Ninecooks

Classes in Boston, cookies in Providence, and ice cream

As you can see, the herb garden here at Ninecooks has finally taken hold after two months of rain. I hope you're enjoying these last weeks of summer.

For today, a few late-season tidbits:

*At least once a week, someone calls to inquire about cooking classes for kids. I'm not offering any kids' classes this year, but I just discovered that Cambridge School for Culinary Arts offers several classes for teens, and for pre-teens, each term. Check out their calendar of what's available, month by month.

While you're poking around in their calendar, you'll find a new course by popular chef/instructor Julia Shanks, aimed at anyone in the food business (or thinking about starting a new food business). Financial Accounting for Food Professionals will help you understand the concepts and mechanics that underlie financial statements and develop the skills needed to analyze and interpret financial statements effectively. Topics include preparation of the three basic financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement), as well as how to finance your business and create financial projections for potential investors and lenders. Class starts the week of September 14. Info and registration here.

*Did you know that Drop In & Decorate, the cookies-for-donation program that started here at Ninecooks, was named Best Culinary Cause in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly magazine? We're tickled pink, and on Thursday, September 24, 6-8 pm, you're invited to Gallery Z, 259 Atwells Avenue in Providence, for a mac-and-cheese and milk and cookies celebration. Each month, Gallery Z features a local nonprofit agency in its public art window, and for the month of September, Drop In & Decorate takes the spotlight. On September 24, the gallery is hosting a reception, with nibbles donated by some wonderful Rhode Island businesses: food from Ruth's Chris Steak House, wine from Gasbarro's, cookies from Eastside Marketplace, and milk from Rhody Fresh. You can check out the art by painter Marty McCorkle and glass artist Ian Silvia, too. Please drop by. We'd love to see you.

*From Gourmet magazine, the best ice cream parlors in Boston and environs. I've been to more than a few of these places. Have you?

RISD registration opens on Monday

Reminder: registration for my October classes at RISD opens on Monday, July 27. www.risd.edu

Class descriptions here.

Cooking Your Book: How to Create + Publish Your Own Cookbook
Saturday, October 3
10 am - 2 pm
Course code: CULIN-4298
This class meets at RISD in Providence (wheelchair accessible). Maximum 12 students.

Tapas: The Popular Little Dishes of Spain
Course code: CULIN-3314
Saturday, October 17, Section 01: Vegetarian tapas, including eggs and cheese
Saturday, October 24, Section 02: Tapas made with fish/shellfish, meats and vegetables
10 am - 1 pm
Course code: CULIN-3314
(You can register for one session, or for both sessions; the menu for the two sessions will be different, but each session will feature some dishes that were included in the April tapas classes.)
This class, which sold out two sessions in April, meets at the Ninecooks kitchen* in Glocester, Rhode Island. Maximum 8 students per session.

*We have two adorable cats in residence; folks with cat allergies please take note.

All registration for these classes is handled through the RISD Continuing Education office and web site.

Registration opens July 27 for Lydia's RISD classes

Thanks to the many of you who've inquired about my Fall classes.

Registration opens on Monday, July 27 (www.risd.edu) for the following October classes at Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, and in the Ninecooks kitchen:

Saturday, October 3
Cooking Your Book: How to Create + Publish Your Own Cookbook
10 am - 2 pm
Course code: CULIN-4298
This class meets at RISD in Providence (wheelchair accessible).
Class description here.

Tapas: The Popular Little Dishes of Spain
CULIN-3314
Saturday, October 17, Section 01: Vegetarian tapas, including eggs and cheese
Saturday, October 24, Section 02: Tapas made with fish/shellfish, meats and vegetables
10 am - 1 pm
Course code: CULIN-3314
(You can register for one session, or for both sessions; the menu for the two sessions will be different, but each session will feature some dishes that were included in the April tapas classes.)
This class meets at the Ninecooks kitchen* in Glocester, Rhode Island.

*Please note that we now have two adorable cats in residence; folks with cat allergies please take note.

All registration for these classes is handled through the RISD Continuing Education office and web site. Space is limited; for the tapas class, a maximum of 8 students in each session, and for the cookbook class, a maximum of 12 students.

Gourmet Heaven comes to Providence

If there is such a thing as heaven on Earth, this could be it. The shop will carry organic snacks and meals, imported candies and nuts, grocery essentials and gourmet food.

Opening today!

Gourmet Heaven
173 Weybosset Street
Providence RI
www.gourmetheaven.com

New season, new look

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme: can you find them all in this photo of part of the Ninecooks herb garden?

When the sun was shining oh-so-briefly last week, with the help of two dear friends we planted, mulched, transplanted, and mulched a bit more. By the time I took these photos, we'd cut down the first blossoms of the chives, to allow them to regroup and bloom again.

However, an abundance of rain here in Rhode Island in the week since this photo was taken not only watered in the garden, but also gave me time to tend to a bit of necessary "clean up" on this site, too.

Here's what's new:

1. The web address www.ninecooks.com now points here, and though our old web site will remain as an archive, it will no longer be updated. This is the place to look for information about cooking classes and other activities; if you click on "Cooking classes" above, right under the Ninecooks dancing whisks, you'll find everything you need to know about RISD and private classes, and registration info.

2. Drop In & Decorate now has its own web site, linked above: www.dropinanddecorate.org. Please visit, if you haven't been there recently, to see what's been happening in the cookies-for-donation world. There are two great events coming up, both open to the public: a Drop In & Decorate® cookie decorating party at the Harmony Library in Glocester, Rhode Island on July 7, as part of their summer Express Yourself program (for kids 4th grade and older), and a wine-and-cookies party at Gallery Z on Federal Hill in Providence on September 24.

I'll still post the occasional recipe here, though you're more likely to find recipes (and sometimes yummy photos) on The Perfect Pantry. You can sign up to receive free recipes if you go to www.theperfectpantry.com.

Remember, farmers' markets are open! Please support local farmers and artisan food producers who sell their bounty at the markets.