Joanna invited me to take a cooking class with her at Sur La Table called Summer in the Mediterranean. 🌞 It has been my favorite cooking class I've taken there! We had so much fun making fresh pasta. 🍝 What made it even more special was that it was a small class with only four people, so the chef really took the time to teach us the techniques. 👩‍🍳 We made four different recipes, and I can't wait to make these at home for my family. 🏡❤️

If you'd like any of the recipes, please let me know, and I’ll send them to you directly. I don’t want to get in trouble by posting them online.

Also, last week I forgot to post my friend Xidan’s Salted Duck recipe and Myriam’s Nachos recipe. You can find them towards the end of this post.

Recipe Request and Recommendation Corner 📬

Nothing this week.

Recipes Made So Far This Year:

Goal: To try seven new recipes each week 🗓️, aiming for 365 this year!

 Number of Recipes Made this Week: 7

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 8/11: 281

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 31 out of 32 ✅

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Nothing this week.

Would Make Again 👍

Bobby Flay Throw-Down Cookies: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment 🍪

I made these for my family, and they were gone in seconds (it might have been all my twin brother and dad 🙈). They are your classic chocolate chip recipe that you can make in minutes—but I think there is always a better recipe.

Pasta con Crema di Parmigiano Reggiano DOP Recipe from Eataly 🍝🧈🧀

I quickly made this for dinner, and H enjoyed it. Half the sauce would suffice. It’s heavy because of the ingredients, but who doesn’t like butter with cheese and pasta?

Balsamic Vinaigrette from The Mediterranean Dish 🥗🍯

H loved a honey balsamic dressing he had at a restaurant, so I looked for a recipe to make at home, and it was tasty and easy to make.

Fresh Pasta from Sur La Table Cooking Class 🍝

This was my first time making homemade pasta. I will finally use the KitchenAid attachment I got as a wedding gift at home. So simple to make, and I will be making this over and over again.

Tagliatelle with Roasted Garlic, Spicy Sausage, and Fresh Tomato Sauce from Sur La Table Cooking Class 🍅🌶️

It was simple to make on an oven tray, and I enjoyed it.

Summer Greens Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Crispy Prosciutto from Sur La Table Cooking Class 🥗🥓

I am adding this to my salad list. I loved adding the crispy prosciutto to it.

Would Not Make Again 👎

These recipes didn’t live up to expectations or weren’t to my taste

Roasted Figs with Ricotta and Honey from Sur La Table Cooking Class🍯🍇

It was good, but just alright.

I Forgot to Share These Last Week

Xidan’s Salted Duck 🦆 

Myriam’s Nachos

Hard Rock Style Nachos

This appetizer/snack was something we always ordered whenever we went to the Hard Rock restaurant with my parents and brother.

Ingredients:

• Tortilla chips

• Diced tomato

• Diced onion

• Whole pinto beans

• Shredded cheese blend

• Pickled jalapeños, nacho style

Instructions:

• Place a layer of tortilla chips in an oven-safe dish, then sprinkle the beans, tomato, and onion on top. Finally, add a layer of cheese and jalapeños.

• Repeat with multiple layers according to your taste and the size of the dish.

• Bake at 180°C (350°F) until the cheese is melted.

• You can serve it with sour cream and guacamole.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any recipe requests you might have. Just respond directly to this email.

See you next week. Keep cooking! 👋 

Vale from ValeCooks