2 New Additions

I just wanted to let everyone know about the two new members to our book club family.
Jenna had Sonja Leilani on October 7. She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and is 20.5 inches long.
Katie had Olivia Rose on October 22. She weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce and is 18 inches long.
2 beautiful girls! Hopefully they will get to meet everyone soon.

Apple Coffee Cake

Here is the recipe that you tasted last night :) There are some variations of the coffee cake such as adding walnuts or sliced almonds to the topping.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs unbeaten
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 apples sliced (most any fruit will work....even rhubarb just increase the sugar)
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp melted butter
nuts (optional)


Cream butter and sugar until fluffy then add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla beating well. Mix the dry ingredients and add them to the cream mixture. Spoon half of the mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Sprinkle half of the topping; next spread all the apples. Spoon on remaining batter, then rest of the topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. You may want to cover in foil the last 10 min or so if the top layer starts to overcook.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Hello Ladies,

Here is the recipe from our get together at the park! Enjoy!

1 (15 oz) pkg Oreo cookies
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 gal. ice cream (any flavor)
1 (10.5 oz) jar Hershey's fudge topping
1 (9 oz) ctn Cool Whip, defrosted in refrigerator
Optional: topping other than Oreos; I used a dark chocolate Hershey's bar

Crush cookies in blender or with a potato masher (I put them in a zip-lock bag and crushed w/a meat tenderizer :) Add melted butter to crumb mixture and pat into bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Reserve 1/3 of cookie mixture to sprinkle for topping if you wish. I used a Hershey's chocolate bar instead. Empty contents of ice cream and slice as you would bread and lay over oreo crust to fill the pan; pat to cover all areas. Spread fudge topping over ice cream. Spread Cool Whip over top of all. Finish by adding whatever topping you wish (oreos, chocolate shavings, etc). Place in freezer. Allow to freeze thoroughly before serving (2-4 hours).

Great summer dessert!

Family Party

Here are some pictures from our family party.
Almost everyone made it to the party and it was a lot of fun.
A little hot and humid, but that was okay.
The kids had a great time and the food was so yummy!
Thanks girls for coming and bringing your families!

Peach Cobbler

Hey Ladies!

I am finally getting around to posting the cobbler recipe that I made last month. I just added some raspberries but you definitely don't need them. If you double it then put it in a 9x13. Enjoy!

• 6 large peaches, cut into thin wedges
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For biscuit topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Cook peaches:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss peaches with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a 2-qt. nonreactive baking dish and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes.

Make topping while peaches bake:
Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Bake in middle of oven until topping is golden, about 25 minutes. (Topping will spread as it bakes.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peach-Cobbler-102277#ixzz1QL69jFm3

Next Months Bookclub

Hey Ladies-
So it was just brought to my attention that the last Monday in May is on Memorial Day. Do we want to keep it there or move it to the next Monday? Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Jenna

Great series to read

I've been meaning to post about this series for a while so here it is! If you are looking for a guilty indulgence (and you like Twilight or Harry Potter) you should read the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The 4th book in the series just came out this month and so far I am loving it as much as the other three. Cassandra also has a new series. Book one is Clockwork Angel. It is similar to the Mortal Instruments but it is set in London in the 1800. Book two in this series is set to come out this fall.

Happy reading!
Rosanna

Goodreads

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know about the goodreads website. You might already know about it but if not it is pretty cool. It is a site where you can put in what books you have read, are reading, or are going to read. You can rate the books, comment on the books, and see what books your friends are reading. I really like it so if you are interested you should definitely check it out. The website it www.goodreads.com.

Another Congrats!

Well, another one of our fellow book club members had their baby this week. Congrats to Robyn Larson and her family. She had a baby boy! We are thinking about both you and Rosanna and are hoping everything is going well for you guys!

Congrats!!!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that Rosanna had her beautiful baby! Hazel Elise Wheatley was born Friday morning, weighing 6 lbs and 13 oz. Mom and baby are doing great!

Congrats Rosanna! We are so exciting for you and your family!

Sorry for all the hogging!

So... I decided I would give this blog back to the book club and stop using it for my own personal use. I made my own book blog so please check that out at http://bugsbookcorner.blogspot.com/. Now this blog can be strictly book club business. Please still feel free posting about books you are reading / the book of the month summary. I hope everyone is doing well! Can't wait to see you all at the end of the month.

Jenna

Book of the Month

This month (well, December and January) we read The Room by Emma Donoghue. I really enjoyed reading this book. No, it isn't uplifting .... it is actually the opposite. But it is told in a 5 year old boys perspective so that gives it just the right spin. Jack has been raised his entire life in captivity, but he doesn't exactly know that. His mom was kidnapped 7 years ago and unfortunately becomes impregnated by her captor. They live in a tiny little room in which they are never let out. Jack just thinks this is somewhat normal. He doesn't realize that there is a whole world out there. Not until him and his mom escape and are overwhelmed by the chaos of life. If you haven't had a chance to read this yet, give it a try! It is a little depressing, but since it is told in Jack's voice we are not given all the gruesome details of what most likely happens to Jack's mom in the Room.

Jenna

Finally reading again!

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! It was a busy holiday season, but I did find time to read a couple books over the holidays. Not as many as I would like but hopefully I can read more now that I am home and getting back into our routine.


Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was a surprisingly good read! I started this book expecting to have to push through it and to be let down by then end. Instead, I found myself looking forward to reading it every night and by the end, I wanted more! This book is about a teenage girl, Samantha, who is part of the "popular crowd". Her best friends are somewhat mean girls. They know who they are, and they know (or think they know) who is good enough to hang out with them. One night on the way home from a party the girls got in a car accident. Samantha remembers dieing in that crash but ends up waking up in her bed and reliving her last day over again. She is very confused and scared but slowly realizes why she needs to live this day over again. I would definitely recommend this book. It is a pretty easy and quick read, so give it a try!



Little Bee by Chris Cleave is also a really good book! It is a interesting story about a girl from Nigeria. She had seen some tough stuff during the oil wars and fled to London. She tracked down a couple she met during a horrid and unfortunate event back in Nigeria. This is not a true story but it does paint some horrifying pictures that could be happening in small villages. This book is also about the demons that people carry inside of themselves and how sometimes we can not get rid of them. I know this sounds totally depressing, but surprising it does have some cheer in it.


Happy Reading!
Jenna