News Article: Pittsburgh Mom
CONTEST - COOKING CLASS AT GAYNOR'S SCHOOL OF COOKING & SHOP 'N SAVE GIFT CARDS
I just had the most delightful evening. A month or so ago I bought a gift certificate for a cooking class at Gaynor's School of Cooking in the South Side. I know I'm always looking for new recipe ideas and cooking skills so I bought one for myself and thought a second one would make a perfect giveaway for the site.
I should tell you that I cook like a 1950s housewife. Due to my schedule, lack of cooking expertise and lack of imagination I usually resort to the kinds of meals popular mid-century such as meatloaf, spaghetti, chicken, burgers on the grill, etc. It's sort of pathetic, really. I'd love to learn how to cook better, more interesting food. I mean, good god, have you TASTED basil and fresh mozzarella? And here I am cooking Hamburger Helper. I'm ashamed. And I vow to change this. Starting now.
By pure coincidence, I got an email last week inviting me to a special cooking class at none other than Gaynor's School of Cooking! It must have been fate. I told my husband that I had a "very important event that I HAD to attend" and I gladly accepted the invite. I get to give away some great stuff, but rarely ever get treated to the stuff myself, so I was thrilled to go.
The class was being taught as a kickoff to a new website that I know I'm going to put to good use. It's called Our Kitchen Stories and is sponsored by Shop 'n Save. The site is more than just recipes, it is stories, photos, tips and how-to videos that allow family traditions to be shared online. And it's local! People can post recipes and stories while visitors can interact with other users, read about the recipes and come away with some new ideas.
From Nana's Rigatoni to Polish Hill Pierogies, they all seem like "real" recipes written and tested by "real, local people". Sounds perfect for a busy mom looking for new things to cook. I'm looking forward to finding some new recipes and being able to connect with other local Pittsburghers and get some tips.
Tonight's event was a special treat for some local people who had submitted a recipe to the site. I loved asking everyone about the recipe they'd submitted and the story behind it. One winner, Pat Quolke, was asked to bake her recipe as a treat for tonight's participants. Her ginger snap cookies (Grandma Quolke's Gingersnaps) were the best I'd ever tasted (and I don't usually like ginger snaps).
The class tonight had us divided into two teams of five people each. We were given recipes to cook five different recipes. The owner of Gaynor's School, Gaynor Grant herself, was on hand to help and offer tips and advice. After the meal we converted the room from prep tables to dining tables and all sat down to share the delicious food as a group. It was great fun and the food was fabulous. (The recipes from tonight's class are featured here under Latest Recipes - let me just say that the cabbage salad was to die for and I don't like cabbage, bacon or blue cheese!). The class was so much fun! (even considering that I was the only person in the whole room that burned something and had to throw it away...even the owner was teasing me after that).
Gaynor's offers a variety of cooking classes, from one-night only classes to five-week series (The Art of Fine Cooking) that start at Step 1 and tackle each of seven steps in a different five week session. They even have a couples cooking night, which I think would make a fabulous date night. Gaynor also suggested the mommy-n-me class which she said would be great for even kids as young as preschool. All of the classes are listed on the website and online registration is available.
So not only do I invite you to check out Shop 'n Save's new website, Our Kitchen Stories, but also check out Gaynor's School of Cooking and treat yourself to a class.
And what better way to get you started than to give away a gift certificate to Gaynor's and some Shop 'n Save gift cards!
I have a $70 gift certificate to Gaynor's School of Cookingto give away to the First Place Winner.
Two second-place winners will each receive a $20 gift card to Shop 'n Save (just promise you'll use it to buy ingredients to try out a new recipe, then come back here and tell me how it was!) ;)
To enter, just tell me what your "go-to family meal" is in your house.
I'll run the contest from now through July 15 and draw the winners then.
Bon Appetit!
