Holiday Party: A Literal Literary Feast

What a wonderful holiday party we had! Overall, I think 25 of us gathered, with lots of delicious lunch dishes, and we had the usual jolly time talking and eating. Then we folded up the tables and set up chairs making a large oval in the living room, bathed in the light from Lydia's 2-story wall of windows. And here is where this party was different from all the others. We had the cookbook/food theme this time! Plus, Marcia and I brought some items to give away in drawings, and Cindy V. brought quotes about food for us each to read aloud as we went around the circle. So we drew numbers for some to win a book or a DVD, read the quotes, and everyone either recommended a book about some aspect of food or showed a cookbook they had used to create the recipe that they had brought to share. At the end of this post, there is a list the books that each of us brought for show and tell.

 I don't know about you, but I do look forward to the delightful meal we always have...the food itself as well as the company! Food is very important to us all. Planning and preparing fresh food is a delight to some of us, and eating it is appreciated by all. For many years, our group has been bringing pot luck dishes for our holiday party. Whether we like to prepare food or not, most of us bring something thoughtfully planned if not cooked. So there is a focus on food at our party. We enjoy our meal, and we enjoy the chance to talk, and we enjoy the book discussion. This time the book discussion focused on food and especially on the food we had shared. When we went around the room and many of us showed the cookbook that they had used to create the dish they had shared, I remembered tasting or at least noticing each dish. I would guess every one of us remembered either tasting or noticing each dish that was mentioned at the discussion. There was a sort of holistic feeling to the focus on the food that we had spent thought, time and money to bring for our friends. I think the food theme added depth and breadth to our meeting and our sharing of cheer at the beginning of December.

Please be thinking about next year's party, even if only in the back of your mind. I liked the theme idea this year, and I think it works well for the holiday party; although all reading the same book has its charm every month as well as for the annual party. So let's think and please send or give me suggestions any time, and I will save them for next October's discussion. I have been listening to an audio version of Tom Robbins' new autobiography, Tibetan Peach Pie, and in it he mentions a quote that I think he got somewhere, or maybe he made it up. (One downside to audio books is that it's difficult to go back and find anything.) Anyway, the quote was something like, "Christmas comes every 10 years when you are young and every 10 minutes when you are old." So, it's not too early to consider whether you might want to host the holiday party at your house next year and/or what kind of theme might be fun for our party. You could offer to lead the theme or not. What do y'all think? Not really a big rush; we have more than 10 minutes, surely. And I won't bother you about it until after next summer; I promise!

Below is the list of books shared at the party. Please let me know if I left anything out or have anything wrong or incomplete. I apologize for not keeping a list of everyone's dish, but if you are having a hankering for a recipe someone brought and you know who brought it, I will be glad to help you connect with that person.

Patty:
An English Afternoon Tea. Book written by Patty in 1993 and reprinted this year!

The Steinbeck House Cookbook. 1984

The Jane Austin Cookbook, by Maggie Black, 1995

Pillsbury Bake-Off 1978, with Patty's finalist recipe in it
Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, a once-new edition of cookbook from 1930 that is in its 16th edition now

Kathleen:
Provence Beautiful Cookbook

Jay:
 A Matter of Taste, by the Lake Geneva Women's Association 2005

Chicago Tribune Cookbook, 1989

Cindy T:
Vegan  Holiday Kitchen, by Nava Atlas

Pat:
Eating the Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners, by Lucille Recht Penner, 1991

Shirley:
Luby's 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection, 1996

Carol G:
Breaking Bread Together, by the St. Cyrus Ladies Guild, 1977

Diane:
 At Your Service: A Collection of Favorite Recipes From the Round Robin Dinner Groups, from St. Thomas More Church, 1990

Jan:
Barefoot Contessa Parties, by Ina Garten, 2001

Marcia:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, 1961

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell, 2005

Claudia:
Vegan Express, by Nava Atlas, 2008

Lydia:
Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American             Taste, by Luke Barr, 2013, paperback 2014

Janice:
Our Favorite Recipes, by the Round Rock Hospital Auxiliary, 1998

Peggy:
Heartburn, by Nora Ephron, 1996

The Male Chauvinist's Cookbook, by Cory Kilvert, 1974

Judy (+ Dennis):
Consider the Oyster, by M.F.K. Fisher, 1988

How to Cook a Wolf, by M.F.K. Fisher, 1988

Serve it Forth, by M.F.K. Fisher, 2002

Carla:
Gastronomical Me, by M.F.K. Fisher, 1989
            
Pam:
Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls, 1957

Linda (in absentia):
Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Foodie Memoir of Courtship, with Recipes, by Amanda Hesser,                   2004

Happy Holidays 2014-15!!