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©Life of a Foodie and Her Family 2008-2013, Lynn Tabor

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8/17/2010

Supper Club? Gourmet Group? Dinner party?

I have to say that I really love my neighborhood. Well 95% of the time anyway. This is the kind of neighborhood I grew up in. Neighbors are friends, kids play ball in the street, ride bikes etc. A few of us decided to get together every so often for dinner.


In my own little mind I like things compartmentalized and labeled. So I looked up what a Supper Club is. This is taken from Wikipedia:

Supper club in United States is an American dining establishment generally found in the Upper Midwestern states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. These establishments typically are located on the edge of town in rural areas [1]. They were traditionally thought of as a "destination" where patrons would go to spend the whole evening, from cocktail hour to enjoying night club style entertainment after dinner [2]. They feature a casual and relaxed atmosphere [2].

Typical menu

Supper clubs generally feature "simple" menus with somewhat limited offerings featuring "American" cuisine [2]. Menus included dishes such as prime rib, steaks, chicken, and fish. An "all you can eat" Friday fish fry was particularly common at supper clubs in Wisconsin [3].

Relish trays featuring items such as crackers, carrots, pickles, radishes, and celery are typically served at the table on Lazy Susans [2].

Well that sorta fits, but not really. So then I looked up what a Gourmet Group is:

What Is a Gourmet Group?

A gourmet group meets regularly to enjoy meals prepared by members of the group. A typical group size is four couples. Anywhere from three to six couples will work, depending on the size of your table. Groups generally meet once a month and rotate homes where the dinner is held. The host couple may select a theme and recipes or might simply ask each couple to bring a particular course.

What Are the Benefits of a Gourmet Group?

Before the group meets, couples can enjoy time together preparing their assigned recipes. If only one partner enjoys cooking, pairs can shop together for ingredients they might not otherwise buy. Couple time can become family time if you involve the kids in measuring and pouring ingredients or helping with clean-up

Again that sorta fits, but not really. The host family decides on the theme and menu and prepares everything. And our little group is adults only. I am sure some of the kids would like to come, but some of us could use the adult only time.

So my next search, what is a dinner party? Here is what wikipedia has to say:

A relatively formal meal at which invited guests eat in the home of the host.

Well....I wouldn't call our group formal. I think I have come up with my own little label. How about CP Dinner Group? I think that works for me.

So the first one was held on July 24th and was Caribbean Themed and it was wonderful! I tried things that I would not normally have tried. I don't have recipes from that one and I really wish I could find the recipe for the martini, but it is buried way deep on my Facebook wall.

Not wanting to waste anytime planning our night, I thought about doing Italian, Mexican or something else. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and decided on a Taste of Mardi Gras! I have the recipes planned. I ran into a bit of an issue with finding some ingredients, but thanks to the Internet found and ordered the ingredients that aren't easily found in my area. I did up the invitation with Paint Shop Pro and the menu. Here is a quick shot of the invitation, but I took out the layer that had the personal information.

So......Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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