The Supper Club- Book 1 and 2.

 I love books about food so when I heard about this series, I jumped on it!   3 books all around friendship and food.  What's not to love?  I've read the first 2 books- The Saturday Night Supper Club and Brunch at the Bittersweet Cafe by Carl Laureano.   The only reason I haven't read book 3 is that my library doesn't have it yet.  I might just have to breakdown and buy it which I have sworn off buying books until I read some of what I have! 

Here is the review for both books- fun, easy read, nice romance but not mushy, lots of food and lots of friendship.   Really just an easy read which is what I need sometimes.   When life get stressful you just want something to take your mind off of it.  In the first book, Rachel is a top chef in Denver.  Alex writes an editorial about women chefs and Rachel makes a few comments that don't land well with the public.  Suddenly her career is in jeopardy and she has lost her restaurant.  Of course he feels terrible and wants to help fix the mess.  Now, I think we all know where this is going to end up.  But it is still super fun getting there.   They start a pop up dinner club which becomes the talk of Denver and suddenly she has a new opportunity.   But she has doubts about him and if she can have a relationship and be a chef.  Throughout the entire book her 2 best friends are there by her side.   

Book 2 is about one of those friends!  Melody was the pastry chef at the Denver restaurant and she is now wasting away in a bakery making someone else's pastries.   Melody is a dater and always looking for the perfect man.   Turns out he may have wandered into the bakery one night during a snowstorm.  But he has plans to leave town and move to Florida so she knows not to get attached.  Meanwhile she finds a location and with her friend Rachel, they decide to open a bakery cafe.  She will get a chance to make her own food again.   As with book number 1, I knew where this would end up but I sure did enjoy getting there.  The food made me hungry and the story was just such an fun read. 

Book 3 is going to be about the last friend and it sounds like she is going into the coffee business!  How perfect is that?     

I gave both books 4 stars because I really enjoyed them and they came at me at the perfect time.  Here is the thing I didn't know.  These books are listed as Christian Fiction.  I didn't even know there was a category called Christian fiction and if I had known, not sure I would have read them.   I would have been afraid of some kind of preaching that I don't want in my books.  But, if i had to describe what makes them Christian fiction, I'd say that there is no sex and there is some conversation on faith and what it means to the characters.   Don't get me wrong, there is romance and sexual tension but no steamy scenes if that is what you want.   I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that that they were listed in this category.     So, if you are looking for a lovely romance that has a food focus and strong women and strong women friendships, give these a try. 

Now, for the food, I didn't do anything fancy but yummy!   I made a delicious Banana's foster french toast for the brunch book.   

I happen to make a loaf of sourdough yesterday so I took 3 slices and soaked them in egg, heavy cream and a bit of vanilla.   While the bread was soaking, I heated up some butter and brown sugar and added 2 bananas.  Oh my!   So good.  And so easy.   I only ate 2 of the 3 slices because I was stuffed but it was delicious.  

For the Supper club, I made what would probably be the dinner I would serve should we ever have people in our houses again.   I made salmon in the air fryer (I'm crazy about my air fryer).  I coated it with butter and sprinkled it with paprika and garlic powder.   So good.   And then did air fryer brussel sprouts.   Shook them up with some olive oil, some ranch seasoning and salt and pepper.   Like I said, not fancy but so good.    

Enjoy and keep reading!     

 

Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Chocolate Cinnamon cake

 At the end of last year, the Bookstagram community was all over The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue.  I really find the best recommendation through those readers!   And as usual, i'm about 6 months behind on reading.   I finished this one up the first week of March and really liked it.  It started a little bit slow for me but by the halfway point, I was totally hooked.  

Adeline prays to the old gods after dark and her prayer is answered.  She prays to be saved from a forced marriage that she doesn't want.  She is,  but she will now be forgotten by everyone who ever meets her.   The book flips back and forth from the 1700's where is starts to present day NYC.  We start to discover how she now lives in this world where her heart gets broken daily and everything she might want gets lost.  As we go back and forth in time, we find that the dark god (is it the devil?) stays with her.  Luc appears to her from time to time always playing with her and occasionally reminding her of his power.  He is waiting for her to give up and hand over her soul.  She will not.   Finally in the present day, she meets someone who remembers her.  The first time in 300 years!  I can't tell you about Henry because that would be giving away parts of the story you need to discover. 

Here's the thing... I gave this 5 stars because I read it in 3 days because I was hooked.   I liked the writing, the story and the characters.  BUT it might really be 4.5 because I wanted more!  I wanted to know more about some of the years she skips over.   How did she really get to America, she hints at her role in the wars but I wanted more of that.   There were too many years to cover and I wanted to know what happened in all of them.  I'm also not 100% sure what I think of the end.  

But, overall a great read and I would highly recommend. 

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/v-e-schwab-novel-invisible-life-of-addie-larue-film-1234788936/

I am pairing it with Chocolate Cinnamon Bread.  This is a recipe from Starbucks.  Anyone reading this probably knows i work at the corporate headquarters and we published this recipe years ago with we sold the product.  SInce then the recipe was pulled from the website but several food bloggers saved it and keep it posted.   I make it every year from a dear friends birthday because she loves it!!   I love it too but i give it all away because it is too tempting to eat the entire thing.  SOOOOO  good.   I thought it went well with this book because it is unforgettable after all of these years and it is dark and delicious as some might think Luc is.   It just seemed to fit. 

here is the official SBUX recipe! 

