My dear friend, Ruth, and I enjoy visiting with our Red Hat Society friends and occasionally having tea with them as time allows. Last month we visited with our local Red Hat Society chapter to celebrate the international sisterhood’s 12th birthday. It is remarkable how this organization has grown from a single chapter to now reportedly more than 40,000 chapters around the world.

(Gee, if all the chapters wanted to make a Red Hat Society recipe book, that would be a lot of recipes, possibly 800,000!)

In case you weren’t aware, the Red Hat Society is a group of ladies who’ve reached at least 50 years of age and who want to enjoy life full throttle. They have a wonderful time together, wearing purple outfits and their red hats to teas, luncheons, events, theater, picnics, and just about anywhere and on any outing their whims lead them. They prescribe to the novel idea of social networking in person (rather than through a computer or handheld).

Ruth and I understand that women under 50 may also join, though their attire is pink hats and lavender outfits. (In our area, we’ve only known Red Hatters.)

All in all, the Red Hatters are a fun group and we do enjoy their unique values and enthusiastic outlook on life. Based on our personal networking among the local group, we have received many requests from Red Hat Society chapters who want to create their own recipe books. That is why we have a Red Hat Society template for chapters who wish to create a group custom recipe book, or for individuals who perhaps want to give custom recipe books as gifts to special Red Hatter friends. We also have 26 other templates for other organizations

When Ruth and I left our local Red Hat Society chapter after their birthday celebration, she was humming “When I Grow Up I Want to Be and Old Woman,” that catchy and amusing tune from a healthcare television commercial.

Amen. More fun-filled escapades here we come. (I think custom recipe book-making should be part of those fun-filled escapades, don’t you?)

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda