Home cooking

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, October 27, 2011

Preparing a delicious and healthy meal for the family can sometimes seem overwhelming after a long day at work or a hectic schedule filled with activities for the kids.

With that in mind, members of the Acadiana Women Leaders of New Iberia set out to make “cooking from scratch” meals quick and easy by offering a variety of recipe options in their first and newly published cookbook, “Quick and Easy Cooking with Louisiana Riches.”

The book features a collection of more than 225 recipes from club members, their friends and families that offer an assortment of recipes to make it easy to prepare a healthy meal.

“As women, we all feel that we should put a hot meal on the table in the evening and with today’s hectic lifestyles that is not always possible, so we at least need a good balance, even if it is every two or three days. With these quick and easy recipes, the family can get together and sit down at the table to enjoy a home-cooked meal more often,” said Willis Boroto, a member of the cookbook committee.

Committee members Margaret Gonsoulin, Linda Sarkies and Tessie Doré said so many members of the community offered to share their family’s favorite quick and easy recipes that it was difficult to select which ones would be published.

The cookbook reflects a wide array of ethnic foods including Cajun, Creole, Lebanese, Italian and Spanish.

“A few of the recipes may be a little more time consuming, but there are dishes that can be doubled and frozen for future meals when there is a hectic day planned,” said Sarkies.

“It is always healthier to cook, especially if you can find easy recipes.”

Gonsoulin said the recipes are all budget friendly and call for ingredients and seasonings that are found in the pantry.

“But best of all, the recipes are all user friendly to make it easier for those who are not big on cooking, but still want the home cooking taste,” said Doré.

Most of the recipes feature Louisiana products and seasonings such as seafood, sugar, peppers, hot sauce and vegetables fresh from the garden or grown by local farmers.

Some of the dishes found in the cookbook will be offered for sampling by club members from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Main Event, located at 125 East Main St. Cookbooks will also be available for purchase at $14.95. For more information on the cookbook, call Margaret Gonsoulin at 519-2504.

The AWL was organized in 2007 with members from the American Business Women’s Association, which was chartered in 1972, but disbanded due to the financial burden of a national-chartered organization as membership declined.

Gonsoulin said the cookbook serves as a two-fold purpose – to provide healthy and quick recipes so families can enjoy a meal together and to raise funds for the organization’s educational fund to assist women in obtaining an education past the high school level.

“We hope this will be a cookbook that will be enjoyed by all and it will be one that is returned to often and used by future generations,” said Gonsoulin. “We truly believe that good cooking is the basis of true happiness.”