Posts Tagged ‘Cooking Classes’
March 6th, 2013 by Blair House Inn
Fresh herbs can add an abundance of flavor to any dish. Utilizing the freshness will give any dish an impact that no dried herb can emulate. At the Blair House we grow them all summer long, picking off what we need for our dishes, making pesto, and preserving them for use during the winter.
When working with fresh herbs, some people get stuck on how exactly to go about using them. In our Cooking with Fresh Herbs class we will address multiple techniques on utilizing a wide range of herbs. We will address how to plant and maintain your own garden in the region you live in.
Here are a few techniques for chopping herbs to add to your dishes, as well as how you can save any extra herbs for use later on. 
Washing Herbs – Herbs are plants, and like most plants, they are exposed to nature. We will show you how to properly harvest, wash, and dry to ensure a healthy practice with cooking.
Removing Stems – When working with herbs such as parsley, dill, and sage, removing the main stem or stalk is the most important part. For rosemary, thyme, and herbs with a woody stalk you will want to strip the leaves at their base to avoid any bitterness. You will learn how to determine what process to use with which herbs.
Chopping Herbs – Each herbs have different methods of chopping to utilize the most impact of flavor and presentation for your dishes.
Preserving & Drying – Extra chopped herbs can easily be preserved by freezing in ice cube trays, covering with a teaspoon of water and frozen. Frozen herb-sickles can be added to soups or dishes as they are heating for a fresh burst of flavor in winter months. Drying herbs at the end of the growing season can be utilized for months after summer has passed.
Our next Fresh Herbed cooking school is April 1 – 3 and there is still available space. Call or follow this link to book your reservation.
Tags: Cooking Classes, cooking school, getaways, Texas bed and breakfast, Texas Hill Country
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February 5th, 2013 by Blair House Inn
Want a way to sizzle this summer besides the Texas heat? Venture out to a romantic Texas bed and breakfast and enjoy a renown leisure cooking school at the Blair House Inn. Cooking class are offered year around with many different themes to choose from. Spark that fire deep inside and entice your family and friends with delectable recipes created by our own Chef Chris.
(Click here to read more about our Executive Chef Chris Huffman.)
Classic French Cuisine
This is where it all started! Join Chef Chris and learn how to prepare authentic French dishes. Your hands on experience will include Coq au Vin, Steak au Poivre, and Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Coulis. Family and friends will be impressed not only by the name of the dishes, but how well you prepare them and how delicious they taste.
Cooking with Fresh Herbs
Spring is around the corner and the growing season will be well under way. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be so bland. Join us and learn how fresh grown herbs can take your dishes to a new level. Use herbs that you harvest straight from the Blair House Herb Garden and enlighten your mind on how to create a garden at your own home. Dishes include Maple & Herb Brined Pork Roast, Herb infused oils, Cilantro Shrimp Kabobs, and Lemon Herb Buttermilk Sorbet. Who says healthy eating is boring?
These classes and many others are open for you. Book a unique getaway at a Texas bed and breakfast. Be sure to check out our Themed Cooking School Schedule. Call us today or book your reservations online.
Bon Appetite!
Tags: Cooking Classes, cooking school, Texas Cooking School
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July 12th, 2012 by Blair House Inn
The Blair House Inn, a Texas bed and breakfast, has been known for years for our destination cooking schools. We offer themed cooking school classes 22 weeks out of the year. They vary in themes from BBQ, French, Italian to Mediterranean cuisines just to name a few. Cooking School at Blair House Inn is a hands-on experience where learning technique is paramount. Our goal for this Cooking School Vacation Camp is to build your confidence in the kitchen by teaching principles and techniques from how to purchase and store the freshest seasonal foods, to preparation and presentation. Once you understand the principles and chemistry of what you are doing, you are ready to be creative in your own right.
