I almost made it. I read in bed until the book slid off onto the floor. I read in the kitchen in nine minute spurts between batches of cookies. I read yesterday at work in between clicks as my computer was oddly slow. But my torrid love affair with Calamity kept me from Owen for too long. I fell short by about 60 all-important pages. I accepted my punishment with aplomb. Hearing The Ending. The good parts before I got there on my own. Serves me right. (but damn!)
Group was a full house and so much fun. Of course any time I have anyone over to eat (as I write that I'm not entirely sure I've ever really had anyone over ever and not had food), no matter how much prep and planning I may or may not accomplish (come on...this group was on a Monday! With a full weekend before I really have no excuse) my 10x12 turns totally Kitchen Stadium in the hour leading up to my guests ETA. And let me tell you, I am nothing like Zen master Chef Masaharu Morimoto! I think I'm a tad closer to the total Mario Batali freak out. Nah, that's not really fair to Batali. I probably most closely resemble (only more short-tempered) that bizarre host! The Chairman. (Well, he's really an actor. Best known, to me anyway, as the total hottie in Le Pacte des Loups. Yes yes. Just put it in your Netflix queue.) Watch the opening sequence of Iron Chef and you'll get the picture.
I think every thing I made was right out of Everyday Food. (It sounded easy.) Three or four "dips" for crostini. (The favorite being a blend of chevre, dried mission figs, rosemary, and a bit of lemon juice...although I'm quite sure one could blend chevre with dryer lint and it would be fantastic.) Some roasted, spicy chickpeas. And then peanut sauce and chicken satay. No really, it sounded easy! And really, it was...just all last moment for me in Kitchen Stadium.
After our discussion we slogged through the voting and I've posted our twelve chosen ones for the next year at right in the Book Group Bull Pen. Some of the also-rans I am excited about include Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi) now also a major motion picture, Damage (Josephine Hart) also a major motion picture from 1992, The Yiddish Policeman's Union (Michael Chabon), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Thornton Wilder), Blink: The Power of Positive Thinking (Malcolm Gladwell), and King Lear (well, you know.)
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1 comment:
Dena--Book group was fabulous as usual at your house. The food perfect, the atmosphere always cozy and the discussion was GOOD! But I beg the question...did you EVER finish Owen Meany's end?.......no fibbing here my girl.
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