My Favorite Bread Recipe (Holly Beth Smiley, adapted from Kathy Summers)
Mix:
4 ½ cups warm water
1 ½ T. brown sugar
4 ½ T. yeast (I use SAF Instant; others may take longer to rise)
When the yeast is “foamy” stir in:
1 cup honey
1 cup light olive oil
1 ½ T. salt
3 1/3 cups raw oats (This is optional. I always add it for moistness and flavor, but—strangely—all quantities remain the same if you leave this out.)
Knead in the flour:
12 cups freshly ground white wheat flour
(If you don’t have white wheat, you can use 10 cups of hard red wheat flour with two cups of bread flour. Or you can use 13 cups of bread flour for truly marvelous white bread.)
Knead ten minutes to develop the gluten. The dough should be elastic, but it is a soft and somewhat sticky dough. Grease five bread pans with PAM spray (or cookie sheets for rolls or long, skinny loaves). Shape the loaves (or rolls) with a little flour and place in pans. Let rise until almost doubled in size—about 20-40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 24 minutes for wheat loaves, 27 minutes for white loaves, 11-14 minutes for small rolls, etc. Cook whole wheat bread until just before it looks done; cook white bread a couple of minutes beyond looking done. Cool on racks and store in bread bags. Freeze what you won’t use within 24 hours.
Basic Yogurt (Holly Beth Smiley, adapted from Harold McGee)
Heat milk (I use whole milk because I enjoy the mild flavor) to 180 degrees F. over medium heat.
Let milk cool to 120 degrees F.
Dilute yogurt starter with warm milk. Use two tablespoons of yogurt for each quart of milk (1/2 cup yogurt for a gallon of milk).
Stir yogurt thoroughly into milk and ladle into pint or quart jars (always use glass). Cover with lids and bands and place in a cool oven with the light bulb on for 4-7 hours. Do not disturb during this incubation! When yogurt is set to your satisfaction (less time will be runnier and milder, longer will be thicker and tangier), move to the refrigerator to chill. Don’t forget to save the last of your yogurt to make your next batch.
Notes:
Yogurt keeps well for two weeks or more in the fridge. The lactic acid prevents the growth of other bacteria, but you do need to watch out for mold. The cleaner your jars and materials are, the longer your yogurt will remain fresh.
Lactic acid bacteria are a group of microbes that convert sugars into lactic acid, which suppresses the growth of their competitors. The lactic acid also causes the fat and proteins in milk to cluster into a solid network, with the milk’s water trapped inside. The protein-fat network is fragile—it’s holding 25 times its weight in liquid—so the watery whey gradually leaks from it. That is why whey pools up in the yogurt container after you scoop the first spoonful, and why manufacturers add stabilizers. Your yogurt has no additives, but if you don’t stir or shake it and spoon it out gently, it will hold its shape nicely. Just pour out the whey on top of the yogurt before serving.
Many types of reduced-fat milks replace fat with milk solids, including lactose. The yogurt bacteria will convert this extra milk sugar into more lactic acid, producing a harsher and bitter-tasting yogurt. If you learn how to make yummy low-fat yogurt, please let me know...
If you want to make thick Greek-style yogurt, spoon it into a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or dishcloth, and let the whey and its lactic acid drain into a bowl for several hours.
If somebody eats your last serving of yogurt (which has happened several times at my house) or you go on vacation and come back to moldy yogurt, you can always get some from me or use a package of Yoplait. The stabilizers and sweeteners will be diluted out in your final product.
This yogurt is delicious with fresh fruit (especially berries or nectarines) and nuts (especially toasted pecans), with a drizzle of honey, with muesli or granola, or in smoothies. I also use it in baking (pancakes and waffles), making fruit dip, vegetable dip, or diluting whipping cream for desserts. I love to substitute it for some or all of the sour cream--and especially mayonnaise (which I dislike)--in recipes. Try it in tuna salad or chicken salad, or to make frozen yogurt or experiment with Middle Eastern or Indian recipes. My kids enjoy it plain in their lunches (with an ice pack). Try to fold it—rather than stir or whip it—so that it will not become too runny.
Plain yogurt has been a kitchen staple in many parts of the world for over 5,400 years. I love seeing the miracle of fermentation in my own kitchen and producing mild, healthy yogurt for just six cents per half-cup serving. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Book Group Schedules (from Ellen Dorrough)
Hi Gals,
Well Friday was very fun and I am very excited for this year's line-up. Drumroll Please...
