Pots de Creme - #‎thebookclubcookbookCC

These glorious little Pots de Creme are a simple nod to why I love chocolate...

...and they are also a great nod to the book, Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

For June, as part of The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew, Sarah invited us to read and cook from Chocolat with her. I was thrilled. I was a huge fan of the movie from 2000 starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp - *swoon*. I remember watching it almost nightly when I worked in a little campus video store (remember those?). It was one of my favorite movies to pop in as I waited for closing. Cute music, witty banter and ... lots of chocolate!

Be sure to keep reading, there is a giveaway for a copy of The Book Club Cookbook at the end of the post. I have had so much fun reading a selection and cooking as inspired by the book. Our year is coming to a close soon, but I still have more books to read and food to enjoy. I hope you will keep going with me.

I was excited to finally read Chocolat. Sadly, as a college student my time was usually spent in textbooks, and I rarely had the time to read "good" books.

I have to tell you, the book is far better than even the magic of film! Vianne's internal dialogue is much funnier than even what Juliette Binoche could portray on screen. Even as she helped those around her with the magic of her chocolate and understanding, the complexity of her character was wonderful. She came in as an outcast and ended up bringing the community so much more than they could have imagined.

I ended up going for a classic treat, Pots de Creme (pronounced "Po de Krehm"). Lusciously smooth and chocolatey, I am sure it is exactly what Vianne would have selected for me. I just love how in the book she claims to know everyone's favorite! This dessert really makes my heart sing.

Besides tasting divine, this is also an easy treat to make.

Of course, it begins with chopped semi-sweet chocolate.

I have seen a few different ways to make this simple dessert, but decided to cook my custard over the stove and then add to the blender to melt and whip up the chocolate.

The eggs, milk, cream and sugar are ready when they coat the back of a spoon easily.

Then pour into ramekins or small dishes and chill for 2-4 hours before serving.

Serve with whipped cream, and garnish with fresh mint and fruit. My daughter insisted we go with the chocolate mint here. I think it worked nicely.

Pots de Creme

You will need:

• 9 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 5 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate and espresso powder in a blender and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla and pour the hot mixture into the blender. 

Take care to cover the blender and lid with a heavy towel. I like to vent my top slightly, but cover with the towel to prevent messes. Blend until smooth.

Pour into ramekins or glasses and chill for 2-4 hours. Serve with whipped cream and garnish with mint and fresh fruit, if desired.

Enjoy! 

Giveaway

This month Sarah at Thing I Make (for Dinner), this month's host, is giving away two copies of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

TWO of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from June 1st till June 30th at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Caribbean Rice and Peas - #TheBookClubCookbookCC

I was provided with a copy of The Book Club Cook Book to use for this year-long endeavor of reading and food fun. All opinions and experiences and individual book purchases are my own.

This month's #TheBookClubCookbookCC selection, Love in the Time of Cholera, took us to the Caribean with an abundance of inspiration for diving off into our own food exploration. This is not a cuisine that I am familiar with, but am now loving. 

Danielle of Mostly Food and Crafts chose our selection for May and The Book Club Cook Book lists two delicious recipe suggestions, a mojito or a mango, jicama and corn salad. You can read Wendy's welcome post as she stepped in to cover this month's selection.

The many food references in this month's book sent me off searching the internet for Caribbean Recipes and I found myself looking through some mouth-watering jerk seasoning recipes. Ultimately I decided my dish would need to include Jerk seasoning.

What is Jerk seasoning?

Caribbean Jerk seasoning gets its kick from a blend of ingredients such as chiles, thyme, cinnamon, garlic, and nutmeg.  It usually includes allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers and can be a wet marinade or dry rub.

I also learned that amazon had some option for mild jerk seasoning - essential if I am going to get my heat-phobic husband to try it.

I think I have mentioned here, a few times, that I walk a thin line with spicy or hot foods. My husband doesn't mind a bit of warmth in food, but he likes his salsa mild and hit jalapenos with no heat. I always try to compensate for this while cooking.

But the heat here in this Caribbean Rice and Peas dish is easy to adjust. Even on the milder end of the spectrum it was full of flavor and very satisfying.

So what of this month's book selection?

Love in the Time of Cholera

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Despite being a hopeless romance and an ode to the many forms and power of the heart, I just couldn't get into this month's read. 

Ever had a book that you keep picking up and putting down so many times that you eventually give up? That was the way for me on this selection.

Now, one of the things that made me select this recipe to try were the black-eyed peas.

