Fitness, Food, Wine & Travel

Author Archive

Leftover Easter Eggs? Make Hard Boiled Eggs with Avocado, Cumin and Curry

Here’s a great recipe to use all those leftover Easter eggs!
It’s one of the many great dishes the BF and I enjoyed this weekend in Tahoe. We ate a completely Paleo Easter dinner on Saturday evening, and day by day I will be sharing everything we had and how to make it!

Hard Boiled Eggs with Avocado, Cumin and Curry

Ingredients:
6 organic cage free eggs
1 avocado
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1 tsp garlic pureé
pinch of salt to taste
optional: fresh black pepper on top
1-2 beets

To prepare the beets, cut them into cubes and boil them until they are tender. They will slip out of their outer skins much easier after they cook. Cut into little “diamond” shapes and set them aside.

Hard boil the eggs and peel them out of their shells. Cut them in half and scoop out the yolks into a small bowl. Cut half an avocado and mash it together with the yolks in the bowl. Add the spices and garlic puree and the salt to taste. Spoon the mixture back into the egg white halves. Top with cracked pepper.

Garnish the finished eggs with the beet diamonds.

Tomorrow I will show you how I made a Gingersnap crusted ham Paleo style!

April 9, 2012 | Categories: Easter, leftovers, paleo, primal, Recipes | Leave a comment

Paleo Dining: Speak up! Ask questions! Take charge!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dining out can be a little tricky on the Paleo diet. Standard restaurant menus are a gauntlet of gluten, sugar, and dairy laden dishes, not to mention the cheap seed oils that are used to prepare them.

The above slide show is from a restaurant at which my Paleo partner and I dined called Coyote Bar & Grill.

In the title I say, “Speak up!” because in order to stick to the principles of a gluten-free, sugar-free diet, you are often times going to find yourself in need of certain menu substitutions to make restaurant meals work best for you. And THAT IS OK! You are the customer, and you are paying for your meal. You should enjoy it and not fret about what the server or the chef will think of you if you ask for something special.

Of course, substitutions and modifications might not work so much in a chain restaurant (especially fast food) because food is not made to order), but typically most restaurants are glad to accommodate a customer with special dietary needs. Especially if they ever want to see that customer ever again.

When we dined at Coyote, we were very hungry from running in the Carlsbad 5000 5K race. Directly after the race, my boyfriend had conquered a half chicken at Pollos Maria, but it was 4 hours later, and his appetite had come back with a vengeance. And I was ready to eat, too, after running harder than I ever have in my entire life.

For our appetizer, we ordered the “Guacamole Especial”, which on the menu is listed as “homemade guac, cheese, salsa fresca, tortilla chips”. All I had to do was ask if they could substitute some sort of raw vegetable for the tortilla chips, and please leave off the cheese. They were very agreeable and the BF and I were able to enjoy a perfectly Paleo prelude to our entrees. 🙂

For my main course, I ordered the Grilled Seafood Salad: Grilled scallops, prawns, fresh fish, mixed greens, Feta cheese, tomato, baby corn & Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette. To make it Paleo, all I had to do was ask the server to leave off the dressing, and I picked around the cheese and the baby corn. Everything else was perfect!

BF ordered the Grilled Salmon and asked for double grilled vegetables instead of the wild rice. The dinner also came with a mixed greens salad. We also ordered 4 shrimp skewers ala carte. After my salad, I could only eat one of them. I also wanted to note that instead of dressing, I often mix in guacamole into my greens. That way I avoid sugars and soy oil blends (often GMOs) that are notorious ingredients in salad dressings (even house made ones).

So, remember when you go out to eat, you’re in the driver’s seat. You can choose where to go and several details about your meal (in many cases down to how it is prepared). Don’t worry about being a pain if you ask for something that’s not exactly spelled out on the menu. Ask how things are prepared and stay away from adjectives like “breaded, fried”. Words such as “grilled, raw, steamed” are your new best friends!

Happy dining to all my Paleo friends out there!

