May is such a beautiful month here in Phoenix.  The weather is not too hot yet and it’s still a great time to spend outdoors.  I have noticed that the smell of food grilling has been evident as we all enjoy our wonderful spring.

I have been spending a lot of time preparing for kids camps this summer as well as developing adult classes that are perfect for the warmer months.  The newly-added summer adult classes will be posted in the next few days. 

Our kid’s boot camp class dates and menus are available and are now on the website.  We have full and partial week sessions for kids 8-12 and 13&up.  Prices will be going up for the kids classes after 5/15 so sign your child up soon to avoid the increase.  The beginner series for teens is a shortened version of our adult beginner series.  Besides preparing fun meals we will be focusing on cooking concepts.  This is going to be a very special class so make sure your teen gets into this class.

We just graduated our 4th beginner series students and have requests for additional sessions.  Our next session will begin on September 17.  We are taking names now for our beginner series waiting list in the fall.  We are still trying to find the perfect spot for our advanced beginner series, too, so if you want to get on that waiting list, just let me know.

Our intern, Holli, will be graduating from Le Cordon Bleu on May 7.  I am sure all of you who had the pleasure of working with her wish her the best.  Holli—we miss you already. 

Have a wonderful May and we’d love to see you in a class soon.

Seasonal produce calendar – What’s in season right now? Check out the Spring produce calendar for Phoenix.  While you can always purchase seasonal produce at the stores, you may want to visit your local farmers market to support our farmers.  For another option…if you want to enjoy our beautiful weather and get some great produce at the same time, consider going to Schnepf Farm in Queen Creek.  Schnepf Farm has a U-Pick garden.  See Schnepf Farms for more details.

Seasonal Fruits – Rhubarb – While we’re on the subject of seasonal produce, have you ever tried rhubarb?  If not, you should.  Read about rhubarb and watch for our strawberry/rhubarb crumble recipe coming soon.

Classes for May 2011 –We are offering classes on Tuesday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  See details on our May class calendar. 

On Saturday 5/14 and again on Tues 5/17 we will be offering our Advanced Grilling Techniques.  This class is perfect for those who are comfortable with basic grilling concepts but want to move their skills to the next level.  $68 per person.

It’s getting hot outside and it’s time to begin thinking about entertaining outside.  On Sun 5/15 attend our Warm Weather Entertaining class.   Make some wonderful appetizers to serve your guests as you relax around the pool.  $63 per person

Do you want to eat lighter now that it’s warm, but still want something that will satisfy your entire family?  Look no further.  On Saturday 5/21 we are offering our Hearty Dinner Salad III class. We will make 3 dinner salads that your entire family will love.  $63 per person

If you love to entertain but hate to be away from your guests to prepare the meal, sign up for our

Make Ahead Memorial Day Menu class on Sunday 5/22.   Prepare a great ’American” BBQ that does not take you away from your guests.  $63 per person

Upcoming classes for June 2011 -- We are offering kids and teen classes in June.  See class details on our June class calendar. 

Our first Kids 8-12 Mini Camp is offered on Wednesday 6/1 thru Friday 6/3.  This session offers Mexican, Mediterranean and Italian classes. This is a perfect way to start your kids in the kitchen or to see if they’d like to attend one of our longer sessions.   $135 before 5/15; $150 after 5/15

On Monday 6/6 thru Friday 6/10 we are offering our Teen beginner series.  This class is a teen-appropriate version of our adult beginner series classes where we will focus on cooking concepts as we prepare five different meals.  $245 before 5/15; $270 after 5/15

On Monday 6/20 thru Friday 6/24 we have our Kids 8-12 Boot Camp scheduled.  This session will take your child around the world with our global menu.  $225 before 5/15; $250 after 5/15

Upcoming kids and teen classes – To see the classes we classes we are offering in July, check out July Class Calendar .

In the Media – things have calmed down a little and we can start making some TV appearances again.  We are scheduled to be on the Valley Dish on May 25 at 3:30 on Channel 12.  We will be making one of our favorite dishes…Three tomato pomodoro with roasted garlic bread.  We will post the recipes and links to the segment as soon as they are available.

East Valley Tribune (Get Out section) – My article on spices appeared in the April 11 edition (2^nd Wednesday of the month) of the East Valley Tribune.  Read the article at spice up your life with herbs and spices.  

Purchasing Spices -- As you think about trying new spices, you may not know that my favorite local spice house, Penzeys, has relocated to Tempe.  You may want to check out their new digs. No time to shop, don’t forget about www.myspicesge.com for mail order spices.

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. 

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’ on http://www.facebook.com/SimplyImpressiveCookingSchool.  Many of our recipes and videos are also made available there.

Special Offers – Our special during May—sign up and pay any adult class during May and receive $10 off your next class.

Recipe of the Month — Grilled Asparagus and Strawberry Salad

Spring fruits and vegetables are so delicious and our grilled asparagus and strawberry salad marries to of my favorites.  This yummy salad can be a side dish or just add some protein t it and it makes a perfect hearty dinner salad.  Get our recipe at grilled asparagus and strawberry salad.

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