Anne Held Reeves, Beta Pi, Michigan State has Moved to Seattle

I am honored to have this little article I wrote published in print in my sorority's national magazine, as well as online on their website. Enjoy!

(Photo during a trip to West Seattle farmer's market)

I was moving to Seattle and could count the number of people I knew out there on one hand. Kappa Alpha Theta has an alumnae chapter in Seattle, so I transferred my membership with high hopes of making friends out West.
I immediately joined the alumnae chapter’s book club. I famously arrived at my first meeting directly from the airport the night I moved. Now, when we all introduce ourselves at a chapter event, one of the girls invariably remembers meeting me when I first arrived in Seattle and tells everyone, "And I mean when she first arrived!" It's fun, and it tells the others that connecting and showing up when I say I will is important to me. 

That winter, I attended several Theta alum book club nights and it felt wonderful to belong. It might sound funny, but after a day of strangers, it felt so nice to be invited into someone’s home. The tradition in this book club is for the hostess to serve a light meal, usually a hearty soup with fresh bread. The members do their best to contribute wine, appetizers, and very often store-bought cookies. We have a glass of wine and spend the first little while getting reacquainted. It’s great because in addition to the core 10 members (who may or may not make it each month), we always have one or two new women drop in. The attendance ebbs and flows due to work schedules, and that’s okay. The members are understanding. You’ll be interested to know that our ages range from mid-20s to early 70s. 

The differences in our lives foster terrific book discussions. Although most of the book club members have lived in Seattle for at least a few years, when we start talking, our anecdotes and reflections remind us that we began our lives as Thetas at different times and places all over the country. It is that life experience that makes our discussions so rich. Making friends as an adult is challenging, but leaning on your affiliations (school, church, volunteer) can really help you get a leg up. I am so thankful to have our sorority to help us connect (finger snaps).

It has been two years since that first night at book club and I am indebted to these women who were the first in Seattle to learn my name. In that time, we have built a house, moved all our possessions out of storage and have started making a life for ourselves in the Pacific Northwest. 

It was such a nice night! We tried new recipes and ate a lovely meal out on the patio. We even talked about the possibility of making an all cookbook book club, because we all like to cook and really enjoyed having a full meal at our gathering. Who knows, it just might happen! I look forward to whatever my Theta sisters cook up.

I wanted to highlight our book club and this evening in particular because it was the night the Theta alumnae dedicated our August meeting to our love of cookbooks. The leaders suggested we check out fellow Theta and Seattleite, Heather Christo's cookbooks and blog for recipe ideas. Heather was the guest speaker at our 2016 holiday luncheon, and she has a gift for making allergen-free recipes look especially tempting.

Anne Held Reeves, Beta Pi/Michigan State, is a member of the Seattle Alumnae Chapter.

#kappaalphatheta #sorority #thetaforalifetime #seattle #bookclub #momentsofdelight #bloglife #theta #moving

Books and Boggle

I love a good book club. I think the combination of interesting women, a topic to discuss and snacks is genius.

I have been in one book club for close to twelve years now. I've seen the members have babies, buy houses, explore toddler hood, join the Girl Scouts and now they are talking about dance recitals! Even I can say, "Where does the time go?" I love this group for our history.

Then I was invited to join another book club and it is a completely different experience. I am the only one "new" to the group and finding my way through their topics, interests and perspective has been fascinating. I really look forward to getting to know this group even more.

And then, yes, because I love people (and to read!) I have started joining yet another group of women that read. Much less structure (we meet at a tea house or restaurant), but we are held together with the common thread of our volunteer work.

I've decided that book club discussions are a lot like the game, Boggle. When you "shake up" the book topic and participants, you never know where the conversation will go!

Here is a link to a Reading Group Guide to help your book club to have fruitful discussions. Enjoy!

Kelli Estes: Author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk Visits Our Book Club

I've joined a book club in Seattle. I love to read and always like a lively discussion about plots and characters. As a member of the Junior League of Seattle (I transferred from Birmingham, MI), I am eligible to join their sustainer (alumnae) book club which meets monthly.

Since I have been travelling back and forth, I have only been able to attend a few discussions so far, but I made it to their year end meeting which featured a special guest, the author of the book we just read, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk!

Isn't that neat? I've never had the chance to speak with an author about their book before and it was a marvelous discussion. Author Kelli Estes wrote a compelling novel that is part historical fiction, part romance novel. Not to heavy, not too serious, but very interesting and captivating from the start.

