Do you ever make lamb shanks?  Tender, delicious, lamb shanks? Come and watch Chef Steven braise them to succulent perfection in this fabulous class fit for a dinner party.  Here's the menu:

Lamb Shanks - Perfectly braised in a fresh herbed tomato sauce
Thyme-Garlic Parmesan Polenta - Creamy and hearty with the scent of thyme. Fantastic!
Quick-Braised Spring Vegetable Medley -  Petite carrots, onions, asparagus, and more, bathed in a wine-tinged braising liquid.  
Fresh Raspberry Gratin - Loaded with berries and topped with a lovely marsala sabayon.

There's no comfort food quite like Mom's home cooking. Join us on the 12th for some of the best dishes around. Special enough for company, but destined to become some of your family's go-to dishes.  How about....

Beef Tips - Temptingly tender beef tips and mushrooms in a velvety sauce with just a hint of sour cream.  Delightful!
Homemade Egg Noodles - No special equipment needed to make these noodles.  Your family will LOVE these.  They're easy to make but they don't need to know that.  Might as well let them thing you slaved over them all day.  They sure taste like it.  The texture is absolutely unbeatable
Buttered Baby Peas - Plain & Simple, perfect
Onion Souffle - most folks have never made a souffle, so we thought we'd make this outstanding side dish.  Light as a feather with beautiful caramelized onions.  What an aroma!
Butter Sables - A simple, but fabulous butter cookie with a swirl of citrus/butter glaze.  The perfect little dessert after a rich, delicious meal!

What do you get when you combine an elementary school librarian with a great baker? You get Sharon Mancini - our resident cookie-decorating expert. You've probably seen her work around town - at the Mary Jackson House teas or at various showers or weddings. Her cookies are gorgeous and her teaching skills are excellent --- which assures that everyone has a great experience in her cookie-decorating classes.  You don't need to bring anything but a can-do attitude and a smile!  Sharon brings 4 large cookies for each participant, as well as all of the icings and tools that you'll use during class. You'll leave with the recipes for both cookie and icing, four gorgeous cookies that YOU'll have decorated, and a new set of skills. We promise that you'll be more than impressed with what you accomplish!  The four cookies we'll be doing are: Spring Bunny, Carrot, Chick, and Easter Egg (made to look like one of the molded sugar/panoramic eggs. So cute!)

You're going to love this one! Start planning for a lovely Easter brunch or just a lazy Saturday meal with the family with these exquisite dishes.

Sherried Mushrooms - Mushrooms are elevated to star status in this dish, bathed in a creamy, sherry sauce. Good over almost anything but we'll be serving it over perfect scrambled eggs -perfectly seasoned and cooked just until set. Oh, my!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage - delicious little patties of freshly ground pork blended with fresh herbs and seasoning. You'll definitely want to try this at home. Look out, Jimmy Dean!
Pear & Chocolate French Toast - do we have your attention? We thought so! What a creative and delightful dish with just enough sweet to tempt your taste buds. Yum!
Strawberry, Pineapple Sparkler - a refreshing blend of fresh fruit, a hint of carbonation served with or without champagne. The perfect complement to round out brunch!

Chef Steven will delight us with this wonderful Mexican meal, all based on authentic Mexican dishes with maybe just a twist or two.

Homemade Tamales - Deliciously soft and tasty - tamales fashioned from masa, filled and cooked the traditional way - in corn husks.
Carne Asada Tacos - tender chunks of meat, marinated in a mojo sauce, then pan grilled and served in a authentic, Mexican style corn tortilla, topped with pico de gallo and a cilantro sour cream. You'll hear mariachi music in your head!
Frijoles Borachos - drunken beans! - pinto beans, tomatoes, peppers, Mexican seasonings and a little dark beer. They all work together to make magic!
Chocolate Flan Cake - part flan, part cake, baked in a pretty bundt pan, covered in caramelized sugar. Ole!

We're sorry. We couldn't resist! Seeing that this is a knife skills class, and our Wusthof rep's name is Ed, well  -- we had no choice --  the name just fit! This is going to be a fantastic little hands-on class, teaching you how to care for, sharpen, and properly use your knives! We learn something every single time Ed comes in. Each participant will leave with a cutting board from Epicurean ($20 value.) Limited spaces available.  Call soon to reserve a spot!

Things looking pretty dull in the old knife block? Time to sharpen things up! Ed Bartush of Wusthof will be sharpening knives at Acorn Farm on March 28th and we'll be making a bit of an event out of it! Come pop a balloon to see if you've gotten a prize or a discount! Bring in your knives and get them into tip-top shape. The minimal cost of $2 per knife goes directly to Community Sharing. No serrated knives, please.

Okay--so we cheated a little. Meet the Press might not be a movie, but we'd like you to get up-close-and-personal with the panini press! We'll do three kinds, some savory, one sweet. Either way, get ready for a real treat!

Grilled Chicken - loaded with carmelized onions, roasted red peppers, provolone and basil pesto mayo, all on a artisan sourdough bread.
Cubano - ham, turkey, swiss, with both of our special homemade spreads: mojito  mayo and sriracha mayo. What a fab blend of flavors!  Served up on a crusty, ciabatta bread!
Carrot Soup with Chicken & Thyme - A soup for the soul! Delicious springtime soup, perfect with panini. We hope it reminds you of a certain area restaurant, famous for their carrot soup!
Double Chocolate Dessert Panini - a hint of peanut butter and a dollop of flavored whipped cream. Elvis, eat your heart out.

We've done italian classes before, but this time, we're trying some new things and we're looking forward to sharing them with you! No spaghetti, no meatballs, and no antipasta.  What you'll find instead are some other home-cooked italian classics with maybe just a little updating. Plan to enjoy . . .

Chicken and Gnocchi - the italian version of chicken 'n' dumplings. Homey & hearty and delicately seasoned.
Spring Pea Salad - What a beautiful salad!  A perfect textural foil for the gnocchi dish, full of fresh flavors and pretty to behold!
Crostini - crisp bread rounds, brushed with olive oils & herbs--serve alone or with any of several suggested toppings
Torta di Ricotta - a true, Italian style cheese pie, with pear and chocolate.  A spectacular finish to a fine meal!

We know this will be popular, so we're offering this fun, party class TWICE!  Southern Small Plates are the theme of the evening so ya'll practice your southern drawl -- we're fixin' to have some fun! The plates might be small, but there's plenty of 'em so come a little hungry! 

Mini Grits 'n' Greens - well, bless my soul!
Sliders - fried green tomatoes, slider style! Just like the Whistle Stop Cafe, for sure!
Cornbread Tarts with Succotash Relish - The south summed up in one exquisite savory tart.
Creole Skewers - All the flavors of the south on a stick! Shrimp, andouille sausage, and a little southern kick!
Chicken & Waffle Bites - it's what you've been dreaming of.
Crispy Parmesan Cracker Spoons - with a dab of pimento cheese - absolutely darling, Darlin'!
Sweet Tea Cocktail - Sweet, smooth, just right! Banana Pudding - a southern family classic, with Steven's special touch!

While we don't have all the details set in stone yet on this class, we wanted to make you aware of this upcoming Vitamix class, with a Date Night theme. The dishes prepared will lend themselves easily to a romantic dinner but can just as easily be tailored to any dining situation. Learn to use your Vitamix to it's fullest.

The class will be $30, unless you've purchased a Vitamix from us and have not attended a free class yet. We will offer the class three times during the day so check your schedules now. A hint of what's to come . . . Pomarita Cocktail, spinach and artichoke dip, chocolate orange fondue, a delicious stuffed chicken breast, and much, much more! Details should be in our next newsletter!