I love to cook, so when my friend Lynda introduced me to her cooking class in San Marcos last year, I jumped at the chance to participate. The class I took was at Mission Hills High School. The 12 week course cost $50! I know that's what you usually pay for one cooking demonstration class. I could not believe what I had found.
This hands on class has something for everyone. First, it is taught by a wonderful young chef named Jenn Felmay. It's fun and educational. How to bone a chicken, how to chiffonade basil, how to cut an onion, how to make a roux, and how to make flaky pastry dough are just some of the skills we learned. Each class has only around 12 students. We meet for three hours on Monday night. We discuss the recipes, get into small groups, and cook. We produce a full dinner in a few hours, then eat it. It is such fun!
Last Monday was the last class of this semester. Lynda invited me as her guest (I'm not taking the class this semester) and we had a great time. Guiness Beef Pie, Roasted Eggplant with Peppers, Red Onion and Goat Cheese, Baby Spinach Salad with Shiraz Vinagrette, and Stone Fruit Cobbler was our menu. We cooked, ate and cleaned up in less than three hours.
Talk about bargains. When you check out the cost of cooking schools, or just price the cooking demonstration classes, you'll see what a bargain this is. That's because it's an ROP class, which is subsidized to keep the cost low. There are several young aspiring chefs in the class, but it is also meant to help middle aged people reeducate themselves for a new job. I don't fall into either category, but they still let me in. Please enjoy our salad recipe from last Monday. It was just delicious. Thanks to Chef Jenn for this recipe.
This hands on class has something for everyone. First, it is taught by a wonderful young chef named Jenn Felmay. It's fun and educational. How to bone a chicken, how to chiffonade basil, how to cut an onion, how to make a roux, and how to make flaky pastry dough are just some of the skills we learned. Each class has only around 12 students. We meet for three hours on Monday night. We discuss the recipes, get into small groups, and cook. We produce a full dinner in a few hours, then eat it. It is such fun!
Last Monday was the last class of this semester. Lynda invited me as her guest (I'm not taking the class this semester) and we had a great time. Guiness Beef Pie, Roasted Eggplant with Peppers, Red Onion and Goat Cheese, Baby Spinach Salad with Shiraz Vinagrette, and Stone Fruit Cobbler was our menu. We cooked, ate and cleaned up in less than three hours.
Talk about bargains. When you check out the cost of cooking schools, or just price the cooking demonstration classes, you'll see what a bargain this is. That's because it's an ROP class, which is subsidized to keep the cost low. There are several young aspiring chefs in the class, but it is also meant to help middle aged people reeducate themselves for a new job. I don't fall into either category, but they still let me in. Please enjoy our salad recipe from last Monday. It was just delicious. Thanks to Chef Jenn for this recipe.
Baby Spinach Salad with Shiraz Vinagrette
1 - 6oz bag baby spinach
1/2 c. dried cherries or cranberries
- 1/4c. slivered or sliced almonds, toasted (or marcona almonds, untoasted)
- 2T. dijon mustard
- 2tsp. honey
- 1T. red wine vinegar
- 3T. Shiraz syrup (reduced from 1c. Shiraz wine)
- 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk together dijon, honey, shiraz and red wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl toss spinach and dressing. Divide salad onto 5 plates, garnish with almonds and cherries. Note-this salad makes a wonderful entree by adding grilled sliced beef or chicken. Serves 5
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