In one story-line, the main character copes with racism and the realities of life in the late 1880's, while the other narrative revolves around a well educated and well off girl in a modern and thriving Seattle. Kelli spoke of researching and imagining life at another time and the challenge of juxtaposing, yet interweaving the lives of two very different women. We had a great discussion and I appreciate Kelli being so generous with her time. The Girl Who Wrote In Silk is a great book club book.

Family Book Club

Am I sparking your imagination?  I saw this stone arch and a two track road winding into the distance and knew that you had to see it.  It could be the cover of a great book, don't you think? 

When I was at my husband's family reunion, there was a great moment when the kids (boys and girls age 12-18) were clamoring for my attention.  I casually asked them for recommendations of books they thought I should read and the floodgates opened.  I kept track of the title, author, and which child was recommending it on a "notepad" on my iPhone and the more titles I wrote down, the more they seemed to come up with.  It was magic.

A big part of this great family moment was the fact that I valued their opinion.  I was looking them in the eye and giving them the chance to affect me.  They were "pitching" their favorite books, hoping that I would read them and be impacted the way they were.

I proposed a Reunion Book Club (our reunion is every 2 years with family coming from Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Virginia) and one of the teen boys suggested that we manage the group on Facebook - I love it!  I promised to transcribe the reading list (to the Reunion Book Club FB page) so that the kids could refer to it to read any books they might have missed.  The kids said they would check the page to see my progress and offer encouragement.  Yowza, I've got a lot of reading to do!  But this was a precious connection and I'll do anything to keep it.  

Would the teens in your family like to have a book club?

Book club

Tonight, I have book club. Twice a year, 8 of us meet for dinner and then walk over to the bookstore to select our books for the next 6 months. It is very democratic. We all scour the store for books that were recommended to us, that we have read and loved or ones that we want to read. Then we sit down together and each member gives a little summary of her books, passes them around and adds them to the master list. After each person has pitched her books, we vote, choosing 6 books each. The books with the most votes become our reading roster. It works like a charm. We get a broad selection and it keeps us from getting stuck in one genre. The trick for me will be staying on task and out of the cookbook section!

Are you in a book club? I'd like to recommend a website called Reading Group Guides. It is loaded with discussion guides, book suggestions and reader feedback. It is a wonderful resource and can help you navigate the overwhelming selection of great "book club" books. Happy reading!

Cookbook Edition: Our Sorority Book Club Branches Out

My sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, has a pretty active alumnae group in Seattle and I transferred my alumnae membership the moment I moved, with high hopes of making friends out West.

I famously arrived at this Theta book club from the airport the night I moved here and now when we all introduce ourselves, one of the girls invariably remembers meeting me when I first arrived in Seattle...and tells everyone "and I mean when she first arrived!" It's fun and it tells the girls that connecting and showing up when I say I will is important to me. 

It was November 2015 and I had just flown in for my first extended stay in Seattle. The plan was that I'd be in our apartment with Dan from November to April, and then I'd fly back to Michigan with my mom to start packing and selling both of our houses over the summer.

It feels like just yesterday, but now we've built our house, are completely moved in and can start making big plans.

I have always loved to cook and I was particularly excited to hear that the book club was dedicating our August meeting to the love of cookbooks. The leaders suggested we check out fellow Theta and Seattleite, Heather Christo's blog for our recipes. Heather was the guest speaker at our holiday luncheon. We did and had a lovely meal. 

I think it is so interesting that most members went to different colleges in different parts of the country, but we all ended up in Seattle and have our sorority to help us connect. (finger snaps) Making friends as an adult is challenging, but leaning on your affiliations (school, church, volunteer) can really help you get a leg up.

I made Heather's Blueberry Maple Mustard Grilled Shrimp and a bowl of cheddar biscuit nibbles called Cheese Wookies (from a different cookbook). The sauce was simple and flavorful - win/win! and everyone ate their fill.

My friend Clara made this magnificent Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables. 

Our hostess, Kristen made this satisfying Grilled Garlic, Rosemary and Mustard Shrimp and some gluten free cupcakes to satisfy our sweet tooth.

It was such a nice night! We were able to try new recipes and eat a lovely meal out on the patio. We even talked about the possibility of making an all cookbook book club, because we all like to cook and really enjoyed having a real meal at our gathering. Who knows, it just might happen! I look forward to whatever these women cook up.

#seattle #cookbookclub #bookclub #heatherchristo #finddelight

Julie and Julia

Julie & Julia and French pastries on an open air patio. Don't you think that is the perfect birthday evening for me? Last night my dear friends, Phyllis & Helen, brought me along to their book club's movie night.

