Why Peacocks and Blueberry Peach Cobbler

 Why Peacocks by Sean Flynn and Blueberry Peach Cobbler 

Someone referenced this book on a podcast I was listening to and it got me interested.  I picked it up and glad I did.  What would you do if a neighbor asked you to adopt some peacocks?  I think most of us would say, No thank you!  Not Sean Flynn!  He said, sure and next thing you know, he has 3 peacocks which he knows nothing about.   This is the interesting and funny and sometimes sad story of his family in North Carolina and learning to care for peacocks.   The book is part history of the bird and part family saga.  Really good and a fast read.  I knew nothing about Peacocks except that they are beautiful.  We learn about a Peacock serial killer, Peacock conventions and mythology surrounding peacocks.   Overall fun read.  There are several pets who die so be prepared for a bit of sadness. 

Also, glad to add a bit more non-fiction to my reading list.  It nice to shake it up a bit. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

He feeds the birds blueberries throughout the book.  So, I had a dinner to attend and I made a peach blueberry cobbler.  The peaches aren't as ripe yet as i had hoped so i used frozen peaches.  But there are plenty of blueberries in stores.  

this is a basic recipe I use from Great Grub/ Delicious treats .  It's not too fancy, but oh so good especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! 

Enjoy! 

https://www.greatgrubdelicioustreats.com/peach-blueberry-cobbler/

Ingredients

For The Cobbler Filling

• 5 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced-  (I used a bag of frozen peaches. ) 
• 3 cups blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For The Topping

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup boiling water

Additional Topping, Optional

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• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375° and lightly spray a 3 quart baking dish with a non stick spray. Set aside.

  For The Cobbler Filling

  1. Peel, remove pits and slice peaches about 1/4 inch thick, add to large mixing bowl.

  2. Rinse blueberries and place in bowl.

  3. Sprinkle sugar, brown sugar, lemon juice, corn starch and cinnamon over fruit and stir

     

     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     gently. Let sit for 5 minutes then stir again.

  4. Pour fruit into an oval 3 quart baking dish.

  
  
• For The Topping

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together.

  2. Using a pastry blender, mix butter into flour mixture until mixture becomes crumbly. Pour boiling water into flour mixture and stir until combined.

  3. Spoon mixture over peaches and blueberries, spread gently making sure to cover the fruit completely.

  For Additional Topping

  1. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle on top of the cobbler.

     

  2. Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes or until topping is cooked thoroughly and has started to brown.

  3. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.

  4. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Office of Historical Corrections and sweet coleslaw

 Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans 

I don't usually read short stories.  No reason, I just typically haven't.  But, I saw this book all over bookstagram and it kept getting referenced as just a wonderful collection that explores relationships and race.  Since this year I have commited to reading more diverse authors , this seemed like a good book to pick up.  I'm really glad I did!   A few of the stories, while good, didn't stick with me .  But a couple really stood out and I can't stop thinking about them.  

Boys Go to Jupiter was my favorite.  A white college student poses in a confederate flag bathing suit and then refuses to admit there is anything wrong with it.  The author does some interesting things to try to make us sympathize with the student by giving us her back story which is kind of sad.  I almost fell for it.  I listened to a podcast called the Stacks and they discussed this in detail. The Podcaster mentioned how she is sure white women and black women will feel differently in this story.  She's right.  I had to stop and think, why would I be sympathizing with this young woman?  Why does the fact that she has a black best friend and a tragic backstory make it okay that she did this terrible thing and refuses to apologize for it and makes excuses for it?  So, I didn't.  I didn't sympathize with her.  I reexamined my feelings and thought about how ignorance is not an excuse for bad behavior.  the story is just really well done.  

Anything Could Disappear was also really good.  A young black woman is carrying drugs and ends up with an abandoned baby boy.  I wasn't sure what she was going to do.  Not sure I expected her to keep him or what happens next.  It feels like this could be a movie!  You get invested in her life in this short story and the ending was sad. 

Finally the Novella at the end, Office of Historical Corrections was a nice way to wrap it up.   This story is about a government agency whose job is to correct historical mistakes.  The young woman in the story corrects signs, tourist discussing history, newspaper articles, etc.  Cassie is assigned to find out about a sign that has been changed and without giving away too much, there is controversy with an old friend and a family secret to be exposed about a racist white man.   

