October is almost over and it has gone by quickly.  I can't believe that it's been so many days since my last post!  I try, but things - work, Jazzercise, reading, knitting, dinner, get in the way! 

Since I last posted I've been to Macy's twice demoing the wonderful pasta attachment for the stand mixer.  I talked to many people, assured them it was as easy as they saw and sent a few people home with new pasta makers.  They will love them!  Today I am going to Macy's again with the stand mixer and the food grinder attachment.

Seriously now is a great time to purchase a stand mixer if you're thinking about it for a gift for yourself or others.  With the purchase of the mixer, you can get a free attachment (food grinder or ice cream) with many of the stand mixer models.  It's a great offer and good only until October 31. 

On Sunday we went to the Fox to see Wicked.  It was wonderful.  I think my husband was a little concerned that I wanted to see a show about how the WIcked Witch got to be wicked, but we both loved the production. 

Monday I had my usual work in the morning to get ready for the week and then I went to lunch with my friend Scott.  He's also a personal chef and we just don't see each other much.  We made plans and they worked!  He suggested Pappadeaux's.  I had never been but I know Scott likes good food so I agreed.  It was very good.  We had the lunch buffet and it had many things.  It started with a beautiful green salad and a fruit salad, boiled shrimp, catfish nuggets, chicken nuggets, shrimp ettoufee, gumbo, chicken and catfish with shrimp topping.  Yum! 

Yes I went to Jazzercise and have been going 3 to 4 times a week.  Several months ago in response to a request from our teacher, I started taking tried and true recipes to the class each week.  People seem to like them and like trying new things for dinner.  This week I made a slight change.  I had had several inquiries about good recipes to give as gifts so I decided to give food gift recipes until the end of the year.  This is the one I chose this week:

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Pie

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 325° F.
BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.
BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

When I gave these to customers as gifts, I bought some ceramic holiday pie plates, put the baked pie (in the foil pan) in the ceramic plate, wrapped it in cellophane with ribbon.  It looked nice and the pie pan can be used later.  It's a tasty gift.  Try the Nestle's site for more good recipes. 

I had customers on Tuesday and Wednesday and am going to Macy's today.  I am planning on nothing tomorrow.  It is Halloween and things get crazy here with traffic.  I think it will be a perfect knitting day.  I also might make muffins since I have some fresh cranberries and orange juice left from cooking this week. 

We're back.  The drive is really not far and we'd return to Charleston for a visit in the future. 

In addition to our walking tour of Charleston on Monday we went to the Charleston Museum.  That was a good visit too.  Just didn't want to forget anything we did.  I got to see clothes, silver and quilts there and enjoyed the visit. 

Wednesday we headed out to Cypress Gardens and Mepkin Abbey.  We started at the gardens and were able to get on the list for the 12:00 guided boat ride in the swamp.  Yes, they have boats that you can take by yourself, I thought we should wait for the tour since the guide would have more information.  While waiting we went in the butterfly house and walked a little. 

The tour was excellent.  We had 8 in our boat and the tour took about 45 minutes.  Our guide gave us historical information and showed us turtles and even a couple alligators.  Very exciting!  And beautiful.  The water is black because of the cypress oil and has good reflections.  Of course after the boat tour we had to walk the grounds for a couple of hours and saw several turtles and our own alligator. 

We headed off to the abbey but got there just as a bus was pulling in so we could not take the church tour.  It was overbooked with the bus.  We did walk the grounds and enjoyed the beauty.  There were some carvings from trees that had fallen and this is the burial place of Clare Booth Luce and Henry Luce. 

After that we were pretty hungry and decided to go for very casual food in Monck's Corner at Gilligan's Seafood.  Good fried shrimp, okra and iced tea.  A perfect meal right on the water. 

Thursday we had scheduled a Culinary Walking Tour.  This was a great tour and would be good at the beginning of a trip to Charleston.  Susan was our guide and once we met at the tour place we headed out.  There were 6 of us on the tour so it was a nice small group.  We started at the Dixie Restaurant where we sampled grits and pumpkin cornbread.  Very good.

We moved on to several places - Belgian chocolates, several restaurants, Charleston Cooks store.  Susan told us about the restaurants, the menus, we tasted chocolate and we walked.  Pretty fast, but there was lots to learn.

