The Blessings of the Animals – Gajar Halva
Carrot pudding? Really? It doesn’t sound appetizing but trust me when I say this is a decadent dessert which is perfectly sweet, balanced, and spicy. (And the photo from my phone’s camera isn’t the best. The dessert is a vibrant sunset orange which perfectly sets off the lime green from crushed pistachios.)
Gajar Halva
Adapted from a private recipe used in a now-closed Indian restaurant
Ingredients
6 medium carrots, shredded
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup melted butter (or ghee for a more authentic taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pistachios, crushed
Over medium-high heat, bring carrots and half and half to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently. Boil until all the half and half is absorbed within the carrots, about 45 minutes. Read excerpts from The Blessings of the Animals while you stir.
Fold in the brown sugar, raisins, butter, spices, and salt. Stir thoroughly.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is the consistency of pudding (about 15 minutes.)
Pour into serving bowl and garnish with pistachios. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or alone.
Challenge your book club to taste test this Indian treat. Gajar halwa is featured in a beautiful chapter within The Blessings of the Animals. By crafting this time-consuming but delicious dish, you will have firsthand knowledge of what it means to persevere.
May words nourish your soul.
The Blessings of the Animals – Discussion Questions
We are starting off the Readable Feast with a favorite author of mine. Katrina Kittle is a local Dayton, Ohio author and even though I don’t live there anymore, she has earned her place on my book shelf. I was lucky to take several writing classes with her, which did more for my writing journey than my college degree.
The Blessings of the Animals is her current women’s fiction book and is a perfect book club choice. Her other books, in particular The Kindness of Strangers, are also excellent group reads. If you haven’t yet discovered Katrina Kittle, please check her out.
Book Synopsis
From Katrina Kittle, critically acclaimed author of The Kindness of Strangers, comes a wry and moving story of forgiveness, flexibility, happiness, and the art of moving on.
Veterinarian Cami Anderson has hit a rough patch. Stymied by her recent divorce, she wonders if there are secret ingredients to a happy, long-lasting marriage or if the entire institution is outdated and obsolete. Couples all around her are approaching important milestones. Her parents are preparing to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. Her brother and his partner find their marriage dreams legally blocked. Her former sister-in-law—still her best friend—is newly engaged. The youthfully exuberant romance of her teenage daughter is developing complications. And three separate men—including her ex-husband—are becoming entangled in Cami’s messy post-marital love life.
But as she struggles to come to terms with her own doubts amid this chaotic circus of relationships, Cami finds strange comfort in an unexpected confidant: an angry, unpredictable horse in her care. With the help of her equine soul mate, she begins to make sense of marriage’s great mysteries—and its disconnects.
-From Harper Collins
Discussion Questions
Katrina’s publishing company, Harper Collins, offers a comprehensive Reading Guide.
To add to the discussion, consider the following discussion questions as well:
Animals
- Animals love us in a completely different way than humans. We often adopt a pet before considering children or when we face divorce or widowhood. Why did the animals in the book offering healing that Cami’s loved ones could not?
- Which animal did you love or relate to? How have animals played a role in your life?
- Animal rescue is never ending, as is being a medical doctor. How might have Vijay’s and Cami’s relationship played out if they had pursued their relationship.
- What are the blessings of the animals? What gift does each of the three main animals (Moonshot, Gerald, and Muriel) give to Cami? How do these rescue animals end up rescuing her? What final gift or lesson does Luna bring at the end?
People
- How does the Bobby chapter affect your reading of the story? Without his point of view, what would be different for you? What does he think that you wish he’d tell Cami? What things do both Bobby and Cami misinterpret in each others’ actions?
- Would you have felt differently about Bobby if he hadn’t found someone else?
- How do we react as we watch people making bad decisions? ie. Bobby breaking up with Zayna and then getting married in Vegas.
- Bobby doesn’t tell his family and leave a message for his daughter. How is Cami the parent in their relationship? How is the balance of power in a relationship a tricky prospect?
Marriage
- What does a successful marriage look like? Is marriage as an institution out of date?
- Why do we risk so much on something that has no guarantee? How are the rewards worth the risk?
- Adoption plays a part in this book as well. How is adoption a parallel to marriage?
- In what ways do the Davids epitomize the marriage vows they are not allowed to make?
- Divorce almost always has collateral damage, in this case, Gabi. She said “No man is going to wreck me.” Why does a personal relationship (marriage) have such outreaching tentacles—causing people to take sides, etc.
- Davy refers to a cheat sheet that he could pass along to his students, to save them from their mistakes. What advice would be on your cheat sheet?
- Cami regrets, but still performs euthanasia on ailing animals when necessary. How does she face hard decisions in her career but struggle with hard personal decisions?
- Cami’s church is the stable, in the presence of animals. Where do you feel closest to God?
- Short cuts are frowned up on this book—in such things as properly cleaning the wounds and making the gajar halva (Gaa-jer Hull-wa). Why are short cuts so tempting?
On Wednesday, I’ll be sharing the recipe for gajar halva for your book club.
Happy reading and discussing.
A Readable Feast
I have hunted for years for a relevant topic which I could seamless write about, without wearying. Because a topic could not be found, I stumbled and floundered, at loss for words.
And then, as all epiphanies appear, I suddenly connected several random puzzles pieces together and had an Ah! moment.
Pushing Food and Books
If you have met me in person, you know two things. 1.) I am going to attempt to feed you or tempt you to my house with the promise of food. And 2.) I am going to recommend a book to you—probably a long list of books.
