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| - My sister and I gave a Whisked Away cooking class as a gift to our mom, step-mom and 4 stepsisters for Christmas. On December 26, Maggie opened her home (and business) to us and taught us to cook with pumpkin! There were chairs set up in classroom style on the living room side of the kitchen pass-through with vintage fabric aprons draped over the back. We brought a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy and poured ourselves a glass as we took our seats. Maggie introduced herself, and her mother who was visiting for the holidays, and got to work reviewing the recipes and offering up tips for cutting onions, getting the smell of garlic off your hands and answering questions along the way.
When it was our turn, we donned our aprons and entered the kitchen. While it did strike me as unusual to have a cooking class in someone's home, I must say, the familiarity of a homey kitchen contributed to a more relaxed and paced learning and cooking experience (I've taken classes in kitchen shops, etc. before and it had a more scattered and sterile feel). That said, the fact that I was surrounded by family -- some of the most wonderful women I know -- probably also added to that affect.
With our menu complete: Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup, Green Beans with Pepitas, Pan-Seared Scallops with Pumpkin Risotto and Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, we reclaimed and refilled our wine glasses (they weren't allowed in the kitchen) and took a seat at the family's dinning room table. We enjoyed the fruits of our labor and each other's company while Maggie and her mom did the dishes.
Let me tell you: It was a GREAT gift idea! Everyone loved it and there's talk of making it an annual event.
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