Here are classes that have openings  at the time I posted this:

Instructor:  Jill McLeod

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  6

From exotic to classic, soup is one comfort food that we all gravitate towards, at some point, through the winter months.   Enjoy enticing Apple and Onion Soup while being a localvoire, if you like, then dig into the classic creamy Potato Soup, an easy and quick recipe that can be made spur of the moment for a satisfying dinner. In search of something a bit further afield?  Then the Thai coconut soup, know as Thom Kha Gai, will fit the bill.
Pakistani Winter Dinner

Date:  Thursday, February 17

Instructor:  Huma Siddiqui

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  1

Warm up a cold, dead-of-winter evening with a delicious Pakistani menu and Huma’s delightful class!  What could be better than Huma’s own Garlic Shrimp–shrimp cooked with garlic and White Jasmine Tandoori Masala sauce; Fresh Roasted Vegetables–a mixture of fresh veggies roasted with whole cumin and olive oil; a side of Couscous cooked with spices, peppers and onions; and Huma even offers a dessert of comforting Bread Pudding!  Come for Huma and the food, leave with an appreciation of the flavors of Pakistani!

Hearty Winter Soups

Date:  Monday, February 21

Instructor:  Andy Watson

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  2

What could be better on a cold February night than a hearty bowl of soup?  Join Andy tonight to stir up 3 favorites from his repetoire.  Planned are Clam Chowder with Bacon, Winter Squash Soup with spicy toasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Beef and Barley Stew with Mushrooms.

St. Patty’s Day Feast

Date:  Tuesday, February 22

Instructor:  Lydia Critchley

Class Fee:  $40.00

Availability:  2

HANDS ON!!  With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, get ready by learning to prepare traditional Irish dishes with Lydia at the helm.  Planned menu recipes will include:  Colcannon, Buttermilk Scones, Soda Bread, Irish Ginger Snaps and more.  Lydia will talk about the history of Irish cooking, foods often found in Irish menus, as well as facts of potatoes and other Irish foods.

An Evening in Morocco

Date:  Thursday, February 24

Instructor:  Betsy Piper

Class Fee:  $44.00

Availability:  5

Moroccan food is full of all the good and healthful things that Mediterranean cooking is all about.  Betsy will show you all of the delicious foods that Morocco brings to the table.  Start with Spiced Olives and Moroccan vegetable- topped hummus; a Tagine made with chicken, apricots and almonds;  Couscous; Orange- walnut salad; and finish with a Lemon Yogurt Cake and Mint Tea.

Sunday Morning Croissants!

Date:  Sunday, February 27  12:30-2:30 pm

Instructor:  Susie Feest

Class Fee: $39.00

Availability:  6

What could be better than a fresh croissant warmly out of the oven on a Sunday morning?  Or any morning?  Susie returns to show you how to work with yeast dough to make sweet and savory-filled croissants.  This class is partially hands on, so you might want to bring an apron along.

Jamaican Yard Food!

Date:  Monday, February 28

Instructor:  Patricia Collins

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  8

Patricia brings us back to Jamaica with more island home-cooking!  Think warm island breezes as you learn to prepare a delicious meal of Curry Chicken; Veg-a traditional dish of sauteed spinach, green pepper and habernero; Rice and Peas; and Festival-a Jamaican fried bread.

Mardi Gras Celebration!

Date:  Wednesday, March 2

Instructor:  Carl Povlick

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  8

Celebrate Fat Tuesday (March with some good old fashioned New Orleans cuisine!  Carl will help us rediscover Cajun food with  Seafood and Sausage Jambalaya accompanied by Stewed Okra, Roasted Cajun Potatoes and Country Cornbread.  Then learn how to make a traditional Mardi Gras King Cake, and see who will be the next King or Queen!

Introduction to Spices

Date:  Tuesday, March 8

Instructor:  Jill McLeod

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  4

Learn the ins and outs of the spices you may have on your spice rack or simply wanted to learn more about.  What to use?  Whole or ground, fresh or cooked, the spices you use can truly enhance the foods you cook and enjoy.  Jill will educate you on spices, usage and how to enjoy trying new spices in your favorite dishes.  Tonight Jill will teach you Thai-style Fresh Green Curried Shrimp, accompanied by Rice cooked in a flavorful and fragrant Aromatic Broth; and a finale of Cardamom Cookies.

Dinner in Germany!

Date:  Tuesday, March 15

Instructor:  Carl Povlick

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  1

Let Carl take you to Munich with his menu of German favorites.  Learn to prepare Rouladen, a traditional German beef roll; Potato Dumplings (to soak up the gravy!); and Red Cabbage.

