The "Anything Goes" Book Club

I like to read, and I've decided that one of my goals for the new year is to read at least one book a month. Here's the great part: You get to join me!

I'm going to post my pick for a book at the beginning of the month, and my review of it at the end of the month. You are welcome to join in the fun by reading with me, or you can read my reviews and decide which books interest you. If you like, you can even suggest a book for my next reading adventure.

For January, my book of the month is

Rebecca 

by Daphne du Maurier

From Goodreads: Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again. 

Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamourous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding housekeeper, Mrs Danvers... 

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity. 

From Barnes & Noble: "Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again." So the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter remembered the chilling events that led her down the turning drive past ther beeches, white and naked, to the isolated gray stone manse on the windswept Cornish coast. With a husband she barely knew, the young bride arrived at this immense estate, only to be inexorably drawn into the life of the first Mrs. de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca, dead but never forgotten...her suite of rooms never touched, her clothes ready to be worn, her servant -- the sinister Mrs. Danvers -- still loyal. And as an eerie presentiment of evil tightened around her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter began her search for the real fate of Rebecca...for the secrets of Manderley.

This is one I've never read. A few of my friends gave it really high ratings on Goodreads:

Since I tend to lean on friends' recommendations for books, this seemed like a good pick to kick off the new year.

Rebecca earns an average rating of 4.16 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 stars on Amazon, and 4.5 stars on Barnes & Noble.

If you would like to read it with me, welcome to my book club. If you don't want to read with me, welcome to my book club! Anything goes around here. This is the no-pressure book club you have been searching for. If you do happen to read with me, feel free to let me know what you think of the book.

Happy Reading! (or not)

lemonade

I made this one today:

so true.

10 Things I Hate About You

One of my sister's favorite movies is "10 Things I Hate About You." I saw a poster online featuring the movie's title poem, and I decided to make one for my sister. Enjoy.

Pancake Success

(another crummy phone picture)

This morning, I tried a new recipe with great success. I made this recipe for Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes from Williams-Sonoma.

They weren't difficult to make, but I had 2 bowls to clean at the end. That wasn't a big deal to me, but I might not make them if I were in a hurry. I used a Meyer lemon because I happened to have one on hand, but I think these would be equally scrumptious with regular lemon.

The pancakes had a great texture, and the ricotta added a delicate flavor profile. I served my pancakes with raspberry jam, and it complemented the lemon quite well.

Overall, fairly easy-to-make pancakes with nice flavor and texture.

Christmas Ornaments

It absolutely made my day to see this on Facebook!

I made that beautiful ornament for some newlywed friends of mine. I found the idea on this website, and I loved those monogrammed ornaments as soon as I saw them. I thought they would make an excellent gift for newly married couples sharing their first Christmas together. I got my ornaments and letter stickers from Hobby Lobby, then I simply put them all together!

I should have taken pictures before I sent them out for Christmas, but I guess my oversight was corrected when my friend posted the picture she took on Facebook :-)

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

(phone picture...please excuse the blurriness!)

I am a pretty big fan of Nutella. There are lots of chocolate Nutella cookies out there, so I thought I'd try my hand at making some.

Most of the recipes I have tried in the past either lack flavor or the chocolate overpowers the hazelnut. To combat this and add texture, I decided to add chopped hazelnuts to my cookies. I love nuts, so I added quite a few. I think they were really tasty. Here is my recipe:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I used Dutch process, but you can use regular)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Cream butter, sugar, and Nutella in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla, mix until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine mixtures until a soft dough forms, then stir in hazelnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop) onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 8 minutes.

My cookies were chewy with a little crispiness around the edges. Yum!

Recipes Worth Trying

This week I tried a couple of new recipes, and by golly were they good!

The first one is for Orange Chicken. The recipe I used is one I found on Farmgirl Gourmet.  I love that this version is baked instead of fried. The only thing I changed was the Mirin. I didn't have any on hand, so I left it out. I did add about a Tablespoon of rice vinegar, though. I forgot to take pictures, but I tell you it was delicious. Give it a try!

Later in the week, I made Ranch Dressing. I didn't really get my recipe from one source. I looked at a bunch of recipes and took the elements I thought I would like. Results=scrumptious!

All my measurements were approximate, but here is my recipe:

Ranch Dressing
Recipe by Sara (stuff-by-sara.blogspot.com)

¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup buttermilk (more as needed)
3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

 Whisk together all ingredients. Add more buttermilk (if needed) to reach desired consistency. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Store in an airtight container for no longer than 2 weeks.

Yum.