Wrap 'n' Roll (Year Six: Volume 3; June, 2015)

"Rock 'n' roll is ridiculous. It's absurd. In the past, U2 was trying to duck that. Now we're wrapping our arms around it and giving it a great big kiss." ~Bono

Wrap 'n' Roll was a whole lot of delicious rolled into one great meal! Julie hosted June's Club; and our chefs were: Liz, Abby and Karen, Julie, and I - and Jen B. joined, too. We enjoyed our meal, and it was a wrap!

Wrap 'n' Roll Menu:

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus (Karen... and Liz!)

Gnocchi with Blue Cheese Sauce (me)

Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls (Julie)

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pillows (Liz)

We enjoyed our dinner with wine, and our dessert with coffee.

Bachelorette Ball (Year Six: Volume 2; May, 2015)

"She began to curl her hair and long for balls." ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Our Bachelorette Ball was delectaball! Jen hosted May's dinner; our chefs were me, Jen G., Julie, Jen B., Abby and Karen, and Meredith (the Bachelorette of honor!); and Charlene, Lisa (not pictured), and Beckie (not pictured- but to introduce us to Cole!) came, too. The meal was very well-rounded! ;)

Bachelorette Ball Menu:

Watermelon and Goat Cheese Skewers (Meredith)*
Buffalo Chicken Bites with Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip (Julie)
Baked Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Polenta and Marinara (Jen B.)
Pesto Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad (Jen G.)
Bacon Pea Salad (Karen)
No-Bake Pumpkin-Nutella Cookies (moi)

We enjoyed our appetizers with a cheese plate and champagne with blueberries, our dinner with wine, and our dessert with coffee.


*Waiting for recipe

Someplace Traveled (Year Six: Volume 1; April, 2015)

“Once a year, [travel to] someplace you’ve never been before.” ~ Dalai Lama

Someplace Traveled involved a geographic array! I hosted Aprils Club, and our chefs were me, Abby and Karen, Jen B., Julie, Charlize and Liz, and Dina. The meal was multo buono!

Someplace Traveled Menu:

Peruvian Potatoes Bravas and Dips (Dina

Chinatown Ginger Pork Potstickers (Karen)

Italian Crispy Prosciutto Cups with Caprese Chopped Salad (Jen B.)

Fresh Italian Pasta and Zucchini Noodles with Marinara (me)

Bermudan Dark & Stormy Cocktail (Julie)

French Lemon Sugar Crepes with Nutella and Bananas (Liz)

We enjoyed our dinner with salad and lemon-infused water, and our dessert with Salted Caramel Lattes.

Pi{e} Night (Year Five: Volume 12; March, 2015)

"If you wish to make a pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." ~ Carl Sagan

Pi{e} Night was mathematically delicious! Meredith hosted March's dinner; our chefs were Julie, Amy, Liz (with Charlize's help!), Jen B., Meredith, and I; and Sheri came, too! The meal was absolutely scrum-pi{e}-tious!

Pi{e} Menu:

Madre's Tamale Pie (Meredith)

Shepherds' Pie Cupcakes (Amy)*

Cauliflower-crusted, Veggie Pizza-Pie (me)

Cheesy Mushroom and Onion Hand Pies (Jen B.)

Mini Macaroni and Cheese Pies (Julie)

Espresso Brownie Pie (Liz)

We enjoyed our dinner with pie martinis and our dessert with a fruit tart.


*Waiting for recipe

I Left My Heart in San Francisco (Year Five: Volume 11; February, 2015)

"I left my heart in San Francisco / High on a hill, it calls to me" ~ Tony Bennett

Out I Left My Heart in San Francisco meal was heart warming! Julie hosted February's Club; our chefs were Sheri, Julie, Christina (who joined us this month!), Jen B., Karen, Jen G., me (go, Giants!); and Liz and Charlize came, too! It was a Left Coast feast.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco Menu:

North Beach Bagna Cauda Platter (Karen)
Little Italy's Crostini with Sun-dried Tomato Jam (Christina)
Crab Mold (Sheri)*
The Original, Palace Hotel Chicken Tetrazzini (Julie)
The San Francisco Treat... aka: Rice-a-Roni (Jen G.)
SF Giants' Ballpark Garlic Fries (Hannah)
It's Its (Jen B.)

