Hi, everyone.  Happy New Year! Welcome to our first newsletter of 2010.  It’s hard to believe that we’ve wrapped up our first decade in the 2000’s already.  It seems to me that we just had to deal with Y2K.  

It’s winter here in Phoenix and our friends from up north are visiting just for our beautiful weather.  It is nice to be on the wonderful side of the weather right now, isn’t it!

January is a time of renewal so make sure to get some rest after the hectic holiday season.  And while you are at it, renew your love for cooking healthy by checking out some of our classes in January.  Remember, too, that healthy does not have to mean ‘boring.  To help you spice up your healthy menus, we have included a recipe for a great condiment that also includes our spice of the month.  It is found at the end of the newsletter in the recipes section. 

I wish you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year and hope to see you in a class soon.

Spice of the Month - Cinnamon – With this being the beginning of a new year and most of us looking for things to do to improve our health, I thought I would include information on cinnamon.  Why cinnamon, you ask?  Well, cinnamon, besides tasting pretty darn good, is very good for you.  See our article on Cinnamon for the scoop.

Resolution Help -- Last year we were on Channel 12 news talking about Stocking your pantry.  We previously had this in a newsletter, but many people make resolutions to eat out less.  The information may help you get your pantry stocked with items so you are always prepared for dinner. 

Mesa Food Examiner -- If you haven’t seen our Mesa Food Examiner articles, check it out.  We are still posting lots of articles, recipes and cooking ideas several times a month so you can stop by often to see what we’re writing about.  Or better yet, subscribe to the Mesa Food Examiner so you will automatically see what we are posting.  It’s free.  Just click where you see ‘subscribe’ to get articles automatically. That way you can read what you want, and ignore the others. 

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 will be offering special deals thru Twitter again in January so get ‘plugged in’ today.  

Survey drawing Winner – Congratulations to Katrina Waddell for being selected as our survey drawing winner.  She receives a free class with Simply Impressive.  Thanks again to all of you who provided feedback throughout the year.  Your feedback helped to make Simply Impressive an even better experience.

January 2010 Classes – January classes are all about getting rid of the pounds that we just put on.  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 our Saturday classes are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  To see details, go to January Class Calendar and “mouse over” the class name.

On Tue 1/5/2010 & Sat 1/9 we are offering our Healthy Vegetarian class where we will make a wonderful, satisfying vegetarian meal.  $63/person. 

On Tue 1/12 Hearty Dinner Soups class.  We will make a three soups that are perfect for our chilly winter months here in Phoenix.   $63 per person. 

On Tue 1/19 & Sat 1/23 try our Healthy Cooking— Salmon class.  We will make a Moroccan-inspired meal that is healthy and tasty.   $63 per person. 

On Thu 1/28 and Sat 1/30 we will be making our Lighter Stuffed Chicken Roulade, perfect for weeknights or entertaining.  The chicken roulade is a crunchy chicken cordon bleu, which is stuffed and rolled up ‘roulade’ style, breaded and baked.  It is as healthy as it is delicious.  $63 per person.

Upcoming Classes for February 2010 – 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 our Saturday classes are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  To see details, go to February Class Calendar and “mouse over” the class name.

On Tue 2/2 and Sat 2/6 we will feature our Super Bowl 2010 class where we will prepare a fabulous ‘football’ meal.  Cost $63 per person.

Just in time, our Chinese New Year class is being offered Thurs 2/11.  Celebrate Chinese New Year with a great meal that is perfect for the occasion.  $63 per person.

On Tue 2/16 and Sat 2/27 we will be holding our Comfort Foods class.  Sometimes we just need a little comfort food to get us through the day.  This class will bring you back to simpler times with a family friendly meal.  Cost $63 per person.

On Thurs 2/25 and Sat 2/27 we will be holding our Casseroles class.  We will prepare simple and tasty casseroles that will help you get dinner on the table quickly.  $63 per person.

Special Offers – Our specials for the month of January are below.  Also, watch for our Twitter discounts as they are tweeted.  One discount per person, please.

Sign up for 2 classes in January and receive $10 off a class in February or March.

Sign up a friend who has never taken a class here before, and you will receive $10 off your next class with their paid enrollment.

In the Media – We were on Sonoran Living last month talking about our top 10 favorite gadgets.  If you haven’t seen the clip, take a look at Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets for 2010 to see what made the cut. 

We will also be appearing on Dish It A-Z, Channel 12’s new lifestyle show with Tram Mai.  The show will be on at 4:30 p.m. weekdays and our first appearance will be Wednesday January 27.  We will be preparing full meals live on the air.  Make sure to tune in starting on January 19 to watch this fabulous new show.

Recipe of the Month – To make sure that your healthy meals are not boring, we would like to share one of our favorite recipes to spice up chicken, pork and even turkey.  Our Spicy Apple chutney is easy to make and adds just enough pizzazz to make sure you do not get bored with your healthy diet.  Try our recipe at Apple Chutney to make you forget you’re watching what you eat.