Once upon a time, my Sister-in-law(Rachel) asked me if I wanted to be in a Cooking Light Club that she is starting. She was previously in a Cooking Light Club already but wanted to break out and start her own. I asked, "What's this club thing you are talking about?" She explained that once per month a group of girls will get together at someones house and bring a dish already made from that months Cooking Light subscription issue. Since I love to cook and meet new people I immediately responded with "I'm in!" On July 25th, 2009 we had our first gathering at Rachel's and have met every month since. There is never a loss for conversation since our lives are always changing. We have had multiple weddings, children born, pregnancies, engagements, a few new member inductees and job changes. (see below for instructions on starting your own Cooking Light club)
CLC, newly-engaged-member Kim, hosted at her place for our August 2011 gathering. Every months dishes are fantastic, but this months dishes were especially good. A few people veered away from August's recipes and made dishes from past subscriptions/months and they were great choices. Above you can see Jenni's dish that she made from a CL Recipe from August 2011(Shredded Chicken Tacos with Tomatoes and Grilled Corn) and added a Cabbage Slaw from a July 2006 issue. Way to bring it together Jenni!
Instructions on starting your own CLC:
- Gather a group of friends/relatives that are interested.
- Choose who's going to host at their home and alternate every month. (FYI this person is responsible for coordinating a date/time for the gathering and also for sending out the Evite)
- Choose a date that is good for everyone. We use www.doodle.com so everyone can vote on possible dates. (We have done CLC for Brunch, Weekend nights and Weekday nights)
- Send out an Evite to everyone with the chosen date
- Instruct everyone on the Evite to announce on the Evite the dish they are making so their are no duplicates.
- Everyone should choose a dish either from that months subscription or by going to the CL website. CL posts that months recipes online every month so you do not have to purchase the subscription if you don't want to. Most of us do because we like the pretty pictures :)
- Bring your pre-made dish to the hosts home and be sure to bring a serving utensil to serve it with. (Members that want to drink alcohol should bring that too and be prepared to share. It's not the hosts responsibility to supply alcohol.)
- Lastly, enjoy!!!
One of the many best things about CLC is that it's great for combined groups that consist of vegetarians, people with allergies, people wanting to try new flavors and even picky eaters.
