I just posted on this a while back!

I am having a Great Gatsby book club lawn party this Friday.

We are having champagne/mimosas, and a ham, cold fried chicken, devilled eggs, waldorf salad and then strawberries because it is all so rich! I am making a lemon curd layer cake, I ordered fondant daisies from a woman on Etsy for my cake!

What a great idea. I will have to ruminate on this. A classic book came to my mind, but (in my elderly state) the name slips my mind - but Conrad was the author (I think).

Lemon curd layer cake - oh my, that sounds lovely!

Graywings

doesn't it? the recipe is below ... my first foray

Here is a link that might be useful: wish me luck ---

How about for dessert having a cake that says "Eat Me" and glasses that say "Drink me" for Alice in Wonderland?

You could go southern for your meal and it could be To Kill a Mockingbird or any number of the Tennessee Williams' plays or even Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer. Fried green tomatoes?

Otherwise you could go fancy classic European food for Pride and Prejudice, Emma, or Tom Jones.

You could go hard core American for On the Road or The Big Sleep.

You could go with Westward Ho! and have pork and beans and hard tack.

I would suggest avoiding things like the Lord of the Flies or the Jungle.
:)

Whatever you choose to serve, I demand photos of the food at both parties.....Please!

How about some Amantillado wine? In a cask perhaps?

And please don't do Suddenly Last Summer!

Some great ideas!

Since I recently did a Great Gatsby party, I didn't want the menu for this event to be solely Gatsby oriented, but your menu sounds really good, mtnrdredux.

Annie - I'm liking the idea of Westward Ho (or another western) for a camp style main course served on tin "plates" (pie pans) or various deli items to represent On the Road (I think I remember at least one deli stop).

Edited: Oops! Obviously I was thinking of the John Wayne movie instead of the book! Back to the drawing board.

kwsl - We always take pictures of our events for a monster annual scrapbook. I won't be the photographer since I'm hosting, but I'll try to make sure we get some pre-party shots of set ups.

Thanks!
Java

This post was edited by javachik on Wed, May 15, 13 at 19:07

Hah! So was I! Oops!

Well there's little house on the prairie or Zane gray novels, or lonesome dove or the pioneers....

How about some blood oranges for Dracula?

Blood oranges? I might as well do Suddenly Last Summer! LOL!

Java chick ,

Tell me about your Gatsby party? Maybe I can steal some ideas.

mtnrdredux - The (adults-only party) was inside and everyone wore something from the 1920s (a lot of argyle socks for the men - none wanted to wear a pink suit). The Redford version of The Great Gatsby was playing but muted and jazz music was on. Menu included a gin tasting (followed by good martinis), a speakeasy Italian dinner (chicken piccata, meatballs in red gravy) and desserts were sundaes and macarons. The gin tasting was set up on my old floor model radio. The friends-donated decor included a violin case (lined to hold hors d'oeuvres), movie reels, curtains to seal off the speakeasy).

"The Graduate"

Tang in a zip lock bag for 2001 Space Odyssey?

;)

judiegal -That is cute!

Annie - The thought of some of my sisters fumbling around trying to figure out how to drink the Tang is hilarious!

judiegal -That is cute!

Annie - The thought of some of my sisters fumbling around trying to figure out how to drink the Tang is hilarious!

Porridge for Oliver Twist?

Grog and limes and breadfruit for Mutiny on the Bounty? Or strawberries for the Caine Mutiny?

Why not do Michener's Hawaii...you can have fresh pineapple, guava juice, and a pu pu platter...

Here is a link that might be useful: pu pu platter

In Emma, by Jane Austen, there's a big strawberry picking party, and pigeon pie and cold lamb are served at a picnic. And in Mansfield Park, there's mention of gooseberry pie.

Dickens has lots of food, but I think most of it might be too heavy for a summer party. In A Christmas Carol, he mentions roast goose, applesauce, mashed potatoes and gravy and the plum pudding. Also, "turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch."

