Private cooking lesson

Carol wanted to show the strudel she made to her friends, who had given her a gift certificate for her birthday cooking lesson.
..............................Carol K., Sudbury, Massachusetts

Kid's Cooking Birthday Party

Since Ben loves to cook, his parents treated him to a private cooking lesson for his birthday. His 2 sisters joined him and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

"Thanks so much for the lesson--we all had a terrific time. Ben was very happy and felt that he learned a lot. We also had 2 terrific dinners."
..................................Lisa S., Westboro, Massachusetts

Private cooking lesson

In Jessica and Matt 's kitchen...

"We definitely enjoyed the "fruits of our labor". We were quite full for several days following our class. The afternoon gave us much more than we anticipated! We had so much fun, and really the time just fly by! We have used the chicken with lemon and soy sauce since then, and intend to use the others, but need to wait till after Thanksgiving for room in our tummies! Because of the raving I did after the class and the leftovers I brought in for lunch, several co-workers have asked me for the recipies, so 3 of them got copies, and one has even made the chicken with lemon and soy sauce already! We highly recommend you to those we know, and will potentially in the future call you up for another lesson. I also wanted to say thank you for the cookbook! I have already done 2 other dishes out of it, and they were huge successes too. Thank you so much for the wonderful afternoon and everything that followed!"
....................................Jessica B., Ayer, Massachusetts

Private cooking lesson

Bobby wanted to learn more about Italian cooking, so Pam surprised him with a gift certificate for a cooking lesson right in his own kitchen!

"It was great to meet you last night as well! We really enjoyed the whole experience of cooking with you and learned a lot of helpful hints as well as some really delicious recipes! Everything tasted fantastic! Thank you for the picture - it came out great! We'll definitely be in contact if any questions arise. Thanks again for everything!"
...............................Pam C., Southboro, Massachusetts

Apple Rice Pilaf

© 1999 “So Easy, So Delicious”








1 to 2 T olive oil or butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Rind of 1 orange, grated
1 C white or brown rice
¼ C parsley, minced, divided
2 C apple cider or apple juice
½ C dried cranberries or raisins
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil, butter or margarine in a saucepan. Add onion, celery and orange rind and sauté until vegetables are limp. Add rice and continue cooking just until rice is golden. Add half the parsley, cider or apple juice and dried cranberries or raisins. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes for white rice and almost an hour for brown rice. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle remaining parsley on top just before serving.

Hint: This pilaf has a fruity taste and goes especially well with poultry, pork or lamb.

Private cooking lesson

Kristine and David both got a kick out of the lesson. They also used their head and scored. Kristine was quite forward which would be expected of a forward. Also, even though she is a Breaker, nothing in the class was broken. Can you guess who Kristine is? Check out her website to find out.
"Ellie Deaner’s “Let’s Get Cooking” class was great! My husband and I got it for a wedding present and we finally got around to using it. Ellie did a great job giving us little tidbits and showing how easy it can be. We prepared 5 meals and loved them all.

We had a blast cooking and the kitchen is now a place where I feel more comfortable and my husband too. Thanks Ellie!!!!!!!!

Thanks again for a great afternoon."
..........................................Kristine L., Needham, MA

Garden Club program

Winchester Garden Club members enthusiastically responded to my presentation on “Harvest Recipes with Herbs”. Everyone enjoyed sampling what they saw prepared.
"HI Ellie: I just received a phone call from our President of the Winchester Home and Garden Club and said your program was one of the very best. Our members were so excited to learn a new way of preparing butternut squash, that many went home to have one for dinner in the evening. Also, the pumpkin soup was a big hit. Thanks so much for your wonderful cooking program."

Florence Gosselin, Program Chairlady, Winchester Home and Garden Club, MA

Garden Club program

Medfield Garden Club members seemed very enthusiastic as both listeners and tasters, during my presentation on “Harvest Recipes with Herbs”.

