Every now and then when I read a book, I get motivated to look up the food that's mentioned, especially when I've never heard it before, so when the words "Noodle Pudding" danced along the pages of Night Swim by Jessica Keener, I thought I might give it a whirl. It has egg noodles, cottage cheese, and... sugar? I initially expected a dessert of some sort, especially since it has Graham Cracker Crumbs as a topping.

I'm not knowledgeable on the best cookbooks, so after I exhausted Google, I clicked on one option from allrecipes.com and thought it sounded simple and unique. And it was. I liked it a lot and I've never tasted anything quite like this! I found it was actually more suited to be a good side dish for a big family meal. I might make this for Thanksgiving this year.

My husband loved it. He ate it as a side with chicken, and even warmed some up for breakfast.

Here's the family recipe from agk1.

Noodle Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles
• 1 (16 oz) package cottage cheese
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish.
2. Cook egg noodles until al dente; drain.
3. In a large bowl, blend together cottage cheese and cream cheese until smooth.
4. Mix in sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs.
5. When noodles are done, drain, and return noodles to pot; set on cooled stove top.
6. Stir 1/2 cup melted butter into noodles.
7. Combine cheese mixture and noodles into bowl; blend well.
8. Place into casserole dish.
9. Topping: Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Sprinkle evenly over top of noodle mixture.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
11. Then, lower temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes.
12. Cool before cutting; serve warm.

Weekend Cooking is a feature hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is an opportunity each week to share your food love. It is open to anyone who has a food-related post to share. Whether it's a recipe, a film about food, or a book, click here to visit her site and read about the feature. Don't forget to link up your food-related posts each week.

Recently, I mentioned that Cassandra Campbell was fast becoming one of my favorite narrators for audio books. There is an atmosphere her voice creates, light and humorous (as in Very, Valentine) or mournful and haunting (as in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks). It's always perfect for the story. So when Sandy commented that I should pick up The School of Essential Ingredients, I did. When it comes to audio, Sandy's an exceptional guide.

I'm never going to get tired of books about cooking food and living life. I love it. The connection of recipes, knowing which spice should go with which dish, and how that translates back to relationships, loss, and love, will fit the bill for me every time, and this story did not disappoint.

The story is told by the eight students taking a cooking class on Monday evenings, their personal stories and memories meaningfully unfolding for the listener. There is humor, tragedy, sadness, loss, and newly found love. Usually, when there are more than three or four characters sharing their stories, it can become overwhelming or confusing, or one character may be completely uninteresting, but not so with this story. All of the characters contributed a significant part of their lives, and not one was overdone, or wasted, or skipped over. It all fit.

At the heart of it is Lillian, the instructor and owner of the restaurant where the classes are held. She, too, has a quietly compelling story, one that has shaped her with whom she has become. She was an exceptional character, the rock of knowledge for each of the students, quickly learning what they needed to be taught. She is what kept them moving forward, both in their cooking skills and in life.

And this line stuck with me, about Tom and his wife, Charlie. It's this character's story which made me cry, and if you've read this book, then you know what I mean.

She was nowhere and everywhere, and he couldn't stop looking.

Erica Bauermeister's novel was released in 2009, and the story has such a sophisticated style that it's surprising it was a debut novel. It's a story that will make you cry and laugh, but most importantly, it will remind you that living is about the here and now, and that while mistakes happen, the choice to never let a moment pass you by is clear. Love, and be loved, and do so with integrity and kindness.

While the school deals with the essential ingredients of cooking, it is by far the fundamental elements of living that are the most important lesson to be learned. I cannot wait to read (or listen to) Joy for Beginners which was released in June 2011.

Audio Sample: Click here to listen to the five minute sample of this book, narrated by the incomparable Cassandra Campbell. She knocks it out of the park yet again, but you know what? It's really no surprise. She's just a phenomenal narrator. You can't go wrong with her.

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Release Date: 01/22/2009

Audio Time: 7 hours

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

About the Author

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the recently released Joy for Beginners. Her debut novel, The School of Essential Ingredients was released in 2009 and has been published in more than 21 countries. She has also co-authored 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide with Holly Smith and Jesse Larsen, and Let's Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14 with Holly Smith. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and currently lives in Seattle.

Visit the author:

• On her website
• On Facebook

Others said:
Bermuda Onion
The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Bibliophile by the Sea
It's All About Me (time)
Lit and Life
Literary Musings
Raging Bibliomania
Unputdownables
You've Gotta Read This!

This is my first selection for the 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa.

FTC Disclosure: I purchased this book from audible.com.

This is my first time participating in Beth Fish Reads' weekly meme and I'm so excited to share this one with you. I was in the mood to make something with blueberries for my husband's co-worker as a thank you to her and her husband for hosting a party and I stumbled upon this recipe at The Travel Bite. (I don't have a lot of cookbooks for some reason, so I normally just jump online.) My goal is to be much more creative in 2012 so being more in the kitchen are on the list, along with scrapbooking and journaling. I used to do all of this years ago, but work has pulled me away from most of that. So, these Blueberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies looked like they might just do the job.

And. They. DID.

Oh, my goodness. They weren't overly sweet, they were just right! The punch of the blueberry and the sweetness of the white chocolate were a wonderful combination and the dough has an almost cake-like consistency. I can see why The Travel Bite writer wrote that she would eat these for breakfast also. YUM. (By the way, you MUST visit her site, it is delish).

The recipe came from The Travel Bite and the box to put the cookies in (along with ribbon and sticker) is Martha Stewart.

Maine Blueberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies*

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup medium-cut oats (not quick cooking)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup fresh Maine blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw and drain) I used regular blueberries

*I used regular blueberries; no Maine options here, but the regular ones worked just fine!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sour cream, and sugars and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add the egg and mix until smooth.
3. Add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt to the mixture and combine.
4. Fold in the oats, then the flour and mix until just blended. Fold in the white chocolate chips and the blueberries.
5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and barely dry to the touch. Try not to allow the cookies to brown.
6. Eat!

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.