Book Club and Two Recipes

 

I hosted Book Club at my home last night.  When you host Book Club you pick a book and then your friends come over and you end up talking about the book and of course other things.  Book Club is fun and it is enjoyable to get with friends and mingle but having food with all that makes it even better!

This month I picked the book Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.  It is a very old book and I became interested in the book when I saw the movie trailer for the movie that recently came to theaters.  I thought it would be great to read the book and then go see the movie with my club members.  We missed the movie but I still wanted to host because I enjoyed the book so much.

Below are the two treats I made for Book Club.  It was a warm evening so what is more refreshing than fresh salsa?  Then we must have something sweet and I always think of chocolate so I made a Samoa Bars (Yes, like the Girl Scout Cookie but in bar form, Heaven!)

Peach Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 cans (28 Ounce) Peaches In Syrup, Drained, Juice Reserved
• 1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced Very Fine
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced Very Fine
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Minced (include Some Seeds For Spice)
• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, Chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)
•  Dash Of Salt
•  Juice Of 1 Lime

Preparation Instructions

Chop the peaches into small pieces and throw them into a bowl with all the other ingredients. Stir and add a splash of the reserved juice. Taste and add a little more salt and chili powder if you prefer.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips!

Samoa Bars

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup butter, softened (but not melted)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1¼ cup white flour
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 7x11" pan with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and flour, and cut the ⅔ cup butter in with a butter knife. Keep cutting it in the mixture until it has formed evenly-sized crumbs.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the 7x11" pan, and bake for 18-20 minutes - until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside so it can cool completely, then increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
4. Place coconut on a baking sheet, spread thin. Place in the oven and bake for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, stir coconut, and then bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until it has started to brown. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn. Remove from oven and set aside.
5. Place 1 cup of chocolate chips in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir. Continue microwaving in 15 second intervals until chocolate chips are completely melted. Pour chocolate chips over shortbread mixture in the 7x11" pan, then let it cool completely.
6. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the ½ cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly (you don't want the mixture to burn, so keep stirring). Continue stirring for 5 more minutes, then remove from heat and stir for an additional 2-3 minutes.
7. Combine coconut mixture and caramel mixture, then spread it evenly in the 8x11" pan over the chocolate chip layer.
8. Melt the 2nd cup of chocolate chips just like the first, and then drizzle it over the top.
9. Let it cool completely, about 1-2 hours, and then serve.

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Triple-Berry Cobbler and another Zucchini Recipe

With berries ripe and wonderful right now, cobblers are an easy dessert to throw together on a summer night. This was a super simple recipe and my family gobbled it up in one evening.

Triple-Berry Cobbler
recipe adapted from Kraft Foods

what you need

4

cups  assorted fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries)

1/4

cup  sugar, divided

1

pkg.   (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1/2

cup  water, divided

1

cup  baking mix

1/4

cup  Sour Cream

1/2

tsp.  ground cinnamon

3/4

cup  thawed Whipped Topping

make it

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

COMBINE berries in 2-qt. round microwaveable casserole. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. Reserve 1 tsp. sugar. Stir remaining sugar, dry pudding mix and 1/4 cup water into berry mixture.

MIX baking mix, sour cream and remaining water. Drop in 6 mounds (mounds should not touch) over fruit mixture. Mix reserved sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough.

BAKE 35 min. or until fruit mixture is hot and bubbly and biscuits are lightly browned. Serve warm topped with whipped topping.

Since last week I talked about zucchini, I thought I would throw this recipe in real quick.  My friend Wendy and I were talking one day and she mentioned my post last week and how I did not like zucchini in savory dishes.  She told me about this great recipe and I had to try it.  Thanks to my friend Barb who brought me some zucchini last Sunday I was able to throw this together one night. We had some mixed reviews at the dinner table, but I thought it was pretty tasty.

Baked Zucchini Fries
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites 

About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs*
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you’ll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield “meatier” fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don’t want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they’ll soak up moisture from the egg and won’t stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Ranch Dressing Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

*If you don't have or can't find any Italian-Style Panko Bread Crumbs, just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp onion powder to 1/2 cups plain panko bread crumbs.

New month so there is a new Lilla Rose Flexi clip check it out at my personal website.