Potluck Club

A Taste of Fame by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson

With the current popularity of "reality" game shows, this story was a lot fun! The Potluck Catering Club "accidentally" gets entered in a game show and gets to go to New York for the competition. It was interesting reading about the different themes they came up with for their entries, and what they had to go through to pull it off.

I enjoyed how each chapter was written from a different character's perspective, and it was especially fun to find all the recipes mentioned throughout the story listed in the back of the book.

This is part of an ongoing series about the "Potluck Catering Club". This is the only one I've read so far, but I look forward to reading others.

In addition to that, the authors have compiled The Potluck Club Cookbook... a collection of "easy recipes to enjoy with family and friends." As I thumbed through it I was pleased to see several of my own family's favorites, along with fresh ideas for dishes we haven't yet tried. I will enjoy using this cookbook... and you probably would, too!

Here's one of the recipes to whet your appetite:

Linda’s Chicken Tortilla Casserole

2 ½ Tbsp. chopped onions
¼ cup butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 ½ cups milk
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. jalapeno peppers
1 ½ cups chopped canned tomatoes (stewed)
3 cups cubed chicken, cooked
½ cup shredded cheese
12 tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips

Sauté onions in butter, then add flour and cook until mixture is bubbly. Stir in milk and broth gradually. Stir in salt, peppers, and tomatoes.
In casserole dish, layer chicken, cheese, then strips of tortillas. Pour sauce over layers then sprinkle casserole with cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.
Serves 6-8.

Linda: “You can’t go wrong with this tasty dish. It’s a potluck crowd favorite.” (Page 130)

Kosher By Design Lightens Up

No, I don't keep kosher. (Nor am I Jewish, in case you might have thought I am.) But I do enjoy cooking and I've been looking for ways to make more healthy meals and dishes for my family lately, so I was happy for the opportunity to review Kosher By Design Lightens Up by Susie Fishbein.

First of all, the book is just gorgeous. Lovely hardcover with full-page color photos of each dish. The recipe is on the left page and the photo of the dish is on the right page. Each recipe also includes thorough notes by the author telling where to get a particular ingredient, or substitutions or variations you can use, or just a little story of how she came up with the recipe. Not only that, the recipes look absolutely delicious. Some do call for ingredients I'm not familiar with, but even if I can't find the exact ingredient, I expect I can make substitutions and still come up with some yummy meals. The recipes in this book have a particular emphasis on eating healthy, so I look forward to trying some with my family.