Falconridge LPPS
2010-2011 Schedule
Date Book Author Host
Oct 20th Anahitas Woven Riddle Meghan Nuttal Sayres Alyssa Eucker
Nov 17th The Color of Water James McBride Emily Schild @ Kay Bleak's house
Dec 15th Movie/Book - The Scarlet Pimpermel Baroness Orczy Daurie Larimer
Jan 19th The Book Thief Markus Zusak Janea Nuff
Feb 16th The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield Ellen Dorrough
Mar 16th The Lemon Tree Sandy Tolan Daurie Larimer
Apr 20th My Name is Mary Sutter Robin Oliveira Kay Bleak
May 18th Glass Castle Jeannette Walls Kristy Welsh
Jun 15th Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner TBD
A few things to note:
• I am making a exectutive decision and based on some really great feedback I am naming our group the Falconridge Literary and Pumpkin Pie Society. The name can be vetoed at any time! : )
• We are meeting at 7:30 pm on the third Wed of every month. Dates are listed above.
• We will have the meeting at the Host's house (unless otherwise specified).
• Everyone is welcome.
• December is a Movie month. We will watch the Scarlet Pimpernel, feel free to read the book in advance but most of the evening will be focused on watching the adaptation.
• I will send out a reminder a couple times during the month to remind people. Please send me an email if you would like to be on the distribution list.
• For Your reference, I have also attached the Beechtree reading list below. You will see that all but one book is different (The Book Thief was very popular). There is a lot of great variety in books to read and both clubs are open to participation. Enjoy!
Beechtree
Oct Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
Nov Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery Josi Kilpack
Dec The Book Thief Marcus Zusak
Jan Poetry Exchange
Feb My Name is Asher Lev Chaim Potok
Mar The Warrior Heir Cinda Williams Chima
Apr No Graves Yet Anne Perry
May The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Jun The Winter Dance Gary Paulsen
Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to a fun year of reading, talking, and of course eating! : )
Ellen
Well Friday was very fun and I am very excited for this year's line-up. Drumroll Please...
Falconridge LPPS
2010-2011 Schedule
Date Book Author Host
Oct 20th Anahitas Woven Riddle Meghan Nuttal Sayres Alyssa Eucker
Nov 17th The Color of Water James McBride Emily Schild @ Kay Bleak's house
Dec 15th Movie/Book - The Scarlet Pimpermel Baroness Orczy Daurie Larimer
Jan 19th The Book Thief Markus Zusak Janea Nuff
Feb 16th The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield Ellen Dorrough
Mar 16th The Lemon Tree Sandy Tolan Daurie Larimer
Apr 20th My Name is Mary Sutter Robin Oliveira Kay Bleak
May 18th Glass Castle Jeannette Walls Kristy Welsh
Jun 15th Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner TBD
A few things to note:
• I am making a exectutive decision and based on some really great feedback I am naming our group the Falconridge Literary and Pumpkin Pie Society. The name can be vetoed at any time! : )
• We are meeting at 7:30 pm on the third Wed of every month. Dates are listed above.
• We will have the meeting at the Host's house (unless otherwise specified).
• Everyone is welcome.
• December is a Movie month. We will watch the Scarlet Pimpernel, feel free to read the book in advance but most of the evening will be focused on watching the adaptation.
• I will send out a reminder a couple times during the month to remind people. Please send me an email if you would like to be on the distribution list.
• For Your reference, I have also attached the Beechtree reading list below. You will see that all but one book is different (The Book Thief was very popular). There is a lot of great variety in books to read and both clubs are open to participation. Enjoy!
Beechtree
Oct Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
Nov Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery Josi Kilpack
Dec The Book Thief Marcus Zusak
Jan Poetry Exchange
Feb My Name is Asher Lev Chaim Potok
Mar The Warrior Heir Cinda Williams Chima
Apr No Graves Yet Anne Perry
May The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Jun The Winter Dance Gary Paulsen
Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to a fun year of reading, talking, and of course eating! : )
Ellen
Recipes from Fabulous Friday Part 1 (from Rebecca Davis)
Chocolate-Almond Popcorn (from Amber Connell)
(From www.marthastewart.com)
Makes about 30 cups
25 cups popped popcorn (from about 1 cup kernels)
3 cups unsalted whole skin-on almonds, toasted (about 1 pound)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn in a large bowl. Add the nuts; set
aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer,
about 5 minutes.
Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and nuts; toss to coat. Transfer to rimmed
baking sheets; bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost dry, about 1
hour. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Kent Anderson, chef at Chef's Table Restaurant, Provo, Utah
3 T Vegetable Oil
2 T Vegetable Oil
2 Medium onions, small dice
3 medium-sized Butternut Squash, cut in half and seeded
3 C. Chicken Stock
1.5 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1 T Salt
1 T Pepper
2 T nutmeg
2 T fresh ground mace
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil butternut squash with 2 T. oil and
place on baking sheet.
Roast the squash uncovered until tender, approximately 30 minutes. Remove
from heat and allow to cool slightly. Using a spoon, remove the flesh from
the squash and set aside in utility bowl.
Heat oil in a large soup pot
Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent
Add cooked squash to onions
Add chicken Stock
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes to allow for interchange
of flavors.
Add whipping cream and blend to desired consistency in a blender. The
smoother the better!
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, nutmeg and mace.
BRATTEN'S CLAM CHOWDER
2 Cans (6 1/2 oz.) minced clams
1/2 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped celery
2 C. diced, peeled potatoes
3/4 C. butter
3/4 C. flour
1 quart Half and Half
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
Drain liquid from clams and pour over vegetables in a saucepan. Add enough
water to barely cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender
(approximately 20 minutes). Meanwhile, melt butter and add flour. Cook 2
minutes. Add half and half using whisk. Cook as a white sauce until thick
and smooth. Use a wire whisk to stir. Add unstrained veggies and clams
until heated through. Season and serve.
CINNAMON POPCORN
8 qts. air popped corn
1 cup butter
½ cup light corn syrup
1 10 oz. package of redhots
Combine butter, corn syrup and candies. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn and mix evenly.
Put in a flat pan and bake at 250 for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Pour out and cool on waxed paper. (Makes 2 pans)
Chocolate Covered Popcorn from Ashley Thelin
(salty sweet and we can't get enough!)
2 Bags microwave popcorn
1 cup M&M's
¾ cup Peanuts (optional)
1 ½ cups stick pretzels
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 bag white chocolate chips
Milk or dark chocolate to drizzle
(Can use chocolate specifically made to melt
like a dipping chocolate rather than normal
Chocolate chips and it will set up faster. Regular
chocolate chips taste just as good but longer
to harden)
Pop popcorn and remove unpopped kernels. Put popcorn, M&M's, peanuts,
pretzels and marshmallows in a BIG bowl (or split in two bowls.) Melt white
chocolate chips on half power in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so.
Pour over popcorn mixture and mix until evenly coated (using hands may work
well). Spread on two cookie sheets. Melt dipping chocolate (I use one
whole bag of regular chocolate chips) and drizzle all over popcorn. Let
sit until chocolate sets. May place in the fridge to speed it up.
(From www.marthastewart.com)
Makes about 30 cups
25 cups popped popcorn (from about 1 cup kernels)
3 cups unsalted whole skin-on almonds, toasted (about 1 pound)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn in a large bowl. Add the nuts; set
aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer,
about 5 minutes.
Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and nuts; toss to coat. Transfer to rimmed
baking sheets; bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost dry, about 1
hour. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Kent Anderson, chef at Chef's Table Restaurant, Provo, Utah
3 T Vegetable Oil
2 T Vegetable Oil
2 Medium onions, small dice
3 medium-sized Butternut Squash, cut in half and seeded
3 C. Chicken Stock
1.5 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1 T Salt
1 T Pepper
2 T nutmeg
2 T fresh ground mace
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil butternut squash with 2 T. oil and
place on baking sheet.
Roast the squash uncovered until tender, approximately 30 minutes. Remove
from heat and allow to cool slightly. Using a spoon, remove the flesh from
the squash and set aside in utility bowl.
Heat oil in a large soup pot
Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent
Add cooked squash to onions
Add chicken Stock
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes to allow for interchange
of flavors.
Add whipping cream and blend to desired consistency in a blender. The
smoother the better!
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, nutmeg and mace.
BRATTEN'S CLAM CHOWDER
2 Cans (6 1/2 oz.) minced clams
1/2 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped celery
2 C. diced, peeled potatoes
3/4 C. butter
3/4 C. flour
1 quart Half and Half
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
Drain liquid from clams and pour over vegetables in a saucepan. Add enough
water to barely cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender
(approximately 20 minutes). Meanwhile, melt butter and add flour. Cook 2
minutes. Add half and half using whisk. Cook as a white sauce until thick
and smooth. Use a wire whisk to stir. Add unstrained veggies and clams
until heated through. Season and serve.
