For Valentines day Garrett purchased two cooking classes for the both of
us. The first one was at Harmons City Creek and it taught us how to cook
with fresh herbs and different salts. It was taught by Chef Evan, a
seasoned cook (get it?!) who tested us on our knowledge of salts from
around the world and fresh cut herbs. We played a guessing game of sorts
with the the ingredients and after each salt or herb he told us what
types of recipes it's used in most frequently and the flavor profile for
each.
It was so much fun to get formal instruction on cooking and we learned so much. Did you know there is a proper way to cut an onion? I didn't. But I learned how! An hour into the class, Chef Evan showed us how to make a simple meal of grilled chicken and vegetables with a savory red sauce. Because of time, he made the marinade and sauce that morning for us so when we were ready to break off into groups our chicken was set to grill, and all we had to do was prep the veggies and throw them in the oven. He had us grill the chicken to get a good crusty layer outside the chicken and then we finished it off in the oven. I will probably do this from now on because I it keeps it moist but has a grilled flavor. Garrett is usually our resident grill master anyway, so who am I kidding? I won't be doing that. Garrett will!
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| Garrett tossed the veggies and fresh herbs in olive oil. |
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| Grill the chicken like normal for about 3 minutes each side, then throw it in the oven at 375ish for about 20 minutes. Use a thermometer to make sure it reaches 165 internal. To die for. |
Also, who knew what an impact using fresh herbs in your cooking has on your food and meal? We used basil and rosemary in the veggie mix and the flavor was just so much better. I recently started growing fresh herbs in my terrarium just so that we can cook with them this summer.
This was by far one of the best gifts I've ever received from Garrett. It was thoughtful and fun, and a good way to spend time with each other. As I write this, looking at this picture of us, one day I won't remember what it's like to cook for fun because I'll be forced to cook for my family. Just kidding. I love cooking, but so does Gar so he can do that for our family and I can do it for fun, right?
