While attending Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Debbie Cebold had a close friendship with three of her classmates. After graduation, though, everyone went their separate ways.

Cebold and her husband ended up moving away from the area for a few years but when they moved back to Illinois, she contacted her old friends.

“It all started when one of us would call the other and say, ‘What are you doing this weekend?' and the other one would say, ‘Nothing. We're losers.' We started calling ourselves the Losers Club and began to get together regularly.”

The Losers Club has been meeting quarterly for more than 30 years. “We each take a turn hosting,” said Cebold, who now lives in Downers Grove. “We bring out the crystal and fine china for each other. The host takes care of dinner and then one person brings wine, another brings an appetizer and another brings dessert.”

Cebold said that said none of them are gourmet cooks, but they're all good cooks. She enjoys cooking for her friends because getting together is “more than what we're having for dinner.”

For the December get-together, Cebold tried something she'd never done before, a goat cheese-stuffed chicken breast. “The great thing about it is that if it turns out badly, it will be OK if we just order pizza,” she said. “That's what it means to have great friends.”

When Cebold is having friends for dinner, she likes to pick dishes that don't require last-minute preparation. “I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen so I do everything ahead of time.” When she makes the salad recipe she got from her friend Linda, she has all the ingredients ready to be tossed with a dressing she also makes ahead of time.

“The salad has almonds in it and I have found that it is worth the time to toast them,” she says. “All I do is toss them into a frying pan and cook them over low heat until they turn a golden brown. I shake the pan and flip them so that they brown evenly.” The crisp texture complements the chow mein noodles that are also in the salad.

When it comes to time in the kitchen, Cebold most enjoys baking. “I love to make cookies and desserts,” she said. “My mom passed away when I was 19 so I didn't have a lot of recipes from her. I used to look for new cookie recipes each year at Christmas and try a few. If my family liked them, I would make them again. One that I have made over and over is Buckeye Balls. They are so simple but so good. I got a video last week of my 2 1/2 year old grandson Sam learning how to make them.”

The no-bake treat is made with peanut butter. “You have to use regular peanut butter, though. It doesn't work with the organic brands,” she said.

Cebold has also found that the recipe works better with margarine instead of butter. The mixture is shaped into balls and dipped in melted chocolate chips. “Dipping them is easier if you have a deep, narrow container like a tea cup,” she said.

The Buckeye Balls are gluten-free and can be kept for several weeks in the refrigerator. Cebold usually places them on a platter with other sweets when entertaining guests. Cebold shares both no-fuss recipes for others to try.