Come Home to Cooking (inactive old site)

Harvest Season 2010 Class Schedule

Cycles of Celebration...

In a recent conversation with both friends and fellow cooks about why the same recipe usually turns out at least a little different every time you make it, I thought about how those magical variations hold true with same subject classes as well. Now that Come Home to Cooking is gliding into its fourth year, we’ve been doing this long enough for certain topics to rise to the top and establish themselves as seasonal favorites. Recipes and menus we can all look forward to coming around again and again. It’s reassuring. Like bread rising with the anticipation and fulfillment of the harvest. Like the press of grapes into wine, wild mushroom forays, crab season, blood oranges, the first asparagus, real spring greens, mustard fields, cherries, peaches and tomatoes. So we begin again here with sweet tomato madness and other ripe companions, moving on to balanced fresh salads, slow savory braises and crisp apple pastry. Then it’s time for our cassoulet, big pots of soup and the holiday bash. Cycles of celebration for all that we do have in this time and place together. Every class is different, even same subject ones. I love to watch them take on lives of their own—shaped and made possible by what’s in the market garden, by whether it rains or shines, by the whim of the day, by whatever life had in mind. By each and every one of you.

Hearty Autumn Salads

CLASS 72: Wed, Sept 29 [10am-2pm]

WHOLE GRAIN SALADS with FRESH GREENS & VEGETABLES

When you need something grounding but you still feel like salad, it’s time for a romp in the transitional garden. Everyone knows how we’re supposed to be eating more whole grains, but that doesn’t have to mean, “Now be a good girl and take your vitamins!” Far from the ponderous, muddied creations of hippy days revisited, this class is about tripping the light fantastic instead. We will toss together combinations of bright fresh greens; chewy grains; blanched, roasted and raw vegetables; fresh and dried fruits, lemon juice, wine vinegars, mustard and toasted nut oils for a lively balancing act of flavors, textures and colors. In fact, to make this more freeform and fun, I plan to have our seasonal salad bar of possibilities all set up, so that once we’ve covered the basics of cooking different delicious grains, we can move on to play together, inventing as we go. Discussing, selecting, chopping, scooping, whisking, folding, tasting, tweaking and triumphing. Because this is not about rules and restrictions. It’s about opening up to go to the garden and nourish ourselves well in every way. [And don’t pass up the additional opportunity to reserve your own box of County Line vegetables to take home after class and keep experimenting with all week long. Please see below…]

To Sign Up and find out more about how classes work, please see Class Information

Freshly Picked Organic Vegetables from COUNTY LINE HARVEST

What: An assorted box of about 12 bunched items, including salad & braising greens, root vegetables, herbs & seasonal crop specialties with cooking tips. 

When: Available for you to pick up every Wed afternoon from 2-4pm

Where: Our cornerstone place here at Come Home to Cooking [Please contact me if you need directions.]

How: To reserve your box email County Line Harvest [clharvest@gmail.com] no later than 10am each Wed. [You only need to sign up for one week at a time.]

$25 per box, cash only & payable when you pick up.

Why: To support our local community while making it both easier and more economical for all of us to be able to share the joy of living and eating well.

So Come Join the Fun!

 

Back to School

And the First Day of Class...

CLASS 71: Wed, Sept 15 [10am-2pm] 

TIANS, RATATOUILLE & CAPONATA with Tomatoes, Squash, Eggplant & Peppers 

 

“Look around!” I instructed myself. “It’s such a no brainer.” 