You just took a cooking class in Paris, they said.
You've seen Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian, they said.
You have a blog, they said.

When I told them that I had read both books that the movie was based on ("My Life In France" and "Julie & Julia"), it was clinched.  I was "crashing" their book club on my birthday.

And what fun I had. The movie was darling and made every girl in the theater want to try cooking Boeuf Bourguignon. What struck me the most was that it showcased passion in a way that you never see it in the movies.

Passion for cooking.
Passion for one's spouse.
Passion for a project that no one understands.

Bravo. We ended the evening on an open air patio talking about a book I wanted to write on Paris  (And I did! Click the link) and eating cream puff swan. I assure you, nothing could be better than that.

Tom Lake: a novel by Ann Pachett and Cherry Burrata Salad

I have a new favorite book club book to recommend: Tom Lake by Ann Pachett. It's set in northern Michigan on a cherry orchard during the pandemic (when all three young adult daughters are home because of the lockdown) and has the 57-year-old mother recounting her days when she was a 20-something actress starring in the local summer theater where she dated a now famous movie star. 

The story is rich with truths about friendships, loyalty and ambition vs a quiet life. It's wonderful, albeit wholly dependent on the reader being fluent in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town. If you aren't aware of the big parallels between the characters, scenes and lessons, you may miss some of Pachett's most effective scenes (when Duke walks into Joe's Aunt's kitchen and then up into the cemetery you realize that he has seen the set of Our Town come to life).

I recommend watching this version of Our Town from Broadway with Paul Newman on YouTube. 

I brought a Cherry Burrata Salad to our book club on a State of Michigan melamine plate. I made sure that the cherry region near Leelanau peninsula was visible. The salad is simple. Place several blotted dry burrata cheese on a platter and cut them through crosswise. Scatter fresh pitted cherries, (washed and sliced in half) and cherry tomatoes (washed and halved) around the burrata. Slice fresh basil in thin strips and garnish across the top. Drizzle all over with olive oil. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Crack fresh pepper and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Book Club Books

This is the type of bookshelf I am drawn to...packed with knitting projects, recipes and decorating ideas.

But tonight I must focus! My book club is meeting tonight (first at a cozy restaurant for dinner & conversation) then on to a bookstore to chose our books for the next six months.

Each member is expected to come with suggestions of books for us to read and why. We'll pool all of the titles and then vote for the ones that sound the best to us. I have been polling my friends and have a few suggestions up my sleeve.

Have you started using Shelfari yet? It is a free online "book shelf" that lets you keep track of books you've read, are reading and want to read. I love it because I can never remember the titles/authors of books once I have read them and it keeps my literary history all in one place. Try it!

Seattle Refined: Refined Reads Nancy Pearl's New Book

I had the honor of spending time with author and America's Librarian, Nancy Pearl last week in Seattle. I am a new member of an on-air book club hosted by local television program, Seattle Refined. I have chimed in during two episodes so far and I look forward to many more. 

Nancy Pearl is a gem. She was chosen Librarian of the Year in 2011 and is the person America and NPR turns to when they are looking for a great new read. 

I am still new to Seattle and have been asking people if they knew about/participated in Seattle Reads. A genius concept where the library chooses a book and an entire city is encouraged to read it at the same time. So cool! You know you thought of it and implemented this ground breaking idea? 

Yep, Nancy Pearl.

When it comes to all things reading, she is the king's pajamas. 

Nancy is currently on a book tour for her first book of fiction, George and Lizzie. I found her character-driven fiction to be very realistic and I joked that I wanted to drive to Ann Arbor (where the story is set) to straighten a few people out. I think that is the hallmark of good writing, when you get angry with the characters. Check out Nancy Pearl and all of her books at www.nancypearl.com

Caller ID

I was told the nicest thing today.  And on top of that, it includes a wonderful suggestion that I can pass on.

I called a friend of mine today on her cell phone.  We see each other once a month at our book club, but don't talk on the phone very often.  If I call, I usually call the house. 

Today she answered her cell and she said, "I am looking at the most gorgeous flower arrangement - one you gave me in a polka dot vase!"  

Last year at this time, she hosted our book club and I brought her a bouquet (similar to the one above) in one of my painted vases.  Apparently she liked it so much that she photographed it with her phone and then "attached" it to my cell phone number as my Caller ID.  

She was so funny today describing her reaction.  "I saw this gorgeous bouquet appear on my screen and thought to myself "that's beautiful!" - it took me a few seconds to realize that I was seeing it because you were calling!  I just wanted you to know that your art lives on!"  Isn't that nice?

