Thursday, September 17, 2009

Cooking Club, September 2009.

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My Cooking Club kicked off its fourth year this week. We are using a new cookbook by the Junior League of Houston called Peace Meals. It is an exquisite cookbook, and we are all quite excited about it. The recipes sound so promising that we may end up using this book for longer than this school year.

The Junior League of Houston clearly spent a lot of money having the food styled and photographed for the cookbook because the pictures are fabulous. Its introductory essay begins, "Who has not, at least once, thought that life in our grandmothers' time moved to rhythms we can no longer quite hear? With comfortable predictability, family houses were cleaned and aired out every spring, peaches "put up" late each summer, winter days made bright with rites of celebration and renewal." Isn't that lovely? The forward sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the book.

Our gathering this week was as delightful as our new cookbook. The food everyone prepared was fabulous, and our hostess had set one of the most beautiful tables I've ever seen. She used china that her husband's grandmother had purchased in Italy.

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This was our delectable menu:

Camembert and Pecan Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa
Roasted Balsamic Tomato Soup (I brought this)
Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffed Flank Steak
Spicy Rosemary Cashews
Arugula, Corn and Tomato Salad
Marvelous Mushrooms
Pumpkin Bread Pudding

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As you might imagine, I didn't need dinner that night!

20 comments:

Susie Q said...

This is wonderful! To be a part of such a group must be so rewarding and fun!
And everything looked so, so beautiful!
Love,
Sue

JoAnn said...

Oh, yummmmmm. Beautiful meal in every way!

tintarosa said...

I have the cookbook but haven't made anything yet. Dinner looks wonderful.

KK said...

Sounds divine! I love Jr Leauge cookbooks--they always hold such treasures!

DawnW said...

Oh my, that wallpaper in her dining room is to die for!!!! And yes, the food sounds divine as well! What a treat!

JMW said...

What a beautiful table! The entire room, for that matter.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful! What a beautiful table and in such a pretty room. I would love to hear about that pumkin bread pudding! Yum!
Enjoy your cooking club!
Norah!

Maggie said...

Just reading about this meal made me hungry! Such beautiful wallpaper in the dining room too.

Amber M. said...

Everything looks and sounds so divine! What a fun thing to do with beautiful and talented friends.

3 Peanuts said...

I have that cookbook and I love it. I love the prior one even more though:)

What a fabulous group. I would love to know how it was set up. I would like to have something like that here:)

3 Peanuts said...

I cannot believe that I forgot to say how beautiful everything looked, the table, the dishes the food and you women!!!!

fleur de lis cottage said...

What a beautiful table setting and meal. That cookbook sounds wonderful!

Grace said...

What an amazing spread .. the quesadillas sound to-die-for!!

Hillcrest Acres said...

Wow, everything looked absolutely amazing from the food to the table setting to the beautiful dining room. Thanks for sharing.

Hopsy said...

Look at you in your shadow box top! I almost bought it to wear to Britney, but thought that the concert was maybe not the best place for it. I ave flipped through Peace Meals at SMWE and it looks fabulous! I agree, they did spend big bucks on the book, it even got a small write up in House Beautiful last spring I believe!

Anonymous said...

beautiful and lovely table! The food looks divine. Question: why no wine? Maybe I hang out with too many lushes.

TheReader23 said...

Everything looks fabulous. The woman standing in the pink looks like she is in the picture frame. For a second I thought the picture on the left was her as a young child and on the right more recent. Then I realized I couldn't see the bottom of the frame on the right. lol

The Mrs. said...

Fabulous. Love your dining room and your meal and girls!

Sherrie said...

What an exquisite table. I would love to get a copy of that cookbook. Are they for sale online?

GrannySmithGreen said...

Thanks to kind Hopsy, I've found your blog. I'm having such a great time reading over your past posts.

The passing of your cousin just beaks my heart. Like you said, the comfort is in knowing that she is in the arms of Jesus right now. Oh, my!

On a MUCH lighter note, this dinner look like such fun! The food sounded delicious and the wallpaper so interesting!

Have a good night!