A Tuscan Cooking Experience

Ok, I know I promised no more long blog posts, but hopefully they aren't too painful to get through! My mom just left yesterday morning, which is so sad! They lost her luggage too! I miss her already, but I planned this well-- from here until I leave Florence I am traveling every single weekend except one when my dad is here over Thanksgiving. This way, I won't give myself the opportunity to feel homesick!

On Saturday my mom and I woke up (she smuggled me into her hotel room) and caught a cab to the meeting point where a van from our cooking class would pick us up. We had no idea how many people to expect in our cooking class, but we knew it was not just my mom and me, since they had to reschedule us. It turned out to be the two of us and this cute British couple, Simon and Peta. We drove for about 30 minutes to get to this old Tuscan villa where we would have our 5 hour class. The kitchen in this villa was INCREDIBLE. The stove had 8 or 10 eyes and there was a plethora of counter space, which any chef knows is essential for meal preparation. We met the couple who would teach the cooking class and they were sweet as could be! They served us coffee (tea for me!) and then we washed up and put on our aprons. From there we began preparing the meal. 

I won't walk you through the entire thing since not everyone reading this actually cares about cooking, but I'd love to elaborate with anyone who is interested. The menu was as follows:

• Brusccheta (toasted bread with olive oil, tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, etc.)
  
• Hand-made ravioli filled with potatoes, prosciutto (Italian version of bacon), and Ricotta cheese covered in a duck ragu (I am a "selective" eater, but I LOVED it!)
  
• Safron and Zucchini Risotto
• Beef stew with palenta (corn flour and water put together to create this spongey concoction) 
• Tiramisu

All of the cooking occurred with a glass of wine in hand -- for me at least. We enjoyed local Tuscan white wine first and then switched to red. The cooking part was so much fun! My mom and I were total goofballs the whole time, which was fun! She cut an onion when she wasn't supposed to and Franco said "No Cut!" I set an oven mitt on fire. Don't worry, it only burned for a few seconds before the British woman alerted me and I extinguished the flame. The best part was eating our delectable creations! I was full after the 2nd fish, but forced myself to eat the rest. It was so amazing that I haven't really even been hungry since! We got to keep our aprons and a big book of Tuscan recipes! Overall, I would highly recommend this to ANYBODY.

Afterwards, my mom and I stumbled through the city in what I call a "food coma."

 All the blood had gone from our brains to our stomachs in order to digest all of that amazing food. Then we wandered around looking for a few final gifts, but decided we were too exhausted to continue. After resting for a while, I said goodbye to my mom and went home. I ended up getting one of the worst migraines I've ever had that night. I was miserable and lonely (because I had just said goodbye to my mom) and just wanted to be home. Once I got to sleep I was fine again.

I have art class in a little while, so I should go. I'll do one entry featuring my art class assignments sometime!

Ciao!

P.S. The top picture is me cooking the duck ragu and having the duck (liver and heart included) splatter all over my face. That is why I am making that face. The next picture is the menu of things we cooked that day. Finally, the Duomo in the most incredible lighting I have ever seen.