Cooking Class

Back in May I made 5 goals for myself to achieve in this next year (read here). I accomplished one of the 5 goals a few months ago with starting my book club. The saving money goal is a constant process but things are going well there. My goal to be more flexible with my time and be more present in my everyday life is a daily challenge. Luckily, I feel like I am learning and becoming more aware of my thoughts, feelings and actions, allowing me to appreciate what each new days brings.

The next goal I wanted to start working towards was becoming more involved with cooking/baking. I can't help but constantly think of food. I have such a strong desire to always have the smells of sauteed onions or fresh baked desserts fill my home. I sit at my desk and keep thinking through different recipes I could try and different cooking techniques I want to learn. I think this new obsession is a result of all the cooking shows I watch. It is like a drug. I have thought so many times recently... "if I am always thinking and wishing I could be cooking or baking, should I go to school to be a chef?"... then I remember, I don't want restaurant hours. So, instead of going to some extreme to fulfill this need to be creative in the kitchen I decided to start looking up fun cooking classes. Sur Le Table in the Pearl offers different cooking classes basically everyday. For a week straight I would just drool over my computer at work looking at the different classes and the kinds of foods I could learn to make. I decided that  maybe this was a great way to get my cooking "fix" and not do anything drastic. My friend Jessica and I are going to our first cooking class in a couple of weeks. It is called "5 Summer Pastas" and we are super excited. I really hope that this cooking class is fun and informational because I would love to find an outlet for my cooking/baking passions and maybe take a class once a month. Hopefully things won't get too messy at this class so I can take some pictures to share with you. 

Lastly, my goal to learn to play the piano is still in the forefront of my mind. This week I researched piano teachers in Portland. It is hard though because so many are very structured and only teach kids and I really want to find a teacher who doesn't force me to do recitals. I really just want to learn how to read music while learning to play the piano. I love the sound of the piano and the way music makes me feel. Music has the ability to connect people who don't have anything in common, yet, gives them a sense of belonging. I want to be able to provide that type of environment, even if it is ever only in my home. Plus, I want to learn to play every Christmas carol out there so I can start the tradition of having a family/friend sing along session each holiday season. :) 

If anyone knows of any great teachers in the Portland area, I would be very appreciative of a referral!