We headed to River Street Sweets where we watched the peanut brittle making and sampled many things - peanut brittle, pralines, pumpkin fudge, glazed nuts, sugared nuts.  Again good.  We each got a huge praline for later.  I snapped a couple pictures of the peanut brittle process.

We also went to Teavanna and learned about teas, and ended with barbecue and collard greens.  Excellent.  The tour was about 3 hours, we went over some I believe.  It is a little pricy but worth it. 

The tour finished about 12:30 so we still had a good part of the day to be tourists. We were not hungry and wanted to try and see the tea plantation so off we went.  Not too far and very interesting. 

We got there just in time for a trolley tour so off we went.  Our guide explained the process and the plants.  The plants are related to camellias and some were beginning to bloom.  The fields look like fields of shrubs.  Every 18 or so days the new growth is sheared to be used to make tea.  The plants are evergreen and will be going dormant soon. 

Old growth fields                                                            New plants

Ready to be trimmed                                                   

After the tea plantation we snapped a few pictures of the Angel tree and headed to a winery for tastings.  They make wine with muscadine grapes and they also make a Sweet Tea Vodka.  I'll get back to you on that.  I've heard it is wonderful but powerful.   

Thursday night we ate at the Hominy Grill and it was excellent.  I had cornmeal crusted grouper, turnip greens and macaroni and cheese.  For dessert a cranberry upside down cake with orange sauce.  Perfect!  We went back for breakfast Friday morning.

Friday the plan was to visit the aquarium and we purchased the optional sea turtle hospital tour.  We arrived in time for the river otter breakfast feeding and then toured the aquarium.  Out turtle tour was at 1:00 and if you ever go to Charleston, go to the hospital.  The director told us about the program, about the turtles, what they do and what we would see before we went in.  Once in we could see all the turtle patients, ask questions, watch some feeding and learn all about everyone.  Very casual, very unrushed, very good. 

The hospital was full with 8 turtles ranging from 70 pounds to over 300 pounds.  They had various problems - run ins with boats, pnuemonia, fish hook injuries, etc.  They are beautiful.  The aquarium is non profit and relies on donations for the turtle program.  Check out the website and blog.  One woman on the tour had rescued one of the turtles a year ago.  She was there visiting her.  Since they have such slow metabolisms they are slow to heal.  Here are a few pictures, but you have to go.

We ended our day with dinner at Cru Cafe and again an excellent meal.  Now we're home and I'll be serving chicken noodle soup!  

We made it safe and sound to Charleston.  Not a bad drive especially since I read magazines and got a row of knitting done.  We got here about 3:00, checked into the hotel and went for a walk down to the water.  We were having a nice stroll when a huge rain cloud came through with torrents of rain.  We cowered for a while and then headed back to the hotel.  We're staying at Charleston Place and it is very nice.

Sunday night we had dinner at Blossom and had a very good dinner.  Our waiter was okay, he started out strong and then faded, but the food was good.  We were tired after the drive so we headed back to get rested for Monday.

Since I've been back from New Orleans, I've been very busy so my vacation planning was not as done as I would have liked.  I had made time to get a AAA tourbook so we reviewed that Monday morning and made some plans.  Monday was casual touring day.  There were two walking tours described in the AAA book so we took those pages and set out.  We saw churches, houses, water, trees, and had a wonderful time.  We tend to walk lots while vactioning so we put in about 5 hours before we went back to the hotel to rest.

As you can see the rain was gone and we had sunny, breezy weather.  Perfect for all the walking we did.  Monday night we asked the concierge for a restaurant suggestion and he suggested Hanks.  I had heard good things about it so that was the plan.  It was excellent.  I thought Sunday's dinner was good but this was better.  I remembered the camera, I had forgotten it Sunday.

We had early reservations, about 7, because we had scheduled a ghost/graveyard walking tour for 9:30.  After walking all day that might not have been the best plan, but we had tickets so off we went.  The guide did a good job but since I don't believe in ghosts I was too logical minded to be scared or expect to get pictures.  It was a nice evening, we learned some history and we got back to get some sleep about 11:30.  A long day.  But good.

