The Savor the Moment 10th Anniversary Celebration: Definitely "A Night to Remember!"

Janel Williams, Alison Gatto, Linda Gunn & Frank Forlini

One week ago, we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Junior League of Boca Raton's Cookbook, "Savor the Moment." Yes, the same cookbook I've been cooking my way through for the past year! Thanks to our amazing Cookbook Committee led by Co-Chairs Alison Gatto and Janel Williams, it was a magical evening of food, wine and fun that truly celebrated our James Beard Award-winning Cookbook and the fabulous ladies who created it! 

The celebration was held at the beautiful Seagate Beach Club and featured delicious culinary creations from Chef Chris Schaefer inspired by recipes from the Cookbook. The fabulous hors d'oeuvres for our cocktail party included:

 Nueske Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Marcona Almonds

Marinated Cherry Tomato, Spicy Mozzarella & Broken Balsamic Vinaigrette

Brie en croute with Raspberry Jam

Crab Tater Tots with Black Truffle and Old Bay Aioli

Chicken Marakesh, Peppadew, Red Pepper & Onion

Jerk Marinated Grouper, Banana Chutney & Crisp Plantain



An assortment of delicious cupcakes from All-Star Cupcakes and "Savor the Moment" inspired desserts created by Chef Jennifer Reed of The Sugar Monkey rounded out the evening beautifully. Desserts included:

Chocolate Turtle Tart

Bourbon Butter Glazed Cake

Key Lime White Chocolate Cheesecake

Pear Napoleon with Apple Cider Cream

In addition to plenty of fabulous food and wine, the evening also featured an amazing raffle chock full of specialty lots tailored for food and wine lovers. From Private Chef's services to Waterford crystal to a Chef's table dinner with wine pairings - tickets sold like hotcakes! Our raffle donors included 32 East, Art Sea Living, Bloomingdale's, Boca Bacchanal, Boca Bons, The Boca Raton Resort & Club, Brewzzi, Brooke Qualk, Caffe Luna Rosa, City Oyster, Cut 432, Café Boulud, Frederic Fekkai, John Paul Custom Cuisine, The Melting Pot, Neiman Marcus, Sigrid Olsen, Seasons 52, Southern Wine & Spirits, Stephanie Savors the Moment, The Sundy Houe, Taboo, Waterford Crystal and Where the Fairytale Begins. Their generous donations allowed us to raise a nice sum of money that will benefit our local community projects. 

Many thanks to our event Sponsors CDS International Holdings, the Seagate Beach Club, Worthing Place and Paul & Kathy Adkins for making the evening such a success! Big thanks too, to Brenda Lusher and her company Mizner Industries for creating the beautiful "Savor the Moment" 10th Anniversary commemorative tiles for the event. Also, our celebration could not have been possible without the AMAZING managers at the Seagate Beach Club, Cathy McNellen and Frank Forlini as well as an entire staff of truly wonderful people. They made the entire process, from planning to our incredible evening, a delightful experience!

The only unfortunate thing to report about the evening was that, after breaking a bone in my leg two weeks prior, I was on crutches - ugh! Thankfully, my husband was nice enough to paint my crutches pink to coordinate with my Lilly Pulitzer dress - thanks, Hon! All in all though, it was a fabulous evening with friends full of moments to savor! Be sure to check out the slideshow on the right side of this page for even more fun photos from the event.

As for my blog, I will continue to wrap up the recipes in the "Savor the Moment" until the end of the year - stay tuned for some exciting announcements about what's to come in 2011!

Bon Appétit,

"Savoring the Moment" with the Ladies of the Fund Development Committee!

Spicy Cayenne Toasts with Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

A few weeks ago, in an effort to garner approval for our "Savor the Moment" 10th Anniversary Celebration, I enlisted the help of some delicious recipes from our James Beard Award-winning cookbook to sway the fabulous girls of the Fund Development Committee. Was it fair? Maybe not. Did it work? Absolutely!

