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Her diagnosis came with a jolt; an instant. I guess people say it always does. A close friendship for over 20 years and the horrific words “cancer” uttered from a dear friend. What followed were tears, hyperventilating, wine, and then some prayers (I realize that was probably not the best order, but I’m a work in progress.)

Our supper club met as neighbors and young mothers living in Belhaven. There is something that makes friends extra special when they help you raise your children. I think children tear down all of our walls and this group of friends has always been able to see the “real me.” Sometimes that was losing my temper and yelling at my kids, or crying and worrying over silly things. Kids do not hide things very well, and raising them makes you honest in front of your friends. This group of friends has always been rock-solid and trusted.

We started the supper club so that our husbands could get to know one another better.  We could spend our days with our children and some evenings with our spouses enjoying one another’s company. Special friendships blossomed and our supper club continues to gather after more than 20 years (although not as frequently as we would like.) We will forever be knitted together in a special friendship. Our lives have been messy, as all ‘real lives’ are, and we prayed through our ups and downs, we prayed for our marriages, our aging parents, new babies, the first day of school, the last day or school, tryouts, first dates, car wrecks, college choices, sick babies, sick kids, sick teenagers, sick young adults, and now we prayed for a sick member in our circle.

But wait, I thought supper club was about dinner: How did I get here? Thank goodness I got here. What I realized is that our supper club was NEVER about supper. It was NEVER about the food, or the house, or how clean the house looked. It was about friendship, support, companionship and preparing us for the day when we really needed it. That day was here, and our friendships and support were there as well. Something as simple as a supper club: sharing food and table fellowship kept us together all these years.

A friend from up north once told me that she really wanted to move down South so that she could be like the ladies in Steel Magnolias. I explained to her that where I live, it’s not a movie set; it’s our life, it’s who we are. Don’t get me wrong, I love that movie, but it is just a movie. We live many of those scenes every day. I think my mother still goes to her “beauty shop” and she still talks to her supper club or bridge buddies three or four times a week.  

When Jane Ann’s diagnosis came, we (along with countless others) sprang into action.  We grabbed our casserole dishes and started cooking.  We prayed, we cited Bible verses, we made lists of our best parenting advice, we cried and we laughed at silly stories. We dropped off gift-cards, fancy new slippers, and “chemo happies” to help try to make each difficult day filled with our love and support.  We volunteered to do laundry and arranged carpools.  We even had a craft day where we “blinged up” a bunch of chemotherapy bags the other cancer patients (Thank heavens other members of our group are creative and artistic.)  All those actions were born out of a deep love and friendship.  In my circle, it all started with a supper club.  

Please consider taking time to start a supper club. It is simple:  Invite people into your home, invite people into your life and invite people into your heart. It will change your life far more than a simple supper club dinner. Yes, it is messy to clean up before and after supper club.  Yes, it will be even messier to weave yourself into others’ lives. But the rewards are countless.  The rewards are friendship, love, joy, companionship and people beside you when you really need it.  

Our friend needed support as she tried to fight off her cancer.  Like it has for so many others, it invaded my immediate circle of friends. I cannot imagine that it has not invaded almost everyone’s life in some way.  We all must pray, support, love and fight this together!  

My friend Jane Ann Moore lost her battle with cancer on April 1.  If you knew her, you knew that she is beautiful, creative, funny, a generous hostess, and a kind friend, BUT was not the most adventurous chef.  Every time we came to her house for supper club, she served the exact same thing.  She always brought the same things to each supper club, and it was always delivered with a BIG smile and an even bigger laugh.  

Please join us as we pray for Jane Ann’s family, as we pray for the many other people who are battling cancer, and we pray for the doctors, nurses, scientists, and researchers looking for new ways to fight this disease.  

This is the Bible verse Jane Ann added to the bags that we decorated for other cancer patients: “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9   May God’s wisdom, strength, and mercy be on them all.  

Jane Ann’s Olive Cheese Balls

This recipe is one of Jane Ann’s best offerings and she submitted the recipe to the First Pres Day School’s Holiday Potpourri Cooking Committee many years ago.  Her recipe was offer on the Tasting Tea menu that year.

They are absolutely delicious and she would make these by the bag full and often give me a bag Christmas. I love them so much, that I would cook the whole bag and eat them as my lunch. 

I think one of her favorite things about this recipe is that for years I would try to make them.  I could never get them quite right. I think it’s because I was always in a hurry and never took the time to properly form the cheese around the olive. Jane Ann’s were always perfect and perfectly cooked.

1/4-pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated 

1 (14-ounce) jar whole small olives with pimentos, drained.

Combine cheese, butter, and cayenne pepper. Mix with flour until smooth. Cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Pinch off small pieces of dough and flattened into the palm of hand. Place a drained olive in the center and bring edges together to cover the olive completely. Roll gently between your palms. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; chill 10 minutes in the refrigerator. (You can freeze olive balls at this point and deliver them to friends, just like Jane Ann did.) 

When ready to serve, bake at 375° until lightly browned.

This was Jane Ann’s signature dish for supper club. It is delicious and quite decadent. She would traditionally agree to host our Christmas gathering. Always the practical hostess, she would have our supper club on Saturday night after she had hosted her husband’s office Christmas party on Friday night. She always insisted that the house was totally clean and ready to go and she simply doubled her the menu and served the exact same thing both nights.

2 cups Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat

1-pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 package puff pastry shells, cooked according to package directions

Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add green onions and garlic and sauté for about two minutes. Whisk in flour and add cream. Whisk until smooth. 

Add sherry, cayenne pepper, salt, and shrimp. Cook, stirring for about three minutes until shrimp are no longer opaque. Fold in crab meat. Prepare pastry shells according to package directions. 

When ready to serve, remove top pastry shell and fill with several tablespoons of Mornay sauce. Top of the sprinkle of fresh parsley. 

Asparagus was Jane Ann’s standard vegetable side that she would bring to supper club.  Knowing her cooking skills, I decided to include the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for perfectly prepared asparagus.  I would recommend using this recipe. 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving 

Preheat oven to 400°.  Prepare asparagus by peeling ends with a vegetable peeler or snapping ends off. Lay them a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes, until just tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and returned the oven for an additional minute. Serve with lemon wedges. 

The Barefoot Contessa prefers thick asparagus to thin ones as she says they have much more flavor.

Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad

When it was Jane Ann’s turn to bring a salad for supper club, she would bring a giant bowl of delicious baby greens with goat cheese and crunchy pecans. This recipe is pretty close to the one she served. It was always delicious.

About 8 cups of baby mixed greens, baby spinach, or any combination 

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 

1/2 cup honey roasted or candied pecans 

4 ounces of crumbled soft goat cheese

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Shake well and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

When ready to serve the salad, combine the greens in a large salad bowl.  Toss with dressing. Add the sliced red onion, cranberries, candied nuts, and the goat cheese. Toss. lightly and serve immediately.

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