I Got Me Some Cookin' Skills

A month or so ago I tried out a new recipe. I am kind of an improvisational cook so I rarely follow a recipe exactly, but that day I did. The dish didn't turn out very well. It was really salty. As I was adding all that salt in, I thought it was a lot, but usually recipes don't have enough salt. So I figured it couldn't be that bad. Boy, was I wrong.

This got me thinking that I would really like to improve my cooking skills. I did a little searching online and discovered that UVU's Continuing Education program offers an Italian Cooking class. Well, since I love Italian and I have failed miserably in the past to make a good Alfredo sauce, I figured this would be perfect.

The classes were offered once a week through the month of February. The classes were fun and I learned a lot, but not quite as much as I was hoping to. Here are some of the things I did learn.

1. There is nothing more important than having a sharp knife to cut with. I bought a new knife after the first class and it made a WORLD of difference. Our teacher also taught us all about how to keep them sharp.
2. Alfredo sauce is the incorrect name. It is actually just called a white sauce. Alfredo is a specific sauce made in a restaurant in Italy called Alfredo's.
3. The best skill I picked up is a fast and less messy way to mince garlic. It involves salt to grind the garlic to a pulp.
4. There are indeed different qualities of chocolate and it starts with the type of cacao tree the beans come from.
5. Risotto made with chicken stock can taste like a creamier version of Rice-a-roni, but with A LOT more work involved.