Cooking Classes

We interrupt this blog for a little self promotion.

My magazine is co-hosting a Cook and Taste Event May 12, 13 ,14. This is our second cooking class event. It is a blast and we have an amazing line up of classes. This time I even helping to teach one.

SO -- If you live in Southern Utah you have a week and half to sign up for one of these amazing courses.
Hint: I am helping with the Pie class. You know how I love to make pie.

photo courtesy of Chef Imi Kun

It is time to dine and cook and taste with some of Southern Utah's best chefs and cooks at the second Cook and Taste event.


Artful Edibles and Alive! Utah have teamed up again to bring you this fantastic culinary event and cooking classes.

Find out more about the event:

MAY 12, 13, 14

Culinary classes, dining and demos.

Located at

2313 West Highway 56, Cedar City

Register at

                                                             http://events.aliveutah.com/

Thursday May 12th
Cheesemaking With Heather Carter
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $45

Learn the basics of cheesemaking in this course with cheesemaker Heather Carter, owner of Nature Hill Farms. Learn how to make homemade cottage cheese, queso blanco and panir cheeses in your own kitchen.

Friday May 13th
Perfect Pies
Time: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $40

Become a pie pro with this sweet class taught by Amani Kaminski of Artful Edibles and Rachelle Hughes from Alive! Utah. Learn pie crust techniques and tips for pastry crusts, tarts and gluten-free nut crusts. Amani will show how to make Mango Custard pie, Chocolate Silk Pie (from scratch -- no pudding) and some tasty handheld pies. Rachelle will share her secrets for a caramel and crumb topped apple pie as well as some of her favorite tarts.
Supplies Needed: Please bring your own rolling pin.

Thai Essentials
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Cost: $40
Explore the flavors that make Thai food unique in asian culture. This course will be geared toward learning about essential herbs, sauces that you can use to create Thai meals at home from scratch.
Learn how to make these authentic Thai dishes:
Seafood Noodle Bundles
-Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
-Stirfry of Beef with Roasted Chili Paste and Thai Basil
-Green Curry of Chicken and Thai Basil (making the paste from scratch)

The teacher, Rebekah Hughes is an Australian native who grew up cooking and eating Thai food.

Romancing the Plate -- Date Night Dine & Demo
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $50 per couple or $30 per person
A romantic date night with food that will tantalize the taste buds . Chef Paul of Garden House demonstrates an easy romantic dinner for two. Come alone and learn to make a romantic meal for your loved one or get a discount and come as a couple to dine on a four course meal you will learn how to make yourself.
Dinner, a date, a culinary adventure
The Menu:
Appetizer: Crab topped deviled eggs
First Course: Ceasar salad
Main Dish: Pasta pomodoro with lamb meatballs
Dessert: Straberrymisu

Saturday May 14th
Soup Secrets with Jeff Gayson
Time: 9-11 a.m.
Cost: $40
Jeff Gayson's soups served at the Garden House in Cedar City are famously delicious. Creamy and comforting or spicy and delectable, they are a Cedar City favorite. During this class Chef Gayson will teach one of his favorite cream based soups and one of his broth based soups. You will also learn basic soup techniques so you can make delicious soups throughout the year.

Chef Imi of Orchids Demo and Tasting
Time: 12:00 to 1:30
Cost: $20
Enjoy an entertaining culinary event for lunch. Come watch Chef Imi of Orchids restaraunt in St. George demonstrate how to cook one of his signature dishes, King Crab Puttanesca.

You may register and pay online for any of these courses up until May 8th. Space is limited so book your spot now at the link below.
http://events.aliveutah.com/

We also take payment and registration at Artful Edibles located at 2313 West Highway 56 in Cedar City. Hours 8am to 2pm Monday thru Friday, after hours by appointment. Contact Amani at 435-559-2330 or Sandi at 435-590-7101.

Spring Break

We had a great spring break even if now I am just plain tuckered out. I kept the kids busy and eventhough I spent two days in a migraine fog, it turned out to be a great 5 of days.

Monday my kids begged me to take them to the aqautic center. Now I will admit I am not a huge lover of spending hours at the pool - I am no fish, dolphin or duck personality. And the thought of spending hours following Lia around because they won't let kids under 6 be alone in even the ankle deep water without a parent right next to them makes me cringe.

Well Lia is one month from 6. Her almost 13 year old brother was going to be there and her nine year old sister who does happen to be a fish and has better swimming skills than me since her stint on the SUU junior swim team was going to be there.

