Introducing a Partnership with Rouxbe

Free Trial to Learn to Cook with the Pros

It’s a strange time. We’ve all been stuck home more than ever. Most travel has been put on hold. Even eating out has slowed down, in some cases to a dead halt.

What that means is that we are also cooking more. That’s why I was excited when I was approached by Rouxbe to try their online cooking instructions.

Rouxbe is the top online culinary school in the world. It’s been around for 15 years as a training tool to chefs (over 600,000 in 180 countries) and restaurant staff, as well as an outlet for those who want to hone their home skills.

The other thing I like about Rouxbe is the fact that they try to focus on cooking a little healthier. Don’t worry, the recipes aren’t all filled with kale and cauliflower, they just incorporate ingredients that are a little more nutritious. (There are many plant-based dishes if you are vegan or vegetarian.)

You’ll find a focus on safety at this online school too as you browse through the lessons and courses, as well as recipes created by top chefs. Since it’s all on the site, you can do it a little or a lot, any time and any day you want.

If you want to become a serious chef, you can create goals and get graded on courses such as “Knife Skills,” “How to Cook & Make Pasta,” or “Steaming, Stewing & Braising.”

I enrolled in “Grains and Legumes,” which covers everything from learning to make perfect rice to preparing polenta and storing legumes.

Most of the classes are  less than 10 minutes and not complicated, but you are sure to learn something. Then, go into more complexity, such as “Plant Based Cooking” and “Food Safety.”

Lessons at Rouxbe are a little more difficult and very specific, such as “How to Make Roux” and “Knife Sharpening with a Whetstone.”

I’ve been thinking about making one of my favorite Greek dishes, Moussaka, so I looked through the lessons for making Bechamel sauce. I was impressed by how many details it gives me, from one-pot and two pot methods, to storing and reheating.

Last, but not least, Rouxbe has live events. I’ve enrolled in the upcoming “Nutrition with Eggs” seminar, with Emily Cruz, Director of Operations at CuliNex, and “Nutritious & Delicious Fruit Desserts” withFran Costigan, the Queen of Vegan Desserts.

Rouxbe  offers many options from taking a class to enrolling in the unlimited courses and videos, but you don’t have to make any quick decisions. It also makes a great gift for a foodie.

Take advantage of their free 30-day trial to try it all out – with NO CREDIT CARD REQUIRED to

Sign up for a free trial now!

Welcome to 2020

Happy New Year!

2020, It's not only a new year, but also a new decade.

As you obviously know by now, I've slowed down a lot over the last years, but I am still here! Now that I have cut down on travel, I really hope to get caught up with my stories and photos on the places I haven't written about on this blog yet.

Although I've done stories, there are so many more details I get to include on Wine And Spirits Travel I'm looking forward to telling you about Mackinac Island, Michigan, Rockford, Illinois, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Richmond, Indiana, and many other places I've loved.

I also have some other news: I've been invited by Amazon to be one of their official influencers. The program, which began two years ago with high profile influencers such as Shark Tank's Mark Cuban, has no been expanded to real people like me, with many followers on various platforms.

My page is all about things I do, wear, and use. Your not going to find expensive face creams or $500 blenders on this page, but you will find my favorite face cream, back patches, and even the ($15) portable mixer I love.

Bookmark A Few of My Favorite Things and check out some of the products I have. I'll be continuially adding things I love.

Marcia Frost


P.S. You can also check out my product reviews at Spiritstraveler, which includes liquour, one thing Amazon does not sell.

Chef Surprise at Capella Pedregal in Los Cabos

The sun was once again shining on the Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas and my friend Lynn and I were ready to take full advantage of it on our final day.  

We started off with a leisurely breakfast at Don Manuel’s Restaurant. Julieta Hernandez of the Los Cabos Tourism Board joined us and told me about some of the new hotels going up in the area. She also told me a bit about nearby La Paz and the whale shark tours.

I had known that as a Mexican playground for Hollywood stars Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo boasted many fine resorts, but I didn't realize until our conversation how many more there were in this area that were among the best in the world.

I promised Julieta I would return soon to check out more of the Baja Peninsula and then headed to enjoy my final pool day for a long while.

Even though my foot had just been stitched and I couldn’t go in the water, I enjoyed a few hours in front of Capella’s massive infinity pool under warm sunny skies.  Since I grew up (and spent most of my adult life) on Long Island I always found the view of the beach comforting. The advantage of this strip of sand not being a swimmable beach was peaceful with only the sounds of the waves.

The waiters were quick to bring us a bucket filled with ice cold water bottles and what had become my standard drink at this resort, a Watermelon Mojito.

One of the things that Capella Pedregal has available for its guests are cooking classes. Most chose the ceviche class, but considering Lynn and I are both allergic to seafood, that wasn’t an option. It worked out well, though, because I got to learn how to make one of my favorite foods, tamales.

Executive Chef Yvan Mucharraz, a protégée of Thomas Keller who spent time with the famed chef in Napa, was ready for us in the private kitchen reserved for classes and chef’s dinners (something we were doing that evening).

He told us about the history of tamales and how the fillings are really optional. We talked a bit about how tamales of all kinds are sold on the streets and made as a cheap meal in Mexico. I had only previously had pork filled ones and sweet corn tamales, which were filled, for breakfast.

We made chicken tamales and vegetarian ones with peppers, tomatoes and onions. Chef Mucharraz also showed us how to make quick and easy tomatillo salsa and salsa ranchera to serve with them.

