The Gasparilla Cookbook 50th Anniversary Edition Has Arrived!

The highly anticipated anniversary edition of our award-winning cookbook was unveiled at the Junior League of Tampa Cookbook Chair Brunch on August 6th at JLT headquarters for all past Cookbook Committee Chairs. The Brunch featured presentations by JLT President Allison Burden, Past Cookbook Chair Lisl Unterholzner and Current Cookbook Chairs Aspen Kahl and Denise Schultz. …

Chicken Shortcake Natchez

By Lisl Unterholzner With a 50 year old cookbook, you have to expect that some recipes have stood the test of time better than others. This recipe was the main dish at the cooking demonstration I attended at Datz during The Gasparilla Cookbook’s week-long invasion of that foodie mecca, and I was curious to see …

Iron Leaguer: October Edition!

By Suzanne Oaks Brownstein What happens when you take two Junior League cookbook committee co-chairs, mix in a secret ingredient, and add a dash of healthy competition? The “Iron Leaguer” competition – inspired by the Food Network’s hot show “Iron Chef” – pits two Junior League of Tampa volunteers against each other in a battle …

Annie Laurie’s Potato Salad

By Kathryn Zahn If you have lived in the Tampa Bay area for any amount of time, then you have most likely ventured over to Tarpon Springs for some local authentic Greek food or wandered into any of the Louis Pappas’ Market Café restaurants throughout town and ordered a Greek Salad.  Have you ever asked …

Herb Dip

By Kathryn Zahn With football season officially in full swing, I can’t think of a more opportune time for each of you to grab The Gasparilla Cookbook and seek out a perfect dip on which to snack.  It doesn’t matter if you are watching a game by yourself or having a large group of people …

The Elusive Cuban Sandwich

By Lee Lowry When the call went out for a new series of Junior League of Tampa cookbook blog entries, I perused the list of recipes that had been selected, looking for a good match for my family and me. One immediately stuck out: deceptively simple, yet, in our family, legendary. The Cuban sandwich.  Until …

The Gasparilla Cookbook Invasion

The Gasparilla Cookbook Invasion The Gasparilla Cookbook is a classic staple in kitchens across the Tampa Bay area.  Did you know that this book has been recognized on a national level?  It’s true!  The Gasparilla Cookbook has continuously gained national exposure since its original print in 1961 and has received prestigious awards such as the …

Black Bean Dip

By Lisl Unterholzner I’m something of a recipe freak. I love to read recipes. I love to write recipes (really, sometimes I even measure things and take notes in case it turns out well enough to make again). I have stacks of recipes culled from magazines and newspapers that I want to try some day. …

Marmalade Cookies

By Lisl Unterholzner The Gasparilla Cookbook will be turning 50 this year. Dave Kempf, the President of FRP Books, pointed out recently that not many cookbooks are still in print at 50 years old. This historic book contains a wealth of cherished family recipes. The recipe I tested today, however, isn’t one of them. Last …

Gasparilla, Tampa’s Mardi Gras

Jose Gaspar, the "last of the Buccaneers" was a pirate who haunted the many bays and inlets of the West Florida coast during the late 18th and early 19th century. Formerly a lieutenant in the Royal Spanish Navy, in 1783 Gaspar and his crew of fellow mutineers seized command of a Spanish sloop-of-war and set …