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  • home
  • upcoming adult classes & events
  • kids & teens in the kitchen
  • thoughts of the day
  • snapshots
  • schedule events and upcoming classes
    • Charity Blue Ribbon Pie Party
    • Adult private cooking classes with your group
    • age 16 & under private cooking celebrations
    • home school classes
    • Public class registration
    • Private Event Registration
    • refund policy
  • contact information
  • Thank You
  • Blog
  • random thoughts & musings

Take me away- No Plane Tickets Needed

6/3/2020

 
Need an outing like to another part of the world and cannot go?
Yeah, us too!

Summer heat, food, family, and friends with dinner under the stars sounds pretty good. Join us for themed dinner for 6. You pick the group, choose a theme and we make it happen. Here are a few sample menus to choose from - don't like what you see? Let me know what you are craving and I will do my best to make it happen.
Look at the forecast, pick a sunny day - 36 hours notice and we will make it happen. Outdoor seating, by the fire, or in the garden.

206-714-6062 to arrange a private date for your party and payment.

​
Hold Me Tender and get-me out-of-the-house $79pp
Grilled pork tenderloin with Spanish tomato salsa
Grilled summer veggies
Cast iron herbed crispy potatoes
Home, Not Ranging, Steak Night over Fire $89pp
Ribeye steak cooked over the fire
Rustic bread with garlic herbed dipping
Garlic potatoes
Garden greens
Take Me Thailand, no flight needed $79pp
Fresh spring rolls
Thai basil beef
Cashew chicken
Jasmine rice
Coconut mango ice cream
Sunny Flavors of the Mediterranean summer whites and blues $79pp
Grilled, herb-marinated chicken cooked over the fire
Homemade flatbread
Dilly-mint Tomato & Cucumber salad with feta
Indian Summer $79pp
Mango- basil chicken curry
Toasted basmati rice with pistachios
Grilled garlic naan with fresh herb garlic oil
Homemade vanilla ice-cream with caramelized bananas and caramel sauce
Italian Countryside $72pp
Rustic bread or focaccia
Fresh pasta with grilled veggies, chicken and roasted tomatoes
Garden greens
Affogato
Classic Brunch $79
Homemade buttermilk waffles with whipped cream and cherry syrup
Crustless quiche made with farm fresh eggs and garden veggies
Freshly make breakfast sausage
Freshly squeezed orange juice

Pasta classes

2/18/2020

 
Sunshine up to way past sundown.

​It is now time to take off the chef coat, apron and pass out in my cozy nest. The kitchen is clean, floor is being vacuumed by the robot and the island is already seeing the reset for the next class.
​

Hats off to restaurant owners who do this day in and day out all day long. I just cannot imagine that type of schedule. My cooking passion is satisfied late this evening and I'm beyond grateful for the women that showed up for this evening's Italian night in at FPK.

I don't always listen to the conversations and chatter that take place around the island. I'm typically going in circles doing behind the scenes things and focused on what needs to be done to make this meal happen in a timely matter amongst the organized chaos. There is a lot going on when you are preparing a meal from scratch, start to finish.

Once in a while I'll hear a phrase or sentence that was said out loud throughout the evening.
These two stuck with me this evening.
​

buona notte 


​♥️ "Beyond expectations"
♥️ "I would rather eat here then going out for Italian."

Cooking badges

2/18/2020

 
I have always had a love for children and basically people.
I was the youngest in a family of four by five years. Two sisters and a brother, I was the uh-oh caboose. I always wanted my parents to have siblings younger than me.. But that never happened, haha.
I knew at a very young age that I was going to be a young mom with a bevy of kids. I didn't know how it was going to happen but I just knew in my heart that I would be surrounded with kids at my feet.
God saw me to be fit to be the mother of six sons who I adore dearly. With the never-ending help from my love, we survived. Definitely not always easy. Now with four, wonderful daughter-in- loves and also grand dollies.
Fast forward 30 years.
I had no idea that my life would be so intertwined with hundreds if not pushing close to 1,000 kids, working in the kitchen, teaching life long skills surrounded by food.
When FPK started so many years ago I had no idea what was to come. I didn't even know it would be a viable thing that people would want to be a part of. I didn't even know if I wanted to be a part of it. I mean I had an idea- and somehow I'm still figuring out how I got to where I am with what I we doing.
FPK is going on the road, teaching on site to a local youth services community and will also soon be joining forces with the visually impaired, with so many details to be learned by me- including being blindfolded while cooking in the kitchen.
What an incredible honor to be a part of so many lives in such a unique way.

​A full class yesterday with all mom hands on deck to make it run smoothly- and their cleanup skills were amazing! Thank you ladies for helping me behind the scenes without even being asked. ♥️
"Thank you so much for an amazing experience! Nothing but absolute perfection today!" -( Except I forgot the whipped cream for the milkshakes and remembered when I went to make my ice cream sundae last night)

kids in the Kitchen

2/18/2020

 
Gather, teach and let them loose to prepare their meal. These kids are amazing. They watch, ask questions, divide into teams and make it happen. Taste, season, fillet, chop, dice, grill and work as a team.
We learn AND we eat together. Some eat habanero peppers and others watch in amazement 🤔🌶️
Each group had the same ingredients to create a meal for their team- working together, dialing in the spiciness and flavors they like. Fresh tortillas hot off the grill. I showed them once. Roll, press and griddle and they finished it off with zero help from me.
"Thank you for being so passionate for these children and sharing your talent ♡♡♡ you're amazing."
"Cannot wait to come back!"
"Thank you for all you do with these kids."
And we say THANK YOU for bringing your children and friends to cook with us.

french macaron

12/1/2019

 
Oh what a night.... Late November back on Thursday Eve... Sung to the tune of Frankie Valli's song (1975)... and the words changed just a little bit. .
A great night in the kitchen learning all about the French macaron. With so many variables, there is much that can go wrong with the beautiful, tiny, tasty cookie. Thankfully we had great success with this mighty French cookie!
Opening night with pastry chef Debbie Kirschner at Flour Pot Kitchen. 
Did you miss out on our sold out macaron classes? We would be happy to offer more late winter, just say the word and we can make it happen.

