Cooking with C.C.

Our next culinary adventure will be to the South of France down the Rhone River Valley for Fall of 2025.....
Save the dates - September 14-21, 2025.
Details soon.....

2024 Summer Dinner Class - Second Class Added on Sunday August 25th at 5:00PM - https://mailchi.mp/7b93b2474a31/2024summerdinner2-10706790 The Saturday night sold out very quickly - if you missed the opportunity, we are adding a second class on Sunday night, so if you missed the initial class, sign up now.

2024 Summer Dinner Class on Saturday August 24th at 6:00PM - https://mailchi.mp/73d281416ce7/2024summerdinner-10706446

Tour Day 7 - Saturday May 25
In the morning after breakfast, we left the hotel and walk only a couple of blocks to our morning cooking class. We arrived at La Locando del Gusto and met Chef Carmen who would be working with us for this class. Let's just say that Chef Carmen is quite the character and this class was going to be entertaining as well as delicious. They made sure everyone had Prosecco in their glass before we started with anything. We made three dishes - Aubergine Parmigiana, Gnocchi Sorrentina, and Limoncello Tiramisu (Yet another variation that has no coffee!). The eggplant dish went smoothly and then we started making the gnocchi - Carmen had to make sure we had plenty of upbeat music as we were getting the gnocchi dough to the right consistency, then rolling and cutting. Next thing we know, she is asking for songs and then blasting the likes of "Sweet Home Alabama", "Sweet Caroline", and then somebody shouted out another song Cheeseburger in Paradise - Carmen had never heard that one and next thing you know we are rolling the gnocchi to Jimmy Buffett. As we finished, Carmen put on "the Twist" and "encouraged" several of the ladies to get up on the top of the table and dance....
Her walls (and ceilings) are covered in graffiti. Someone had spotted a big IU in the middle of the ceiling - since we had a number of Purdue related people, we found that there was enough room for Lori (Yes Lori) to climb up on the table and add a little something.....
After all of the shenanigans, we sat down to lunch with all of the dishes we had made and some fantastic wines to go with it. Before too long, we had to say goodbye to one of the most unique cooking class experiences I have EVER had.....
The afternoon was free in Sorrento. We met back up late afternoon and loaded the bus for the last excursion - dinner at Antico Francishiello out almost on the tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula. The view from the dining room was over the Bay of Naples, Tyrrhenian Sea, and the Gulf of Solerno. Our dinner included a fresh seafood salad, ravioli Sorrentina, lemon risotto, Fresh Fish, and a gorgeous dessert cart. Once again, we had a great view of the western sky and enjoyed another sunset on our last night of the tour.
From here we returned to the hotel and after breakfast the next day, some of us had a transfer to the Naples airport, some rented Vespas to explore more, others enjoyed some additional time in Sorrento, but we all hated to see our time together come to a close.

Our next class will be on Saturday June 22nd at 6PM. With all of these Italian photos from the trip, we have to do an Italian Dinner for this class. The menu will be pasta with cherry tomato sauce, Tuscan pork loin, parmesan asparagus, and Tiramisu truffles. (I mentioned in one of the posts that you would be seeing this take on Tiramisu in a class - and we've got more more variation to come......)

You can register for the class here.
https://cooking-with-cc.ticketleap.com/italian-dinner-class/

Tour Day 6 - Friday May 24
We left the hotel early in the morning for the ride down to the ferry to the island of Capri. When we arrived at Capri, we loaded into the convertible taxis for the winding ride for the harbor up to Anacapri. Here we loaded onto the chair lift to take the ride up to the top of Mt. Solaro with a commanding view down the Amalfi coast and into the Bay of Naples. When we got to the top, we found a TRUE destination wedding! These two were getting married with quite an audience watching.
We headed down the chairlift and wandered around Anacapri. From here, we took a bus down to Capri. We walked around there and then headed for a fantastic lunch. After lunch, we were free to wander around Capri until we gathered to ride back down to the harbor and take the 4PM ferry back to Sorrento.
This evening, we went to the La Sorgente Farm in the hills above Sorrento for a mozzarella cheese making demonstration followed by a pizza making class. Everyone made their own personal Pizza Margherita, put it in the wood oven and then enjoyed their dinner. After dinner, we had dessert with their homemade Limoncello. Up in the hills we had another colorful sunset.
(Sorrry - LOTS of photos today!)

