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From Our Blog Archives

A few days ago, five of us gathered at my friend Amy’s house to learn cake decorating from her father, Jack. Amy baked a big batch of cupcakes and we (and a pack of 11 kids hungry as wolves and very eager to ice, eat, ice, eat, repeat) stood around her kitchen table to learn. 

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Suzy, Jackie and I are granola lovers. With a good quality granola averaging at least $4.99 a pound (Bare Naked brand) it’s just too costly to buy the amount needed to feed our families. So, we regularly make it ourselves

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Many months ago, Laura, Rebecca and Christine, three busy friends with school aged children, found themselves at lunch. These involved, smart women, who had met when their children were toddlers, realized they needed to stay in touch as their children began going to different schools. While chit chatting that day, they were uncomfortably aware of their watches ticking toward 3:00 pm, when their kids would come home and they would once again be “on duty.” How would these ladies who lunch find the time to make the family dinner? This was the “Aha moment” that led them to Cooking With Friends.

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One of the greatest things about Cooking With Friends is that when you start cooking together, you think more about how food and friends are (or should be) forever intertwined. This is what happened a few days ago when one of my cooking mates emailed be about another friend, whose son is ill and needs to be on a very complex, time-consuming-to-create diet. In our group, we are used to whipping up 12 quarts of soup for a big swap. So why not help our friend get a bit ahead of her very difficult game by preparing food for her son? In your own world, there might be a neighbor, a new mom, or someone who could use a little help. And you’ll enjoy your time with your friend. 

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This photo is not an ad for Ronzoni pasta.  Rather, it’s a memento of a beautiful afternoon with a friend. It was an absolutely gorgeous Spring Monday when Debbie and I met for our lasagna assembly date. 

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When talking a few days ago to a relative who is embarking on a trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand this week, the conversation turned, inevitably, to food.

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Stretching, pulling and rolling 16 pieces of dough. Had I been alone in my kitchen, I probably wouldn’t have taken on this mundane task at all. However, since I was cooking with my friend Kathe, I actually enjoyed the process.

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Saturday night, I had the great pleasure of dinner with my husband at Potager, my favorite restaurant in Denver. The name means “kitchen garden” in French and our meals were an incredible taste of spring in Colorado, all local, all seasonal. 

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If you’ve ever cooked with the intent of stocking your freezer, you know the satisfaction of seeing your freezer jam packed.

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Our Denver group of cooking friends is gearing up for a festival of swaps over the next few months.

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It was music to my ears when Liza walked into Kathe’s house last week for the Cooking With Friends Club Kid Friendly Dinner Swap and announced how much work it had been to make 60 pieces of Falafel.  You see, Liza conceded that she had cooked alone instead of with a friend. 

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Our neighborhood farmer’s market opened on Saturday. 

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I was in the midst of making a lentil salad a few days ago when my friend Jackie stopped by for an impromptu play date. She brought a small container of left-over chocolate chip cookie dough and suggested that she finish her baking at my house. 

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My husband, who I cook with all the time, suggested casually “Why don’t you turn on the grill?” He continued chopping tomatoes, onions and peppers for the salad to go with our steak. Me? The grill?

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My friend Ellen, who has four kids under the age of 7 and whose husband is serving in Iraq, had an incredible reaction when she heard about Cooking With Friends.

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The other night, my husband was tending our BBQ, grill tools in hand, while chicken sausages, hot dogs and burgers sizzled in unison. While waiting for the right moment to flip, he snatched a hot dog and a bun, stepped away from the BBQ for a few seconds and slathered it with ketchup, mustard and relish. Nearby was a friend who had been keeping him company. 

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As we planned our breakfast foods swap this week, several partners changed, the location of the swap was moved, and the number of participants fluctuated from 11 to 9 back to 11 again (an important number as each cooking team is making food for the whole bunch).

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It was opening weekend at our lake club, the unofficial start of summer. To celebrate, we gathered with seven families (20 children) for our 5th annual lakeside BBQ feast. With four picnic tables and two charcoal grills, we took over about 400 square feet of prime picnic space. 

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