CINNAMON POPCORN
8 qts. air popped corn
1 cup butter
½ cup light corn syrup
1 10 oz. package of redhots
Combine butter, corn syrup and candies. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn and mix evenly.
Put in a flat pan and bake at 250 for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Pour out and cool on waxed paper. (Makes 2 pans)
Chocolate Covered Popcorn from Ashley Thelin
(salty sweet and we can't get enough!)
2 Bags microwave popcorn
1 cup M&M's
¾ cup Peanuts (optional)
1 ½ cups stick pretzels
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 bag white chocolate chips
Milk or dark chocolate to drizzle
(Can use chocolate specifically made to melt
like a dipping chocolate rather than normal
Chocolate chips and it will set up faster. Regular
chocolate chips taste just as good but longer
to harden)
Pop popcorn and remove unpopped kernels. Put popcorn, M&M's, peanuts,
pretzels and marshmallows in a BIG bowl (or split in two bowls.) Melt white
chocolate chips on half power in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so.
Pour over popcorn mixture and mix until evenly coated (using hands may work
well). Spread on two cookie sheets. Melt dipping chocolate (I use one
whole bag of regular chocolate chips) and drizzle all over popcorn. Let
sit until chocolate sets. May place in the fridge to speed it up.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Fabulous Friday class schedule
Greetings Sisters-
We're just a week a way from our Fabulous Friday fall event. We look forward to seeing you on Friday October 22nd at 6pm for an evening full of craft projects and informational classes. In an effort to help you prepare and arrange your evening, we would like to provide you with the schedule of classes. The evening will go as follows:
6pm- Welcome and start of all craft projects and dinner
6:15pm- "Knitting" with Karen Monson
6:45pm- "Organization" with Ashton Thelin
7:15pm- "Hair Cutting" with Shannon Neal
7:45pm- "Fun with Grandma" with Claudia Leppert
8:15pm- "Bread & Yogurt Making" with Holly Smiley
8:45pm- "Blogs/Facebook" with Cristy Welsh
9:30pm- Wrap Up and Closing Prayer
As a reminder, the crafts will be taking place throughout the evening and can be at your leisure between classes or instead of classes.
If you have any questions, please contact Rachael McCauley- mccauleyrach@gmail.com or Bethany Sebra- bethanysebra@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you!
Relief Society Activities Committee
We're just a week a way from our Fabulous Friday fall event. We look forward to seeing you on Friday October 22nd at 6pm for an evening full of craft projects and informational classes. In an effort to help you prepare and arrange your evening, we would like to provide you with the schedule of classes. The evening will go as follows:
6pm- Welcome and start of all craft projects and dinner
6:15pm- "Knitting" with Karen Monson
6:45pm- "Organization" with Ashton Thelin
7:15pm- "Hair Cutting" with Shannon Neal
7:45pm- "Fun with Grandma" with Claudia Leppert
8:15pm- "Bread & Yogurt Making" with Holly Smiley
8:45pm- "Blogs/Facebook" with Cristy Welsh
9:30pm- Wrap Up and Closing Prayer
As a reminder, the crafts will be taking place throughout the evening and can be at your leisure between classes or instead of classes.
If you have any questions, please contact Rachael McCauley- mccauleyrach@gmail.com or Bethany Sebra- bethanysebra@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you!
Relief Society Activities Committee
Monday, October 11, 2010
October 29 Ward Halloween Activity
Hi Sisters-
I’m so excited about our upcoming Ward Halloween Party and Trunk or Treat. This year we will be having a Soup or Pie Dinner as well as some activities in addition to our annual trunk or treat. If you would be so kind as to sign up to bring either a pot of soup that feeds 10-12 or a pie (it doesn’t have to be homemade) that would be greatly appreciated. You can sign up by sending an e-mail to jolynsg@aol.com and let me know which works best for you. Please feel free to decorate your car for the trunk or treat and to come dressed up that night. There will be a costume contest so be forwarned. We are hoping it will be a lot of fun and that all of you will plan on joining us. So save the date: October 29th 6:30-8:30 and plan on having a spooktacular time!! See you there.
Jolyn Guthrie and the Activities committee
I’m so excited about our upcoming Ward Halloween Party and Trunk or Treat. This year we will be having a Soup or Pie Dinner as well as some activities in addition to our annual trunk or treat. If you would be so kind as to sign up to bring either a pot of soup that feeds 10-12 or a pie (it doesn’t have to be homemade) that would be greatly appreciated. You can sign up by sending an e-mail to jolynsg@aol.com and let me know which works best for you. Please feel free to decorate your car for the trunk or treat and to come dressed up that night. There will be a costume contest so be forwarned. We are hoping it will be a lot of fun and that all of you will plan on joining us. So save the date: October 29th 6:30-8:30 and plan on having a spooktacular time!! See you there.
