Gourmet Group

Gourmet Group 2024-2025

The gourmet group is sponsoring 6 opportunities this year.
Three will be gatherings that all members, spouses, and friends of the group will be invited to attend.
The first will be in January when everyone is invited to a brunch at the Confluence Hotel in Hastings. In May we will once again host the Taste of the Valley when we ask each participant to bring a food contribution from one of their favorite dining establishments. And in July, we will be repeating the July Summer Picnic where this year the main course of Juicy Lucy’s will be provided, and we ask everyone to bring a favorite summer dish to share.
The other three, will be dinners in members’ homes that will be shared by the six people who will be dining together. We ask that members sign up for these gourmet dinners as each will participate by hosting one time and all members participate by sharing in the cooking and costs of the meal.

Gourmet Group will have dinners in November, March and September this year with special recipes to honor our Minnesota fantastic cuisine.  November will feature a Hot Dish, March will be walleye and September desert is apple pie.

Please call Diane McGann, 651-442-2415, if you wish to join, you may be a regular or a substitute, couples or singles. We meet in one another’s homes, share provided menus, food costs and good conversation.

REPORT FROM THE GOURMET GROUP 2023-2024

The Gourmet Study group this year will have three gatherings for all members/spouses/partners/friends and three gatherings for those who choose to participate in groups of six people in member’s homes.  Our theme this year is Hawaiian as our thoughts are with the victims of the devastating fire in Maui. Gatherings are on Saturdays and Hawaiian apparel is encouraged.
October 12, 2023. We will attend a luncheon at the St. Paul College with a set three-course meal planned and cooked by students studying in the school’s culinary arts program. Open to all.
January 13, 2024. Noon meal in homes with small group sharing Hawaiian Plate lunch and sign up is needed.
March 9, 2024. Taste of the St. Croix open to all and everyone is asked to bring a favorite sampling/serving from a favorite restaurant in the “Valley” or make one.
May 11, 2024. Please sign up for the small groups in homes for The Hawaiian Cooking School. Menu to be decided by the group meeting together with a report on the success or failure at the next AAUW meeting. Hawaiian shirts highly recommended.
July 11, 2024. Summer Food Celebration open to all members. All are asked to bring an outdoor picnic celebration of food that could be Hawaiian or state side emphasizing summer foods.
September 7, 2024. Sign up for the small groups in homes for the festive final dinner of the year.

 

 

Welcome to the St. Croix Valley Branch of AAUW 2022-2023 Gourmet Group

Our theme for the 2022-2023 year is Dinner Diplomacy…balance and compromise! We will be using recipes from various presidents, their wives, and politicians from both sides of the aisle. We have modified the titles to make them more fun and will be including a bit of historical facts with each one. It may spark a bit of conversation and even jog your memory.

There are four meals planned this year. We will have a dinner in October at 6 PM, a lunch in January at noon, a brunch in March at 10 AM, and dinner again in May at 6 PM. We have changed the first dinner from November to October to avoid conflicts with Thanksgiving. We realize that not everyone’s schedule allows them to meet at the same time, so feel free to explore with your guests an appropriate time that allows for full participation. We ask each participant to keep track of their expenses so the total cost of the meal can be divided among the guests. The hostess will ask each diner if they will be drinking wine, and that information will be factored into the cost for the dinner. Good food deserves good wine. Wine types will be recommended for each dinner, but we are not requiring any particular store for purchase. We would like to mention that Cub and Kowalski’s have accompanying wine stores. There is also Haskell in Stillwater. Total Wine is in Woodbury Village off Valley Creek Road. We recommend that you keep the cost in the $12-15.00/bottle range. Nonalcoholic drinks will be provided by the hostess.

The menus will be arranged into three assignments as there will be six guests, three couples, at each gathering. The hostess always does the main course, and occasionally another side dish. The guests will have the opportunity to choose one of the other assignments. For example, some like to do desserts, and they would choose the assignment that includes the dessert. If a couple cannot attend, please find a substitute and inform the hostess. If there is difficulty in filling out three couples, we recommend that the hostess invite someone they know well and would enjoy Gourmet. Some members of AAUW have joined because they were asked to substitute at a Gourmet dinner.

We are asking all members to be vaccinated. If anyone has tested positive for COVID-19, are awaiting test results, have COVID symptoms, or if they have had close contact with a person who has tested positive or who has symptoms, please reschedule the dinner or find a substitute. We continue to have an unusual year and we do want the group to enjoy the dinners. Just be flexible and as a hostess feel free to ask about anyone’s Covid status. We are looking forward to a delightful year of great dinners, lunches, brunches and socialization with our AAUW members, spouses, and friends.

Gourmet committee,
Susan Dustin, Marjorie Williams, Ann Bucheck

 

recipes[1]

January 2022 Gourmet Recipes

March 2022 Gourmet Recipes

May 2022 Gourmet Recipes

October 2022 Gourmet Recipes

 

 

Past Gourmet Recipes