Members of the Jane Austen Book-to-Fork Cooking Club (a special interest group of the Greater Sacramento region) met for an event entitled “Welcome to Molland’s”. We greeted 4 new student members (hi Mansha, Abby, Jacky, and Josh!) and got re-acquainted with a few other long-standing members. Our host, Joy Prevost presented a history of Molland’s Pastry and Confectionery (a shop Jane Austen would have known while living in Bath) and showed her photos taken during the Spring JASNA tour of Milsom Street where it was located. Then we listened to a reading of the Molland’s scene from Persuasion where Ann and Wentworth re-connect. In honor of the 250^th anniversary and that sweets would be eaten at Molland’s, we had a cookie exchange. Members brought 2 dozen cookies and in exchange brought home 3 dozen (or more!) new cookies. Much discussion of recipes, Jane, books and adaptations took place. We had raffle prizes and book give-aways and everyone was on a sugar and Austen buzz.

Here are all the delicious varieties of cookies and confectioneries we shared and indulged in:

Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies – Jacky

Jumbles from Tea with Jane Austen – Kim

Almond Clouds (gluten-free) – Bronwyn

Molasses Drops – Bronwyn

Miss Harriet Smith’s Favorite Macarons – Christi

KAF Easy Linzer Bars with Almond Flour – Deborah

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars w/ Walnuts – Deborah

Snickerdoodles – Jill

Melting Moments (shortbread and lemon) – Abby

Chocolate Surprise – Victoria

Sachima (Chinese rice-krispie treat) – Shirley

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Josh

Earl Grey Shortbread – Rachelle

Lemon Sugar Cookies – Rachelle

Sugar Cookies – Joy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip – Mansha

TJ’s Apple Shortbread, Beech’s Milk Chocolate, Walker’s Thistle Rounds – Janet

Apple & Blackcurrant and Raspberry Jammie Dodgers – Janet

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Joy

Pandan Shortbread (gluten-free) – Joy

Strawberry-Covered Macadamia – Joy

Lychee Jelly Candy – Joy

Hawaiian and Scottish Shortbread – Lynn

Almond Crescents and Petit Fours – Larisa

Chocolate Chews – Mary

March 23, 2025

Recap and Announcements

 

“Dinner with Mr. Darcy” was a happy event for what is better than Janeites meeting and eating. Christi decorated our scene with fresh flowers of the season. The menu was brought together by all.

Pea Soup – Victoria; Vegetable Pie – Sandra;Beef Stew, Spiced Mushrooms, Green Beans, Sweetmeats – Joy; Bath Buns – Bronwyn, Fresh Fruit – Shirley; Jumbles – Lanni; Gingerbread – Victoria; Vanilla Shortbread – Frida; Chocolate Pot de Crème – Mary; Mrs. Austen’s Pudding – Janet; Duke of Clarence Medeira – Jill; Pineapple and Floral Arrangements – Christi

We all enjoyed sharing what we made and spoke to the recipes found in the cookbook “Dining with Mr. Darcy”, a Colonial America cookbook, as well as other sources. Here are some photos of a memorable afternoon. We even had a food server named Georgiana!

October 15, 2023 Meeting Recap

The joint meeting of the Jane Austen Book-to-Fork Cooking Club and Movie Fan Club met at the home of Joy Prevost.

We started the Pride and Prejudice (1995) movie marathon and laid out the spread of delicious food upon the Jane

Austen themed tablecloths.  The fun thing about watching this P & P all together and in review is that we’ve all seen it before and made commentaries throughout a la Mystery Science Theater 2000.  We enjoyed the comments even more than the show!  At the break we indulged in a meal that the P & P characters might have eaten.  Joy presented a plain dish or roasted chicken and peas and a ragout of mushroom and chicken with mashed potatoes. Pemberley food was represented with fruit and small cakes (cookies). We also ate meats, cheeses and salad perhaps similar to what Kitty and Lydia had ready for Elizabeth at the inn.  Watching all the episodes and sharing our thoughts was so comforting and made the 8 hours go by so quickly.

Revel in the photos of cheerful marathoners!

The Book-to-Fork Cooking Club met at Nitty’s Cider in Sacramento.  On a beautiful Sunday afternoon with just enough heat and breeze, attendees (Lynn, Bronwyn, Louise, Megan, Anne, Kathy, Christi, Lanni, Janet, Shirley, Richard, and Joy) enjoyed cider and company. The table was set with apples (cider is made from apples) and quotes from Emma which mentions apples a dozen times. Joy presented on cider and its history in the world and in America (with “few dates”), the making of, uses of, and the connection with Jane Austen. With everyone selecting their own tasting flights, we must have drank our way through the whole menu. There was a cider called The Cider That Jane Likes which had a lovely lemon and lavender flavor. However, the Jane was not our Jane, but a beloved friend of the cider maker. Along with the cider, we had Ploughman’s Lunch grazing trays with home-made breads and home-grown pickled vegetables, cheese, meat, fruit, and more.  The Cider Loaf which contained Nitty’s Cider was a huge hit and its recipe (from Tea with the Bennets Anthology of Recipes by Margaret Vaughn) was included in the handout. Raffle prizes of apples and a cookbook closed the meeting.  Enjoy the photos!

