I know 2012 has a lot of fabulous things in store, and I can’t wait to see what they are!

Before we begin a new year, I want to thank you. Thank you for reading this blog, thank you for taking cooking classes, thank you for hiring In the Kitchen to cater your event, thank you for making me feel like a valued part of our community.

Thank you to my family, my mom and dad for believing in my dream to open In the Kitchen. Thank you to my brother  Tim for always be willing to help with the heavy lifting and for picking up the compost each week and for growing AMAZING food! Thank you to my husband Joe for the countless loads of kitchen (and home) laundry, for taking out the trash, for re-prioritizing your own work schedule so that you can help me at the kitchen, for being such a devoted husband and father. Thank you Felix for lighting the fire within me to keep on!

Thank you to everyone who has worked with me this past year to cater weddings and other events, it is very hard work and you are all so gracious and hard working. Thank you to Jen Smitt for often being the lead in this kitchen for these events and making beautiful food!

Thank you to Atma, Susan, Ann, Brenda and many others who create their own yummy food products In the Kitchen, while expanding our community. Thank you to Briar Patch for championing my classes and now offering your own!

Thank you farmers who grow beautiful food. Thank you Zion St neighbors and businesses who have welcomed me to the neighborhood.

Thank you everyone who came out on Sunday for our 4th annual brunch to celebrate the new year together! thank you Amber for taking these photos!

1pm

FREE!

You are invited to In the Kitchen’s 4th annual New Years Day Brunch on January 1st at 1 pm!

We are mixing it up this year and will feature a South of the Border menu……all vegetarian, all love.

This is our way of saying thank you to friends, family and community for another year of support of In the Kitchen!

We are looking for a few volunteers the morning of to help prep with us starting at 10:30 am. Email me if you would like to help out, it will be fun!!

I will also be giving out a beautiful In the Kitchen (3 year anniversary!) calendar created by the lovely and talented Miranda Currie!


Cooking is a great way for children to build confidence and learn about the foods that nourish the body and the soul…….in each class we will discuss proper food handling, preparation, kitchen safety, table setting, manners and well as cooking!

Menu

Easy Chocolate Truffles

No Bake Buckeye Cookies *made with peanut butter

Apple Compote with Cream
Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

Saturday, February 25th
KIDS In the Kitchen is BACK! Ages 5-9
Winter Soups
9-10:30 am
$25/child


Menu
Tomato Soup and Cheesy Toasts
Chicken Noodle Soup
Lentil Soup with Caramelized Onions

Saturday, March 10th
KIDS In the Kitchen is BACK! Ages 5-9
Puff Pastry Phun
9-10:30 am
$25/child


Menu
Brie Cheese Wrapped in Puff Pastry
Cheesy Twists
Mini Empanadas

Saturday, March 24th
KIDS In the Kitchen is BACK!
Ages 5-9
PYOL *Pack Your Own Lunch
9-10:30 am
$25/child


Menu

Peanut Butter and Jelly Stars

Ants on a Log and then some

Quiche

Fruit Salad

Is there a specific topic you would like to see offered as an In the Kitchen Educational Talk? If so, please send me an email and I will do my best to track down the expert in that field!

Monday, December 12th

Educational talk with Eva Tobie on “Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck”
6 – 7:30 PM
$10

How to choose the choicest nutrient dense foods for the best value.
Examples of meals that give your family the best source of vitamins and minerals for the best cost. Some of the comparisons may surprise you! Come check out what to put in your shopping cart to make that dollar stretch and your health to soar!

Georgeanne teaches cooking classes with a provincial French flair at her home. Her kitchen and home are basically my dream house/kitchen. I have included lots of great photos so you can see just what I mean.

I entered the kitchen at 10 am to a crackling fire in the FIREPLACE in the kitchen…….again, totally my dream set-up. The kitchen was small but well appointed with top quality range and the most genius sink/dish washing area. Keep in mind this is Georgeanne’s home but it was obviously very thoughtfully renovated to her specific needs as a cook and teacher.

The culinary topic of the day was Holiday Appetizers. As many of you know, I have eaten mainly (95%) a vegetarian diet for the past 3 years, this class was not vegetarian Our menu included Pate de Jambon en Croute with Mustard Sauce a la Creme, Dungeness Crab salad on Toasts, Potato Leek Soup with Black Truffle Oil, Bite Size Goat Cheese Souffles, Chickpea Crepe, Devils and Angels on Horseback and Duck Rillettes on Walnut Bread.

The class was geared towards people who LOVE food and have experience cooking, but certainly able to accomadate a novice. At the beginning of class after some brief intorductions, we were given recipes and partnered off to take charge of 1-2 recipes to be prepared and cooked for our lunch at 12 noon.