I am an Oregon gal and haven't had the pleasure to eat black-eyed peas... or even see them often in our local stores. So when my daughter's class planted their own black-eyed pea plants in First Grade, I decided it was time to figure out how to use them. Garden willing, by the end of the season, I will have an abundance.

This was a lovely one-pot dish and really stuck to our ribs. With kielbasa, peas and brown rice, it was hearty and left us with amazing left overs. I already plan to make this again.

Like I said, even a rural gal, like myself, was able to find a delicious Jerk Seasoning option on Amazon. This may now be my favorite condiment. I can't wait to try it on chicken.  And don't worry, there were plenty of "melt-your-face" options online, as well. I would say, go as hot as you dare!

Everything was sauteed, then simmered in my largest pan. All that garlic and spice created quite the welcome home at the end of the day.

And one of my favorite parts to this dish were the collard greens.

I only became hooked on collard greens in the past few years. I am always looking for an excuse to buy them... they are so dark and inviting. Though you could substitute another green in this recipe, I wouldn't suggest it. The collards bring an earthy tone to the dish that would be missed with spinach or chard.

Everything simmers together till the rice is tender and the collards have wilted. It is just magic to behold!

Okay, ready to start cooking? Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win your own copy of The Book Club Cookbook. And as always, come join in on our reading/culinary fun next month with Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Be sure to look for the announcement coming soon.

Caribbean Rice and Peas
recipe adapted from The Food Network

You will Need:

• 10 oz. frozen black-eyed peas
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch of green onions, sliced and whites & greens separated
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 tsp. jerk seasoning (or more to taste)
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. brown rice, uncooked
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 c. collard greens, stemmed and chopped

Put the black-eyed peas in 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. salt the water lightly. Cover and bring up to a boil, then turn off and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and kielbasa to brown. Add the green onion whites, celery, garlic, jalapeno, jerk seasoning along with a large pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add in the thyme and tomato paste, cooking till fragrant and stirring constantly. 

Add the bay leaves, rice and black-eyed peas along with their cooking liquid. Do not stir. Add the chopped collard greens to the top, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook till most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 50 minutes.

Let the dish rest for an additional 10 minutes before discarding the bay leaves, adding in the green onion green and giving it a good stir.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Danielle at Mostly Food and Crafts along with Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, this month's co-hosts, are giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from May 1st till May 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Danielle and Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Rainy Day Vegetable Soup - #TheBookClubCookbookCC

Spring may bring the flowers, colors and flavors that will develop into summer, but those rainy spring days can make me want to curl up with a good book, fresh baked bread and a hot bowl of soup.

This month for The Book Club CookBook Cooking Crew, Sarah from Things I Make (For Dinner) selected Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier for us to read. The accompanying recipe was for a lovely vegetable soup. I was both excited to start reading, as well as get all my groceries for a yummy pot of soup.

I was very optimistic when I went shopping...

...the reality was I couldn't find some of the vegetables described in the beginning of the book. When we first meet Griet, she is preparing a soup for her family. After her father's accident, they had fallen on hard times. The soup contained only vegetables...cabbages, turnips, leeks... Griet had laid out all the vegetables, not in the order they would go into the pot, but as wedges of a pie - divided by their colors.

My soup did not end up containing the turnips, we changed it up a bit to fit our tastes. Small red potatoes are always a hit in our soups! 

You can see Sarah's invitation for the month, and even read along with us when you have the time. Be sure to jump in this next month (where did April go?) for another fabulous book and more mouth-watering recipes from the group.

Here are all the other fabulous bloggers cooking with us this year:

A Day in the Life on the Farm      

Cheese Curd In Paradise               

Culinary Adventures with Camilla             

Life on Food       

Mostly Food and Crafts 

The Pajama Chef              

The Spiffy Cookie             

Things I Make (for Dinner)           

Tortillas and Honey         

ZooeySuff  

And the book? I didn't have a chance to read it when it came out, I did watch the movie with Scarlett Johanson. The description in the book is so good, it really is worth reading. It would make a great read for our next wet and gloomy spring weekend. Perfectly paired with a bowl of our vegetable soup!

I did try to lay out my vegetables by color, but gave up because it had so much green in it! Oh, well. I would have loved to see Griet's presentation as she created her soup.

Rainy Day Vegetable Soup

You Will Need:

• 1Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced
• 1/2 savoy cabbage head, sliced
• 2 c. baby red potatoes, halved
• 8 c. chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice and put leeks in a medium bowl full of water. Set aside.

