Dinner On The Porch Cooking Classes

Learn to cook elegant but casual dinners perfect for a memorable summer evening with friends and family on the cottage porch

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Soup On The Porch
Available Memorial Day Weekend 2017

Chef Jim's fifth and final cookbook, "Soup On The Porch", is a delicious collection of sixty different soups organized by season.  Each section takes advantage of the local, fresh produce that's available at different times of the year.  In the Spring section you'll find a wonderful Cream of Morel Soup and an Asparagus Soup that's a delicious answer to the question; "What can I do with all this fresh asparagus that's different?"  Tomato Bisque Soup and Chilled Cherry Soup are perfect for an "out of the garden" summer soup, while root vegetables are the basis for many of the Fall soups. The cookbook wraps-up with the hearty and warming bean and meat-based soups we crave in winter.  Can't you smell the soup simmering on the stove?  And, of course, the cookbook includes a few stories and beautiful original drawings by local Frankfort artist Chris Patterson..

Simple Meals On The Porch
ISBN:  978-0-578-11871-0

Paperback/ 144 pages/ $17.95/ 7 3/4 x 8 3/4
What's Chef Jim Voltz serving up now on the front porch of the little Crystal Lake cottage named Sunny Shores?  It's simple meals, easy and casual, but still elegant enough for all those summer guests that keep dropping in.  In this, the fourth cookbook in the On The Porch series, Chef Jim takes a little different approach.  The entire book is centered on dishes that are perfect when you want a casual one or two-course meal.  Most of the main dishes make a "one-pot" meal that will keep in the refrigerator for at least a day or two.  The cookbook contains over 40 main dish recipes; and if you want to expand the meal a little, there are recipes for a few accompanimants, and thirteen desserts.  Chef Jim tells you how to put it all together, including beverage recommendations, for easy, foolproof entertaining.  Cooks will appreciate the easy to read formatting, lay-flat binding, and list of ingredients that doubles as a shopping list.  In between these meals, you'll have plenty of time to read the delightful stories about Chef Jim and his guests and appreciate the beautiful original artwork by Frankfort artist Chris Patterson.    



Hors d'oeuvres On The Porch
ISBN: 978-0-578-07352-1
Paperback / 144 pages /  $17.95 / 7 3/4 x 8 3/4
Once again Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef Jim Voltz has put together his favorite menus for entertaining guests on the porch of the little Crystal Lake cottage known as Sunny Shores that he shares with best friend Nancy Myers.  But, this time it's not dinner or brunch he's serving, it's hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.  Hors d'oeuvres On The Porch contains fifteen of Chef Jim's favorite cocktail party menus, each consisting of recipes for five hors d'oeuvres, beverage recommendations, shopping lists, and tips for hosting a successful party.   Enjoy the recipes but don't miss the delightful stories about some of Jim's guests and the beautiful original drawings by Frankfort artist Chris Patterson interspersed with the menus.  

 
Brunch On The Porch
ISBN:  978-1-61658-985-1
128 pages / Paperback / 7 3/4" x 8 3/4"
Dinner On The Porch
ISBN:  978-1-60743-198-5
112 pages / Paperback / 7 3/4" x 8 3/4"

In both of these little cookbook jewels, Chef Jim Voltz shares his favorite menus for entertaining guests on the porch at Sunny Shores.  Whether it's brunch or dinner, there are detailed recipes for each item on the menu, suggestions for which beverage to serve, along with tips for successful entertaining.  Menus range from the very casual Chili Brunch to the very grand and elegant Rock Cornish Game Hen Dinner, but no matter how elegant the items, they're not difficult to do.  Jim has made the recipes as simple and detailed as possible with tips along the way to ensure your success.  Each book also includes stories about some of the characters who have come to dinner or brunch on Jim's porch and original drawings by local artist Chris Patterson.  Use these cookbooks when you want to have your own brunch or dinner party, one that is elegant but in a casual and comfortable way. 


  
Following are a few of the stores where "Dinner on the Porch", "Brunch On The Porch",  "Hors d'oeuvres On The Porch", and "Simple Meals On The Porch" are available for purchase:

*The Rabbit, 124 4th Avenue East, Hendersonville, North Carolina  (828) 692-6100

*Crystal Crate and Cargo, 262 S. Benzie Boulevard, Beulah, Michigan (231) 882-5294 http://www.crystalcrate.com

*The Bookstore, 330 Main Street in Frankfort, Michigan (231) 352-9720

*The Ideal Kitchen, 421 River Street, Manistee, Michigan (231) 398-9895 http://www.theidealkitchen.com 

*Peppercorn, 226 East Front Street, Traverse City, Michigan (231) 941-4146 http://www.PeppercomTC.com

*The Cottage Book Store, 5989 Lake Street, Glen Arbor, Michigan (231)334-4223 http://www.cottagebooks.com

*McLean & Eakin Booksellers, 307 East Lake Street, Petoskey, Michigan (800)968-1910 http://www.mcleanandeakin.com

*Saturn Booksellers and The Coffee Cabin, 133 W. Main Street, Gaylord, MI (989) 732-8899, http://www.saturnbooksellers.com