Knife class

Last Saturday I had the fun opportunity to take a knife skills cooking class. The teacher was a funny, talented chef who teaches other people that cooking can be a fun, easy way of life. We mostly went through the basics, such as types of knives, sharpening, cutting boards, etc. Of course we also went though slicing, dicing, julienne, and chiffonade techniques. Then using these wonderful skills, the class split into 4 teams and each made a yummy recipe. It was so much fun, and best of all, free! Well except for cost of food stuff ($5 ea) which is practically nothing when you look at prices for S. California. I'm really looking forward to the next class, all about spices and flavorings.

In other home news, my coffee liqueur finished steeping. It was so easy, took only 2 weeks, and it's very tasty. Gave some to friends again, so I hope they'll let me know what they think. Our friends, R & A, are great to hang out with as they love food just as much as we do. In fact, A loves to cook as well, so she went with me to the cooking class, which made it even more fun to have someone else to cook with. Over the last year at least, if not longer, us couples have traded off preparing supper and watching shows together like Alias, Firefly, and America's Next Top Model. It makes a great break in the monotony of the week, and also lets each of us try out new recipes for more than just 2 people. Last time I made a bacon-rosemary wrapped pork chop in sherry-garlic sauce that turned out well. I'm not sure what to make this week, I'll have to see what in my "To Try" section of the recipe file has.

I did make risotto for the first time last night. It was pretty good, but I think I added too many porcini mushrooms, as it was quite heavy and earthy. Of course, next to a side of fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella with balsamic vinegar, what wouldn't be ? ;) Nothing like fresh herbs and veggies. Just wish I had more than a few pots of herbs and more sun at my apartment to grow.