"Appetizers" is one of the most searched-for terms on our website, and that's no surprise. Apps are associated with so many pleasant things -- parties and social gatherings, a satisfying sampling of different small plates, and a taste of indulgence without the mass of a full-blown meal. Whatever the occasion, there's an app for that!

So we were delighted when our Virtual Supper Club bloggers chose appetizers as this month's theme. As the holidays approach, this is a great time to revisit old favorites (like the Spinach-and-Artichoke Dip that has become a staff all-time fave) and expand our repertoire with newly discovered recipes. 

If you love to entertain but feel overwhelmed by the thought of hosting a big holiday dinner, consider a tapas potluck party. Make a couple of simple appetizers (chips and salsa and shrimp cocktail never fail), supply the drinks, and ask each guest to bring an appetizer. With the right number of people, your table will overflow with goodies. It's a clever excuse to round up favorite folks without dampening your fun with a lot of work.

Here's what our Virtual Supper Club brought to the table this month. Make sure to visit their blogs for their full report on each recipe, and leave a comment while you're there! If you want to join us, post a link to your blog in comments.

Awesome Appetizers

Grilled Pepper Poppers -- by Helene, from La Cuisine de Helene
Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tartlets -- by Shelby, from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
Windowpane Potato Chips -- by Val, from More Than Burnt Toast
West Indies Shrimp -- by Aggie, of Aggie's Kitchen
Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese -- also by Aggie
Warm Cranberry Walnut Brie -- by Jamie, of Mom's Cooking Club
Mini Crabcakes with Herbed Aioli -- also by Jamie

Photo credit: Images courtesy of the bloggers (aren't they great?). Clockwise from top left: Grilled Pepper Poppers by Helene (actually, this was taken by her 15-year-old son, Matheiu!); Windowpane Potato Chips by Aggie, Warm Cranberry Walnut Brie by Jamie; Mini Crabcakes by Jamie; Pecan Pie Tartlets by Shelby.

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Join the Club! The Virtual Supper Club is a group of Cooking Light readers who dazzled us with the idea of blogging CL recipes once a month. They live in two countries and several states, but get together (virtually) once a month to enjoy a seasonal menu of their choice. Please make sure to visit their blogs to read more and enjoy their great photos. If you're a food blogger and wish to join, post a link to your blog here.

Our reader bloggers were excited about the theme of this month's Virtual Supper Club: Cooking with Wine. Perfect for cooler months, wine is a key ingredient that can lend a distinct fragrance and another layer of flavor to your cooking, whether you're sauteing fish, simmering soup, or adding a splash to a dessert or side dish. Plus, it's enjoyable to sip while you cook.

"For me this would be a bit of a challenge," says Shelby, a Virtual Supper Club member who blogs about cooking on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. "I don't really drink wine much less know what to buy for cooking with it!"

As a general rule, you should cook with a wine that you'd enjoy drinking. But if you don't drink wine, that shouldn't stop you with experimenting with it as a flavor-enhancing ingredient.

Shelby consulted a wine-loving friend, who referred her to a Chardonnay for the Cheese Fondue with Apples recipe that she brought to this month's table. (That's her yummy-looking photo at left.) She says she was pleased with the results.

"It was great with apples," she wrote in her post, "but I also enjoyed it with some crusty French bread!"

I asked Associate Food Editor, Julie Grimes, for other good wine picks for this recipe. She suggested a riesling or a gewürztraminer would work well.

We hope you'll join us in uncorking a bottle to participate in this month's theme. Hope our menu inspires you.

October: Cooking with Wine Menu

French Onion Soup -- Helene
Cheese Fondue with Apples -- Shelby
Baked Rice with Butternut Squash -- Val
Salmon with White Wine-Mustard Sauce -- Jamie
Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streudel -- Aggie

Photo: Courtesy of Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch

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Join the Club! The Virtual Supper Club is a group of Cooking Light readers who dazzled us with the idea of blogging CL recipes once a month. They live in two countries and several states, but get together (virtually) once a month to enjoy a seasonal menu of their choice. Please make sure to visit their blogs to read more and enjoy their great photos. If you're a food blogger and wish to join, post a link to your blog here or send us an email.

Whether or not you have kids headed back to school, it's easy to succumb to the quickening pace of fall. The days grow shorter, the hours seem to shrink, and suddenly it's all you can do to mind your own busy-ness.

But don't let that become an excuse to short your kids -- or yourself -- on a good lunch. Resist the call of the drive-thru, the tempting ease of the pre-packed, highly processed lunch-foods.

It takes just a few minutes to pack a tasty lunch that's not just good for your kids (and YOU), but provides an excellent reason to slow down and savor your lunch break.

"Bringing a lunch to work is a great idea for lots of reasons," writes Val, of More Than Burnt Toast. "It saves calories, it saves money, and it even saves time, allowing you to relax at lunch instead of fighting the crowds at your local fast-food restaurants."

Amen, sister! Life's too short for a lousy lunch. It's in that spirit that our Virtual Supper Club members chose this month's theme.

