It's March, everything is still brown outside, and there is nothing going on. Time for a Mom's night out! This Mom's Night Out is for a great cause though, the cause in your kitchen. Heather Solomon, chef and mother, encourages you to do something great for yourself in 2006-- learn to cook!

Based on the response and interest in my recent newsletter on menus and cooking for kids, I know there are more moms like me out there—with a desire to make good meals for our familes but helpless where to begin. Heather Solomon is a local chef and food enthusiast. Her classes are designed for busy moms and focus on simple tricks and techniques for getting a delicious meal on the table...fast! Keep reading to find Heather's terrific recipe for Hidden Vegetable Tomato Sauce.

A Note from Heather Solomon:

Calling All Moms! I am offering new and exciting cooking classes designed to teach you quick and easy recipes the whole family will love, create meals that can be served in different ways throughout the week and learn useful, time-saving tricks and techniques.

Many moms either spend too many hours in the kitchen preparing multiple meals or bring dinner in every night because the task of cooking is too overwhelming. Does this sound like you? Would you love to prepare one meal the whole family would enjoy? During a single evening session I will teach you recipes such as 'family gourmet': make fried chicken cutlets that are served to the kids in small "nugget-sized" pieces with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce and to the adults with a spinach, bacon, and blue cheese salad with a tangy lemon vinagrette.

Learn how easy it is to make delicious, healthy, fast food like Lemon Roasted Chicken: which includes an outstanding recipe for Sesame Chicken Salad using leftover chicken, or Tilapia Provencal: double the sauce and serve it with shrimp and scallops the next day. The recipes may sound complicated, but I will have you cooking like "Rachel Ray" in no time!

These classes will even teach you how to create easy and satisfying Italian specialties like Osso Buco, Veal Piccata, or Wild Mushroom Risotto (my 3 year old's favorite!). Or Asian specialties like Chicken Teriyaki with Vegetable Fried Rice, Miso Soup with Shrimp and Scallions, or Lemongrass Chicken. Just a few new tricks and some simple techniques and you'll be making great food from across the globe in less than 30 minutes.

The best part of these cooking classes are that I will come to your house, teach you and a group of your friends how to cook something new and exciting, and then you'll have time to sit and enjoy your own home-cooked meal! A great gift idea, couples night or mom's night out.

Each class includes five customized menus/recipes, more recipes to take home, hands-on instruction, and a home-cooked meal. Classes are designed for 4-6 people, though private and semi-private classes are also available. For more information please contact Heather Solomon at (914) 472-9194 or e-mail Heathersolomon72@hotmail.com.