• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Living Well Kitchen
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizer & Snacks
      • Snacks
    • Main Dish
      • Vegetarian
      • Seafood
      • Meat
      • Poultry
      • Pork
    • Specific Recipes
      • Vegetarian
        • Vegan
      • Kid Friendly
      • Gluten Free
      • Dairy Free
      • Nut Free
      • Egg Free
      • Soy Free
    • Sides
      • Vegetables
      • Beans
      • Grains
      • Potatoes
      • Bread
      • Sauce
    • Salad
    • Soup
    • Drinks
    • Dessert
    • Slow Cooker
    • Instant Pot
    • Season
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
  • About
    • Meet Meme
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Videos
  • Easy Meals
  • Quiz
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easy Meals
  • Main Dish
  • Quiz
  • Videos
  • Health
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easy Meals
    • Main Dish
    • Quiz
    • Videos
    • Health
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ร—

    Home ยป Living Well

    How to Start a Cookbook Club

    Published: Nov 18, 2014 ยท Updated: Apr 6, 2018 ยท Post may contain affiliate links

    A cookbook club is a great way to spend time with friends, meet new people, expand your cooking horizons, and enjoy delicious food. 

    Starting a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    Ever trying to find an excuse to meet with your friends on a weeknight?

    Try forming a cookbook club!

    What's a cookbook club?

    It's a group of people who cook from one cookbook {our 2014 pick was Gourmet Made Simple}.

    Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen @memeinge

    We started out with a group of twenty ladies and created groups of five {to make four groups of 5 people}.

    Each group picks a month to cook, and that group hosts the entire cookbook club. The hosts for the month pick a few recipes from the cookbook and the entire group enjoys dinner together.

    It's basically a great excuse to meet new people, eat good food, and do something fun on a weeknight.

    Starting a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    The first group hosted in May and did a fancy sit-down dinner full of mouth-watering dishes.

    They even had cute little menus for each of us, and the kind hosts served us each course!

    My group {pictured above} hosted in July, and we did a barbecue/casual/picnic type of meal with a buffet-style dinner and paper plates {no clean up! whoop whoop!}

    Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    I used a grill all by myself for the first time ever which was amusing...

    We made Smoked Strawberry Mozzarella Crostini, Shrimp and Mango Summer rolls, Planked Salmon with Asian BBQ Sauce, Planked Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup, Watermelon Feta and Arugula Salad, and a yummy cobbler for dessert.

    Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    In September, we enjoyed a late summer's meal full of all the bountiful produce a girl could ever ask for and steak! {my fave!}

    [clickToTweet tweet="A cookbook club is a great way to spend time with friends, meet new people, expand your cooking horizons, and enjoy delicious food." quote="A cookbook club is a great way to spend time with friends, meet new people, expand your cooking horizons, and enjoy delicious food."]

    How to Start a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    It was finished off with a gorgeous Lemon Meringue Pie.

    How to Start a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    Unfortunately, I missed the last cookbook club night because I was in Portland, but I'm really excited for next year!

    Our cookbook for 2015 is Ina Garten's Back to Basics which is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. {And I've even made a few recipes from it - like the most delicious tomato soup ever made}

    Since I can't take credit for this idea, I asked one of the girls that started our group in New Orleans some questions...

    How did you start the cookbook club?

    One of my Atlanta friends followed someone from Birmingham and started an Atlanta group. We got the ideas from them.

    Atlanta has 30 ladies and meets every other month. They have teams of 5 and all over the Atlanta area. I think the first cookbook is chosen by the first 5 hosts, then each year suggestions are thrown out. They've been doing it for almost 3 years and rotate friends in and out.

    Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen @memeinge

    How do you decide on the cookbook?

    I chose Gourmet Made Simple because it is exactly that and what a group of busy women want to ultimately do - make a simple gourmet meal!

    How many people should be in the cookbook club?

    Adrienne, Casey, Kate, and I [Meg] were the original 4 hosts and we invited 5 women each to start our New Orleans group. We've lost a few and added a few to stay at 20. We thought 20 was about as many as each house could host.

    Starting a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen

    {the lovely hosts from our first Cookbook Club}

     

    So round up a few friends, get them to invite a few more friends, and start your own cookbook club! It's super fun and a great excuse to drink wine with friends on a Tuesday {or whatever weeknight you choose} ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Meme

    Pin for later:

    How to Start a Cookbook Club from Living Well Kitchen @memeinge

    More Living Well

    • All About Garlic
    • All About Onions
    • How to feel less overwhelmed
    • 5 Tips for a Self Care Practice
    1.2K shares
    • Yummly
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      November 19, 2014 at 8:15 am

      That is such a great and fun idea! I would love to be in one!

