Book Club Menu
I love hosting my book club each year as it gives me an opportunity to test recipes that might not appeal to my family. This year’s Book Club Menu featured 5 appetizers and 4 desserts. I hope there’s one or two you’d like to try!
Book Club Snacks are an integral part of our meetings. We like to socialize before our meeting and having a nice offering of appetizers and beverages is key.
Book Club Menu
Life as a food blogger awards many incredible perks. For example, last Thursday evening I hosted a book club gathering at my house. That morning, I opened the side door to see a huge package from Ghirardelli, full to the brim with their Holiday Squares for Easter.
I was thrilled to be able to add these to my array of sweets and treats. I cooked, styled, and photographed a slew of new recipes to add to my book club menu, and many were tasty enough to deserve their own posts.
Tips for Planning a Book Club Menu
- PRO-Tip: It’s best to have finger food, like dips, small cookies or bars for your book club spread. First, we gab and snack while sipping on glasses of wine, then we move into the living room for the book discussion.
- Have an assortment of beverages available. Red wine, chilled white wine, a signature cocktail if appropriate, Pellegrino, and/or soft drinks work well.
- PRO-Tip: Balancing a plate of food along with a Kindle or book takes some finesse, so a dish needing a fork and knife could be troublesome.
- There are exceptions, of course, as I like to make recipes that relate to the theme of the book, but in general, I aim for bite-sized treats.
- I like to make a seasonal signature drink if there’s an obvious theme in the book, a locale known for its cuisine, or if our book club is set near a holiday. I’ve made a Pimm’s Cup and a Pear Cosmopolitan in the past.
- My menus have included Italian, Middle Eastern, Big Apple, Indian, and even Maine fare, matching up with where the novel was set. A theme helps to select the menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best to ask friends with whom you’ve discussed reading and books you enjoy. If your friend reads all romance novels and you prefer historical fiction, he or she might not be a good fit. Find those who really love to read and like similar books.
Our book club allots some time at the beginning of our gathering to visit with each other and enjoy some wine and snacks. Then we sit down in a room large enough for all of us to gather to start our discussion. We rotate who hosts the book club and who selects the book for the month and leads the discussion.
It’s up to your book club to determine the frequency of your meetings. We meet monthly and take the summer off due to all the travel conflicts.
Many books come with discussion questions in the back, plus there are often reading guides online. It’s also nice to research the author’s history and inspiration for writing the book.
You need to be serious and read the book. Of course, life gets in the way and not finishing is fine now and then. Have someone who keeps track of all the dates, books, hosts, and who leads the discussions. I send out a monthly reminder to my book club. We’ve been meeting since 1996.
We rate our books on a scale of 1-10. The rating is determined by how much we liked the book and if it was good for discussion. We have all shared our book list with our friends who love to read—> Tri-B Book Club Books
Menu Suggestions
Book Club Menu Recipes
Recipes for finger food including savory appetizers, bite-sized desserts and more that would be perfect for your book club gathering!
Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers Wrapped in Bacon
Skewered Antipasto Ingredients arranged on a platter for the holidays.
Use Puff pastry or Cresent Roll Dough to layer with Italian meats and cheeses to make a yummy, hearty appetizer.
A sour cream dip with smoked salmon that tastes wonderful with potato chips, veggies or crackers.
Greek Spanikopita-inspired puff pastry pinwheels.
With toffee chunks and walnuts, these chocolate cookies are fabulous!
Key Lime Pie Bars - Sweet, Tart & Tasty! - That Skinny Chick Can Bake
If you love Key lime pie, these bars will not disappoint!
With a touch of coffee to accentuate the chocolate flavor, these rich brownies will rock your taste buds!
Butterscotch Blondies with White Chocolate Chips #TwoSweetiePies
These Butterscotch Bars are chock full of white chocolate chips! So yummy!
Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes can be garnished however you'd like! These are topped with caramel sauce and a beautiful ripe raspberry.
Book Club Snacks
I hope you will find inspiration in my book club menu for your next gathering. As a foodie, I always prepare WAY too much and made a point to offer doggy bags to my guests at the end of the evening.
One of the husbands requested a few sweet nibbles when his wife informed him of her plans for the night…he knew quite well that I’m never hesitant to share my treats or my recipes. He was the lucky recipient of chocolate cookies and matzoh crack.
Certainly, a couple of savory appetizers and one or two sweets would be plenty for a typical gathering. Add some nuts and Ghirardelli Holiday Squares and you’re set. Ghirardelli Holiday Squares are the perfect choice for your Easter baskets…even if your children are grown like mine, they always love some Easter chocolates.
And for those of you who are avid readers, here is a list of the books my book club has read over the past 17 years.
Disclosure: Ghirardelli supplied me with their Ghirardelli Holiday Squares. I was not compensated for writing this post and the opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Ghirardelli.
58 Comments on “Book Club Menu”
Wow, you must have to lock your doors to keep away party crashers!
What a sweet thing to say! Thank you!
Do you by chance have the recipe for those key lime bars?! They look incredible!
It will be a guest post for a blogger friend on May 21. Feel free to email me if you need the recipe sooner 🙂
Thanks so much! I am planning on making these memorial weekend so that’s perfect timing 🙂 I can’t wait to try them!
Can I join your book club? 🙂 YUM!