I gave the collection 4 Stars even though there were a couple of stories that were forgettable. The ones that stood out made the collection worth reading and highly recommending .  

Since this is Juneteenth weekend, I started thinking about what food to make.  On Instagram, I follow the hashtag, #Juneteenthcookout2021 and there were so many great recipes and food ideas for a cookout.  There was also some good history attached to the food.  Stories about why red food and drink is so important.  I didn't post on the 19th because it kind of felt like it wasn't my day to post.  I read a few articles about Juneteenth and watched a couple of videos.    

I decided to make mom's coleslaw which would be something i might take to a cookout.  Mom loved this coleslaw partly because of how sweet it is.  She liked her food sweet!   Next time I make it, i'm going to cut the sugar back. 

Mom's slaw 

1 bag of slaw mix 

1 carrot or a handful of petite carrots cut into small pieces  or shredded 

1/2 onion-chopped fine or shredded 

1 yellow bell pepper.  Mom used green bell peppers but i don't care for green peppers.  I would go with red or yellow or orange .  Chopped fine 

1/2 cup chopped up parsley 

3/4 cup of mayo 

3/4 cup of sugar (Next time i'm making this 1/2 cup) 

1 tsp celery seed 

1 tsp mustard seed 

black pepper 

Mix all of the slaw together.  Mix the mayo, sugar, seeds and pepper together and pour over.  mix well and chill.  

I also made watermelon margaritas.  Just your basic margaritte but with watermelon juice tossed in there. 

Delicious.   Happy reading! 

Writers and Lovers by Lily King Served with Fish and cucumbers

 I realized that I don't get reviews posted often because i get myself so worked on what to say.  My new goal is short and sweet and no pressure!  

I had seen Writers and Lovers everywhere last year and finally downloaded it on audio.  SO good.  The narrator is excellent , Stacey Glemboski.   

this is a story of a young woman grieving the death of her month, drowning in school debt and trying to figure out her life.  She is a writer but waiting tables.  She is finishing up her first novel but struggling to concentrate.   2 men come into her life at around the same time and she falls for both.  It is just a great character driven novel and I really cared about the main character Casey.   I kind of didn't want to lose her.  We might need a follow up novel. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

There is a scene in the book where she goes over to Oscars house to have dinner with him and his kids. They serve fish sticks and cucumbers.   I made homemade fish sticks in the air fryer.  Just took some tilapia and soaked it in milk and egg.  Then dipped it in a mixture of breadcrumbs, bay seasoning, salt pepper and parmesan cheese.  I put it in the fryer and that was it!  super easy and i think better then those frozen fish sticks.  

Vanishing Half and Polenta with Shrimp

 I know this book was the hot topic over a year ago on all of the book forums but I just got around to it this year.  My book group read Vanishing Half for our April read and it was perfect for a good discussion.   For the one person who doesn’t know, this book is centered on twins in a small town in Louisiana called Mallard.  The population is fair skinned but still considered black.  The story starts with one sister returning home with her daughter who is very black and then jumps backward to tell us what happened previously.  We find out the twins ran away at age 16.  One twin got married and had a daughter and is returning to escape her husband.  The other twin is gone.  She is passing as white and started a new life never to return to this old life.  The book runs from 1968 to the late 80s.   The book takes us to California, to NYC, and back to Louisiana.  I listened to this book on audio which was fabulous but I also own a hard copy so some of it I went back and read again.  

Our book group loved it and our discussion was rich.  Overall I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the settings.  I do think there were some unanswered questions or maybe it is just parts of the plot I wish had been explored.  For example, i wanted to know more about Reese?  I get that Reese was also passing as someone else but I would have liked more.  I also wanted more of Early and Desiree.   

Overall a great discussion for a group and a good read. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I kind of wanted to make Shrimp and Grits to go with it because that always makes me think of Louisiana.  But, I'm not a big grits fan so instead I did Shrimp and Polenta.  I love soft Polenta!  I make it all the time in the winter.  It is the perfect comfort food.  Sometimes with roasted vegetables and sometimes with tomato sauce.  For this recipe, I had some fresh shrimp I grilled up, chopped up some tomatoes, added a few diced tomatoes, garlic, onions and put it all in a pan together for a few minutes.  Poured it over the soft polenta and covered it with shredded parmesan.    

