Hi Everyone!  Happy Thursday!

How has the week been treating you?  It has totally been flying for me so I can’t complain!  I think the week has been gone fast because I’ve been pretty busy, but it has been a ‘fun’ busy and not a stressful/crazy busy, which is a nice change!

I taught my normal Jazzercise class after work on Monday and after work on Wednesday, but on Tuesday, I did something different with my mom and grandma.

We went to a Taste of Home Cooking School event!

Eric Villegas, who is a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and an Emmy award-winning personality, was our host and really made the event such a great time!  My mom and grandma have both been to a Taste of Home cooking event in the past and had a good time, but said that Eric really made this one so much fun because of how funny he was!

During the show, the host chef demonstrated ten award-winning recipes that were published in past issues of Taste of Home magazine.  My mom, grandma, and I are all subscribers!  My mom and grandma have been for years, and recently, they purchased a subscription for me.  It’s a family thing!  We love to cook and we just love food!

The ten recipes that were demonstrated:

• Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Asparagus Strudel
• Grilled Chicken in Mango Chipotle Mojo
• Mushroom Tacos with Salsa Verde
• Johnsonville Italian Meatballs
• Ortega Taco Casserole
• Emerils’ New Orleans Garlic Chicken
• Mexican Shrimp Bisque
• Grilled Chicken, Pesto, and Two-Cheese Naan Pizza
• Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

It was great to follow along with the recipes from the magazines, but the best part were the tips, tricks, and extra information that was given with each one!  Having someone show me how to make each recipe and show me each step is a luxury that I could definitely get used to!

I wanted to devour every single recipe that was shown!  They smelled SO good while they were being made!  The great thing about Taste of Home recipes is that they are submitted by normal, everyday cooks and most of them are quick, easy, and totally do-able!  Many of the recipes shown could be thrown together in 30 minutes or less!

In addition to the wonderful recipes and the fun host, there were a ton of prizes given away!  Unfortunately, our names were not drawn for anything, but we were definitely fine with that!  Everyone got a swag bag full of stuff like coupons, gift cards, magazines, and food.  We were definitely happy to just walk away with that!

The show lasted for about three hours and, to our surprise, walked out to a car that was covered with snow!

Really!?  I guess Spring decided to go into hiding for a couple of days.

It was a pretty late night by the time we got back to my house.  My mom still had to drive my grandma home and then make it back to her own house.  I’m sure we were all feeling a little tired the next morning, but it was worth it!  Not only was it a great event to attend, but I was able to spend the evening with two of my favorite ladies!

Have you ever attended a cooking school or a cooking class?
Are you a Taste of Home fan?