A few weeks ago, I went to a “Bagels, Bialys & Pretzels” cooking class at my local kitchen supply store Different Drummer’s Kitchen.  So much fun and the cooking instructor, Deanna Fox (who also writes food columns for the Times Union), was great.

The weekend after class, I just had to try the pretzels at home.  We are soft pretzel junkies around here so homemade ones would be the ultimate snack:

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Fresh from the oven?  Ridiculous.  Dipped in a honey mustard dip?  Even more ridiculous.

These were surprisingly easy to make and I will definitely make them again. And again.  And again.  Maybe even this weekend.  Next time I will bake them a tad longer (or make them smaller) since they were quite soft on the inside.  (But still totally edible.)  Also, I will try baking them on my pizza stone to make them a little crispier.

We got a long typed-out recipe in class but this one by Alton Brown looks virtually the same.  Mine did not have butter like his does….but my next ones might!  Here is the dip recipe:

Honey Mustard Dip

1/2 c Dijon mustard

1/2 c whole grain mustard

1/3 c honey

2T mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Mix it all up and dip away!

Now I’m hooked on cooking classes.  Mozzarella 101 was last night where we learned to make homemade mozzarella along with some yummy mozzarella-involved dishes.  I also have my eye on an upcoming “Farmhouse Morning Breakfast” class and a  “Lasagna Bolognese and Tiramisu” class.  All are totally compatible with eating healthy.  Which is my new thing.