Hot Dish Confidential: That Year My Friends Taught Me to Cook

George Sorensen wants to learn to cook. Not just cook, but to finally learn how to prepare a truly great meal.

George was raised on TV dinners in foil trays, canned string beans reduced to paste in boiling water, Wonder Bread, bologna, and processed cheese sandwiches heated in a toaster oven.

But George wants to change all that, and he has a plan: He recruits a group of amateur culinary experts to meet monthly at his little Minneapolis bungalow to cook, eat, drink, and teach him the ropes. George embarks on a year-long gastronomic journey from France to Greece, from souffl?to goose. He samples the delights of wild mushrooms, the flavors of the oceans, and a Charles Dickens Christmas with a mouthwatering pheasant pie.

However, George does not anticipate the dynamics of bringing together these self-proclaimed chefs. Arguments over wine-what kind, how much, and who should pay for it-erupt, while others sow discord and divorce. There are suspicions about whether the rattlesnake enchiladas are really rattlesnake or merely frog legs, since really, who can tell the difference. There is trouble unwinding the skin of an octopus. Rebellion ensues when tunics are required for a Greek-themed party featuring a cardboard Parthenon facade in the backyard.

But in the end, it means an unforgettable journey of flavor, camaraderie, and adventure.

Join George's culinary revolution, and you might even find yourself earning a blue ribbon for your homemade jam at the Minnesota State Fair or stumbling upon your future wife amidst blooming apricot trees.