My Weekend In Mexico

Well, not really. But the food was amazing.

So, Stacy already gave a little teaser about my weekend, but I've got to tell you how amazing it was.

She was in our local coffeehouse and noticed a poster for cooking classes at a relatively new bed and breakfast here in town. They call them "Acclaimed Chef Weekends" and the programs they've held so far look great. She happened to notice that there was one coming up about Mexican cooking, and since I love Mexican food, she thought this would be a great class for me. She would have loved to have done the class with me (and honestly, it would have been even better if she could have), but despite her best efforts we weren't able to swing it. Stacy really wanted me to do this class, though, so she insisted I go.

Anyway, this bed and breakfast is great, and the owners are fantastic and super friendly. You would think Stacy and Rosalie had known each other forever the way they get along. The inn is beautifully decorated and each room has a theme, our favorites being the English Manor Suite and the Secret Room (seriously, you tip some books on a bookshelf and it swings open to give you access to the secret room--so cool). The inn has a wonderful view as well, overlooking the rolling hills and valley below. It is a really great setting.

So on Saturday there was a small reception to meet the chef, Chef Israel, and the other class members. It was a lot of fun to talk with him about food, his experiences as a Mexican immigrant, food, restaurants, food, and whatever else came to mind. He started giving us teasers about the meal we'd be preparing on Sunday, and even the small tidbits he was feeding us made me drool.

Sunday afternoon we all met in the inn's kitchen for class. There were five of us in the class all together: a couple from Washington, D.C. that literally got engaged on the ride up the night before, a father and son from the area, and me. It's really amazing how working in a kitchen together can bring people together, even people who just barely met. We had such a good time learning about Mexican cuisine, preparing our meal for the night, and just talking about so many things. I could bore you with all the details, but I think I'd rather just give you the menu for the evening.

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Appetizer
Sopes de Pollo: homemade corn tortillas topped with homemade refried beans, shredded chicken, diced onion and cilantro, lime, and a fresh tomatillo salsa

Soup
Caldo Tlalpeno: chicken soup with chickpeas and chipotle peppers

Salad
Spinach salad with Chef Israel's "especial dressing"

Main Meal
Lomo de Cerdo en Adobo: Roasted pork loin with fresh adobo sauce
Mexican rice
Refried Beans

Dessert
Tres Leches Cake topped with fresh strawberries and kiwi

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Let's just say that meal was SO good! We made all of the sauces fresh in our class and just learning how to do that was worth the price of admission. A good friend took Thing 1 and 2 for the evening so Stacy could come join us for the actual meal on Sunday night. I'll let her comment on how good it was, especially all the things I helped to make.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I'm so glad Stacy found the class for me. I'm looking forward to when the same chef comes again so we can do this again, hopefully together!

Thank you, Little Miss. I love you!

P.S. The Innkeepers took about a million pictures and they will be sending them at some point. I just didn't want to wait to post about the weekend.