Some of my friends from college started a gourmet club last year. Lucky for me, they had some people move, etc...so when I moved to Utah I was asked if I wanted to join them. I had to post some pics from the last couple that we've had. It's pretty incredible (and although I do love it, I have to admit that I do leave feeling pretty incompetent!). The pictures really don't do them justice, either. You can see more pics and get all the recipes at our blog http://www.slcgourmetgals.blogspot.com/. My friend Sunny does a great job keeping it updated. 
The first gourmet club I attended was hosted by Shelly & Lindsay. The theme was "An Asian Occasion".
The first gourmet club I attended was hosted by Shelly & Lindsay. The theme was "An Asian Occasion".The invitation was adorable--a box with a couple of felt fortune cookies with all the details inside. Such a cute idea.
They went all out with the decor and the food. Everything was so tasty! Lindsey even taught us how to make sushi, which was surprisingly pretty easy. The take-home gift was a sushi mat, which I'm excited to try. 
I have to mention how incredible the lemon pie was. If I ever have to choose between anything and chocolate, I would always go for chocolate, but I will tell you, I took one bite of this pie and couldn't stop. It was incredible. Here's the recipe.
I have to mention how incredible the lemon pie was. If I ever have to choose between anything and chocolate, I would always go for chocolate, but I will tell you, I took one bite of this pie and couldn't stop. It was incredible. Here's the recipe. Lemon Supreme Pie
Ingredients
1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (9 inches)
Lemon Filling:
1 ¼ cups sugar
6 Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups water
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
4 – 5 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
½ cup fresh lemon juice
Cream Cheese Filling:
11 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cups whipped topping
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake at 450 for 8 mins.
Remove foil and bake 5 mins longer. Cool on wire rack.
In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water; bring to a boil over medium –high heat. Reduce heat; add the remaining sugar. Cook and stir for 2 mins or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in butter, lemon peel and food coloring if desired. Gently stir in lemon juice (do not overmix). Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and
lemon juice. Refrigerate ½ cup for garnish. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture into pastry shell; top with lemon filling, Chill overnight. Place reserved cream cheese mixture in a pastry bag and place a dot on each piece. Store in the refrigerator.
Yields 6-8 servings
1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (9 inches)
Lemon Filling:
1 ¼ cups sugar
6 Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups water
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
4 – 5 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
½ cup fresh lemon juice
Cream Cheese Filling:
11 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cups whipped topping
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake at 450 for 8 mins.
Remove foil and bake 5 mins longer. Cool on wire rack.
In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water; bring to a boil over medium –high heat. Reduce heat; add the remaining sugar. Cook and stir for 2 mins or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in butter, lemon peel and food coloring if desired. Gently stir in lemon juice (do not overmix). Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and
lemon juice. Refrigerate ½ cup for garnish. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture into pastry shell; top with lemon filling, Chill overnight. Place reserved cream cheese mixture in a pastry bag and place a dot on each piece. Store in the refrigerator.
Yields 6-8 servings
Thanks for a great night! There's nothing better than hangin' out with friends and eating amazing food!
For our November gourmet club, Amber & Heather hosted another incredible evening! They did such an amazing job. Their theme was "ATaste of Fall". Here are some more pics from the night. 
The girls fussing over Sienna (yes, this was staged :) 
Jake Sim chillin' in a Bug's Life at California Adventure
Sienna and her boyfriend Corbin(and me & Mel)
My bff Jeni
San Diego Temple
Andy & Jamie
Little Samson holding Sienna. Love those big brown eyes!
Can you tell that Sienna loved her first trip to Wahoo's? 
Here's the new binky she loves. It's not nearly as dainty and cute as the little pink one, but it does the trick. My sister started calling Sienna "punkin bunny" (we don't know where she came up with it) but it's kinda stuck. My sister-in-law had some bunny ears, so we thought we'd get a picture of Nelly's "punkin bunny". 
This is what happens when she doesn't have her binky...
My good friend Sarah Hoagland & her sister-in-law Dani 
Me & Sarah
On Halloween we went to Dan's brother's house and hung out with Jeff & Kate and Dan's parents. We had chili stackups and made some gourmet caramel apples. Of course I didn't get any pictures of the adults, but I did manage to get one of Sienna and her adorable cousin Ella. 
