Check! One down ...

On Wednesday night, I did something that I've always wanted to do ... I took a cooking class! My friend (and former employer at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce), Ali, invited me to go as an "early birthday gift." Have I told you yet how much she rocks? Well, she does. Taking a cooking class is one of the "to-do's" on my bucket list, and I'm so excited that I got to check it off! One down. At least 15 more things (for now) to go.

The class was taught by the awesome Phil Dunn. Of course, not being from here, I wasn't familiar with him. But, when I came back to work on Thursday and told everyone about the class, they were totally impressed. Apparently, he's a rock star chef!

The Menu:
Margaritas
Shrimp Tortilla Soup
Mexican Fiesta Dip
Arroz Con Pollo
Mexican Wedding Cookies

I've been on a diet, but I definitely cheated this night. There's no way around it! We cooked a course, then ate. Cooked then ate. Cooked then ate. And, of course, well, we had to stay hydrated while we cooked in that beautiful, hot kitchen!

Here are some of the pictures from the class:

Architectural Kitchens & Bath - Where the class was held.

Our first creation - Mexican Fiesta Dip - It was my favorite!

Chef Dunn browning the chicken for our main dish, Arroz Con Pollo.

Again, browning the chicken.

Preparing the cilantro for our Shrimp Tortilla Soup.

Ali butterflying the shrimp for the soup.

Chef Dunn making sure she's doing it right :)

Yummy!

We only used half of this butter to make our cookies - thank goodness! I can feel my thighs getting bigger just looking at this big chunk-o-butter!

Jared's "to go" plate. We cooked so much that there was no way I could eat it all! There's chicken and rice that was our main dish and a little bit of dip that we had as an appetizer on here. He loved it too!

Thank you for such a fun night!!!!!

And finally, "sugaring" our Mexican Wedding Cookies. I seriously could have eaten 100 of these! Mmmmm!

I can't wait to take another class! If anyone wants to go with me, just let me know, and I'll keep you posted about the next class schedule.

Updated Bucket List:
1. Sky dive (I'll have to do this when I'm on my death bed though. I really don't want to break my arm again.)
2. Write a book (I'm still trying to decide what I want to write about ... )
3. Live at the beach
4. Learn to fly a plane
5. Run a marathon (start with 5K and work my way up)
6. Wear a pink stripe in my hair
7. Travel to at least 10 different countries
8. Own my own business
9. Go to a Broadway Show in NYC (I can't believe I've never done this.)
10. Take cooking classes. COMPLETED
11. Learn to knit.
12. Take an art class/Learn to paint
13. Take a dance class (specifically salsa, but I'd love to learn all kinds of dances)
14. Go on a mission trip
15. Adopt a child (Jared isn't as convinced about this one as I am.)
16. Take a photography class



Cheers!
Rian