Supper Club

Who likes to clip out recipes and let them sit stagnant in a folder, on the fridge, but more often, underneath a stack of junk? In order to dust off some of those recipes, we started a monthly Supper Club. The group is limited to eight so it's not overwhelming and everyone gets a chance to talk (very important when we are all social butterflies and loudmouths). It's been so much fun that friends are clamoring to join, but this is an exclusive club and very hard to get into. :) Our solution? The hosts get to invite two extra people to dinner. Here are some guidelines if you want to start your own exclusive foodie club:

1. Choose friends who enjoy cooking and eating. It doesn't hurt to know someone in the wine business either. Ahem, Craig.
2. Keep the number of the group relatively small.
3. Do it regularly, but be flexible.
4. Come up with basic ground rules. For us, the host provides the main course, everyone else chooses a side, appetizer or dessert to complement the theme...and it's always on a Monday.
5. Have fun! This is about enjoying the food, wine and company, not talking it to death.

George and I hosted this month's supper and the theme was Argentina. The setting was all about bright colors, a casual setting and one huge box of paper napkins. We ate like kings: grilled clams, roasted artichokes, corn & shrimp salad, Caesar salad with cheesy crisp, roasted garlic, grilled corn, Asado (rough cuts of meat, charred and grilled) with chimichurri, quinoa, and carrot cake cookies. Some food snapshots...