As my family and I have moved from state to state, my constant community is constructed of book people. Whether it‘s moms discussing books during playdates or formal book clubs, books are my link to socialization and community.
I am a book pimp, a pusher of words, and a full-fledged addict.
Because my community spans multiple states, includes all walks of life, and is constantly growing, I’ve decided to reposition my blog as a virtual community for other book addicts.
So today, I launch the Readable Feast. This is what you can expect:
Mondays: Book reviews of popular book club reads, recommendations, interviews with authors, and discussion questions
Wednesday: Recipes related to book club books—tying your book and foods together
Friday: periodic thoughts on creating and participating in community, finding connection, and other random thoughts
I have a year’s worth of books, recipes, and thoughts lined up but I’m always open to suggestions.
Whether you read alone, run a book club, or just enjoy a new recipe, hopefully you will add Readable Feast to your RSS feed, sign up for our (upcoming) monthly newsletter, or check in occasionally. If you are a book enthusiast too, I hope you will spread the word by sharing www.readablefeast.com with others (which redirects them to here, www.nicoleamsler.com.)
I look forward to this new journey and the impending calories.
May words nourish your soul,
N@
Book Club Beginnings
I love book clubs because books are meant to be savored and shared, like a fine meal. The best meals are enjoyed in pleasant community, just as the best books are digested in wise company. The discussion of books is a fine appetizer and dessert.
I have created, adopted, and ran several book clubs in multiple states. I am getting ready to launch one now, in my new home of Indiana. So I thought I might share a few guidelines for starting a new book club:
Plan several months in advance and create a drop-in rule.
Requiring attendance and mandatory readings is a quick way to kill a starter group. Once readers begin attending, they will see the value of conversation and discussion and plan to stay. Some people might need a few months to plan their reading as well, especially if they aren’t a regular, avid reader.
Add liberal libations and hor d’oeuvres.
Books should be paired with food and drink, because they are in essence, a communion between readers.
Wine and bread are acceptable but cupcakes are never a bad idea. Books are meant to be devoured, as are decadent treats. And if you are stumped about what to add to the conversation, you can always hold up a finger, indicating that you are chewing and to move on to the next person.
Embrace name tags.
I am terrible with names and faces. Once you change clothes, I will forget your name once again. Having some simple sticky labels is mostly for me and my failing memory, but newcomers will appreciate the name tags as well. Adopt them for a few months at minimum.
Have discussion questions prepared in advance.
This will ease the conversation past any bumps and awkward silences. I will be adding discussion questions for many of my past, present, and future books on this site over time, including new questions from my newest book club, Reading Between the Wines.
Allow social time before and after your discussion time.
People need to get comfortable when they first arrive and a few people will invariably show up a few minutes late. Once you wrap up discussion, with a reminder about next month’s book and meeting time, you will want to encourage a few more minutes for socialization.
Encourage the wallflowers.
It can be intimidating to talk in a group, especially if you didn’t like the book or didn’t understand part of it. As a facilitator, keep an eye out for quieter participants. Make sure to include them on the conversation without putting them on the spot.
Expand your boundaries.
It’s important to read a variety of books. Some books lend themselves nicely to book club discussions. And some book clubs have favorite genres or styles (romance, spiritual themes, local authors, etc.) But consider adding one dark horse entry every so often for variety and enrichment.
What other suggestions do you have for beginning a book club? What are your best (or worse) experiences with book clubs?
Wii, Wii, Wii All the Way Home
It’s a New Year. Time to get fit. For motivation I bought a sassy new swimsuit, three sizes too small. Sadly, it was still a Plus size so I dug out the kid’s Wii Fit and balance board, determined to get in shape.
“It’s been 233 days since your last weigh in,” the Wii chastised my mini Mii—a digital representation of myself complete with helmet hair and white yoga pants, which I would never wear in real life (before or after Labor Day.)
“Step on,” the cheery voice said, followed by a sardonic grunt. “Uuuuuuu-fff!”
The passive aggressive machine recovered shortly, finally offering up a number more suited to a house address than a weight scale. With no warning, my Mii’s waist line sprang out—making contact with both sides of the big screen television. Both Mii and I hung our heads in shame.
“You are OBESE!” The Wii announced to the greater tri-state area.
For the agility and balance tests, I maintained my balance on one foot and dutifully swirled my hips in concentric circles—only minorly injuring the cat. With all the flair of a game show, it announced my “Wii Age” (which rivaled my planned calorie count for the day.)
Feeling sporty, I chose soccer as my first event. Standing on the balance board, I was supposed to shift my weight in order to head butt the soccer balls being kicked at me.
I missed two balls then a shoe caught me in the face. My digital second and third chins wobbled in slow motion as my head snapped back up—just in time to get clocked by a panda head.
Seriously?! When did Nintendo decide decapitating an endangered species and dropkicking their heads at you was a family friendly game? I quit on ethical grounds.
Even though I had no real world experience, I chose tightrope walking. While maintaining perfect balance, I attempted to walk across the rope between two tall buildings. Minor threats such as a flock of birds attempted to distract me.
I carefully took my first step and the rope snapped. The building only shook slightly upon my landing.
Next, I tried the ski jump but caused an avalanche; I tested my balance on the iceberg tilt but instead got propositioned by a nearby whale; and I attempted the hula hoop but ended up with four hoops firmly wedged around my Mii’s waist.
Exhausted, I pulled out Wii Fit and switched to Wii Resort which features biking, jet skiing and skydiving. After searching high and low for the buffet with no luck, I finally found the purpose for my white pants: I signaled my surrender.