November 2015 Host:  Stephanie

(we enjoyed lunch at Three Margaritas Restaurant)

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Summary

Eight-year old Max Delaney has an imaginary friend (Budo) who has been around for five years, which is ancient in the world of imaginary friends.  Budo realizes this and obsesses over how long he has been with Max and is terrified of the day when Max will stop believing in him, for when this happens, Budo will cease to exist.  Max is different than other children, some say he has Asperger’s.  He does not like to be touched and when faced with too much stimuli, he retreats into himself and becomes unreachable for a period of time and is bullied due to this behavior.  When Max is abducted, Budo enlists the help of other imaginary friends who come in the form of how their human friends imagined them.  This is a fun, at times quirky, and engaging read and you will enjoy the insight the author gives into the world of a child’s imagination.  

October 2015 Host:  Karen

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Summary

This is the story of Rachel Chu, an economics professor at NYU, who falls in love with another professor without knowing he comes from a Chinese Singaporean old money family.  She goes home with him to his best friend’s wedding and experiences a major culture shock when she meets three closely intertwined Singapore families and their world of crazy rich Asians.  When they find out she is a ‘lowly’ American-born Chinese, the scheming, gossip, and back biting commences in order to destroy their relationship.  This story is often hilarious, addictive, and filled with incredible opulence including the millions spent on clothes (per season!) and lavish parties and homes.  Although a bit long at over 500 pages, this is an enjoyable voyeuristic, transporting, and at times satirical novel.  

Menu

Wine and Singapore Slings

Chicken and Beef Strips, Eggrolls, and Dumplings

Various Entrees from Johnny's Asian Bistro

Dessert (Lemon Tart)

September 2015 Host:  Sarah

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Summary

This is the story (based on Will and Kate) of Bex, a Midwestern girl who spends a semester at Oxford and ends up falling in love with Nicholas, Prince of Wales.  Over the years they go through many ups and downs in their relationship, all under scrutiny by their family, friends, and of course, the paparazzi.  We are privy to the ins and outs of what it entails for someone to become a part of the royal family and descriptions of the innermost rooms of some famous English castles.  Two pivotal characters are Bex’s over achieving twin sister Lacey, who is jealous of all the attention her sister is receiving, and Nicholas’ precocious and charming brother, Freddie. The authors do a great job of describing the British monarchy idiosyncrasies, and although a bit long, this was a fun and entertaining read.

Menu

Salad

Pizza

German Chocolate Brownie Cake (Tony's Market)

August 2015 Host:  Jaci

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Summary

This novel is set in France and Germany during World War II.  The characters include a young blind girl named Marie Laure, her father who is a locksmith for the Museum of Nature and Science in Paris, her agoraphobic great-uncle along with his elderly housekeeper who eventually joins the French resistance, and Werner, a German orphan who is accepted into a science academy for Hitler Youth because he is a prodigy in building and fixing radios.  The novel focuses mainly on Marie Laure from France (the author does a wonderful job of giving the reader the blind girl’s perspective) and Werner from Germany.  Both are intelligent, sensitive, and have a thirst for knowledge.  As the German army advances closer to Paris, Marie Laure’s father takes steps to hide some of France’s artistic treasures along with a highly valuable jewel.  Locating these treasures and especially the valuable jewel (of which four copies were made in order to elude the Germans) turns into a dangerous game of hide and seek.  This book is definitely a page turner and the author does an amazing job of bringing the characters with their idiosyncrasies to life.  Although there are numerous novels set during World War II, this novel gave us a sense of what it was like for children who were living a happy life and then were starving or those who were brainwashed by Nazi leaders and made horrific choices to survive that they would not have otherwise made.  This novel is beautifully written and we highly recommend it.  This book is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Menu

Fruit and Cheese Plate

Quiche

Pasta and Egg Salad

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps

(recipe to follow)

Dessert

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps

Ready in: Under 30 minutes Recipe difficulty ⅗ Difficulty: 3 (1=easiest :: hardest=5) Serves/Makes: 4 

 INGREDIENTS: 

 16 Boston, bibb or butter lettuce leaves 

1 pound ground chicken breast 

1 large onion, chopped 

2 tablespoons minced garlic 

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 

¼ cup hoisin sauce 

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar 

2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (see Note) 

1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped 

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced 

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil 

 PREPARATION: Rinse lettuce leaves, keeping them whole. Set aside to drain. Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce. Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a platter. Spoon meat mixture in center. Allow diners to spoon meat mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco. 