Tour Day 5 - Thursday May 23
This morning we got up and headed on our bus from Sorrento to Positano, one of the towns on the Amalfi Coast. After winding through the small road, we ended up in Positano at Mele Pizza and Grill for our cooking class with Chefs Rosa and Luigi.

Once again, we had to "work" for our lunch! We had a fantastic menu of Fiori di Zucchini Ripiene (Stuffed Zucchini Flowers), Cavatelli con Pomodorini (Cavatelli pasta with cherry tomato sauce), Popette (Meatballs), and Semifreddo al Croccantion (Caramelized Almond Ice Cream Cake). We practiced making the Cavatelli pasta trying to get the flick of the pasta just right.

After lunch, we had time to explore Positano before heading back to Sorrento. This evening, we had dinner on our own. A number of us found our way down to Marina Grande to Porta Marina Seafood Restaurant. Being right on the water, the seafood is fantastic! I really enjoy the little places in Marina Grande - on our last trip to Sorrento, Lori and I ate at a number of the restaurants there. After dinner, we started walking back towards the hotel and the sun was setting about the same time.

Another great day in Campania.

Tour Day 4 - Wenesday May 22
Today we departed Siena and Tuscany to head south. We drove the main north/south highway stopping at several of the service centers along the way. We we on the outskirts of Rome and continued south until we reached Pompeii.

Pompeii is an amazing place - the result of a tragedy with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that dominates the skyline along the Bay of Naples. The eruption froze Pompeii in time until it was discovered again in the late 1500's, but excavation did not start in earnest until the 1700's. The ash from the eruption encased the city and the artwork in the pictures is still vibrant as it was in AD 79 when Vesuvius erupted. Pompeii is a very large site with significant parts still to be excavated.

After Pompeii, we continued to Sorrento where we would be staying for the rest of the trip. That evening, we did a walking food tour through the old part of Sorrento.

Tour Day 3 - Tuesday May 21
Today is our final day in Tuscany. (Sorry for so many pictures....) We started off with the morning free to explore Siena. Lori and I decided to go to the inside of the Cathedral. Besides the amazing stone work and art, the Siena Cathedral is known for the mosaic floors. There are mosaic images throughout.
After the cathedral, we walked around Siena and Lori enjoyed her other favorite activity...(If you don't already know - that would be shopping). We then went for lunch at a place we couldn't get in the night before and once again, I had to have the cinghiale and Tuscan beans.
We headed out in the afternoon for two stops in the Tuscan countryside around the hilltown of San Gimignano. Our first stop was a wine tasting at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. Besides the fantastic view across the valley with San Gimigiano in the distance, we tasted a variety of the fantastic wines, meat, and cheeses they had to offer.
Our next stop was a cooking class at Podere La Marronaia. This brings new meaning for making everyone "work" for their dinner. We made several types of bruschetta, Tiramisu truffles (What a brilliant idea - you just MIGHT be seeing that in a class before long), Ricotta Gnocchi, and Pici Pasta. Everyone had an opportunity to get their hands dirty as we worked on these recipes. Once we were done, we sat down to a dinner of all of these plus some of the amazing wines from Podere La Marronaia.

Tour Day 2 - Monday May 20 - CHEESE day
Unfortunately, the day was very overcast with intermittent showers, so a little grayer than when we've visited before.
On our second day of the tour, we left Siena for the Val d'Orcia. Our first stop is the organic cheese producer Podere il Casale. The farm is nestled in the hills above the Val d'Orcia, but has a commanding view across this valley. Ulisse had goat milk ready and we watched as he made a fresh cheese using it. This was followed by a "farm to table" lunch with the bounties of their farm - and a big cheese tray of their goat and sheep cheeses.
After lunch, we headed to the normally quiet town of Pienza built by Pope Pius II in 1459. When we've been there before, it was a very quiet hamlet with very few people wandering around. However, mix in a movie shooting in the square with George Clooney, and there are a LOT more people.
After Peinza, we went to another small hilltop town - Montepulciano. Known for the Vino Nobile di Motepulciano as well as some beautiful churches and squares, another great Italian hilltown.
From there we headed back to Siena where we were on our own for Dinner. Everyone went various directions, Lori and I ended up at a Tratoria behind the Siena City Hall off of the Campo. We feasted on one of the local specialties - pappardelle al cinghiale. (Pasta noodles with wild boar meat).
Another great day in Italy!