Our Texas bed and breakfast is a great place to bring your loved one, enroll in one of your two-day weekend cooking schools and rekindle that flame in the kitchen. Our chef guides you through the preparation of a delicious five course gourmet dinner, served to our guest on Saturday Evenings. The menu change every week and if you book far enough out Chef will work with you to build a menu of you liking. What better place then the kitchen to stir-up some romance for your anniversary, birthday, or even your honey moon.
Our cooking schools have been featured on Food Network and most recently in Hotel F+B Magazines, Texas Meetings + Events and Prime Magazine. Take a look at the new video posted on our website. Click on the links to read the articles and view the videos.
Enjoy aTexas-style getaway and book our BBQ Camp this fall or fall in love all over again with an Italian or French themed 3-day cooking school. Or book a business retreat with us and work on your company’s team building skills all while having fun in the kitchen. TheBlair House Inncooking schools are a unique birthday or wedding gift, gift certificates are available. Book now, these classes fill up fast!
Tags: Cooking Classes, cooking school, romantic getaway, summer vacation, Texas Cooking School, Texas Hill Country
Posted in Romantic Weekend, Saturday Evening Dinner, Texas Hil Country Getaways, Texas Hill Country | Comments Off
July 5th, 2012 by Blair House Inn
Summer makes some of you nostalgic for those good old days when life was simple. Summer meant grilling with your family, long hot nights sitting on the front porch listening to the radio, drive in movies and big cars with fins. If you love classic cars, barbeque and drive-in movies, I’ve got the place for you. The Blair House Inn is a beautiful Texas bed and breakfast in Wimberley, a Hill Country jewel.
San Marcos,Texas, is home to Dick’s Classic Garage which is a part of the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History. Founded in 1980, the museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of the history of the automobile. This great little gem is located just 20 minutes from the Blair House Inn. Dick’s Classic Garage showcases vehicles and memorabilia from the 1930′s though the 1950′s. Considered the Golden Years of American automotive manufacturing, the Museum will take guests from the Great Depression to World War II and up to the rockin’ 1950′s. In addition, the museum has acquired and renovated vehicles that are of historic and developmental importance. The Museum’s goal is to show today’s guests and future generations the evolution of the automobile and how it has impacted society and the effect society has had on the automobile.
Summer smells of brisket and ribs smoking on the grill, potato salad and peach cobbler just like your Grandmother’s. The Salt Lick, one of the Texas Hill Country’s best, is just minutes from the Blair House. Indulge in your summer fantasies and order up some BBQ. If that isn’t enough sign up for our August BBQ Camp cooking school, which was featured on the food network. Learn how to bring home those smells of ore to your family and friends.
Wimberley is home to the Corral Theatre an open air movie theatre that was built in the 1940s and has been open ever since. This is truly a trip back in time; the cedar stockade walls, open lawn seating and the beautiful hill country sky are the perfect setting to lay out a blanket, kick back and enjoy a movie the way we used to. The Corral Theatre could be a nice touch to a romantic getaway, just the two of you under theTexas sky.
Let us be your ambassador to summers past, rekindle those memories of love, food, and big cars. The Blair House Inn, a true Texas bed and breakfast, the perfect setting for a romantic getaway in the Texas Hill Country. Book Now!
Tags: BBQ Camp, Blair House, Classic Cars, Cooking Classes, Corral Theatre, Quick Get-a-way, romantic getaway, Texas bed and breakfast, Texas Hill Country, Wimberley TX
Posted in Romantic Weekend, Texas Hil Country Getaways, Texas Hill Country, Wimberley's Seasonal Activities | Comments Off
September 15th, 2011 by Blair House Inn
There is no better way to try and beat the Texas heat than start by planning a kitchen garden for your home. Our very own Chef Sebastian will be giving a presentation at It’s About Thyme in Austin, TX on September 25th at 2 pm. He will give his own advice paired with the experts at It’s About Thyme on how to produce a striving home garden. Texas has some of the richest soils, but you have to keep in mind of the drought conditions.
