An Afternoon with Chef Deb

One of the default outings for the Momtourage was lunch out - we didn't have to cook and got to spend a few hours together...perfect! The only downside to that as the babies got a bit older is that it gets a bit trickier. It got to the point where we needed 5 highchairs (couldn't keep them sleeping in the strollers anymore!) and after awhile they wanted to move and explore - in other words, our lunch outings became shorter unless we were at a playplace.

I started trying to think of activities we could do together, and ended up getting in touch with Chef Deb. I have known Chef Deb for a few years, and she has catered a few events for us, including our rehearsal dinner and showers. She is fantastic, and cooks so many different cuisines. My personal favourite is her Greek dinner - chicken souvlaki, homemade tzatziki, yum!!! But I digress - I called Chef Deb and asked her whether she would be willing to host an afternoon cooking class for a few moms at my place. To my delight, she agreed :) We settled on an asian theme, learning to cook a proper stir-fry, and then we could sit down and enjoy our work!

Chef Deb

Mandy working on her knife skills

We got so much more than we bargained for - to start off, Chef Deb taught us proper knife skills. Apparently none of us even knew how to use a knife properly. It takes some practice to get comfortable using knives the way chefs do, but when you get the hang of it, you can chop pretty fast...plus I kinda feel like a contestant on Masterchef...a contestant that Gordon, Joe and Elliott would promptly swear at and throw out of the kitchen.

Jen and Char taking in all the action

Sharon and Brody taking a break from the kitchen

General Tao's Chicken

First up was learning to make General Tao's chicken. I'll be honest, I'm not a very adventurous eater, so I had never actually tried it before. However, I did try it this time and it was delicious! Flavour was amazing, chicken was crispy and perfectly cooked. Hard to believe it came out of my kitchen and not a restaurant!

London taking in the sights from the floor

 Next up was tackling a proper chicken stir-fry. I know we all know how to essentially throw together a stir-fry, but let me tell you...doing it properly makes a HUGE difference. First was learning to cut up vegetables the correct way - doing matchstick veggies makes it look nice and makes it a whole lot easier to cook!

A look at our work in progress

Stir-fry in action!

Both of the recipes were deceptively simple, and I have made them numerous times on my own since then. I haven't quite mastered the General Tao chicken, I don't usually get it quite as crispy, but the stir-fry turns out perfect every time, no fail. I've done it with chicken and beef, and they are both yummy. If you like doing a stir-fry at home, check out Chef Deb's blog (details below), as she has a video on stir-frying. There are some really simple techniques and tricks that make a world of difference in stir-frying.

Cooking with Chef Deb

Chef Deb and A

As always with the Momtourage, it was a fantastic afternoon! We all learned a lot, had a great meal, and spent time with one fantastic chef! A few of us even took cookbooks by Chef Deb home!

Take a few minutes to check out everything Chef Deb has to offer - her blog is witty and entertaining, her cookbooks offer lots of weekday meal ideas, and her catering is phenomenal!

Catering site: http://www.culinarycaravan.com/
Blog: http://thefridgewhisperer.com/fridge/