Mai Time in the Kitchen is Going Live!

When we lived in Northern Virginia, one of the most anticipated pieces of mail I would receive twice a year was a listing of Adult Education Classes that our local school district ran in the Fall and Spring. No lie, when I sensed the time of their catalog circulation drawing nie, I would anxiously flip through the stack of mail each afternoon, until finally, after weeks of anticipation and worry (of course, it always evolves into worry with me: did they take me off their mailing list? Did the mailman put it in the wrong mailbox? I really am ashamed of myself), finally the thin pamphlet would arrive, and my eyes would quickly scan through the offerings of ESL and cross-stitching classes, till they lit upon their treasure: cooking classes.

Within 10 minutes of receiving the catalog, I’d have the registration form and check in a stamped envelope back in the mailbox, heading out to the registrar to reserve my spot in my beloved cooking class. One time, mind you, one time, a class got booked before I was able to enroll so I quickly learned that a fast turn-around was important if I didn’t want to get left out.

I know, it’s a little extreme for a silly little cooking class, right? Wrong. I’m a homeschooling mother of 4 small kids. Opportunities to mingle with creatures who don’t play with their poop or giggle uncontrollably at the mention of the word “poop” are few and far between. Sometimes that time away at cooking class was the only thing keeping me out of the loony bin.

But that’s not all. I truly adore cooking and to spend two hours of my evening listening to someone talking about cooking and then feeding me outrageously good food at the end of it all was simply a slice of heaven to me.

And the teacher, well, she was a treat. Michelle was probably around 55 years old with a wild mop of curly brown hair and an unnaturally cheery disposition. I loved her from the moment I layed eyes on her. She made me feel like nothing, no recipe, technique, or ingredient, could be too difficult to conquer. I learned so much from her, but most of all, I learned to have confidence in my cooking.

Since moving to Lancaster, I’ve really missed my classes with Michelle. Occasionally, when I would sit at the table watching her whisking and chatting away about the time she hosted a dinner for a Saudi Arabian prince, I’d think, “I’d like to do what she’s doing one day. I can’t think of a job I’d like better.”

Well, I’ve decided that today is that day. “Mai Time in the Kitchen” is going live! I’m inviting you, or anyone you know who might be interested, to join me for a cooking class entitled “Holiday Beginnings and Endings”. This class will take place from 7-9pm at The Family Center of Gap beginning Tuesday, October 26th and will continue each Tuesday night through November 16th. The cost is $95 and will cover the food and materials for all four weeks. In the class I’ll cook up some new recipes for the old holiday appetizer and dessert standby’s: no more chips and salsa or boxed brownies, folks. From a Caramel Pumpkin Cake that converted me into a cake-lover to the most divine Spinach, Feta, and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms, you will come away with a plethora of new recipes to spice up your holiday menu and have a chance at the end of each class to sample all the goodies!

I'm limiting the class to 12 participants so if you are interested, please email me at maileshawn@yahoo.com. Thanks, everybody! And later this week I will relay the story of my adventures at The Great Frederick Fair last week and my grand cookie experiment. I might even be convinced to pass along my much coveted Butterfinger Cookie recipe if the mood hits me just right. Till then!