The Book Club Cookbook

Swedish Meatballs

We like trying out new recipes in our house. My husband loves to cook and I love to bake, so we are always trying new things out. I’m also a big fan of books and have been a member of several book clubs in the past. The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, which is newly revised and updated, combines these two passions very well.

The Book Club Cookbook has recipes that work with or are actually featured in dozens of popular books. These books all have in common that they are often used as book club sections. In addition to the recipes, there is a brief synopsis of each book as well as little stories about different book clubs who used these recipes to make goodies for their meetings.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Since it is a cookbook, my husband and I decided to each make one recipe. He picked the Swedish Meatballs from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The recipe was easy to follow and he was very pleased with how they turned out.

I picked Irish Brown Soda Bread from Angela’s Ashes.It was very easy to make because I just threw all of the ingredients into my Kitchenaid mixer. I did have to knead the bread a little and put it on a cookie sheet to bake. It was a great dipping bread for soup or veggie dip.

My husband and I have had a great time reading the anecdotes in this book as well as looking for new recipes to try out. I would recommend The Book Club Cookbook to anyone who is interested is trying out some recipes that are inspired by popular books.