Recap of January 2012 Meeting

About 15-20 people attended Italian Night, our January potluck dinner and meeting. With the romantic sounds of Italian pop artist Andrea Bocelli playing in the background, the crowd slowly gathered while a large pot of gluten-free spaghetti boiled on the stove. Once everyone arrived, we all sat down and enjoyed a delicious fare of Italian specialties, including spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce, chicken cacciatore, rosemary & garlic chicken, fresh green salads with antipasto meats, cultured vegetables, almond ice cream, fresh homemade cannoli, and much more!

After dinner we were treated to two presentations. First, Suzanne Peters demonstrated how to make her savory grass-fed beef & pork Italian meatballs with cultured breadcrumbs. She kept everyone's attention with entertaining stories of her childhood and her dad's famous Italian meat sauce with a spicy Mexican flare. Still satisfied with Suzanne's delectable pasta dinner, the crowd eagerly watched her perform her Mediterranean culinary magic. At the end of the presentation, Suzanne invited everyone to check out her new blog at: www.realfoodlifestyle.com

After learning how to make dinner, everyone's attention shifted to dessert. Sculptress, cake decorator, and local WAPF dessert officionada Theresa Cardinali demonstrated how to knead, roll, cut, form, cook, and fill cannoli shells. As a special service to our group, she not only used the traditional wheat flour, but also experimented with some gluten-free varieties. They all came out delicious. Especially wonderful was the honey-sweetened marscapone cream contributed by our friend Elaina Luther of Culture Club 101. With artistic attention to detail and form, Terri did a great job demonstrating the whole procedure.

It was yet another crowd- and palate-pleasing evening for all! Check the schedule for our next Ethnic Night, coming up in April, and don't forget to come see our special guest next month, biological dentist, Dr. J. Bruce Johnson!