Kevin at Shar's

Yesterday I went to Shar's. Shar's Kitchen Center in Gilbert.
http://www.sharskitchen.com/

I enjoy her class most of the time and get a kick at how good of a salesman or woman, I should say, she is for her store. She is knowledgeable and a quick talker. I took Kevin with me, mostly because he was bored and hasn't started his job yet, and I told him he'd get a free mini loaf of bread - fresh-ground whole wheat bread. Almost every product she described as she was cooking, he would lean over and ask, 'Do we have that?'. I'd either nod yes or shake my head no. And if we didn't have it, he'd want me to put it on my shopping list. It was becoming a comedic thing.
Shar: Who has a Bosch?
Kevin: Do we have a Bosch?
Me: Yes.
Kevin: But do we have the 7th generation Bosch?
Me: No.
Kevin: Don't we need the 7th generation Bosch that has a new locking bowl feature and the suction cups on the bottom to keep it from slipping around the counter?
Me: (a stare - meaning no).
Shar: How many of you own a Mill? It is so healthy to grind your own wheat. All of the nutritious stuff is just taken out in the white flour process.
Kevin: Do we have that?
Me: Yes, just an older model.
Kevin: I don't remember a grinder mill.
Me: We have one, it is square in shape - not this round one she is showing.
Kevin: Don't we need the round one? I sounds like it works the best.
Me: (2nd stare).
Shar: Now to make the perfect loaf of bread - after you've used your freshly ground wheat - you need dough enhancer. This will help make your loaf of bread fluffier, lighter and have a better texture.
Kevin: Do we have that?
Me: Yes. (phew).

On and on it went. I would write a couple of things on my shopping list so Kevin would feel like I was listening to his concerns of our lack of kitchen appliances/gadgets. Things like; measuring spoons, super thin spatula for scrapping the Bosch bowl sides while it is mixing the bread, thermometer for the perfect meat every time, a strawberry/mushroom cutting thing, a new hand mixer with a timer built right in AND with 10 speeds! (actually, that was kinda cool), baking sheets with a cooling tray and so forth and so on. Most of these items she 'can't keep on the shelves of her store - they are just flying out the door and sometimes we have to order them to make sure we get one'.

Eventually Kevin took a short little nap. He missed the whole Quinoa Pilaf section. There were lots of gadgets for that recipe. Again, phew.
The recipes Shar shared with us yesterday were this: Macadamia Nut crusted Chicken with Roasted Pineapple Relish; Quinoa Pilaf; Whole Wheat Feather light dinner rolls; Strawberry and Almond Salad; and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake. Everything was good. I could have done without the pilaf - it has peas and carrots. Not my favorite. Luckily the samples you get are really one or two bite sizes - so I swallowed without really chewing.

I did break down and bought two things. The magnetic measuring spoons and the strawberry slicer. Oh and I picked up some Ultra-Gel. This thickening agent that works really well.

Here is Kevin's loaf of bread and the gift I got (for bringing a friend)- a magnetic measure equivalent chart. (Shar - I can't keep these in stock - everybody wants one and for $1.99 you're getting it for cost). Phew! Good thing I got mine free. I almost felt I needed a body guard to walk me out to my car in case someone tried to mug me for my measure equivalent chart! Oh, wait.....I have Kevin.
My handy-dandy mushroom slicer. Sweet.