Do you have the type of phone that allows you attach photos to a person's phone number?  Wouldn't it be fun to use a picture of their birthday cake, a flower in their garden or some other signifying object as their "Caller ID?"  I think it is a delightful idea.  Thanks, Suzanne!  You made my day. 

Art and Craft: Books as Sculpture

It worked! Remember when I  talked about the art of book sculpture here? Well, today was the day I tried "3 repetitive folds" and I am really happy with the result. I was reading a memoir about a woman who fell in love with a Frenchman and rearranged her life to live with him in Paris. 

Sounds great, eh? Well, the writing was terrible and at some point yesterday I decided I would enjoy it more as art, then literature. Got a book club book you just can't make it through? I think this is the ultimate in re purposing. The process is surprisingly like knitting. Slow, repetitive and you can see your progress almost immediately. 

I encourage you to source a sculpture pattern and try it! 

Lavender, Eggplant & Amethyst

The color purple (in every glorious incarnation) is featured prominently this Fall. Chunky gray necklaces with lavender ribbon ties, big plum plaid blankets to take to the football game and natural touches, like a bunch of fresh lavender displayed on a family room table.

This month, House Beautiful magazine has dedicated an entire section to amethyst-colored accessories for the home. So pretty!

I have always liked lavender fabrics. In fact, my guest room has a lavender & cream stripe love seat covered with a collection of toile, plaid and lavender print pillows. It is such a pretty place to read my book club book.

Are you thinking about adding some lavender, eggplant or amethyst touches to your home?

City Series: Las Vegas, Payard Patisserie

You ask if I just wandered Las Vegas tracking down all of the French masters?  Pretty much, but would you expect anything less?

On this particular day, I was focused on Francois Payard.  A friend in my book club gave me an autographed copy of his book, Simply Sensational Desserts and I have been swooning over the recipes for months.

This heavenly display was at the Payard Patisserie and Bistro within Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.  I arrived at lunchtime and ordered a Crepe Supreme (Chicken and Mushrooms in a Mornay Sauce).  It was made in front of my eyes (see below) at the cafe counter and it exceeded my expectations.  It was divine, truly. 

I walked around inside Caesar's Palace, the pool area and down into the large gallery of shops - it was fun to browse inside a Judith Leiber handbag shop - I saw all of these $5,000 purses in person - my pick? The Beehive. 

After an hour, I wandered back to Payard and tried 2 of his homemade ice creams - pistachio and tres leches.  I was hot and cool ice cream sounded wonderful.  I enjoyed them, but looking back at my photographs, I can see now that I should have tried the pear millefeuille (shown in the center).  Next time!  

A Beautiful Ending

Sometimes we all need a sunset to provide a beautiful ending to an otherwise hectic day. 

A sunset is a natural conclusion to the day - it says you've done all you can do today, go get some rest so that you can start again tomorrow.  This is when I like to pick up a good book and relax for a while.

If you are looking for some reading suggestions, trying looking at the website, Reading Group Guides.  It is loaded with book club "favorites" lists, plot summaries and discussion questions.  You can even look up books by theme (women and friendship, books set in foreign locales, memoirs) - I'm sure you can find some titles that interests you.  Good night and good reading!  

Salad Bar "To Go"

Tah-dah!  This is my salad bar "to go."  I was going to my book club last night and wanted to make sure I would be able eat something healthy.  Everyone always pitches in and brings different appetizers (this serves as dinner for most of us), but gooey cheese dips and hummus really can't replace dinner in my book.

So I decided to bring something beautiful, healthy and delicious.  The best part is that it is a snap to assemble.  Leave the components in piles and everyone can compose a custom salad on their plate.

Salad Bar "To Go"   
Fresh mixed greens (in center)
Tiny grape tomatoes
Canned garbanzo beans, drained
Fresh cauliflower
Edible Flowers - so pretty to have a touch of orange!
Flat leaf parsley (looked great, but unnecessary)
Raw walnut halves
French Breakfast radishes
Fresh broccoli
A bottle of Kraft Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette Dressing

Read Books for Free!

Okay, seriously, have you been to the library lately? Sure, libraries have "book club" books, but have you seen the selection of "coffee table" books? I can always find beautiful titles on roses, photography, travel, design - plus way more cookbooks than I can possibly own myself. And don't forget about my favorite medium: magazines! I just checked out a stack of back issues if the tech magazine Wired. Most big libraries allow online accounts for searching & reserving titles. The system will initiate a transfer of the book to you from another branch, then notify you by email when it arrives. No small feat and so convenient. Check it out...