This was a very hands on class, though we each were only involved with 1-2 of the recipes directly. We cooked, picked herbs and lettuces from the garden, watched each other, asked questions and then finally ATE. Sitting down in the beautiful dinning room was a much anticipated treat. We feasted on decadent appetizers that came together beautifully as a meal and then toasted our efforts with a glass of champagne!

Georgeanne is a wonderful teacher and a delight to be around. I look forward to taking another class from her as soon as I can. The drive to her home near Davis and the time alone in the car was wonderful!

We work hard and eat hard! Eating lunch together is not something that happens every day, but we aim for it! For a hearty mid day meal, I like to pull ingredients from our CSA box as well as from our carefully curated pantry. When I say curated, I really mean that I always know what we have and I frequently replenish our staples. Cans of organic beans are a godsend for a meals on the fly. With those as the base, I like to build up from there with seasonal produce and then top it with a yummy piece of cheese!

*White beans with persimmons, Delicata squash and kale.

In this recipe I used:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can of Cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 small Delicata squash, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 Fuyu persimmon, diced
1 bunch or kale, wash and cut into thin ribbons
1 thick slice of Cambozola cheese, but you can use any of your favorites!
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet, toss in the squash and persimmons, saute until they start to brown, 7-10 minutes

2. Add the kale and continue to cook until it is wilted, 3 minutes

3. Add the drained beans and cook through. I like it when they begin to brown.

4. Season the dish with salt and pepper, add more olive oil if you wish.

5. Serve yourself and your guests a hearty bowl and top with a generous slice of Cambozola cheese and watch it melt! Yum!

* This dish is excellent the next day too, if you can manage to not eat it all at once, you will be SO thrilled to have some waiting for you the next day!

The menu includes Minestrone Meatball Soup, Quick Vegetarian Chili, Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells and White Bean, Tomato and Sausage Cassoulet – yum!
To sign up contact Addie: addie.harris@gmail.com orHeather: 530-414-8282

Sunday, November 13th
“Thanks Living” A RAW foods class with Next Level Foods
1:30-4pm
$45

Next Level Foods brings you “Thanks Living”, a raw & living foods class.   Atma & Eva will consider the classic Thanks Giving meal & take it to the raw version.  Using organic, local, vegan & gluten free ingredients you will feel confident to recreate & bring these amazing versions to your Holiday meal.  Live Thanks!

To register contact Atma @ (530) 272-1137

Saturday, November 19th
Nourish & Flourish Through the Holidays
10-1pm
$45

Do you just give up and let go of all your healthy ideals for the Holidays? or what about a real foods feast?? In this class we look at a healthy approach to a traditional Thanksgiving Feast or Christmas Dinner. We will discuss menus, share recipes, sample some delicious family favorites and look at ways to prepare several meals from leftovers. Learn the secrets to preparing and serving a celebration meal with turkey and all the fixings that is not only wonderfully delicious, but also truly digestible and truly nourishing. We will prepare and share a Holiday Feast!

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

As the holidays approach, remember that In the Kitchen also offers gift certificates! Give the gift of cooking! Also included in the purchase of a gift certificate is our signature Local foods Poster!

Tuesdays, September 13th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall: Bacteria We Can’t Live Without
6-9pm

$220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

Are you struggling to understand and incorporate the principles of preparing nutrient dense foods as outlined in Sally Fallon’s Cookbook, “Nourishing Traditions”? We focus on the use of local foods to exemplify and make the principles of fermentation and proper preparation techniques look easy. Each class includes instruction, food preparation, demonstrations and a meal!

We discuss lacto-fermentation as a method of preservation and its benefits for the human gut or “endobiome”. We prepare vegetable ferments: sauerkraut, kim chi and beet kvass; and dairy ferments: kefir, creme fraiche, yogurt and filmjolk.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Friday, September 16
HeartMatters and In the Kitchen: Eat To Your Heart’s Content
6 – 8:30 PM
$40

Join us for this delicious and educational seasonal cooking class that focuses on how to eat well in your busy life. Robin, of HeartMatters, and Wendy, of In the Kitchen, share their love for cooking and eating real foods to create divine meals that are simple, easy, and oh-so-tasty!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Sunday, September 18th and 22nd
Introduction to Cooking
1:30-3:30 pm
$120 for adults, $95 for students

Back by popular demand! Do you know someone who might benefit from a culinary brush up or intro to kitchen safety? How about someone who can’t even boil water? Or are you a foodie who would like to learn some new tricks from a professional? This fun, educational class is perfect for all of the above!

This class will cover the history and cultivation of French Cuisine, kitchen tools and equipment, knife skills, protein cooking methods, flavor profiles, nutrition and tricks of the trade!
*This is a 2 part course

Email or call Jen at 559-9457 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Monday, September 19th
Grain Salad, Bean Salad and DIP!
6-8 pm
$45

This is a new class I am offering. It is the perfect transition class that will take you from summer to fall and back to school. We will be making hearty, flavorful grain and bean salads that are perfect for dinner, great for lunch and best of all GLUTEN FREE!