"I speak for all the members of the garden club in saying what a wonderful day we all had yesterday. Your food was delicious, your presentation delightful and you, yourself a charming "julia", meant as a compliment!
Thanks for the great tips on herbs."
...........Fran Fedor, Program Chair, Medfield Garden Club, MA

Private cooking lesson

Nancy surprised her husband with a cooking lesson on his birthday.

"I couldn't wait to tell you how delicious dinner was. We had such a great time and imagine our reward...a wonderful dinner. Dessert is cooking but I know that will be terrific as well.

It was great to finally meet you. Thanks again for helping to make Bob's birthday so special!"

...............................Nancy K., Stoughton, Massachusetts

Halloween Culinary Team Building

Staff training day at Cottage Children’s Center, Marlboro

"Thank you for coming to our center on Monday; I like the concept of cooking as a team building activity. It was a pleasure to meet you and your husband and to be able to participate in this activity." ...........................Denise F.

"Thanks for your team building workshop on Monday. I intend to try a few of the recipes at home. The apple crisp dessert was delicious. The video was nice to see. Thanks for sharing it".............................................Linda M.

Private cooking lesson

Glenn loves to cook and said he was thrilled when Sarah surprised him with a cooking lesson for their anniversary.

"It was great fun cooking with you! We not only ended-up with lots of delicious food but the experience itself was fantastic. Glenn is pumped to know his new cooking tricks, a truly happy customer. So thank-you for everything but most importantly for graciously staying through the completion of the dishes, that was much appreciated.
Again, it was a great pleasure!"
.................................Sarah M., Berlin, Massachusetts

Halloween Culinary Team Building

"On behalf of the Regulatory team here at Cubist, I would like to thank you for providing us with such a fun and delicious teambuilding event. We could not stop talking about it at work yesterday. You and your team were so gracious and planned such a great time for us, which was topped off with delicious food. How could we go wrong? The event met all of our expectations and more. I will make sure I get the word out there to anyone who is looking into options for teambuilding to check out your website. Thank you also for the wonderful pictures and video link. I will plan on sending your emails to the rest of the team so that they can enjoy them as much as I did. Again, we appreciate all that you and your team did and will certainly consider a return engagement in the future.

Best Regards to you and your team for a Happy and Spooky Halloween Season!!!!"

...........Jeff B., Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Lexington, MA

Home cooking lesson

Experienced cooks, Robyn and Paul, celebrated their anniversary by having a cooking lesson and then enjoying their special dinner together.

"Well, even though we had a rough start with our oven/stove, we had a fun afternoon with you and dinner came out GREAT! The filets were juicy and delicious, the asparagus was the best I've had, the rice pilaf was moist and yummy, and last but not least, the souffle rose and topped off our special dinner just perfectly! Paul even made some more crab rangoons for our daughter when she came home...she loved them. When I told her we could make them with nutella, too, she got very excited about helping make some of THOSE!

Thanks again, we had a great time!"

................................Robyn R., Marlboro, Massachusetts

Cidered Baked French Toast

© 1999 “So Easy, So Delicious”

4 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 eggs
½ C apple cider or apple juice
2 T sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on top

Place bread in a 9-inch square baking pan. Whisk together eggs, cider, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Pour this mixture over the bread. Let stand, turning once, until egg mixture is absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet that has been greased or sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes and turn slices. Continue baking until puffed and golden, approximately 12 additional minutes. Serve with applesauce or with confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top.

Hint: If you don’t have raisin bread, use plain bread and add 2 tablespoons raisins to the egg mixture. This recipe is lower in fat than traditional French toast because it is baked rather than fried. Also, egg substitutes can be used. People who are lactose intolerant will appreciate the fact that this is made with cider instead of milk.

Corporate Lunchtime Seminar

If you are looking for some tips to prepare Quick & Healthy Fall Suppers, then click on the video below. This presentation was given at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in Boston.