November Book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
November 1, 2009
With a 6 to 2 win, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is our book for November!
Let me see if I can find a good potato recipe to bring to the Comments. By the way, did you see that I’m compiling our recipes in a Books & Snacks cookbook blog?
I Yam!
(Get it? Potato pun for this month’s book?)
Go now. Read. And then come back and share a recipe and your comments!
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I picked up this book at my local library yesterday. Now I’m a part of the “in” crowd. ;o) BTW, happy 9th blogging anniversary!
Ain’t we the coolest in-crowd you ever saw?! Thanks!
Oh YAY! I am so excited! I’m going to polish my peeler. Oooh! That could be taken wrong, couldn’t it?
Greek Potatoes
small white potatoes
butter
salt
cayenne pepper
lemon juice
fresh oregano
This is one of those recipes that doesn’t have ingredient measurements but don’t despair because you can’t screw it up.
Thinly slice potatoes and spread out in an oven safe casserole dish. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 30 – 45 minutes (depends on how many potatoes you’re using) until the potatoes are cooked through. Toss with salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and fresh oregano to taste.
Easy oven fry potatoes
Potatoes cut into spears
Olive oil
Salt
Hungarian paprika
This is a do however you want with as much as you want and it always is yummy.
Toss potatoe spears in oil and spread on a sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and paprika and bake in a 400 oven for about 15 minutes
Gold potatoes look pretty with the paprika
Read it! Loved it! Will comment later.
Now you have something to look forward to! Or not… But I’m hoping!
Sweet Potato Fritters
* 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 4 teaspoons melted butter
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon sugar
Preparation:
Combine melted butter with potatoes, sugar, milk and egg yolks. Sift flour, measure and sift with baking powder and salt. Add to the first mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into the batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot deep fat, at 365°. Fry in batches until browned; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels or brown paper to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with syrup.
An enjoyable book. The letter format proved to be a charming way to tell the story. I was fascinated by the parts about the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II, and delighted by the relationships Juliet developed with the Guernsey inhabitants. This novel made me want to visit Guernsey and find a man like Dawsey Adams!
Just finished the book. I didn’t want to finish the book. I wanted it to go on and on, giving us more insight to the people of Guernsey. I love it when I find a book that does this to me.
Having been at my paternal family farm, outside of Oslo, several years back, I’d become aware of the occupation of our farm by the Nazis during WWII. Even spoke a little with my cousin, Gudrun, who had been living there at the time. Gudrun’s spoke no English so our translated conversation was very short. I learned that the Nazis had come to the farm twice. The first time they’d taken all of the radios. The second time they came to take a look around. Thankfully they had little interest in the farm or the little town of Flesberg, Norway.
While in Olso, our hotel was within walking distance from the Norwegian Resistance Museum. I got an amazing look at what the Norwegians did to help Jews hide. The tools they used in their underground railroad for passing messages and organizing against the Nazis was amazing.
This beautiful little book got me thinking about how evil man can be. I don’t understand how one human being can treat another human being as an inanimate object. How Hitler could be so mentally ill and get a following of people as dark and evil as he was. I don’t believe in god but I hope that if there is god, there is a tortuous hell set up for people who can enslave people and treat them worse than they would dog shit.
Darkness behind me, what a beautiful book. I’m sorry that the author died because Mary Ann Shaffer had quite a talent.
And now, to continue on with our accidental potato-inspired dishes, I share with you one of my childhood favorites–potato chip cookies. This recipe is from The Dinner Doctor cookbook because I can’t find the recipe that I had from my high school friend, Fran’s mom, who often kept a gallon ice cream bucket filled with them on top of their refrigerator. Until I got there and ate most of the gallon myself…
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flower
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips (plain flavored, of course)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Place rack in the center of th eoven and preheat oven to 350.
Place butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with mixer on low spped until the mixture is well blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. Add flour and vanilla, and beat on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. There’s no need to scrape down the side of the bowl. Aadd the potato chips and beat on low until the batter just comes together and the potato chips are incorporated.
Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (you’ll need 2), leaving an inch between the cookies. Bake until cookies are lightly browned around edges but still soft in the center. About 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven and let cookies rest for 1 minute.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool, then immediately generously sprinkle half of the confectioners’ suger over them, Let them cool completely then sprinkle with remaining confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Store in a plastic container, or cookie jar, at room temp for up to 1 week.
Thanks for sharing stories about your paternal family farm. I”m very interested in that kind of thing. Potato chip cookies? I’m interested in that kind of thing, too!
