Young Chef's Academy

About 6 months ago, I bought a Groupon for the Young Chef's Academy in Claremont.  We had walked by several times and big sister loved the idea of taking a class.  The class times aren't very convenient for us so it took the Groupon almost expiring to get us in the door (finally). 

Chef Tony was awesome and even put on a chef's hat when he saw that my daughter was disappointed that he wasn't wearing one (in the photo, you can see he also let her wear one too). The kids made Chicken Noodle Soup and a Four Cheese and Tomato Panini.  Here's my honest review of the experience:

Pros
Fun . . . Big loved it
Friendly, personable staff
Recipes for students to take home - Big is excited to make this menu again for Daddy and little sister
Got my daughter to eat some stuff she usually doesn't eat (tomatoes, soup)

Cons
Most of the cooking that the kids did was just chopping.  Not sure if that's because of this menu in particular or if that's characteristic of the classes for her age.
No stove in the kitchen - made me think I'll steer clear of their adult classes
The class is "parent participation" but the parents didn't participate.  I loved doing something new with Big and watching her but I think it should either be optional to drop them off or encourage more actual participation from parents.

They do birthday parties which I think sounds like a lot of fun.  Check them out here or at 514 W. First Street, Claremont (in the Packing House).

The Cheese Cave in Claremont

One of my best foodie discoveries in Claremont has been the Cheese Cave.  The staff helped me put together a dessert cheese course on two occasions and it turned out great!  I also stop in there for lunch sometimes.  If you come visit me, I'll take you there!

Here are some of the reasons I like it (in no particular order):

   a)  Samples.  lots of samples.

   b)  Knowledgable staff & great suggestions

   c)  Free temporary tattoos by the register

   d)  They keep a record of what you've bought so if you forget what it was called and want to buy it again, you can.

   e)  Delicious artisanal cheese and a fantastic selection 

   f)  Crazy good french baguettes

   g)  Samples.

   h)  Fresh sandwiches to go (different selection every day)

325 Yale Avenue / Closed Mondays

A great thing about living in Claremont

There are TWO 21 Choices here!  

If you don't know this about me already, I have always loved frozen yogurt and the comeback it's making the past few years has made me really happy.  I have such fond Penguins memories of my childhood and then for years it was tough to find good frozen yogurt.  My current leanings are towards tart flavors.  If you don't already share my love of 21 Choices, give it a try (there's one in Old Town Pasadena too).  

Here are a few "insider" tips: 

You can check out that day's yogurt choices on their website.  For instance, you can see if your fav (mine is snickerdoodle cookie) is available that day.  

You can skip to the front of the line (particularly useful in Old Town) if you just want one of those daily choices and no mix-ins.  They also have a nice little size if you want to indulge just a little bit.

New house!

Today we've been living in our new house for one week.  Although it's "new," we bought it 15 months ago and my husband has been working like crazy on an addition and complete remodel including some beautiful landscaping.  We've been so excited about our home and it feels amazing to finally live here.  

I'll spare you the details of my eye infection, 60 ungraded essays, and the unpacked boxes to announce that I have had 3 great nights of sleep this week (thank you baby sister!) and I'll give you some of the food-related highlights of our move so far.  

On our first night in the new house, I took the girls out to buy some ingredients and I made our first meal here:  Chicken breasts baked in a wine herb sauce with the Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend and some asparagus.  We have a Sprouts really close and a Trader Joe's, but our nearest Whole Foods is back in Pasadena.  A few months ago, someone in town asked me, "Why would you move here from Pasadena?  They have a 2 story Whole Foods!"  The answer: there are TWO 21 Choices in this city . . . what more could you want??

To help us feel at home, we baked cookies on our second night.  Chocolate chip with oatmeal!  Look who was licking the batter (before it was even done).

I've never had double ovens before and I could bake a lasagna and our cookies at the same time.  The lights in the oven are especially fun for big sister - she can keep an eye on the baking progress.

Next up, on Monday morning, was some granola.  I haven't made it in about a month and big sister and husband keep asking for it.  I didn't have agave, apple juice concentrate, or some of my normal ingredients so I improvised with this stuff that I found.  My pantry still needs some adjustments so I haven't unpacked all my pantry foods yet.  Verdict:  regular apple juice doesn't work as well as the concentrate, maple syrup made it sweeter than usual but I liked the sesame seeds.  The unsweetened coconut I finally found doesn't stay very moist so it's probably best in granola.

One of the things big sister is most excited about is her own garden.  She didn't want little seedlings ("It's not really planting because they are already planted") so we bought packages of seeds.  So far, she's planted sweet peas, summer squash, carrots, and basil.  I hope for her sake these seeds sprout!

 So, that's the news from Claremont this week!  Call me and invite yourself over - we love to have friends visit.

Heroes and Legends

Months and months ago, I wrote about the new house that we bought. We still aren't living in it but renovations are underway and we're enjoying our pool and our new neighborhood on the weekends. On Sunday, we wanted to try somewhere new for lunch and found a parking spot right in front of a restaurant called Heroes & Legends Bar and Grill.

Now, our daughter had been having a rough weekend (chalk it up to 2 and a half and a poor night's sleep) and even on a great day, eating in a restaurant with her can be a challenge. But, she loved the bags of peanuts that they gave us and the fact that you could throw the shells on the floor. In fact, we were seated by the front door and she would say to everyone that walked through, "Excuse me, but did you know you can throw the shells on the floor?" The peanuts kept her busy until our food arrived.



The menu looked good and my husband and I shared a Southwest Chicken Sandwich. You can split a sandwich and for $2 you each get your own side so I had a salad and he had curly fries. The portions were massive and our food tasted great. Although we didn't partake, there were about 50 beers on tap, including some good Belgian Ales. Lunch for 3 under $30 with decent service and the Dodger game playing - a new local hangout!



Heroes & Legends Bar and Grill
131 Yale Avenue
Claremont, CA