The Nest

Friday, August 25, 2006 9:24 AM

Mangia!

By Lori

Ever since finding out we're going to become parents, we suddenly hear a "tick tock, tick tock." It's not a biological clock -- it's a stopwatch measuring the very finite amount of time remaining that it's going to be only the TWO of us!

In anticipation of a lot less couple-time, DH and I have been trying to plan some more adventurous date nights. Last weekend we embarked on our first activity at the Institute of Culinary Education -- a 5-hour course called, "Essentials of Tuscan Cooking." Now, first you should understand we admittedly use a delivery service for the majority of our groceries, don't know the difference between sauteeing and searing, and haven't used half of the kitchen gadgets we registered for. But, that's exactly what made cooking school sound like so much fun!

Class began with a review of 12 recipes -- including Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Crostini with Roasted Eggplant, and Almond & Anise Biscotti -- which was the menu that our 16-person class was going to prepare that night. We were split into three “teams” (anybody watch the TV show "Top Chef?" It was like that!) and each assigned several dishes to prepare. Our cheerful instructor was there to help us along the way (good thing, because I had no idea what a chive looked like). The entire cooking process only took a couple of hours, much more quickly than I thought for a dozen recipes! When it was completed and our delectables were ready to be served, the instructor had already magically transformed two of the workstations into an elegant dining table set with white tablecloths, silverware, artfully folded napkins, and bottles of wine. The class then sat down together to enjoy the fruits of our labor -- the highlights being a Wild Mushroom Risotto prepared by one of our fellow teammates, and of course the Oranges with Marsala Glaze for dessert—prepared by yours truly and DH. One last shout-out must go to this guy named Jim, who made the bellissimo biscotti!

We had a blast and would recommend this as not only a great outing for couples, but also for a group of friends. You can call cooking schools in your local area and ask if they offer recreational courses. It inspired us to start wiping the dust off some of those kitchen gadgets and become more adventurous in our recipe selections. Anybody have any recommendations for us budding chefs? We are most interested in dishes that are easy to prepare after we've worked a full day (I know you Nesties can relate), but aren't bland and boring...

If you need some culinary inspiration of your own, check out The Nest Recipe Finder