
6 hard boiled eggs
1 cucumber
2 cups real mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
Optional: 1 small minced onion

Boil whole baking potatoes until done - about an hour. Completely cool in refrigerator.
Peel potatoes and chop into bite sized pieces into a large bowl.
Shell hardboiled eggs and chop finely, add to potatoes.
Peel cucumber, slice in half, and remove seeds with a tablespoon.
Dice cucumber and add to potatoes and eggs.
Add 2 cups real mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and optional minced onion. Mix together thoroughly and sprinkle paprika on top. Note: I never follow an exact recipe for this potato salad, some of the ingredients such as the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, and salt may need to be adjusted to taste and consistency.

Side: Coleslaw

Mix mayo, a little sugar, and a little cider vinegar to taste and add to shredded cabbage and onion.

Dessert: Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

May 2007 Host Colleen

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Audrey Niffenegger’s compelling debut, is a powerful love story of Clare, an art student, and Henry, a librarian. Henry is diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder which periodically resets his genetic clock and he finds himself misplaced in time in his past and future. Henry is whisked around in time, he could disappear from one moment in time and find himself in an entirely different place in time ten years earlier or ten years later. Clare’s life moves ahead in the normal manner. They have known each other since Clair was six and Henry was thirty-six and were married when Claire was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Henry’s disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable (his first order of business is always finding clothes as time travel relieves him of them), and at times, harrowing (not just for him, but for Clare also). This book describes the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare’s marriage and their attempt at living a normal life with jobs, friends, and children of their own.

-This is a wonderful love story of intense devotion between two people who share the best and worst of their unique situation. All but one (or two?) of us were brought to tears at events that occurred in the last twenty pages of the book.

-Although it was agreed that this was a great love story, Claire’s life just seemed to be too wrapped up in Henry’s life. Her character didn’t seem to grow or progress. She experienced much guilt in her single sexual encounter before she met Henry for the first time when he wasn‘t time traveling, whereas Henry had many prior sexual encounters and guilt did not seem to be a factor for him. Claire faithfully waited for Henry to return to their present life after his time travels. Only once did she leave to have dinner by herself while Henry was time traveling. She waited for Henry from the time she was six years old until she was 82 years old.

-The first-person point of view utilized by the author contributed to the fine details of real characters - their flaws and the (at times obsessive) love they share under extraordinary circumstances - it all sprang to life in this novel.

-Henry’s time traveling would occur occasionally during times of stress, even happy stress such as his wedding day and during the birth of their child. The reader was left anticipating when Henry would disappear and what obstacles he would have to overcome.

-Unfortunately, Henry had to face some of his worst fears through time traveling. He hated the cold and loved to run, yet he eventually lost his feet to the cold. He feared time traveling into an unusual cage with no entrance at his workplace - yet he did end up in the dreaded cage. This particular incident could have also been intended by the author as a way for Henry’s coworkers to discover that he was a time traveler.

-Some of the characters (especially Ingrid) were unusual, with sex, drugs, alcohol and punk rock contributing to their near bohemian lifestyle.

Menu

Appetizer: Prosciutto/Asparagus Wraps

Salad: Strawberry and Feta Salad

Entrée: Steak, Chicken, Vegetable Shish Kabobs

Sides: Twice Baked Potatoes, Saffron Orzo

Dessert: Vanilla Cheesecake Tartlets with Vanilla-Vodka Berries
Bon Appetit, September 1998, Soul Kitchen, Chicago, IL
Epicurious.com@CondeNet.Inc.

Appetizer: Prosciutto/Asparagus Wraps

Prep/Cook Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
32 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
16 slices prosciutto

Cream cheese (aloutte or Neufchatel cheese may also be used)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil. Slice prosciutto slices in half and smear with cream cheese. Wrap ½ slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove, and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

Salad: Strawberry and Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 cup slivered almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 head romaine lettuce, torn
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the almonds, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, set aside.
In a bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, raspberry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, toss together the toasted almonds, romaine lettuce, strawberries, and feta cheese. Cover with the dressing mixture and toss to serve.

Entrée: Steak, Chicken, and Vegetable Shish Kabobs

Prep/Cook Time: About 50 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken, Steak, Vegetables
Rub: 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon coarse salt
¾ teaspoon pepper

Coat meat with rub and slice desired amount of chicken, steak, and vegetables (e.g. peppers, tomatoes, onion) into bite sized pieces. Place on skewers and grill on direct heat approximately ten minutes per side or until chicken is thoroughly done.

Side Dish: Twice Baked Potatoes

Prep/Cook Time: About 1½ hours

Ingredients

8 medium russet potatoes
½ cup butter
¼ to ½ cup milk
2-3 heaping tablespoon sour cream
Mortons Lite Salt
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bake 8 potatoes for 1 hour on 375 degrees F.
Slice in half.

Remove potato filling from each potato half and add to a separate bowl.
Add between ¼ cup to ½ cup butter and mash with mixture until no lumps remain.

Mix in a small amount of milk and a few tablespoons of sour cream.
Add Mortons Lite Salt to taste.
Put filling back in to potato skin halves.
Add shredded cheese and bake in oven until warm.

Side Dish: Saffron Orzo

Prep/Cook Time: About 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 pound dried orzo
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, bringing the stock to a simmer. Add the saffron, stir, and allow the saffron to bloom, about 5 minutes. Return the heat to medium and the stock to a boil, then add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Toss to combine.

Dessert: Vanilla Cheesecake Tartlets with Vanilla-Vodka Berries

Ingredients

2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 teaspoons vodka
6 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup plus ¼ cup sugar
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3 cups mixed berries (such as raspberries, blueberries and halved strawberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix first 3 ingredients in large bowl until evenly moistened. Divide mixture among eight 4 ½ x ¾-inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms, pres over bottoms and up sides. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes. Cool crusts completely in pans on racks.

