GOT THE BLUES? BAKE BREAD!

GOT THE BLUES? BAKE BREAD!

Buon giorno and Good Day!

Having the privilege to be one of the teachers at the Dierbergs School of Cooking, here in St. Louis, MO and Edwardsville, IL, I have the opportunity to meet many wonderful men and women, all of whom have a great desire to be better cooks. I feel that they teach me as well as I try to teach them. The classes are two hours, and we try to demonstrate as many dishes as we can. The theme for this quarter is "Rosalie's Sicilian Classics," and the menu consists of: *Italian Wedding Soup* - *Tiny Meatballs* *Italian Crusted Chicken* - *Rosalie's Italian Salad* - *Homemade Italian Bread* and *Pineapple Upside Down Cake*.

Because I was raised in a fun-loving family, my father being quite the jokester, I start off each class with a joke or two to lighten the atmosphere. Teaching at the Bogey Hills Dierbergs in St. Charles, MO, last Thursday, I started the class with the following:

Two cannibals were eating lunch when one of them spoke up and said, "I really don't like my mother-in-law." The other cannibal quickly responded, "Well, just eat the noodles."

Since I was making the *Italian Wedding Soup,* I assured the class that I was on good terms with all my family members…they all laughed yet again. So with everyone all relaxed, I demonstrated one of the greatest foods since Bible Times….Homemade Bread. It seems for the last year of teaching cooking classes one item is always repeated…Homemade Bread. Everyone wants to learn the secret, which I must say is so simple…the more you do it, the better you get at it.

I actually start the dough at my home before class, so it only has to rise into beautiful loaves while I show the class how to make the bread. While the bread is baking, the aroma fills the class and seems to chase every bothersome woe right out of the room. I tell the class every time I make bread that no matter how bad everyone's day can possibly be, or even if mom, dad, and kids are about to kill each other, the aroma of the fresh baking bread will resolve it all.

Thinking of my dear mother today along with the chilly January air, I decided to make her awesome *Italian Beef Soup* along with her *Tiny Meatballs,* found on page 50 in *Rosalie Serving Italian* cookbook. This was a comfort soup like no other that warmed both body and soul. I choose the *Pizza Dough* recipe on page 114, and made it into bread because it was a shorter process ( for regular bread, use recipe on page 97.) As I said before, my husband quickly discovered the baking bread and said, "Oh, something smells wonderful!"

As I dipped up the soup, and cut the hot bread, the cold air outside and the bills on the table suddenly didn't matter. Happiness is sharing the good things with the ones you love, so bake that Bread!

Click on my website,

www.rosalieservingitalian.com for upcoming events, and look for the Italian Beef Soup recipe. God Bless, and have a great week,

Rosalie