We love their choices. The Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich shown here (great photo, Helene!) could steal the show in any lunchroom. The soup, hummus, and orzo salad could all be made ahead and serve as sides or the basis of a meal in themselves. The chocolate cake would be a welcome addition to any lunch box. Make sure to visit their blogs and leave a comment to let them know what you think.

Join us! Post a link in the comments or send me an email with a link to your blog post. And share your best tips for packing healthful, delicious lunches.

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Menu -- September: Light Lunches

Val: Lemony Hummus with Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips

Shelby: Vegetarian Minestrone

Helene: Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich
(shown)

Aggie: Lemony Orzo Salad

Jamie: Chocolate Fudge Snack Cake

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Photo: Courtesy Hélène of La Cuisine de Hélène

This month's Virtual Supper Club theme is regional cuisine. Our reader-bloggers decided to pick a menu that highlighted favorite foods of their native regions, but came together well as a menu. Quite a challenge, we thought, considering their diverse geographies. Well, they pulled it off with a winning menu that we hope you'll consider trying.

Make sure to visit their blogs to read more about our members' recipes and regions. And especially to see their delicious-looking food photography, like the Key Lime Pie above, prepared, styles, and photographed by Aggie. Don't you just want to lick the screen? We love photos like this, because it shows that our recipes really do look scrumptious even when a professional stylist and photographer aren't present to work their magic.

Regional Cuisine Menu

Bruschetta with Peach Salsa and Melted Brie -- Val (British Columbia)
"Along the occasionally rugged roads of the Okangan Valley, in the interior of British Columbia, there are countless seasonal farm stands selling fresh peaches and other fruits, and pies. Here you can also sample great wines and artisan cheeses produced in the valley."

Spinach Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette -- Hélène (Quebec)
"My parents had friends that had a sugar shack and helped during the spring to make maple syrup.  We always had real maple syrup on our table all year long."

Pan-Seared Shrimp Po-boys -- Jamie (Northwest FL)
"I wanted to showcase shrimp that comes from the Gulf of Mexico. In Pensacola, we are about 3 hours from New Orleans, Louisiana, which has a great effect on our local cuisine. These sublime sandwiches are a well-known New Orleans dish."

Key Lime Pie -- Aggie (Central Florida)
"I have lived near the ocean for most of my life and prefer the more laid back lifestyle of beach living. Key Lime Pie always takes me there no matter where I am."

Double Maple Cupcakes -- Shelby (Upstate New York)
"One of my favorite things I remember doing with the syrup would be dipping my mom's homemade fry cake donuts in the syrup and then eating them. I even remember pouring maple syrup on my cereal to sweeten!"

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Join the club! If you're a food blogger and want to join the fun, send us an email or leave a comment here with a link to your blog. We'd like to welcome our newest honorary members:

Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen: A non-Southerner who lives in Atlanta with her Southern-born husband, she brings to our (virtual) table a Cooking Light spin on a Southern classic: Oven-Fried Okra.

Sharon of Culinary Adventures of a New Wife: A new bride and avid home cook in San Diego, she brings Coconut Banana Bread with a Boozy Twist. This is her riff on our Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze, which was voted the best quick bread in Cooking Light's history.

Pamela of Cookies with Boys: A SAHM of two and a lover of cookies, Pamela brings Cheddar Burgers with Red Onion Jam from our July issue.

September theme: Light lunches (Sept. 3)

Some of the best ideas have arisen through the creativity of our readers. That's how the first Cooking Light Supper Club was born when, more than 10 years ago, a group of readers in Northern California "met" on our online bulletin boards and decided to get together in person to share a meal every month. Today there are supper clubs all over the country.

So we were again delighted when five readers came to us with the idea of a Virtual Supper Club. All avid cooks, moms, and bloggers, Hélène (Vancouver Island), Val (British Columbia), Jamie (Florida panhandle), Shelby (upstate New York), and Aggie (Central Florida) have pledged to get together (virtually) once a month to blog a menu of Cooking Light recipes.

Like many real-life supper clubs, they'll choose a theme in advance, then select recipes that fit the theme and the season. Because they live in four states and two countries, they can't sit down to a communal meal, but they can tell you all about it (along with yummy photos, like Hélène's Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert shown here) on their respective blogs. We'll post the entire menu here. 

Since our bloggers hail from both the United States and Canada, this month's theme is a Red and White and Blue Menu, in honor of the Fourth of July and Canada Day (July 1). Great for any outdoor celebration, this menu pairs a wonderful grilled salmon with fresh summer sides and a creamy lightened dessert. (Just wait 'til you see the rest of their mouth-watering real-life food shots.)

Red and White and Blue Menu

Maple Grilled Salmon by Val
Spinach Salad with Stone Fruits and Maple-Spiced Pecans by Aggie
Charred Corn Relish by Jamie
Curried Chicken Salad with Nectarines by Shelby
Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert by Hélène

Please visit their blogs and leave them some feedback. If you'd like to become an honorary member of the Virtual Supper Club, blog a recipe that fits the theme, and leave a comment here with a link. 

Next month's theme: Regional cuisine

Read on to meet our bloggers: