Winnipeg Jets cookbook offers glimpse into players' kitchens
Our Jets at Home features recipes from all the players and their wives or partners
Are you interested in having a sneak peak into the homes of some of the Winnipeg Jets?
A new cookbook promises a glimpse into their kitchens as they and their wives cook up special dishes like "Wheeler's Turkey Black Bean Chili" and "Ladd's Monster Cookies."
The book is called Our Jets At Home and features recipes from all of the Jets players and/or their wives or partners. Proceeds from the cookbook will go to the Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation, which helps provide programs and initiatives for children and youth with a focus on healthy living.
Brittany Parker and her fiancée Bryan Little contributed a recipe that's long been in the Little family, chocolate macaroons.
"Bryan's grandmother made it and now his mother and all of his aunts make it for almost every family function. It's a staple in their house," she said.
She and Little were excited to participate in the project.
"It's something fun for us to do, first of all, and we like to give back wherever we can," she said.
"So this is something new that we personally had never done before on our team and we figured it would probably raise quite a bit of money as well as awareness for the foundation."
The book features photos of many of the Jets cooking up a storm in their own kitchens, including the Jokinens, the Ladds, the Wheelers and Byfugliens.
Parker says she is just learning to cook and often gets recipes and tips from other players' wives. She says in the summer you'll find them outdoors grilling healthy meals of marinated chicken, salmon, veggies and tossing together a favourite kale salad.
As for rituals, Parker revealed that Little always eats two pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly before leaving the house for a game. She also shared that Dustin Byfuglien is very keen on his penne with vodka sauce.
"Every game day his fiancée Emily makes it from scratch for him," she said.
Organizers also engaged Marisa Curatolo, a professional chef and author to help tweak the recipes and make them cookbook ready. As a food stylist she helped prepare the dishes for the photo shoots.
The new cookbook Our Jets at Home goes on sale on April 2 at a cost of $29.95, but it is available online right now at truenorthshop.com. A limited number of the pre-sale editions will be autographed.