COOK'S NOTES: Asian chili pepper sauce can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. Some brands contain garlic, which is fine. You can use ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon dried red chili flakes instead. 

NUTRITION: 358 calories, 13 grams fat, 22 grams carbohydrates, 37 grams protein per serving. This recipe is low in carbs. Show full nutritional data (including Weight Watcher's Points ®, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, and diabetic exchanges) 

 This recipe from CDKitchen for P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps with Chicken serves/makes 4 Recipe ID: 75955 SUBMITTED BY: rec.food.recipes Terry Pogue tpogue 

 

June 2015 Host:  Jennie

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Summary

This is a coming-of-age story of 14-year old June Elbus set in New York in 1987.  June forms a very close attachment to her uncle Finn, who is the only one who truly gets her. June is not your typical 1980s teen, she listens repeatedly to Mozart’s Requiem, wears lace up boots, and wishes she was a falconer from the middle-ages.  As his last act of love of June and her family, Finn paints a portrait of June and her sister Greta.  The portrait affects the family in many ways.  June soon loses her beloved uncle to AIDS during a time when the disease was a mysterious and frightening epidemic. June soon discovers her uncle’s lover Toby and is drawn to him as her last link to Finn.  Soon these two develop a quirky friendship that must remain secret due to June’s mother's complex and envious relationship with her brother Finn.  June must also deal with her insecure 16-year old sister Greta who taunts her about her uncle Finn and plays malicious tricks on her.  The author touches on the themes of sibling relationships and the fear of ostracization and embarrassment that AIDS brought about in the 1980s.  The characters are well described and aptly flawed.   I really enjoyed this book as the aspects of the relationships were described on many levels and the book appeals to adults and teens alike.  This is a sad and meaningful book, but also filled with bits of happiness.  We highly recommend this book. 

May 2015 Host:  Colleen

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Summary

This novel, first published in 1948, is a 1930s coming of age story about 17-year old Cassandra Mortmain who wants to become a writer.  Cassandra is the middle child in an eccentric family.  Her father, once a celebrated author, has had writer’s block for years.  In better times, he rented a castle in the English countryside, which has since become rundown and dilapidated and the family is on the brink of starvation.  The family hopes that he will one day begin writing again or that Cassandra’s beautiful sister Rose will marry well and save them all.  Her eccentric stepmother Topaz, an artist’s model, makes the best of the situation as does her brother Thomas.  Stephen, who is in love with Cassandra, works long days in the garden and such without pay to help out the family.  Although he is handsome and noble, she does not fall for him as in her own words:  “ …his expression is just a fraction daft.”  Their world soon changes as new bachelor brothers, Simon and Neil Cotton become landlords of the castle.  This book is beautifully written, light and funny, and the descriptions of the castle will make you feel as if you are there.  You will not want to put this novel down after you have read the first sentence…“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”  We highly recommend this book.  

Menu

Mushroom Tartlets

Seasoned Cauliflower

Coleslaw/Fresh Berries

Potato Salad

Pulled Pork

Bundt Cakes

April 2015 Host:  Nancy

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Summary

After the devastating loss of her mother at a young age, a failed marriage, drug abuse, and no real direction in life, Cheryl Strayed makes the unusual decision to hike solo - approximately 1100 miles on the Pacific Coast Trail – from the Mojave Desert to the Washington border.  Cheryl’s story goes back and forth from relating her daily hiking adventures to recounting the previous 22 years of her life.  Even though at first she can barely lift her backpack and she soon finds that her boots are too small, she perseveres through pain, lack of food, extreme exhaustion, and fear.  She almost steps on rattlesnakes on the trail and runs into a few hikers who are worse than the snakes.  Once she has spent a few days in the wilderness, Cheryl realizes that this is a huge life changing experience, one that allows her to commune with nature and her personal problems drift away as she deals with more immediate problems such as hunger, the mutilation of her feet, and fresh drinking water.  Cheryl is brutally honest about things in her past that she is not proud of and we are privy to her unique account of her healing journey.   This book is highly recommended.

Menu

Drinks

Appetizers

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Garlic Bread

Roast Chicken

Scalloped Potatoes and Edamame