We recently completed out Italian Food and Wine Tour. See information and pictures from the tour.

Tour Day 1 - Sunday May 19th.
We met at 3PM Sunday afternoon in the lobby of the Athena Hotel in Siena to start our tour. As a starting surprise, we walked to La Cantina del Brunello - our favorite wine shop in Siena. They discovered an Etruscan tomb dating to somewhere around 300BC that is now the special tasting room. We started the tour with a tasting by Fredrico with a number of wines, cheese, and cured meats. Quite an experience for sure!
Next we did a guided walking tour of Siena learning history and culture of Siena, especially the Palio race.
Following that, our dinner at Compagnia del Vinattieri before returning to the hotel.
Stay tuned - Day 2 is affectionately known as "CHEESE" day.....

Dinner Party Classics Class on Saturday April 20th at 6:00PM - https://mailchi.mp/6a5fc78c7af6/2024dinnerparty-10693733

I just had a last minute cancellation due to sickness. There was still one seat available for tonight - I have room for three people if anyone is interested. Please contact me directly if you would like to attend tonight's class.

Italy with Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast - 1 Room Available - https://mailchi.mp/eb8f7b7b1581/2024italyfeb-10688641

Italy with Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast - 1 Room Available - https://mailchi.mp/7a628c82fab1/2024italyfeb-10688637

Unfortunately, one of the couples on our Food and Wine Tour in Italy had to cancel, so we have one room that has opened up!

If you thought about joining us on this trip, we have two slots left. Call Jeff or Jason to join our group.

Culinary Tour Across Tuscany and Amalfi Coast - Go Get Lost Explore the two vastly different regions of what many travelers consider to be the best Italy has to offer with our Tuscany & Amalfi Coast...

Valentines Chocolate Class on Saturday February 24th and Sunday February 25th at 6:00PM - https://mailchi.mp/8827a6685932/2024chocolate-10686917

Italy Food and Wine Tour and Christmas Dinner Class Update -

Summer Fun Class and Huntsville Highlights Blog Post Join me for our Summer Fun Class on Saturday July 23rd. Check the link for the full menu. Also check out some local highlights like the Caprese Salad from Below the Radar in our last blog post.

Here’s a good article on cutting up a whole turkey .

The Easiest Way to Carve a Turkey The problem with Thanksgiving, explains Jake Dickson, is that most people rarely cook giant, complicated roasts like whole turkeys. Using a few tricks of the trade, the NYC butcher explains his own method for how to carve a turkey like a pro.

It's almost time to start the holiday baking.....

Thank you very much - the class is almost sold out. If you are wanting to join us for this class, don't wait too long.

As I type this, there are 3 seats left in the Saturday night class and 2 seats in the Sunday night class.

2023 Annual Holiday Breakfast Class - Saturday November 18 and Sunday November 19. - https://mailchi.mp/3c9ff2e13b41/2023-hdaybfast-10568541 Join us for the 13th Annual Holiday Breakfast Class - Menu is Chocolate Scones, Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake, Kentucky Hot Brown Breakfast Casserole, and Brioche Bourbon French Toast Casserole.

Testing of this year’s scone recipe - we’ve done various scones with chocolate in them, but we have never done a chocolate scone. We’ll, this year we’ll fix that we these chocolate scones.

Stay tuned for information about this year’s Holiday Breakfast Class.

Working on the final recipes for the Annual Holiday Breakfast Class. This is a cherry crumb cake.

Thank you very much - The German Dinner Class on Saturday October 21st has sold out!