Wasn’t this an incredible June in Phoenix?  Besides the fact that our average temperature was way down, my hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary…and it was a big one.  I hate to admit that I am old enough to be married this long, but I am. The number of years is our little secret.

Our summer camps for kids have been very successful.  The kids are having a great time.  Our full day boot camp was quite an experience, but all in all everyone enjoyed themselves.  We’ve had parents ask us to do the same thing next year for teens.  We’ll see!

You can see a few of the kids from our boot camps on our website.  There is still room in some of our classes in July, so if you are ‘on the fence’, it’s may not be too late.

We have been promising to get our classes for the rest of the year posted, and we finally posted them.  It’s hard to think about the holidays right now, but we did.  We have lots of great Fall and Holiday classes coming up as well as plenty of classes that are perfect for the long, hot summer. 

I have been very nostalgic lately and enjoying goodies from my childhood has been top of mind to me.  If you recall going to the corner store and buying a chocolate covered banana, then you’re going to love this month’s recipe.  They are simple to make and are so refreshing that it’s hard to tell if you are eating fruit or candy.  You will find the recipe at the end of the newsletter.

I would like to thank you for your continued support of Simply Impressive Cooking School.  Have a happy and safe 4^th of July.  I hope to see you soon. 

Herb of the Month – Chives.  Chives are a wonderful herb that taste similar to a mild onion.  Chives grow in clumps and have hollow cylindrical leaves that almost look like a Midwestern blade of grass.  Unlike an onion, there is no bulb growing underground and the edible part is that which looks like grass.   

Chives tend to be shredded into tiny pieces and used in fish, potato and soup dishes.  It’s also great used in omelettes.  Chives are available fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried. Dried chives have significantly less flavor than fresh chives and I do not tend to use them. 

Fresh chives can be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to a week. Do not wash them until ready to use.  Like many other herbs, excessive moisture will promote decay.  If you have not tried cooking with fresh chives, now is the time to do it.  And if you have any left over after you make your dish, throw them into a salad along with your greens.  They will give the salad a nice, bright flavor.

Besides tasting fantastic, chives also have an insect-repelling property which is great to control garden pests, so make sure to plant chives in your herb garden.

July Adult Classes – Our focus for July is on the kids, but we still want to have something adults will enjoy, too.  We are offering a class on Tuesday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, July 14, we are offering our Meatless Meals class.  We will feature several fantastic dishes that make use of the great summer fruits and vegetables.  Don’t worry; you won’t even miss the meat!  Cost for this class is $63 per person.

Upcoming Kids and Teen Classes for July – We are offering 3-day and 5-day sessions in July.  Times vary, but always start at 10:00 a.m.  For menus, ‘mouse over’ the class name in the July Calendar.  (These menus are completely different than our boot camps in June.)  Remember that these boot camps include not only the menus, meals, hands-on experience, but also a lot of other valuable information that your children will use throughout their lifetime.

We have two boot camps scheduled in July.  The first is our Teen mini boot camp, which will be held from Wednesday, July 8 thru Friday July 10.  The cost for this is $165 for the session and includes homemade spaghetti and meatballs, breakfast and more.

The final boot camp of the summer season is our Kids 8-12 boot camp scheduled from Monday, July 20 thru Friday July 24.  The cost for this full week is $245 per person.  We will be making baked spaghetti, chow mein, paninis and lots of other goodies.

Upcoming Adult Classes for August – We are offering classes on Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  

On Saturday 8/29 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. we are offering our Labor Day Menu where we will make, among other things, BBQ ribs and an all time favorite dessert.  $63 per person.

Special Offers – Our specials for the month of July are below.  One discount per class, please.  Not valid on previous registrations. 

For our kids/teen classes, sign up your child for a boot camp class and receive $10 off the 3-day session and $15 off the 5-day session.   

For our adult class, bring a friend and receive $15 off your next class.

Private Groups – we love to hold private group sessions and hold them at my place or yours.  We can accommodate up to 12 at our location.  If you would like more information on private classes, give us a call.  We can plan special menus to fit your needs.

In the media – Set your alarm clock to catch us on NBC News on Channel 12.  We will be on Thursday, July 2 at 5:40 a.m. and 6:40 a.m.  We will be grilling and showing some simple, but tasty dishes for the 4^th of July.

Do you Twitter?  If so, follow us to see what we’re up to.  Find us at http://twitter.com/SimplyImprssve.  We will be offering special deals thru Twitter this Fall so get ‘plugged in’ today.

Facebook – You all know that I am on facebook as Judy Toth, but did you know that you can become a friend of our Simply Impressive Cooking School group.  We will be using that group as a way to let you know about upcoming events and TV/Radio shots.  My twitter tweets will also be found on my Facebook page (become my friend…Judy Toth).  To be part of our Facebook group, just go to Simply Impressive Cooking School on Facebook and become a member.  Exciting things will be happening for our Facebook friends and group members.  Plus we will use that as a way to let people know of upcoming TV, radio and media spots that arise between newsletter announcements.

Recipe of the Month –   If this one doesn’t bring you back to your childhood, nothing will. I don’t like things too sweet, so I tend to use bittersweet chocolate chips, but semi-sweet would work well, too. Be sure to eat them while they are still frozen.  Otherwise they will get mushy.

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas

Serves 4

2	Bananas, ripe but firm
1 cup	Chocolate chips
3 tbsp	Crisco
4	Popsicle-type sticks
	Chopped nuts or sprinkles, optional

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Cut the bananas in half through the equator.  Insert a Popsicle stick into each half deep enough to hold the banana, while leaving enough of the stick showing so you can hold it like a popsicle.

Place the bananas on the baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate along with Crisco in a deep bowl or measuring cup in the microwave (full power for 30 second intervals).  Stir the chocolate as it starts to soften.  As soon as the chocolate looks like it’s starting to melt, remove it from the microwave and stir with your spoon.  The remainder of the chocolate pieces should melt.  If not, put the bowl back in the microwave for a few seconds and stir again.

Roll each banana half in the chocolate, then quickly sprinkle with nuts or sprinkles, if using.

Put the baking sheet with bananas back into the freezer.  Freeze until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Allow to thaw for about 2 or 3 minutes before eating them. 

WARNING:  if you thaw them too long, the bananas will get mushy, so it’s best to enjoy them while they are still frozen