PS: If you have any Paleo/Primal dining tips/tricks please feel free to share them below! 🙂

April 6, 2012 | Categories: carlsbad, gluten-free, paleo, primal, restaurant, running, seafood, tourism, travel, wine | Tags: | Leave a comment

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Bubbles and Bling”, Friday April 20th at The Crest Theatre

Fundraiser Benefits the Volunteer Center of Sacramento’s 50th Anniversary

Sacramento, CA –The Volunteer Center of Sacramento (VCS) will hold “Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Bubbles and Bling” on Friday, April 20 from 5:30-9pm at the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento as part of its 50th Anniversary campaign!

The celebratory event will include desserts, appetizers, champagne and wine, a huge silent auction, a fun photo booth with a Breakfast at Tiffany’s backdrop, live music by The Honey Trees and of course a viewing of the classic movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on the big screen. Doors open at 5:30pm and the screening begins at 7pm.

To celebrate our role in the community of supporting other non-profit organizations, we have partnered with the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center and the California Youth Crisis Line. All three non-profits will benefit from this fun night out.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the Volunteer Center of Sacramento by calling (916) 567-3100 or online by visiting www.volunteersac.org. Call us to avoid the online convenience fee!

“We are excited about celebrating our 50th Anniversary, however, community support is essential for the success of this fundraiser,” said Frank Kennedy, VCS Executive Director. “We have strengthened the Sacramento community through volunteerism for the past 50 years and we look forward to strengthening it for 50 more.”

To find out more about the fundraiser, how to purchase tickets, or how you can help, please contact us at (916) 567-3100 or info@volunteersac.org.

About The Volunteer Center of Sacramento
Founded in 1962, the Volunteer Center of Sacramento works to strengthen the Sacramento community by connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve. We also run several programs such as BirthdayMAGIC which coordinates birthday parties for children in homeless shelters, Adopt-A-Family which provides food and gifts to struggling families during Christmas and our VolunTEEN series which offers fun and easy 3-hour projects for youth in need of community service hours. Visit www.volunteersac.org to learn more about the Volunteer Center of Sacramento.

March 29, 2012 | Categories: champagne, events, food, sacramento, sparkling wine, wine | Leave a comment

Make this Now, Thank Me Later! German “stir fry”

This one’s from the archives.
Thanks to all for supporting the new site!!

————————————————-

Seriously, make this now. If you don’t like sauerkraut, you might like this dish. If you don’t eat bacon, all I can do is apologize.

German “stir fry”

What you need:
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Red or White Wine
Red Onion
Garlic
Acorn or Butternut Squash (cubed)
Eggplant, Zucchini Squash
Apple, Granny Smith, Fuji, or Gala… any non-mushy apple will do.
Bacon (as many slices as you like—you can also use pork sausage in place of or in addition.
Sauerkraut

It’s funny how our tastes change as adults. I used to HATE sauerkraut as a kid and refuse to eat it. I would go to the Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival with my mom every year, but refuse to sample any of the food there. Now I love sauerkraut, and it’s one of my favorite foods. It is fibrous, low calorie, and filling. I might be getting married to it soon.

I came up with this recipe to honor my new found love, and I have been eating it several times a week. I call it German stir fry because the recipe contains a few of German ingredients, and they are all cooked together basically like I do with a stir fry.

You can use eggplant or not, or squash or not, it all depends on what you like. I really prefer cooking to baking a lot of times, because most recipes are so flexible. This one is as well.

To prepare:
Slice the onion and sauté in oil. Salt the onions to help them caramelize. Cook the onions down and add a little wine or vegetable stock if the pan gets too dry. Add the squash and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the sqaush, then add the apple next. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a separate pan until fully browned and crisp.

When the squash and potato are nearly cooked, add the eggplant, and cook until eggplant is tender. Chop the bacon and the sauerkraut and toss in. Heat thoroughly and remove from heat.

