Cooking and Teaching Like Crazy

Oh my goodness!! What a crazy last couple of months it has been! How can it be July already??? 

May and June were really busy months for me. I started cooking for a new client, who is trying a vegan diet, and it has been interesting. For the most part I am preparing vegetarian meals for her, but I have been trying my hand with some true vegan recipes. I love learning new things about foods and cooking!

Teaching at Viking was pretty non-stop as well. Between the six-week Viking Unitversity series, Kid's Camp and regular glasses, I spent a great deal of time in the teaching kitchen.

Let me tell you about the Viking University series. It is designed to teach specific skills each week to the same group of students. Week One was knife skills and I am proud to report that no one cut themselves! Week Two was Stock, Soups and Sauces. Week Three: Roasting and Baking. Week Four: Sauteing, Frying and Stir-Frying. Week Five: Grilling and Broiling. Week Six: Braising, Boiling, Poaching and Steaming. By week two the class had come together like they had known each other for years.  We laughed and traded stories for the next five weeks. What a great class, and so much fun! I looked forward to seeing them on Thursday mornings. They presented me with a beautiful bouquest of flowers during our last class. Imagine my surprise! And from what I heard from the Viking staff, this was a first.

Here's a picture of the group.