We have mentioned the free cooking classes at La Yunta before.  $3 for a round-trip bus ride (or free if you drive yourself), and get a free cooking demonstration, along with some scrumptious bits of meal that fill you up enough that you don’t need lunch.

Yesterday we opted to join them again on their almost-free bus trip to see how Sandy of Carolina Smokehouse uses her products for cooking.  To be honest, I was skeptical, since we already use many of their products.  Later I decided that it was a morning well spent!

Sandy started off with stuffed mushrooms.  Snooze. Boring. NOT!  I have made these for guests for the past couple years, but she used her spiced sausage instead of the Parmesan cheese that I have been using.  What a difference!  We just discovered a new standard appetizer for guests!

She then proceeded to show us how to make different types of biscuits, some with prosciutto and  others with pulled pork fillings, and finally brownies. I can assure you that her mixes are of an “impossible-to-fail” type.  I tried to make brownies for years here, and never got results I like.  I now use her mixes, follow the instructions on the package, and the brownies have always been a hit with guests — if they ever last long enough for the guests to experience them!

In each case, she made them with just a little different twist from how I have been making them.  In each case, they took my “oh my, that is good” results to “I have died and gone to heaven” outcomes.

If you are in the area and have a chance, I strongly recommend you attend one of Sandy’s (aka “Carolina Smokehouse“) cooking demonstrations.  They are held about once a month, are free, and give you little cooking tips you never knew you needed! You can contact Sole at layuntatiendaycocina@gmail.com  to get the schedule of upcoming classes.