Himself served with Irish Soda Bread, Irish Cheese and a double chocolate stout

 Himself by Jess Kidd 

I picked up this book because I really liked her latest novel, Things in Jars.  https://veryhungryreader2017.blogspot.com/2021/12/things-in-jars-served-with-dessert-in.html

This one has some similarity to the her other book.  It is set in Ireland, ghost play a big part and there is a mystery to solve.  We start the book with a murder but we have no idea who the murderer is.  Jump forward 20+ years and Mahony arrives in a small irish town call Mulderrig.  It is town where he was born but placed in an orphanage when his mother disappeared.  He is there to figure out what happened to his mother.  He checks into a boarding house which is where we meet Mrs Cauley, a retired actress, who is determined to help him discover the truth. He sees ghost everywhere he goes and they play a critical part in the story. The town doesn't want him to dig into this disappearance and it is obvious his mother was a scandal no one wants to revisit.    There are a lot of characters in this book and sometimes i got them confused. The story does go back and forth in time so we learn a bit more about the story.  Overall it is full of great atmosphere and suspense.  I really like Jess Kidd's writing style and how she builds a story.   

My only criticism was some of the violence.  I'm a wimp and there is some graphic violence including the death of a dog that almost made me put the book down.  That was tough.  Oh, and there is this scene where the preachers house is now flooded and frogs take over.  I have a crazy fear of frogs so that was a nightmare for me!! 

But, I would still recommend this if you love a atmospheric story with suspense and some magic.  ⭐⭐⭐1/2

There is a lot of beer in the book but i wanted to make a good Irish Soda Bread.  I have never made Irish Soda bread so thought that would be fun.  The first one i made did not turn out well!  The actual recipe called for raisins or currents to be included but I wanted it to be savory and not sweet.  I added an irish cheddar.  I think the problem was that I didn't bake it long enough.  Sometimes it is hard to tell with a bread.  When I took it out, it didn't look great but the first slice was pretty tasty.  By the time I got 3 slices in, it was almost raw in the middle.  Uneatable.  Ended up throwing it out.  I waited a week, did some research on recipes and tried again.  This time the recipe was for cheddar and garlic so it worked much better.  It is pretty taste but a little bit dry.  Since i've never had Irish soda bread, not sure if that is normal.  I paired it with a butternut squash/apple soup which was delicious, some good irish cheese and a double chocolate stout.   OMG.  so good. 

Here is the recipe from Pinterest https://littlespicejar.com/garlic-irish-cheddar-chive-soda-bread/

Epistolary Novels #2- 84 Charing Cross Road

 Let's start by acknowledging that this isn't a novel but a memoir.  I don't care i'm keeping it in this category.   I first read this book years ago right after I saw the movie.  Just looked it up and the movie came out in 1987 so i'm guessing it was around that time.  Loved them both.  I think this might be the first book I ever read written in letters.  I have such a love of letter writing and books so this hit all of the buttons for me.  This is the correspondence between writer/ New Yorker Helene Haniff and Used book seller (and friends and family) Frank Doel.  It is so fun.  She is smart and sassy and constantly teasing the team about the books she wants or the books they aren't sending.  But she is also incredibly kind and generous always sending them boxes of goodies.  The letters start in 1949 and run almost 20 years so it's not so far after WW2 and a lot of Great Britain is still hurting from the war.  He is the perfect English gentleman but eventually he softens to her informality and they become true friends.   We see letters to and from all of the staff, his wife and her friends.  I love the descriptions of what she sends them and of the books they send her.  Throughout the letters they talk about her visiting someday.  

I would give this 5 stars as a lovely peak into a friendship and the lost art of letter writing.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I went back and rewatched the movie after finishing the book.  It also holds up.  It was fun to revisit both! 

I decided to pair this with fluffy scrambled eggs with chives and potatoes and Spam.   There is a lot of talk about sending eggs and canned meat.  Some of the eggs are dried eggs and some are fresh.  also the meat they discuss is often  canned tongue.  Okay, i doubt that is even still a thing but i'm not eating it.  Nope!  I know spam is bad for you and i've discussed my weakness for it in the blog previously but I had to make it.  It is the perfect canned meat.  This is one of my favorite breakfasts or lunch or dinner.  It's an all occasion meal! 

