….for what?

Overcrowded shopping malls? Endless holiday parties? Wayyyy too many sugary treats calling your name? Presents…upon presents…upon presents…to buy? Adorning your puppy with bows and ribbons that have even him wanting to bark, “Bah Humbug???”

Or could this holiday season be different?

I happen to have a huge passion around living out a meaningful holiday season (full of “good cheer” – horrah!). So when I was approached by Folgers and Blogher to share with you a little about my favorite ways to spend the holidays, and to hear back about all of your great traditions and memories — I jumped on the opportunity. So tune in below to catch a glimpse into my little world and what I’ve learned, and definitely check out the opportunity below to share your stories too. Can’t wait!

BOO!

This year Chipotle switched up their Halloween theme. Instead of having everyone dress up as burritos to win a free burrito (been there, done that – see below), the theme this year was “horrifying processed foods”.

So what more horrifying than the food that never molds, decomposes, and that is made from virtually nothing natural?!?

Ha…well, we tried to look scary. :-)

Oooooh la la!

That’s right! Today I wrapped up my week of culinary adventures with a final day of “hors d’oeurves boot camp” at the ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in New York City.

And talk about a grand finale!! Today we made all sorts of delicious, sophisticated little hors d’oeurves — once more, using a number of ingredients and techniques that were new to me. Apparently with cooking, there’s always something more to learn. I love it!

Here are the highlights…

This morning I took the train down into the heart of NYC for my final culinary adventure — “hors d’oeuvres boot camp” at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Commonly known as “ICE”, this professional culinary school also offers an outstanding array of “recreational” options. I had such a hard time picking one out! From courses such as “Got Wine?”, to “Techniques of Cake Decorating”, to “Sushi and More”, to courses for kids, teens, families, and couples, there are literally hundreds of options to choose from. (You should totally check it out!)

I ended up going with the “hors d’oeuvres” class — partly because it was a great 2-day weekend course (for 5 hrs/day), partly because I love entertaining, and partly because I hoped that after staring at the word for two days…I might finally learn how to spell hors d’oeuvres!! :-)

Anyway, it ended up being a truly enjoyable morning. Here are the highlights!

Back in the Big Apple!!!

For the fun culinary adventure of the day, I spent the afternoon in Greenwich Village doing a “Foods of New York Tour“. So fun!

We basically spent 3 delicious hours walking around with our group (about 10 of us) and our hilarious (and very knowledgeable!) tour guide. Between all of the zillion interesting facts she shared with us, and all of the yummy foods we were able to sample, the hours were completely enjoyable and flew by!

Here were some of the highlights…

Ok, Mom — here’s a picture of me. :-)

We finished up our final day of “Mexican Cuisine Boot Camp” today at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). And holy moly — it was “mole” day!!

It’s been another gorgeous day at the CIA!

For those of you who are just tuning in, I’m finishing up Day 2 of a 3-day “boot camp” at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY….and having the time of my life! :-)

Without further ado, here are some of the highlights of the day!

“Thyme” to begin!!!

The first part of my NY adventure kicked off today at the chipper hour of 6am, when I arrived at the Culinary Institute of America to check in for boot camp! Hooray!!!

I think I intially thought “boot camp” was just a nice little name for their cooking classes. But they aren’t kidding! After 12 hours filled with cooking, lectures, recipe-planning, campus tours, taste-testing, socializing (of course!), and the chance to enjoy two phenomenal meals prepared by CIA students….I’m a tired, but very happy camper. :)

So many stories to tell, recipes to share, and photos to upload. But for now, here’s a glimpse into my first day…