Our book group has been meeting for nearly eighteen years. I remember precisely how long we’ve known each other because I was on maternity leave with my oldest daughter at the time. When she was a month old I realized I wanted more adult company. I found a book club that was just getting started, and these wonderful women have become some of my best friends. (For a picture of our group, and a description of the fund-raising some of them started, see here.)
I’m hosting our book group tomorrow night, and I started thinking about the best books we’ve read together. Over those years we’ve read a lot of books, and it would be impossible to list all the ones I’ve loved. But here are three that came to mind first when I started thinking about my favourites:
The Sparrow – the best part of being in a book group is reading something you never would have picked up on your own. I hadn’t even heard of this book, and if I had, I wouldn’t have read it anyhow since it’s classified as science fiction. It’s so much more than that, with a great story that explores ethics and theology. All these years later, I can’t get it out of my mind.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams – this is one of the best Canadian books I’ve ever read. It combines fact and fiction in telling the story of the entrance of Canada’s tenth province into Confederation. I was lucky enough to meet its author, Wayne Johnston, last year, and it was an honour to tell him how much I loved this book.
Wintergirls – this young adult book is an astonishingly powerful story about a teenager with an eating disorder. I found myself holding my breath as I sped through the pages. Half of me wanted to slow down, to admire the excellent writing, but the other half was desperate to know what happened. Let’s just say we ate dinner late that night.
Almost as important as the books is the food at our meetings.
I tried a couple of dip recipes earlier this week. Often I just buy vegetable dips, but as the author of a cooking blog, I thought the least I could do was whip up a couple of them.
The first is a white bean and roasted garlic dip. It’s a great basic dip, with a mild flavour and a smooth texture. This is the kind of dip we all need in our repertoires.
And then there’s the peanut dipping sauce. I would eat it with a spoon. I would eat it with a trowel. I would make a mega-batch so I could dive into a pool of it. This stuff is ambrosia. And if ambrosia grants immortality, then I am living forever.
So I’ll be making both of these dips tomorrow, in addition to a few other treats, to serve while we chat. And if you’re reading this and you’re in my book group … try to act surprised.
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip
(adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)
One 15.5 ounce can white beans, preferably low-sodium, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (first amount)
1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (second amount)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and white pepper, to taste
To roast garlic, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the top third of the garlic head off so the tops of the cloves are exposed. Place garlic head, unpeeled, in a small ovenproof dish and drizzle with 1 Tbsp oil. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool. Set aside 1 Tbsp roasted garlic for this recipe and mash it. Reserve the rest for another use.
In a food processor, combine the beans, roasted garlic, oil and lemon juice, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. This will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve with your favourite vegetables for dipping.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
(adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (she suggests using natural peanut butter)
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
