What a GREAT gift I received from a fantastic person, S. I got to go to cooking class!

I had indicated in my profile that I like to cook and that I'm good at it, but that I suck at baking and would like to get better one day. I was kinda thinking of a book or magic (because I really suck at it), but S was thinking much bigger than I ever could have!

She contacted me about a week ago and asked if I was free in the afternoon on Sunday. She also noted that that 49ers game would be on and that I would probably have to miss the game, but it would likely be super boring. I really appreciated that she took my love for football into consideration. And since I could watch the entire game later or catch the second half somewhere, I said I was free! (Turns out that the game was an abomination of epic proportions. I was GLAD that I missed half of it.)

S messaged me back and said that I was all signed up for cooking class! It was on Sunday from 1-3 at a place called The Savory Kitchen and she gave me the address. (It was super easy to get to and parking was a breeze.) In said class, we would learn how to make Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, Creme de Menthe Brownies and an Egg Nog Trifle!

Wha...? Cooking class? Me?! This is something that I had considered in the past, but had never actually had the guts to do! How exciting! I might actually learn a thing or two about baking! Wheeeeee!

So Sunday came and I went to cooking class. There were eleven of us in the class, one instructor and her assistant. All of the ingredients were all set up on the granite workspace. We started off by pouring wine and/or beer (This is when I knew that I was going to have a good time) and then we got busy. The instructor got all of us going on various tasks for all three recipes and within half an hour, that kitchen was hopping!

I cracked eggs and whisked them with a TON of sugar to go in the egg nog custard for the trifle. I learned about how to use a double boiler to gradually heat something like a custard as I constantly stirred the mixture until it thickened. This was added to the other components that other people were working on.

I also learned how to roll out the cookies into balls and dust them in a powdered sugar and cornstarch mix. The cornstarch helps them crackle in the oven and gives them a really nice little texture! Did you know that? I didn't! And I'm definitely going to get a hanging thermometer for the inside of my oven so that I know how hot it really is in there. That might make a difference when I'm trying to prevent culinary disasters in my own kitchen. In fact, I think that I'm going to start blaming past disaster on my previous lack of a thermometer.

All in all, it was a fabulous experience. The instructor, Nina, was fabulous. She knows her stuff! I loved how she included everyone and made everybody feel welcome and like they belonged there. (I am not always the most adept at feeling comfortable in new situations, but I really felt like I belonged there.) Her assistant, Christina, was also super helpful and always right there to lend a hand if anyone needed it. They emailed me the recipes of what we made the next day, so I got that out of this, too! And the best part was that at the end, we all got to take home some of the stuff that we made! If you think that any of the cookies that I took made it all the way home, well, you'd be mistaken. They were car snacks and they were delicious.

Thank you SO much, S! I'm so thankful for your creativity and your kindness in getting this gift for me. I will absolutely never forget it! And I will also make sure that you get these recipes!