I found out last week that due to circumstances beyond her control, a friend of mine could not attend a chocolate class she had signed up for weeks ago. There was no opportunity for a refund so she asked if I would go instead (and report back with recipes and notes, of course).

I had never attended a Southern Season cooking class before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It turns out that this was not a hands-on class, but more of a classroom style setting; in fact, I felt like I was witnessing the taping of a cooking show. Thankfully, the chef, Nick Malgieri, was entertaining and insightful when it came to preparing a few chocolate treats, involving the audience whenever possible.

It also helped that we were plied with generous pours of both tawny port and cream sherry during the two-hour class. Wheee!

Recipes included:

• Cocoa Nib Brownies (absolutely sinful)
• Devilsfood Bombe (light and creamy, delicious)
• Chocolate Walnut Tart Scented with Orange (too orangey, but lovely texture and crust)
• Lemon Scented Chocolate Macaroons (sticky and good)
• Loretta’s Chocolate Cake (crusty top, warm interior with semi-sweet flavor)

I learned a few new tricks and penned copious notes and additional details to the recipes for my friend (and for me!)

The classes are pricey, although not outrageously so; I think they would make an excellent gift. :)

I have been playing around on Facebook for a few months now but Eric has resisted until recently. You’d be surprised as to how much effort it takes to be recognized as ‘in a relationship’ with someone. Eric had to approve me twice and I was given the option of canceling the relationship.

Once Eric approved me he was given the following notification. Thankfully, he had no other relationship requests. :)

Come say hi! Leandra | Eric

Riesling was being unusually quiet on her own downstairs this morning and anyone with pets knows that means she’s typically up to something both fun (for her) and naughty.

Bunny!

I nearly laughed out loud, there was so. much. stuffing. Of course, she pulled it all out through a *tiny* hole and frankly I’m not sure how I’m going to get it all back in. Needless to say, bunny is in the stitchery hospital until further notice.

I had her pose by her handiwork and this is how it came out… she looks pretty pleased with herself, no?

We read about the website postcrossing.com a few months back but finally signed up this week. We’ve shipped off five postcards (the maximum allowed at one time) to Finland, Austria, Germany, Hawaii, and The Netherlands. Once someone receives your postcard and registers it, you become the next available address for someone else. So, the more you send, the more you receive!

Interestingly, the hardest part was finding local postcards! We don’t live in a “touristy” area so it’s been a bit of a challenge to find a representative local postcard. Luckily, the Hallmark store just down the road has a huge selection. :)

If all goes well, we will be showcasing the cards we receive from all over the world, so stay tuned!

We spent yesterday indoors avoiding the cold and rainy weather, but come dinnertime Eric suggested a few options to get us away from our computers. We settled on Parizade, located in Erwin Square in Durham.

Our first impression was positive, large paintings covered the walls and the open kitchen was bustling. We ordered a bottle of Spanish cava (sparkling wine) and the gnocchi appetizer to begin our meal. The delicate gnocchi were clearly fresh and the mix of roasted chicken broth and pancetta were just salty and hearty enough. Plus, it was the perfect portion to split for a starter.

I surprised Eric by getting a pasta dish as my main course, but the combination of salmon and artichokes in a tarragon cream sauce sounded too good to pass up. Eric ordered the bolognaise with beef tenderloin and pancetta. Both dishes were delicious and chock full of the advertised ingredients. I can’t tell you how annoyed I get when I have to hunt for the tasty elements supposedly included in my entree. My cream sauce just coated the pasta, so I got all the flavor without the cloying, thick texture of some creamy sauces.

We ended the evening with a monster slice of the 3-Chocolate Torte, and even though we aren’t typically big fans of orange flavored chocolate, the flavor was subtle and overall rich and tasty.

The service was also stellar, our champagne glasses were never empty and Michael was even kind enough to keep us updated on the Davidson/Kansas score. :)

Overall, atmosphere and food were great, I would definitely make it back here in the near future.

Leandra has spent the better part of yesterday and today organizing her stacks of old photos- she’s making good progress and finding some great old shots along the way!

“Would you like to go and visit the puppies?” Um, YES! We went over to the Southeastern Guide Dogs breeding center down the road this morning and got our fill of fuzzy warm pups.

Rocky was the only puppy born to Sensei (Lynn’s sister’s dog), and he came out big!

Love the paw over the head of the one pup… What, you want MORE puppies? Alright, you asked for it:

Surprisingly, Leandra made it out of the building without stealing any. :)

Leandra: He’s serious. I was <this close>.

We are celebrating Easter in sunny Florida with my Dad and Lynn.

Happy shadow bunny day!  :)

Both of us are more interested in college football than college basketball, but this weekend was still pretty exciting since two of our schools won their conferences. The UNC Tarheels are one of the top teams in the nation and were favorites to win the ACC, which they did after a few close calls. With their win they’re now the top-ranked team for the NCAA tournament. Go Heels!

More surprising were the Georgia Bulldogs, often great at football, but not basketball. This weekend, sportswriters and announcers were using words like miracle, shocking, and improbable to describe their SEC tournament championship. To put this in perspective, UGA had lost 4 of the 16 games played against these same SEC teams; on top of that, they had to win three games in 30 hours due to the tornadoes in Atlanta over the weekend. Go Dawgs!

While waiting for a table to open up at World Famous last night, we experienced the most incredible sunset. It started out ordinary and transformed into something amazing.