In a large pan, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in oil. Strain out the leeks and add them to the pot. Saute till all are tender. Add the remaining ingredients and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Sarah at Thing I Make (for Dinner), this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from April 1st till April 30th at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Civil War Cherry-Apple Cobbler with Sweet Vanilla Custard

This month's delicious treat is in honor of February's #BookClubCookbookCC selection The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It is a Civil War Cherry-Apple Cobbler with Sweet Vanilla Custard.

I have to admit that Civil War history is not my area of interest, but I was curious to give this famous dramatic novel a try. It has been several years since I read anything on the topic and I have to say I was a little rusty on the events. I was encouraged to give it a go since my son is avidly devouring history books. He was a little impressed to hear that I was reading about the Civil War, though at 8, he was rather sad to hear they had cavelry and cannons instead of tanks back then.

As you might remember, each month a new book is selected by a new host. Started by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla,  we are reading and cooking our way through The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's FavoriteBooks and Authors   This month, Ashley from Cheese Curd in Paradise chose the title and invited us all to cook along with her. The story was a great inspiration for many fabulous recipes. Be sure to check out Ashley's post wrapping up the recipes for February - coming soon.

The book was a great glimpse into history for me. The author, Michael Shaara, did a wonderful job of bringing Gettysburg to life and the Civil War into perspective for me. The characters kept me reading and the details really helped to place me into a time that I am not ordinarily drawn to. Overall, it was a great story and not as dry as other Civil War literature I have encountered.

After reading and enjoying the book, I was excited to whip up something for my family that would represent this month's selection. Because my kids just love fruit and dessert, I had to stick with the original suggestion of Civil War Cherry-Apple Cobbler with Sweet Vanilla Custard.

With tart cheeries and silky baked apples, the flavors were well complimented with the vanilla custard. My hens have been very good to me lately and I was able to use up some fresh eggs for this little creation.

The beauty of a cobbler is how simple it is to create. Just start peeling and slicing those apples, mix the ingredients and top it with a sweet, cinnamon cookie topping. The custard just ends up being icing on the cake and whips up very quickly.

Civil War Cherry-Apple Cobbler with Sweet Vanilla Custard

recipe from The Book Club Cookbook pg. 211

You will need:

For the filling

• 1 15 1/2 oz. can of unsweetened cherries, drained
• 5 c. peeled and thinly sliced cooking apples
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. all-purpouse flour
• 4 Tbsp. cherry preserves
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

for the crust

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 egg beaten, divided
• Sanding sugar for the top

for the custard

• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 c. milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. butter, cubed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9"x13" baking sheet with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix to coat with flour and sugar. Pour the fruit into your prepared baking dish. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter till the mixture resembles sand. Whisk together the milk and half of the beaten egg. Reserve the remaining egg for brusing the crust. Stir in the milk mixture and add flour till it will form a ball. Between wax paper, roll out the top crust the size of your baking dish. Cover the fruit mixture, Mix 3 tablespoons water into the egg mixture and brush on the crust. Sprinkle the top with sanding sugar.

Cut several steam holes into the crust. Place in the oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the cobbler is bubbly and the top is lightly browned.

In the last few minutes, start making the custard.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk as it comes up to a simmer over medium heat. Keep whisking until it starts to thicken. It should coat the back of a spoon. Take off the heat.

Beat together the egg yolks and when the mixture has thickened, begin tempering the eggs. Pour in a small amout of hot milk while whisking the eggs vigorously. Once half the mixture is added, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat. 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter till smooth.

Serve the custard over the cobbler immediately, or chill and serve later.

Enjoy! 

Giveaway

This month Ashley at Cheese Curd in Paradise, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from February 1st till February 29th at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Ashley received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Cinnabun Coffee Cake #TheBookClubCookbookCC

This no-muss, no-fuss Cinnabun Coffee Cake is the perfect pairing for early morning coffee and a good book.

The past few weeks have been drenched in cold, windy, Oregon rain and added activities associated with family life. I really enjoyed stealing moments here and there to read Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. It was this month's selection for The Book Club Cook Book Cooking Crew and I have to thank Sarah, The Pajama Chef, for selecting it. It is the sort of title that I might have never had the opportunity to read, if it wasn't for this group and the diverse choices from the members.

I really enjoyed the goose hunting description early on in the story. With my own children always begging to go out in our corn fields for the honor, it is always interesting to hear about the surprises and mishaps.

