Hot Veggie Recipe

So nice to see everyone last night, and isn't the new fire station in Entiat a great facility!  Enjoyed our delicious pot luck as we discussed "Running the Books" by Avi Steinberg.  A different sort of story with moments of great prose.  The story wasn't linear - this happened, then this, then this - but moved back and forth highlighting different aspects and observations from two years of working in a prison.  As always, an interesting and thoughtful discussion.

Apparently my scalloped Portobello and cauliflower hot dish was a hit!  Actually, I found this recipe the previous Saturday at the library in a Taste of Home magazine.  For those of you so inclined, here is the recipe with my modifications (of course):

1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 lb sliced baby Portobello mushrooms - I used white mushrooms
3 T olive oil, divided
1/2 t salt
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 c flour
1/4 t paprika
1 1/4 c half-and-half
3/4 c shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 c panko - I used plain breadcrumbs

Oven roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 400.  In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with 2 T olive oil and 1/2 t salt.  Arrange in a single layer in baking pan and roast 25-30 min or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Alternate cooking method: Place 1" of water and cauliflower in stockpot and bring to a boil.  Cook, covered 7-10 min until tender.  Drain.

In saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook 5 min.  Add shallots and cook additional 3-4 min until lightly browned.  Mix flour and paprika.  Stir in until blended: gradually stir in the half-and-half.  Cook and stir 2-3 min until thickened.

Place cauliflower in a greased baking dish; cover with the mushroom sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese, then bread crumbs.  Bake at 350, uncovered, 35-40 min or until bubbly and golden brown. 

Upcoming meeting February 18

The meeting is a potluck, at the new FireStation on Entiat Way, set up at 5 PM.

Lovely evening at Judy's home

Thank you, Judy, for preparing a delicious Peruvian themed event for us to enjoy.  Dinner included a Peruvian style salad of greens with a selection of tasty things to add and four different dressing choices, sweet potatoes and two differently prepared potatoes (a Peruvian staple) and a delicious chicken (which differed from the Peruvian ones we read about as it WAS NOT stringy!).  Along with cornbread and a wonderful apple cake, no one left Judy's house hungry!  Instead of wine, Claudia prepared what seems to be the Peruvian national drink of choice - Pisco Sours.  (Peruvian national Pisco Sour day is always the first Saturday in February, so we celebrated a few days early). 

It was our first meeting at Judy's home, which is full of many mementos (some actually from Peru, such as a guinea pig painted gourd) and Judy has delightful stories for each treasure.  I love the details that Judy discovers in each book we read - for example, per our book, we enjoyed 80's music in the background during our evening.  She also makes sure to note the page that formulates the title of our books.  As always, our discussions are thought-provoking and insightful.

Thank you Judy for a lovely evening, and we are looking forward to the next time you host us! 

Thank you Judy, and next meeting

Will leave the details of our lovely evening at Judy's to Claudia, where we were treated to Pisco Sour cocktail of Peru, by Claudia! 
Our next meeting will be a potluck at the new Entiat Fire Station on Wednesday Feb.18 at 5:30 so you can mark your calendars now.
March 10 we meet at Entiat Library for a special presentation for book clubs and selecting books.
April 7 there will be a local Entiat community read gathering at the library for Boys in the Boat, prior to the county-wide meeting with the author April 9 in Wenatchee. Boys in the Boat will be Claudia's choice for our club read.

"Wild" - the movie....

Boy, was the theater crowded with people who were lining up to see "Unbroken" which had just opened.  Glad Chris suggested we purchase our tickets online.  Cost was $1 more (for processing fees?) but it was worth it to not stand in that line and to know you were getting in to see the show.  I enjoyed the movie but found I wasn't as angry with Cheryl as I was while reading the book.  I realize they had to edit some events to fit the story into the movie time-frame, and feel they really did do a good job presenting the major events and keeping the story true.  I felt more empathy for the movie Cheryl versus the author Cheryl, as they kept bringing her connection with her mother's death into the picture, so it was more obvious (to me at least; where's that 2x4 to whack me on the head!) how much she was dealing with and how much she overcame.  Maybe I was focusing more on how amazingly unprepared she was for her hike and all the mistakes she made while I was reading the book.  They did include some visual things which you recognize if you read the book.  Those who didn't read the book won't notice all these details, but would certainly be able to understand the story and enjoy her journey.

Thanks to Chris for organizing this fun outing!

PS - Don't think I want to see "Unbroken".  I'm sure they did a good job with that movie too, but I don't want to see all the torture that went on in the POW camp.  At least while I read the book, I could limit my imagination and edit out a lot of the gory stuff.

You are all invited to dinner and a discussion of "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" at our Winesap home on Wednesday, January 28th 5:00p.m. I'm looking forward to seeing you all so let me know if the date or time won't work for you. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and that 2015 will be great new year.

Buy your tickets for Wild,

Friday December 26 at 6:35 PM at the Gateway. There are a couple of folks meeting us in Wenatchee so we can meet in the refreshment lobby about 6:15 to secure seats? Debbie doesn't get off work until 6 so we will save her one.