Book Club in September. what I served, what we read

We had an exceptional turnout for September's book club with 13 guests.  

This is the book I chose for us to read in October.  Soooo good.

Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past.

What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home. Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive

Here are the recipes I served:

 Salad Supreme Pasta Salad

1/2 bag of broccoli florets

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of large sliced olives

1/4 of a diced red onion

cherry tomatoes, sliced (container)

1 chopped green pepper

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 bag of chopped colby jack cheese

1/2 a bottle of salad supreme

Mix the above well and then add

1 lb box of cooked pasta, drained

a bottle of italian dressing (best to do right before you serve.)

Strawberry Orange Salad

1 package spring mix

1 pint of strawberries, sliced

1 large orange, cut into small pieces

sliced almonds

4 TBS butter

4 TBS sugar

to make candied almonds, mix butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and until the butter and sugar turn to a toffee color.  Stir constantly.

Dressing:

1/3 C fresh orange juice

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T sugar

1/3 C vegetable oil

1/2  package of good season dry italian dressing mix

(mix and pour on salad right before serving)

5 Minute Fluffy Yogurt Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) container of Cool-Whip (light or fat free is fine)

2 (6 oz) containers of yogurt- whatever flavor you want (I used Yoplait Orange Creme)

1/2 package of mini marshmallows

Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit that compliments your yogurt flavor (I used 1 can of mandarin oranges and 1 can of pineapple tidbits for this salad)

Directions:

Dump your yogurt into a bowl. Fold in the container of Cool Whip. Mix well. Add marshmallows and fruit. Chill and serve!

*We also love to use strawberry yogurt and add some fresh strawberries.

*If you use canned fruit, make sure you drain it VERY well or it will make your salad runny.

Ingredients: 

1 c. plus 2 Tbl. warm water

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 Tbl. active dry yeast (yes, you read that right! 2 tablespoons!)

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, oil, yeast and sugar; let rest for 5-10 minutes or until frothy and bubbly. With a dough hook, mix in salt, egg and 2 cups of flour until combined. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour at a time (dough will be sticky). Spray your hands with cooking spray and shape the dough into 12 balls. After shaped, place on lightly greased cookie sheet and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake for about 10 minutes or until tops are lightly golden. Yield: 12 good-sized rolls. You can also use this same dough for cinnamon rolls!

(adapted from: Real Mom Kitchen)

Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I just bought the Hormel brand marinated tenderloins at my grocery store.  i ground croutons in a food processor and covered each tenderloin in the croutons and melted drizzled butter over the top.  Use  an internal meat thermometer to tell you when its done. Desired temperature is on the packaging. (takes about 40 minutes).

Thrifty Mom's chocolate caramel cake

(step by step instructions on the link below)

http://athriftymom.com/better-then-megan-fox-cake/