March 27, 2012 | Categories: food, paleo, Recipes, sauerkraut, Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival, wine | Leave a comment

Paleo Recipe: Hard Boiled Eggs with Avocado, Cumin, and Curry

Hey, I know these eggs don’t look all that exciting. I made them as a last minute surprise appetizer for the Wintun Ranch Grass Fed Steaks we had as our main course last night. According to the BF, “they almost upstaged the entire dinner!” I really loved them too, and am actually going to make some more tonight. As you can imagine, after dining with someone who has Adam Richman’s appetite (but far better metabolism), these eggs were “gone in 60 seconds”. 😉

So, wanna give them a try? Depending on how much you want to make, you can multiply the ingredients. I will give the ratio for the amount of eggs I made last night: 3, yielding the six portions you see in the picture. 🙂

Hard Boiled Eggs with Avocado, Cumin and Curry

Ingredients:

3 organic cage free eggs

1/2 of one avocado

1tsp cumin

1/2 tsp curry

1/2 tsp garlic pureé

pinch of salt to taste

optional: fresh black pepper on top

Hard boil the eggs and peel them out of their shells. Cut them in half and scoop out the yolks into a small bowl. Cut half an avocado and mash it together with the yolks in the bowl. Add the spices and garlic puree and the salt to taste. Spoon the mixture back into the egg white halves. Top with cracked pepper.

I am going to dice some beets to top the eggs with tonight when I make them again, as this will make them a little more visually appealing without affecting the taste very much. I will update with a new picture and instructions on the beets tomorrow.

Happy Sunday!

UPDATE! 

I added beets to garnish the eggs, and they look and taste great.

To prepare the beets, cut them into cubes and boil them until they are tender. They will slip out of their outer skins much easier after they cook. Cut into little “diamond” shapes and place on top of the avocado and egg filling. Here is what it looks like:

March 26, 2012 | Categories: eggs, food, paleo, Recipes, Wintun Ranch | 3 Comments

Chicken Larb in Cabbage Cups

Image

1 head of cabbage

2/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/3 cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons Thai roasted chili paste

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
1 tablespoon thinly sliced jalapeño pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Separate the cabbage into individual leaves.

Mix the first 3 ingredients together with the garlic, set aside.

Melt some coconut oil in a skillet and sauté the green onions, pepper shallots, and the lemongrass until tender. Transfer to a different pan, then cook the ground chicken in the same skillet used for the shallots/onions. When chicken has cooked most of the way through (make sure you have broken it up with a spoon into small pieces while cooking). Pour in the sauce mixture and add the cooked vegetables. Add the cilantro and mint.

Spoon into cabbage pieces. This recipe feeds 4 as an appetizer and 2 as a main course.

Serve with a white wine such as Le Casque’s 2008 Roussanne. You can find it at their winery located in Loomis, CA. For more information, you can visit their website here.

March 25, 2012 | Categories: Casque Wines, chicken, coconut oil, food, low carb, pairing, paleo, Recipes | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Dukkah Spice Blend and Curried Cashews

During my journey with Paleo, nuts have been a staple in my diet. When eaten raw or dry roasted (dry-roasted at home, not purchased as roasted/salted), they are exceptionally nutritious. So, today I’d like to show you two recipes showcasing nuts as a sort of condiment, and nuts as a snack.
The first recipe is called dukkah. We use it to season our vegetable sautees. Cauliflower, kale, chard… it really takes the flavor of the vegetables to another level! 🙂
Dukkah
You can modify/change up these ingredients to your liking:

1/4 cup ground coriander

5 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoon dried mint leaves

2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Nuts:

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

1/2 cup raw pistachio nuts

1/2 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup cashewsIt’s easiest I think to roast all the nuts in the oven first, until they are golden brown. I do this on a sheet pan at 350° until they turn color. Be sure to watch closely, they will burn fast.

While the nuts are toasting in the oven, toast the herbs, spices, and seeds until they are brown/toasty/aromatic. Allow each of them to cool completely.

Place the nuts and seeds, along with the mint and salt, into a food processor and pulse into a coarse consistency.