For soft polenta, it is a 4-1 mix of polenta to broth.  I used Vegetable broth for this one and brought it to a boil.  Poured in the polenta and let it cook for about 15 minutes stirring it pretty frequently .    at the end I add some heavy cream.  A little more than a splash but it is up to you and how creamy you want it. 

Delicious! .  

Jane Austen #2 retellings- Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors AND. Recipe for Persuasion

 I do love a JA retelling!  I’ve read so many of them and plan to bore you with so many reviews.  This new series by Sonali Dev forces on the Raje family.  In the first book, Pride , Prejudice and Other Flavors, we meet Dr Trisha Raje who is an acclaimed neurosurgeon.  The immigrant Indian family is descended from royalty and now settled in San Francisco.  We learn that Trisha broke some trust with the family over a scandal with her older brother who is an aspiring politician and her father won’t get past it.  There is an up and coming chef who’s sister needs brain surgery and immediately he clashes with the dr,  She makes assumptions about chefs and is arrogant in her status.  He is full of Pride and won’t let her get away with her prejudice but he also needs her help.   Of course you know where this is going!  I loved the cultural take on the story.  The food descriptions are yummy!  This retelling manages to be original by adding in family subplots, touching on racism and having some new original characters.  An easy 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.  

Dev’s second book in the series is Recipe for Persuasion. I liked this one also but not quite as much as the first book.  Persuasion is not my favorite of the JA novels but this one was an original take on the classic.  Chef Ashna Raje is the cousin of Dr Trisha Raje and is trying to keep her family's Indian restaurant afloat. She joins a reality cooking show where the chefs are teamed up with a celebrity, aka dancing with the stars, to compete for a large payoff that could keep her business alive.  She gets paired with celebrity soccer star Rico Silva .  Of course they have a history and losing Ashna years ago was extremely painful and something he hasn’t moved on from.  This retelling , similar to the first one, did a great job of making it original enough to be super interesting.  There are some heavy topics so it’s not a breezy romance.  We go back and forth from Ashna to her mother who was forced into an arranged marriage, an alcoholic father and child neglect.  I loved the food in the story and getting to learn more about this family.  It was a bit heavier then I expected and  that slowed me down in the first half.   I was expecting a fun romance and I’m not sure I would classify it as such.   But, started to love the characters and even though I knew how this would turn out, I was still anxious to get there.  I give this 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Because of the way she handled the story and because I really cared about these characters people.  

The 3rd book in the series is due out in July and I can’t wait! 

Let's talk food.  I don't eat a lot of Indian food but as i expand my horizons and read more diverse characters, I'd also like to do the same with my food.   So, I found this recipe on the Skinnytaste.com site.  It is Salmond Coconut Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas.  I'm always a little afraid of curry but this was delicious.  https://www.skinnytaste.com/salmon-coconut-curry-with-spinach-and-chickpeas/  

I highly recommend it.  I did omit the Fresno Chili and i couldn't find the curry powder it called for so substituted with what my store had.  Overall delicious and new flavors for me!  I will make this one again! 

For Recipe for Persuasion I felt inspired by some of the fresh fruit she used and i made myself a Mango Blackberry vodka cooler!    Found this one on Pinterest! My mango wasn't super ripe so this was good but could have been better if I found a good mango.    Still, delicious and refreshing.   

More JA to come! 

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice - reread , podcast and more to come! Part 1 of ?

 I first read Pride and Prejudice back in my college days.  SInce then I've watched every movie multiple times!  My favorite is the 1995 BBC version.  I've seen it multiple times and just love it.   This year i've discovered Podcast and one of those is Novel Pairings.  The Hostesses did a 4 part episode on reading, rereading and retellings/sequels and Pastiche relating to P&P.  (I had never heard the word pastiche but it means to imitate the work or style of the artist) .  I loved all of it.  I ended up downloading the Audible version which was recommended.  It was so good and is free with my subscription.  It's read by Rosamund Pike and was wonderful. I highly recommend it.   I also bought the Annotated version of P&P which is full of notes and drawings and everything you might want to know about the book. 

It was so nice to revisit this classic.  It felt familiar and listening to the podcast helped me listen for different things and learn a few new things. They did a nice job of digging into the meaning of things and the customs of the time period.   Since i'm also a patreon of the podcast, I also got bonus episodes and classes .  I have to admit I haven't had time to explore all of it but I am planning to! 

