March 2012 Host:  Sarah

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

Summary

This is the story of a young woman’s (Natalia’s) quest for information on the last days of her grandfather’s life.  The novel is set in a Balkan location (possibly Belgrade).  This book is modern day narrative (Natalia’s quest) mixed with mythical folk tales told to Natalia by her grandfather.  One of the tales is about a man who cannot die (the deathless man) and another is about a tiger who escaped from a zoo and the deaf mute girl who befriended the tiger, who eventually becomes known as the tiger’s wife.  These magical tales are linked by the tattered book that is always carried by the grandfather, Rudyard’s The Jungle Book with its story of the great tiger Shere Khan.  The grandfather promises to hand over the book to the deathless man at their final meeting.  The novel encompasses multiple layered stories that draw you in. The underlying themes that run throughout the stories are death and war.  Although the author’s writing is beautiful and she is an incredibly talented writer, some of us had difficulties with the book – it seemed disjointed at times, occasionally confusing, and we really couldn’t empathize with the characters.  The author does not go out of her way to make the characters likable or sympathetic and she manages to allow us to understand the complexities of the characters and not judge them solely on violent or offensive actions. We especially enjoyed the mythical stories, more so than the present day narrative.  This is Ms. Obreht’s first novel and she is definitely an author to watch in the future.

Menu

Fig and Olive Tapenade

Ingredients

-1 cup chopped dried figs

-1/2 cup water

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-1 teaspoon dried rosemary

-1 teaspoon dried thyme

-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-2/3 cup chopped kalamata olives

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-salt and pepper to taste

-1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

-1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese or equivalent amount goat cheese

Directions

Combine figs and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat, and stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne. Add olives and garlic, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Unwrap cream cheese block, and place on a serving platter. Spoon tapenade over cheese, and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve with slices of French bread or crackers

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Assorted Breads and Sandwiches

Mint Oreo Cookie Dessert

February 2012 Host:  Jennie

The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the

Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

Sara and Evan

Colleen and Evan

Mom (Jaci) and Evan

Summary

This is an unusual yet extraordinary tale of how madness and genius intertwined that lead to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.  The compilation of the dictionary began in 1857 and was led by the legendary James Murray, with hundreds of volunteers submitting entries.  Murray taught himself biology, geology, and etymology (he even tried to teach Latin to cows) and was fluent in several languages. His love of the written word made him instrumental in creating the dictionary.  It was later discovered that one individual, Dr. W.C. Minor, an American Civil War Surgeon, submitted definitions for over ten thousand words.  He had went mad amid the horrors of the war and endured nightly demons which led to his killing an innocent man, after which he was incarcerated in an asylum for the criminally insane.  Other interesting tidbits about the Civil War brought forth in this book was why the Irish so frequently deserted the army and the branding of those deserters that were caught.  Some instances at the conclusion of this book are somewhat bizarre and demented.  The author succeeds in bringing history to life and how one mad man, who never lost his intellectual or linguistic abilities, submitted thousands of definitions to the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Discussion (to be added)

Chili (the main menu item)

January 2012 Host:  Colleen

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Summary

This is the story of the Farraday family. The mother, Jude, has devoted her life to her husband and two twin children, Zach and Mia. During the twins’ freshman year in high school, Mia meets and befriends Lexi, who is also embraced by the rest of the Farraday family. Even though there is disparity in many areas between the girls (especially financial as Lexi is from a nearly destitute family and Mia’s family is well to do), Lexi becomes best friends with Mia and is like a daughter to Jude. The complexities of their relationships and their growing bonds are explored in this novel and Lexi’s bond with the Farraday family becomes stronger over the years, until one fateful night during their senior year when everything changes.

Discussion

-Jude is self centered and controlling, a neurotic character that the reader will often hate and simply tolerate throughout the book (perhaps that was what the author intended).

-It was also hard to believe that Jude would allow her teens to attend a party where she knew there would be drinking and her teens had previously drank at other parties. If Jude was supposed to be a sympathetic character, she didn’t get any sympathy from us.

-The story doesn’t really pick up until 150 pages in to the story, but foreshadowing from the beginning gives you an idea of what is going to happen (e.g. stereotypical teen love and social behaviors give us clues).

-There was a lot to discuss in this novel: friendship, underage drinking, parenting, justice, teenage dreams, and debilitating grief.

-The father, Miles, was ‘just there’ and surprisingly, did not play a bigger role in the story line. He never seemed to react to situations that would have made a lot of men very angry.

-This was definitely a tear jerker for some of us and the grief portrayed in the novel was very believable. The author did a good job of evoking emotions throughout the story, to the point where the reader is left feeling as if they were on an emotional roller coaster.

Menu

Cheddar Dill Puffs (an American version of Gougeres)
Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child’s recipe)
Broccoli
Boiled Potatoes
Lemon Bars
Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cheddar Dill Puffs (Americanized gougeres)

Ingredientts

-1 stick butter
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-5 large eggs
-8 ounces extra-sharp finely grated Cheddar cheese
-2 tablespoons dill weed

Directions

Bring water to a boil with butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to moderate. Add flour all at once and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly, about 3 minutes, then add 5 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture should be glossy and fall softly from a spoon. Stir in cheese and dill. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Spoon level tablespoons 1 inch apart onto each sheet. Bake at 375 degrees in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed, golden and crisp, about 30 minutes total. A lightly greased mini muffin pan may also be used for baking the gougeres. 

Beef Bourguignon

Recipe from Julia Child's cookbook

Broccoli