Happy December!  It’s the craziest month of the year, I think.  With parties, and holidays and get-togethers, it seems there are not enough days in the month to do everything we want to do. Somehow it’s one of my favorite times of the year, even amidst the hustle and bustle.  And heck, it has a few days where we can actually wear a sweater.

We have had more people ask us to hold another beginner series.  We have scheduled another session starting in January.  While it is not on the calendar yet (busy webmaster!) it will begin on Saturday, January 22.  More details later in this newsletter.

Make sure to check out our holiday classes this month.  We’ve got candy and brunches and holiday dinner classes this month.  We’ve also received requests to schedule another session of our appetizer class so if you missed the one we just had, let me know you are interested and I will keep you informed.  

Our spring schedule for 2011 is built and it will be posted shortly.  We will offer classes on healthy eating, super bowl entertaining, another beginner series and a whole lot more.  We are considering scheduling an advanced beginner series at the request of our first ‘graduating class’.  Watch our website for the updates.  These topics may include breakfast, grilling, desserts and more.

Holiday Recipe Ideas – If you’re like many of us, we get stuck in a rut when it comes to preparing holiday dinners.  Even if your family requires turkey for Thanksgiving or prime rib for Christmas, you can still make new and exciting side dishes for the meal.  For a simple vegetable dish even your kids will love, you may want to try our creamed corn recipe.  It’s a quick and easy way to transform everyday ingredients to new and exciting dishes.  If you’re having a brunch this holiday season, try out cherry blintz recipe.  There are actually 3 separate recipes available to make this, so be sure to follow the links to get all the component recipes. 

Classes for December 2010 – We are offering classes on Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  To see details, go to December class schedule.  Just ‘mouse over’ the class name for details.

Are you tired of always making cookies for the holidays?  We have another option.  Make candy instead.  Attend our Holiday Candy class on either Thursday 12/2 or Saturday 12/4 where we will make simple, yet delicious candies to enjoy yourself or give as gifts.  $63 per perso

On Tuesday 12/7 Saturday 12/11 attend our Make Ahead Brunch where we will prepare the perfect brunch for the holiday season.  Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and enjoy time with your guests.  See our menu at December classes.  Cost per person is $63.

On Thursday 12/16 attend our easy Holiday Dinner class where we will make the perfect dinner for the holidays or any day.  This dinner will take the stress out of your holiday entertaining.  See our menu at December classes.  Cost per person is $63. 

Beginner Series – Our third (and possibly final for a while) offering of our beginner series cooking class begins on Saturday, January 22 and runs every other Saturday for five Saturdays. This class is a series and individual classes are not offered.  To see the topics covered each week, go to November calendar and ‘mouse over’ the class name.  This entire series is only $299 and is perfect for those wanting a great foundation in cooking.  This makes a perfect gift for the holidays and is also perfect for those on your list that are getting married, going to college or even leaving on their mission.

We have also been asked to offer an advanced beginner series and plan to do so when time frees up on our calendar.  We’ll let you know the topic and dates in our January newsletter.

Classes for January 2011 – We are offering classes on Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  NOTE: the website is not updated yet, so if you need to see classes ASAP, I can email you an updated brochure.

On Saturday 1/8/2010 we will be offering our Salmon class featuring a Moroccan-inspired meal.  The menu will be posted shortly, but includes salmon, couscous and other Moroccan-inspired dishes.  Cost per person is $63.

On Tuesday 1/18, we will be offering our Hearty Dinner Soup class where you will make several types of soup that are perfect for our chilly Arizona winters.  $63 per person

On Saturday 1/22 attend our Healthy Cooking with pork where we will be making a meal featuring pork tenderloin that will be healthy and delicious.  $63 per person

On Thursday 1/27 we will be doing some more canning.  This time we will be offering a Canning -- Preserves class where we will make several different types of preserves and can them using the waterbath canning method.  Class is $63 per person.

Gift Certificates – As you begin thinking about holiday gifts, remember that gift certificates for Simply Impressive classes make the perfect gift.  We will also offer gift certificates for our upcoming beginner and advanced beginner series scheduled in 2011.  Gift certificates for cooking classes with us make great gifts not only for the holidays, but for birthdays, showers, going away to college or just an ‘I love you’.  It’s a great way to give a gift lasting a lifetime. 

Mesa Food Examiner – If you have not been to our Mesa Food Examiner site, why not check out our articles and recipes.  We post many more recipes than you see in this newsletter.  It’s free and definitely SPAM free, too.  Go to Mesa Food Examiner and click on ‘subscribe’.  That way you can read what you want, and not have to keep checking for new things. 

In the media:  It was a busy month for TV appearances.  We made breaded pork tenderloin with spaetzle on Valley Dish on Tuesday, November 2.  Our recipes and video are at breaded pork tenderloin and spaetzle. 

Then we were on Sonoran Living making leftover turkey recipes.  See turkey alfredo pizza for the video and recipe.  You can also find two other recipes we did on the show; turkey enchilada casserole and pumpkin pie parfait.  They are listed on our Mesa Food Examiner site.

We will be on Valley Dish (Channel 12 at 3:30 p.m.) on December 8 where we will make chicken strudel and again on December 10 where we will have a quick segment on making gifts from the kitchen.  We will also be on Sonoran Living (Channel 15 at 11:00 a.m.) on December 9 where we will show our five favorite baking gadgets.

Do you twitter?  If so, you may have seen discounts we tweeted about.  If you did not, be sure to follow us.  Our Twitter name is SimplyImprssve.  We offer special deals thru Twitter, so get ‘plugged in’ today at http://twitter.com/SimplyImprssve. 

Facebook – if you are on Facebook, become a fan of Simply Impressive by clicking ‘like’ our http://www.facebook.com/SimplyImpressiveCookingSchool.  Many of our recipes and videos are also made available there.

Special Offers – For December, we are offering a great gift idea.  If you purchase a gift certificate for four classes for someone else, you can receive a fifth class for free.  The free class can be for you or anybody else you choose.

Purchase a gift certificate for someone to attend our next beginner series and receive a personalized apron.  This must be ordered by December 10 to receive by Christmas.

And for you, for any new class you sign up for in December you will receive $10 off your class.

Also, watch for our Twitter discounts as they are tweeted.  Be sure to mention the discount when signing up.  One discount per class, please.  No additional discounts are available for the beginner’s series.

Recipe of the Month –Five Minute Crab Dip

If you have last minute guests that you need to prepare something for, this is the perfect dish.  This time of year we always have cream cheese in the fridge. Just make sure to keep canned crab (by the canned tuna section of your grocery store) in your pantry and you’re set to go.  With 5 minutes and ingredients on hand, you can make this delicious five minute crab dip, too.