Report on Supper Club

[Grace]

Hi all,

I just wanted to report that we had our first supper club meeting last night, and it was a success. Since it was the first meeting, we decided to go potluck as CL suggested. I made the Balsamic Chicken with peppers and almonds, and the other ladies made the Steamed turkey dumplings with dipping sauce, Spring salad with asparagus and radishes (from the May 00 issue), Nectarine and chickpea couscous salad, and the poppy seed cake for dessert. Everything was wonderful, and really none of the recipes were ones I probably would have chosen to make otherwise, so it was really, really fun to taste some new stuff, and be a lot more adventurous, not to mention it was fun to enjoy it with other like-minded people! Everything was really good, and the poppy seed cake was especially good! The nectarine and chickpea couscous was really good, and I thought for sure I'd hate that dish! So, any of you who are doing a supper club or thinking about it, it really is fun!! We've already chosen the date and menu for the next meeting, and I know I'll spend the next four weeks dreaming and drooling in anticipation!!

Grace

[KimKelly]

Grace... did you all make the food at your home then bring it? Or do you get together and actually cook everything? Sure does sound like a neat idea. How big is your group?

[Grace]

Kim,

Yes, we went potluck (where the food is brought already made, as opposed to cooking it together). Cooking Light suggested that, as in the beginning, people are still getting to know one another. But we actually decided that since we will be meeting on Tuesday nights, and most of the member (there are five of us) can't get to the meeting until about 6:30, that we may just keep it potluck, since to start cooking at that hour would mean we'd be eating really, really late. We decided that every three or four months we'd change the meeting to a Friday or Saturday night and meet earlier so we could all stay up a little later... The other deciding factor was that our group is pretty small - just five, so if two people were assigned to make a dish, that would mean 3 dishes at most - we liked having five different things to try - from appetizers to salads to main dishes all the way to the dessert. So it was unanimous that we keep the meetings potluck at least for now....but it sure is fun!!

Grace

[Marcie]

I was in a cooking group last year and we met on week nights to actually cook. While it seems like 8:00 or so is too late for dinner, we always made the appetizer first so we could snack while working, and no one got too hungry. Also, the host was the provider of all the food, so all we had to do was show up after work to cook - nothing else to bring with us on a week night, except maybe an apron or extra chef's knife. Just a suggestion if you ever decide to cook vs. potluck. I hope you enjoy your group!