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Sociable Suppers

Start a new tradition for the New Year – One that is all about spending more quality time with friends.

Consider joining or starting a supper club.

A supper club is a perfect way to stay connected with your friends and make new ones. The monthly calendar date offers consistency for the same group of people to gather, talk about life and enjoy a delicious meal.

I am part of a girlfriends “lunch bunch” that gathers monthly. It’s a time that I try never to miss. Over the years, this group of women — many of us just acquaintances when our monthly lunch date began — have become confidants and dear friends. I cherish their friendship, support and advice.

We choose to dine out for our monthly lunches. That way no one has the burden of cooking and cleaning. To make it easy for everyone, we each take turns picking the restaurant and making the reservation.

Many supper clubs meet at members' houses, rotating who hosts and cooks monthly.

A  fun way to have a supper club at homes is to have  it be a “cookbook club.”

Each month, a cookbook is chosen by the group. Each club member picks a recipe to bring, making sure that it is ready to serve and in a dish they can bring home to clean in their own kitchen. Shared google doc spreadsheets are a great way to organize the menu and ensure that you have enough appetizers, mains and sides.

It’s really up to you and what works better for your friends’ schedules and budgets. There are no real rules — just a commitment to get together.

This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!

Jennifer Chandler graduated at the top of her class from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She is a full-time mom to two daughters in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a freelance food writer, restaurant consultant, and author of four cookbooks The Southern Pantry Cookbook, Simply Salads, Simply Suppers, and Simply Grilling.