Cooking Club

Several years ago, I read an article in Better Homes and Gardens about initiating a cooking club. I really enjoyed the idea. I do get excited about sharing a common purpose with a group of women. I especially like it if participating in something make my life a little easier with the added benefit of spending time with people. Plus, you walk away with great recipes from friends!

There are a lot of businesses that are cropping up like this in town. Super Suppers comes to mind. I've heard of a group of women getting together, having some wine and assembling a slew of meals. I think it's fabulous, plus all the shopping and cutting is done for you. I have never done it because we seem to have more time than money at this point. I can afford to spend 45 minutes putting together a healthy meal, but not every night. I have to admit, between all the fantastic reports of healthful meals, you'll find Mickey Mouse-shaped chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly, and pizza take-out. Having some reliable freezer food and a well stocked pantry would save both our gut and our wallet.

Despite my enthusiasm for this project idea, I never did get this enterprise up and running. After mentioning it in several circles, I didn't find a group of women who either had the time or the passion for cooking that a group like this requires. I did pull away from the article several good recipes that have become staples in our house. I mention particularly the meatball recipe. I love that I can create a decent meatball- actually a lot of decent meatballs- throw them in the freezer and pull them out for dinner, all ready to add to a dish. In fact, I have a large container of ground turkey already thawing in the fridge for this very purpose!

An absolute favorite recipe is the meatball sandwich. It is a totally different meatball sandwich than the typical marinara and cheese saturated hoagie roll. This recipe is more refined and has amazing flavor. I highly recommend it. Even the guys will love it!

I hope to get a cooking club up and running someday, especially since life seems so busy and isolated for me lately. A congregation of friends cooking together is something our generation never experiences. With fragmented family schedules and after school activities, it's hard enough to even get a family together at the table. I think this is one way to give mom a little social recharge time and benefit a hectic dinner schedule.

Comment if you're in the area and interested in batching together passion for cooking, family togetherness, and friendship. Maybe we can make this idea work after all!