Deacon King Kong served with a Rosemary Maple Whisky sour and Cheese

 Deacon King Kong by James McBride 

This is a book I probably would have never picked up if it weren't for my book group.  Boy am I glad I did!   

I listened to this on audio and the first chapter, I was like....  what?  There were probably 20 characters discussed and each one with a crazy nickname.  I thought there is no way i'm going to know all of these people.  But then the story really starts and it focuses on just a handful and we really get to know each of them.  It's 1969 Brooklyn and old drunk Sportcoat shoots the meanest drug dealer around and everyone witnesses it.  No one knows why he did it and he doesn't even remember doing it.  From here the story digs into Sportcoat, who is a deacon at the church,  his best friend, the drug dealer, the local mafia guy,  the wife of the preacher, one of the cops investigating and a few others.  Oh my!  I just loved this book.  The characters are so great.  We have the mystery of the shooting, a couple of romances and a look at loneliness .   The book is full of humor (there is a chapter on ants!) and also tackles some tough issues without throwing them right in your face.  One of my favorite side stories is of Elephante the local mafia guy and his search for love and for a hidden treasure.  The names alone are worth reading this- Pudgy fingers, Hot Sausage, The Governor.    Overall it is a character study which weaves together this community and the church. McBride is a master of words and I now understand the high praise he receives.   I highly recommend this book.  Don't let that first chapter scare you off!  And the narrator , Dominic Hoffman, is so good.  He is just amazing the way he does the voices. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Throughout the book they discuss the king kong which seems to be a kind of moonshine that Sportcoat drinks.   They also talk about the cheese.  Every month the church gets cheese to hand out to their parish.  No one knows where it comes from or who furnishes it.  But it is good cheese.  I knew i had to serve cheese and some type of drink.  I landed on a Rosemary Maple Whiskey sour because i think if Sportcoat had ever had the money, he might have drank Whiskey instead of Kong.  I found some great cheese and this was dinner!   One of the cheeses is called Beehive Cheese which is totally appropriate because our bookgroup is the Beehive!   

Rosemary Maple Whiskey sour recipe 

In a shaker put 

a sprig of rosemary- i roll it between my hands first to release the fragrant and then put it in the shaker 

1 part Whisky, 1/2 part lemon juice, 1/3 part maple syrup.    Shake over ice and then strain into a glass.  Top with another rosemary sprig and drink!   It is delicious! 

Epistolary Novels Part 1 - Last Christmas in Paris served with a winter Ratatouille

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb 

I didn't start this book until after Christmas and almost didn't read it because January had started and I wasn't sure I wanted a holiday book in the new year.  I am so glad I did read it!  I would not call this a holiday book.  It is a beautiful love story told through letters.  It doesn't happen at Christmas but they start with believing the war will be over by Christmas.  That doesn't happen.  

This book takes place during WW1 and is a series of letters between Evie and Tom and their loved ones.  Will is Evie's brother and Tom's best friend.  And while there are letters from Will, their friends and family, the majority of the letters are Evie and Tom.  These letters start as friends but grow into more.  Reflecting their hopes and dreams, their fears and worries and the news from their immediate surroundings.    We learn how frustrated Evie is that she can't contribute to the war like she wants and of her dream to be a journalist.  We learn of Wills exhaustion and fears of the war and his hopes for the future.  We also see how worried he is about his father and his obligations to the family business.  

I love an epistolary novel!  There is a talent in bringing the reader along on the journey through letters.  Each character must have their own clear voice in their correspondence.  These authors did a great job!  I was rooting for both Tom and Evie and the journeys they each took.  I was just waiting for them to get together!   

There is a small part of the book not written in letters.  The authors include a jump forward to the 60's where we know Tom is in Paris for one last time.  We don't know why or what has happened.  This jump forward is included in bits throughout the book and wraps up the story.  I understand why they did this so we could see what happened to the characters but i wasn't even sure it was needed.   

I would give this book a solid 4.5 stars.  I will hold on to this one and probably read it again.  This one made me want to revisit a few of my favorite Epistolary novels so i have labeled this part 1.  Stay tuned! 

