The Taste Buds

I am so excited to tell you about my cookbook club, Taste Buds.  We are eight women that started this club 3 years ago.  We meet 8 months of each year, January thru May and September thru November. We choose one cookbook to use each year, we meet at lunch, we cook in eight categories, we love to eat,  and most of all we have fun!!  The categories are specialty drink, appetizer, salad, soup, entree, side, dessert and bread and wine.  We each hostess the club once a year.  The month we hostess, we select the entree.  We then rotate the categories so that we each cook one recipe from each of the eight categories per year.  The bread and wine category is reserved for the member who was the hostess the prior month.

I am the hostess for January and this year we are cooking from Dallas Dish.  It is a cookbook from the Junior League of Dallas (duh). Since I decided to make the chicken enchiladas, I also suggested that we make our entire menu a Mexican/Southwestern theme. This was a first and it produced some great results.  If these recipes are any indication of the other recipes in this book, it is going to be a delicious 2011.   Our Menu:

Specialty Drink:   Mexitini
Appetizer:           Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
Soup:                  Authentic Texas Chili
Salad:                  Layered Avocado Salad
Entree:                Green and White Chicken Enchiladas and Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas
Side:                   Southwestern Squash
Dessert:              Easy Mexican Flan
Wine:                 Red - Cline Carignane
                           White- Dry Reisling by Pacific Rim
Now for a few pics:

My table with Mexican theme--thank you Beth

Isn't it great

 Martha, Jennifer and Lynn gathering in the kitchen with their food.  We just get so excited to share our food and recipe stories.

Jennifer, Me, and another Lynn.  Lynn was my guest from Oxford.  One of our members was unable to come so I invited my good friend.  We missed you Anne.  Hope to see you next time.

 Beth preparing the Mexitini--OMG this drink is the Bomb!!! You have got to try this.

The Mexitini

 Jennifer and Lynn enjoying the fabulous Mexitini.  Did I mention these were delicious!!

I did not have a pic of our appetizer, but this is a photo of tomatillos and they were the main ingredient in the salsa.  This recipe, Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa, was the second hit of the day.  The real reason I did not have any photos of this appetizer---I was too busy eating.  This salsa is to die for.  It is definitely going to be my new go to appetizer.  Wow!!!

As you can see in this photo, we all enjoyed the Mexitini (empty glasses) and the Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa(empty dip bowl).   From left--Lynn, Peggy, Beth and Patricia.

Peggy, Beth, Patricia and Martha.

The three of us might have had too many Mexitinis.

Peggy pouring our wine.

 From left, Lynn, Jennifer, Patricia, Peggy, Me, Martha, and Beth.  Our other member Lynn is taking the photo. 

 Eating the Authentic Texas Chili-Mmmm Good

As I said earlier, besides liking to cook and eat, we sure do have a lot of fun.

Although this plate is a bit full, it was all delicious.  Green & White Chicken Enchiladas, Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas,  Layered Avocado Salad and Southwestern Squash. I was in desperate need of a nap after this fine meal.  Eat your heart out, Anne.

And finally, dessert--Easy Mexican Flan

Each month after we finish eating, we waddle to comfortable sofas and chairs and critique the recipes.  I did not tell you in the beginning, but here it is now--we follow the recipes exactly as printed.  This way when we are in critique mode, we do not critique the cook--only the recipe.  I got to tell you--this was one fabulous meal.  I will be making all these recipes again.  Check back next month for the February meeting of the Taste Buds.  See you then!!!!