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 19, 2014 at 11:08 pm

        You should totally start one!! It really is a fun thing to do with friends ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Casey says

      November 19, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Love this post and love out sweet Cookbook Club! So excited for our second year and new cookbook! Xo

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 19, 2014 at 11:09 pm

        Aw me too Casey!! Looking forward to year two ๐Ÿ™‚ xxoo

        Reply
    3. Elizabeth @ Enjoy Every Bite says

      November 19, 2014 at 12:35 pm

      What a fun idea! These meals are all beautiful.

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 19, 2014 at 11:10 pm

        Thanks Elizabeth!! Our dinners have been soo delicious!

        Reply
    4. Natalie Rizzo says

      November 19, 2014 at 12:42 pm

      What a great idea! I wish you lived in my area so I could be a part of the club!

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 19, 2014 at 11:12 pm

        I wish you lived here too so you could join, Natalie! ๐Ÿ˜‰

        Reply
    5. Farrah says

      November 19, 2014 at 2:54 pm

      Ahhhh! This sounds like such an awesome + fun idea! <3 I wish my friends here cooked, but alas. :'( It's really just me, haha. :[

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 24, 2014 at 10:09 pm

        I would want to be in a cookbook club with you ๐Ÿ™‚ Maybe you can persuade your friends to start cooking!

        Reply
    6. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says

      November 19, 2014 at 4:09 pm

      what a fabulous and fun idea! And the food looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 24, 2014 at 10:16 pm

        Thanks Jessica!! It's a great way to get together with friends!

        Reply
    7. Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says

      November 24, 2014 at 12:27 am

      I LOVE this idea of a cookbook club! First, I need to find a few people who would actually be into this, but I think it can happen!

      Reply
      • Meme says

        November 24, 2014 at 10:21 pm

        Yes, Lisa!! You totally need to!! It is so much fun ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Patricia says

      January 06, 2019 at 9:46 pm

      I would love to start this at our local library. I am the new director of The Friends Memorial Public Libraray located in Kane, Pa. I am looking for program ideas.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Meme (a brunette female) is holding umbrella and spinning around in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing a denim jacket, skirt, and blue shoesHi, I'm Meme, a thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist from Alabama living in San Diego. Here to help you enjoy food, feel better in your body at any size, and live free of diets & shame.
    Read More

    Let's Connect

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Most Popular

    pork tenderloin with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans on white plate with yellow and white striped napkin

    Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

    jar of chocolate sauce with a spoon in it. empty small glass ice cream cups with a bowl of cherries on a wicker table

    Easy Chocolate Sauce

    Protein Pancakes from Living Well Kitchen

    protein pancakes

    white plate with a slice of zucchini lasagna

    Zucchini Lasagna

    spatula holding a microwave cookie

    Microwave Oatmeal Cookie

    stack of almond butter banana cookies with one cookie facing the front on wooden cutting board with a glass of milk, banana, oats, vanilla extract, and almond butter container

    Almond Butter Banana Cookies

    Gluten free Crab Cakes from Living Well Kitchen @memeinge

    Gluten free Crab Cakes

    chicken salad and a ritz cracker in a glass bowl on white table with green napkin

    No Mayo Chicken Salad

    Intuitive Eating

    brunette female holding a heart shaped pizza in a Parisian cafe

    Why Emotional Eating Isn't Bad

    hand holding an apple in front of apple trees

    Should I Eat Conventional or Organic Produce?

    havanese dog standing on arm of cream chair with a quilt in chair

    Intuitive Eating and Weight Loss

    brunette female sitting in a blanket in Versaille garden smiling and holding a container of container of food she is about to be eating

    What is Intuitive Eating

    Easy Meals

    two white bowls of chili, one with avocado and a spoon, the other with tortilla chips popping out. sitting on a green napkin with hot sauce and a pot of chili

    Lentil Chili

    stuffed sweet potatoes topped with cheese on foil with sweet potatoes in the background

    Easy Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

    Ranch Burgers from Living Well Kitchen

    Ranch Burgers

    Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo from Living Well Kitchen

    Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

    Soup

    two bowl of beef soup on blue and white napkins with silver spoons and garlic bread

    Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

    steak potato soup in a bowl with green onions and grated cheese with a silver spoon next to potatoes, pot of soup and block of cheese

    Steak and Potato Soup

    blue and white napkins under two bowls of pumpkin soup topped with bacon next to a small bowl of bacon

    Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

    bowl of ginger beef soup on a gold and white napkin with garlic, limes, and ginger

    Ginger Beef Soup

    As Seen On:

    As Seen On

    In Season

    stemless wine glass with strawberry gin fizzes next to fresh strawberries, bottle of gin, and an orange

    Valentine's Day Gin Fizz

    black spatula pushing Brussels sprouts around on a baking sheet with pecans, honey, and sriracha sauce

    Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

    four twice baked potatoes on a plate

    Twice-Baked Potatoes

    blue pot with sausage hash, cup of tea, bowl of berries, white plate with hash

    Mushroom Sausage Hash

    Footer

    Living Well Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    • Recipes
    • About

    Copyright © 2023

    We use cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    1242 shares