Book Club Round Up

I hosted book club last week and for my literature buddies, I cooked some old favorites and one new one. If you frequent the Pattiwagon, you will have seen these before, but you're not mad, are you? 

Appetizer: Cream cheese with homemade catsup and crackers. Recipe can be found on Studio Adventure's website here. While it is some (no, more like A LOT) of work, plan ahead, get some friends together, and have a canning party. No fancy equipment needed. This was my last jar of the season. I must really love my book club. 

Main Course: Chorizo and sweet potato skillet. So good and so easy and so economical. Recipe here. 

Because it contains rice and beans and sweet potatoes, I just had one side. This is a new favorite for me. I had the recipe for the first time when I was home at Thanksgiving. Cauliflower has never been one of my favorite vegetables. Steamed, it's inedible. Raw, it needs a mountain of dip. But roasted, I can get behind that. 

I've been trying it all sorts of different flavorings, and this Mexican variety is my favorite. Cilantro haters, go Italian and try pesto and parmesan. Recipe here. 

And for dessert, Molly's chocolate pie. Why would I ever bake any other pie? Recipe here.  

While food/wine/company are the number one priority in book club, we did read a book. I chose All the Light We Cannot See, and I can't recommend it more. It is beautifully written and conceived. It tells the story of the Nazi occupation of France during WWII through multiple story lines. There could be a waiting list of 200 at your local library, but you should go ahead and put your name on it.