Jolyn Guthrie and the Activities committee
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
FREE Building Strong LDS Families Conference
Holly,
Please consider making this workshop information available to your RS members.
The Oregon Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) will be holding its first annual conference, entitled “Building Strong Latter-day Saint Families.” The conference will make available a variety of educational topics including, strengthening marriages, teaching children healthy sexuality, parenting teens, motherhood, resolving marital conflict and understanding moods and emotions. There is no charge for attendance. The conference will be held next month, Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Tualatin Stake Center (2284 SW Grahams Ferry Road, Tualatin, OR 97062). President Lloyd Campbell of the Tualatin Stake and a member of AMCAP will be our keynote speaker.
Elaine J. Davis, LPC
Marriage and Family Therapist
503-402-8654
elainejdavis.com
Please consider making this workshop information available to your RS members.
The Oregon Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) will be holding its first annual conference, entitled “Building Strong Latter-day Saint Families.” The conference will make available a variety of educational topics including, strengthening marriages, teaching children healthy sexuality, parenting teens, motherhood, resolving marital conflict and understanding moods and emotions. There is no charge for attendance. The conference will be held next month, Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Tualatin Stake Center (2284 SW Grahams Ferry Road, Tualatin, OR 97062). President Lloyd Campbell of the Tualatin Stake and a member of AMCAP will be our keynote speaker.
Elaine J. Davis, LPC
Marriage and Family Therapist
503-402-8654
elainejdavis.com
Beachtree Book Club (Contributed by Marah Cluff)
Come to the Beechtree Book Club! We are members and former members of the Skyline Relief Society, and we would love for you to join us. We read from a variety of genres, and we meet on the first Thursday of every month (except during the summer) at 8 p.m. Holly is sending this beginning-of-the-school-year email for me to all the members of our Relief Society, and if you would like follow-up Beechtree emails, please let Marah Cluff know.
Our current reading schedule:
Oct. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. This is the third and final book in the Hunger Game series, which we started in March. If you haven't read the first two books, there's still time--it's quick reading. Or just come to see if you would like to read these books! We will meet this Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. at Ruthann Eucker's home. Alyssa Eucker will lead our discussion.
Nov. Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery by Josi Kilpack. It includes recipes, so we'll have to see if anyone wants to make one for our discussion. Only one copy at the library with a list of 12 holds, so I'll try to help get a copy around to interested readers. It is also available at Deseret Book (Josi is LDS). If you have a copy you can share, let us know! Here is the product review from Amazon.com:
Award- winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary cozies that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie s search is the woman s missing two year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects including her! For an added treat, original mouth- watering recipes for Sadie s Lemon Tart, Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Carrot Cookies, Brownies, and Granny s Gingerbread Bundt Cake are sprinkled throughout the book.
Dec. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Many in our group have read it, so it should be easy for us to discuss it around the busy holidays.
Jan. Poetry Exchange. Bring several copies of a poem you would like to discuss.
Feb. My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok. This classic is the 4th most popular pick by our book club (after Vanity Fair, Rebecca, and The Count of Monte Cristo). I liked this customer review that I found on Amazon.com:
I am not an artist. Nor am I a gifted person in any respect. But, for a few moments, I had a notion of what it could be like to be blessed and cursed with a talent so rare, and so special. This feeling occured when I read and delved into the world of Asher Lev.
"My Name is Asher Lev" is Chaim Potok's best novel. It is complete, subtle and passionate; devastating to its core. It tells the poignant and difficult story of Asher Lev, a New York-born religious Jew who finds the gift of painting within him early on, yet is isolated from his community due to the philosophy that Judaism, modern art, and Christianity are distinctly seperate worlds.
In my favorite scene from the book, detailing the power of Potok's imagination, Asher Lev is a young boy, who looks at his mother one day and creates a rendition of her on paper. Because she is depressed at the time, and smoking, Potok has Lev use the leftover ash from her finished cigarettes as the drawing object; his mother is created in shades of gray. A story this original, this creative, and this imaginary deserves to be read.
Potok, a rabbi, has done an excellent job in detailing a Jewish community in the United States, as well as conveying the relationship it holds with the Christian majority. Besides being a good read on art, the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the tensions that separate two religious worlds.
