Hi, everyone.  Well, the rain has stopped for a while and Spring seems to be here.  March is one of my favorite months in Phoenix.  The weather is just about perfect, and this year, because of all the rain we’ve had, we are going to have some incredible wildflowers.  Take time to enjoy them while you can.

Our calendar is updated thru July and not only shows our adult classes, but our kid’s/teen summer classes are listed as well.  You may notice that March has some canceled classes.  This month, because of an unplanned knee surgery, we have had to cancel several classes.  We have also postponed our beginner’s series originally planned for April.  If your class was canceled, you have already been notified.  But don’t fret.  We will be back again for the end of March and thereafter.  We will re-schedule all of the canceled classes at the appropriate time.  So if you had your heart set on a class that has been canceled, keep watching for them to be re-scheduled. 

If you are already thinking about how to keep your kids entertained this summer, check out our kid’s and teen classes on our website.  We have several weeks scheduled in June and July.  We may add a few mini camps to the calendar but right now, we haven’t picked out the dates yet.  If you kids are interested in 3-day mini camps, please let me know.  I will try to schedule them at a time that is convenient for everyon

Our Recipe this Month is Irish Soda Bread.  It is a traditional dish eaten on St. Patrick’s Day.  It is simple to make and very delicious.   Check out our recipe at the end of this newsletter. 

We’d love to see you in a class so give us a call to register.  Don’t forget to take advantage of our monthly specials.

Food of the Month – Quinoa.  I love to use my classes and newsletters as a way to introduce people to food that they may not have tried.  This month, we are featuring quinoa.  It’s a great whole grain that is as delicious as it is good for you.  See our article Quinoa - one of natures perfect foods to learn more about this fantastic product. 

Mesa Food Examiner -- If you haven’t seen our Mesa Food Examiner articles, check them 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 not have to keep checking for new things. 

March 2010 Classes – 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 March Class Calendar and “mouse over” the class name.

On Tuesday 3/9 and Saturday 3/13 we have had to cancel our  St. Patty’s Day Meal class.  Don’t worry…we will reschedule it in time for St Patty’s day next year. 

We have also had to cancel our Brazilian class scheduled for Thurs 3/18 and Sat 3/20.  We will schedule this again in the fall since our menu includes some heavier food. 

The final class we are canceling is our BBQ Ribs class on Tue 3/23.  Since this is such a perfect class for summer entertaining, it may be re-scheduled this summer.  Watch the calendar and this newsletter for details.

On Thu 3/25 and Sat 3/27 come to our last session for Polish Pierogi.  You do not have to be Polish to enjoy this classic Polish filled dumplings in this Easter holiday class.  $63 per person.  This will be the last time we offer our pierogi class, so if you want to attend, make sure you sign up.

On Tue 3/30 and Sat 4/3 you can attend our Easter Dinner class where we will prepare a simple yet elegant meal for Easter or any Sunday dinner.  Cost is $63 per person.

Upcoming Classes for April 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 April Class Calendar and “mouse over” the class name.

On Tue 3/30 and Sat 4/3 you can attend our Easter Dinner class where we will prepare a simple yet elegant meal for Easter or any Sunday dinner.  Cost is $63 per person.

On Saturday, 4/10, we will prepare a Healthy Italian Dinner .  This meal will be big on taste but lighter on calories and fat. $63 per person

On Saturday, 4/17 a Springtime favorite, Hearty Dinner Salads will be offered.  In t his class we will prepare four different salads which are perfect for the upcoming summer season or any time of year.  $63 per person.

Just in time for our summer heat, join us for a demonstration class, Solar Cooking.  We will use the sun to cook our meal and taste how good the sun can cook.  Learn the basics of solar cooking with Jackie Harsha, a solar cooking expert.  $25 per person.  Note that this class has a special time in order to make the best use of the sun.  It is scheduled on Saturday 4/24 at 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. You will taste what we make in class. 

Upcoming Summer Classes for Kids and Teens -- For those of you who have been asking, our kids’ 8-12 and teen classes are scheduled so make your plans.  More information will follow, but we want to give you the dates.  We are again offering discounts for early registration so take that into account when making your summer plans.  Here are the camps that are currently scheduled.

•      Ages 8-12 – June 7 – 11; 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $245 week; $225 with early signup discounts – menu tentatively planned is brunch, pasta, party foods, Food Network favorites and build your own class.

•      Ages 8-12 – June 21 – June 25; 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; $395; $350 with early signup discounts.  Menu set as chicken alfredo, Mexican, pizza, Asian and ravioli along with recipes and fun educational information for the full day.

•      Teens -- July 12 – 16; 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  $260; $240 with early signup discounts – menu tentatively planned is grilling, Mediterranean foods, Party foods, Desserts and a ‘build your own class’ day where the students will pick what they want to make in this class.

If there is enough interest, we may schedule single or 3-day sessions for kids too.  Let us know if that is something you would be interested in.

There was a ‘method to our madness’ as we scheduled classes by ages as we did.  If you feel your child should be in a different class than what his or her age would dictate, please feel free to call and discuss.  Some children may be a better fit in different age groups.

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 this month, so get ‘plugged in’ today.  

Special Offers – Our specials for the month of March are below.  Also, watch for our Twitter discounts as they are tweeted.  Be sure to mention the discount when signing up.  One discount per class, please.

Sign up for any class in March or April and receive $10 off that class. 

We still have our ongoing special which is -- 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 the new show Valley Dish this week.  It is a half hour show on Channel 12 at 4:30 p.m.  We made a wonderful vegetarian dinner for 4 in real time.  If you would like to see the segment, watch Quinoa Stuffed Peppers  to see the show and get the recipe.

We are scheduled to be on Sonoran Living again on later this month.  We’ll give you the details in our mid-month newsletter.

Recipe of the Month – St. Patty’s Day was always a big deal when I lived in Chicago.  The city would dye the Chicago River a bright green to go along with the green beers that were served everywhere.  The air smelled like corned beef and cabbage.  A favorite side dish we always enjoyed was Irish soda bread.  We’d like to share our favorite recipe with you.