April 22, 2023 Meeting Recap

The Book-to-Fork Cooking Club met at Touch of Britain in North Highlands, which is a British grocery and restaurant.  The table was set with Jane Austen cookies and bookmarks. We enjoyed conversations about trips to England, gardening, and royalty, and worked on trivia questions (thank you JASNA somewhere in Washington state). Our menu selections ranged from steak and ale pie with mushy peas to fish and chips with malt vinegar. Dessert was an array of British biscuits and the Jane Austen cookies if you dared to eat her face!  Susan and Nancy each won a Harrod’s bag with goodies (tea, shortbread, Austentacious pin, framed quote).

April 30, 2023 Recap

The meeting took place at Streets of London in West Sacramento, which is a British pub. To brighten up the pub setting, the table was set with doilies and of course, Jane Austen cookies! Though the menu was plentiful of food other than pub food, we enjoyed our selections and the discussion of Jane Austen in London and tried our hand at the trivia questions.  We were also multi-tasking by watching the Sac Kings v. Warriors game. This time Janet and Lanni each won a Harrod’s goodie bag.  Part of the discussion was the movie “Chevalier” which tells the story of real-life violin virtuoso and composer Joseph Bologne. Some of us had learned of him at a previous AGM and were very interested in learning about this bi-racial prodigy who was somewhat lost in history due to the tumultuous French revolutions. This turned into an impromptu trip to Tower Theater to watch “Chevalier” which had excellent acting, music, costumes, and production.

September 18, 2022

The Book-to-Fork Cooking Club had a successful outing in Rancho Cordova. Surprisingly it was a blustery wind, but we were cozy at Strad Meadery.  Joy presented her paper on Jane Austen and Mead before we indulged in the tasting.  The mead flight consisted of original honey, dragonfruit, peach, passionfruit, and yuzu flavors.  Alongside our delicious mead, we had grazing boxes filled with meats, cheeses, nuts, fruit, and other sweets and savories. A delightful afternoon enjoying Jane Austen’s favorite drink. May your mouth water looking at these photos.

Jane Austen 2022 Book Bingo Challenge Rules

1. Choose a square and read a book that fits the category of that square. You win a bingo by forming a line of finished squares either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
2. The “Free Jane” square is won by partaking in a non-book form of media relating to Jane Austen or her works. (See the next section for examples).
3. One book can only count towards one square even if that book could conceivably belong to several categories.
4. For a book to count it must be read after January 1^st 2022.
5. After you complete a bingo send an email to me with the subject line “BINGO!” at nkleinert@sbcglobal.net with a list of the categories and the books you read and/or what you chose for the “Free Jane’ space. I will contact you with information on how to claim you prize.
6. Everyone who completes a bingo wins a prize. (One BINGO prize per person).
7. GRAND PRIZE goes to the FIRST person to obtain a BLACK-OUT.  In
8. other words- one must read one book from each category for a total of 24 books plus “Free Jane” space.
9. You must be a member of JASNA to receive a prize.

Explanations of Categories & Book Examples

The following is an explanation of the types of books that fit each category along with some book suggestions. The examples given are by no means exhaustive; there are a multitude of books that could fit a single category. It is very possible that a single book could fit more than one category, but it may only be used once on the BINGO board.

B

An Annotated Version of a JA Novel- Read an annotated version of one of Jane Austen’s six finished novels. There are many out there, but I would recommend any edited by David M. Shepard.

Poetry or Book mentioned in JA Novel- Read a book by a poet or author mentioned in a Jane Austen novel, for example William Cowper, Sir Walter Scott, or Lord Byron OR a novel or play mentioned directly, for example The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe or “Lovers’ Vow” by Elizabeth Inchbald.