Cooking for Busy People

Date:  Wednesday, March 23

Instructor:  Lydia Critchley

Class Fee:  $40.00

Availability:  4

HANDS ON!!  You need not have long ingredient lists or tons of time to cook up delicious meals when you are so busy!  Lydia will show you how, with lots of time saving tips and recipes that will get your family to the table in no time.  Planned recipes include:  Cream Biscuits; Macaroni, Cheese and Tomatoes; Cauliflower Medley; Chicken Oriental; and a dessert of Black Forest Pie.

Crepes!

Date:  Sunday, April 3   12:30-2:30

Instructor:  Laurie Conrad

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  3

Sunday afternoon with Laurie spells fun in the kitchen!  And what could be more fun than crepes for spring?  Join Laurie to learn the techniques of easily preparing fresh crepes, and enjoying creative fillings.  This class is partially hands on to experience cooking crepes and filling them.

Fresh Pasta!

Date:  Monday, April 4

Instructor:  Andy Watson

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  8

Love pasta?  You’ll love it even more when you have just made it yourself!  Join Andy as he teaches you how to make fresh pasta, and then enjoy it with some freshly made sauces.  Andy plans on teaching you how to prepare egg pasta fettucini, tagliatelle and penne, and spinach ravioli.  To accompany the pasta, Andy has a couple of sauces to share with you–a quick tomato sauce, a garlic white wine sauce and a pesto cream sauce.   The Taste of Vanilla II Date:  Tuesday, April 12 Instructor:  Jill McLeod Class Fee:  $39.00 Availability:  6 Jill will show you how different vanillas can change the taste of the food they are used in.  Taste your way through the three beautifully varied varieties of vanilla, Madagascar, Mexican and Tahitian, then follow their seductiveness into Vanilla Chili Shrimp with Noodles, Poached Pears, and Fairy Cakes (think cupcakes) with Buttercream Frosting. The Chicken or the Egg Date:  Wednesday, April 13 Instructor:  Carl Povlick Class Fee:  $39.00 Availability:  4 Chicken is such an economical way to cook up a meal for the family, and tonight Carl shows you three ways to use chicken deliciously for any meal.  Start with Eggs in a Nest, a colorful Chicken and Rice Salad with Olives, and Chicken Cacciatore.  Use any of these recipes for a weekday meal or Sunday brunch with friends! Spring Indian Tea Date:  Monday, April 18 Instructor:  Neeta Saluja Class Fee:  $39.00 Availability:  10Neeta will show you how to prepare several traditional Indian snacks, along with their tasty accompaniments and you are on your way to enjoying casual Indian fare!  Her menu includes  Samosas, the homemade pastry filled with seasoned potatoes and peas, deep fried and served with chutneys; Pakodas, a variety of vegetables dipped in chick-pea flour batter and deep fried; Tamarind Chutney, a versatile sweet, sour and tangy chutney; and a refreshing Coriander(cilantro) and Mint Chutney.  Add a delicious Chai, a sweet Indian tea prepared with ginger or cardamom, milk, sugar and tea leaves and you have enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea.
Make Ahead Mother’s Day Brunch!
Date:  Tuesday, May 3
Instructor:  Susie Feest
Class Fee:  $39.00
Availability:  5

Get organized for Mother’s Day weekend and be able to sit with your guests instead of fussing in the kitchen!  Susie will show you how to prepare delicious menu ahead, with minimal fuss.  Her scones are famous by now, and she is planning a Cheesy Cheddar Bacon Scone and a Chocolate Cherry Scone.  An overnight Chicken Breakfast Casserole keeps you ahead of the game, and a quick and Easy Caramel Monkey Bread finishes off your meal!

Mother’s Day-Lite!

Date:  Wednesday, May 4

Instructor:  Jill McLeod

Class Fee:  $39.00

Availability:  9

Join Jill for the ‘lighter side’ of a Mother’s Day meal!  You’ll like the easy preparation of Jill’s menu for a perfect light lunch or brunch for Mom and her guests!  Enjoy individual tartlets of Smoked Salmon, Dill and Horseradish; a Spring Rocket, Fig and Grape Salad; and Herbed Crostini.  Finish your sweet time together with a nibble of Lemon Sorbet accompanied by Triple Ginger Medallions.