So I begged the pool to let Lia have the pass for six year olds (begged.) and they agreed and Becca and her two 10 year old friends took Lia everywhere and played with her the whole time. I would have given Becca anything she asked for after our 3 hours at the pool. She was so great. I went in the pool a couple times. It was awesome. My kids had a blast and were plum tuckered out. I got to visit with a friend I had not seen in a while.

Later that night I took the girls out for a little Easter dress shopping and we got these two cute new outfits for a steal. I love Down East outfitters.

I wonder if they know I secretly matched their outfit colors like I did in the old days when they were little.

Day 2 dawned with a migraine but Tom was taking off work so we could spend the afternoon in Zion hiking and in St. George. I decided to tough it out and I am glad I did. The Emerald Pool hike in Spring is beautiful even if it is very muddy. I mean who doesn't dream of walking right underneath a waterfall.

Becca ( my not outside girl complained the whole time we were hiking that her feet hurt and that she was tired) Frankly, I was having a hard time buying it. She exercises more than anyone in the family at Crossfit kids 3 times a week and she had just swam for 3 hours the day before. She just doesn't love the great outdoors. But even she liked the waterfalls.

Lia and I stop for a break at the lower pools while the rest of the family travels to higher ground -- The Middle pools

There they are, way above us.

This picture cracks me up. Sometimes 12 year olds just have dumb looks on their face. Especially when I tell him he has been caught with contraband from the park. He was whittling away at this stick.

After our trip into Zion we did a Costco run and Kohls run.

Becca and Isaac were in desperate need of pants. And they do not carry pants for tween sizes in Cedar City. Can I just say I am so proud of Tom. I sent him off with Isaac and told him to get a good deal on jeans. He did much better than expected and found picky Isaac a $15 pair of Tony Hawk jeans.

Friday was coloring eggs day. And try to get rid of the migraine day. Because I had a big night out planned. Tom's band, which is newly dubbed Spilbeedogs, played at Taodz, the local bar/entertainment venue in Cedar. We went out to dinner with the band and band wives and then at 9 p.m. we headed to Toadz. the guys sounded great. A ton of our friends (or roadies as we call them) showed up and it was a blast. My headache even went away and I got up and did a little dancing.

Saturday the Easter bunny came. There was an Easter egg hunt.

 I cleaned, gardened, shopped and prepped Easter dinner.

Oh and prepared a last minute lesson for Lia's Sunday school class which I got asked to teach while preparing dinner.

Easter

Can I just say I love Easter. I love the hope that it reminds me that I have. And that I do indeed live a life based on faith that my savior died for me and was resurrected. While at times my testimony has wavered a liitle. I do have faith in my Savior and the resurrection and I do live my life propelled by this faith.What a beautiful reminder this day is. All week we have been reading a passage from the scriptures of what happened on the days leading up to the resurrection. It has really been a great week. I got to top it off by cooking for family. I love to cook for people. I made a tasty roast leg of lamb, (some rolls which were OK but mostly an experiment), and a very yummy dessert of angel food cake with lemon whip cream filling, berry topping and all in chocolate bowls I made with my kids on Saturday. My mother in law made some tasty potato salad and asparagus to go along with the meal.

It really was an amzing week. And tomorrow we head back to school and work.

A Little Lost

Sunsets remind me of my husband. I know it's mushy. I know. But he really likes sunset. He always takes photos of the really great ones.

And so I am missing my husband. When I was dating Tom at BYU he graduated and left for Arizona to finish his Masters. I have never felt so lost in my life. I wandered from one day to the next, I was listless unfocused and kind of unhappy. For the first time in my life this independent gal felt as if I had lost part of myself. I didn't know what to do with that feeling. It was a weird thing for me.

The last couple of weeks I have felt listless, unmotivated, lost. I have not known what to do with myself. None of my favorite things hold the same fascination for me. I seriously feel as if I am wandering aimlessly from one day to the next.

I was starting to worry. What is wrong with me I thought. Am I depressed? Am I having a midlife crisis, Do I need to change something in my life? And then I realized -- I am just missing Tom. Tax season is hard. Sometimes I forget how hard because hey, this is what we do. Just like other people have their busy seasons this is ours. I always think hey I am one independent gal and I will get through this. But man am I glad we have less than a week left. Because somehow I can't motivate myself to be independent when I barely see the man that is my other half. He motivates me to be me without words -- just simply by being around me, whether that is through moments of love, frustrations or peace.

Can't wait for new sunset sightings in our future. I guess I am just happy to know that I still can't live without that guy.