We enjoyed our dinner with wine... and because our Club fell on Liz's exact birthday, we had cupcakes in her honor!


*Waiting for recipe

Back to the Beginning (Year Five: Volume 10; January, 2015)

"A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order." ~ Jean-Luc Godard

Back to the Beginning was a great middle to our Recipe Club year and a fabulous start to 2015. ;) Jen B. hosted January's dinner; our chefs were: me, Karen, Jen B., Julie, and Meredith; and Abby came, too! It was a literally literary meal! :)

Back to the Beginning Menu:

Herbed Pork Tenderloin (The Three Little Pigs; Jen B.)
Carrot Soup (Carrot Soup; yours truly)
Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole (Everybody Eats Rice and The Cheese; Karen
Green Bean Salad (Jack and the Beanstalk; Julie
Mini Apple Bundt Cakes with Caramel Glaze (The Giving Tree; Meredith)

We enjoyed our dinner with wine.

I Dare You! (Year Five: Volume 9; December, 2014)

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." ~ Robert Kennedy

Recipe Club, Year 5- Volume 9: I Dare You! (Crock Pot ~ revisited) was a risky endeavor... but quite rewarding! I hosted December's dinner. Our chefs were: Julie, Sheri, Meredith, Abby, Karen, Jen B., Liz, Jen G., and I... and Charlize joined! It was daringly delicious! And our 5th Annual Kitchen Gadget Gift Exchange was deliciously fun as well!

We also started a new tradition this year- we collected canned goods and boxed foods and donated them to Second Harvest! :)

I Dare You! Menu

Red and Gold Cocktails (Sheri)

Hot Crab Dip (Meredith)

Coconut Chicken Curry Stew (Jen G.)

Charlie & Brenda Wilson's Chicken (me)

Simple Crock Pot Ranch Potatoes (Jen B.)

Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots (Karen)

Crock Pot Monkey Bread (Julie)

Rice Pudding (Liz)*

Salted Caramel Lattes (me)

Gingerbread Lattes (me)

We enjoyed our dinner with wine.


*Waiting for recipe

Fall Colors (Year Five: Volume 8; November, 2014)

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and {fall} a mosaic of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz

Our Fall Colors was a masterpiece for the tastebuds! Julie hosted November's Club, and our chefs were: me, Julie, Dina, Meredith, Jen G., Jen B., Liz (with Charlize!), Karen, Sheri (for her first time!), Abby, Amy (also joining us for the first time this month!), and Charlene. The meal was a feast for eyes and tastebuds alike.

Fall Colors Menu:

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream (Jen G.)

Autumn Lasagna (Julie)

Asian Quinoa Salad (Amy)

Cauliflower Gratin (Charlene)

Caramelized Onion Torte (Jen B.)

Caramelized Garlic Tart (Meredith)

Twice-Baked Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes (Karen)

Rosemary Sweet Potato Stackers (Dina)

Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (Liz)

Gingerbread with Fresh Whipped Cream and Pomegranate (Sheri)*

Persimmon Tart (Hannah)

We enjoyed our dinner with mimosas and wine.


*Waiting for recipe

DIY Pizza Bar (Year Five: Volume 7; October, 2014)

"Pizza makes me think that anything is possible." ~ Henry Rollins

Jen B. hosted our October dinner- a DIY Pizza Bar. She prepped everything, and we each made a half of a pizza to share! Our pizza creators were: me, Karen, Abby (for her first time! :), Julie, Jen B., and Liz. It was delicious and fun!

DIY Pizza Bar Menu:

DIY Pizza Bar

Quick and Easy Salad

Apple Nachos

 We enjoyed our dinner with wine.

Fresh Start (Year Five: Volume 6; September, 2014)

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." ~ Mary Pickford

Fresh Start {break-up food, fresh food, school food, etc.} was fresh, indeed! ;) Liz hosted September's Club, and our chefs were: me, Julie, Karen, Jen B., Liz, and Charlize- not pictured. Our meal was a great start... free from failure!

Fresh Start Menu:

Fruit Salsa (Julie)

Fresh Basil Hummus (Karen)

Lemon Herb Dutch Oven Chicken (Liz)

Fruit Skewers (Charlize ;)

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake (Jen B.)

Candied Lemon Cake (Me)

We enjoyed our dinner with wine, and our dessert with Liz's famous coffee.