Recipe Exchange

Bean, Tomato, & Smoked Mozzarella Salad

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained (or garbanzos or favas)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
4 oz. smoked mozzarella, cubed (smoked gouda will work too)
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved or cubed (or grape tomatoes halved)
salt & pepper

Mix all the above together, then add vinaigrette below (you can add 1/2 or all of it, depending on your taste)

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon or whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

*Dish was introduced to me by my sister, who first tasted this salad at one of her book clubs!

August's Book

As usual we had a hard time deciding on one book! Shelley and I exchanged murmurings about adopting a more dictatorial selection style rather than so democratic; however in the end I was insistent we could vote at least twice - Meredith had GREAT selections to choose from. Once again, I fantasized about quitting my job and taking a year off to just read books.


In the end we selected The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was originally published in Germany as a young adult novel; however it was released in America as adult fiction (huh, that's humbling.) I don't think anyone knew how adorable this author was when we voted either - check him out! Cutie pie!



Our next book club is July 1st (TUESDAY), 6:30pm at Shell's. Rather than selecting September's book as we usually do, we decided to do a poll on the Blog and select the book we want to see renominated. The book with the most votes by 7/1/08 at 5:30pm will be the winner.

Here were the runners up:

• What's Going On (Series of Essays)
  
• What is the What? by David Eggers
  
• The Samurai's Garden
  
• HELP MEREDITH!
  
• black panther's book
  
• grief book about Molokai

June 10th: Night in Review

Despite missing some of the other book club members, I could easily vote last night's book club as the funnest and feistiest evening we've had over the past two years. (I'm sure this was influenced by Vicki's attentive bartending and our awareness that most of us didn't have to work the next day!)
We were eager to discuss Catfish and Mandala - and amazingly everyone but one person read the book! While we inhaled yummy spring roles, green papaya salad, soba noodles and lychee sake, our conversation quickly took off. Our discussion was all over the place - Vietnam Vets; gross incidents in the book; our frustration about the author's never ending dysentery; whether or not we would want to go to Vietnam; the challenge an immigrant faces due to experiencing prejudice in the home country and in the US; the marvel of a catfish to survive living on sewage; the cultural aspects child discipline; the definition of poverty and our curiosity about just how many prostitutes the author slept with...

There seemed to be consensus that we all wanted to hear more about the childhood experiences and the struggles once the family arrived in the US, we could've done without the doggie death scene, and we still aren't clear on the meaning behind "mandala" in the title - But all in all, this was a great pick.

THANK YOU, MR. MCLAUGHLIN, FOR A GREAT RECOMMENDATION!

(You should consult for Oprah's book club!)

I'm hoping someone else can attempt a post that captures the fun context amongst all this rigorous intellectual exchange...goofy gigglin' girls, not afraid to risk vulnerability or break social taboos...

Best Photos of June 10th

Meredith trying to keep us drunk junior high wanna-bees on task.

Melissa enjoying a bar of heaven.

(Tahnee is officially the Queen of Book Club Desserts)

Things Shelley loves: Haagen Daz, Toe Art and Book Club