December 01st, 2019

12/1/2019

 
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What's love got to do with it?
For me, absolutely everything!
I was thinking about this after parent feedback from the last few classes with kids.


Imagine this. You take your kid to a strange kitchen, an almost (weirdo lady) {me} in a chef's coat starts joking with you. You have no idea what is about to take place. She hands you an apron and starts right in talking to you. You might know somebody in the room gathered around the island and you might not. It feels strange. The lights are bright, there is a spread of food in front of you that makes no sense.

What in the world have my parents gotten me into? Sometimes the kids stare at me and bewilderment. Do they understand what I'm even saying?

Many of these kids have never used knives, the stove or have even eaten vegetables let alone spend any time in the kitchen at home. Often times there's no interest at home in their own kitchens.

I'm not sure why or how, but somehow a little magic takes place in this kitchen. I mean I know there's not really magic but let's just pretend it really does happen.

When I see kids in back-to-back classes, it is amazing to see the transformation take place in their personalities, their comfort zone, and their willingness to get their hands dirty. The excitement, and their willingness to try and make things work is amazing.

It's almost like a leaf in the Spring. Budding & curling out, relaxing and spreading to grasp what comes it's way. 
I see it. I see them get comfortable, ask questions, try new foods, new techniques and be a part of the team in the kitchen.
These kids are amazing and I am honored to spend time with each and every one of them that come to our classes.

I LOVE my job and those I get to teach. That's what love has to do with it.

reminisce with dolly

12/1/2019

 
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When I was in the 8 to 11-year-old range I wanted a dollhouse in the worst way. So much so that I would get on my bicycle and pedal up to the dollhouse store that was up on Edmonds way - the one that almost outlasted time and...modernity.
I would collect whatever coins and money I could find laying around the house hoping to purchase something little - miniature - to keep for a future dollhouse that I dreamed about owning. Sometimes I would only have enough money to buy miniature food, a pot for cooking, or a newspaper. All real life-looking miniatures that I would tuck them away for future.
When I was feeling very creative I would wrap little blocks of wood with paper to make it look like presents were under my miniature Christmas tree or create books, coloring each page, or take shoe boxes and turn them into rooms, decorating the walls with craft paper to create my own dolly house and use my random assortment of miniatures.
The beautiful miniature dollhouse I wanted in the window of this store was way out of my price range by several hundred dollars, completely finished ready to play. It was adorable. I would stare at it - wishing and dreaming...
Our neighbor, Bob, was a builder. He called me Beaver..probably back then I very much looked like a tomboy and I reminded him of Leave it to Beaver - that's my guess. Maybe my family will know why he called me that.
Anyway, Bob would let me come over to his wood shop in his garage. I would tell him about the dollhouse I dreamed about owning but could not afford it.
Bob came up with a design and built me a beautiful, larger than-life-dollhouse - a mansion. It took him a long time to build this house for me but he did it.
Time has marched on and I had grown up. My paper route that I had is how I paid off my doll house. I remember him letting me make payments. I can't remember how much I paid but I know it felt like a huge amount.
I never did have the money to finish the dollhouse that Bob built for me. I tucked away my doll house treasures and carried that big, unfinished wood structure from the time we got married until the time we moved into our current home, where I sold it at a garage sale.
I found little plastic furniture for this dollhouse I picked up at a thrift store last month. It did not take Marina long to figure out what to do with the furniture. I quietly watched from afar at her moving the furniture from room to room, giving the people hugs and rocking them, before she moved them to another room in this house.
It was the most precious thing I think I've seen all year. Being a mother to six sons, it has been an entirely experience seeing our three dollies grow up before our eyes - the precious, tender side of a one-year-old girl is also a beautiful thing.
40 years later I get to play miniatures and a dollhouse with our grand dollies.

Harry Potter Birthday Class

8/12/2019

 
When I first received a message about a Harry Potter themed cooking class for a birthday several months ago, two things came to mind.

1. This past fall I had been thinking about literature/movie themed cooking inspired classes. To me it was confirmation that I needed to make it happen with some future classes.

2. I was in a panic.... I had never seen a Harry Potter movie in MY life. I knew very little about it except it was magic, and a kid with round glasses. I scoured thrift stores looking for the movies, for at least one to watch, any props I could use to decorate with without spending a fortune, I picked up the Harry Potter cookbook from the library- flipped through it, reading bits and pieces as the weeks went by.

Such a fun theme, great kids, amazing parent helpers and a birthday with memories to last a life time from spending time in the kitchen with her friends and family. 


Milk & Oatmeal Face- Dolly

8/12/2019

 
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Grand Daughters

8/12/2019

 
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There are no doubt many great joys in this life we all get to live... but getting three granddaughters is pretty darn awesome. I mean three boys would have been amazing as well... But seriously, I still feel like I'm living a pinch me life! Now if and when there are more grand babies, it sure would be nice to throw some boys in the mix.
We waited 30 years for this!
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    Inspired by the loves of my life. the hunger in my stomach and my SPONTANEOUS nature.
    DELICIOUS home-made food is my passion.
    The smiles on the faces that eat it and the hands that clean up the messes I make.

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Flour Pot Kitchen 9801 116th St NE Arlington, WA 98223
flourpotkitchen@gmail.com
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