Tuesday we planned to take a little drive and look at plantations.  There were three in the AAA tourbook and we decided on 2, we try and stay reasonable.  It doesn't always work.  We decided on Drayton Hall first and had a wonderful time.  The house has not been renovated, has no furnishings and was beautiful to see.  Our tour guide Leslie did a wonderful job and after the house tour we took a self guided marsh tour.  We decided that we could skip the river walk since we had another place to visit. 

Again, wonderful sunny weather.  We left Drayton Hall to go a couple miles to Middleton Place.  We took a house tour which was furnished, I love to see period furnishing, and then did a self guided walk of the grounds.  As I said we walk a lot on vacation and this took us about 3 hours.  There are formal gardens, informal gardens, a cypress lake, huge live oaks, a rose garden, bamboo groves, benches for resting, and markers to follow.  We had a great time.  I highly recommend the garden tour.  We also saw various displays of what was needed to be done for everyday - the potter, the spinning, the carriages, the animals and the blacksmith.  He was probably my favorite.  He does things the old fashioned way and talked us through the process and loved his job.  We headed to the hotel tired but happy.

We had reservations Tuesday night at the hotel at the Charleston Grill.  Oh my.  The food and service are excellent.  Not inexpensive but perfect.  We had a relaxing, almost 2 hour dinner with perfect food and wine.  I highly suggest trying this if you are in Charleston.  Plan for it and enjoy the experience.

Today we are headed to the swamp and hopefully the abbey.  I excect there will be more walking but that helps with the eating.  We are having a wonderful time.  I've taken many, many pictures but try to be sensible working on the laptop. 

I thought that I'd get some pictures posted before now, but I was overly optimistic.  Not unusual for me. 

I left New Orleans at 6:30 central time.  I am usually up early and when I'm finished with something I am ready to go.  It was very easy to get on the road and on my way and it's a pretty easy drive.  I got home about 4 pm.  I am not one to stop much when driving but I did stop for some lunch and got gas a couple times. 

Once home I spent a couple hours getting organized - unpacking, getting a load of laundry in, making eggs for dinner (it was "whatever" Tuesday).  I then relaxed with some tv and was pretty wide awake.  I knew I was tired, but didn't fall asleep quickly.  I loaded the car with my cheffing equipment about 11:30 pm. 

I had customers on Wednesday and Thursday and was wondering why I thought it was a good idea to schedule someone for Wednesday but the day went well and I did nothing stupid.  I also got to spend time with the dogs - Becky Sue and Charlie Brown.  I'll have to get pictures of them.  Thursday also went well but I was very tired, finally I got caught by exhaustion. 

I went to Jazzercise last night for the first time in a week and it was great to be back there.  Today I have knitting class and a meal to make for Loving Meals.  Saturday I am teaching in Decatur for the 3 to 5 year olds and Sunday I have a KitchenAid demo at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 

I'm pretty busy but that is excellent! 

Pictures from New Orleans:

My breakfast restaurant, seafood omelette was delicious!

Courtyard at visitor center.

Saint Louis Cathedral - always look up, the ceiling is beautiful.  The cathedral was founded in 1718.

Central Grocery home of the muffuletta.  Lots of spices, hot sauces and stuff!

A view from the park - typical building and Cafe du Monde.

Yes, there are many types of tours and these guys lead the carriages.

Finally I did not just just eat and look for food.  I must admit that there was a lot of that, but I also visited some shops while on the food search.  I purchased a cookbook at Crescent City Books which is a huge used book store, worth a look. 

I also visited Louisiana Loom Works on Chartres Street and had to purchase a rug.  It came yesterday and looks great.  I like to support crafts people.  The woman who owned the store was wonderful to talk with and explain her methods.

Now I have to stop and get ready.  Last knitting class I was almost late because I try to do "just one more thing".  And it's never one!  

So I left the house Thursday morning about 11.  I needed to get in a Jazzercise class before leaving because I know I will be eating and drinking.  Lots. 

My plan was to drive to Mobile, stop, eat, sleep and then continue.  A perfect plan.  I had lunch at the Bates House of Turkey near Montgomery, Alabama.  It wasn't bad but I would not go out of my way for the meal.  I got to Mobile about 5, checked in and tried to get  the the computer working but no luck.  I went to dinner, again not exceptional, it was a suggestion of the desk clerk.  It wasn't bad, just not great.  I slept well last night and was on the road at 7am.