"My Name Is Asher Lev" is a wonderful read and I recommended it to all.
Mar. The Warrior Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. This is the first of a fantasy trilogy, and we are only planning on reading and discussing the first book. But I suspect there will be several of us who will read the whole thing. Here is a summary I found on Goodreads.com:
Before he knew about the Roses, sixteen-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind - part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, there are no limits to what they'll do to get Jack to fight for them. . . .
Apr. No Graves as Yet, by Anne Perry. This Is a WWI historical fiction and the first in a series. The rating for this book on Amazon and Goodreads is good and for the sequels are great! Here is a review from Publishers Weekly:
This absorbing mystery/spy thriller, set in tranquil Cambridge just before the onset of the Great War, marks a powerful start to bestseller Perry's much anticipated new series. In a lush and deceptively peaceful opening scene, college professor and chaplain Joseph Reavley is interrupted while watching a cricket game by his intelligence officer brother, Matthew, who reports the sudden death of their parents in a car crash. This horrifying news sets off a long but compelling investigation by the brothers that takes them across verdant summertime England, looking for a secret document that their father was trying to deliver to Matthew at the time of his death. Against a backdrop of ominous news from the continent, Perry artfully weaves connections between pacifist students at Cambridge, one of whom is also murdered, and German agents who may be planning "a conspiracy to ruin England and everything we stand for." The intrigue is further complicated by jilted lovers and jealous spouses at the university, all with grudges against an alleged blackmailer in their midst who may also be privy to exam cribbing and other illicit goings-on. Perry's title, a quotation from G.K. Chesterton, is a portent of the carnage that soon awaits the youth of England, yet by the final resolution of this gripping case, many graves have regrettably already been filled in Cambridge's serene churchyards.
Sep. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. As noted earlier in this email, it's a top-five I-want-to-read classic in the poll I took last year. It's 1300 pages, so don't leave this until the last week in August!
Oct. A Winter Dance, by Gary Paulsen. This is the author's account of running the Iditarod without having any idea what he was doing. Here is a customer review I found on Amazon.com:
I made the grave mistake of trying to read this book while on a public bus. It wasn't long before I realized the folly in this, as I repeatedly had to stifle the wild guffaws that threatened to pour forth without my consent. The other passengers probably came to the conclusion that I was either very sick or slightly deranged as I rocked back and forth in my seat and tried to pretend that I was, in fact, merely coughing. Gary Paulsen has offered us one of the most hilarious accounts of running the Iditarod that I have ever come across.
Living in Minnesota, Paulsen had a small team of five dogs that he used to work his traplines. Over time he became more and more entranced with mushing, until he eventually realized that wanted to, needed to, run the Iditarod - the 1,100+ mile dogsled race stretching across the state of Alaska between Anchorage and Nome. The first half of the book deals with his preparation for the race - finding more dogs, training the dogs, getting the right equipment, etc. We soon see that he has quite a bit to learn. Over the course of this training period, Paulsen finds himself attacked by dogs, run away with by dogs, and often spending many miles being dragged along on the ground behind his sled by dogs. He manages to break his sled repeatedly, get separated from his team, and one night, get sprayed by five different skunks in rapid succession. He is, in short, one of the least qualified of all possible Iditarod candidates.
The second half of the book takes us through the race itself. In the beginning, he makes every possible rookie mistake. He gets lost before even leaving the city of Anchorage, after putting the wrong animal in the lead-dog position:
"We went through people's yards, ripped down fences, knocked over garbage cans. At one point I found myself going through a carport and across a backyard with fifteen dogs and a fully loaded Iditarod sled. A woman standing over the kitchen sink looked out with wide eyes as we passed through her yard and I snapped a wave at her before clawing the handlebar once again to hang on while we tore down her picket fence when Wilson [the lead dog] tried to thread through a hole not much bigger than a housecat. And there is a cocker spaniel who will never come into his backyard again. He heard us coming and turned to bark just as the entire team ran over him; I flipped one of the runners up to just miss his back and we were gone, leaving him standing facing the wrong way barking at whatever it was that had hit him" (pg. 145).
Much of the first half of the race is a series of such uproarious follies. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the other mushers had voted Paulsen the least likely competitor to get out of Anchorage. But he eventually did, and he ultimately manages to muddle his way through the entire race. As the journey goes on, the book becomes a little more serious as we see Paulsen undergo a transformation. He learns about himself, about the dogs, and about life. He feels himself become one with the frozen world of the north, eventually feeling more at home there that he had with his wife and family in Minnesota.