This is the finished product…
Snack Two!
Curried Cashews and Almonds

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds

1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbs coconut oil (melted)

Toast the nuts in the oven or in a skillet until they are golden brown.
Place the spices in a mortar and pestle and grind to incorporate the curry and the red pepper flakes.

Drizzle 1 Tbs coconut oil over the toasted nuts and then sprinkle the curry powder mixture over it. Stir with a spoon to coat the nuts completely.

Bag them up and sneak them into any sort of function where the food options are limited/non-Paleo!!

This way, you won’t starve–you eat clean–no matter what, you win–you might be/or eventually be the sexiest person in the room. #truth!

March 19, 2012 | Categories: almonds, cashews, paleo, Recipes | 2 Comments

Chocolate on the Paleo Diet

So, big disclaimer here… if you are trying to lose weight/lean out on the Paleo diet, you should probably obstain from eating chocolate altogether… but if you are at a healthy weight, or at a weight you are comfortable maintaining (maybe you get a lot of “dee-ammns” when you walk by the opposite sex?), then OK, you are allowed to have a little chocolate in moderation on the Paleo diet.I am really not that much of a dessert person anymore, unless it’s fresh or dried fruit and almonds. I even used to do a small cheese arrangement, but in the past few months I have been more strict than ever doing Paleo, so I rarely even have cheese anymore. Practice what you preach, you know? 🙂

But recently, my boyfriend and I went to the Winter Fancy Food Show, and one of the vendors present was TCHO Chocolates. I made a connection with the company because I think it’s important to buy products from companies who make it a point to sell organic and free trade items.
Organic and fair trade, and the highest concentration of cacao that you can find in this bar, the 99%… which, is spectacular with a port or a late harvest zinfandel.TCHO also sent me some other samples to try, such as these Dark Chocolate Organic (yes!!) Baking Drops. They clock in at 68% cacao.

I melted them down and used them to make a classic treat: Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
And if you are going to have chocolate on the Paleo diet, that’s just about the best way to do it. You can go with a chocolate that is not as sweet and it’s portion controlled because there is only so much chocolate that can fit on the berry. How many berries you eat, however, is up to you. The best thing about this dessert is that the chocolate is so intense, you wind up not eating that many.
To melt the discs, I heated some coconut milk in a bowl in the microwave (not boiling, but hot enough to melt the chocolate. Depending on how many strawberries you plan on making, place some of the chocolate discs in another bowl and add the heated milk (about 1/4 cup per 6-8ozs of chocolate). Stir the chocolate until it is smooth and add 1/2 to 1 tsp of your favorite liqueur.
Then dip the strawberries and set them on parchment or wax paper and allow the chocolate to solidify. To speed up the process, set them in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes. Share with someone special. 😉

You can find TCHO on Facebook here and on twitter here.

March 14, 2012 | Categories: chocolate, Fancy Food Show, paleo, Recipes, TCHO | Leave a comment

Amador Wine Picks (Pix)!!

So AH and I conquered Amador this weekend for their Behind the Cellar Door event. It was a toasty 70ish degree day, and we hit four five different wineries. I took pictures of my favorite wines and I am sharing the labels and info with you, so that you know what to buy (me)…. 😉
First Stop: Shenandoah Vineyards…
2010 Shenandoah Vineyards Amador County Zinfandel
2008 Orange Muscat
I am not a dessert wine person, but I really liked this one.
Mapping out where we would venture next….
2010 Viognier. Yes, please.
2006 Sangiovese
So, I thought, “Oh wow… this Sangiovese is really good and I don’t typically like Sangiovese…”
I think part of the reason is it has had some time to lay down.
Then I had the Deaver Red Blend. Even better than the Sangiovese.
Sorry I can’t find a link to this on their website, so I don’t know the exact breakdown. 😦
And this was my favorite Zinfandel at Deaver. It’s their Signature Zinfandel.
Us, listening intently and having too much fun. 🙂

Next stop: Dobra Zemlja Winery (Doe-brah Zem-Ya)

Our favorite was their jug wine, believe it or not!
I also really dug their Barbera.