We will also learn to make some fun dips that can be used as appetizers or even on sandwiches and wraps!

*vegetarian and gluten free

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Tuesdays, September 20th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall: The Magic of Minerals

6-9 pm
220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

What is ordinary table salt & why does it damage our bodies? We look at the necessity for salt and its naturally associated minerals. Why is chicken broth called “Jewish Penicillin”? We make mineral and gelatin rich bone stocks, soups, reduction sauces & gravies and discuss organ meats.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Monday, September 26th
Filling, Fun, Fall Soups!
6-8 pm
$45

Back by popular demand! Our fall soup class is always a hit, learn the secrets of winning soups, how to build a soup from the bare bones of your pantry and create a warm home filled with aroma of LOVE!

Potato Leek Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup with cheesy toasts
Cream of Cauliflower and Gorzonzola Soup
Basic Vegetable “stone soup”

*vegetarian

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Tuesdays, September 27th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall:The Mystery of the Seed
6-9 pm
220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

Why did traditional people always soak, sprout or sour grains, seeds and nuts before eating them. We make delicious pancakes, dosas, and rugelach. Can healthy snacks be satisfying? We prepare “crispy” nuts with various tasty seasonings.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Tuesdays, October 4th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall: What Color is Your Egg Yolk?
6-9 pm
220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

Learn to recognize high quality eggs.
Participants each bring an egg – we crack the eggs and compare characteristics & discuss raising chickens. We make smoothies, eggnog, mayonnaise, omelets, frittatas, ice cream and coconut macaroons.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Monday, October 3rd
Educational talk with BodyCard: Why Dieting Doesn’t Work!
6 – 7:30 PM
$10

Dieting: why dieting doesn’t work, funny (and not so funny) dieting myths, how fad diets and diet-foods can hurt your body, and a delicious conversation on the natural means of slimming down and staying fit.

BodyCard encourages clients to maintain their health and weight by using real foods, void of processed proteins, artificial sugars, and other dangerous chemicals. They firmly believe that the dieting culture is one that creates temporary improvement to the physique based on life-long damage to the body. Their instruction of food diversity, the preparation of meals, and the art of keeping fit is free of “dieting” and full of lifestyle alternatives to create a consistent, manageable improvement.

Those who attend this class will receive easy, delightful recipes (client tested and approved!), instructions for the quick and efficient preparation of weekly meals, and a meal “blue-print” to make it simple for you to create your own all natural dieting alternative.

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Monday, October 10th
Knife Skills 101
6-8 pm
$35

Back by popular demand! Learn basic knife skills that will improve your overall experience in the kitchen! We will have lots of hands on slicing, dicing, mincing and chopping! Our efforts will result in a yummy one pot meal at the end of class we can call dinner! Bring a favorite knife if you have one, though we will have knifes to share as well.

*vegetarian

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

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Tuesdays, October 11th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall: The Scourge of the Modern Soft Drink

6-9 pm
220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

Learn the secrets of making your own sodas and other lacto-fermented (non-alcoholic) beverages. We will make ginger ale, kombucha, root beer and “roots” beer.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Tuesdays, October 18th
Preparing Traditional Nourishment with Shan Kendall: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
6-9 pm
220 for the entire series of 6 classes
($45/single class if space is available)

Take home three weeks worth of seasonal family-friendly menus, recipes & shopping tips. This class is a Power Point lecture and slideshow, following a potluck of our “homework” from previous classes. We also feature a discussion and “show and tell” of super foods and “supplements”.

Email or call Shan Kendall at 478-5628 or daveshanken@juno.com

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Wednesday, October 19th
The Wild Fall Gourmet: Seasonal Cooking with Native Plants with Alicia Funk

6-8:30 pm

$45- All class proceeds support the Yuba Watershed Institute

The Wild Fall Gourmet: Seasonal Cooking with Native Plants

Our modern-day American diet relies upon a mere 30 or so plant species, while 200 years ago an indigenous Californian’s diet would have included about a thousand. We can still connect with the nutrition of our landscape by cooking native, local foods that are tasty, beautifully prepared and carbon-free.

Learn how to prepare a Wild Thanksgiving Feast. Make a “Beyond Cranberry” Wild Berry Sauce and other local holiday dishes, discover how to easily process acorns into Oak Nut Flour and enjoy tasting an Oak Nut Bliss Bar and seasonal desserts.

Class size limited. Email or call Alicia Funk at 530-264-5154 or alicia@livingwild.org

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Friday, October, 28th
How to Choose Food for Your Health using Macrobotic principles
6-8 PM
$45

Macrobiotic chef at Briar Patch, Migiwa Kawasaki, will be teaching about macrobiotic cooking and talking about the benefits of eating macrobiotic meals. Learn how to cook sweet brown rice, Kimpira Gobo (burdock roots), adzuki squash, green onion miso, a seaweed dish, and bean cakes.