Starbucks.Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

INGREDIENTS

• ▢3 sticks unsalted butter room temperature, 1 1/2 cups
• ▢3 cups granulated sugar
• ▢5 eggs, room temperature
• ▢2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢1 1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa
• ▢1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• ▢1 tsp salt
• ▢1/2 tsp baking powder
• ▢1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢1 cup buttermilk
• ▢1/4 cup water
• ▢1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

• ▢1/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢Pinch of ground ginger
• ▢Pinch of ground cloves
• ▢1/4 cup sugar sparkles, for decorating

NSTRUCTIONS

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 9x5 loaf pans with parchment paper with enough that they are hanging off both sides for easy bread removal.
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  In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping EXCEPT the sparkle sugar. Set the topping mixture aside.
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  In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
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  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating them well after each addition.
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  In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, water, and vanilla extract.
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  Alternating between the dry mixture and the buttermilk mixture, add the contents to the bowl of the stand mixer, mixing at a low speed. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides of your bowl once or twice.
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  Divide the batter evenly among the two prepare loaf pans. Divide the topping mixture between the two loaves then sprinkle the sparkle sugar on top.
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  Bake for 45-50 minutes (or longer). Use a toothpick and insert it into the middle of the bread to check for doneness. The toothpick should come out clean when bread is done.
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  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before pulling up on the parchment paper to remove the bread from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.
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  Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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Convenience Store Woman and Japanese Souffle Pancakes!

 Recently I discovered the Podcast called "Strong Sense of Place".   They discuss a place and the books that really give you a taste of being there.   Some fiction, some non-fiction.  I love it!   I listened to the Japan episode since that is where my niece is.   It was such a great show and they mentioned a book that grabbed my attention - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.  I listened to it on Audio as recommended.  What a strange, fun  little book! 

This is the story of Keiko who works in a convenience store.  Not only does she work there but she feels like she is part of the convenience store.   She's been there for 18 years.   She is comfortable in her life but everyone around her is pushing her to be more normal.  We hear about why they think she isn't normal and quite honestly they are all pretty mean and judgemental.  But, she is delightful.  She is obviously on the spectrum because she struggles to understand basic emotion.  She takes on the emotion of those around her because she believes that is how to pretend to be normal.   It is a wacky book.  It made me laugh out loud and also made me a little sad.  I wish they would just let her be a convenience store worker and be happy for her.   The book is pretty short and it was a perfect for my afternoon walks.  I gave it 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.   And the narrator is fabulous!  

I decided to try those souffle pancakes that were all over social media recently.   Here is what i would say...   super delicious but a bit of work for pancakes!   I'm glad I made them but i'll probably stick with the basic pancakes next time. 

There are 100's of recipes on Pinterest.   Here is the one i used... 

Japanese Souffle Pancakes -  By Kirbie's Cravings 

• 6 tbsp cake flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp skim milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4  tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp full fat mayonnaise or kewpie mayonnaise this is the Japanese mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs egg whites and egg yolks separated (keep egg whites chilled in fridge until ready to use)
• n a medium bowl, add milk, baking powder, vanilla, mayonnaise and egg yolks. Sift in cake flour using a flour sifter or fine mesh strainer (make sure you don't skip this!). Mix with a whisk until batter is smooth and the mixture is a pale yellow.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add chilled egg whites and sugar. Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk attachment are completely clean and dry. If there is any oil, your egg whites won't turn into meringue. Whip on the highest speed your mixer allows, until stiff peaks form. (About 2-3 minutes.) Your meringue should be able to hold its form and if you turn the mixing bowl upside down, the meringue will not slide out.
• Using a spatula, scoop out one-third of the meringue and add to your egg yolk batter. Gently fold the meringue into the batter until there are no more white streaks. Make sure you start your folds from the bottom so that the batter at the bottom of the bowl doesn't go unmixed. You need to be gentle when folding. If you mix too hard, the meringue will lose its structure. Once the meringue has been incorporated, add in another third. Fold in. And then the final third. At the end, you batter should be very light and airy, with the meringue only just incorporated to the point where there are not visible white streaks.
• Bring your skillet to low heat. It may take a test one to figure out where exactly you want your heat setting. For me, I turned my dial to heat setting 4 (with 10 being the highest) on my gas stove top. Once the oil and pan are hot, fill each ring mold between 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter, allowing some room for them to rise. Add 1/2 tbsp of water to each side of the pan (preferably not touching the pancakes). Close the lid and allow to cook about 3-4 minutes.
• Your pancakes are ready to flip when the tops look almost completely cooked and you can move the bottom of the pancakes without batter spilling out. Use a spatula or turner to flip the pancakes (while still in their molds). I prefer to use a cookie spatula because they are thinner and slip under the molds easier.
• Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until pancakes are completely cooked and golden brown on both top and bottom. Place pancakes onto plate. Gently push out of the molds to remove from molds. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, fruit, or other toppings
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