Feasting by the Place de la Concorde

Date:  Thursday, May 5

Instructor:  Betsy Piper

Class Fee:  $44.00

Availability:  7

A light spring day in Paris calls for a lite luncheon.  Betsy’s menu could be a perfect Mother’s Day lunch or light healthful dinner full of fresh spring goodness.  Enjoy Cold fresh asparagus with chopped egg;  Poached salmon with beurre blanc;  Duchess Potatoes; a  Mixed salad with red wine/sherry vinaigrette; and a light dessert of Fraises marinees aux calvados (strawberries in apple brandy with whipped cream).

Mandt park will be humming with activity so come often and enjoy the Stoughton Fair.

Check out the schedule at Stoughton Fair.

2nd Place Winner

Wild Rice Cran-Apple Breakfast Bake, Nancy Bowman.  But I came in Second.  You are asking, what is he talking about?  Just got back from the Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association annual conference where we have a cook off.  Yes I came in second out of 9 entries.  My entry was Wonderfully Wild, Wild Rice Quiche.  We had 6 judges this year including,  Mark and Mike Obois, House of Embers Wisconsin Dells,  Justin Draper and Wade Bernander, High Rock Café Wisconsin Dells,  Mary Bergin, Roads Traveled Column,  and Patricia Simms, Wisconsin State Journal.

Yes the special ingredient was Wild Rice.  There were entries ranging from Wild Rice Pancakes, Wild Rice Soup, and Wild Rice Sausage.  All of it was great and had a close finish.  In fact only 4 points separated the top 4 finishers.

You’ll still get a great variety of entrees for breakfast at this Madison B and B, but if you want the Wonderfully Wild, Wild Rice Quiche, you should put in a request when you make your reservation.

Will have the recipe on the website Naeset-Roe Inn shortly.

Main Entry: chef
Pronunciation: ‘shef
Function: noun
Etymology: French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen
Date: 1840
1 : a skilled cook who manages the kitchen (as of a restaurant)
2 : cook

and COOK:

Main Entry: cook
Pronunciation: ‘kuk
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus, from coquere to cook; akin to Old English āfigen fried, Greek pessein to cook
Date: before 12th century
1: a person who prepares food for eating

and GOURMET:

Main Entry: gour·met
Pronunciation: ˈgur-ˌmā, guir-ˈ
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, alteration of gromet boy servant, vintner’s assistant, probably ultimately from Middle English grom groom
Date: 1820
: a connoisseur of food and drink ; broadly : connoisseur

and CONNOISSEUR:

Main Entry: con·nois·seur
Pronunciation: kä-nə-ˈsər also -ˈsuir
Function: noun
Etymology: obsolete French (now connaisseur), from Old French connoisseor, from connoistre to know, from Latin cognoscere —
Date: 1714
1: expert ; especially : one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge
2: one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties

According to these definitions I’m not a chef because I don’t “manage the kitchen”.  I am the kitchen.  It doesn’t say anything about a chef doing the cooking.  It says he has to be a skilled cook.

That’s why I like to call myself “A Damn Good Cook”, I do the work, I don’t manage. A cook is someone who “prepares food for eating”.  I also wash pots and pans, dishes and silverware.  How many “chefs” do you know do that on a regular bases?  Yes it is true that I have an Associate Degree from Milwaukee Area Technicial Collage in Restaurant and Hotel Cookery.  Yes I have been doing this for 39+ years.  Does that make me a “Chef”?

You can call me a “connoisseur” because I do “enjoy with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties”, and thus you could call me a “gourmet”.  But don’t ever call me an “expert”, because I’m not “competent to act as a critical judge”.  Some people may especially wonder about the word “competent”.

Well what is in a name?  Don’t you wonder when someone has the title of “Executive Vice President In Charge Of Enjoining and Retiring Snail Dispatches”?  Isn’t that just a manager of the mail room?

The English(American) language is getting so goofed up with all of the new social network options:  Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and texting, that I wonder if in the next few years, I’ll be able to read and understand what is in print, either on paper( if we are still using it) or on screen.  LOL means what?

I love to sit and have a cup of coffee and read the paper in the morning.  I like the noise that the paper makes when you fold it.  I like the way it feeling in your hands.  I like the way you have to play with it when you want to read the print on the fold.  I’m not too crazy about the new size of the paper, although I do understand saving a tree.  You can tell that even reporters are getting younger, or maybe more tech savvy, because of phrases that they use.  And you certainly can tell that they write their report on a computer and then don’t go back and read what they wrote.  Spell check isn’t good for words like “to, two, too, four, for, there, their” and more.  After I have said this I hope that I didn’t make to many mistakes in here, I’ve been going back and reading over it regularly.