Email or call Migiwa at 4703625 or migiwakawasaki@yahoo.com.

Friday, November 4th
HeartMatters and In the Kitchen: Survive the Holidays Cooking Class
6-8:30 pm
$40

HeartMatters and In the Kitchen join forces for a special Holiday Cooking Class.
In this fun and informative class you will learn stratygies for shopping, cooking, eating and celebrating well, with you heart and health in mind, as you enjoy this holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Years. We’ll gather round the chopping block to eat, drink and be merry, followed by survival tips that help you celebrate with joy!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

Monday, November 7th
Educational talk with Robin Mallery of HeartMatters: Mindful Meals
6 – 7:30 PM
$10

Savor the Flavor! Mindful meals bring many physical and emotional benefits. Learn how you can better prepare and enjoy paying attention to your meals! In this workshop, Robin Mallery, RN will share the science of mindfulness, techniques for becoming mindful around meals, and strategies for eating less while becoming more satisfied with what you choose to eat.

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

Wednesday, December 7th
Get Saucy: A Mother Sauce Primer
6-8:30 pm
$60

Introduction to French “Mother sauces” and their modern counterparts. In this class we will review the definitions of the Mother Sauces: Espagnol, Veloute, Bechamel, Hollandaise and Tomato. Chef Jen will demo the modern versions: Beef Demi, Chicken Demi, Grafton Cheddar and Bearnaise. We’ll discuss pairings in dishes and your’ll leave with recipes to put the sauces to use!

Email or call Jen at 559-9457 or info@wendyvanwagner.com
Monday, December 12th
Educational talk with Eva Tobie on EASY One Button Yummy Healthy Meals

Monday, December 12th
Educational talk with Eva Tobie on “Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck” or How to choose the choicest nutrient dense foods for the best value.
6 – 7:30 PM
$10

Examples of meals that give your family the best source of vitamins and minerals for the best cost. Some of the comparisons may surprise you! Come check out what to put in your shopping cart to make that dollar stretch and your health to soar!

Email or call Wendy at 478-0669 or info@wendyvanwagner.com

Private Classes

In The Kitchen offers private classes for groups of 6 or more. Private classes are a great way to celebrate birthdays, bridal showers, team building events, or just getting friends together!

Some possible classes to choose from are

French

Indian

Sushi Making

Soups and Stews

Appetizers and Apertifs

Classes are $50/person and as always, include a meal at the end of class!

Feel free to bring you own wine to enjoy with dinner.

Book your class in advance and have your choice of dates!

info@wendyvanwagner.com

Goodfoodjobs has a blog called Gastrognomes that features foodie professionals that span every aspect of cooking and farming. This week, In the Kitchen was lucky enough to be the featured gastro gnome!

gas•tro•gnome a jovial individual whose main purpose on earth is to connect people who derive pleasure from good food.

the gastrognomes is a blog for food lovers who want to put their passions to work. We profile the most interesting, engaging, and unlikely food professionals that we find, and we publish them here to inspire you.

To read my interview about how I started cooking and teaching cooking classes, click here!

Here are some photos and her thoughts about the class that I created to highlight light, summer dishes. Maybe this will inspire you to book your own private class with In the Kitchen! This is a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday or do something fun and different with friends!

Wendy Van Wagner, owner of In the Kitchen, has been teaching and cooking up fresh food with mainly organic and local ingredients since she returned to her native Nevada City four years ago when she set up her own cooking school and local community kitchen.  Her fresh approach to traditional and non-traditional cooking has taken off in Nevada City, where locals and visitors can take classes ranging from knife basics, canning, sushi rolling, ice cream making and beyond.  Click here for a complete list of the upcoming classes.  When brainstorming with Wendy about how guests at the Outside Inn could take part in her classes Wendy suggested I come try a private cooking class, which can be arranged for anywhere from 4 to 12 people.  My cozy class included some old friends with whom I sliced, diced and tossed to create a fabulous “Perfect Summer Picnic” menu.  Wendy is an excellent teacher who not only demonstrated the recipes, but also put us to work to help create the dishes.  One of my favorites was the Shine on Root Salad, a beautiful raw root veggie salad that looked like a piece of art work after we put everything through the Japanese mandolin. Our picnic also included Wendy’s Shaved Fennel Salad; combining fresh zucchini, fennel, pine nuts, feta cheese and arugula.  The rest of the summer meal included a baked savory zucchini cheesecake, garlic greens with kale and Parmesan cheese and finally, divine olive shortbread biscuits.  Check out Wendy’s website and see if there’s a class that might work for you, if not, email her and she’ll create a custom one just for your tastes.

For more Photos of Erin’s class visit the BLOG!