Book club tonight!

Here on campus we have a book club. I think I've mentioned it before, but I'll tell you about it, in case you've forgotten. :)

It's not a regular kind of book club. We meet once a month, and everyone brings books, or movies, or magazines, or well, just about anything else entertaining and not available in Angola that they are willing to lend someone else! See because, it's not very easy to come by books (or any of that other stuff) in English here in Luanda. Riga had LOADS of English language books compared to what you can get here. So, we do the book club the way we do it- and it's good. Everyone brings their stuff, everyone takes a turn telling about at least one book that they have brought and we talk. Of course, it's as much an excuse for a social call as to get a new book.

The thing is, there is one other major part of Book Club- the food and drink. Book Club has always been a kind of a potluck thing- bring a snack or a bottle to share kind of thing. Well, for those of us who LIKE to cook/bake, it's an excuse to do so. So some people who don't particularly like to cook/bake just bring a bottle of wine- which is fine. But if you're like me, you bring not just one, but two freshly homemade dishes. :) What other excuse would I ever have to make this stuff otherwise?!?

Do not be afraid of the color of this. It was delicious! Pea Pesto on Crostini (or something along those lines...)- several people commented it would be good for a St. Patrick's Day party or some other thing that you need green food for. It was super easy to make, and I really liked it. Taken from the cookbook the Dandenong Smedes got me for Christmas. Thanks!

Our school librarian sends out an email every week with library updates. At first I didn't really read these updates- whatever your profession, you know that there are emails you get that are regular, and you know won't change your life, and can in fact be deleted without being read. I thought the library updates were like this in the beginning. But then, one day when I suppose I had nothing better to do, and decided to read the update, I saw that the librarian had included a list of new adult books and dvds that had come into the library- including a movie I had been wanting to see for a long time. I was so happy- rushed to the library at my first free moment and got the movie to watch over the weekend. So needless to say, I read every library update now, looking for the lists of new stuff that has come in.

This week the update included a list of new stuff, which included the book, The Joy of Cooking. I have never used this cookbook/reference book, but was so excited to see another cookbook that I ran for it again as soon as I could the next morning. I spent every free moment that day flipping through pages upon pages of recipes, interesting facts about food, etc- The Joy of Cooking is MUCH MORE than just a cookbook. In the end I came across one recipe that caught my eye because I KNEW I had 3/4 of the ingredients, and could get the last one. :)

So, Coconut Macaroons it was:

Funny, looking at that picture, they actually look like they could be some kind of savory fried cheese or fish ball or something. Well, they aren't- it's just coconut and condensed milk basically- with a couple stiffly (hand-)beaten eggs whites and some vanilla for good measure. So easy! Although the macaroons did not get eaten during the book club meeting, when it was home time, everyone took 5 or 6 for home, several people exclaiming that they were lovely. :)

Have I mentioned that I love to cook, but, sometimes, I make things I don't like (I wasn't a huge fan of the macaroons, mostly because I don't like that much coconut without chocolate), or that I like too much and need out of the house? I love these occasions when I can get away with cooking/baking and then not getting stuck eating it all myself. It's a good thing. :)

Oh, and the other fun part about book club tonight was bringing along and showing off my Kindle. At the last meeting, before the holidays, I had mentioned that I was getting one for Christmas. We all talked about whether or not we would like one, if we would use it, etc. Even though I had ordered it, I still wasn't sure if I would like it, or want to use it. Well, if I haven't mentioned it, I do love mine. I have read 3 and a half books on it already, and I don't miss having a paper book at all. I do have several books in hard copy to read, and of course I will- but I will definitely continue to buy books for my Kindle- if only because they are cheaper than hard copy books as well! :) I don't know that I talked anyone into buying a Kindle tonight- well, I wasn't REALLY trying, after all, I don't care what form people read in- but I think they were all fairly impressed by my little machine, and all that it does.