Next was Driven Cellars

I really love their Pinot Grigio
And their Barbera…
And this is the view from Driven’s picnic tables…
Last was Sobon Estate. And my favorite Zinfandel there is their Cougar Hill. And I kind of went crazy over their Barbera and their Rousanne. We bought two bottles of each.
Thank you Paul for bailing us out when the car didn’t want to run. 🙂 You guys are good friends and I am so grateful. I am glad we bought a bunch of wine from you that day.
I am drinking the Barbera now. So very good!!
Social Media Roll Call:
Shenandoah Vineyards on Facebook, on Twitter
Deaver on Facebook. Deaver on Twitter
Dobra Zemja on Facebook
Driven Cellars on Facebook
Sobon Estate on Facebook, on Twitter
Upcoming events at Amador Wineries are located here. Cheers!!

 

March 6, 2012 | Categories: Amador, behind the cellar door, Deaver, Dobra Zemja, Driven, events, Shenandoah Wines, Sobon Wines, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Cakegrrl’s BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale Picks!!

 Last Wednesday night, I was a guest at the Arden Beverages and More (BevMo!) for a media event to help promote the 5¢ Wine Sale. This sale has become a reoccurring marketing tool in which BevMo! sells a particular wine for a certain price (for example $12.99) and the customer can purchase the second bottle of wine for 5¢.
This is the first sale of the year and it runs until March 18th. It will feature over 250 wines from labels such as Francis Ford Coppola, Kuleto Estate, and Chalone Vineyard. The bottles will range all over the board in price from as low as $7 to as high as $70 per 750mL bottle. So, if you are a high roller and buying by the case, that means you can get one case of wine at full price and the second case for only 60 cents. 
How did the 5 cent sale begin? Why don’t you submit your own creative story? Head over to the BevMo! facebook page and tell them how you think the 5¢ Sale all began. On March 18th, BevMo will pick a winner, and that person will receive a $50 discount card.
Now for a little tasting and my favorites of the evening! I stand behind my picks and recommend them for you to try as well.
The first wine we sampled was the 2010 Arco Magiore Pinot Grigio ($14.99). It was one of my favorites, slightly apricot-ish/peachy, yet fairly dry. Great wine for summer or with a light fish dish.
The next one was a 2009 Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (price not listed in my notes) from Napa. It was a total grapefruit bomb, so if that’s your style, you would like this one (BF, are you listening?). It would be awesome with Thai food, sushi, or some other sort of seafood.
Oooh, well played BevMo!… getting interesting with a Torrontes. This is a 2011 Ceibo Torrontes ($19.99)–an Argentinian wine, and for me tastes like kind of a mix between Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. The big difference (once again, for me) is that a Torrontes usually smells very floral/”perfumey” compared to a Chardonnay. When I say “perfumey”, I mean it in a good way. 😉 It’s also crisp like a Pinot Grigio, so that is why I drew that comparison. Totally worth a try.
The next two wines are some I ended up choosing to take home with me. First is the 2010 Francis Ford Coppola Director’s Chardonnay ($19.99). It is pretty true to a classic Napa Chardonnay: Green apple and light buttery oak. And I kind of (not so secretly) love that style of Chardonnay.

My next favorite wine was the 2009 Schug Pinot Noir. It’s a great bargain at $24.99, and then when you get the 2nd bottle at five cents, it’s a steal. And, I will let you in on a little secret: This wine tastes even better in my Riedel Pinot Noir glass. It’s what I drank last night with dinner. 🙂 It’s light to medium bodied and has a lovely bouquet of strawberries and cherries.

Next up, a 2009 Trailhead Zinfandel ($24.99), which for me for the price was just ok, but if you chop it in half with the benefit of the 5¢ Sale, it becomes more than fair. Normally this would probably not be an optimal everyday drinker, but when you cut the price in half, it’s totally a pizza wine!

