September 2016 Meeting

Image from here

Hosted by Angel in Love

Tuesday, September 13, 2016
6:30 pm

"Gaining Ground" by Forrest Pritchard

Image from Amazon, available here.

"Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm" by Forrest Pritchard

"Ordinary Grace, A Novel" by William Kent Krueger

Image from Amazon here.

"Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name" by Vendela Vida

Image from Amazon here.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford

Available from Amazon here.

Stone Fruit Salad with Yogurt, Honey, and Mint

Recipe and image from Will Cook for Friends here.

STONE FRUIT SALAD WITH YOGURT, HONEY, AND MINT

Author: Willow at Will Cook For Friends
Recipe type: Salad, Desserts

INGREDIENTS

• Stone fruit of choice (I used peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots -- maybe 5-6 fruit in total)
• Dollop of plain, full-fat, Greek yogurt (about ½ cup) 
• Drizzle of honey, to taste (maybe 2 TBSP, but don't go overboard) 
• Chiffonade of fresh mint (maybe 3-4 mint leaves, plus more for garnish) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and cut your fruit. You can cut them into halves, quarters, eighths, or a variety of sizes as I did. There are no rules here. 
2. Optionally, grill the fruit. I chose to grill only the firmest of the fruits, like the peaches, because the more delicate ones -- such as the apricots -- tend to soften and fall apart very quickly. I prefer to grill some, while leaving others fresh and cold, for more variation of flavors and temperatures. I suggest brushing the cut-side of the fruit with a little coconut oil prior to grilling, to help prevent stickage. 
3. Place a big dollop of yogurt on your plate or serving platter. If the taste of plain yogurt is a little too tart for you, mix some honey into it first. Arrange the fruit on top of the yogurt, then drizzle with a little extra honey (not too much), and sprinkle with freshly chopped mint. 

Roasted Chicken With Potatoes, Arugula and Garlic Yogurt

Image and recipe from New York Times Cooking here

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks 
• 1 ¼ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices 
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed 
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed 
• 2 tablespoons harissa (or use another thick hot sauce, such as sriracha) 
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin 
• 4 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed 
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon) 
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt (do not use Greek yogurt) 
• 1 small garlic clove 
• 2 ounces baby arugula Chopped fresh dill, as needed Lemon juice, as needed

PREPARATION

Combine chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together harissa, cumin and 3 tablespoons oil. Pour over chicken and potatoes and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine leeks, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes. Toss potatoes lightly. Scatter leeks over pan. Roast until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and slightly crisped, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Grate garlic over yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon yogurt over chicken and vegetables in the pan. Scatter arugula and dill over mixture. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and serve.

Berry Cobbler

Recipe and Image from Gourmet.com here.

BROWN SUGAR BERRY COBBLER

SERVES6

• ACTIVE TIME:15 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:1 1/4 HR (INCLUDES COOLING)

JULY 2009

Does anything say straight-up summer like a cobbler? The one here gains complexity from a jumble of different berries and extra depth from dark brown sugar. Mixing the brown sugar with regular granulated sugar makes it easier to sprinkle on top of the biscuit topping before the cobbler goes into the oven; when it comes out, the tender, featherlight biscuits will be crowned by golden crunch.

• 3/4 to 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar (depending on sweetness of berries), divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 3/4 lb mixed berries (strawberries trimmed and halved if using)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Stir together 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add berries and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to a shallow 3-qt baking dish and bake until mixture is hot, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add milk and stir until dough just comes together.
• Remove baking dish from oven and drop 12 mounds of dough onto hot berries. Stir together remaining tsp brown sugar and granulated sugar and sprinkle over dough. Bake cobbler until topping is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, about 30 minutes.

RECIPE BY ANDREA ALBIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANIE FOLEY

"The Nightingale, A Novel" by Kristin Hannah

"The Nightingale, A Novel" by Kristin Hannah

"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

March 2016 Meeting

We will leap over February.

Next meeting will be:

March 9, 2016

7 pm

Hosted by Treasurehunter

"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Image from Amazon UK

Available at Amazon here

January 2016 Meeting

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

7 pm

"The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough

Image from here