Food with Soul
Virtual Gathering
This month, we chose five cookbooks written by African-American chefs and food writers. Our exploration of two centuries of traditional dishes, many updated for today's tastes, was informative and quite satisfying.
Hosted by: Zoom
Jacques Pepin
Virtual Gathering
We had originally planned to feature Jacques Pepin's cookbooks last March; but we cancelled our in-person gatherings due to the Covid-19 quarantine. Our plans became a "virtual" reality as we shared our experiences with these delicious recipes online, with Zoom.
Jamie Oliver
Virtual Gathering
June brought our first "official" virtual gathering with recipes from the prolific British chef Jamie Oliver. Although we didn't get to sample others' recipes, we enjoyed our time catching up with each other and discussing our chosen recipes.
Hosted by: Google Meet
Dining In
& Nothing Fancy
February 16, 2020
This month we tasted our way through two cookbooks (and a couple of online recipes) by Los Angeles-born, Brooklyn-based cook and Millennial icon, writer and cookbook author Alison Roman. Her use of tangy, salty and spicy flavors and diverse texture combinations made for an exciting gathering. We loved it all!
Hosted by: Adele Griffin
Happy Hour with
thekitchn.com
January 25, 2020
Our annual post-holiday mixer is a popular event! Members and our guests enjoyed party food from thekitchn.com, beverages and sparkling conversation. Thanks to our fabulous hosts, Sandy and Steve!
Hosted by: Sandy Mackie
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
January 12, 2020
Starting out Year Five with a classic by Marcella Hazan. Her meticulous instructions resulted in wonderful dishes - from two-ingredient dishes (chicken+lemons; pork+milk) to the more complex and challenging recipes, all were winners!
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
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Ad Hoc at Home
& Bouchon
December 15, 2019
Our largest gathering ever! 19 members gathered to share their Thomas Keller dishes and desserts - topped off by an outrageous gift exchange. Happy Holidays one and all!
Hosted by: Gayla Pierce & Jan Merutka
Two Davids
November 3, 2019
Famed chefs and cookbook authors David Tanis and David Lebovitz were the inspiration for our latest gathering. We chose our savory selections from Tanis' books and NY Times City Kitchen column; Ready for Dessert by Mr. Lebovitz provided some sweet options to wrap up the festivities.
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
Deep Run Roots
October 6, 2019
Our intrepid cooks trekked to the American South by cooking Vivian Howard's unique and tasty recipes. The cookbook is organized by ingredient, featuring those native to her home region of coastal Carolina. From Turnip Root and Green Gratin to Peanut Ice Cream (and everything in between), we agreed that the recipes are winners.
Hosted by: Shelley Anderson
Piret's Cookbook
September 8, 2019
What a grand time we had digging into a blast from San Diego's past: Piret's restaurant, with its cooking school, the Perfect Pan, served up a blend of California Cuisine and French bistro fare, reaching its peak in the 1980s.. Many say they were ahead of their time, and were responsible for a culinary renaissance in our area. Though sadly long gone, the memories and recipes remain through their cookbook.
Hosted by: Dianne Collins
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Cuba
August 11, 2019
This month's culinary excursion takes us to Cuba, where we explore the flavors of this fascinating island. Although the cuisine is mostly meat-centric, we sampled a variety of delicious seafood and vegetarian dishes from three different cookbooks as well. Our host's lovely deck gave us a breezy, sunny location to enjoy the afternoon's delights.
Hosted by: Anna Hamilton
Breakfast + Brunch
July 7, 2019
Many of our members identify Brunch as their favorite meal, so we thought it would be fun to showcase this theme. We chose recipes from three books, ranging from Vegetarian (Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café), Restaurant-Chef (Big Bad Breakfast by John Currance), to Instructional (Culinary Institute of America's Breakfasts & Brunches). We enjoyed great food with sparkling conversation (and mimosas!).
Hosted by: Linda Dunn
Nigella Lawson
"Most cookbooks and food shows are about control, precision, and fear of doing something incorrectly, In NIgellaworld, the kitchen is not a science lab with rigid rules and formulas to follow, it's a place to play, sometimes with your friends..." (Joe Dolce, Gourmet)
And play we did! A most lovely and tasty afternoon ~
Hosted by: Patty Tsung
Cinco de Mayo
with Diana Kennedy
May 5, 2019
A fiesta muy delicioso as we explored the recipes of Diana Kennedy, an authority on Mexican cuisine. Her recipes are meticulously researched and documented ~ and as she has said, "laborious" ~ but well worth the work!