Next on the list is a 2009 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.99). It’s a good little wine and scored 90 points with Wilfred Wong. It’s not overly tannic and pretty much a “drink it now” sort of wine. It’s probably not going to improve all that much with age, but hey… Have some fun and buy 2 with the 5¢ Sale, drink one now, and lay one down for later. 😉

I am not sure why we tasted this one last, because it was not really much on the sweet side. It was a Cava Brut Rose by Campo Viejo ($16.99). OK, after thinking about it a bit, maybe I do know why you would drink it last. Because it would be awesome with strawberries and a cheese plate!!

Snacks provided to us by BevMo! were a Picot Brie cheese, Jarlsberg (love) cheese, Carr’s Biscuits, La Panzanella mini crackers, and Columbus Dry Salami.

You can find BevMo! on Facebook here and on twitter here. Long live the 5¢ Sale!

March 3, 2012 | Categories: BevMo, Reviews, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Ukiah Super 8: Be the Change You Want to See in the World

Dear Readers, 
Sorry about the lack of posting. I have been a very busy girl lately. I am currently working three part-time jobs, and between those and keeping a steady fitness routine, that gives me little time to devote to writing.
But, while I have a moment to spare, I wanted to let you know about some events happening in Mendocino and Ukiah during the month of March, and a great place to stay while you are there.
Last month, I was hosted by the Super 8 in Ukiah while my boyfriend and I attended the latter weekend of Mendocino Crab and Wine Days (an annual Mendocino two-weekend long festival featuring a series of events including a cioppino feed we attended at Barra of Mendocino Wines), and tried a restaurant in downtown Ukiah called Patrona.

What is so special about Super 8 Ukiah and why did I title this post the way that I did? These awards on the wall begin to paint the picture. Super 8 Ukiah uses modern techniques of being nature friendly by using recyclable papers to for cleaning, electrically economical lights, healthy practices of waste and resource management. They also offer complimentary electrical vehicle charging for hotel guests.
You can find the Super 8 Ukiah on this list of Eco Green Hotels. They are a member of the Green Hotels Association, and here is the audit information on everything they do to maintain their unique environmental status.
You can read more about their environmental efforts and practices and what they do to maintain the awards bestowed on them here on their blog.
Car charging station.

Watching Ocean’s Eleven (a treat because I don’t have a tv at home) from the comfy bed and snacking on dates, almonds, and strawberries. 🙂

This is the breakfast nook area in the check-in lobby where complimentary breakfast is served every morning from 6:00am-9:30am.

Room 224 where we stayed. 🙂

You can find Super 8 Ukiah on Facebook here and on twitter here.

March 3-4, 2012: Mendocino Village Whale Festival
The 30th Annual Mendocino Whale Festival will see the area’s top chefs serve up their takes on New England clam chowder, as well as Mendocino County wineries pouring their unique vintages for tasting at historic Mendocino Village shops, galleries and inns.

March 10-11, 2012: Little River Whale Festival
During the 3rd Annual Little River Whale Festival, visitors will savor bites from the kitchens of the town’s noted chefs, sip wines from Mendocino County vintners, get their art and adventure passport stamped for the chance to win a fabulous prize, take a history or a whale watching walk, go on an artist studio tour, sit down to a fireside talk with local historians, or take advantage of a “Whale of a Sale” at various Little River inns (stay two nights, get the third free).The Festival benefits the Mendocino Area Parks Association (MAPA) and the jewel of Little River, Van Damme State Park.

March 17-18, 2012: Fort Bragg Whale Festival
The festivities are endless at the 30th Annual Fort Bragg Whale Festival, which features flavorful microbrew beer, chowder and wine tastings for adults and arts and crafts fair and “sea-life” kiddie parade for children. The Whale Run and Walk, Whale Cruises out of Noyo Harbor, Whale-Watching Excursions on Horseback and more round out the weekend of whale-tastic fun for all.