Though I don't think my daughter would ever chase after a runaway bird, she did have an experience with a goose popping back up and jumping on the blind she was sharing with another little girl. They were quite surprised, but luckily one of the hunting dogs was quick to react before either girl could be pinched.

As with all the reading selections for #TheBookClubCookbookCC, there is one or more recipes inspired by the story, or recreated from it. Our group also is free to find our own inspiration from the food references to create or share our own recipes.

The recipe originally paired with the book was Mrs. Enger's Cinnamon Rolls with Coffee Frosting. I have to admit, the recipe sounds yummy! Despite multiple attempts to make it.... I wasn't able to fit in the time.

It suggests you have the dough ready by 6pm, so it can rise overnight and then be baked at 5am the following morning. Despite living on a working farm, I am not up that early... and neither is my husband. I am lucky to roll out of bed at 5am for a half-hearted shuffle on the treadmill.

Yeah, the cinnamon rolls just didn't happen.

I finally decided that as a busy Mom with small children and irregular sleeping habits (the children, not necessarily me!) I needed a recipe that would make itself. Okay, it doesn't quite bake itself and all that... but, I did create this coffee cake with the help of more capable hands than mine .... my breadmaker. Thank goodness for modern conveniences!

The coffee cake is simple, but it does taste like a warm cinnamon roll and even tastes better with a little coffee frosting drizzled over the top.

Be sure to keep reading till the end for the giveaway.

Cinnabun Coffee Cake

You will need:
7/8 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active yeast
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. confectioner's sugar
strong black coffee, as needed to create the right consistency

Place the whole milk through active yeast in your bread machine bread pan as directed by the manufacturer's instructions. My machine goes from wet to dry ingredients with yeast being added last. Set the machine for the dough cycle.

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray.

Create the crumble topping by mixing together the 3/4 c. flour, sugar, oats, pecans, and cinnamon. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingers to make moist crumbs.

When the dough cycle is complete. Flour your fingers and spread half the sticky dough into your baking dish. Stretch and push it into the corners. Sprinkle with a thin layer of topping, then top with the other half of the dough. Place the remaining topping on top. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising period,  preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While still warm, whisk together the confectioner's sugar with just enough strong coffee to make it pourable. Drizzle over the top of the coffee cake before serving.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Sarah at The Pajama Chef, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from January 1st till January 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Harry Potter inspired Butterbeer and Pumpkin Pasties #thebookclubcookbookCC

I was provided with a copy of The Book Club Cook Book to use for this year-long endeavor of reading and food fun. All opinions and experiences and individual book purchases are my own.

I hope everyone enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving Day! My heart was full while I sat down to dinner. November started with birthdays and now I had a chance to take a moment to just reflect and be thankful.

One of the little things I have really been thankful for lately has been the ability to share a bit of my childhood passions with my 6 and 8-year olds. This month we have started on a journey into a "Galaxy Far, Far Away..." with Star Wars books and movies, then we watched Never Ending Story and Goonies. I think my kids are starting to think their Mom has good taste.

And though the books came out when I was graduating, I remember reading every one of J.K, Rowling's Harry Potter series. Then when the movies came out, I was over the moon!

So in anticipation of November's Book Club Cookbook selection, Erin from The Spiffy Cookie invited us to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I started reading it to my kids at bedtime. It is just amazing to watch their faces as Harry and Ron raced into danger to save Hermione from the Troll, or when Harry competed in his first Quidditch match. They have already fallen in love with the characters and story. I can't wait to show them the movie! It has been years since I reread the book or watched the movie adaptation, so I am a little excited, too!

As we were reading, I made note of all the food mentioned in the book. After growing up with his aunt and uncle, Harry described all the amazing foods around him on the train to hogwarts as well as served in the great hall for meals. I could have chosen just about anything to make!

The Book Club Cook Book gives a recipe for treacle tart, which sounds delicious! But, I was moved by the season and my own interests and decided to create an adult version of Butterbeer and Pumpkin Pasties.

This group, The Book Club Cook Book Cooking Crew, was created by  Camilla, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, brought together 11 food loving bloggers to take turns choosing books, recipes and sharing the fun. You can check out all the talented bloggers' sites below:

Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Tortillas and Honey
Adventures in All Things Food
A Day in the Life on the Farm
The Spiffy Cookie
The Pajama Chef
Life on Food
Cheese Curd in Paradise
Mostly Food and Crafts
Things I Make (for Dinner)

The pumpkin pasties made an appearance on the treat cart on Hogwarts Express. I decided to make a variation on my favorite pumpkin/candied yam filling with a little added crispy sage and browned butter.

