February: Two Events

by Tracy Cook on 1/7/2025

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors!

We met to plan out what we are going to do in 2025, and here is our calendar of events. All of the regularly-scheduled meetings happen on the first Saturday of the month, from 3:00-4:30 PM. Some special events will be held on Sundays, and we will announce them a month beforehand so everyone will know.

For February, we will have a Celebration of All Things Chocolate! I will be making my Chicken Mole again. The from-scratch, homemade mole sauce is vegan, so I will also bring Mole Sweet Potatoes, yum! And probably something sweet, too, because I love-love-love chocolate. This is a pot-luck style event, so come with your goodies ready to eat. And remember some take-away containers!

We had talked about having this at my new place, but I’m having my foundation worked on and it has to settle for six weeks. Then I am having some new tile installed. It might be March or April before I can host. I will keep everyone updated.

So, this event will be held up at Tapestry from 3:00-4:30 PM. No pork or shellfish, please.

We are having a BONUS activity on Sunday, February 9 up at Tapestry. We are hosting a Souper Sunday event during Fellowship time! If you would like to volunteer to bring a soup, please contact me before February 7 so I can get a total and know if we have enough soup. I am making my Feel Good Soup, and maybe another soup because I think soup is the BEST. Allan Perkins, are you going to bring one of your awesome soups?! I sure hope so, they are delicious!

No pork or shellfish for this event either, please.

We are asking for suggested donations of $5 per person, and that gets you as many bowls of soup as you want. You can pay more, this is just a suggestion! All funds go towards Tapestry. Five years and under is free, and visitors eat free as well. Bring a soup and you get to skip the donations part, too!

And so you can have a look ahead to what’s coming up in 2025, here is the entire calendar…

January: Calendaring

• Done!

February:

• Chocolate
• Souper Sunday!!!

March:

• A Celebration of Cheese

April:

• Imposter Foods

May:

• Cocktails and Mocktails

June:

• Popsicles - kid-friendly so bring the munchkins with you!!!

July:

• Berry Goodness

August:

• Dip Day

September:

• Filled Pasta

October:

• Spooky Foods - another kid-friendly event!

November:

• Merengues
• Bread Communion
• Thanksgiving at Woodsy Hollow

December:

• Second Annual Holiday Treats Bake Sale

January: Calendaring!

by Tracy Cook on 12/17/2024

Our meeting on January 4 will be calendaring, where we talk about what things we might want to do in 2025. We will meet up at Tapestry since everyone knows where that is, from 3:00-4:30.

If you would like to participate, but can’t make the meeting, just comment below with what you would like to see. The group will discuss it together at the next meeting.

Things we already have on the 2025 list:

• Popsicles
• Cheese Day

Things we had on the 2024 list but didn’t do:

• Puff Pastry or Phyllo Pastry
• Meringues
• Cocktails and Mocktails

Then in February I can host the meeting at my new home ❤️

December and January

by Tracy Cook on 12/10/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors,

And I do mean neighbors, we have moved closer to church! Like we are now less than ten minutes away. I will be showing up more often to off-Sunday events, woo hoo!

Alright, so at the start of December we held our first-annual Holiday Treats Fundraiser! We had fun, and also raised more than $1300 for Tapestry! We sold out of several items, and so have taken note of what sold and what…didn’t. My Peppermint Add-Ins for hot chocolate were NOT as popular as I thought they would be. Maybe because they looked like nipples, I don’t know 🤣 But I think I will make basic chocolate and peppermint add-ins for next year, and see if they sell faster that way.

Green Bean Casserole Kits: A Collection of Materials

by Tracy Cook on 10/14/2024

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors

It is time to start collecting Green Bean Casserole Kits!

Cooking Covenant Group is now taking donations for Green Bean Casserole Kits. For just $8.00, we will donate a complete Green Bean Casserole Kit to NAM. You can donate more than this at your discretion. Partial kits are also fantastic!

Or, you may purchase the food on your own and bring it up to church the next time you are up there! (No need for you to get a foil pan or a 2-gallon baggie, I get those in bulk when we are putting the kits together.)

A complete kit includes:

• 2 cans of green beans
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 can of crispy fried onions
• 1 8-ounce box of shelf-stable milk

• 1 foil pan to cook it in
• 1 baggie to hold everything together

We will be collecting money and/or food until Wednesday, November 20.

Please send your money to Tracy Cook, facilitator for Cooking Covenant Group, with the tag “GBC Kit”.

Venmo: @Tracy-Cook-35 (Picture of my dog laying down)
PayPal: gtcook@swbell.net (Picture of my dog standing up and looking at the camera)
Zelle: gtcook@swbell.net (Picture of my dog standing up and looking at the camera) 

Tamales: A Demonstration

by Tracy Cook on 10/11/2024

On November 2, from 3:00-whenever we finish, we will make TAMALES!!! If you’ve always wanted to know how to make these tasty little packages of yumminess, please bring a filling of your choosing, already cooked. How much filling do you bring?! I would recommend that you bring enough to fill a 9X13 casserole. That’s enough for you to have some, and also share with others. You will walk away with at least a dozen, but probably two dozen. I guess it depends on how many we consume directly from the pot they steam in, ha!

If you can’t make a filling for whatever reason, then just come over and see how the tamales are assembled. Lend a hand, laugh your butt off, and leave with a dozen tamales. No charge for this, but you do have to fill them and then stay until the tamales are cooked. 

Some fillings I have made in the past:

ALL gluten-free!!!

• Sweet Potato with Ginger (vegan)
• Black Bean (vegan)
• Black Bean and Queso Fresco
• King’s Ranch 
• Vegetarian King’s Ranch
• Pulled Pork (takes two days)
• Shredded Chicken
• Chicken Mole (takes two days, or take a shortcut and use bottled mole sauce - no judgment!)

There’s more, but you get the idea! Just a tip, though…You don’t want the filling to be too wet. For the King’s Ranch versions, I drained all the canned items and the cooked veggies, and added cream cheese instead of cheddar. Look for more inspiration on Pinterest or Google, or think of what your favorite filling might be. Be creative! Make a dessert version, that’s what the sweet potato one is!

We will meet at Dawn and Elisa’s home. Maybe next year I can host, but not yet 🙁 Please contact Elisa if you need the address. I made a mistake last time and sent someone on a wild goose chase…

Also in November is Bread Communion! Oh, I do love me some bread!  This is one of my favorite UU traditions. I enjoy hearing about everyone’s family recipe, hearing their story of their bread contribution, and tasting all the yummy loaves. Whether it comes from a bakery or is homemade, it’s all good! 

This service will be held up at Tapestry on November 24. Bring your bread or bread-based dish sliced and ready to serve for Fellowship Hour.