I am a part of a cooking group. There are four of us who have been together for four or five years. None of us can remember exactly when our first get together was, but it started because we wanted to share cooking ideas and techniques. We’ve cooked Spanish tortillas, crêpes, Indian, Mexican, Chinese dumplings, homemade tortillas, Peruvian food, and much more. We get together about once a month in each others homes, but we sometimes go to restaurants. We even took a trip to Peru together.

This week’s newsletter and recipes are the result of our get together last week. It was my turn to host and with the weather cooling off, I decided it was time to break out the fall recipes. When the group comes over, I admit that I pay special attention to plating and adding finishing touches.

We started with a pea soup that built on Indian spices. A subtle nutty taste from the cardamom and an earthy undercurrent from the coconut milk. The Mexican crema and the croutons were the finishing touches.

We tend to eat a lot during our luncheons, which means our families are less than lucky that night, because we don’t feel like cooking or eating! I decided to go lighter with this meal, so I served a vegetarian Caramelized onion, blue cheese, and arugula pizza. The caramelized onions added depth and flavor, so one doesn’t need to eat as much to be satisfied.

We finished the meal with Moroccan Mint tea and chocolate ginger pots de crème.

A typical luncheon for us lasts three hours, which goes by unbelievably fast. While our get togethers are about catching up with each other and talking about the world, the food is a staple of our group. It’s fun to learn a new skill or recipe or just talk about cooking ideas. I truly enjoy our group and look forward to many more luncheons.

Why not start your own group? It doesn’t have to be elaborate nor do you have to cook, but it’s great to be around people who like to talk about food!!

Happy cooking and eating! Email with any thoughts or suggestions!