The Operatunity Holiday Cookbook

December 2020 was a holiday season none of us will forget. After nearly a year of Covid restrictions we all longed for family contact and the joys of celebrating the holiday season with friends and our fellow OLLI members. On December 13th the first Covid vaccine shot was delivered to a brave RN in New York; we knew our turn was right around the corner, but, sadly, not in time for the holidays. The Operatunity SIG found a way to mark the season by compiling a book of favorite holiday dishes, some secret family recipes, and menus celebrating unique cultural flavors. For the 2022 holiday season, Beryl agreed to have OLLI Connects reformat the book and share a few recipes along with appropriate opera selections. And, if you want to delve further into the compilation, the entire updated book is linked to this story.

But first, let’s try out a few of the recipes submitted by our opera devotees. Click on each small illustration to open a selected recipe. The opera selection should play automatically, but if it doesn’t simply click on the audio file at the top of each page and you will be serenaded by the likes of Pavarotti, Domingo and other artists while you read the directions.

Bon Appétit!

Drinks and Snacks.
Drink Rituals and Roasted Nuts, Beryl B. Byles

Seafood
Roasted Salmon, Ann Sofia

Pasta
Pasta with Honey and Nuts, Catherine Mitchell

Meats
Cuban Pork Roast, Ana de la Cuesta

Dessert
Bûche de Noël, Judy Harwood

Your OLLI Connects editors wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season filled with delicious culinary delights and the company of family and/or friends. And as our final treat, click on the photo below to view and download the entire Operatunity Holiday Knocks Cookbook.

Beryl B. Byles, MBA University of Dallas, worked as an Executive Coach, specializing in leadership development for senior executives in large corporations, CEO’s of small to mid-sized companies and leaders of non-profit enterprises, challenging and supporting her clients in making growth oriented choices. She wrote a professional memoir called Authentic Leadership: An Inside Job. Beryl co-teaches OLLI-USF’s leadership class and is the inspiration for the Operatunity SIG.

Theresa D’Aiuto Sokol was a performing artist, teacher and director. Experienced in opera, concert, and chamber music, she lived and worked in Germany and sang a wide range of repertoire on three continents. She was Opera Director at USF where she staged two productions annually for a decade, and directed opera, musicals and theater in regional venues. Theresa holds a B.M. and M.M. in vocal performance from Manhattanville College and USF, and trained privately in NYC with professionals from Juilliard, Curtis and the Metropolitan Opera and in Europe. In her retirement she enjoys languages, baking, blogging, bridge and video editing.