Gathering of Friends Cookbooks

 In our latest catalog on page 28 at the bottom of the page you will see that we have some new cookbooks, The Gathering of Friends, Vol. 1 & 2. It does not talk about them at all in the catalog, but I am here to tell you they are AMAZING!!! They are not just cookbooks, they are inspiring idea books that have delicious recipes included.Today I am going to share with you some of the recipes, ideas, and images that are sure to inspire even the most non- person to want to host a get together.

            Volume 1 is designed to guide you step-by-step through having a party. Most are designed for 10-12 people, but the concepts and recipes can be adapted for larger events as well. It starts with the ‘theme’ if you will; Evening Gathering, A Christmas Celebration, No Bake Baby Shower, and Treats and Tokens, just to name a few. There are ideas for tables scapes and centerpieces. The recipes have simple instructions, beautiful pictures, and use common ingredients. It takes you from appetizer to dessert and everything in between, there is a Shopping List, place where you can make Notes, and a Comments page too. Take a moment to look at the following pictures:

No Bake Baby Shower

A Christmas Celebration, No Bake Baby Shower, and Treats and Tokens, just to name a few. The recipes have simple instructions, beautiful pictures, and use common ingredients. It takes you from appetizer to dessert and everything in between, there is a Shopping List, place where you can make Notes, and a Comments page too. 

     An Enchanted Evening, inspired me for an upcoming Anniversary party we are hosting for my husbands parents. I am a very visual person and the pictures themselves had me drooling and wanting to cook. Too bad it was 11pm!!!

            There are recipes for some amazing salad dressings, yummy salads, and the No Bake Baby Shower would also work well for a Bridal or Wedding shower as well. There is a whole section devoted to cookies. It is devoted to simplicity and ease of preparation. Also, it does not reference Demarle or Demarle products, so it would make a beautiful housewarming, wedding, or birthday present. I do not buy cookbooks anymore, because I have the ones I rely on and the internet. BUT this is one that I did invest in!

             Volume 2 is set up similar to Volume 1, but on a smaller scale. Five weeks of Gatherings, 4 nights, with a shopping list for the week. Again the pictures are exquisite, the recipes easy, and the ideas inspiring! See pictures below:

            Chapter Six is called Effortless Dishes, Chapter seven is Savory Beginnings, Chapter Eight is Wholesome Soups from the Kitchen, Chapter Nine is Garden Fresh Salads, and Chapter Ten is Enchanting Desserts. These books have something for EVERYONE. They are truly inspirational and a must in EVERY kitchen! I DO NOT recommend something that I would not buy myself or have in my kitchen, BUT if you are still not convinced then give me a call so we can set up a time for you to view these books for yourself!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! It’s a new year and a new beginning. Time to start fresh in our culinary adventures! Last year I did a few posts on the benefits of menu planning and touched a little on budgeting. I would like to finish that out with some background.

            In the past two years I have been on a journey of self discovery regarding my families’ finances. Two year’s ago my husband and myself made a commitment to be a ‘debt free’ family, and to pass on to our children a legacy of ‘debt free’ financing. Our ultimate goal was to not owe money on anything but our house, to have no credit card debt, and to only spend what we make. Sounds easy enough, huh? Well, let me tell you, it’s not!

            So…you are wondering, what does this have to do with FOOD?! Well, when we first started planning how we would spend our money that comes in (budgeting) we had to find places to cut our spending, so…that we could pay off the debt we had at the time. This resulted in a grocery budget of $150 PER MONTH, for two adults and two small children. This grocery budget had to cover food, paper products, AND toiletries. Not an easy task, let me tell you!! But, since I wanted to be ‘debt free’ I vowed to make it work. That is when I started my journey.

            Fast forward to 2011, we are debt free, have money in an ‘emergency fund’, and are working on our retirement. Currently we have a grocery budget that is $300 per month, on average. It may not seem like much but I sure appreciate it a whole lot more than I did before!

            So, what is the moral of my VERY long tale? Sometimes a short term sacrifice leads to a long term reward! I am happy to say that budgeting and menu planning are now a part of my life and probably always will be! I feel it is the best way to keep myself accountable and know were my money is going.  I am telling my money were I want it to go and what I want it to do!

            Here is a pic of my current menu. It is not very hi-tech and it's written in pencil (I will add pics of my grocery list for this menu later). You will notice there are not a lot of pre-made or packaged food items, nor is there cereal or juice. And I stand by that age old adage, "The cheapest way to make food is from scratch!" And it really doesn’t take any longer than making something from a box. That was one of the reasons I started this blog, to help people to understand that you don’t have to be rich to eat healthy! AND that you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to make delicious food!!

            I hope that you will join me as we learn to cook delicious, easy, and healthy food AND not spend more that 1/2 hour a meal doing it!!