Cooking School

Well, 2012 is off to a delicious start.

Yesterday I went to a cooking class that I absolutely loved. The Italian dishes were so delicious that I secretly wanted to ask for seconds (and thirds).  

And the instruction was practical and informative. It was much better than the last cooking class I took, where things were so complicated that it made me want to give up cooking. But, this class yesterday made me want to run home and start cooking.

Here were a few tips that I loved and plan to use in the kitchen:

1) Before you dice an onion, wet a wooden cutting board and you’ll never cry. (The water absorbs whatever it is in the onion that makes you cry.)

2) If you don’t have time to make chicken stock, “Better than Boullion” brand is a good substitute.

3) If you don’t have time to make a homemade salad dressing, buy a good quality dressing and add appropriate fresh ingredients, like lemon juice, cheese, etc.

4) It’s best to grocery shop being open to ideas and using whatever fresh, seasonal items are available.

5) When entertaining, serve custard in a fancy wine glass or martini glass for dessert. You can make it the day before and refrigerate. Top with berries or chocolate. The dessert looks impressive, but it’s pretty easy to make. 

6) You can use a vegetable peeler to grate cheese into slices to top soups or pasta. You can also use the peeler on a Hershey bar to make chocolate strips to top desserts.

7) Cooking does not have to be complicated. Simple things with the right seasoning and herbs can be really tasty.

8)  I know there were other things I learned, but I think I’m just distracted thinking about the yummy food we had.

Happy cooking!