Taste of Home Cooking School

Last Thursday, a friend and I went to the Taste of Home Cooking School that was in our area.  I'm glad I went!  I'd heard about them before, but had never attended one.  It was inspiring!  We watched a lady demonstrate how to make a variety of delicious-looking recipes, giving tips and techniques as she went.  Did you know one way to crack an egg is to hit two eggs together side to side (like this: 0-0 ), and only ONE egg will crack every time!  Of course, the next day when I was making something with eggs, I had to try it.  And sure enough!  It's amazing they don't both crack!   I also learned that if you let a pork roast rest in it's juices for a little while after taking it from the oven, the roast will be more moist when you serve it.  I'm guessing this would go for all roasts.  And I observed that the way to make a layered cake flat on top is to put the top layer on upside-down!  Maybe these are all simple things most cooks know, but I enjoyed learning some new things.  I'm also inspired to try some new recipes, like one called Ground Nut Stew.  It is an unusual mixture of ingredients that is suppose to be very good: sweet potatoes, kidney beans, peanut butter, and lime juice along with the 'usual' stew ingredients.  I'll let you what we think of it!  I made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (another recipe from the cooking school) yesterday for a lady's meeting last night, and although they were good, I was disappointed with how the cookie part became sticky.  Anyone know what causes this?  High humidity?  At the cooking school, we each received a gift bag containing coupons, recipes and free gifts (we kind of received our ticket money back!), and throughout the evening we anticipated hearing our name called out for one of the many door prizes given away.  But it never happened. :( :)  We really enjoyed going.