 I have so much to say about Austen. 
I am planning out a series of posting.  I have JA cookbooks and cocktail books.  I have read multiple retelling and sequels.  I have puzzles and graphic novels.  SO much to say!!   This is post one of several.  I should admit that i posted about JA a few years ago when i started this blog.  At that time i had just read the Jane Austen Project and posted a review and a review of By the Book which is a modern retelling of Persuasion.  

https://veryhungryreader2017.blogspot.com/2018/05/jane-austen-inspired-books.html

I won't post all of the JA together but will spread it out over the year.   I'm super excited to share all the books related. 

For this post I made a cocktail from Gin Austen.  It is the Brandon Old Fashioned.  More Austen coming soon!  Keep reading! 

Hamnet and Honey Brussel Sprouts

 Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.   I saw this book all over Bookstagram last year and added to my list.  Finally got to it in March and oh my!   I loved it.  This is the story of the death of Shakespeare's 11 year old son Hamnet.  At least that is the description on the book but it is really more about his mother and how grief can shatter a family.  This book is beautifully written and I read it in just a few days because it was tough to put down.  The story is told from different viewpoints but Agnes is the main character.  We jump to her first introduction to the bard and then to her family.   Shakespeare, while an important character, is not the focus.  Agnes feels almost mystical.  Her relationship with animals, her
premonitions and her use of plants to heal, all lend a feeling of magic to the story.  This is in  the time of the plague and she cannot heal the plague.   I was so taken by this novel that i needed to know how much was true.  Turns out Shakespeare did have a son that died but very little is known about his wife.  O'Farrell obviously used her wonderful imagination to give us this story. At the end, I realized I had never read or seen Hamlet.  I had no idea how this story might be related to play.  I was visiting my sister and we decided to watch it.    We googled it to find the best version and the critics seemed to pick David Tennant's version from 2009.  So, that's the one we watched.  Ummmmm  it was not very good.  I think we wanted  costumes and a more historically accurate Hamlet.  This one is a modern version and there are limited sets and terrible costumes.  I wish we had gone with the Kenneth Branagh version.  Oh well.  I got the story and not sure I needed to see it after all.   

In the book, Agnes is a beekeeper.  Because of her connection with nature, i thought making something with Honey seemed appropriate so I had 2 ideas.  One turned out great, one not so great.   

1st  was sauteed shredded Brussel Spouts with honey and balsamic glaze.  I bought the shredded sprouts they sell at Trader Joes in the bag.  Almost every recipe I see for shredded brussel sprouts has bacon in it.  I really trying to stop eating all pork products so i had to make my own recipe.  I cut up an onion and an apple and added them to the brussels and sauteed them in a generous helping of butter.  Near the end i drizzled honey over them , sprinkled some salt and pepper and let them sit till nice and soft.  I ended with a nice topping of balsamic glaze.   They were delicious.   Perfect amount of sweetness.   

The dish that didn't turn out so good was the figs.  Figs just feel very shakespearean to me (don't even ask why).  Unfortunately this isn't fig season.  They don't come in until June or July.  So i bought dried ones and stuffed them with cream cheese and covered them with honey.  I put them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350.  They weren't terrible but not great.  Fresh figs would have been perfect but the dried ones don't do much in the oven.   I think i'll have to wait for fig season!  

Pick up the book, make some brussel spouts and skip the figs.  Hamnet ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Classics- Room with a View and Scones!

 I joined the Patreon account for one of my favorite podcast- A Strong Sense of Place and this weekend they did their first book group discussion.   They sent us all a copy of A Room with a View and a box of tea.  I had never read the book and remembered the movie slightly from seeing it 30 years ago! 

 I ended up finding it on Audibles for free and listened to it while walking this week.   So, first a few thoughts on the book.  The narrator of the audio version is OUTSTANDING!   Her name is Rebecca Hall and I would listen to anything she reads.  She made it super enjoyable.  I went back to the actual book a few times but just didn't find it as exciting as the audio version.  Second, I didn't love the story.  I liked it okay and I think he was making some statements at the time about classes in England and women being more independent and free thinking.  All of that is good but I still didn't love the story.  I think if i was in school and we were discussing novels set in that time and the role of women in literature, it would be fabulous.  And third, I think this is one case where the movie is actually better than the book.  That doesn't happen often but the movie is so beautiful and it is super faithful to the book and for some reason the fact that they fall in love in like 5 minutes, didn't bother me as much.    Still glad I read it as I feel like I haven't read that many classics and I've been wanting to add classics to my reading agenda.  ✅

Now, the book group discussion was totally fun.  I was only able to stay on for the first hour because I had a #@% work thing come up which was a drag.  But, I got to meet our delightful host and some of the other members of the Pateron communities.  I will say that 3 super positive things to come out of COVID are - Bookstagram,  Podcast and Pateron.   I get to support my favorite podcast with a small monthly donation and in exchange you become part of a community of booklovers.  Totally worth it. 

