ROUND-UP: Corelli's Mandolin-Inspired Creations for #thebookclubcookbookCC

We're wrapping up our year-long journey for #thebookclubcookbookCC. And what a year it has been. You can visit here to see everything we've done. Phew.

Or click on the titles to see the recipe round-ups, posted by the hosting blogs. We've (read and) cooked from: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri; A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson; A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines; Three Junes by Julia Glass; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling; Peace Like a River by Leif Enger; The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith; Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier; Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; and Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

Here's my invitation for the final event: Corelli's Mandolin.*

I invited bloggers to make spanakopita...or get creative with their favorite Greek recipes. Love the creativity!

Here's what the bloggers shared...

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm posted her recipe for Gluten-Free Spinach Pie. Wendy wrote that it was more of a quiche than your traditional spinach pie.  "We enjoyed a piece right from the oven, piping hot for breakfast and then I cut up the rest of the pie into bite size pieces and served it, room temperature, as part of an appetizer table....  It was nice knowing that there was plenty of tasty treats for everyone to enjoy even those who suffer from gluten intolerances."

Andrea of Adventures in All Things Food went the Galaktoboureko for her selection. Here how she decided: "I was excited to make something I hadn't tried before. I have made Spanakopita before, and it is a dish I love, but I wanted to try something to uniquely tied to the story. A dish and flavors that I didn't have previous memories attached to. I ended up Googling Cephalonia and Greek cuisine and found myself with Galaktoboureko."

Emily from Life on Food also made a Pork Kebabs. She shares that it's been horribly hot and humid around Connecticut and they are without air conditioning, so she needed a recipe that didn't requie the oven. "Finally I saw this recipe for kebabs. Meant to be made under the broiler but we made the pork kebabs or souvlaki on the grill.  Topped with a yogurt mint sauce these were a delicious dinner."

Renee from Tortillas and Honey offered up her Spanakopita Casserole. She tried to make the recipe, as suggested in the cookbook, but reports: "It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Combine the lack of patience with an unsteady hand, I made a complete mess of the phyllo dough. I made five triangles before giving up completely and deciding to make spanakopita into a casserole. The five triangles that I made actually came out out of the oven delicious and buttery, but my impatience won this battle." I think the casserole solution is genius!

Erin of The Spiffy Cookie went with a Rustic Spanakopita. She was, also, originally was going to make a more classic version of spanakopita; but then she wanted to limit the time she spent in the kitchen. So she cut the recipe in half and swapped puff pastry for phyllo dough. "Because it’s easier. And my laziness paid off because this little rustic spanakopita tart looking thing was magical. Think of it as a flaky-crust spinach and cheese pizza."

Sarah from Things I Make (for Dinner) whipped up some Lemon Chicken and Orzo. Sarah didn't get a chance to read the book. "For whatever reason, there's been a run on the copy at my local library.  I am currently third on the waiting list.  I was fifth when I went to reserve the book.  But I can make Greek inspired food.  We love Greek food." This recipe came from one of her favorite sources for recipes - Budget Bytes - and with lemon and feta, it's reminiscent of all the great flavors of Greek cuisine.

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm couldn't resist making a second recipe for us. I'm so glad she did! Snail Pilaf. "Snails play a very important role in this novel.  They are introduced in the beginning as Pelagia and her family forage for wild snails to help allay their hunger caused by the war, mentioned several more times throughout the span of 50 some years and then show up again at the end of the book in a pilaf." Wendy says that the umami of the dish made her swoon as the nutiness of the quinoa paired with the silkiness of the snails. I can't wait to try it.

And, lastly, I shared a Greek duet of Soutzoukakia and Ellinikos Lemoni Patatas. Though I really did want to make the Spanokopita in the cookbook, I have yet to find gluten-free phyllo dough and I didn't want my gluten-free husband to miss out.

Well, that's a wrap. We had a wonderful year. And you still have a day and a half to enter the giveaway to win your own copy of the cookbook that inspired this journey. Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla, this month's host, is giving away two copies of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook! You have till August 1st.

TWO of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from July 1st till August 1st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Camilla received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give two copies away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

**This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.