Today, I am sharing something that brings joy to my life . . . my cookbook club!
It all started six years ago when I read an article in The Dallas Morning News by Valerie Jarvie, my favorite food and lifestyle writer. She wrote about the history of a Dallas cookbook club. Valerie’s article was so inspiring. Within weeks, a friend and I started a cookbook club of our very own!
If you are interested in starting a cookbook club, here are a few ideas to get started:
1. Call some friends and invite them to join your cookbook club.
2. Select a cookbook.
3. Select the best day of the week for everyone. Wednesday seems to be a good day.
4. Create a calendar. Everyone signs up for a date to host the cookbook club.
5. Create a schedule with your friends and the type of dish they will prepare.
ie. entree, appetizer, beverage, soup/salad, vegetable, and dessert.
The categories rotate each month.
The hostess selects and prepares the entree.
6. A few weeks before the cookbook club, the hostess sends an email with the entree she plans
to serve and her friends select a dish to compliment the entree.
7. The day of the cookbook club, guests arrive with their prepared dishes.
A few last minute, dish finishes are sometimes necessary.
Call ahead if you need the oven to be preheated.
8. Guests arrive and the buffet line is arranged.
Beverages are served and the fun begins!
9. Serve plates and enjoy the meal.
Critique the recipes and make notes in your cookbooks.
10. Simple, fun and full of fellowship!
*The one cookbook club rule. Follow the recipe without improvising. This critiques the recipe,
not the cook’s talents!
A few of our favorite cookbooks:
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Naples and the Amalfi Coast by The Silver Spoon
The Home Cook by Alex Guarnaschelli
Make It Ahead by Ina Garten
Please join me as I setup for my cookbook club!
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