When markets, gardens and countertops are all overflowing with vibrant displays of tomatoes, squash, eggplant and peppers, it’s clearly time to make ratatouille. To both eat right now and save for later. So that’s exactly what we did in the very first Come Home to Cooking class now three years ago. And lining up to debut along with the Ratatouille film created such additional animation that, in fact, one artful student was inspired to arrive with the playful gift of a stuffed Pixar rat to help guide us through the preparation of its namesake dish. [Thank you, Tina.] Re-reading the feedback from that class reminds me of how many students were thrilled to discover why ratatouille has become such a Provencal classic. “It’s the best ratatouille I have ever tasted…and I loved the creative brainstorming at the end of class!” [Thank you, Brenda.] Their previous experiences with it had been mushy, bland and even watery disappointments at best. So I was delighted that we got that taken care of, and now we’re ready for an encore performance. Only this time we also get to move on to explore the possibilities these same vegetables offer us when simply layered and gratineed in earthy tians or dosed into the more hot-blooded sweet, sour and spicy Italian cousin called “caponata.” No matter what you call it or which way you make it, once you learn how, the satisfying warmth in this Mediterranean family of flavors will embrace your every summer to keep inviting you back for more.

To Sign Up and find out more about how classes work, please see Class Information

Also Starting that Day...

You can both Come Home to Cooking and Go Home to Cook It 

with a beautiful box of freshly picked vegetables 

straight from COUNTY LINE HARVEST.

It's Midweek at our Cornerstone Place, so come celebrate the season.

In support of all of us wanting to start with what’s local and learn how to make the most of it, David Retsky has generously offered to deliver his bargain boxes of assorted organic vegetables for you to pick up right here at Come Home to Cooking: every Wednesday from 2-4pm, starting Sept. 15. [Please contact me if you need directions.]

Each harvest box is filled with about twelve bunched items which will usually include: salad greens, braising greens, root vegetables and herbs plus more currently seasonal items like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, squash... They also tuck in a list of the vegetable names and several recipes for their use. The cost is $25 per box, cash only, and payable when you pick up.

Reserve your box by emailing County Line Harvest [clharvest@gmail.com] no later than 10am each Wed. morning. The first time you do this, they will reply with an attached membership form, which you can either fill out [with your name, phone number and email address] to return via email or print to mail or bring when you get your first box. Once you are a member, then you just send them an email to reserve each box you want. You only need to sign up for one week at a time, but if it's easier for you, you can request to be put down for a box every week for a specified period of time.   

I’m also planning to be on hand to help offer produce storage tips and cooking suggestions, and we’ve set this up to coordinate with most class times so students can have the perk of an immediate take-home possibility. But please know that this nourishing opportunity is open to anyone interested in taking advantage of it. We're trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to be able to share the joy of living and eating well. 

So come one and all—friends, neighbors and countrywomen. And if enough of you come, we’ll get to keep harvesting the season in this way our whole year round. Thanks to the good folks at County Line, I'm happy to say we’re all in this together. So come join the fun!

The mix will vary each week, but this example box contains broccoli, mustard greens, lacinato kale, peacock kale, fino verde basil, sage, cherry tomatoes, little gem romaine, genovese basil, white turnips and fresh flowers. 

Harvest Season 2010 Class Schedule Announcement

From Indian Summer to Winter Solstice...

Here are the dates for our new season of classes. In addition to the normal Wednesday morning time, please note that this schedule offers one Wednesday afternoon class, two Saturday early evening classes, and then a final Friday later evening class. Hopefully something for everybody. I'm off to a writer's conference with my cookbook project, but will post more detailed class descriptions upon my return. 

I hope you've been having the most delicious summer. Our own tomato plants are doing their best, but I was delighted to bring home a generous basket of heirloom beauties from Petaluma Bounty at Saturday's farmers' market. Also tender green and wax beans, and delicate squash blossoms that we dipped in batter to fry up for an appetizer while we were cooking dinner that night. Eat 'em while they're hot.

More rosa bianca eggplant, sweet peaches all day long and wild blackberries on the hill...It just keeps coming. Mark your calendar--I'll see you in September!  Kay

Harvest Season 2010 Class Schedule

CLASS 71: Wed, Sept 15 [10am-2pm]

TIANS, RATATOUILLE & CAPONATA

with TOMATOES, SQUASH, EGGPLANT & PEPPERS

CLASS 72: Wed, Sept 29 [10am-2pm]

WHOLE GRAIN SALADS 

with FRESH GREENS & VEGETABLES

CLASS 73: Sat, Oct 16 [4-8pm]