So call me a Gourmet Chef if you want.  I’ll call myself your HOST at Naeset Roe Inn in Stoughton WI.  And I hope that I’ll get to meet (or is it meat) you and we can continue this conversation over a gourmet breakfast.

What do you think?

ps Even as I was spell checking this “Myspace” and “texting” came up as questionable words.

As promised last week I am posting two maps here that can help you navigate around the Fine Artsy Fair being held in Stoughton, WI on June 19th and 20th.  Friday night there is going to be a Gallery Walk and 17 art galleries, studios, and shops will be open for you to view and buy art in different media.  I’m told that you will also be able to get a glass of wine and maybe some snacks at most of them.  So wouldn’t it be nice to be staying at Naeset Roe Inn, because then you can walk everywhere.  No driving after a couple of glasses of wine.
View Stoughton Art Gallery Walk in a larger map

And then on Saturday there are all kinds of things to do.  You can take a class and learn a new art technique or view the demo’s going on.  Then there will be a lot of street art going on also, including music, face painting and balloon sculpting.  Have your portrait done or munch on ethnic food.  The music reminds me that you can say that you were dancing in the streets of Stoughton WI.
View Classes and Demos in a larger map

And don’t forget that Phantom of the Opera, the 1924 version, will be shown one time only at the Historic Stoughton Opera House and there will be someone on stage playing the piano accompaniment.  That’s 7 pm on Saturday June 20th at the Stoughton Opera House.

The Stoughton Opera House just announced their Sneak Preview of shows coming for the 2009-2010 season.   When you attend a show at the Stoughton Opera House you get a 10% discount on your stay at Naeset Roe Inn.  So buy your tickets and book your room today.  I have it on good athority that one of the TBA shows is the Smothers Brothers.  That takes me back a long way.  I waited on them back in the early 70′s.

Now you know a little bit about my history and a little about what is going on in Historic Stoughton.  So check out the maps and the Stoughton Opera House website and book your rooms now at Naeset Roe Inn.

Talk to you soon.

If you like the outdoors Lake Kegonsa State Park is a wonderful place to spend the day.  It has a nice hiking trail and a great beach to laze on.  If you want to spend some time on the water I would be glad to arrange the rental of a pontoon boat for you.

If you like your hiking trails paved then Historic Downtown Stoughton is the place for you. You can duck into a shelter every 30 feet and get out of the sun.  One of the main events of the summer is the Fine Artsy Fair. This year being held June 19th and 20th.  You’ll enjoy art of all kinds, from painting to photography, performance to plaster.
You can start your Fair off with the Gallery Walk on Friday evening.  17 galleries and studios will be open for you to tour.  Enjoy a summer evening of wine, snacks and Art.  This all takes place 5-9pm.  If you see something you really love it isn’t far to Naeset Roe Inn to bring it back before you continue your tour.
Saturday brings Classes and Demos to the area as well as music and performances on the street.  You won’t want to miss The original 1924, Lon Chaney version of Phantom Of the Opera with the music score played by a live pianist.

There will be classes held at the following shops if you want to learn a different kind of art technique:

All Through The House cooking
Midnight Moon Bead Shop beading jewelry and Presious Metal Clay
Diakonos Designs bead making and jewelry
Peeling Ceiling ceramic tile making
Saving Thyme quilting
Woodland Studios photography and knitting

There will also be demos of different art techniques in studios and shops.  Subscribe to this Blog and next week I’ll be posting maps for the Gallery Walk and classes.

While you are out and about there will be many things to distract your attention, food vendors will be lining Main Street offering everything from fried cheese curds and lefse wraps to tacos and brats.  Acoustic musicians featuring a wonderful mix of local and regional acts including Sharp & Hawkins Band, Blue Collar Joe, Brett Petterson and Badfish Creek will be performing along Main Street.  Expect and eclectic variety of musical styles such as acoustic flok, blues, jazz, and rock.  Activities for children include tile painting and other art demos, face painting, a balloon artist, and other fun things to do and see.

So don’t wait to book your room at Naeset Roe Inn and be a part of the fun of the second annual Fine Artsy Fair in Historic Downtown Stoughton Wisconsin.

Of course if you miss the Fair there is always something to see or do in Stoughton.  Most shops offer classes all year around and the art is always changing in the galleries.

All of this is taking place just a block or three from Naeset Roe Inn.  Don’t wait, check out the rooms and book it online.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the feed to keep up to date on what is happening in Stoughton and southern Wisconsin.  I’ll be talking to you soon.