There are sad parts, too. We see a beloved dog trampled to death by a moose before the first day is over. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurence. Moose do not yield the right-of-way to dog teams, and can be extremely dangerous when upset. We also see a maddened musher kill one of his own dogs in a fit of rage. Killing or abusing dogs during the race is strictly prohibited, and the man was duly disqualified, but I still found this the hardest part of the book to read.
'Winterdance' is a magnificent story of a man following his dream and gaining a wealth of knowledge about himself and the world. Paulsen's easy, self-deprecating humor and vivid verbal imagery bring the story to life. It is also a fast read - I finished the book in one day. I have rarely read anything that has made me laugh so hard, or that has moved me so much by the end. Growing up in Alaska, I always watched the Iditarod start in Anchorage. I've met some of the winning mushers. But Paulsen's story is entirely unique. He was not a race champion or mushing hero, but the rankest rookie out there. And yet he endears himself to our hearts. For any fan of dog mushing, wilderness survival stories, or both, I recommend this book without hesitation.
I look forward to seeing you at Beechtree Book Club!
--
Marah
Our current reading schedule:
Oct. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. This is the third and final book in the Hunger Game series, which we started in March. If you haven't read the first two books, there's still time--it's quick reading. Or just come to see if you would like to read these books! We will meet this Thursday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. at Ruthann Eucker's home. Alyssa Eucker will lead our discussion.
Nov. Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery by Josi Kilpack. It includes recipes, so we'll have to see if anyone wants to make one for our discussion. Only one copy at the library with a list of 12 holds, so I'll try to help get a copy around to interested readers. It is also available at Deseret Book (Josi is LDS). If you have a copy you can share, let us know! Here is the product review from Amazon.com:
Award- winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary cozies that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie s search is the woman s missing two year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects including her! For an added treat, original mouth- watering recipes for Sadie s Lemon Tart, Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Carrot Cookies, Brownies, and Granny s Gingerbread Bundt Cake are sprinkled throughout the book.
Dec. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Many in our group have read it, so it should be easy for us to discuss it around the busy holidays.
Jan. Poetry Exchange. Bring several copies of a poem you would like to discuss.
Feb. My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok. This classic is the 4th most popular pick by our book club (after Vanity Fair, Rebecca, and The Count of Monte Cristo). I liked this customer review that I found on Amazon.com:
I am not an artist. Nor am I a gifted person in any respect. But, for a few moments, I had a notion of what it could be like to be blessed and cursed with a talent so rare, and so special. This feeling occured when I read and delved into the world of Asher Lev.
"My Name is Asher Lev" is Chaim Potok's best novel. It is complete, subtle and passionate; devastating to its core. It tells the poignant and difficult story of Asher Lev, a New York-born religious Jew who finds the gift of painting within him early on, yet is isolated from his community due to the philosophy that Judaism, modern art, and Christianity are distinctly seperate worlds.
In my favorite scene from the book, detailing the power of Potok's imagination, Asher Lev is a young boy, who looks at his mother one day and creates a rendition of her on paper. Because she is depressed at the time, and smoking, Potok has Lev use the leftover ash from her finished cigarettes as the drawing object; his mother is created in shades of gray. A story this original, this creative, and this imaginary deserves to be read.
Potok, a rabbi, has done an excellent job in detailing a Jewish community in the United States, as well as conveying the relationship it holds with the Christian majority. Besides being a good read on art, the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the tensions that separate two religious worlds.
"My Name Is Asher Lev" is a wonderful read and I recommended it to all.
Mar. The Warrior Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima. This is the first of a fantasy trilogy, and we are only planning on reading and discussing the first book. But I suspect there will be several of us who will read the whole thing. Here is a summary I found on Goodreads.com:
Before he knew about the Roses, sixteen-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind - part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, there are no limits to what they'll do to get Jack to fight for them. . . .
Apr. No Graves as Yet, by Anne Perry. This Is a WWI historical fiction and the first in a series. The rating for this book on Amazon and Goodreads is good and for the sequels are great! Here is a review from Publishers Weekly:
This absorbing mystery/spy thriller, set in tranquil Cambridge just before the onset of the Great War, marks a powerful start to bestseller Perry's much anticipated new series. In a lush and deceptively peaceful opening scene, college professor and chaplain Joseph Reavley is interrupted while watching a cricket game by his intelligence officer brother, Matthew, who reports the sudden death of their parents in a car crash. This horrifying news sets off a long but compelling investigation by the brothers that takes them across verdant summertime England, looking for a secret document that their father was trying to deliver to Matthew at the time of his death. Against a backdrop of ominous news from the continent, Perry artfully weaves connections between pacifist students at Cambridge, one of whom is also murdered, and German agents who may be planning "a conspiracy to ruin England and everything we stand for." The intrigue is further complicated by jilted lovers and jealous spouses at the university, all with grudges against an alleged blackmailer in their midst who may also be privy to exam cribbing and other illicit goings-on. Perry's title, a quotation from G.K. Chesterton, is a portent of the carnage that soon awaits the youth of England, yet by the final resolution of this gripping case, many graves have regrettably already been filled in Cambridge's serene churchyards.
