Bookclub was at my house last night!
It has been a LONG summer, with very few opportunities to get together, so we were all a little giddy just to see one another.
Celestia drove all the way from Bigfork, MT to co-host with me and it was the most laid-back "get ready for Bookclub" day I've ever had....we'd swab a little, talk a lot, feed people, repeat. All the girls started showing up before the men and children had been evicted, so for a few minutes it was not only giddy, it was downright wild. Maggie was torn between trying to stay at bookclub with The Ladies or going fishing with The Men. Child of my heart, she went fishing, so the house remained child-free, which was the o-riginal plan.
Were you wondering about the menu? Mmmhmmm....there are those who think we get together merely to eat and cackle, that the book is a mere front for a hen party. Well, here's the deal: when a reading group is made up of the best cooks in the county, it's hard NOT to focus on eating! And because I know Sara H. is gnashing her teeth, wanting me to get to the food part (she'd fit right in and I hope someday she comes for bookclub) here's the menu:
Chocolate martinis and strawberry daiquiris by Marisa.
(I couldn't imagine chocolate martinis, either, but they really are quite tasty. Sort of like grown up chocolate milk, without all that pesky dairy...)
Zucchini and olive flatbread appetizers by Traci.
(Recipe to follow...and yes! zucchini!)
Israeli cucumber salad by Celestia.
(It was so clean and summery! I had some for breakfast this morning...perfect.)
French bread with cheese, garlic, sun-dried tomatos by Anne and Nancy.
(I do love sun-dried tomatos and cheese...on ANYTHING. This was wonderful.)
Chicken Tikka Masala on cous cous by me.
(Recipe at the end of the post...it will read like I made it up after the chocolate martinis, but it's really and truly the recipe and it really and truly is good!)
TWO...no, wait...THREE desserts!
Chocolate whipped cream torte-y and/or brownies by Heather (who was not in attendance but sent dessert anyway, bless her heart) and cream puffs filled with whipped cream, topped with fresh strawberries by Traci.
(It is our belief that a bookclub can never have too many desserts. We simply cannot choose, either, so we eat all of them in the spirit of equality.)
(We read The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain...if anyone is interested. In fact, most of us are STILL reading it. We discovered at last night's bookclub that it's really much better when read aloud!)
And the pictures!
Martinis in the making....
Anne is smiling because, well, they ARE good!
Grilling the chicken for the tikka masala was a LOT more tolerable with the chocolate martini.
Here's the flatbread, fresh from the oven....mmmm!
Testing 1-2-3....
YES! We have a winner! And it was, too. Almost just stopped right there, with the meal...
The bread was still in the broiler, so that's why the empty spot on the plate. As a rule, we don't allow empty spots on plates at bookclub. Those cucumbers were the perfect balance to the spicy tikka masala.
Bon appetit!
Oh, that's right...we DID read a book. Clara and Marisa had the ebooks; interesting, because Clara had read 39% of the book and Marisa had e-notes. The rest of us had turned down corners, sticky notes and had no idea what percent of the book we'd read....if any. (I wish to point out to Anonymous who wanted the skinny lens and nose reduction in the First Day of School post, that those were applied here. You're welcome!)
I don't know if you can tell, but this is: big layer of real whipped cream, small layer of chocolate wafers, repeat. Pair it with really rich, black coffee...bliss.
See the cream puffs in the center of the table? Just in case we didn't get enough cream in the other dessert, we had those to graze on, too. I didn't even realize the brownies were on the counter until everyone was packing up to go!
Traci, in English teacher mode, with rapt students!
Isn't she cute? (She's gonna kill me for the thumbs up picture, so here's a little different angle, in apology.)
Anne's mother in law, Nancy, who lives in Great Britain joins us about once a year for bookclub.
It turns out, her bookclub in England doesn't discuss things like bear grease, sidling, hairy underarms or anything interesting like that at all! Apparently, they really do examine things like plot, characters, point of view and other literary things.
She also says they've never worn pajamas or tiaras to her bookclub meetings.
The dear woman appeared to have survived OUR meeting with little or no apparent post traumatic stress disorder, but that could've been because of the chocolate martinis...
(A side note, here....Nan has GREAT shoes. And she's going to France next week. *sniff*)
Anne and Clara, listening to an anecdote that most surely involved....
...cats hanging on the window screen?
....bears?
....two chocolate martinis on an empty stomach?
My charming boy....
Well, it WAS a bookclub. Read to me, please!
And the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala!
It looks weird.
It IS weird, in a really delectable way.
Try it...really....and you won't be sorry!
Ingredients
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
6 long skewers
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1.In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
2.Preheat a grill for high heat.
3.Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4.Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