I almost missed all of this, and it would have been a shame, since my beloved is currently ON the island of Guernsey, and I will be going there in about 5 months. So I’ve picked up a copy from the library, and will be devouring it tonight.
Now for a potato inspired recipe…once upon a time, I was over at some distant relations house, and they served up a unique form of baked potato.
Just take whole baking potatoes, wash them very, very well, pierce them, them place them to marinate in a ziplock filled with Wishbone Italian Dressing. After they have marinated for a while, place them in individual foil jackets, making sure that some of the dressing clings to the skin.
Throw them in the oven or on the fire, cook and eat. YUM!
OK, as promised, I read this last night. Now, not to be nitpicky, but the “voice” of the writer did not seem to be quite right…it was more American than Brit. I simply couldn’t ever “hear” her with an accent.
When I read Stepfie, or Becca, or Anna, I “hear” their accents loud and clear.
Did anyone else notice this? Since the author was an American, perhaps it would have been better to have her main character be an ex-pat American. Just my opinion.
But I did get drawn into the stories, and I found myself wanting to hear more of them. I was happy that Juliet fended off that feckless American idiot who was so totally clueless, but I wondered how well she would deal with being ultimately stuck on that small island.
It almost seemed as if Juliet had been drawn in to replace Elizabeth; both of them so similar in many ways, as if the people in that place and time NEEDED someone like her to continue happily.
Another thing that struck me was how did the many war survivors in Europe fare longterm? Back then, PTSD was not recognized, and you have to wonder how they managed to get on day-to-day. How did the experiences of the French lead to their current attitudes today? (Rude and arrogant barsteds that they can be!)
But anyway, I am certainly looking forward to visiting there in the spring, and seeing everything for myself. Josh works right there from St Peter Port, and lives just a short distance out in a private home. He has met a nimber of people who survived the war, and their children, and he says that the German-built bunkers are still there.
Interestingly, you have to have a license to live in Guernsey. If you are employed there, you may only stay for 3 years, then you have to leave the island for a few months, then you can come back.
It really isn’t anything like the UK, it truly is its own place in the sun, with its own currency, postal service, etc. Sadly, they have a very generous dole system, and the islanders currently have a big problem with drugs and alcoholism; Josh says it reminds him of Tombstone in many ways.
Thank you to whoever chose this book, I was happy to get another perspective on a place that I may someday call home, even if temporarily!
What a great perspective, Rosie! It’s going to be so cool to get an insider’s view of Guernsey. I’m looking forward to it.
I didn’t miss the non-English voice. It never dawned on me.
I think the author touched only the tip of the PSTD with the woman who moved on to France (I forgot her name!), saying that survivors had to find others who had been through it because nobody wanted to talk with them about it. They wanted it all swept under the rug. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be treated like an animal. Well, except back in the 70s when disco was in and men’s shirts were unbuttoned to their navels and women were conquests to be had. At least they bought a gal a drink or two!
I am still in the midst of this book as it’s become my bathtub reading ritual, so far I am fascinated and I can’t decide what the author should sound like. I just know I like this book.
Will report back later.
I do have a book suggestion for our group for down the road – The Late Bloomers Revolution by Amy Cohen, I laughed and cried and laughed and cried some more.
Great read. Some curse words but we are grown ups.
Oh, yay, I was hoping you’d do this one!!!
I loved this book so much. I learned a lot from it about the Nazi occupation. What I really admired about the writing is that the author talks about this horrible, sad time, and all the terrible things that were happening, and still you see the love and humor of human beings shining through it all.
I’m gonna have to go back and reread it, now that you picked it, I’ll probably have more to say later.
I keep puttinng off writing here because I don’t have a recipe to share. The truth is, I don’t really like potatoes, so I rarely cook with them. But the month is ending soon so…
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. When I picked it up at the library, I didn’t think it would hold my interest. Having the entire book made up of written letters was facinating to me. I used to love writing letters. It’s a lost art.
I can’t wait to read next month’s selection!
I LOVED THIS BOOK! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!
It reminded me very much of another favorite book, “A Woman of Independent Means” by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey which was also written in the form of letters.
I loved the letter format. I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved the ending.
I hated, however, that the book ended at all as I could have gone on forever reading about everyone’s lives. And to find out that the author died two months before the novel was published and that it was her first and only novel just breaks my heart.
I’m going to recommend this book to everyone I know. Thanks.