Monsoon Restaurant in Seattle: Delightful and Delicious

We ordered too much and then somehow ate it all. That sums up our first visit to Monsoon on Capitol Hill, a restaurant that describes itself as serving Vietnamese Food with Pacific Northwest innovation. I am not very familiar with Vietnamese dishes, but Dan found this restaurant online and knew we'd like it. 

The menu was loaded with options, so we chose a variety of dishes to try for fun. My salad (above) was a refreshing and crunchy mix of shredded green papaya and herbs with caramelized shallots and shrimp. It was bright, tasty and healthy. 

We had this fun weekday night because Dan decided to drive into Seattle with me to have an early dinner before I went to my sorority alum book club. While I was discussing books, he was buying some at Elliott Bay Book Company. Win-win.

Okay, back to Monsoon. Everything was presented so beautifully, I took a picture as each dish arrived. My safety net was the chicken dumplings. I thought that if everything was too spicy, I could rely on the dumplings. Well, they were stars on their own. Each bite was tender and satisfying, while the dipping sauce was salty and complex. I would definitely order this again and again. They really filled me up, though and I had just tried the Grilled Lemongrass Beef skewers.

Wow. The flavor of the beef was sweet and spicy and the tender meat pulled easily off of the lemongrass skewers. This dish definitely scored high in my mind.

But surprisingly, my all time favorite was the Asian Eggplant with spicy coconut sauce. It was silky and tender and rich and divine. Oh Monsoon, you have taken over my taste buds and made sure that I'll be back. Thank you.

#seattleblogger #monsoonseattle #seattle #vietnamese #pnw #datenight #capitolhill #seattlerestaurants #illbeback

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I was in shopping in Houston at a shop called British Isles when I found this product called Hot Chocolate Sticks.  I chose dark chocolate and the salesgirl told me that hot chocolate on a stick was a very popular seller lately.  She said that once her customers try them, they always come back for more.

When you take a block of Belgian chocolate and swirl it in a cup of hot milk until melted, how could you go wrong?  You can't; it was delicious.  I had been saving my hot chocolate stick for a chilly day and on a damp and rainy day last week it really hit the spot.

I think these sticks would be perfect kept in a jar and you could pull them out as a treat during book club or a knit night.  Hot Chocolate on a Stick, why didn't I think of that?   

Bake Club: My First Baking Class with Christina Tosi of Milk Bar

Yesterday I made homemade Peanut Butter Cups live on Instagram with Christina Tosi of Milk Bar fame. I mean, when I realized this was possible, how could I not?

As a Midwesterner, I'd only heard of David Chang's restaurant Momofuku and read about the wild success of the the in-house desserts created by Christina Tosi at Milk Bar, where she creates very American, very cereal-sugar-snackfood inspired desserts. When I heard about her bottled Cereal Milk, I knew she was a genius. You'll have to read more about her and get inspired too. It's great fun.

Anyhoo, we're 11 months into the pandemic. This summer, I realized I could follow David Chang on Instagram (his baby son, Hugo is so sweet!) and that got me thinking about his business and it led me to "check out" the Milk Bar cookbook on my Libby app (to check out and read library books). I still need to read his book, Eat a Peach. I read the whole Milk Bar cookbook cover to cover, looked her up on Istagram and suddenly I saw that she was hosting a free WEEKLY cooking class called Bake Club to get us all through the Mondays of the pandemic. I am so late to the party! 

All are invited to subscribe to her Sunday night emails, which includes a list of the ingredients needed for Monday's recipe. She also posts an image of the ingredients on her Instagram on Sunday night to remind you to start planning/shopping. The week I found her it was MLK Day and she encouraged everyone to make paper snowflakes and relax into Inauguaration Week. When I subscribed to her email, I noticed that she has ALL of the prior recipes posted on her website and you can watch the Bake Club episodes you missed on her Instagram.

I decided my Peanut Butter Cups would deviate from the traditional with Guittard dark chocolate chips and chunky JIF peanut butter in the base. I made them in mini muffin tins. They are everything. I'm toying with making simple chocolate wafer cookies and piping the extra PB filling in between them like Oreos. For a review of these chocolates, Dan said that he "can't go back" to the store bought ones and has eaten 4 of the 8 I made since yesterday. 

I think this is incredibly generous of Christine Tosi to share her recipes. To teach online for free. To try and uplift us all with her skills. I am am thankful that she's as cool as I thought she was. Thanks for bringing delight, Christina! I'll be joining when I can.

#bakeclub #christinatosi #finddelight #beautyofeverydaylife #chocolate