I had just started my morning trip when heavy rain started.  This was not a bad thing,  I really needed it.  I don't know what the deal is, but at Montgomery, there were tons of flies.  Tons, swarms, smashing on the windshield.  I had to pull off once to wash so I could see. So the rain, hard to drive in, washed the car nicely. 

I got to New Orleans about 9:30 and went directly to The New Orleans School of Cooking where I was signed up for a cooking class at 10.  It was fantastic!  The menu:

• Shrimp and Artichoke Soup
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
• Pralines

This was a demonstration class so I took notes and then ate.  Everything tasted great and the teachers did an excellent job.  If you're ever in the area and need a fun activity, go there.  I even got some pictures.

Once done with class, I found the hotel, checked in, left my car to the valet where it will stay, the streets and drivers are crazy!  Tonight I have been invited to dinner with the board members of WCR.  I got invited since I'm a coordinator for the Atlanta group.  We are eating at a fairly new restaurant, I just saw it in the restaurant edition of Bon Appetit so I'm excited to try it.  It's called MiLa and I'll let you know how it is.

Now I am going to relax, not nap though, maybe knit, think about what to wear tonight, see if it's still raining and I'm not sure what else.   

Since I taught a cooking class on Saturday, technically work, we decided to have Family Fun Day on Sunday.  We went to church, home for a quick breakfast and then set off for Persimmon Creek Vineyards.

I had received an email from Georgia Organics about a wine tasting and tour and that sounded like fun.  My husband said it would take 2 hours to drive.  The drive was easy especially since I knit a row on my cape on the way up.  One row takes 1 hour so that was a good car activity.  Only one row though, then I looked at scenery. 

We got to the vineyard about 12:30 and since the tour started at 1, we had a little time to look around.  It was a beautiful day!

At 1:00, a tour guide got us and 2 other people and we headed off, up the hill, to the first tasting station.  This station was led by Mary Ann Hardman who owns the vineyard with her husband.  She talked to us about the number of acres, how the grapes are grown, how they control pests and mold and we tasted Georgia Cabernet Franc.  She encouraged us to taste the grapes also.  Delicious!  They have vines that are producing and new vines and some that were original to the property and about 30 years old.

The netting around the grapes is to keep the birds from eating all of the grapes.  They don't use it with green grapes since birds can't see the green grapes as easily as the purple.

Once we left Mary Ann we went to several other stations, tasted the various wines, saw the old spring house and followed the creek back to the house and winery.

One of the volunteers helping out Sunday was their neighbor Stacy.  We had a nice chat with her before the tour and she told us about a vegetable stand that she said was wonderful.  We decided to go and pick up a few things for dinners for the week.  I kept telling my husband "not too much, I'm leaving Thursday."  I got a little too much but the produce was gorgeous!  I got okra, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, hot banana peppers, corn and a couple regular tomatoes.  We're having a vegetable plate tonight.

If you're in the Clayton area you'll want to check out the stand and the tiny barbecue place beside it.  Yes, we had barbecue.  We had toured through the vineyards for about 1 1/2 hours so needed some lunch. It was very good and very messy.  Totally worth it.

I haven't talked much about the garden this year.  We do have one with our normal things - tomatoes, peppers, herbs and it's done pretty well.  We have had tomatoes all summer but have not been flooded with them.  I have not seen the turtle all summer  and have kept looking, but decided that he moved since it's September already.  I saw tomatoes with chunks out and kept leaving some on the ground but thought doves were eating them.

 I got home today from the dentist today and there he was!  Actually he was on the driveway at the edge of the garage and is lucky he did not get hit by the car.  I was very happy to see him and he didn't even hiss at me when I moved him to the ground.  I also gave him a tomato and he chowed down.  So he is here this year after all.

 It's time to get ready for Jazzercise.  I probably won't write again until Thursday evening.  I have lots of errands tomorrow, a customer Wednesday and then I leave Thursday to go to New Orleans for the Women Chef's conference.  Very exciting!  I plan to drive a few hours, stop somewhere Thursday night, continue driving Friday in time for a cooking class at 10 am.  My husband will be here to eat the rest of the tomatoes and provide technical laptop support.

