Will this rain ever stop?

With all this rain at least we don't have to water our tomatoes! However, we have a mushroom farm growing in our yard. Unfortunately, the mushrooms are probably poisonous, so we can't even cook or eat them. What a waste!

Camp cooking lesson

Here's a group of 11 teenagers enjoying the meal that they prepared as an activity at their day camp.They were very enthusiastic and especially loved pounding the chicken!

Ripening Summer fruits and veggies

Many summer fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, and melons, are not ripe when we purchase them. To hasten the ripening process, place them in a paper bag, close the bag and store at room temperature. Once your fruits have adequately ripened, you can halt the process by putting them in the refrigerator.

Bachelorette cooking party

I had a great time working on a bachelorette party in Cambridge for a bride-to-be and her friends who know how much she loves to cook. She had no idea what was planned and was thrilled to be abe to cook with her best friends. They all donned their chef's hats and aprons and had a ball preparing and eating the wonderful dinner that they cooked together. Wasn't Candice a beautiful bride one week later!!
Thank you again for a wonderful time and great cooking tips (all the girls have been raving about it, especially the microwavable salmon dish!) Lydia L., Indianapolis, IN

Private cooking lesson

Judy and John's chidren gave them a gift certificate for a cooking lesson so that John would, after more than 40 years of marriage, learn how to help Judy with the cooking. Below is what they had to say about their experience.

We thoroughly enjoyed your cooking skills! I was blown away with how much you accomplished in just over two hours! We all enjoyed gourmet dining for dinner, including my son in law who arrived late!..Soo glad to have new recipes! I’ll be sure to let you know if John cooks again! At least he tried for the first time! Keep on trying to educate our men. Once again we really enjoyed your visit! Keep on cooking! Judy T., Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Corporate culinary team building

A group of 36 enthusiastic employees, who were divided into teams, together produced a delicious and partiotic-themed dinner and then sat down to enjoy the 'fruits of their labor'.

Click on ► above to start video

Here's what some of the participants had to say:

What a phenominal way to gather and bond! Susan D.

This was a terrific event. It was fun working together with people that I don't necessarily interact with on a daily basis. Great fun and great food! Ann Marie G.

Great informal and stressless team building activity that allows employees to work together. Mikki D.

Garlic info

When I teach, one of the most frequently asked questions is in regards to garlic. People want to know if they can substitute chopped garlic that can be purchased in jars, for fresh garlic. In my estimation, there is absolutely no comparison between the two. Fresh garlic tastes and smells infinitely better. I always use fresh garlic and either chop it with a sharp knife, in a food processor, or with a garlic press.

Garlic should be stored at room temperature, either in a wire or wicker basket, away from direct sunlight.

Bridal shower

Maureen and Chris enjoying cooking at Maureen's bridal shower.
Thank you for a wonderful shower and cooking demo! We had a lot of fun and the food was delicious! The video came out great! Maureen M., Cohasset, Massachusetts

Whipping cream

• To whip cream for frostings, fillings and decorations, you may use either whipping cream, all purpose cream or heavy cream.
• For best results, be sure to chill a metal bowl, beaters, or the whisk for at least 15 minutes. If, however, you don't have time to chill the bowl, you can immerse it in a larger bowl filled with ice water and proceed as usual.
• Remember to use a bowl that's deep enough, keeping in mind the cream will double in volume when it's whipped.
• Decrease the instances of splattering by gradually increasing the speed of the mixer from low to high.
• A small amount of cream (less than 1 cup) will whip better in a deep narrow bowl than one that's large and wide.
• You'll get more volume from whipped cream if you hold off adding sugar or flavorings like vanilla or liqueurs until the cream has been whipped to soft peaks.
  
  

Keeping red spices fresh

Since the optimun shelf life for most dried spices and herbs is 6 months, you'll probably be happy to hear that this time can be extended for red spices such as chili powder, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes by keeping them refrigerated.

Capturing egg shells

Since this month many of you will probably be using lots of eggs for cooking and baking, I thought that I’d share an interesting factoid about eggshells with you. Inevitably someone asks me how to get broken pieces of eggshells out of the bowl after they’ve cracked an egg. The best way, in my opinion, is to use another piece of shell to attract the stray piece. One piece of cracked egg shell acts like a magnet and attracts other pieces.

Intergenerational cooking lesson

A father and his daughter-in-laws had fun cooking together.
We had a blast on Friday night. Thank you so much for making the experience a great one. We loved all of the food! The pasta, chicken and tortellini soup were the "favs" but we really enjoyed everything! We are looking forward to trying out the recipes on our own. Rachel A., Longmeadow, MA

Birthday gift certificate

I just want to let you know how fantastic my lesson was, I had such a great time! Thank you again...

Oh' and the Beef Wellington was amazing, we ended up called the neighbors to help us finish the food :)

thank you...

Rachel P., Shrewsbury, Mass.

Valentine cooking lesson

See how much David is enjoying his Valentine gift, a cooking lesson, from Lauren!

David and I had a wonderful time on Friday night. I could never get him to do as much work as he did in the kitchen on Friday. We had a blast and the recipes were wonderful. We had a feast on Sunday with all the leftovers. I cant wait to have my girlfriends over in the summer time for those ribs! Lauren F., S. Boston, MA

Garden club program

This was a return engagement to the Norwell Garden Club.