A Cheese Class

My youngest gave me a cool birthday present. A class in cheese-making, followed by wine and cheese tasting! Our class was at the Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills.

Gloria helps shake up the milk. We used non-homogenized milk, so the fat had to be loosened.

Curds and whey after heating the milk, and adding citric acid and rennet.

Our mozzarella balls after shaping the curds and dipping them in HOT water. We decorated them with flower petals or herbs.

Gloria and I pose at the door. We also got to visit the farm's goats!

Cooking Class

We had a great cooking class on Thursday! Mind you, it was a small cooking class, since I had just three students. But that's okay, we had a good time without you, anyway! Sort of like a cozy meal with friends. But we'd have an even better time if more of you are able to come to the next class.

That will be on November 8, 6:00 pm at the Pleasant Hill Community Center. Visit the Rec department online to sign up. It's the Indian Summer Cooking Class and we'll be making Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Hazlenuts and Dried Cranberries, Kale Salad, and Corn Pudding. This is a beautiful vegetarian Thanksgiving meal, if you have someone like that at your table this year.

My three students and I got busy chopping right away, with two of them working on the peaches and leeks for the chicken and the third student mixing the batter for the chocolate-pear cake. Once we had everything in the oven, we washed the greens for our salad and made our dressing. Then we sat and discussed easy tips for meal planning, grocery shopping and how to find locally grown organic food.

Then we ate! You know that time of silence that happens when people are hungry and first start eating a delicious meal? We all did that! It was so funny! But after a few bites, we got back to our discussions and enjoyed the wonderful food. Thanks to all my students for their help!

Teaching cooking

I've got two cooking classes coming up and I'm hoping these will really be fun. I've taught small groups - usually demos in homes where everyone gets involved. These are actual classes through the parks & recreation department.

I can't wait.

The first class is October 11 and according to the announcement, I said we'd be preparing:
Roasted Chicken with Pears (or peaches if they're still around)
Radicchio, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad
Upside Down Pear Cake

The second class is November 8 and I'm into a vegetarian dinner:
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Hazelnuts and Dried Cranberries
Kale Salad
Corn Pudding

I'll have some freebies for people, lots of recipes and of course, we get to eat! Let there never be a doubt why I decided to start cooking for a living!

If you're in the Bay Area, you can register for the classes at www.pleasanthillrec.com