This weekend was pretty quiet.  I had a class on Saturday at the library but we rescheduled it hoping for better attendance.  The date was probably a poor choice since Saturday was the end of the first week of school in Fulton County. 

My husband had volunteered to make some stands for an upcoming church production since he thought I would be gone.  Not a problem, I can always find ways to entertain myself!  He said he had one helper coming over and they'd just grab lunch at Chick Fil A.  I like Chick Fil A, but the more I thought about it the more wrong it seemed.  I told him that I'd make lunch. 

I started with another peach cobbler since they are quick and I'm getting pretty good at them.  I made one Friday to take to my hair salon.  I used a few more peaches than called for and this is pretty good.  Especially warm. I had it without ice cream or whipped cream. 

Peach Cobbler from Paula Deen

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.
4. Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Once I had the cobbler baking I went to the office to do a little work for a cooking class I have today.  A woman contacted me because she wanted to learn some kitchen basics. We will be working on some basic knife skills, some pan sauteeing, some roasting of meat and vegetables.  We'll be doing this at her home and it should be fun.

While I was working upstairs I heard someone come, the helper I assumed.  My husband came up and said that he had 3 helpers, not 1 and did I want them to go get lunch.  I replied that we were fine with more people.

I had planned a recipe from Giada for lunch using the grape tomatoes and basil from the garden.  We would also have some watermelon for a salad and the cobbler.  I used rotini pasta with this recipe.

Spaghettini with Checca Sauce from Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Italian

8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta
4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree).
3. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

The helpers were very happy with the lunch and I heard they taunted the one that left before lunch with words of "warm peach cobbler" .

Sunday we had reservations to go out to dinner at Restaurant Eugene. It was excellent.  I had a roasted pepper soup with blue crab, halibut with tomatoes, eggplant and polenta and a smoked, baked chocolate mousse for dessert.  I need to make the soup!  My husband had a wedge salad with blue cheese, sturgeon with risotto and a brownie with toasted coconut ice cream.  We will go back again, we had a wonderful, relaxing meal.  

I finished the second session of kid's cooking on Friday, pictures would be nice, but in reality there was no time on Friday for pictures.  We made food for 40 people with the following menu:

• Mixed Greens Salad with Basil Vinaigrette, Balsamic Strawberries, Toasted Almonds and Proscuitto
• Chicken with Mascarpone Marsala Mustard Sauce
• Fettuccuine Alfredo with Fresh, Hand Made Pasta
• Warm Cajeta Cake

We had several stations set up with the kids assigned to each one.  We made 4 cakes,6 batches of pasta, 6 batches of chicken and a lot of salad.  We ended up with one small cut, but it didn't interfere with the process. 

I thought we had plenty of time and totally missed the hour of 12 to 1.  I happened to see some of the guests arriving, it was 12:45 and we had no food ready.  The guests were told to come at 1.  I'm not sure how we got the tables set up, set with silverware and cups, all the food ready and the guests seated and eating by 1:15, but of course the kids pulled it off.  To rave reviews.

I felt the need to go out for dinner Friday night which we did, for Mexican.  We were also supposed to go get groceries for company for the weekend, but I didn't have the list and my husband had a business call at 7, so we went home. 

Saturday morning we got up bright and early not for Jazzericise, but to meet my step-daughter Beth, her husband Michael and our grandson Matthew at the Georgia Aquarium.  We met at 9:30 downtown at their hotel. 

We got right in at the aquarium and had a great time looking at everything.  We even were there to watch them feed the sea lions.  Matthew, mom and dad got up close and personal with the penguins.

After looking at all the exhibits and all of the water life, we were hungry.  We decided to go to lunch at Zocalo.  We loaded into our car and off we went.  It was an excellent choice.  We had fresh made guacamole, enchiladas and chips.  After lunch we dropped Matthew, mom and dad at their hotel and we drove home.  First of course to the store, with the list, for the Sunday brunch menu ingredients. 

Next stop home and a nap!  After the refreshing nap we headed back to town to meet Matthew, mom and dad, and also my step-daughter Christine and her husband Chuck at Turner field for the ball game.  It was a beautiful night, perfect weather, not an overly exciting game until we left in the eighth inning and runs were scored and the Braves won.  Yes, missed that.  We did however have a good time and saw the 40 foot cow that just moved in on Friday.

