Pot Luck- Introduction Night : 01.26.10

Date: January 26, 2010
Location: Venice, CA- Kristin’s home
Theme: Pot Luck- Introduction Night

Last night marked the FIRST meeting of Westside Supper Club. The Los Angeles rain did not dampen our spirits as the event went off without a hitch!

Last night’s theme was intended to serve as an ice breaker. We were given the task to prepare a dish that represented something about ourselves. This task was particularly challenging because busy girls that fight LA traffic IN THE RAIN do not have much flexibility in cooking! Thus, we had to dig deep into our talents to find the perfect dish that could be prepared and transported in a timely fashion, while offering a little something about ourselves. The results were superb:

Lindsay prepared an insanely yummy smoked salmon dish. The smoked salmon loosely represents her religious affiliations. Her dish required little prep time, too, as she is a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl!

Robin, in true fashion, went nuts and cooked/baked/chopped up a storm! Her chocolate chip banana cookies, muffins, salad and baked brussel sprouts articulates Robin’s belief in healthy organic food and reflects her Californian roots.

Kristin made mouth watering sweet potato fries. She has a hamster, legally named Sweet Potato. Also, she has a rich history related to the ever so intriguing vitamin A.

Amber obviously made soup. Amber’s life revolves around soup. If Amber was royalty, she would be the Queen of Soupland. Her turkey-noodle soup did NOT disappoint, either!

Carly made turkey meatloaf appetizers which were drizzled with ketchup and totally delicious. Carly grew up in the central valley and worked at Heinz Ketchup. Her dish was also prepared with a health-conscious edge.

We decided to hold theme-based monthly meetings. The plan is to cook the main, or most complicated and time-consuming dish, together and have the members bring pot-luck side dishes, desserts, etc. This way there will be less stress in the kitchen and more time to chat about our culinary adventures, yet keeping the educational feature of the club intact. Further, we will keep most recipes in a log in case members are interested in preparing something we’ve cooked in the past. We’ll just highlight one or two recipes in the blog itself. That said, please email Robin or Kristin with your recipe after the meeting.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies

(or mini muffins)

Robin Jacobson
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup milled walnuts
• 1 cup milled Quaker Oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• ½ t nutmeg
• ½ t cardamom
• ½ cup (1 stick) organic butter - room temperature
• ½ cup natural cane sugar
• 2 organic eggs (Egg Beaters/or Egg Whites okay)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 banana blended in food processor
• Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Stir together dry ingredients (flour, oats, walnuts, salt, baking soda and spices).
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars. Add in honey, eggs, banana and vanilla. Slowly add in dry mixture and beat together. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Or spoon into mini muffin tin.
• Bake 14-18 minutes at 350 for cookies and 12 - 14 minutes for mini muffins.
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Thanks for your participation last night, girls! Looking forward to our next meeting! Details will be posted soon.

-Bon Appetit