During the tamale cooking class, mixologist and head bartender Osvaldo brought us some drinks he had created just for us. We named one of them “Samantha” for our daughters at home who share the same name. We also happened to love the drink, a blend of gin, lavender syrup, plumb bitters, Domaine de Canton liqueur, basil and lychee.

After the cooking class, Lynn and I each went back to our rooms. The complimentary guacamole, chips and Corona was delivered as usual and I enjoyed the view from my balcony for a while before showering and dressing for dinner.

Before dinner we went down to check out the weekly cocktail party they have for guests. It was an intimate setting with maybe two dozen people and a guitarist in the background. We each had a glass of wine and toasted to what would be our final evening in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Chef Mucharraz had put together a private dinner for Lynn and I for our final night. It was paired with wines and cocktails for a memorable experience. I was even impressed with how the chef didn’t blink about making my rib eye steak well-done. And, it was delicious, served with a parsnip puree and morel mushrooms.

I didn’t have much room left to finish the meat as we had already finished a tasty heirloom beetroot salad and a ginger-spiced butternut squash soup.

I almost wasn’t able to make it to the dark chocolate ganache dessert, but anyone who knows me knows that I am always ready for anything that includes the words “chocolate ganache!”

It had been an unbelievable week in Los Cabos between the (mostly) beautiful weather, relaxation and great food. It had also taken a very different turn at one point as I was going home with an injury to my toe, foot and ankle. It kept me from swimming with the dolphins – or swimming at all – but it also gave me more reason to come back to Los Cabos soon. 

From Ragusa to Regaleali

It had been a long time since I’d slept in a twin bed, but I had been so tired from the previous day of travel that it didn’t matter. With the shutters shut and the alarm off, my friend Tracy and I had even slept until 9:30 at Locanda Don Serafino.

We dressed and packed up quickly and headed downstairs for a great European breakfast of breads, muffins, yogurt and cheese. Unfortunately, we forgot we weren’t in Starbucks when it came to ordering coffee and just asked for “lattes,” forgetting to specify “café” before it. We enjoyed the glasses of warm milk before playing it safe and requesting cappuccinos!

We had a bit of time and went for a short walk in Ragusa Ibla before Francesco Ferreri picked us up and took us to the Valle Dell’Acate winery.  The drive seemed a lot more interesting after a good night’s sleep and we identified the almond, orange and olive trees along the way, as well as the green houses filled with tomatoes.

It was starting to warm up and it was a beautiful scene as we walked around the winery and vineyards.

At Valle Dell’Acate we were able to see some of the original wine-making equipment from “back in the day,” including a crushing pit that reminded me of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel were crushing grapes in their bare feet!

In that same museum area was a picturesque window that looked out into the vineyards. This winery was well into the 21^st century, though, using solar panels for 50% of its energy.

After we learned about the variety in the soil and land at Valle Dell’Acate (which means valley to river to sea) that produces the difference in the wines, we were able to taste quite a few. The 2011 Zagra, a blend of 60% grillo and 40% insolia, was my favorite for its ripe peach and apricot notes.

We also did a vertical tasting of the Bidis (chardonnay and insolia) and could really taste the difference between the years and the aging.

Before we left Valle Dell’Acate we had a lunch of fresh cheeses, calzone, breads, olives and fruits. It was the kind of meal I could eat every day, especially with the wine.

Nunzio had come to pick us up to take us to Regaleali. It was a long trip up the mountain on bumpy dirt roads. There were times when I looked down and couldn’t believe the incredible views and other times I was afraid to look down. At one point we had to stop the car on a cliff and wait for a herd of sheep to cross!

When we finally arrived at the Anna Lanza Cooking School I realized it was worth it. The villa was just as I pictured small town Italy to be, with a courtyard filled with chickens heckling and laundry hanging, and the addition of vineyards and sweeping views of the valley below.

Visitors to this villa and cooking school have included celebrity chefs (like Mario Batali) and people from all walks of life. Joining us for the visit were Jim, a movie producer from Hollywood, and Rosalinda, a banker from New York. There was also a group of interns and visiting chefs joining in.

Fabrizia Lanza told us about the cooking school her mother started (in the land of her family’s winery) while she instructed all on how things should be prepared. We even got to take a long walk through her garden which had the most extensive collection of flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruits I have ever seen.

We had some delicious Pizzelle and chickpea fritters with Tasca d’Amerita Sparkling Rose as we sat in the courtyard and enjoyed the warm night.

Dinner was eggplant, rabbit, salad, pasta and fruit. All from this area and freshly made. We drank a 2007 Rosso del Conte with dinner, made from the local Nero d'Avola, which blends so well with the Sicilian cooking.

Dinner was just wonderful, as much for the food as for the company. We all sat around the big table and ate the freshest fruits and dishes as we shared stories about ourselves. My thoughts came back to the big dinners my Aunt Mary used to make, but the American-style version had left you more stuffed than satisfied.

We ended the meal with sweet and light cream puffs, and a glass of Diamante d'Almerita, a late harvest mixture of moscato and traminer aromatico that is heavenly.

Since there was a full house at Fabrizio Lanza’s villa and they only had a single room left, I volunteered to stay up at the winery about a mile away. I got a ride up to the property. It was almost identical to the other villa and my room was cozy. It was a bit strange when they said goodnight and I realized I was the only one left there, but I closed my eyes in the big four poster bed and reminded myself of the adventure that came to the lone woman in Under the Tuscan Sun!