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“No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize.”  – Julia Child

As a rule, we think women apologize too much.  You reach for the door the same time as someone else, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is “Oh, I’m sorry!”  But really, you aren’t “sorry.”  Forget whether or not you’re apologetic, “sorry” means you’re no good, lazy, and amounting to nothing.  And you are a perfectly nice human being. Don’t call yourself sorry.  Plus, ESPECIALLY in the workplace (not necessarily friendships and family relationships), sometimes it’s better to just keep your chin up and move forward.  Other people are NOT analyzing all the things you’ve done wrong as much as you are.  So the next time you cook something that takes like charcoal (literally or figuratively), smile and be gracious.  And maybe no one will notice.

It’s been fun to watch friends go from their Lean Cuisine lovin’ college selves to really good cooks.  Fall is a great time to curl up in the hearth of home and warm yourself and your food.  Interested in sharpening your skills along with your knives?  Try cooking classes in Atlanta, two ways:

1.  Low Cost:  Williams-Sonoma offers regular cooking classes from 6-8pm for $35.  Classes include casual dinners, brunches, etc.  Foods for entertaining or cooking for your family.  For more information about schedule and menu, contact your local store directly. 

2.  High Brow:  Rathbun’s offers a cooking class every few months in which one person spends about 3 hours learning and prepping, and then guest arrives and is served dinner!  The cost is $350, but it includes all the food, wine pairings, and a chef’s jacket.  Meals are regionally themed: French, Greek, etc.

Randomly we keep encountering good breads made from refrigerated pizza dough.  Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something (open an Italian restaurant?  Watch Mystic Pizza? Keep faith in our cooking in perspective?), but here is one that we are making on Friday.  Looks delicious and easy…

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 (15-ounce) bag refrigerator pizza dough, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.   Coat a 13 by 9-inch sheet pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread out the pizza dough to fit the sheet pan.
• In a small bowl mix together the Italian seasoning and remaining olive oil. Brush the seasoned oil all over the top of the dough, making sure to reserve about 2 teaspoons. Using your fingers punch dimples about halfway down into the dough. Bake in the hot oven for about 8 minutes.
• Remove the focaccia from the oven, top with tomato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and bush with remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the focaccia is gold brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Egg salad week (your favorite week of the year) is just around the corner (April 17th – 23rd), and it’s time to start preparing those recipes.  We are partial to traditional egg salad – served on good whole wheat bread, with fresh lettuce.

Ingredients:

• 7 hard boiled large eggs
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced sweet pickle
• 3 Tbs. mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Slice eggs in half and take out 3 yolks, put them aside. In a medium bowl chop the rest of the eggs into small pieces. Add celery, sweet pickles, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, take the 3 yolks and mash them with a fork. Add mayonnaise and mix until creamy. Mix the dressing with the egg mixture. Serves: 4.

“No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize.”  – Julia Child

While this may not be the best advice for relationships, it’s our new professional motto.  We are finding that by never apologizing (again in professional circumstances), it makes people more forgiving.  And you can be unapologetic in a nice way.  That’s the route we recommend. 

UPDATE:  Who knew Julia looked so much like Edna from the Facts of Life?!?  It only makes us love her more.