Hosted by: Gayla Pierce
Café Paradiso Seasons
April 7, 2019
A tasty sampling of dishes created by Irish chef Denis Cotter, who runs the Café Paradiso in Cork - an award-winning vegetarian restaurant, made for a delightful spring afternoon.
Hosted by: Adèle Griffin
Mollie Katzen
March 10, 2019
Throwback to the 70s and 80s as we dug deep into Mollie Katzen's classic cookbooks as well as her newer works. Vegetarian dishes have changed quite a bit since then, and so have Mollie's recipes.
Hosted by: Michele Gross
Bottom of the Pot
by Naz Deravian
February 17, 2019
An utterly delicious exploration of Persian recipes from Naz Deravian's new cookbook. The title refers to the Persian word "Tahdig" - which literally translates to "bottom of the pot" and is the crunchy layer of buttery, saffron-perfumed basmati rice, a Persian specialty. Our version matched the book cover!
Hosted by: Jackie Mensinger
Happy Hour –
Martha Style
January 26, 2019
Our annual post-holiday mixer was a salute to the "Queen of Entertaining" - Martha Stewart! Members and our spouses/partners enjoyed party food, beverages and spectacular views on the deck at Anna's lovely home.
Hosted by: Anna Hamilton
Essential New York Times Cookbook
January 13, 2019
Members new and not-so-new got our fourth year rolling by enjoying a wide variety of dishes from the New York Times (recipes dating from the 1870s through the 2000s). We resolve to cook more from Amanda Hesser's fantastic resource!
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
Year 3 Celebration!
December 9, 2018
All previous themes were on the table for our recipe choices as we reviewed our first three years. After a fabulous meal and six incredible desserts, merriment ensued with a holiday gift exchange!
Hosted by: Jackie Mensinger
Dinner + Baking
November 11, 2018
We enjoyed delving into two great cookbooks: Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark for our savory dishes; and Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan for our desserts. A fine afternoon!
Hosted by: Mary Maine
Crescent Dragonwagon
October 14, 2018
A fun afternoon enjoying dishes from several of Crescent Dragonwagon's cookbooks, including the James Beard Award winning Passionate Vegetarian.
Her recipes prove that vegetarian food can be satisfying, varied and truly delicious.
Hosted by: Gayla Pierce
Greek Recipes from
Diane Kochilas
September 16, 2018
We enjoyed our exploration of Greek cuisine with recipes from Diane Kochilas, author of numerous Greek cookbooks and host of the PBS Series My Greek Table. Opa!
Hosted by: Dianne Collins
A Taste of Hawaii
August 12, 2018
A fun gathering featuring traditional Hawaiian foods, with a few modern twists... in a lush tropical setting. Almost as good as a trip to Maui!
Hosted by: Shelley Anderson
Half Baked Harvest
July 15, 2018
Instagram sensation Tieghan Gerard has a beautiful blog with lots of recipes (with unusually long titles!) and gorgeous food photos. But do her recipes work? We tested lots of them, and had some fun trying to make our dishes Instagram-worthy... did we nail it?
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
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Tartine
June 10, 2018
Sweet and savory delights from the talented staff of San Francisco's popular bakery, Tartine.
Hosted by: Linda Dunn
Cocina de la Familia
May 6, 2018
A Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring authentic recipes from Mexican-American home kitchens... we even had a salsa bar!
Hosted by: Jackie Mensinger
Ottolenghi [revisited]
Now that we're well into our third year, we thought it would be nice to return to the theme of our very first gathering - recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi. And what a great idea that turned out to be!
Our host: Michele Gross
Six Seasons/BraveTart
March 4, 2018
For March, we cooked from two highly acclaimed cookbooks published this past year - Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden highlights mostly savory dishes, so we also chose a dessert cookbook, Stella Parks’ BraveTart by as a complement.
Hosted by: Patty Tsung
Julia Child
February 11, 2018
We endeavored to master the art of French cooking with our exploration of Julia Child's cookbooks; and the results were tres magnifique!
Our host: Dianne Collins
Post-Holiday
Happy Hour
January 20, 2018
Starting 2018 with a post-holiday mixer at Shelley's -- we enjoyed a fun evening with finger foods and our favorite beverages. Our spouses/partners were welcomed (and promised to be on their best behavior so they would be invited again)... great times, great friends (new and old), and we'll plan to do this again for sure!
Hosted by Shelley Anderson
Small Victories
January 7, 2018
Celebrating our third year with a book that proves if you can cook just five things, you can cook 200! We explored some tasty, yet not overly complicated recipes and discussed the takeaway, or "small victory" related to each dish. A great book for newbies and seasoned cooks - and everyone in between.
