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Food For Thought's Betty Crocker appetizers
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Food For Thought Book Club
East Granby, Connecticut
(6 members, meet in members' homes)
From member Julie Ann Poll:
WHAT: Friends who enjoy cooking and are curious to try new things and learn from each other.
HOW: The host chooses her recipe entree and members then build the dinner menu. After sampling all the dishes we discuss the recipe and its preparation including level of difficulty, whether we would make the recipe again, modifications needed, and new cooking techniques learned. In a successful meeting the group members share what they've learned, have the opportunity to taste new and delicious foods -- and have fun.
FAVORITES: Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill and Jody Williams's
Buvette. The meal generated from Flay had so many amazing flavors -- a few of the dishes made at that dinner have become regulars in our cooking rotation. Buvette, a French cookbook, intimidated us initially. But once we dove in, we realized that we didn't need to be, and it was an amazing dinner with delicious and gourmet-looking foods. Also, The Pollan Family Table Cookbook. All ten recipes were good and directions were clear. We love the photographs and stories within the cookbook.
TIP: In addition to the meal's menu items there is always a "take home treat." It allows us to extend the meal beyond our members and share something special with our families. Members have become very creative with the take home treat.
Bookstore: Fiction Addiction
From coordinator Jill Hendrix:
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Fiction Addiction dishes on
Food 52's Genius Recipes
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WHAT: A fun idea for a bookstore
HOW: We divide into three subgroups for appetizers, sides, entrees and desserts, and rotate groups and post choices on wiki pages. We sample dishes and discuss whether we had trouble finding the ingredients or following the instructions, whether we liked the dish, and whether it was time-consuming to prepare.
FAVORITES: The Lemonade Cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, The Jerusalem Cookbook, The Epicurious Cookbook, and Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking.
TIPS: Have a large enough group (minimum 9) so that you have coverage in case of conflicts. We have so much food that we have takeout containers and people take a bit of their favorites back with them.