We split up after the game with plans to meet today.  This morning we set the alarm for 6, read the paper, had tea and then to the kitchen to make brunch for 6.  The menu was pretty easy - Potato Crust Quiche, Fresh Fruit Salad, Biscuits and Fresh Apple Cake. 

We got the cake in the oven first, cut up all the fruit - cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango and kiwi, made the quiche and got the biscuit ingredients measured and prepped.  The dishwasher had to go with the first batch of dishes and we were ready with little stress.

We sat down to eat about 10:45 and everything was wonderful if I do say so myself.  The kitchen was clean in no time, I played a couple games of marbles with Matthew, my husband showed off his woodworking in the basement and we had a nice family day. They are all on the road now to home and the cat, my husband and I just might take a nap.  We deserve it.  I took a good family picture of everyone on the couch looking at old pictures.

Just a quick entry for today, I need to get ready to teach my kid's class in Decatur.  I had long days Wednesday and Thursday with the Culinary Business Academy students but they were good days.  We had a smaller class than usual, 6 students where we regularly have 8, and they were happy with the week.  I had planned my menu for the week knowing I would be tired so we had shredded beef burritos made from leftovers in the freezer.  Perfect.

Yesterday I met with someone who is trying to move here from New York.  She's doing some networking and is staying near Perimeter Mall, so we went to lunch at the new Alon's there.  Wow!  First of all the store is gorgeous and the food is fantastic.  Also they were very organized and things moved quickly as far as ordering, paying and getting to our table.  I had soup and a sandwich and both were great.

I wasn't sure I'd be hungry for dinner because I rarely have a sit down meal for lunch so I had planned sandwiches and chips, just a lighter meal.  The sandwiches were very good.  I am not normally a fan of cold sandwiches so even a sandwich for me usually involves some cooking.

Portobello "Philly Cheesesteak" Sandwiches from Eating Well Magazine December 2005/January 2006

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 ounces thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. 
4.  Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.
5. Serves 4

Again this evening for dinner I planned to stay simple.  I love teaching classes but I am tired afterwards.  The freezer comes to the rescue again with spaghetti sauce! The class today is Springtime Brunch.   

As much fun as I had this weekend, it was a little tiring.  I am recovered now, had a great Jazzercise workout last night, got my desk and work organized for the future yesterday and feel like things are back to normal.

The cooking show on Sunday promised to be much easier for me than Saturday was.  For one thing I wasn't quite as nervous since I had already lived through one day.  For another, I only had one class not two, so piece of cake.  Also my lead Chef Cristian still thought I was crazy but not really a danger.

The first person I saw when I entered the room was Scott Peacock.  He is one of my favorite people and he remembered me!  He gave me a hug and we chatted a little.  If you don't know him check out Watershed and also his cookbook, it's great.  The okra fritters or pancakes, I forget the exact name of the recipe are tremendously good.  He too was doing an interactive class, his students were taller than mine!

Yes, I had to get a picture of me with my sign.  I was very excited to have my name up in front of my cooking spot.  I know, I am kind of geeky, but I think almost anyone would want to do the same thing.  I do not enjoy pictures of me however.

After my pictures I ran into friends Matthew and Lynda Phillips and Scott Wilson who tormented me in a friendly way, I'm sure, about pictures and autographs.  They were taking in the show and had just arrived.  We hugged, chatted and they were on their way.

The next famous chef to appear was Virginia Willis.  She is very nice, was a judge for the kid's cooking last summer and has a new cookbook out.  She was with her mom who I got to meet and Virginia was off to teach a class too with recipes from her book.  I have it and next time I see her will get her to sign it for me. 

It was getting close to my class time, so I went behind the black curtains to get ready for the 7 to 9 year olds.  I clearly remember the starts of the classes I taught and the end, but the middle parts are a blur.  Sometime in the middle on Sunday, one of the assistants said "wow did you just see John Ash come through here?".  Of course I didn't!  And I would have liked to have met him, I have at least one of his cookbooks! 

This is a time of teaching for me.  Tomorrow and Thursday I am teaching for The Culinary Business Academy and Saturday I have a Spring Brunch class at The Cook's Warehouse.  I love the variety in my life!