What a weekend! I just came back from the Cape. I met up with three of my favorite college friends for a fun-filled weekend of reminiscing and reconnecting. We try to get together once a year, usually at someone’s house, but in celebration of our half-century milestones, we wanted to do something special.

With 200 years among us, we treated ourselves to a weekend stay at the Captain Freeman Inn, including a cooking class along with a delicious gourmet breakfast each morning. The theme of the class was “Fall in Tuscany”. The menu was designed around typical Tuscan dishes with local seasonal ingredients. The class turned out to be more demonstration than participation, but I learned some new tips and tricks, and some new recipes.

Our instructor, Chef Carol, showed us the less familiar steps for each recipe and described how each dish was assembled. None of the dishes were actually finished during the class. However, after the kitchen part of the class and a short break, all the students gathered again for a wine tasting of Italian wines with the inn owners, followed by dinner, where the menu we learned during the class was served.

Here’s what we ate:

Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers and Parmigiano Reggiano

Polenta and Seafood Frito Misto

Duck with Harvest Grapes, Olives, and Cranberries

Creamy Pancetta and Parmesan Polenta

Arugula, Roasted Pumpkin, Citrus and Fig Salad

Sweet Roasted Pears with Ricotta Salata and Balsamic Glaze

It was a wonderful weekend. There’s nothing like being with good friends. Our 30th college reunion approaches this June, so we’ll get to hang out together again soon. I can’t wait