I decided to go with a Winter Ratatouille.  They don't talk about Ratatouille but it is a french dish so i just went with it.  I really started planning to make a traditional ratatouille which i have never made.  I'm not a big eggplant fan so i was hesitant.  But then i found this recipe!  It was perfect.  

https://tasty.co/recipe/fall-ratatouille

the changes I made were to the actual call out of squash and potatoes.  I used what I had.  I had  a red potato, a yellow potato, some zucchini and a delicata squash.  I just improvised and used what was in the kitchen.  It turns out sooooo good.  Pure comfort food.  I swear I will eventually try a traditional ratatouille but for now, this one was perfect!   Oh,  I forgot to mention that i watched the movie Ratatouille while making it!  Super cute but there is something kind of weird about a rat in the kitchen 😀

Song of Achilles served with a Greek Chicken Meatball Gyro

 Song of Achilles by Madeline MIller 

This was my last book to listen to on Audiables for 2021 and it was a good one.  I had read Circe 2 years ago and loved it and kept hearing about her other book.   This is the story of Achilles and Patroclus.  The story is told by Patroclus and takes us from his life as a prince to being banished by his father and raised by King Peleus.  It is here that he meets Achilles the son of Thetis the sea goddess.  Achilles is close to perfect.  The golden boy who knows his destiny is to be the greatest warrior ever.  Through Patroclus we see Achilles for all of his beauty and his flaws.   The 2 grow close and eventually become lovers.  I thought Miller handled this so well.  I thought their love story was wonderful and believable.  

The book takes us into war and we see our hero fulfill his destiny.  They stay at war for a very long time!  There were times I was frustrated with Achilles and times i wanted Patroclus to smack him.  But, love makes us do funny things.   If you know your greek history you know this won't end well.  I'll save the spoiler but it's a heartbreaker.   Really enjoyed this.  Didn't love it quite as much as Circe but still really, really good.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.  (Probably more like 4.5 because it is a bit long but i'm feeling generous!) 

The narrator was great on Audibles.  A great narrator makes such a difference.  I did buy this book and did a bit of a joint reading.  I few times i went back to something i heard in the book and reread it.  Plus the book was helpful because in the back is a summary of the Gods and main characters.  

I wasn't sure what to pair this with.  I ended up making greek meatballs.  I found a recipe on Skinnytaste for greek turkey meatballs but my grocery store is totally out of all the stuff!  They did have ground chicken so I decided that would have to do.   I also really wanted a Gyro so i followed the meatball recipe and put these in a pita with tomato and cucumber.  I also made the Tzatziki on the website.  So good!    

I did find a greek Orange cake that I might need to make so there just might be a 2nd recipe following!

https://www.skinnytaste.com/greek-turkey-meatballs/

Magic Lessons served with Chicken Pot Pie

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman served with Chicken pot pie. 

Such a fan of Hoffman and of this series.  I read Practical Magic probably 15 years ago.  Then 2 years ago i read Rules of Magic and now Magic Lessons.   This is the start of the Owen family curse.  Set in the 1600 it follows Maria Owens who is found and raised by Hannah Owens.  Hannah teaches her how to heal and help people.   Hannah is eventually  killed by a man who blames her for his love leaving him . Maria goes to Curacao where she meets, falls in love and is betrayed by a man.  She follows him back to Salem Massachusetts.  It is on the trip back that she meets another man who will have a big impact on her life.  Without giving too much away let's just say we see the salem witch trials, we follow Maria's daughter through her early life and we see what one will do for love.    Lot's of types of love in this book.  

I really enjoyed this story.  I just find Hoffman's writing to be magical.  She is a master storyteller.  I loved Maria and her journey to learn magic.  We get to see the good and the bad of magic.  Only thing i struggled with was the daughter Faith.  We obviously need to see the damage done by the evil of the witch trials and this man but I wanted all Maria all the time.   The last part of the book loses that focus a bit.    But one of my favorite things was the relationship between Maria and Samuel.   It isn't the major part of the book but was one of my favorite parts.   

Still i am giving this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I made Chicken Pot  Pie.   I was going to make apple pie since it plays a big part in the story but at one point Maria makes a chicken pot pie and I just thought it sounded so good for this time of year.  She calls it a chicken pie closed into a coffin of crust that is flavored with rosemary.    I used the recipe that came with the Ninja pot.  What I love about this recipe is that I can make it all in one pot and i can change it up as much as I want.   

https://www.ninjakitchen.com/recipes/search/0/all/101377/chicken-pot-pie/?epik=dj0yJnU9aHFGdWcxRjUxV0h6UUp3cUdtMXRBZy1RTGdocFJDTDAmcD0wJm49U2RIQ25oVXZRMEVxallrMWZKb1A0QSZ0PUFBQUFBR0hFaU1R 

I changed it up just a little bit with frozen peas and carrots.  I also always toss in a bit more in the spice area.  It is super easy and delicious. 

