Secret Life of Bees Round Up

Thanks to all that participated in this crossover event with Movies & Munchies. While The Secret Life of Bees is bittersweet, the recipes were definitely on the sweet side this round.

Here's what our creative crew posted:

Amy's Cooking Adventure was first up with Honey Cookies. Amy rated the book four stars and thought, "The movie followed the novel fairly well, but I felt the book was more nuanced and the movie was rushed and skipped key character development." Because honey played a vital role, she wanted to make something with honey.

Amy says, "These cookies are soft, chewy, and have a distinct honey flavor, offering a delightful twist on the classic sugar cookie."

Claudia from Honey From Rock enjoyed the novel and wondered how she had missed it. She also did some apian research on the "suicidal life" of male bees. Check it out. Fascinating. As she had lots of bananas (and May was obsessed with bananas), she mad this lovely Banana Almond Cake. 

Claudia enjoyed the book and "especially loved the account of 14 year old Lily springing her nanny from the hospital lockdown, after she was beaten up for daring to attempt voting!"

Wendy, from A Day in the Life on the Farm, participated in both events with one recipe. (Aside:  she was really busy hiking the AT!)  This was the third time for Wendy to read the novel and she enjoyed it "each and every time." It was her second time to watch the film. She knew she wanted to do something with honey and shared a classic recipe for Honeycomb Candy.

Marg from The Intrepid Reader & Baker gives an insightful synopsis of the book. It had been on her TBR list for some time: "I know that I bought this book off the 3 for 2 table at Borders (remember them?) which tells you how long ago it was." She sums up the importance of the novel by writing: "This is a book that shines a light on important events, but it is also filled with heart, and I am glad to finally have read it!" After much deliberation, Marg shared a recipe for Honey Sponge Roll. 

Culinary Cam thought the novel was a breeze to read BUT: 

The premise, I'll be honest, felt more than a little hackneyed - a motherless girl with a bigoted, abusive father on a peach farm in South Carolina. The book's saving grace: Kidd's prose. Her writing - the voice, the pacing, the diction - is all captivating. So even if the story was predictable and you literally cringe from the teenage angst and racial clichés, it was a joy to read. On the run with her black housekeeper, Rosaleen, Lily's story reminded me of something Mark Twain would have written except with female protagonists.

Camilla skipped the honey slant and was inspired by some of the savory meals, specifically the funeral meal. She posted Smoked Paprika Deviled Eggs. 

Terri from A Good Life posted a pretty extensive article about cooking with honey and whipped up a lovely honey-cornbread. 

Terri writes:

I first read the book with my book club group, and then when the movie came out we saw the movie together, too. We cried so much in our discussion. Our discussion centered around racism, love and the acceptance of people for who they are.  The movie is so beautifully acted by Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Hudson, and others (May!) and there were many tears shed during the show.  We all loved the book, and we all loved the movie, even though there were differences.  

She also quotes August Boatwright: "Love can't exist in a hateful time."  This sentiment is one to be remembered always.

A huge apology to Simone because I missed her post. Remedying that NOW: Simone from briciole posted a savory meal for us. Her Bean, Tomato, Sweet Pepper and Corn Salad 

is a great late summer meal. 

Simona's thoughts on the movie and the novel are below:

I can see how the novel became a bestseller (and a movie): individual lives play out in a small corner of the American south against the backdrop of the civil rights' movement. Rosaleen gets assaulted at the beginning of the novel for wanting to register to vote, following the passing of the Civil Rights Act. It's a bit slow-moving at times, like poured honey.

She also segues and gives us a tour of Tiburon, CA. (Tiburon, SC was the setting for the novel and movie.)  Check it out. 

I'm rounding out the posts with another honey based cookie: Honey Cornbread Cookies. 

I wanted to do something with honey, of course, and I originally decided to do a honey cornbread. But after some consideration for The Hubs (who wanted cookies) and a couple of internet searches, I landed on Honey-Cornbread Cookies. I adapted a Crumbl cookie copycat recipe. I’m not sure that I’ve had those specific Crumbl cookies, but this rendition is pretty darn good. My recipe is adapted and I used all butter (no shortening), added cinnamon, and sprinkled turbinado sugar on top. I also adapted the instructions a bit.

Thanks to all who participated in either of these two-fers (Movies & Munchies AND Cook the Books).  The October/November Cook the Books selection is the memoir Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (April 2021). Simona of  briciole is hosting. 

Happy Fall Ya'all!