Virginia Woolf centers a meal in To the Lighthouse around Boeuf en Daube. In A Room of One's Own, she describes a luncheon of soles in white sauce, partridges, with sauces and salads, potatoes, brussels sprouts and pudding, either rice or tapioca. In Mrs. Dalloway, there's a big party with chicken in aspic, salmon, ice-cream, soup, and pudding. There's a lunch scene with turbot and a casseroled chicken, and another with lots of cream cakes.

The Wind in the Willows has this picnic menu: âÂÂcoldtonguecoldhamícold beefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscress sandwichespottedmeatgingerbeer lemonadesodawater."

From The Hobbit: pork pie, apple tart, buttered scones, raspberry jam, seed cakes, cold chicken, bread, mince pie, cheese, biscuits, salad, pickles, ham, eggs, beer, ale, tea, coffee. And that was just one meal.

From Brideshead Revisited, which has a ton of food descriptions: soup of oseille, a sole quite simply cooked in a white-wine sauce, a caneton àla presse, a lemon soufflé, caviar aux blinis. There's also plover eggs, lobster Newburg, pickled walnuts and cheese.

Pumpkin juice from Harry Potter?
Green eggs and ham?

Finally remebered the name of the classic, it is "The Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad which for the most part takes part in the Congo.

Here is a Congolese recipe:

Mwamba
By Sackville on May 30, 2006
1 Reviews

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 4

"A basic stew from the Congo. Sorry for the vague directions. Posted by request from the book 'Best of Regional African Cooking'."

1 whole chicken, cut up or 2 lbs beef or 2 lbs lamb or 2 lbs fish fillets
2 large onions, cut up
2 -4 chili peppers, mashed or 2 -4 dry crushed red pepper
6 -7 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and mashed

Season the chicken, meat or fish well with salt.

In hot oil in a large and heavy stewing pan, saute the meat with the onions until well browned.

Add chili peppers, tomatoes and enough water to barely cover.

Simmer until tender and nicely cooked.

Serve with boiled rice or fried plantain.

VARIATION: You can mix 1/4-1/3 cup peanut butter with a little boiling water until smooth and add to stew 15-20 minutes before it is done.

http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=170705

OMG, what a fun thread . . . and inspiring ideas for party themes!!! Although I haven't done any theme parties since my kids' birthday parties, I do get inspired to create meals and table settings for various books I'm reading or love. I usually reread my very favs once every Summer and always make a dinner to go with them:

"My Brother Michael": Greek/ Souvlaki, stuffed grape leaves and Baklava

"Passage To India": Indian/ Chicken Curry, Masala of some kind, Naan, Kulfi or Kheer

"Huckleberry Finn": American/ Fried Okra, pinto beans, cornbread, fried green tomatoes, sweet tea & apple pie.

"Under The Tuscan Sun": Italian/ various Bruschetta & Crostini, a Caprese salad, polenta or risotto, maybe grilled chicken with lemon & rosemary, a great wine and perhaps a glass of Prosecco (which I love) and/or some gelato.

As you can probably tell, I love to read, cook and eat (LOL!).
Lynn

From a dearth of ideas to pure abundance!

Annie - Hawaii! Of course! That opens up a lot of possibilities!

camlan - I looked up Christmas Carol yesterday! Just about anything meat/poultry, fruit or nuts and you've got the Dickens theme, it seems. Love the Wind in the Willow picnic. Doesn't that collation of words just sound like a picnic (eateateat)?

walnutcreek - Mwamba is now on my must try list-mmmm

lynn - I didn't know whether to read or cook after I read your post! LOL! But I was swayed by your mention of Passage to India to make chicken biryani tonight.

Visions of sugar plums (and many other delights) will be in my head tonight!

Where are the food pictures??

Judie - how cute! My SIL is going to a graduation party and I sent her the photo.

What are the tassels? She may do red licorice strings since that's one of the school colors.

Maire,

Those are sour gummy strips. They look like they were cut... it's usually wider, like a ribbon. Most candy stores have them.

Those sure are cute! I might freeze them though since they look precarious?