Other March Mendocino Events

March 3rd-4th
Point Cabrillo Lighthouse Whale Watching – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, free, Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in Mendocino, 800.262.7801 www.pointcabrillo.org

March 3rd
Mendocino Whale Festival Concert: An Evening of Wood and Steel – 8:00 pm, $20 in advance & $25 at the door, Crown Hall in Mendocino, 800.585.0095

March 10th
Pt. Arena Crafts Show and Bazaar – 9:00 am, free, Point Arena City Hall in Point Arena. For more information call 707.785.3538

March 10th
Second Saturday Wine and Food Tasting – 9:00 am, free, Milano Winery, 707.744.1396.

Mendocino Stories and Music Series “Braet and Brown Jazz Duo”: 7:30 pm, $10 to $15 per person, Hill House in Mendocino, 866.937.1732.

The Unauthorized Rolling Stones – 8:00 pm, $18 adults/$10 youth, Arena Theater in Point Arena, 707.882.3272.

March 12th
Dahlia Tuber Sale– 9:00 am, free, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg,707.964.4352 www.gardenbythesea.org

March 17th-18th Saint Patrick’s Day Sale and Wine Tasting: 10:00 am, free, Milano Winery in Hopland,707.744.1396.

March 24th Mendocino Stories and Music Series “Mendo Bobfest” – 7:30 pm, $15 in advance/$20 at the door, Hill House Inn in Mendocino, 707.937.1732.

March 25th Orixa-Inspired Dance Workshop – 1:00 pm, $20, Mendocino Ballet Company in Ukiah, 707.468.5338

March 30th Mendocino Stories and Music Series “Hit and Run Theater Improv Comedy” – 7:30 pm, $10 to $15, Hill House Inn in Mendocino, 707.937.1732www.mendocinostories.com

March 31st – April 1st Learn to Kayak Weekend – 9:00 am, $160 to $200 per person, Liquid Fusion Kayaking in Fort Bragg, 707.962.1623 www.liquidfusionkayak.com

Ongoing Events throughout March
Mendocino Art Center’s Marine Wildlife Show– Free, Open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, 707.937.5818.

“Introductions”: Devore, O’Feral, Sandberg and Lawrence – Free, Open Thursday thru Monday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Partners Gallery in Fort Bragg, 707.962.0233

Whale Graphite Objects by Agelio Batle – Free, Open Friday – Monday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, Studio 391 in Point Arena, 707.884.9065

Taco Thursday – Prices vary, Mendocino Hotel in Mendocino, 707.937.0511

Farmers Markets – Free to the public. Visit www.mcfarm.org for city locations, dates and times.

Wine Pairing Host-Table Dinner– 6:00 pm, Sunday, Monday and Saturday, $90 pp w/wine pairing or $65 for non-drinkers, Glendeven Inn in Little River, 707.937.0083.

Sunday Brunch – Every Sunday starting at 8:00 am, prices vary, Mendocino Hotel in Mendocino, 707.937.0511.

February 29, 2012 | Categories: crab, crab and wine days, events, green, mendocino, motels, travel, ukiah, Ukiah Super 8 | Leave a comment

Sacramento Opera Presents Rigoletto on February 24th and 26th

Sacramento Opera closes 2011-12 season with two performances of “Rigoletto” 

The Sacramento Opera closes out the 2011-12 season with the performance of “Rigoletto” on Friday, February 24 and Sunday, February 26. As one of Verdi’s greatest works, “Rigoletto” is one of the most widely adapted operas of all time.

Teaming up with the Sacramento Philharmonic, Rigoletto is filled with both remarkable and memorable melodies and tunes, the opera follows a story line that is riveting with all the workings of a concise, taut, and psychologically disturbing drama that concludes with a twist that is as shocking as it is horrifying.

The Sacramento Opera has compiled a stellar cast including Sacramento native Buffy Baggoott (Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera) as Maddalena, David Small (Lyric Opera of Kansas City, St. Louis Symphony) as Rigoletto, Katrina Thurman (Florida Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Opera) as Gilda, Scott Ramsay (Opera Boston, Toledo Symphony) as The Duke of Mantua and Andrew Gangestad (Metropolitan Opera, Arizona Opera) as Sparafucile.

