Tales of a Junior League Drop Out

Cookbook: Las Vegas Glitter to Gourmet - Savory and Sensational Recipes from the Junior League of Las Vegas
Availability: amazon.com, or various bookstores in Las Vegas
Shelf Factor:  Will be on the shelf FOREVER!  Keep reading to find out why.

Sad but true, I failed at being a member of the Las Vegas Junior League. Twice.

Yes, friends... twice. This is not necessarily something I am proud of, and I of course have excuses for.

But before I get into that, you must know that my mother, a.k.a. Martha Stewart, a.k.a. succeeds at all things, a.k.a. one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet, was a STAR Las Vegas Junior League member. My brother and I grew up going to committee meetings and helping out at the thrift shop. She lived and breathed Junior League for a while and almost became president.  This makes me practically a member from the womb!  I had to be a natural, right?  Wrong.

In my early twenties, I just started in advertising, and a lot of my friends at work were either in, or were joining Junior League. It was the societal thing to do, you know. So, I decided to give it a whirl.  I went to the meetings, I joined a committee, and while I was busy involving myself with the league, I was also busy involving myself with young men and dating. You can guess which won out.

I re-joined years later as a young wife and mother, but my little baby boy at home while I was at Junior League meetings won out. He was in the very capable hands of his daddy, but as a full-time working mom, I didn't want to have to part with him anymore than I had to. Hence, fail #2.

I know now that Junior League and I were just not meant to be... not then. Junior League did leave one long-lasting impression on me though... an absolute downright OBSESSION with their cookbooks! I happened to be on the cookbook committee during my first go-around, and was able to look through other league's cookbooks. They are all fabulous, and I have a theory that you will rarely ever find a bad recipe in a Junior League cookbook. It is an honor to have your recipe printed, and contributors being their A-game dishes. Before the recipes are even considered for printing though, they are all taste tested by about 50+ people, ranked, and hopefully deemed worthy of being a contender.

My goal (compulsion, maybe?) for quite a while has been to collect a Junior League cookbook from every state. After that, I want one from every city that has a Junior League. Once that is accomplished, I want a copy of every single one ever printed. Hm... I see a new bookcase dedicated to Junior League books in my future. I hope my husband isn't reading this.

I will eventually go through all of Junior League cookbooks I own and share them here, as they are the pride of my obsession, er... I mean collection. 
But, I have to start out with Las Vegas!

Why?  Not only do I live in Las Vegas, but lookie here... my name is IN the cookbook!

That's right ... above is my crowning moment of my Las Vegas Junior League experience.  Read it and weep.  Then, come back next week to see the delish dishes I am going to cook!