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Saturday, July 1, 2017

Taking a Cooking Class

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Hey y'all!

Today we're chatting about something that I recently did with my sisters and my mom...and why you should do it too.

 

Before I talk about our particular cooking class, I want to tell you why we decided to take one.
My mom's birthday falls in June (so does mine & my middle sister!), so instead of just buying more knickknacks or candles we decided we wanted to give her an experience and a memory to keep forever-from all three of us sisters.

We decided that going to Birmingham for the afternoon and a cooking class at Sur la Table was the perfect "experience" gift, and it was!


Our class was called "Tacos from Scratch" and included a pork shoulder taco and a shrimp taco with all the toppings. Our instructor, Chef Tyler, was very good at his job and we enjoyed how hands on he truly let us be. He guided us at the beginning of each step, but really let us take the lead. 




My mom took her turn searing our pork shoulder before it went in the pressure cooker.


Trystan, my oldest sister waiting with our pork.


Mom listening to Chef Tyler explain about the process of searing and how important it is.

There was also some amazing pico and chips, oh and wine, for us to enjoy during the class!



We got to use some new techniques, which was my favorite part-now I want a mandolin for my kitchen!


Julie and Trystan doing the quick pickling liquid for our peppers and onions. 




Probably our most favorite tool of this class was the tortilla press.
I had taken a field trip when I was younger and we saw tortillas made by hand, so since then I have always wanted to learn how to make them as an adult and I had no idea how easy it was!


One thing I want to point out is how Chef Tyler always showed us how to correct things that went wrong; for example, our tortillas were breaking when we tried to flip them on the grill. To correct that, we had to go back and add just a touch of water to the balls before we pressed them.

If everything had went perfect in class and I got home and tried that and my tortillas cracked, I would've had no idea how to fix it. It's true that we learn more from our mistakes than being perfect!


The end result was so incredibly tasty.

The shrimp was perfectly cooked and slightly spicy. The pickled onions and jalapeños were the perfect tart taste and the tortillas were soft and the perfect texture. 


The pork didn't cook as well as it could had, because we had issues with the pressure cooker, so it wasn't as tender as it could've been-but it was still tasty and the flavor was spot on!



In addition to making the tacos, we also made an avocado creama and a tomatillo salsa that were so yummy!



I hope I've convinced you through taking you along through our class that you should consider taking a cooking class-if not with Sur la Table, then at another place. We laughed and just had the best time talking and cooking and learning, it was one for the books and has turned me into a believer of doing experiences rather than asking for things as gifts. 

Let me know below...have you ever taken a cooking class?

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 



📷: 99% of the photos in this post were taken by my beautiful big sister and part-time blog-tographer, Trystan Terrell!

26 comments:

  1. My family loves doing experiences, we just did a candlemaking class for my mom's birthday! We also did a cooking class for my parents' 30th anniversary and it was a blast.

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  2. This is super cool! I think I'll do something like this for my Mom's upcoming birthday. It looks like you all had a wonderful time!

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  3. This looks like such a fun class! I would love to learn how to make tortilla's from scratch. I think cooking classes are the perfect experience gift!

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  4. I would LOVE to take a cooking class, but we don't have anything like this in our city. I think this would be a great thing to do as date night!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  5. I took a cooking class one time and it was awesome to learn some new recipes and skills, plus have fun! Looks like a great gift!

    Cassie's Big Adventure

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  6. I've always thought about taking a cooking class and this was really convincing :) The tacos look delicious!

    -Carine | www.rinnyandbean.com

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  7. I have a Sur la Table by my house, and I've always wondered about their cooking classes. After reading this, I definitely need to check them out!

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  8. This looks so fun! I got a gift card for a few cooking classes for Christmas that I haven't used yet, so I'll have to check out the calendar!

    www.andthenwetried.com

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  9. Omg, that looks craaaazy delicious!! I'm totally loving what you made! And i'm hungry xD

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  10. This looks like such a fun experience. I'm definitely going to look to see if there's classes available in my area.

    Ying | www.navigatingadulthood.com

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  11. This sounds like a blast! I've been wanting to take a cooking class!

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  12. Wow! I always want to attend a cooking class! I nvr knew how tortillas could be made from scratch. I only saw them as store bought ones.

    Xoxo
    Shi Hui | IreviewUread
    Ireviewuread.com

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  13. this looks like so much fun! We have one of these by me but I haven't tried it yet!

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  14. OMG those tacos look amazing! I love cooking. :) It's so much fun.

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  15. Um, this sounds AMAZING! I have wanted to take a cooking class for a long time. I wish something like this was offered where I live. Those tacos sound delicious!

    XO, SS || Seersucker Sass

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  16. I would LOVE to take a cooking class! I love to cook anyways, so it would be so much fun learning new recipes and new techniques!

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  17. This sounds like such a fun thing to do with your family!

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  18. this looks like so much fun! I have always wanted to try a cooking class! x,kenz http://sincerelykenz.com

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  19. What a fun experience! I'd love to try a cooking class one day!

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  20. I SO wish we had this where I lived! It looks like SO MUCH fun!

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  21. I've taken a class here & they are so much fun! We had such a great date night. Met an amazing couple. & the food was incredible!!!

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  22. Your food looks great! I would love to take a cooking class with friends or family!

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  23. This is so fun and the food came out great! I need to go do this soon!

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  24. I've always wanted to try a cooking class – it looks like so much fun! The tacos look great!

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  25. Oh my gosh this sounds amazing! My Mom and I would love to do this!

    Kristin
    The Blush Blonde

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