If you have been a reader of mine for long, you know I do not shy away from having my children in the kitchen cooking right along side me.  So, when Shelley told me she was going to teach an online “Back to the Basics” cooking class, I knew I had to join that class.  I have been cooking and improvising for quite a few years, but never really had “basic” cooking training.  Many times, I just drag my kids into the kitchen and let them learn whatever I am doing.  But I thought it would be fun for them to take an online class, and I could walk through anything too hard or dangerous with them.

Here is a link to the introductory material about the class:

Back to Basics Cooking Class http://tinyurl.com/oneroastveg

If you are like me, and on a tight budget most of the time, knowing how to cook good, basic food from every day ingredients is key to feeding your family sensibly.  This class was cost effective,and frankly has been quite a lot of fun.

This week, we learned how to test our oven temperature for accuracy without a thermometer!   That will be handy if we are ever cooking out of town or move to a place with a different oven.  We now have complete confidence that our current oven bakes at the temperature indicated.

We also learned proper measuring techniques for dry and wet ingredients.  The girls learned how to make baked eggs, soft boiled eggs, hard boiled eggs, and  poached eggs.  If you read my twittters, you may have seen that Anne Mary thought poached eggs were “pooched eggs.”

David decided to show up at key moments (whenever he heard a timer beep) and be our resident taster.  Everything turned out perfectly and we all learned some things.

Here are some pictures from our classes this week:

Yummy Farm Fresh Eggs!

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

Sarah getting ready to watch the lesson and follow the directions.

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

Sarah and Anne Mary preparing their dishes.

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 David joins in the fun.

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 Anne Mary’s Finished Baked Egg

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 Sarah’s Finished Baked egg.  The little black spots are pepper.

Testing the centers for the desired outcome.  These were perfect.

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 The Proud Chefs!

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 The food critic tastes and delivers two thumbs up.

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009

From Dec 2008 Jan 2009 The girls also perfect soft and hard boiled eggs as well as poached eggs today!

If you want to learn more about the classes from my friend Shelley at One Roast Vegetable, it’s an online class that takes place in your own home (no traveling!), and you can work at your own pace, so very low stress 🙂

Back to Basics Cooking Class http://tinyurl.com/oneroastveg

Each week you receive a new lesson, and you can follow along with her step-by-step instructions and videos. You’ll learn the basics, like how to make a perfect hard boiled egg, how to roast a chicken (and what to do with the leftovers). And I know for a fact that in this class she’s going to share her 3-ingredient recipe for cinnamon ice cream that’s a real show-stopper! In fact, if you’d like to see some of the preview lessons Shelley has created for the Back to Basics Cooking Class, then you should definitely sign up here and check them out:

Back to Basics Cooking Class http://tinyurl.com/oneroastveg

The class I am taking filled up the FIRST day it was offered, but I am hoping she will offer it again soon, because I know this will be a great class for home educators, and for moms who just need a little help!