Cooking Club movie inspired

 

The casual, easy alternative to formal dinner parties, a dinner club gives friends a stress-free way to share good food and good conversation.

About twelve years ago, we started a little tradition—a cooking club. Or maybe it’s a supper club. Or a dinner club. Honestly, we’ve never quite settled on the name. What it really is, though, is a night where each of us brings a dish inspired by a theme, and we gather around the table to share food, stories, laughter, and joy.

Do we meet every single month, as one might expect? Nope. We usually manage about four times a year. Do we wish it were more often? Absolutely. But busy schedules and different rhythms of life have their way of stretching the time between gatherings. Still, whenever we come together, it feels as if no time has passed at all.

Our theme this time was:

Movie inspired. 

 Cooking something inspired by the movie-- Chef.

Chef is a 2014 road comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Jon Favreau, who also stars in the film as a celebrity chef who quits his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant following a public altercation with a food critic and begins to operate a food truck with his friends and his young son.

It's a fun movie, which we all loved, and we each had fun being inspired by! 

In the movie, it is a Cuban food truck, so we were all inspired to make Cuban food.  Even if we hadn't, we would have been expected (by everyone else in the group) to defend our choice.  That's always kind of fun, defending what we make.  It's okay to go out of the box.

Before we begin our supper selections--- we have a bit of a mystery.

We played a version of this game (I asked questions from it and then we would answer and laugh and laugh)

If I remember correctly, you/I read aloud a funny, quirky, slightly scandalous statement and everyone had to pick who around the table might have done it!

And who in the room--- might have peed in the shower??!!

WHO?!?  bum ba bum.....

(I'll never tell)

Okay, Cuban food inspired by the movie 'Chef', which is a great movie by the way.

Sally brought some fried plantains. 

They were so yummy!!

I've always looked at plantains in the store and thought, why?  Why these when you can just have a banana.

Well, because they are delish! That's why.

We drank these:

A Canchanchara cocktail

Canchanchara - A Traditional Cuban Cocktail from Trinidad

Canchánchara is a traditional Cuban cocktail that originated in the Ten Years War in the late 19th century. It is made with Cuban Aguardiente, honey, and freshly squeezed lime juice. The drink is served in traditional clay mugs called jícaras and is known for its medicinal properties, as it was consumed by slaves in the fields. Despite its historical significance, Canchánchara is not widely known outside of Cuba, and many Cubans in Havana may not have heard of it. However, it is a refreshing and light cocktail that is perfect for quenching thirst and is enjoyed in various settings, from casual to formal occasions. 

Liquor.com+5

• 1 1/2 ounces aguardiente or white rum

• 1 lime, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 ounce honey syrup

• 1 splash club soda

• Garnish: lime wedge

And they were very good. 

I had to make Cubano sandwiches, which mostly looked like this:

But one looked like this!!

It's because they are a sandwich that needs one to pay attention too, and I was having FOMO.  I didn't want to miss out on the conversation in the other room!  So, I might have stepped away for a moment too long.  

Gina brought 

Papas rellenos, a stuffed mashed potato ball that is filled with a savory meat filling and then fried until crispy. 

Mmmm--mmmmm--good!

There were Cuban black beans and a corn side dish.

And friends!

And dessert!

It was the best!

“Friendship is the secret ingredient to every great meal.”

and talking and playing games leads to feeling more comfortable, which in turn leads to confessions--so who was it?  Who might have, peed in the shower?

Was it Charlie?

Or Mark?

Perhaps Doug?

Could it be Rich?

Dare we say Paul?

Serious speculation says it's.......

oops. gotta go 

The end!

This was the best cooking club ever!

With the best friends ever!

And these cooking club meals were all good too... just click on the link to see.

Cooking Club #1 -Meals your mom used to make

Cooking Club #2- Cajun Cooking

Cooking Club #3 - Let's all go to Hawaii

Cooking Club #4 - American Regional Cooking --Great Lakes Region, featuring: SUPPER CLUBS!

Cooking Club #5 - Famous Chefs (long post with other stuff mixed in, but just trust me)

Cooking Club #6 -Meatball Madness -- or something round (long post combined with Famous Chef's.  Scroll thru some stuff to get there)

Cooking Club #7 - Breakfast for dinner

Cooking Club #8 - Slow Cooking

Cooking Club #9 - Mexican Street Food

Cooking Club #10- Your Christmas Cookie Heritage

Cooking Club #11 - Cooking from labels/back of box, can, or carton

Cooking Club #12 - It's all Greek to Me!

Cooking Club #13 - A Root Beer Tasting Holiday

Cooking Club #14 - Thai Food

Cooking Club #15- Pizza

Cooking Club #16- Pacific Northwest

Cooking Club #17 - Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Cooking Club #18 Milk Street Mania

Cooking Club #19 -  9x13 Cooking

Cooking Club #20--Jewish Deli

Cooking Club #21--Italian Dinner  

Cooking Club #22--Cook from a Movie--CHEF

Coming Soon --

Fondue Party

End of summer rhubarb party

Paella 

Fermentation, pickled, raw, clean food. 

Indonesian

Family Holiday Favs

Cooking from Gooseberry (organization and meal)

Charcutier

Chuck Wagon

Tapas