Chef will also be giving a cooking demonstration with the herbs that you could choose to grow in your garden. If you don’t have the green thumb you wish you had, you can still use the wonderful recipes by shopping at your local farmer’s market. Fresh herbs can take any dish to the next level and give it explosive flavor.
If you are not available to join Chef Sebastian for his presentation you can look into joining us for our ever popular spring cooking schools Cooking with Fresh Herbs and BBQ with Fresh Herbs. We have to have faith that this drought and heat can’t last forever! Keep a view to the horizon and dream of cooler and moister rich days to come.
Tags: Bella Vista Ranch, Blair House, Cooking Classes, Texas Hill Country, Wimberley TX
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May 26th, 2011 by Blair House Inn
Summer in Texas means BBQ, and if you’re tired of the same old brisket, this is a class designed especially for you! Register for the Blair House BBQ Cooking Class: Learn the finest wood smoking and grilling techniques and try your hand at these lively recipes. Dishes like Cedar Planked Wild King Salmon with Jerk Spice and Mango Salsa, St. Louis Style Baby Back Ribs with Cherry Coke Glaze, Beer Can Chicken and Fredericksburg Peach Cobbler with Home-made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream will add excitement to any cook-out. Be the star of the neighborhood! Call us today to book our June or July classes or follow this link to register online.
Tags: BBQ, Cooking Classes, cooking school
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November 11th, 2010 by Blair House Inn
There is no need to fret this Holiday Shopping Season. You can find that perfect “Something Special” online or over the phone. A Blair House gift certificate can be customized for anyone’s need. If you have an inspiring chef at home, then a Cooking School would be the perfect way to allow them to express themselves in the kitchen while working with and learning from our executive chef. How about that wonderful couple in your life that always thinks of everyone else before themselves? A romantic weekend is a sure to please and spice things up. Romance Packages can be included in any gift certificate for that unique “something extra”. Know someone who lives close to Wimberley? How about a five course gourmet dinner on a Saturday evening prepared by our Chef? By purchasing a Blair House gift certificate, you are giving a unique gift that will be truly enjoyed and appreciated. You can purchase gift certificates for accommodations, dinners, cooking schools, or a specific dollar amount. For more information or to make purchase, please call us directly at (512) 847-1111, or order online by clicking here.
Tags: Cooking Classes, Gift Certificates, holidays, romantic retreats
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October 27th, 2010 by Blair House Inn
We would like to thank our guests and invite you to join us during the next few months with fantastic appreciation specials. During the months of November, December, and January stay midweek with us Sunday thru Thursday and receive 10% off one night, 15% off two nights, and 20% off three nights. (Please be sure mention this special when booking your reservation. We ask that you understand this is not available during Holidays.)
We have a wonderful new Cooking School Schedule available and would like to celebrate its success with you. If you book a cooking school with us and stay an extra night we will offer a discount of 50% on the third night. This offer is valid thru the months of November, December, January and half of February. Call us today to take advantage of these fantastic offers!!
Tags: Cooking Classes, Specials
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October 6th, 2010 by Blair House Inn
It’s that time of year again! The 2011 Cooking School Schedule is now available. This is the perfect time to plan a fantastic Texas Hill Country Vacation to one of our renowned Cooking Schools. Chef Sebastian has added 4 new classes that include Sauces 101, Southwestern Cuisine, Southern Italian, and American Fall Classics. Even if you have attend a cooking school before don’t let that detour you. We are always adding recipes and creating ways to take the everyday recipe to the next level. This is a great gift idea for that home cook you know. Call for reservations or Gift Certificates. 2011 Three Day Cooking School Schedule
Tags: Chef Sebastian, Cooking Classes, cooking school, Italian Cooking Classes, Learning Vacations, southwestern cuisine
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July 6th, 2010 by Blair House Inn
We have had an opening for our Country French Cooking Class. Plan a last minute trip to the Blair House Inn located in the Romantic Texas Hill Country. You will enjoy a wonderful three day stay at the Blair House and have an enjoyable learning vacation. Our Executive Chef Sebastian will work with you to prepare wonderful French dishes that you can recreate at home. Call us today or click here to register online!
