Chin Chin and Jessica toasting

roomies
Originally uploaded by krisde.

ode to a plate of good food

ode to a plate of good food
Originally uploaded by krisde.

italian fare

italian fare
Originally uploaded by krisde.

tiramisu

tiramisu
Originally uploaded by krisde.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Chicken Saltimbocca
Originally uploaded by krisde.

Phil

Phil
Originally uploaded by krisde.

Chin Chin

Chin Chin
Originally uploaded by krisde.

informal poll

What types of activities would you be most interested in participating in as a club?

1. Wine tasting
2. Cooking class
3. Group restaurant / dining outings
4. Reading / discussing a cooking-related book (such as Julie & Julia)
5. Watching food-themed movies or tv shows (such as Chocolat or anything off the Food Network)
6. Having an "Iron Chef" contest
7. A community service cooking event (baking for the local fire department, etc.)

Any other ideas?

March gathering

The 5th Ragamuffin Cooking Club gathering is hereby announced!

Theme: Mexican
Date & Time: Saturday, March 11, NOON-thirty pm*
Place: Chad & Karen's

We're going to try an experiment in cooking-at-the-club this time around. As we discussed on Saturday, we're going to try a "team approach". We've got a large group so splitting into two teams will help us to: #1 - not have way too much food, #2 - focus more on specific dishes, #3 - bond with our fellow clubbers a bit better, and #4 - learn more about cooking and cooking techniques in real-time!

Team # 1 - Meal Team

• In charge of meat, main dish, and any sides. One idea that looks yummy is family-style pork tacos and fajitas - the meat and salsa and other fillings can be prepared at the club.
• Some food can be prepared beforehand, but at least part of the meal must be prepared as a team at the gathering.
• One more note: *team members are welcome to arrive a bit before noon-thirty...like noon, in order to start on food prep.

Team # 2 - Drinks & Dessert Team

• In charge of... well, you know. Drinks & dessert. Ideas: fried ice cream or sopapillas. Yuuuuum. Can be fried on the spot...ideally if someone has a Fry Baby (anyone?).
• Again, some food can be prepared at the gathering, but keep in mind time constraints (no baking a cake for an hour at the meeting!) since we want to smoothly transition from main course to dessert!

So! Does that make any sense at all? (maybe not.) Sign up to be on a team, and once the team's decided, I will email the groups so they can start to chat and plan specifics. If I remember correctly, Chad, Phil and Heather have volunteered to be on the meal team (Heather's going to prep a bean dip for an appetizer) and Toni and I have volunteered to be on the dessert team. Everyone else?

More inspiration on the Food Network and Food and Wine to start.

Deliziosi!

YUM! I have to say that I'm a HUGE Italian food fan. I'm super-thrilled to be married to someone who's part Italian, since I hail from more Brit-German heritage (and German is probably my least favorite food style)... it has awakened my love for Italian food. And we had some awesome food this time around:

• Bread & olive oil w/ spices, coffee and good music from Kristi and guests Jessica & Chin-Chin
• Italian salad from Heather (ingredients: italian greens mix, quartered Roma tomatoes, chopped walnuts, fresh grated parmesan cheese)
• Chicken Saltimbocca from Phil & Rose
• Rigatoni with homemade pesto from Jonathan & Jill
• Sangria (with Triple Sec, not Grand Marnier) from Chad & Karen
• 2 liters from Toni
• Tiramisu from Kristi

I think everyone had a fantastic time. We really enjoyed having a couple new guests and a change of scene, although we did miss a few friends who couldn't join us. We also chatted about mixing up the "format" of the group for next time - it may not work, but it's worth a try! I'll make a new post to explain and get sign-ups.