AUTUMN SLOW COOKING

with BRAISED VEGETABLES, CHICKEN, MEAT SAUCE & POLENTA

CLASS 74: Wed, Oct 27 [1-5pm]

EASY AS APPLE PIE: 

BISCUITS, SCONES & PASTRY CRUSTS

CLASS 75: Sat, Nov 13 [4-8pm]

SONOMA COUNTRY CASSOULET 

with PORK, BEANS & DUCK

CLASS 76: Wed, Dec 1 [10am-2pm]

FLU SHOT SOUP, SEAFOOD STEW & 

BROTHY WINTER GREENS with MUSHROOMS

CLASS 77: Fri, Dec 10 [5-9pm]

HOLIDAY APPETIZERS & APERITIFS: 

OUR ANNUAL CELEBRATION

To Sign Up and find out more about how classes work, please see Class Information

Private Party Group Classes

You initiate the gathering and we'll take care of the rest! Hassle-free and easily Dutch treat, this is a great way to enrich your life by making it simple to get together with your own group of friends, family or co-workers for a shared and joyful experience.

EITHER pick the current schedule class subject that suits you best and arrange to book it for sometime that same class week -OR- inquire about alternative available menu options. Please contact me to discuss all possible dates and times. (refer to Contact Us)

 

Summer Sabbatical 2010

Time to Focus

Crammed back in the drawer, stashed deep in my bag, revised again, saved and archived in the cloud. 

Decades worth of splattered file cards, blurred blue ink on yellow notepads, and hieroglyphics slanting across the back of torn envelopes and scraps of paper. Add to that the prolific black and white tree of well-ordered computer folders all lined up and waiting. Notes, outlines, inspirations, theories, discoveries, ideas, and countless tried, true and thoroughly tested recipes that span the evolution of my many years as both a home and professional cook. The Book. All put on hold so I can keep tending what’s on the front burner today. And then tomorrow and the next day. You know how that goes.

All this time I’ve had a number of different cookbook concepts simmering on the back burner, but now my stock has clarified. And what I see is Come Home to Cooking: The Mother Recipes. The synthesized compilation so many of you keep asking for to supplement all the reams of recipes and guidelines you’ve already taken home from class to support both your everyday and special occasion cooking. I know it’s time to finally make the time to seriously set this multi-layered project in motion. To give it my undivided attention. So this summer I am taking a short sabbatical to do just that. 

Then we can all go back to school with a whole New Season of Classes starting on Wed., Sept. 15, 2010. At this point I am planning to celebrate both the harvest and the beginning of Come Home to Cooking’s fourth year with a schedule that will offer:

• Tians, Ratatouille & Caponata
• Whole Grain Salads with Fresh Greens & Vegetables
• Autumn Slow Cooking 
• Easy as Apple Pie: Biscuits, Scones and Pastry Crusts
• Sonoma County Cassoulet [returns by popular demand]
• Flu Shot Soup, Seafood Stew, & Brothy Winter Greens with Mushrooms 
• Holiday Appetizers & Aperitifs [our annual bash]

All the details will be defined by the unfolding season and posted on my website later this summer. 

In the meantime, I want to thank my students for a Winter-Spring schedule of classes filled to overflowing not only in number, but also with the attention, joy and generosity you all contribute. I look forward to the possibility of seeing you at the farmers’ market, a café, or out walking the dog. If you spot me sitting in our side garden, staring off in space with clipboard in hand, please feel welcome to stroll on over for a neighborly chat—it just might be time to pop the cork or put the kettle on!

Wishing you a summer ripe with golden light, peaches and tomatoes-- Kay 

 

 

 

Winter-Spring Season 2010 Class Schedule

2010…

What do you think? Should we say “twenty ten” or “two thousand ten”? And don’t you agree that either way, the year somehow sounds impressively solid and dependable? Like it’s arrived to offer us a certain presence of mind. So that’s what I thought this new season of classes should provide—a wide range of tried and true Mother Recipes for us all to keep counting on. Year after year after year. These versatile classics work to support our lives while helping us master core culinary concepts. What a delicious way to invest in our long-term health and happiness. It’s so good to know we’re in this together. Why not come take your place around my table?