Hosted by MaryLou Battista
Holiday Cookie Swap
December 10, 2017
Ringing in the holiday season with a cookie swap and gift exchange. Much merriment ensued...
Our hosts: Jackie Mensinger & Sue Gathman
Everything But the Bird
November 5, 2017
Our theme this month was Thanksgiving ~ we took it as an opportunity to test out some recipes for our Thanksgiving tables. We enjoyed quite a variety of side dishes and desserts - literally from soup to nuts -- but not a drumstick or apple pie in sight. A fabulous feast!
Our host: Mary Maine
Italian Food
with Giada
October 15, 2017
With a name almost as recognizable as Cher, this celebrity chef has made her fame and fortune with the food of her homeland. Her recipes, almost all online as well as in her best-selling cookbooks, bring the flavors of Italy to American home cooks. We delved into her recipes (and dived into the food head-first!). A fun and delicious afternoon...
Our host: Sandy Mackie
Near & Far
September 10, 2017
Exploring the latest cookbook by Heidi Swanson of the popular blog 101 Cookbooks... we enjoyed a lovely vegetarian feast, exploring flavors from home and away, including recipes inspired by California, and travels to Morocco, France, Japan, Italy and India.
Hosted by: Jackie Mensinger
Silver Palate Cookbooks
August 13, 2017
A nostalgic trip back to the 1980s at a fun gathering featuring recipes from the classic Silver Palate cookbooks.
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
Creole & Cajun Dishes
July 9, 2017
We let the good times roll at this gathering featuring the decadently delicious dishes from Louisiana. As one member commented - "very spicy and hot and not just the weather" ... but those desserts!
Our host: Shelley Anderson
Tapas
June 4, 2017
Exploring the "little bites" of Spain with a Tapas party! Lots (and lots!) of little bites were enjoyed, along with a mini flamenco lesson from our host.
Hosted by Michele Gross
Mexican w/Rick Bayless
May 7, 2017
Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a Mexican feast featuring recipes by chef Rick Bayless
Hosted by: Patty Tsung
The Food of Morocco
April 2, 2017
A beautiful feast featuring the rich flavors of Morocco, as interpreted by Paula Wolfert, an expert in all things Mediterranean.
Hosted by: Sandy Mackie
My Paris Kitchen
March 12, 2017
Exploring French cuisine from one of our favorite Americans in Paris, the fabulous chef and blogger, David Lebovitz
Hosted by: Jackie Mensinger
Dorie Greenspan
February 26, 2017
Featuring sweet and savory recipes from the prolific cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan
Hosted by: Glenda Jaffe
Skinnytaste
January 22, 2017
Starting the New Year on a healthy note with lightened-up classics by Gina Homolka, author of two cookbooks and the Skinnytaste blog.
Hosted by: MaryLou Battista
Festive Appetizers
December 10, 2016
Celebrating our first year of Cookbook Club, we rang in the holidays with our favorite appetizers and desserts
Hosted by: Sandy Mackie
Minimalist Baker
November 13, 2016
Challenging ourselves with some vegan recipes by the Minimalist Baker. Surprisingly delicious!
Our host: Michele Gross
Pumpkin!
October 30, 2016
Our recipes featured the Halloween favorite, along with other tasty winter squashes. A seasonal celebration; much beta carotene was consumed (and enjoyed immensely!)
Hosted by Jackie Mensinger
Food52 Genius Recipes
September 18, 2016
What makes a recipe a "genius" recipe? We found some great ones and attempted to answer that question...
Our host: MaryLou Battista
Finnish Food
August 21, 2016
Exploring recipes from Finland, a cuisine most of us had not experienced. Deliciousness ensued...
Our host: Shelley Anderson
Madhur Jaffrey
July 17, 2016
Featuring the spices of India with one of its leading cookbook authors, Madhur Jaffrey.
Hosted by Becky Williams
Tori Avey
June 26, 2016
A tasty feast featuring recipes by the Shiksa in the Kitchen
Our host: Michele Gross
Barefoot Contessa
April 17, 2016
We all wish we could live Ina Garten's life - and we did for an afternoon.
Hosted by Sandy Mackie
King Arthur
March 20, 2016
Getting our bake on with the recipes from kingarthurflour.com
Our host: Jackie Mensinger
Stuffed!
February 21, 2016
Recipes featuring anything stuffed!
Hosted by MaryLou Battista
Ottolenghi
January 16, 2016
Our first gathering! Featuring the recipes of Yotam Ottolenghi
Our host: MaryLou Battista