137.8…A Barbeque and A Birthday

Last night I went with a couple of friends to a cooking class at Barbeques Galore. I love cooking but grilling/barbeque-ing is not my strong suit. I was excited to learn some new tips!

You bring your own wine to class. No problem.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with fresh bread right off the grill!

This foccacia bread may be quite possibly the best bread I’ve ever had in my life.

Smeared with some butter….I was in heaven. They make their bread on the grill using indirect heat….basically turning the grill into an oven. They handed out the recipe…very dangerous if I make this at home. I have no self control around it.

They also had a beautiful crudite platter out with a very special dip.

Yup. Gotta love it. They mix their Butt Rib seasoning with sour cream. Easy and quite delicious with the veggies…and the bread. :)

I went back for another big piece of bread. Basically a mistake….I was full before class even started!

Chef John Cardona was the instructor and the class was entitled “Gastropub Grilling”. Let the grilling begin!

The first recipe was Asian BBQ Ribs with Indian Pale Ale BBQ Sauce.

Finger lickin good….literally. I think I was the only one in the class that picked up the ribs and ate them right off the bone. None of this fork and knife stuff for me! ;) The ribs were marinated for 24 hours and then cooked in a smoker for a few hours.

The next recipe was Meatloaf Burger with Aged Cheddar & Belgium Pale Ale BBQ Sauce.

Check out that size of the meatloaf burger! The barbeque sauce that was poured on top was really good. The chef added bacon to it which gave it an extra special flavor.

The last recipe was dessert and it was also done on the grill using indirect heat! Porter Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream:

The brownie had beer in it but I couldn’t taste it. All I tasted was chocolate goodness. The vanilla ice cream was homemade and it was fabulous with the brownie.

We had such a fabulous time at Barbeques Galore! It was really interesting to see all the different kinds of things you can put on the grill. I can’t wait to go back for another class!

After all those fabulous eats, my breakfast this morning was very anti-climatic.

A toasted waffle with peanut butter and a side of strawberries and blackberries.

I took the kids to school and then came home to get ready for my friend Lila’s birthday lunch. It was at her mom’s house…check out the view! It was such a beautiful day in San Diego.

The birthday girl and I:

Her mom made a fabulous spread for us:

Of course I had a bit of everything. Everything was so delicious!

 

What’s a party without a glass of wine?? :)

Everyone was told to wear pearls. Here I am with Cathi and Michelle:

My friend Lisa loves a theme and decorated her sunglasses with pearls.

Leave it to Lisa to take it over the top. :)

Do you know what else was over the top? The birthday cake!

Those are mangoes in the shape of a rose!! So beautiful!

And it tasted fabulous too!

The champagne with it didn’t hurt either.

That’s the way I’d like to spend every afternoon! Unfortunately the party ends eventually. Before picking up the kids from school later in the afternoon, I enjoyed a latte from Starbucks.

I REALLY love their skinny vanilla lattes.

The rest of the afternoon is all about relaxing at home! Have a great evening!

If you could choose any birthday cake for yourself, what would it be? Chocolate cake with chocolate icing all the way!

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Barbeques Galore,Peanut Butter,Starbucks