"Two Truths and a Lie" at Alice and Louise Catering and Cooking School

Let's play a little game called "Two Truths and a Lie".  I'll share three statements and you guess which one is the lie.

Statement #1:  I had an amazing time at Alice and Louise Catering and Cooking School with other Northern Virginia bloggers, learning how to make fresh, easy, and delicious pesto and pear butter.

This pear butter smells delicious while it simmers
and can be  used as a topping for  cheese like Carombola blue cheese or brie.

This pesto boasts toasted almonds and a combination of fresh herbs.

Statement #2:  I was inspired and educated by the chefs from Mother Earth Meals and Simply Desserts.

I seriously could not stop eating these delightful bites of salsa and
multi-grain chips from the ladies at Mother Earth Meals.

Simply Desserts' peanut butter chocolate cheesecake.  Enough said.

Statement #3: I did NOT break my Lenten promise to give up chocolate by eating that peanut butter chocolate cheesecake.  No, really, I didn't.  I would never do that.

OK, so maybe I did.  Can you blame me?  And it was worth the Catholic guilt, let me tell you.  Every last bite.

Momentary lapse of willpower aside, everything about our Northern Virginia bloggers' "Tapas and Wine Night" at Alice and Louise's was just perfect.  I really related to the story shared by one of the owners, Nichol Chancler.  As they grew up, she and her sister Shelly Modes spent a lot of time with their grandmas, Alice and Louise. Each of them had one of their grandma's names as a middle name.  Alice taught Nichol the joys of baking while Louise passed her love of the finer points of entertaining onto Shelly.  Nichol's story made me think of how much my own Nana has influenced my love of cooking for my family (and my middle name is a tribute to her as well).

Nichol Chancler from Alice and Louise's

Nichol showed us how to make two simple recipes: Herbed Pear Butter and Herbed Pesto.  The pear butter uses jarred pears (hers were from Trader Joe's), the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and a dash of honey.  We added a cinnamon stick and sprigs of rosemary to infuse a beautiful aroma into the mix. As it simmered in the pot, I could imagine the wonderful fragrance filling my own house!

The pesto was made with spinach, a combination of herbs (she uses fennel, marjoram, basil, mint, and thyme), toasted almonds, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest, grated parmesan cheese, and olive oil (added at the end of the food processing to ensure the spinach is fully chopped). Nichol tossed this into farfalle pasta but mentioned it could also be used to crust fish, chicken, shrimp, or pork.

Mother Earth Meals co-founders MaryAnn Gaughan and Penny Waugh described their commitment to eating, creating, and sharing meals that promote health. After MaryAnn's husband was diagnosed with kidney cancer, she knew they needed to change their eating habits but didn't want to sacrifice flavor.  Her friend Penny offered to experiment with fresh foods to design tasty meals that aligned with  anti-cancer principles.

I could not stop eating the pineapple salsa they served on multi-grain chips.  I was unashamedly asking my friend to pass the tray in my direction again and again.  Not only was the pineapple unbelievably sweet and fresh-tasting, the chefs included a small dab of melted brie on each chip.  Their website offers recipes as well as monthly meal plans and grocery lists.  I am excited to try several of their recipes, including Shells Stuffed with Pumpkin Parmesan Ricotta for me and Baked Fish with Romesco Sauce for the rest of my crew.

Even better, MaryAnn proudly announced her husband has been cancer-free for two years.  While they can't guarantee their recipes will cure disease, they are excited to help others eat healthy and delicious meals.  They also teach a class at Alice and Louise's every month.

Kimberly McDonald of Simply Desserts treated us to a demo and tasting of her phenomenal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes.  She has had two relatives who've battled multiple sclerosis and she began baking cheesecakes for MS fundraisers.  Since then, she's started her own home-based business, creating all kinds of delectable treats.  As she puts it, she makes "any and every kind of dessert", from the trendy cake pops to personalized cakes (she's even sculpted cakes to look like Angry Birds).

Kimberly McDonald from Simply Desserts

I tried to resist the miniature cheesecake she placed in front of me, with its dollop of chocolate ganache centered so perfectly on top.  I even attempted to eat around the chocolate, shoveling bites of the peanut butter section into my mouth.  I caved almost immediately and devoured every morsel, all the way down to the Oreo cookie crumb crust.  Pure heaven.  I guess you've figured out the "Lie" at this point.

Not only was this a great opportunity to get out and learn from some of the area's best chefs (and share a little wine), I really enjoyed meeting other, more seasoned bloggers from Northern Virginia.  The best part of the blogging community, I've discovered, is how welcoming and friendly everyone is and how much you can learn from every conversation.  You can check out the blogs and websites of the women I shared this experience with here:

Beltway Bargain Mom
Caffeine and a Prayer
Creekside Learning
Mom Machine
703MommyandMe
PWC Moms
Real Housewives of Northern Virginia
SuperNOVAmommy

Some of the students

Posting pics of the food...I was the only blogger without a smartphone.

As always, thanks for reading and if you want to share more adventures in eating with me and my family, like me here on Facebook.  Comment below if you've ever gone to a cooking class or demo.  What did you think of it?  Did it inspire you to cook better or healthier food?