A Misty Morning in Central Park

First Impressions of NYC

Let me tell you something: this city knows how to decorate.




And they know how to advertise.




And they are a big fan of lights.







And I am totally in love with it.

Almost Didn't Make It

We almost missed our flight just now because we were too busy taking pictures of ourselves.

No joke.

At least we each have a healthy self-esteem.

All I Want for Christmas is Jimmy Fallon

This is circulating a lot this week but you should totally watch it again.




I love everything about this, especially:
1. The guy with the afro and his shiny heart pin.
2. The kids at the bottom who are so happy to be singing.
3. Jimmy Fallon playing the kazoo.

Oh, Jimmy.

The First Class

So, about last night...

...it was fantastic.

It really was completely and utterly fantastic.

First, Vicki was an amazing host. She made sure I had the oven on the right temperature. She made sure everyone had a refreshing beverage. And she even made sure that everyone listened to me when I had something really important to say about cookie dough.

She was a rock star.

For those of you who were wondering or praying or pacing the floors, rest assure that not one person or building burned to the ground. In fact, it was as smooth as I could have possibly hoped it to be. And most of that has to do with a really fun, really excited, really talkative group of women!

If you really want to know, I found myself very nervous yesterday. I kept second-guessing my recipes and my timing and my one-liners. At the last minute, I printed off some ghetto business cards just in case someone needed to contact me...hopefully to book another class, not because of food poisoning.

And I admit that there were moments when I screamed"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" inside of my head as I stood in front of them.  But thankfully those screams were drowned out by continuous Christmas music and discussions on salted vs. unsalted butter. I am in the unsalted camp, myself.

Somehow, someway, it all worked. And people had fun. And I felt like I could do this forever, especially if exotic places that required my passport were involved.

Most of the women admitted that they didn't cook or bake, one even told me that she is an expert at the drive-thru. But when I asked for volunteers for every recipe, they jumped at the chance to try it out. I was really thankful for an engaged, responsive crowd. And in the end, they each walked home with a dozen cookies and a box full of hand-made truffles. Oh, and we devoured the peppermint roll too.

Some of them even asked if I could teach a class on appetizers, and I said, "Um, yes. I am from Oklahoma where appetizers are their own food group and Velveeta is like a member of the family."

Afterward, once I had washed the chocolate from beneath my fingernails and had slithered my way up the stairs and into bed, my first thought was, "I survived."

And my second thought was, "When can I do this again?!"

I would say it was a very good evening.

Work and a Weekend Jaunt

Wow, way to bring the love, people!

Thank you so much for your encouragement about my new business venture! I can't wait to share with you about tonight's party. Please pray that actual words come out of my mouth as I am trying to teach and that I don't leave my oven mitts in the oven.

Thank you. You are stupendous.

On top of preparing for this major event outside of work, I am also knee-deep in helping our Associates overseas with year-end fundraising. I love this part about my job. I realize that I am in a very small minority when it comes to raising funds, but I love seeing how passionate people become about giving. There is such joy, such worship in the process. And one small gift has such huge impact!

One of the blogs that I follow (it is listed on the right-hand side) is of a couple who live in Egypt. I would highly encourage you to read their blog! They have four adorable little kiddos and they live, work, play and thrive in the heart of Cairo. They are one of the couples that I am assisting right now so if you have a desire to leverage some of your income towards something that is making a profound difference, just let me know. I can hook you up.

In other news, I have a weekend trip ahead of me. Out of all my travels, can you believe that I have never been to New York City? It is true! So when my friend Tara told me about a steal of deal to spend a weekend in the Big Apple, I said "HECK YES." We are going this Friday through Monday and I could not be more excited! We are going to shop, ice skate, walk, eat, explore and soak in everything that this fascinating city has to offer.

My only concern is seeing one of those ginormous sewer rats that apparently roam the streets in herds. Honestly, I would puke if I saw one. I detest rodents, especially thug rodents who laugh at tourists.
I promise to blog my way through it. Shout out any suggestions you may have about where to go, what to eat, what to wear and what to avoid. I am all ears!

I am now off to buy last-minute items for tonight's party, like unsweetened cocoa powder and an apron. Can you believe I don't have an apron? Apparently I live like a caveman.

T.T.F.N.

Gourmet Girl to Go

I have a BIG announcement, my friends!

I have decided to embark upon a new adventure, one that is sure to cause a bit of chaos and perhaps an embarrassing video or two. And I can guarantee I will be very messy on a regular basis.

Can you guess what it is? (And no, it is not mud wrestling. I am too girly for that.)

I am launching Gourmet Girl to Go, an in-home baking and cooking class service where I come to your house and together we cook or bake delightful, yummy things! Instead of having to go somewhere to take a class, you can invite your friends or family to your house and I will come to you! Plus, you keep everything you make and I clean up afterward.

It is a win/win situation!

I am in the midst of my trial period, which means I am trying this out to see if it will really work and if I can avoid burning down someone's house. I haven't taken out a loan or told the government I will pay them lots of money to start my own business, but I have decided to branch out and combine two things that I love to do: teaching and cooking/baking.

The great thing about this new endeavor is that I get to work one-on-one with people and help them learn new techniques and recipes that will make their life a little easier and more delicious. Plus, it is highly customizable, tackling anything from appetizers to three-course meals to desserts. It could even be offered as ongoing classes for home-schoolers or other kids' groups.

Tomorrow is my first official gig. My colleague Vicki has invited 13 of her closest girlfriends to her house to learn how to make three Christmas desserts. If we all don't slip into diabetic comas, it should be a BLAST! I spent this past weekend making pounds of dark chocolate ganache for truffles:

Five batches of cookie dough for chocolate crinkle cookies:

Oh, and a peppermint roll or two:

Each attendee pays a set fee (for this class it is $20 for a 2-hours) and will take home everything they make, plus the recipes for them to use again in the future!

You guys, I am really excited about this. And a little nervous. But I keep reminding myself that it is just food and messes can always be cleaned up. It is the connecting, sharing, teaching, encouraging, eating and laughing that I can't wait begin. Truly, I think I could have been made to do this.

If you are interested in having a get-together or a party or even a few friends over who want to learn how to make something delectable, give me a shout. I still have a few available dates before Christmas or we can schedule something for the new year! You can reach me at gourmetgirltogo@gmail.com.

And just in case you are still hesitant about my skills or overall general knowledge about anything, my Aunt Marge gave me her approval and has even asked to be my sous chef. If she didn't live 500 miles away, I would totally bring her with me everywhere I go. And she would be happy to set you up on a date if you are currently single.

It would be like a buy-one/get-one sort of deal.