Multicultural Retelling of JA Novel- Read a novel based on Jane Austen’s work in which the characters come from culturally diverse backgrounds. e.g.: Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal, Pride by Ibi Zoboi, and Sensei and Sensibility by Karen Tei Yamashita

“Jane Austen” Mystery- Read a book in which characters based on Jane Austen or her works solve a mystery. e.g.: Death Comes to Pemberley* by P. D. James, The Phantom of Pemberley* by Regina Jeffers, and any of Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries*

History Book about the Georgian or Regency Era- Read a book of history that takes place during the Georgian or Regency Era. e.g.: The Regency Years* by Robert Morrison, An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England* by Venetia Murray, and Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune by Rory Muir

I

Jane Austen Life Coach- The books that fit this category tend to be memoirs whose authors found meaning and inspiration from Jane Austen’s life and works. e.g.: A Jane Austen Education* by William Deresiewicz, Austen Years by Rachel Cohen, and Growing Older with Jane Austen* by Maggie Lane

Literary Analysis of JA’s Work- Read a book of nonfiction that analyzes Jane Austen’s works. e.g.: Jane Austen’s Women* by Kathleen Anderson, Jane on the Brain* by Wendy Jones, and Jane Austen: Literary Critiques* by Norman Sherry

Jane Austen’s Juvenilia- Read a book of Jane Austen’s Juvenilia including “Lady Susan”

Mash-up with Monster, Fantasy, or Time Travel– Read a retelling of a Jane Austen novel that adds elements of fantasy, monsters, or time-travel. e.g.: Pride and Prometheus* by John Kessel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies* by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith, and Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict* by Laurie Viera Rigler

Continuation or Variation of a JA Novel- Read a novel that either tweaks the events or continues the story of one of Jane Austen’s works. e.g.: A Life Worth Choosing* by Anngela Schroeder, Mr. Darcy’s Daughters* by Elizabeth Aston, and Old Friends and New Fancies* by Sibil G. Brinton

N

Retelling that is NOT Pride & Prejudice- Read a book based on the characters or events of one of Jane Austen’s novels EXCEPT Pride and Prejudice. e.g.: Later Days at Highbury* by Joan Austen-Leigh, Murder at Mansfield Park* by Lynn Shepherd, and By the Book* by Julia Sonneborn

Jane Austen as a character in a Novel- Read a book in which Jane Austen herself becomes a fictional heroine in a novel. e.g.: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen* by Syrie James, Jane and the Damned* by Janet Mullany, or any of the Jane Austen Mysteries* by Stephanie Barron.

Free Jane- To win this square you need not read a book. You need only to participate or interact with some other form of media pertaining to Jane Austen. For Example, watch a movie based on a Jane Austen novel, attend a Zoom lecture about a subject relating to Jane Austen, or attend one of the JASNA book group discussions. The choice is yours.

Book about Social Customs during Regency Era- Read a nonfiction book that describes what life was like during the lifetime of Jane Austen. e.g.: Jane Austen’s England* by Roy & Lesley Adkins, Jane Austen: The World of her Novels* by Deirdre Le Faye, and What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool

Jane Austen’s Letters- Read a book of Jane Austen’s Letters.

G

Biography of a Person living at the same time as JA- Read a biography of a person living in England at the same time as Jane Austen. e.g.: L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated “Female Byron” by Lucasta Miller and Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

One of the Six Original JA Novels- Read or Re-read one of Jane Austen’s six completed novels.

Historical Fiction that takes place during the Regency Era- Read a book of historical fiction that takes place in the Regency Period that is NOT directly related to Jane Austen. e.g.: Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer, Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Retelling from a Different Character’s Point of View- Read a retelling of one of Jane Austen’s novels from a different character’s point of view. e.g.: Jane Fairfax* by Joan Aiken, Longbourn* by Jo Baker, and Captain Wentworth’s Diary* by Amanda Grange

Book of Proper Conduct written in JA’s Era- Read a book of proper conduct written during Jane Austen’s Lifetime. e.g.: The Mirror of the Graces* by A Lady of Distinction and Sermons to Young Women by James Fordyce

O

Non-JA Novel published during the Georgian or Regency Era- Read a novel published just before or during Jane Austen’s lifetime. e.g.: Evelina* by Fanny Burney, A Gossip’s Story* by Jane West, and Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

A Modern Retelling of one of JA’s Novels- Read a novel in which the events of a Jane Austen novel are rewritten to take place in the modern day. e.g.: Emma* by Alexander McCall Smith, Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe* by Mellissa de la Cruz, and Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Biography of Jane Austen- Read a biography of Jane Austen. e.g.: Jane Austen: A Life* by Park Honan, Young Jane Austen, Becoming a Writer* by Lisa Pliscou, and Jane Austen* by Carol Shields

Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novels- Read BOTH of Jane Austen’s unfinished works: Sanditon and The Watsons.

A Novel in which the Characters are Inspired by JA or her works- Read a novel in which the characters are inspired by Jane Austen’s life or works.e.g.:The Jane Austen Book Club* by Karen Joy Fowler, Austenland* by Shannon Hale, and The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Note about the BINGO board: The board is the same for everyone, but it’s up to each person, individually, to choose which books they wish to read to complete a bingo. However, I have designed the board in such a way that to do so you must read books from several different genres.

Books that are marked with an “*” indicate books that are available through our JASNA Greater Sacramento Circulating Library.