Don’t worry, I won’t bust out into School House Rock tunes, but it is catchy (and could be fun, nerdy, but fun to dance around the kitchen to)!
A requirement of learning something new is to be a sponge- soak up every fact and take advantage of opportunities to continue your education, no matter how informal it is. By nature, I’m quite inquisitive, especially when I get excited about a topic. I research like crazy, seek out someone skilled in that area to ask questions and then jump into the game!
In this situation, I’ve read books by chefs and food experts, searched through endless credible cooking and food websites and jumped in there by cooking and starting my blog. The next step was… cooking school! (Sorry Dad, I know you were hoping for law school.)
Miss C and I ventured to a local cooking school to channel our inner Top Chefs alla Francese (yes, that’s Italian for French). Our menu for the night was:
-Onion Soup
-Poached Fish Fillets with a Lemon Butter Sauce
-Roast Chicken with Port Wine, Cream and Mushroom Sauce (I was in LOVE with this sauce!)
-Potatoes Sauteed in Butter
-Caramel Souffle
I’ll admit this was an overwhelming situation at first and our instructor said this was an aggressive menu, but I loved the atmosphere! There was something about being in an industrial kitchen, being nervous/excited (the glass of wine may have helped) and having all my questions instantly answered (I had a LOT) that just made it feel so Julia-esque!
I highly recommend taking a cooking class if you are in the same pond as me since you are pushed to try new dishes that would initially look intimidating on paper or appear to be complicated. Make sure you enroll in a class that allows you to actually make the dishes so you learn the skills and your instructor will provide you with helpful hints to get great results. Graduates: future Top Chef contestants!
Hollyized Tips:
After today’s grocery store trip, I wanted to share some valuable tips for you that have helped my sanity and saved time.
–Seafood counter: the employees are educated in all their offerings. If you plan to cook something like salmon a certain way you can ask them and they’ll provide you with the proper nomenclature. Today I learned that wild salmon is a fattier cut so it’s more difficult to burn. Also, they’ll cut off the skin!
–Butcher counter: the butcher will let you pick your cut and will slice the meat into appropriate portions for you. They will also wrap it in portions, which is great if you are single, since you can keep the amount for one meal in the fridge and freeze the rest. They will also provide you with complimentary string if you need it for a recipe that involves any tying- just ask!
–Dessert counter: make it easier to frost your dessert and purchase fresh frosting from the bakery. Just let them know what you are making and how large it is and they can recommend the type and amount of frosting.
–Floral section: after you select your favorite stems, the florist will cut and arrange them for you with a nice request. When you get home you just have to put them in a vase and it looks professionally done!
Enjoy and don’t hesitate to ask the experts on your next grocery adventure! 🙂