Oh my goodness, these all look amazing Liz! What an awesome book club to part of – so many tasty dishes and can’t wait to see the recipes for the rest 🙂
Lizzy,
I love Ghirardelli. All your recipes look amazing and delicious. I’d love for you to link up any of them at #GetHimFed Fridays, http://wp.me/p28dk1-yH. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Annamaria
What a house full of delicious looking food! I’ll take a pan of those key lime bars, please! 🙂
I think I would read more books if I knew the book club meetings would be like your delicious meetings!
I wanna be a part of your book club mainly for the food and chocolate! haha
I’m trying to figure out why I don’t belong to a book club. 🙂
Everything I would put on my plate says ‘recipe to come.’ I’m about to whine like a 7 year-old I know! 😀
I wish I could eat this all. Looks great!
I’m sure your book club friends enjoyed every single one of your delicious recipes. Liz. What a fun evening. And what a treat to find a big box of chocolates at your door. Happy Easter.
You cooked all that? That’s amazing. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I love the look of the stuffed jalepenos and I’m going to very much look forward to the recipes that appear on your blog in the next few days/weeks xx
Lizzy, I’ll join the book club for the food. hah..hah…hah…I love Ghirardelli chocolates, I picked them up when I was in Boston not too long ago. I wished I had bought more.
What a fun event Liz…everything sure looks delicious. I love this kind of “book club”.
Hope you are enjoying your week 😀
Oh my, what a spread! Lucky ladies!! Well done, Liz! Phew…that was a lot of heard work, I’m sure.
What a spread, Liz! I’m sure knowing that you are the hostess brings out the full club! Look forward to the recipe for those key lime bars and the other recipes as well!
So uh, what do I need to do to get an invitation to that book club of yours? 🙂
Have you actually been a member of the book club for 17 years, Liz? If so, I’m very impressed. And if not, I’m still impressed that you made all these lovely treats for your group. How lucky they are! Especially love the sound of those key lime bars! Looking forward to the recipe. 🙂
I so want to go to the book club 😀 These snacks are incredible!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
What a fabulous menu, your key lime bars look divine!
Oh Liz, if I could join your book club virtually, with a note of sampling those delicious food, I would! I think you have the best book club when food is involved, lol. 😀 And Ghirardelli? Never say no to that.
These ladies are lucky to be in your book club haha!
And who cares what books are being discussed if food like this is served, am I right?! 🙂
Everything looks fantastic!!
Is there room for one more in this book club? Because I could definitely use an invite! 🙂
Can’t wait to see that hot shrimp dip!
I want to join your book club and get your door step packages 🙂 Happy Easter!
What a great time!!!
all look amazing Lizzy and of course I love Ghirardelli chocolate always I find amazing but here are really expensive here!
But when I can I love to buy!!
Have a happy Easter my dear Lizzy with all your family xoxoxo
That would pretty much be the best day ever getting a box of chocolate on my doorstep! The bookclub sounds fun!
Looks like a tasty round-up!
Oh wow. See, reading is fun, kids! HA. I’ll take one of everything!
Now I would totally go to that book club ; )
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Easter! May it be a safe and happy one 🙂
If this is the way a book club looks 🙂 then I am sorry I am not part of your club.. these bars are wonderful.
What a fun idea to get together. These bars look really special, Liz! 🙂 ela
These bars look divine, Liz. Those chocolate cookies are awesome too.
If I could come and play at your house, I’d rejoin my book club, or, I mean, yours. Love your book list. Looking forward to those dip recipes.
You have been a part of the same book club for 17 years! Holy impressive! Do you accept new members because I want to eat everything you laid out…and I DO love books almost {sometimes more} than I love food!!
What fun!!!
Liz-
This collection of recipes is party ready! I’m looking forward to seeing the “how to’s” that follow :>
Margaret B
Thanks, Margaret!!!
These look fantastic.. and I wish I was the lucky one to get the doggy bag….
I’ve actually read quite a few books this past winter. I forget how much I enjoy reading when I haven’t done it in a while. A book club sounds fun! I’m a huge fan of G. My favorite is a piece of dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt – yum…. Have a great Easter!
Holy cow, Liz. Did I ever tell you that I could read? I can read good enough to be in your book club and I’m surely hungry enough. What a fantastic spread and what a fun get-together.
Just curious – what book was the selection for this meeting?
Hi, Susan! We read The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was a good book…some of our members absolutely loved it, and others felt it was just so-so. I was right in the middle…I liked a couple of her older books a lot more.
I am trying to figure out how I could be a part of your book club. Really you should just move to Connecticut and be my neighbor.
Wow, what a spread! I wanna be in your book club! 😉 Fun post — thanks.
I don’t even care what you all are reading….that’s a club for me!
Lizzy , I need some Ghirardelli here *sigh* 😀 I love your Book Club menu but I’m partial to your gorgeous Key lime bars , it looks pretty awesome !
Can you see me jumping and down and raising my hand… I wish I could join your book club. I would be the book reader near the food table. 🙂 What a gorgeous menu. 🙂
I wish I was living next door to you ;-P
The spread is amazing and I am looking forward to the recipes.
Wow! You treat your guests very well indeed Liz Berg =) So glad you are willing to share the recipes. Your title of Matzo Crack makes me crack up!
Anyway, j’adore Ghirardelli. In fact, only a few days ago I was savoring the sweet chocolate smells in their SF shop with my sister =)
Looks like you all have a blast… and eat very well too! Pass me the poppers please! Lucky girl to be on the Ghiradelli mailing list-enjoy:@)
Now that’s a book club I need to join!!
YUM! I can’t get over how delicious everything looks.
Everything on the book club menu looks delicious! Can’t wait to see some of those recipes.