Tags: Cooking Classes, French cuisine
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February 23rd, 2010 by Blair House Inn
Learn hands on techniques in our spacious kitchen.
We have a few spaces left for our new and exciting Hours D’oeuves & Tapas 3 day class. Click here to enroll in the last spots to learn from our well renowned Executive Chef. You will be the hit of your next party with such dishes as Stuffed Olives and Shrimp and Garlic. This will make you the topic of the party and you will be able to complete over 30 dishes with ease. We have just a few rooms left during this week and we would love to include you in our latest class. Join us to make memories and friends that will last a life time!
Tags: Cooking Classes, hours d'oeuves, tapas
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November 18th, 2009 by Blair House Inn
Purchase your Gift Certificates Today
There is no need to fret this Holiday Shopping Season. You can find that perfect “Something Special” online, or over the phone. A Blair House gift certificate can be customized for anyone’s need. If you have an inspiring chef at home, then a Cooking School would be the perfect way to allow them to express themselves in the kitchen while working with and learning from our executive chef. How about that wonderful couple in your life that always thinks of everyone else before themselves? A romantic weekend is a sure to please and spice things up. Romance Packages can be included in any gift certificate for that unique “something extra.” Know someone who lives close to Wimberley? How about a five course gourmet dinner on a Saturday evening prepared by our Chef? By purchasing a Blair House gift certificate, you are giving a unique gift that will be truly enjoyed and appreciated. You can purchase gift certificates for accommodations, dinners, cooking schools, or a specific dollar amount. For more information or to make purchase, please call us directly at (512) 847-1111, or order online here.
Tags: Cooking Classes, Gift Certificates, holidays, packages, romantic retreats
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September 7th, 2009 by Blair House Inn
Chef Joey Kulivan Istructor for Blair House Inn Cooking School
Chef Joey completed a fantastic Italian Cooking Class in August! Our guest had a wonderful experience and learned fantastic recipes to take home! They are sure to be a hit with their family and friends when they make the wonderful meals with confidence and flair. Sylvia and Denny, two of our students, wrote a wonderful note telling us how much they enjoyed the seminar.
“We just wanted to say thank you one more time for our very enjoyable visit to your Blair House Inn. We found that our room and grounds made for a very pleasant stay. We also had a great time at the Italian Cooking Class we attended. Chef Joey made sure we not only learned a lot by ‘hands on experience’ but that we came away feeling like this was something we could do at home and enjoy doing. Also, we appreciated Holly’s extra effort to make us feel welcomed and special. Thank you too for our great new aprons and certificates. A very nice ending to a wonderful stay!”
Denny and Sylvia
If you are looking for a fun and exciting vacation then the Blair House Inn Cooking School is something for any level cook! Click here for our upcoming schedules and to register for your next fantastic vacation!!
Tags: Cooking Classes, cooking school, Italian cuisine, reviews
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May 28th, 2009 by Blair House Inn
Mike and Vickie Schneider, Innkeepers at Blair House Inn
Blair House Inn is excited about the launch of our new website, featuring great photos, an online store for our popular cooking classes, and this blog, where we plan to share news about our bed and breakfast, Texas Hill Country Travel Tips, and information about our Art Gallery Showings and Cooking Classes.
Thanks for stopping by, and we hope to see you soon in person at our Wimberley Texas Inn!
Warmly,
Mike and Vickie Schneider
Tags: art gallery, Cooking Classes, innkeepers
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Gift Certificates
Texas Hill Country Kitchen VIDEO Series | Grasshopper Pie: Part 2
Texas Hill Country Kitchen VIDEO Series | Grasshopper Pie: Part 1
Texas Pecan Scones – Recipe of the Week