Also, one of the members posted a yummy recipe for Scones and I made them that morning right before the gathering.   They were delicious and went well with my English Breakfast tea.  

Here is the recipe , listen to Strong Sense of Place and think about reading a classic this year! 

Recipe for Tomi's Scones posted by Emily Kerr 

2 Cups of Flour 

1 Tablespoon of Baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 cup of Sugar 

1 cup dried fruit or Chocolate chips-  I did both- 1/2 cup chocolate Chips and 1/2 cup dried cherries 

1 1/4 cup of Heavy Cream 

Melted butter and sugar for topping (I used turbinado sugar) 

Oven 425.  Ungreased pan .   Mix dry ingredients and add fruit and chips.   Pour in cream and mix until dough sticks together.  It will be sticky.  Dump out on a floured surface and knead 8-9 times.  Pat down into a 10 inch circle.  Cut into 12 wedges.  (I only got 10 wedges from mine but maybe i had it too thick) Brush on melted butter and sprinkle with sugar .  Bake 15 minutes.  

The Circus- Life She Was Given and Palmiers

 I'm so far behind on posting reviews!   I've been reading a ton but just not stopping to post anything.  My goal/promise this year was to post more often so i want to keep that promise. 

My book group read The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman.  I was excited for this book because i do have a love for the circus.  Not necessarily the animal acts ( which make me feel bad for the animals) but the costumes and the history or legend of the sideshows.  I know that sideshows are totally inappropriate now but we would never stand for putting people on display this way but it makes for good storytelling.   I wanted to love this book for all of those reasons but I didn't.  I liked it and it was a fairly easy read.  But, there felt like some gaps in the story. 

what I liked-  The theme of the traveling circus, the sideshow, the atmosphere.  And I also liked the storytelling technique she used on going back in forth on time periods.   Half of the story is about Lilly who is sold off to the circus and builds a life there.  The other half jumps forward 20+ years and it is told from Julia's point of view.  Julia inherits her parents house after their death and goes back there to start uncovering secrets. 

That might be it for the likes.   

What I didn't like was that it didn't feel plausible.  The whole locked in the attic for the first 10 years and then she is still fairly normal seemed odd.  I didn't like the animal abuse.  I know circus stories often have this as a theme but it is hard to read.  I also felt like about 3/4 way through the book the author decided she needed to wrap up the story and rushed the ending.     Also, hated both of the parents.   

I'm giving this  3 stars but it might just barely hit that rating.  I think there are better circus stories out there to read if that is your goal.  A few I'd start with are -  Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen or the Autobiography of Mrs Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin. 

What was worth doing was thinking about the fun things i could eat with this!   I was at my sisters the week after finishing the book and she had the most amazing tablecloth and dishes that had circus themed.  Of course i had to use them for photos.  Her husband happen to pick up some corn dog snacks for us so we did a quick photo shoot.   When i got home I made Palmiers which is like an Elephant Ear but smaller and fancier! 

Palmiers are so easy to make and everyone thinks they were difficult because of how good they taste.  

Here is all you need; 

1 sheet of puff pastry , thawed 

3/4-1 cup of sugar 

a pinch of salt 

At the pinch of salt to the sugar.   Pour half of the sugar on a flat surface and roll out your puff pastry.  Spread the remaining sugar on top of the puff pastry.  Roll it out till you have ~13X13 inch square.  It's okay if it's not perfect.  this is where it gets a little tricky .  Fold over the edges towards the middle.  Fold them again until they meet .  Fold one more time.  You should have 6 layers. 

Slice into 3/8 inch slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Heat oven to 450.  Bake for 6-7 minutes and then flip the cookies over and bake for another 5 minutes.   The baking is the only tricky part.  You want them to look caramelized.  If they don't, leave them in.    

that's it.  Enjoy. 

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!