My turn to host Book Club

l to r: Jan Rogers, Diane Kuenster, Penny Thackeray, Cathi Hatch,
Sandi Premselaar, Pam Kaiser

I have been in a Book Club for over thirty years and Book Club has met every month for these thirty years now.  I used to be much better at being able to attend each month but now it seems that my attendance is infrequent since there is always something that comes up that conflicts with each month.  However, I do try to stay current and read each scheduled book throughout the year.

Each year, each member is responsible for hosting one Book Club lunch event and choosing and reviewing one book.  This month it was my turn.  Only half of the members were in town and available to attend so I got off pretty easy.

The book I selected was an autobiography by Jeannette Walls entitled The Glass Castle.  It was a fascinating story about a girl that grew up with highly dysfunctional parents in an extreme poverty situation.  Her first memory at three years of age was of catching herself on fire as she was on a chair in front of a gas stove in a tutu cooking her own hot dog because she was hungry.  As the story begins, the author, who is now a successful adult living on Park Avenue in New York is dismayed to look out the window of her limo and see her mother rooting through a trash can. 

Sometimes I will try to match the luncheon menu to the theme of the book, but this time, that would not have been a good option.  Much of the book talks about the family being hungry and having no food in their home with the children eating scraps out of the garbage at school when no one was looking in order to survive.  I won't give away more of the story, but would recommend it highly as a book worth reading.

So instead of garbage scraps, here is the menu I planned:

Herbed Carrot Soup with Pea Sprouts

Parmesan Rosemary Rounds

Warm Cauliflower and Herbed Barley Salad

with Grilled Chicken

Butter's Cheesy Biscuits

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Toasted Coconut Crust

and Whipped Cream

Coffee