THIS WEEK I LOVED: Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School!
Obligatory “first post” foreword:
Hi! Wow! My first ever blog post. If you’re here reading this then you probably either 1: Listen to me on POR mornings with Jon Joe & Courtney (which in that case, thank you for listening!) or 2: You “know” me via social media and/or drunken debauchery, etc and you decided to give my blog a pity-read. Either way- I’m glad you’re here and I’m sorry for any strange things you’ve encountered (or will encounter) in my presence in the past, present, & future.
This blog is mainly going to be about the things that I LOVE each week. Now, I’m not Oprah – nothing in this blog is going to be insanely expensive or fancy. I’m ready to go out and gather experiences, food, drinks… anything! If you have suggestions for the future I’d love to hear them – shoot me a line at courtney@1019por.com or message my Instagram page: Courtney Ross (@justcourtneyblog) • Instagram photos and videos.
Enough intro – onto my week! This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of journeying to the Stonewall Kitchen Company Store & Cooking School down in York. If you know me, you know that I’ve always been a massive fan of food & cooking. Fun fact: I even had a wildly unsuccessful stint as a culinary arts student back in the day! Deciding to learn from these Stonewall Kitchen experts was a no-brainer for me…but full disclosure: I was fearful of the menu.
Yep, this was a massive leap of faith for me because when I checked out the menu for my class at Stonewall I noticed my mortal enemy & the actual bane of my existence: carrots. If you haven’t already heard my long-winded rants on & off the air- I hate carrots, a lot. Alas, I was ready to check out something new and be the crazy and carefree 30 year old I always knew I could be. I was ready to give carrots another shot in my life.
SO I put on my big-girl breeches & I made my trek to beautiful York, Maine. The very first thing I noticed is that Stonewall Kitchen is so ridiculously easy to find. Take the ‘pike south to the York exit, bang a left, and then it’s literally right there. You can’t miss it.
The moment I walked into the (absolutely gorgeous and jealousy-inducing) Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School test kitchen I knew it was going to be awesome… because I was offered wine. Yep, they have drinks and ~dranks~ that you can savor while you enjoy the class. Of course! You’ll need a beverage to wash down the delicious meal you’re about to learn about! Did I mention you get to eat everything you’re being taught about? Yep.
My fellow pupils & I sat at high tables in this chic classroom space and awaited our chef. First of all, I need to say that the teacher definitely makes the class. Our “teacher” aka Chef Danielle Henry was phenomenal and hilarious right from the start. She was so funny and very REAL, which made the learning part memorable & comfortable. The entire experience felt like hanging out in the kitchen with your best friend while she cooks up a tasty dinner – except your friend was classically trained at Johnson and Whales University. Yep, she’s legit.
Chef Danielle took our class on a journey through a gorgeous, unique menu:
Bok Choy Salad with Celery, Fennel, Grapes, Shredded Beets, Mixed Fresh Herbs, & Grapefruit Vinaigrette:
Cinnamon Meringue Pie:
THEN… the moment of truth…
Chinese Five Spice Broiled Salmon atop a bed of Carrot (!!!) Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms and Tart Cherries:
My hands began to sweat as my plate approached the table. Did I have the strength to do this? I grasped my utensils & picked up a small forkful… tears in my eyes… will I like it? I take my bite and… YES! YES! The carrots… I’m eating them… they’re…delicious! The carrot quinoa was a success. I was filled with emotion! I leapt from my seat to dance on the table and exclaimed as my fellow pupils looked on in horror.
Just kidding. It was super tasty though.
In summary, the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School was just the ticket for a fun afternoon to myself. I learned a TON of hot cooking tips from Chef Danielle (she literally used her bare hands to de-skin a salmon!) and at the same time got to enjoy new recipes that I’d never tried before. If you’re not into flying solo, this could make a cool, unique date night or friend date for you & your lover or BFF. There are a ton of dates, times, and menus to choose from! Check out the class schedule right here: Cooking School Catalog | Cooking School | Stonewall Kitchen.
As always: I’m down to hear suggestions for what I should try out next! Hit me up via email courtney@1019por.com or shoot me a DM on my instagram page here: Courtney Ross (@justcourtneyblog) • Instagram photos and videos.
BYEEEE!
