So Very Julie & Julia Of Us...

Hi All!

Welcome to the inaugural post of the Junior League of Tallahassee's "A Thyme to Celebrate" cookbook blog!

To get us going, let’s start with a few introductions... 

This blog will be maintained by Sarah Collins and Emily Howard – The Junior League of Tallahassee Cookbook Co-Chairs for the 2011-2012 League year.

Emily grew up in Tampa, Florida and moved to Tallahassee to attend college at Florida State University where she received a Masters of Science in Planning. Emily and her husband, Brett, have two dogs, Doak and Campbell (can you tell they are FSU fans?) and a baby boy on the way!

Sarah grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and met her husband, Tanner, in middle school. She attended Florida State University where she received a degree in Interior Design and a minor in Art History. Sarah and Tanner live in Tallahassee with their son, Fisher and dog, Tucker.

We are here to tell you about the Junior League of Tallahassee’s phenomenal cookbook – A Thyme to Celebrate! Launched during the 2009-2010 Junior League year, a lot of hard work went into this cookbook. Or, as we like to put it, a lot of sugar, spice, and joy of giving back to our community went into this cookbook! Our cookbook was a labor of love for the League - you would be hard pressed to find someone who has a connection with the League that did not contribute to the book in some way. We truly pulled our resources. The women that dedicated so much of themselves to the cookbook are the reason we are in the position we are today as leaders in the Junior League - we really felt their passion for the cookbook.

Here is the best part about our cookbook: every penny from the sale of A Thyme to Celebrate goes directly to our community projects that help children and families in the Tallahassee area. Projects like Kids Boutique, where we take deserving children back-to-school-clothes and supplies shopping, and Kids in the Kitchen, where we teach local elementary and middle school-aged children about nutrition and exercise in fun and exciting ways. And that is just the tip of the iceberg-lettuce.

In order to help us do more for the kids and families in our community, here is where you come in: Join us as we cook our way through the cookbook! That's right. We are going to be cooking/baking/mixing a lot this year - and we want you there with us! It is our hope that through this blog, we entice you (with the amazingly delicious recipes) to purchase this cookbook for you and all your friends and family and coworkers AND educate you on the amazing ways the Junior League of Tallahassee works in our community. And have a lot of fun along the way! Whew! That is a tall order, but we are up for the challenge. Every recipe will be documented, photographed, and then we will blog it for you! We will even throw in a few "Supper Clubs" just to keep it interesting!

Now, Emily and I will not be the only ones working the kitchen-magic for you. In this blog, you will meet some of the amazing ladies of the JLT as they help us cook our way through the cookbook! We are women dedicated to serving our community and making a difference. We are professionals, doctors, lawyers, stylists, restaurateurs, artists, mothers, wives, friends and so so much more.

We are so looking forward to this adventure and hope you will come along for all the mixing and sauté-ing! Make sure you follow us, add us to your daily blogs list, and leave lots of comments/support!

I know...So very Julie & Julia of us : )

(Amazing. Go watch it.)