Macadamia-Stuffed Mushrooms

For dinner I whipped up an assortment of savory selections from the book including the Spicy Cayenne Toasts with Sun-Dried Tomato Spread (pg. 64), Macadamia-Stuffed Mushrooms (pg. 71), and the Plantation Salad (pg. 125). 

I have to say, all the recipes turned out pretty darn good! If you like spicy, the Cayenne Toasts are definitely for you, with the spice nicely offset by the creamy goat cheese. The Macadamia-Stuffed Mushrooms were also delicious, however, they don't necessarily travel so well. Right out of the oven though they are truly delectable! I served the Mushrooms and the Cayenne Toasts on a bed of dry, black beans to keep them in place and also, because I thought it made a nice presentation! The Plantation Salad is a curious mixture of wild rice, mushrooms, vermouth, chicken breast, shrimp, black olives and lemon juice to name just a few ingredients. While it might sound odd, the end result is positively delicious! Also, the longer it sits the more flavorful it becomes - what's not to love about that?

White Trash!

For something sweet to finish the meal, I made the highly addictive White Trash (pg. 247) and Janel Williams, co-chair of the Cookbook Committee, also made some fabulous gift bags of Magical Toffee (pg. 265) with tags reading "Celebrate" to put everyone in a festive mood. These two snacks are both long-time "Savor the Moment" favorites! I wrote about the Magical Toffee last December but the White Trash I had never made until recently. It is a mouth-watering mixture of Crispix cereal, pretzels, salted peanuts, M & M's, pecans and raisins and if you are a fan of sweet and salty - lookout! I am happy to report the meal was well-received, the months of research and planning by the Chairs of the Cookbook Committee paid off, and our proposal was approved!

As you may have heard, our 10th Anniversary Celebration, "A Night to Remember," is set for Friday, November 12th at the Seagate Beach Club in Delray Beach, FL! It will be a wonderful evening of hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and desserts from "Savor the Moment," with live entertainment and an exciting Silent Auction featuring fabulous foodie items that are sure to tempt your palate!

To purchase your tickets to our event or to make a donation please click here and keep in mind, all money raised from the event goes to fund the Junior League's local community projects. Thank you in advance for your support and I hope to see you there. I have included the recipe for White Trash below and I hope you love it as much as most of the Junior League does!

Bon Appetit,



White Trash (pg. 247)
Mix 1/2 package Crispix cereal, 5 ounces pretzel twists, 1/2 can salted peanuts, 1/2 pound M&M's Chocolate Candies, 1/4 cup pecans and 1/4 cup raisins in a large bowl. Melt 1 pound white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Add the cereal mixture and mix carefully. Spread on waxed paper and let stand until firm.
** I melted the white chocolate in the microwave which saved alot of time and cleanup!
** I spread the mixture on wax paper on a cookie sheet and then popped it into the fridge to help it firm up faster. After all, the sooner it sets the sooner you can eat it!

Save the Date for the "Savor the Moment" 10th Anniversary Celebration!

I am very happy to announce the upcoming "Savor the Moment" 10th Anniversary Celebration! Mark your calendars, my friends, because The Cookbook Committee is planning for a fabulous event that is sure to be "A Night to Remember."

The party will take place Friday, November 12th at the beautiful Seagate Beach Club in Delray Beach (pictured below). The event will feature a fabulous cocktail party, enticing silent auction with exciting lots tailored specifically to local foodies, a delicious selection of hors d'oeuvres and desserts from "Savor the Moment" and live entertainment. An afterparty will follow at the Seagate Hotel.

Our event is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Junior League of Boca Raton's "Savor the Moment, Entertaining Without Reservations," the first ever Junior League Cookbook to win a James Beard Award as well as the wonderful women responsible for its creation. This book is the result of some amazing teamwork by an outstanding group of women dedicated to improving and giving back to their community.

On behalf of the Cookbook Committee, we look forward to seeing you (this means you!) on November 12th! Tickets for the event are $75 per person and are on sale now. Please contact me to purchase yours, or they will be available through the Cookbook Committee at the General Membership Meeting on Tuesday at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Boca Raton. Online purchasing will be available shortly - stay tuned for more information! 

Cheers,