Haughty Hosts Book Club

Book club contains a trifecta of my favorite things: reading, talking, and drinking. A lot.

Plus, except for the month you have to host, it’s free wine and food all the time! (Even better is when other members get pregnant. More wine for me!) 

This month's read: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter…a hauntingly beautiful tale of a family torn apart by a secret, blah blah blah...enough of that. Most of us didn’t even read the book. One member even tried to cheat by watching the movie, and then realized she had accidentally watched The Time Traveler's Wife. No biggie. 

Since I was the Haughty Hostess with the Mostess this month, I also had to cook. (Cooking only happens about once a month at my home, probably because it always involves the smoke alarm going off.)  Since I only know how to cook fajitas (and by "cook fajitas" I mean "brown some ground turkey and put it in a wrap"), I had to make some phone calls. Thankfully my Haughty Mama came through, as always. Her advice: skip cooking dinner for the masses and instead serve heavy hors d'oeuvres. 

FYI, saying you are serving "tapas" sounds a lot better than "I kind of forgot I had to feed ya'll until 10pm last night, so here are some chips and dip."

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
This salsa turns out so pretty it deserves to be served in a clear bowl.

2 15 oz. cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
One medium package frozen corn kernals, prepared
2 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
One packet Good Seasons Italian dressing, prepared


Mix beans, corn, and peppers together in large bowl. Add cilantro and avocado. Stir in Italian dressing, stick it in the fridge, and let it chill/marinate/do its thing for a few hours (if you can wait that long). Serve with tortilla chips. A spoon works, too. 


"Haught" Artichoke Dip
This is one of Haughty Mama's classic recipes. For all 24 years I have been on the planet, she has taken it to every dinner party and social function she has ever been invited to-even if food wasn't being served. It's so easy, and "real fattin'', so the masses love it. You will too.

Image courtesy of ashleyhinson.kcrg.com My serving dishes are NOT pretty enough to take a picture. 
2 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and chopped
2 cups mayonnaise 
2 cups Parmesan cheese


This is where it gets easy: put all three ingredients in a big bowl and stir it around for a bit. Put it in a baking dish, sprinkle with paprika, and bake at 350 until brown on top (15-20 minutes). Serve with Tricuits. (Not those Thin-Crisps, the real thing.)

I also had some olives, cheese, fruit, and a Lemon Meringue pie made by my dear friend Sara Lee.It was all so easy, I had to put an apron on and rub some flour on my face to make it look like I'd been slaving away all day. (The I knew the plan had gone sour when Elise asked "why do you have flour on your face? You aren't even baking.") Oh well. The beads of sweat were real.

Since it's book club and we can't get too crazy before everyone has to drive home and go to work in the morning, we drank wine spritzers (plus Pinot Grigio and Merlot were 2/$8 at Harris Teeter).

Rioja Libres
According to my well-traveled roommate Elise, this drink is super popular in Spain. Some consider it a lazy-man's Sangria. I consider it awesome.

3/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup of Coke or Coke Zero (and no, Pepsi isn't the same)
Serve over lots of ice, and add some fruit if you really want to make it like Sangria.


White Wine Spritzer
1/2 cup club soda
1 cup white wine
Add a lemon or lime as a garnish and serve over ice.