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From Our Blog Archives
Cake, Cookies and Camaraderie
Mon, March 03, 2008
from Alison
The picture says it all – this was one spectacular cake for my daughter’s 8th birthday party. By myself, I would have been lucky to produce a sheet cake with her name and sprinkles thrown on top. With a friend, look what I was able to create! Once again, I followed my baking friend Jenn’s lead and together, we made a cake that drew “oohs and aahs” from my daughter and all our guests. How did we accomplish such a masterpiece in under three hours?
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Sisterhood
Wed, March 05, 2008
from Shannon
I was recently telling a new friend about the idea of Cooking With Friends and her eyes lit up. It reminded her of when she was a little girl growing up on a farm, and her mother had a circle of friends who got together once a month. They’d do whatever the host chose, sometimes snapping beans from the summer harvest, occasionally quilting or sewing. More often than not, they’d cook. It was called “club” and the reasons to do it were profound. These women were mostly mothers who might otherwise feel isolated on their farms many miles apart. “Club” gave them a chance to connect, to talk and to do something nice for their families, and for themselves.
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Fiesta Night
Sat, March 08, 2008
from Alison
For some, cooking together in a larger group and then sitting down to enjoy the fruits of their collective labor is the best reason to cook with friends. The other night, eight friends came together in one very nice-sized kitchen to prepare, kibbitz, cook and eat a Mexican feast together.
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Friends and Tea
Wed, March 12, 2008
from Shannon
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, people “drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family.” This is from the incredible book I just finished reading, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Tonight, I’m going to a discussion of the book, and we’re all bringing a potluck dish to share. I made a big batch of chicken bok choy dumplings. If you haven’t read it, take a look at Three Cups of Tea, which is about how people of different cultures relate to and help each other, through food, through mutual experiences and interests and of course through conversation sharing a cup of tea.
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The Gift of Cake
Fri, March 14, 2008
from Alison
Every couple of weeks, my friend Jackie and I are the fortunate beneficiaries of our friend Jennifer’s remarkable baking skill. With a rotating toddler playgroup, we look forward to the days Jennifer hosts since we know we’ll get to feast on freshly baked apple spice coffee cake, blueberry crumble muffins, assorted breads – basically whatever Jen feels like whipping up that morning. It’s like we’re regular crashers at a New England Bed and Breakfast.
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Crazy Cooking
Mon, March 17, 2008
from Alison
Whenever Kathe and I get together to cook, there’s an energy in the kitchen that verges on frenzy. We don’t cook together often enough so we try to get as much done as possible when we do. Yesterday was no exception.
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Deceptive, but is it Delicious?
Wed, March 19, 2008
from Shannon
This week, by cooking from the books Deceptively Delicious and Sneaky Chef, then gathering with other friends for a Deceptively Sneaky potluck, I’m attempting to try to understand how these two books have become bestselling cookbooks of our generation, talked about, cooked from and adored by dozens of women I know.
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A Little Bit Irish
Thu, March 20, 2008
from Alison
I was strolling down the grocery store aisles on Monday morning, selecting cabbage, potatoes and corn beef for a family dinner in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. While eyeing the strawberries, my pal who works in the produce department noticed the Irish ingredients overflowing in my arms – “Eh, are you Irish?” he asked. Feeling a bit silly, I took a silent tour through my ancestral roots, desperately searching for even a trace of Irish, but alas, there was none. I had to reply, “No, not even a little bit.” I then explained to the vegetable guy, that in our house, holidays are a time to explore the foods and traditions of other cultures. That evening, at least, my family would be Irish.
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Delicious Afternoon
Fri, March 21, 2008
from Shannon
It was a gorgeous, sunny March afternoon this week as 7 moms and 11 kids gathered on my friend Monica’s porch to test our “Deceptively Sneaky” creations from two recent books that suggest sneaking food into kids’ meals (see my last blog).
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Crimping with Company
Mon, March 24, 2008
from Alison
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a dumpling, an empanada, or both on the same day. Crimping with company is much better than doing it alone. From afar, Suzy and I could have been mistaken for two little old ladies sitting across from each other, slightly hunched over in my small kitchen, methodically crimping and folding empenadas and dumplings.
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Give and Take
Tue, March 25, 2008
from Alison
I picked up my daughter from my friend Debbie’s house a few days ago and Debbie’s 8-year old daughter greeted me at my car, balancing two mini pans of freshly made meatloaves on her oven-mitt protected hands. My dinner for the night! The next day, my friend Kathe stopped by with a cast iron kettle filled to the brim with an aromatic Bolognese sauce.
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The Communal Kitchen
Fri, March 28, 2008
from Shannon
You know that when you are regularly cooking, your kitchen just “works” better. You have ingredients on hand to use for several dishes; last night’s rice gets re-purposed into tonight’s stew, extra fresh herbs find their way into a brunch, a dinner and a snack. In a similar way, when I’m regularly cooking with my friends, I just naturally start to share food, too.
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The nose factor
Mon, March 31, 2008
from Alison
Ahhh. . . what a wonderful smell! Walk into a house that has a loaf of banana bread in the oven and it’s almost as good as taking a long hot bubble bath.
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