Second Meeting of the Cooking With Friends Club...Italian Style!

So sorry -- this is long over-due! I've had a bit of trouble with my computer...better late than never, though! The Cooking With Friends Club met for a second time at Karissa's house for recipes inspired by Italian cuisine. Karissa provided delicious, homemade Italian appetizers for nibbling (the sausage bread was phenomenal!) before we got started in the kitchen! On the menu for the night was a Tomato Crostini with Fontina Cheese, a Sicilian Gnocchi Salad, and Sicilian Cannoli. Everything was incredibly yummy and simple, too! Perfect for weeknight dinners or having company - Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

Appetizers -- Delizioso!!



The Gnocchi Station


The Crostini Station

July Cooking Club Meet-up!

The Cooking With Friends Club will be hosted by Karissa & Kelli on Wednesday, July 28th at 6:30. The address is 1990 Tall Oaks Drive in Aurora. We'll be cooking up some yummy Italian dishes! Remember, to help defray the cost of ingredients, be sure to bring $5 - $10 for the hostesses. See the explanation of the cooking club post if you have any questions at all...if you're unable to find the answer, post a comment to this post!

July & August Cooking Club

Karissa has "signed up" to do the July Cooking Club -- a date and time are yet to be determined.

August is open -- if anyone is interested in hosting in August, please comment or send an email!

Cooking Club Information!

Q: What’s this cooking club all about?

A: It’s about slowing things down to connect with family and friends, sharing each others’ cooking talents and having fun in the kitchen! We all have lives, jobs, families, and commitments but who doesn’t love good food?! Recipes should have a healthy focus and could include seasonal, local ingredients when possible. No worries if it’s not vegan or even vegetarian though!

Q: Who’s in the group?

A: If you’re interested in gathering new recipes, learning some cooking tips, and cooking with the girls then read on…

I’ve pulled together local co-workers, friends, and family from all different backgrounds and stages of life so we can learn from each other! We’ll see who all is interested but a majority of you know most everyone. At the very least, you’re guaranteed to know at least 1 or 2 others.

Q: How often do we meet?

A: Once a month at the hostess’ house. The hostess will determine a date and time that works best for her and then notify everyone ahead of time. If you can make it that month, that’s awesome! If not, there is always next month.

Q: How is a hostess designated?

A: We’ll sign up for gatherings 3 months at a time. After the 1^st of that month, as the hostess you’ll send an email out to the group to let us know a date and time of you’re choosing. (See below for sign up)

Q: What does being the hostess entail?

A: The hostess is responsible for deciding what to cook; anything from brunch, to soup and salad, to an entrée and side dish, or dessert! The hostess will then purchase all ingredients and welcome us into her kitchen. Upon arrival of guests, the hostess should have a light appetizers and/or drinks available to get things started. Lastly, the hostess will make sure there are enough copies of the recipe to go around. Benefit of being the hostess is that you can invite another friend or two of your own!

Q: What does being a guest entail?

A: Letting the hostess know if you will be attending that month’s gathering, lending a helping hand in preparing the designated meal, and a promise to not judge the hostess on the size of her kitchen or the era the fixtures came from! Also, each person will be responsible for giving $5-$10 to the hostess to cover cost of the ingredients.

First Meeting of the Cooking Club -- Lindsey's House

Today was the first meeting of cooking club at Lindsey's house (hence the title). I mentioned starting a blog so we can remember what we made, where we made it, and we can even comment on changes we made to the recipes or suggestions for changing the recipes...whatever we want really. So here goes!

Today Lindsey hosted - her recipes were organically inspired and were vegetarian friendly. We made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Falafel Balls, and a Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas, and Coconut. To see the recipes followed, click "Lindsey's Recipe Page" in the sidebar.