there's always a story...
and this month, i won't let you down.
in january, i had a work event at st. vincent's one nineteen. it's a new facility and this was the first time i had the opportunity to visit. it's pretty snazzy.
st. vincent's is a healthcare system and has several hospitals in and around the birmingham area. st. vincent's one nineteen not only houses doctors' offices, but also has a gym, spa, and wellness center.
through their wellness programs, they offer tons of classes from prenatal yoga to karate to cooking...
i've always wanted to take a cooking class, and decided that would be my adventure for august.
and this month, i won't let you down.
in january, i had a work event at st. vincent's one nineteen. it's a new facility and this was the first time i had the opportunity to visit. it's pretty snazzy.
st. vincent's is a healthcare system and has several hospitals in and around the birmingham area. st. vincent's one nineteen not only houses doctors' offices, but also has a gym, spa, and wellness center.
through their wellness programs, they offer tons of classes from prenatal yoga to karate to cooking...
i've always wanted to take a cooking class, and decided that would be my adventure for august.
sign me up!
after checking out their website in july, i found a cajun cooking class for tuesday, august 24th. this is great, i thought, i've never been to new orleans (airports don't count)...and this would be a perfect opportunity to learn about the food there.
after checking out their website in july, i found a cajun cooking class for tuesday, august 24th. this is great, i thought, i've never been to new orleans (airports don't count)...and this would be a perfect opportunity to learn about the food there.
i really enjoy cooking. i'm always looking for new ideas on what to make, but cooking for 1 can be a challenge (who wants leftovers for a week?)....so i'm on the "single girl food plan" which, in my case, consists of: salads, cereal, sandwiches, and whatever restaurant i'm meeting friends at.
and there's the occasional time, that i'll make strawberry cookies...they're always a big hit!:)
a few weeks before the class started, i recruited my roommate, caroline, to join me. thankfully, she agreed. thanks caroline!
we arrived right on time. yes, a first for me.
a few weeks before the class started, i recruited my roommate, caroline, to join me. thankfully, she agreed. thanks caroline!we arrived right on time. yes, a first for me.
all of the tables near the front had been taken. apparently, most of the people that come to this class are "regulars" and getting there early ensures you get a better seat.
good to know.
we were forced to the back table...yes, rather unfortunate, but still excited to be there.
the class began with the chef explaining the cuisine served in the big easy and said he would be preparing several great dishes.
the menu for the evening included:
barbeque shrimp sauce
savory crab cheesecakes
corn & zucchini pudding
pork grillades
paneed catfish in pepper butter sauce
chocolate bread pudding
yum.
the chef began by preparing the barbeque shrimp sauce. we all watched intently as he discussed what do with each ingrediant. fortunately, each person was given recipe cards for each of the recipes so we weren't having to copy everything down.
about halfway through the chef preparing the savory cheese cheesecakes, caroline spotted a lady she knew and waved her and her husband over to our table. since they had arrived late and we had plenty of room at our back row table, we asked them to join us.
caroline introduced the lady to me; she is caroline's fiance's gardener and the gentleman with her was her husband.
"i didn't know you came to this class. do you come often?" caroline asked.
"yes, we're regulars," the lady replied in her british accent.
as soon as they sat down, they began making small talk. which was fine, initially.
the menu for the evening included:
barbeque shrimp sauce
savory crab cheesecakes
corn & zucchini pudding
pork grillades
paneed catfish in pepper butter sauce
chocolate bread pudding
yum.
the chef began by preparing the barbeque shrimp sauce. we all watched intently as he discussed what do with each ingrediant. fortunately, each person was given recipe cards for each of the recipes so we weren't having to copy everything down.
about halfway through the chef preparing the savory cheese cheesecakes, caroline spotted a lady she knew and waved her and her husband over to our table. since they had arrived late and we had plenty of room at our back row table, we asked them to join us.
caroline introduced the lady to me; she is caroline's fiance's gardener and the gentleman with her was her husband.
"i didn't know you came to this class. do you come often?" caroline asked.
"yes, we're regulars," the lady replied in her british accent.
as soon as they sat down, they began making small talk. which was fine, initially.
shortly after they arrived, i realized they weren't at the class to learn how to cook, they were there to socialize and eat. therefore, that meant they wanted someone to socialize with....
i'm sure you can bet who those 2 people who were were :)
to make matters even more interesting, when the chef came around the table to discuss what he was making, "chatty kathy" decided to do some matchmaking for the chef.
and the lucky girl she wanted to set him up with was?
i'm sure you can bet who those 2 people who were were :)
to make matters even more interesting, when the chef came around the table to discuss what he was making, "chatty kathy" decided to do some matchmaking for the chef.
and the lucky girl she wanted to set him up with was?
any guesses?
ding, ding, ding....yours truly. ha!
about halfway through the class, a lady from another table asked if we could be quieter.
can i get an amen?
but that only made our new friend talk even louder.
at that point, i gave up.
i had tried the "i'm concentrating look" and attempted to ignore the converstation at the table, but even that, wasn't successful. i was roped into conversation.
finally, the chef began to prepare his last dish of the evening...bread pudding. when the chef began to use toasted breadcrumbs in the recipe, our new friend at the table yelled out, "this isn't bread pudding!" ha!
but that only made our new friend talk even louder.
at that point, i gave up.
i had tried the "i'm concentrating look" and attempted to ignore the converstation at the table, but even that, wasn't successful. i was roped into conversation.
finally, the chef began to prepare his last dish of the evening...bread pudding. when the chef began to use toasted breadcrumbs in the recipe, our new friend at the table yelled out, "this isn't bread pudding!" ha!
apparently, she uses fresh breadcrumbs in her recipe.
we each got to sample each item that he prepared. the first bite of everything was delicious. by the second bite, it was too rich for me. there was so much heavy cream and butter in every recipe that when i got to the last dish, i felt miserable.
we each got to sample each item that he prepared. the first bite of everything was delicious. by the second bite, it was too rich for me. there was so much heavy cream and butter in every recipe that when i got to the last dish, i felt miserable.
it was a good learning experience (at least what i heard) and caroline and i had a great laugh on the way home about how there's always a good story...c'est la via!
love,
alison
love,
alison
No comments:
Post a Comment