Falafel Recipe
Once We Were Home is beautiful, moving story about the Jewish children who were displaced during the Holocaust and never returned to family, it is a little-explored area of WWII fiction.
Jennifer Rosner was kind enough to send us to a special falafel recipe that she loves. Since falafels have a tie-in to the novel (keep reading to find out more) and are a beloved Mediterranean dish, this was a perfect choice.
Prune Cake
Code Name Edelweiss is Stephanie Landsem’s newest novel about the rise of Nazi influence in 1930s Hollywood and one man’s mission to curtail the efforts.
Stephanie Landsem was kind enough to share her grandmother’s recipe for Old Fashioned Prune Cake (or as Stephanie’s family calls it – German Brown Cake)! This cake is truly one of the best spice cakes I’ve ever baked.
Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)
The Vibrant Years is Sonali Dev’s newest novel and the first book from Mindy Kaling’s new imprint Mindy’s Book Studio. Yes, that Mindy Kaling.
Sonali Dev provided us with her favorite Chicken Makhani or Butter Chicken recipe. This recipe is a rich, creamy, and flavorful chicken dish that is a great introduction to Indian food if you are new to the cuisine.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us are Colleen Hoover’s most popular books (outside of Verity).
Both books are captivating novels with complex characters and both deal with physical abuse (trigger warning).
And in both books, Atlas brings Lily cookies.
Enter these amazing, delicious, soft-with-a crisp-edge, chock-full-of-chocolate cookies.
Italian Meatballs Recipe
Soraya Lane, author of The Italian Daughter, was kind enough to provide a recipe to feature here on Book Club Bites. Her Italian Meatballs in a rich passata sauce with fresh mozzarella are the perfect Italian dish to pair with your book club discussion of The Italian Daughter! You’ll want to make a double batch for your book club.
Pastéis de nata Recipe
With flaky layers made easy here by use of puff pastry and a custard filling, pasteis de nata is both an airy and rich dessert at once. You’ll love Madeline Martin’s take on the Portuguese treat as well as her new novel, The Librarian Spy.
Curried Sheet Pan Root Vegetables
With tons of flavor from rich spices, these curried sheet pan root vegetables are anything but boring. Inspired by Lisa Williamson Rosenberg’s latest novel, this is the perfect fall and winter dish. So if you are looking for ideas to spice up your root vegetables with an easy twist, keep reading!
Easy Chocolate Mousse
The Call of the Wrens is Jenni L. Walsh’s dual timeline story following two women who join the Wrens (the nickname for the Women’s Royal Naval Service). Jenni L. Walsh was kind enough to share her favorite chocolate mousse recipe with us. Made with rich coconut cream, this is a dairy-free option for dessert.
Bread and Butter Pudding
If you love an English setting, gothic vibes, and women’s rights, you’ll likely enjoy Ashton Hall. This recipe for Bread and Butter Pudding was inspired by Lauren Belfer’s own love for the dish! Basically a pastry and a pudding in one dish, this dessert is best served warm. This version full of raisins and chocolate chips is comfort in a dish.
Lavender Bourbon Smash
This recipe for Lavender Bourbon Smash was inspired by Noue Kirwan’s debut, Long Past Summer. A fantastic second chance romance, its a story that some readers have called Sweet Home Alabama for Black girls. With a sizzling romance, a complicated backstory, character wounds, and a difficult friendship to navigate, a cocktail recipe was the perfect pairing for this novel. And this bourbon smash with lavender, mint and basil is special treat!
British Scones Recipe
The Invincible Miss Cust follows Aleen Cust as she grows up in Britain and ultimately becomes Britain’s first woman veterinary surgeon.
Aleen Cust defied seemingly insurmountable odds from both society and her own family in order to study in the field, practice, and finally become the first licensed woman veterinary surgeon in Britain. Set in the late 1800s in England and Ireland, the book demands a recipe for British scones served with tea. On your finest china of course.
Chicken and Dumplings
I’ve tried a lot of chicken and dumplings and, let me tell you, these rank at the top. The chicken, long-simmered, creates a flavorful, rich broth that makes a huge difference in this dish. The result is a hearty soup, layered with flavors, and topped by cooked-to-perfection dumplings.
Borscht
You’ll love this soup chock full of potatoes, beets, and beef! This recipe for Borscht was kindly provided by Erin Litteken and is her great-grandmother’s recipe for the Ukrainian dish! Given the devastating current events in Ukraine, you might be wishing to read more about the country and its people. If so, The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is the perfect choice.
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is a dual-timeline novel. It follows a young woman and her family as they deal with Stalin’s invasion and the resulting famine in the 1930s and her granddaughter as she comes to term with her own losses and seeks to reconnect with her family heritage in the early 2000s.
Borani Banjan
Borani Banjan is a traditional Afghan dish made with fried eggplant, spicy onions, and stewed tomatoes. Topped with creamy yogurt, it’s a real treat!
This recipe was provided by Jeannee Sacken, author of Double Exposure, a novel about Afghanistan.
The Unsinkable Greta James Book Club Questions and Recipe
A rock star on the verge of an early mid-life crisis finds herself on a cruise ship with the father who’s always misunderstood her.
Jennifer E. Smith’s divergence from YA to adult lit results in a sometimes humorous, often poignant look at the dreams we hold onto and the people who shape us.
