Colony Dining Room

The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort

1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key

383-6464

Dinner nightly: 5-9:30 p.m., on weekends last seating at 10 p.m.

Reservations suggested

Credit cards

Valet parking

Wheelchair accessible

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Now You're Cookin'

Recipe clubs are on the American front burner. The fad is fueled by celebrity chefs and their cookbooks, easy access to a world of cuisine experiences on the Internet, increased home entertaining and new interest in global culinary customs and traditions. People in this and every other home town across the nation are discovering that recipe clubs have all the right ingredients for forming friendships while swapping menus and tips that help transform every club member into a better cook. Lakewood Ranch alone has three recipe clubs, and they've maxed out on membership, meaning another will organize soon.

"You meet other people with similar interests, you share a surprise meal together once a month and pick up all kinds of practical information you can use right away," says Carol Turney, who belongs to one of the Lakewood Ranch clubs. "And not to be too sentimental, but the club members become kind of an extended family. When there's an illness or a new baby, they turn up at your door with a casserole or a great dessert."

A club should cap at about 20 since that is probably all that a hostess can handle, she advises. "But not all members will come to each meeting," she observes. "We usually have between 12 and 14 out of our total of 17."

Every month, a different member hosts the group, setting a theme and sending invitations. The host also supplies beverages, place settings and nametags for people and their dishes. The monthly hostess is not required to cook. Each member brings a dish and a recipe for each member to take home. Members arrive at 7 p.m., set out their food and the group enjoys a meal. Afterwards they go over each recipe and discuss what they might serve with it, what ingredients could be substituted and other details. The recipes come from cookbooks old and new, from the Internet, from other friends and relatives or from magazines. The club keeps a master book that contains every theme, invitation and recipe generated by the group.

Since forming a year ago, Carol Tumey's group has explored themes such as High Tea, Ethnic Background, Under 500 Calories, Childhood Favorites, Brunch and Romantic Meals. "No one in the club is required to tell the hostess what she's bringing," says Tumey. "That's the surprise. The night our theme was Side Dishes, we ended up with three different potato casseroles and two or three rice dishes. Part of the fun is that you just never know what you're going to be eating. It's a real adventure."

Lakewood Ranch club member Andrea Junghans, who is from a large Italian family and loves to create her own recipes, offers this one. She says it's the best way to get her children to eat their vegetables.

Stuffed Zucchini

5 small tender zucchini

1 large onion

1 cup mushrooms

2 pieces bread, fresh or stale (cut or ripped into small pieces)

1 carrot

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Slice zucchini lengthwise and remove insides with melon ball scoop. Microwave the scooped-out zucchini halves in a covered baking dish approximately 3 minutes with one cup water in a dish. Drain and set aside. Chop all vegetables (including the zucchini pieces you removed from the halves) and sauté in a little oil, butter or broth. Add the tomato sauce. Cool slightly. Season to taste. Add bread and cheeses. Mix well and stuff zucchini halves. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. "They're as good the second day as they are the first, and I even like them cold," says Junghans.

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Ask Marsha:

Q. I'm crazy about soups both hot and cold, and when I entertain I always start the meal with a soup course. But I need to expand my repertoire. Any suggestions?