Sep. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. As noted earlier in this email, it's a top-five I-want-to-read classic in the poll I took last year. It's 1300 pages, so don't leave this until the last week in August!
Oct. A Winter Dance, by Gary Paulsen. This is the author's account of running the Iditarod without having any idea what he was doing. Here is a customer review I found on Amazon.com:
I made the grave mistake of trying to read this book while on a public bus. It wasn't long before I realized the folly in this, as I repeatedly had to stifle the wild guffaws that threatened to pour forth without my consent. The other passengers probably came to the conclusion that I was either very sick or slightly deranged as I rocked back and forth in my seat and tried to pretend that I was, in fact, merely coughing. Gary Paulsen has offered us one of the most hilarious accounts of running the Iditarod that I have ever come across.
Living in Minnesota, Paulsen had a small team of five dogs that he used to work his traplines. Over time he became more and more entranced with mushing, until he eventually realized that wanted to, needed to, run the Iditarod - the 1,100+ mile dogsled race stretching across the state of Alaska between Anchorage and Nome. The first half of the book deals with his preparation for the race - finding more dogs, training the dogs, getting the right equipment, etc. We soon see that he has quite a bit to learn. Over the course of this training period, Paulsen finds himself attacked by dogs, run away with by dogs, and often spending many miles being dragged along on the ground behind his sled by dogs. He manages to break his sled repeatedly, get separated from his team, and one night, get sprayed by five different skunks in rapid succession. He is, in short, one of the least qualified of all possible Iditarod candidates.
The second half of the book takes us through the race itself. In the beginning, he makes every possible rookie mistake. He gets lost before even leaving the city of Anchorage, after putting the wrong animal in the lead-dog position:
"We went through people's yards, ripped down fences, knocked over garbage cans. At one point I found myself going through a carport and across a backyard with fifteen dogs and a fully loaded Iditarod sled. A woman standing over the kitchen sink looked out with wide eyes as we passed through her yard and I snapped a wave at her before clawing the handlebar once again to hang on while we tore down her picket fence when Wilson [the lead dog] tried to thread through a hole not much bigger than a housecat. And there is a cocker spaniel who will never come into his backyard again. He heard us coming and turned to bark just as the entire team ran over him; I flipped one of the runners up to just miss his back and we were gone, leaving him standing facing the wrong way barking at whatever it was that had hit him" (pg. 145).
Much of the first half of the race is a series of such uproarious follies. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the other mushers had voted Paulsen the least likely competitor to get out of Anchorage. But he eventually did, and he ultimately manages to muddle his way through the entire race. As the journey goes on, the book becomes a little more serious as we see Paulsen undergo a transformation. He learns about himself, about the dogs, and about life. He feels himself become one with the frozen world of the north, eventually feeling more at home there that he had with his wife and family in Minnesota.
There are sad parts, too. We see a beloved dog trampled to death by a moose before the first day is over. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurence. Moose do not yield the right-of-way to dog teams, and can be extremely dangerous when upset. We also see a maddened musher kill one of his own dogs in a fit of rage. Killing or abusing dogs during the race is strictly prohibited, and the man was duly disqualified, but I still found this the hardest part of the book to read.
'Winterdance' is a magnificent story of a man following his dream and gaining a wealth of knowledge about himself and the world. Paulsen's easy, self-deprecating humor and vivid verbal imagery bring the story to life. It is also a fast read - I finished the book in one day. I have rarely read anything that has made me laugh so hard, or that has moved me so much by the end. Growing up in Alaska, I always watched the Iditarod start in Anchorage. I've met some of the winning mushers. But Paulsen's story is entirely unique. He was not a race champion or mushing hero, but the rankest rookie out there. And yet he endears himself to our hearts. For any fan of dog mushing, wilderness survival stories, or both, I recommend this book without hesitation.
I look forward to seeing you at Beechtree Book Club!
--
Marah
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