I have the final Owens book , The Book of Magic, on hold at the library.  It will be ready in ~6 weeks.  I'm excited to read and also a little sad to wrap up this family story! 

 

Things in Jars served with dessert in jars

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd served with Apple Caramel Cheesecake in a jar. 

This was an odd book but I liked it.  Kind of hard to describe it but here goes....  

Birdie is a detective in Victorian times.   She is hired to investigate the kidnapping of a child who has been kept in secret and has special powers.  That makes it sound pretty straightforward but there is a ghost with tattoo's that stays with Birdie throughout the story, a housemaid who is 7 foot tall and folktales of mermaids that may or maynot be true.  The story goes back and forth in time so we see Birdie's history.  Her childhood was not easy and she makes an enemy early on who will come back into her life.    We also hear some of the story from the viewpoint of the kidnappers.  There is a nursemaid  who is just bad to the bone who has her own story to tell.     

At times I was confused but never bored.  The child has pike teeth and can drown a man with memories.  Birdie is fearless and takes on this challenge and her history.  I had to reread parts of the book several times to make sure I had understood what just happened.   This story stayed with me.   In a good way.  It was entertaining, suspenseful, well written, great characters and just really fun.   Gave it 4 stars only because it did take me awhile to get use to some of the oddities.   By the time I hit mid point, i was all in!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Of course i knew this had to be served with something in a jar.  Obviously.  I made apple caramel cheesecake in jars.   Super easy and yummy

I put graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of the jar.  Mixed a block of cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of heavy cream and a tbsp of cinnamon.  Layered the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crumbs and topped it with canned apple pie filling.  Then repeated all layers and topped with caramel sauce.  It made 4 jars and was super tasty!      

Mrs Everything and Jello Salad

 Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner served with Jello salad  

My book group is reading this for our December meeting.  We usually try to read something we think will be fairly light because the December meeting is all about our cookie exchange.  I will  actually be going to California for the gathering which will be the first time i'm seeing the group live in 2 years!  Woohoo! 

I liked this one but didn't love it.  I listened to it on audio and it is long!  14+ hours.  The narrators do a great job but I just wasn't super interested in the story.  It goes back and forth between 2 sisters, Jo and Bethie starting when they are little kids in the 50's and working through their entire lives.  There are struggles and turns in their lives they didn't expect.  Lots of tough topics including racism, rape, abortion, drug use, etc.  throughout it all the sisters tell their stories and even when they go their separate ways, they are still tied together.  Jo has 3 daughters of her own and the story starts to become their story also.   

Couple of things that I struggled with.  I felt like it needed a good editor.  the book tried to cover too much.  Yes, our lives are full of struggles but did we have to throw in every single struggle you can think of?  Being overweight, being sexual molested, being gay, being jewish, being a multiracial couple.  The list just keeps going.    I appreciated that it added drama but I also think she covered a lot.  it makes it hard to really latch on to one issue and feel the struggle.    I didn't like Jo's kids very much so when the story started moving to her daughter who is struggling, i didn't enjoy it.  I had grown attached to Jo and Bethie but didn't really want to follow along with a new character. 

Obviously the names of the characters are a reference to Little Women the ultimate story of sisterly love.  If someone ask me about books that influenced my life, Little Women is always on that list.  The story of how we love family and how family/sisters are there for each other.  Jo and Beth are the sisters that are the most bonded and similar to this story, Jo is a tomboy and trying to figure out who she is.  

Overall I give this 3 stars.  I enjoyed it enough to finish it and did feel  emotionally invested in the characters.  But, as stated above, I think less is often more and that was the gap.   ⭐⭐⭐

I knew I must post this Thanksgiving weekend.  There is a big scene in the first half of the book where Jo makes a jello salad for Thanksgiving and of course it goes bad.  It doesn't set up and spills all over the table and ruins the table setting.  This leads to giant argument/ confrontation with her mother where hurtful things are said.  I grew up with Jello salad for every holiday.  Either mom or Nana would make one and the 2 I most remember is the pink jello with pineapple and cream cheese  OR the layered salad with bananas and marshmallows topping. 