Winter-Spring Season 2010 Class Schedule Preview

Here's a Sneak Preview…

Dear Old Friends and New,

In response to many requests for a pastry class, I have decided to have my first next season class [in early Feb.] take its inspiration from the upcoming Valentine’s Day addiction to chocolate, fertility almonds, and the first promise of spring cream & eggs. It’ll be called Hearts & Tarts and we’ll make some of my favorite sweet things: Bittersweet Chocolate Profiteroles filled with an ethereal Grand Marnier pastry cream, Early Strawberry Tart in a shortbread crust [the dough for which could also be rolled out for cut-out cookies], and a simply moist and delicious Almond Cloud Cake that can easily be dressed up or down. I consider all three of these lovelies a must in my repertoire because they offer many, many mix and match, quick or more ambitious possibilities, depending on your time and energy at any given moment. So I hope you’ll come be my Valentine.

And then to continue my practice of providing you with reliable and versatile Mother Recipes that support your life while helping you master core concepts, we'll move on to a class about Essential Sauces [another student request]. I'm also planning a class in conjunction with the wonderful heirloom Seed Bank folks [in downtown Petaluma] to help inform and inspire your early spring garden efforts, and I have many more ideas in the works.  I hope all this helps you realize what a vital role your expressed needs can play in shaping what we do in class. Now's the time to put your thoughts in the hopper. Please just comment below or go to the Student Requests category on my weblog to submit your ideas and then we can both look forward to classes you helped make possible. All will be revealed on my website in January when the first 2010 schedule is posted.

Until then, as always, I wish you joy and a hearty appetite for life--Kay

 

Harvest Season 2009 Class Schedule

Come Back to School with a Whole New Season of Classes…

Apparently the bell now rings in August, but all the adults I know still think September is the month when school actually starts. So here we are, once again, ready to go. And this particular teacher wants to begin by reversing the custom to offer you back that nice shiny apple with tremendous gratitude for all of your eagerness and delight in the process. Thank you to my students for making this such a joy.

As we emerge from the aptly described “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” to the invigorating mental clarity of cool air and autumn light, it’s probably the best time of year to really learn something new before winter hibernation and then spring distractions come around again. After having spent every Wednesday evening this summer home-based at the Petaluma Farmers’ Market with all the Cooks’ Club members and good friends dropping by our Marketplace Chat Table, I feel even more connected and grateful to all the devoted farmers who work so hard to help put real live food on our tables. As a result this new season of classes goes several steps further to reflect those sensibilities.

Coming from a variety of different vantage points, we’ll focus on experiencing more direct contact with both our local and individual inner resources for the best cooking possible. It always comes back to starting with the most flavorful and nutritious ingredients fresh from farm and garden, and then learning how to encourage both our abilities and imagination to make the most of them. In an ongoing effort to respond to your requests and have enough time for the inclusion of every step and student, I’ve also expanded the classes to cover four hours of time together and have included both some Friday night and Saturday options as well. So come sharpen your skills and don’t forget your homework! This kind of assignment always earns you extra credit.

Summer School 2009 Class Schedule

How come when we say, “Well, join the club,” it’s usually with a downhearted sigh? Well, not this time! When you become a member of the new Come Home to Cooking Marketplace Chat Table and Cooks’ Club, you will get to take advantage of a unique and personalized opportunity to feel enriched and inspired as you learn how to make the most of both the season’s abundance and your shopping dollar. These lively meetings are held every Wednesday evening this summer around our table at the Petaluma Farmers’ Market. To find out more about these gatherings and how to become a part of it all, please see my Market Basket weblog.

Spring Season 2009 Class Schedule

Fall in love with freshness. Embrace what’s tender, sweet, pure and light. That’s the essence of both spring and the foods that nourish us in this uplifting new season of classes. Come see, hear, smell, taste and feel everything bursting with bloom. It’s our annual awakening and the perfect time to revitalize both your self and your cooking.