I rolled out and cut pie crust to fit in my little dumpling press.

I picked up these presses for my kids to help me create pierogies since they are pretty easy to use. I also enjoy the small size for other sweet or savory treats like these pumpkin pasties.

Pumpkin Pasties

You will need:

• 2 pie crusts, cut in 2" rounds
• 1/4 c. pumpkin filling
• 1/4 c. candied yams, mashed
• 1 egg, slightly whisked
• 2 tsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• handful of fresh sage leaves, dried and stems removed
• 2 tsp. water

Prehead the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the pumpkin, yams, approximately half the whisked egg, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together the remaining egg and 2 teaspoons water and set aside. In a cast iron skillet, brown the butter and at the very end add the sage leaves to crips up. Don't let them burn. Removie the crispy leaves and roughly chop. Then add the browned butter and chopped leaves to the filling mixture.

Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of one pie crust round. Fold over the edges and crimp with a press or your hands. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and brush the tops with the prepared egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

And then I didn't feel like I could read and write about Harry Potter without a recipe for Butterbeer. Now, this is an adult version and uses Pumpkin Ale as a base. I have enjoyed several soda versions (butterscotch soda bottled as Butterbeer), but this warm Butterbeer is a little different and perfect for these chilly nights.

Butterbeer Recipe (with real beer)

You will need:

• 1 Pumpkin Ale of choice - I used Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
• 2-4 Tbsp. Homemade Butterscotch sauce *recipe linked up soon

In a small saucepan, bring the ale up to a simmer. Whisk in 2 - 4 tablespoon of butterscotch sauce, to taste. Serve warm and enjoy right away.

Giveaway

This month Erin at The Spiffy Cookie, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from November 1st till November 30th at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclosure: Erin received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

White Chocolate Kahlua Mousse #thebookclubcookbookCC

I was provided with a copy of The Book Club Cook Book to use for this year-long endeavor of reading and food fun. All opinions and experiences and individual book purchases are my own.

It has been a really long month.

With all the fall activities starting up and travel for work, my time in the kitchen has been much more functional than fun. But this month's Book Club Cookbook Cooking Club was the perfect chance to get back into the kitchen for something other than freezer meal cooking!

This month Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm threw down the challenge for our Book Club Cookbook Cooking Club to be inspired by Three Junes by Julia Glass. The recipe given was for a white chocolate mousse. Be sure to check out Wendy's twist with a White Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse, it looks amazing!!

Of course when I mentioned to my husband that I would be making a mousse, he insisted I stick with his favorite white chocolate.

Sorry, I am a milk chocolate kinda gal...

So we compromised. I decided to do the noble thing and keep the white chocolate mousse, but I spiked it with my favorite flavor - Kahlua!

It was an instant hit. I garnished our simple, creamy mousse with a little espresso powder and shaved dark chocolate. I just couldn't help myself.

Mousse is not something I make often and was surprised just how simple it is.

Start with the white chocolate and a little butter.

Separate the eggs... do you see the little beauties my gals have been laying? Those "white" eggs actually have a slight greenish or bluish tinge. I am loving my little Easter Egger.

Then all the delicate mixtures get folded together. The coffee powder and Kahlua gave my mousse a slightly tan color. 

This lovely White Chocolate Kahlua Mousse was the perfect reason to get back into my kitchen for some fun. A big thank you to Camilla from Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for creating this adventurous group of foodies to cook and bake our way through the Book Club Cookbook. It has been a blast so far, and there is plenty of time to join in on the fun for the coming months.

White Chocolate Kahlúa Mousse

adapted from Worth the Wisk

You will need:

• 1 lb. white chocolate morsels
• 3 oz. butter, cut in pieces
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup Kahlúa
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 cups whipping cream
• Espresso powder and shaved dark chocolate to garnish* optional

In a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter over simmering water. Stir constantly till melted through. Turn off heat but allow mixture to stay warm..

In a large bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, egg yolks, Kahlúa and espresso powder. Combine with the chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form; fold into Kahlúa-chocolate mixture gently. 

In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into the chocolate mixture. Take care not to deflate the egg whites. Spoon into individual dessert glasses. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight till chilled and set. Serve with a little espresso powder and shaved dark chocolate on top.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from October 1st till October 31st at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.