Mix 8 teaspoons vodka and 4 teaspoons vanilla extract in small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir over very low heat just until dissolved. Cool to barely lukewarm.

Combine cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans. Beat in cream, then gelatin mixture. Divide filling among crusts. Press bottoms of pans up releasing tartlets. Arrange tartlets on baking sheet. Chill 3 hours or overnight.

Gently stir berries, 4 teaspoons vodka, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and ¼ cup sugar in bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Top tartlets with berry mixture.

April 2007 Host Nancy

Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

This is a compelling story of a Honduras boy who braves unimaginable hardships to find his mother in the United States. Enrique’s mother left him when he was five years old to come to the US to find work in order to help feed her starving children, clothe them and send tuition money for school. Eleven years after his mother left, Enrique decides he is going to find his mother and he travels through hostile worlds full of thugs, bandits, and corrupt cops. Enrique’s journey encompassed thousands of miles and he kept going forward, despite the beatings, robberies, lack of food and water, and the dangers of traveling on top of trains. Enrique risked his life over and over to find the mother he so desperately misses and loves. A part of the author’s research involved her retracing Enrique’s journey. As Enrique did, she began in Honduras, took buses through Central America, and traveled up the length of Mexico on top of seven freight trains. She traveled more than 1600 miles, half of that on top of trains. The author’s thorough research provided a realistic insight into the lives of immigrants.

Discussion Points

-Our compassion for illegal immigrants and the issues they face was heightened after reading this book. It is unimaginable going without water for two days or food for five days or clinging to the top of a train while sleep deprived, knowing that if you let go, you might lose a limb to the train, or die
.
-Awareness of immigrants from Mexico is certainly present in the United States, however awareness of Central American immigrants is much lower in general. Immigrants from Central American going through Mexico are considered inferior by most from Mexico, resulting in an informal hierarchy.

-It would be cavalier to place the blame for the plights the poor face in Honduras on the government as we are not aware of what resources are available to them, however, the government should do everything possible to improve living conditions for Hondurans.

-Immigrants are in fact helping their countries when they come to the United States by sending money to the families they left behind. This brings billions of dollars to Central America and is Mexico’s second largest contributor to the economy, after oil.

-It is common for immigrant children to feel that they would rather go without the money and clothing that their mothers send to them - they want their mothers with them. The mothers want their children to have better lives and they can only do that with the money they send back from the United States. There is no end in sight of the recurring cycle of leaving children behind.

-Some of our ancestors migrated to the United States legally, and some illegally. This can affect personal opinion, e.g., ‘if my ancestors came in legally, than everyone should come in legally’. On the other hand, perhaps we should empathize with illegal immigrants who are poor and can’t read English.

-Being born in the United States, with all the opportunities available, is a fortunate fate, or as the author notes, sheer serendipity. One belief is that we should share as much as we can of our good fortune with those in very poor countries.

Menu for the evening.

Appetizer: Breaded shrimp with grated potatoes

Bread: Garlic bread

Salad: Garlicky Greek Salad

Entrée: Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Dessert: Lemon Bars

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Prep/Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients

2 large onions, minced ½ cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons butter 2 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 pounds lean ground beef 1 pound of elbow macaroni
Salt and pepper to taste 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup water Cream sauce (below)
½ cup water
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of sugar
Cream Sauce
¾ cup butter Dash of nutmeg
¾ cup all-purpose flour 8 eggs
6 cups warm milk ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

For cream sauce, in a saucepan, melt butter and blend in flour, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually add warm milk, stirring vigorously until sauce thickens. Add nutmeg, remove from heat and cool. Beat eggs with wire whisk. Add ½ cup cooled sauce; then pour back into cream sauce. Stir in cheese.

In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Crumble meat into the pan and brown well. Drain off fat. Add salt, pepper, tomato sauce, water, cinnamon and sugar; simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool. Add half the bread crumbs and 1 ¼ cups cheese to the meat mixture.

Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water with oil until almost done. Rinse: drain well. Butter a 17 x 11-inch baking pan, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Spread half of macaroni on bottom. Sprinkle ½ cup of cheese over the macaroni. Cover with meat mixture. Pour half the cream sauce over the meat; then spread remaining macaroni; sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until golden brown Let stand 20 minutes before cutting. Freezes well. To reheat, place frozen pastitsio, covered loosely with foil, in a 350-degree oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until heated through completely. Makes 24 squares.

Garlicky Greek Salad

Prep time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large head leaf lettuce
3 large tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
Or equivalent amount of grape tomatoes
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
½ cup pitted black olives, chopped
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl until blended.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and olives in bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese over and serve. Serves 6.

Lemon Bars

Prep time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

Crust

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more to decorate the finished bars
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces

Lemon Filling

7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup from 4 or 5 medium lemons, plus ¼ cup finely grated zest
½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Crust

1. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16-inch pieces of foil or parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet in the bottom of the greased pan, pushing it into the corners and u the sides of the pan (overhang will help in removal of baked bars). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Filling

1. In a medium non-reactive bowl, whisk together the yolks and whole eggs until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until just combined, about 5 seconds. Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt; whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium non-reactive saucepan, add the butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the curd thickens to a thin sauce-like consistency and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the curd through a single-mesh stainless steel strainer set over a clean non-reactive bowl. Stir in the heavy cream; pour the curd into the warm crust immediately.

2. Bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center 3 inches jiggle slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil or parchment handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 2 ½ inch squares, wiping the knife clean between cuts as necessary. Sieve confectioners’ sugar over the bars before serving, if desired.