On Chesil Beach

The adult book discussion group is meeting tonight at 7:15pm. The book we will be discussing is ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan. Everyone is invited to join us tonight, or for any of our monthly book discussions. In December we will be reading Sleeping Arrangements by Laura Cunningham. Copies of the book are available at the front desk of the library.

Two Thanksgiving recipes

Thank you all for the kind words about my baking: I owe it all to Sara Lee!

Candy's Pound Cake

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Cream together the cream cheese and butter; add sugar and mix until thoroughly blended. Then add milk, vanilla, and eggs. Follow with the flour and baking powder. Bake in springform pan or in an angel food pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Maida Heatter

12 ounces (4 cups) fresh cranberries
5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks butter) at room temp.
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, large
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk
finely grated rind of 1 large orange (I used a clementine!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a 9 by 1 1/2 inch layer cake pan.

Using 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter, spread a bit on the sides of the pan and then spread the rest on the bottom of the pan. It should coat the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup plus the 2 tablespoons of sugar over the butter. Sprinkle the cranberries over the sugar. It's alot.

Beat the remaining 3/4 stick of butter until soft. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Then, on lowest speed, add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt alternately with the milk until just combined. By hand add the rind.

Smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour, the top will become brown while baking ( I baked it for 50 minutes).

Cool the cake in the pan. After 10 minutes run a knife around the edges to loosen. Ten minutes after (twenty in total) run the knife again. Then cover the cake with a flat cake plate, hold the pan and the plate firmly, and turn them both over. I knock it twice (for good luck) and remove the pan. If any of the cranberries stick to pan and not cake I just loosen them with the knife and place on the cake.

Maida adds lots of other instructions. She glazes the cake with red currant jelly, which is warmed to melt, and puts it on the cranberries so they glisten. She makes a ricotta cheese cream to serve with. She also likes vanilla ice cream with the cake. Anything Maida likes is okay by me. I once wrote her a letter and asked if she would be my second mother. She said she would think about it. We have a few Maida Heatter cook books in the library. They should be treasured!

If you make either cake, leave a comment and let me know how they turn out.
Happy Thanksgiving
Nancy

Holiday Cookies

Care to share a holiday cookie? I'll post a family favorite and you can post one too!

Christmas Cornflake Wreath Cookies

Yields: 18 servings

"These cookies look like little Christmas Wreaths and are great fun for the kids to help with. Very Easy. People always look at these suspiciously, but once they try them, they can't get enough. Recipe may be halved."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter 4 cups miniature marshmallows 1 teaspoon green food coloring 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups cornflakes cereal 1 (2.25 ounce) package cinnamon red hot candies

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Microwave marshmallows and butter on High for 2 minutes. Stir, then microwave on High for 2 minutes more. Stir. (This can be done in a double boiler if one doesn't have a microwave.)
2.	Add and mix quickly the coloring, extracts, then cornflakes. Drop by spoonfuls in clumps on greased wax paper and decorate with 3 red hots each.
3.	Once cool, transfer to lightly greased serving/storage tray with lightly greased fingers.

Holiday Books

For all of you who enjoy reading those special and inviting Holiday Books; we have put them on the bookshelf between the window and the copier in the front of the main room of the library. Come find a new book or an old favorite.
And don't forget that on December 16 at 2pm we will have a presentation of a one-man show of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This performance will last approximately one hour, is appropriate for children ages 10 and up, and should be fantastic!

Adult Book Discussion

The book for November 27 is ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan. Copies are available at the front desk at the Fanwood Library. Come get a copy, read the book, and join in on the discussion.
December 18 book is SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS by Laura Cunningham. Copies will be available after the November meeting.
Always interesting, lively conversations, and coffee!