I decided to go with a jello salad that I discovered in college and have made it since then.  The strawberry pretzel salad.  If you've gone to a picnic in the last 20 years, there is a chance you've had it.  I find when I take the other jello salads to dinners with friends, not many folks eat it.  There is a jello prejudice thing happening!   But folks are more likely to eat this one. 

This isn't an original recipe because it is all over Pinterest.  I'm going to link in the recipe i used.  I made 2 small batches in 8 X 8 pans but the recipe calls for a larger pan.  The advantage to 2 small ones is that I can take one and keep one!    The other thing I love about Jello salad is that I can tell folks i'm having salad for lunch.  Enjoy

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/99853316728984489/

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and finger foods

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo served with Tik Tok pasta chips.  

 I'm a little late with this review but wanted to go ahead and post.  I kept seeing the 7 Husbands all over Bookstagram and decided to make it a summer listening on audibles.   So glad I did!   This was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I think i need to read her others now.  

This is the story of Evelyn Hugo telling her life story to a young journalist.  She has never revealed her secrets and chooses an unknown  for the job.  Monique can't figure out why she is invited into Evelyn's life but she recognizes an amazing opportunity and takes it.    

Evelyn is a Hollywood Icon who just happens to have married 7 times.  Her story is her journey to fame and all of her loves along the way.  And yes, there is one true love but to be honest I think she loves each husband in her own way.  She isn't always likable and is honest about the things she did to get ahead in her career.  A totally flawed character but you also understand her and what drove each of those decisions.  By the end you understand her connection to Monique.  It actually caught me by surprise as i didn't see it coming.   

I really loved this book.  The narrators were great. There are 3 that read, 1 for Evelyn's story, 1 for Monique's story and 1 who is the newspaper articles about Evelyn and Hollywood gossip.   This was 4.5 stars for me.  I think the only reason i'm withholding that half star is that there was a spot in the middle where I thought it dragged just a bit.  I was like....  okay, let's get going here.  Besides that it was delightful!  I highly recommend it, especially the audio. 

I knew I wanted to do finger foods/ appetizers.  Every year when I watch the Academy awards, i do a spread of appetizers and that is dinner on Oscar night.  When i was much younger, I would host friends and we'd all dress up and have a party while watching.  Now I barely go to the movies (actually I haven't since COVID started)  and most of the time i haven't see what is nominated.  But it is still fun to watch if just for the outfits.  I decided to make the Tik Tok pasta chips i kept seeing on my feed.  Okay, here's the thing...   they were not good.  Not sure if i did it wrong but I did NOT like them.  It was a waste of perfectly good pasta.  I'll let you look up the recipe but eating crunchy pasta is not my thing.  I would say....  skip the pasta but read the book!  Enjoy! 

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel served with Golden Beets

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland.  

This was a fun one.  I saw it described as Dirty Dancing meets Mrs. Maisel !  The Golden Hotel was the gem of the Catskills back in the day but now it has fallen on hard times.  The 2 owners, the Goldmans and the Weingolds have a long history together and at times it is full of love and frustration.  The story goes back and forth in time as the family is coming together to make a decision on selling to a large company who wants a casino.  

To be honest at the beginning I had a hard time keeping the characters straight.  I kept getting confused on who was who and which family the belonged to.  But once i figured that out, it was a fast fun read.  I enjoyed the nostalgia of the days when the Catskills was THE place to vacation if you were jewish.    The family drama kept it interesting.  I loved how the grandkids really started pushing the parents and grandparents to go modern with social media.  I liked the tension between the families and the tension between parents and children. Of course there are secrets revealed and confessions made.  Overall just a fun trip through some family drama and history.  I was torn between 3.5 to 4 stars but i'm going with 4.  Enjoyable quick read ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the best parts was all of the references to the jewish dishes the resort served.  They were so old fashion and the kids just couldn't understand them.  They had borscht a lot!  I am not a borscht fan but to be fair, I think i've tried it 1 time.  BUT I love beets so much .   I decided to pair this with golden beets (golden hotel...) served on a bed of soft polenta which is my go-to comfort food.  Just roasted the beets in the oven for an hour.   I took the beet greens and sauteed them with some onions and sprinkled just a pinch of apple cider vinegar over them.    I didn't find the golden beets to be a flavorful as my usual red beets so next time i'll go back to red.  

Enjoy the book and my borscht substitute!