The LA Times describes Rigoletto as a story about a “corrupted clown who belittles the misfortune of others, keeps his beloved daughter Gilda under lock and key, and takes out a contract on his employer who has designs on Gilda.”

This opera is a great introduction to the art form for new audiences as well as beloved by seasoned patrons featuring a haunting yet heart-wrenching tale.

Sung in Italian with English supertitles, conducted by Timm Rolek with the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sacramento Opera Chorus, the opera opens on Friday, February 24 at 8 p.m. with a matinee showing at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 26 at the Sacramento Community Theater (1301 L St., Sacramento, CA 95814)

Tickets are available online, over the phone or in person. Visit http://www.sacopera.org/Tickets/singletickets.html for more information.

You can find the Sacramento Opera on Facebook here, or follow them on Twitter here.

About Sacramento Opera 
The mission of the Sacramento Opera is to produce outstanding opera, to develop and cultivate a wider public interest in opera and its allied arts, and to further music education in the region.

February 22, 2012 | Categories: events, rigoletto, Sacramento Opera, Verdi | Leave a comment

Sacramento Food Film Festival is March 10th! Tickets going fast!!

Some of the best movies I have seen in the past few years have been all about food!!

More specifically, documentaries about our food and its production and distribution.

Needless to say, the inaugural Sacramento Food Film Festival is right up my alley! It will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at Guild Theater from 10am to 10pm. So basically, come out like you are camping out for a deal on an HDTV at Best Buy on Black Friday, ok? 😉

I know a lot of you seem to be aware and conscious of the serious food issues/problems that this world faces, but these movies will educate you (as well as entertain and provoke thought) to what is really going on and really going wrong with our global food supply.

Here is the film lineup for the day:

10:15 Lunch Line 63 min.

Lunch Line follows six kids from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago as they set out to fix school lunch — and end up at the White House. Their unlikely journey parallels the dramatic transformation of school lunch from a patchwork of local anti-hunger efforts to a robust national feeding program. The film tracks the behind-the-scenes details of school lunch and childhood hunger from key moments in the 1940s, 1960s, and 1980s to the present, revealing political twists, surprising alliances, and more common ground than people might realize.
11:30 The Last Crop 50 min.

The Last Crop follows Jeff and Annie Main, and examines how one family’s mission to preserve their small working farm’s existence for future farmers is challenging the status quo of farmland conservation and farm succession policies within California’s 36 billion dollar agricultural industry. I saw this movie early this month and absolutely loved it. Since the filmmaker keeps adding on to the length of the film as the story progresses (as it is a work in progress), it will be a little longer than 50 minutes.


12:30 Dive 53 min.

Inspired by a curiosity about our country’s careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary DIVE! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles’ supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food – resulting in an inspiring documentary that is equal parts entertainment, guerilla journalism and call to action.
1:30 Future of Food 88 min.
The Future of Food has been a key tool in the American and international anti-GMO grassroots activist movements and played widely in the environmental and activist circuits since its release in 2004. The film is widely acknowledged for its role in educating voters and the subsequent success of passing Measure H in Mendocino County, California, one of the first local initiatives in the country to ban the planting of GMO crops. Indicative of its popularity, the Future of Food showed to a sold out audience of 1,500 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2004, a benefit for Slow Food, where it was introduced by Alice Waters.  

3:00 Food Matters 80 min.

With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what’s wrong with our malnourished bodies, it’s no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide ‘sickness industry’ and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for overcoming illness naturally.


4:30 Ingredients 67 min.
Inspiring and rich, INGREDIENTS unearths the roots of the local food movement and digs into the stories of the chefs, farmers and activists transforming our broken food system. This upbeat, beautifully-photographed film introduces us to the verdant farms and pioneering restaurants where good food is produced and served. From innovative farm-to-table programs in Harlem to picturesque sheep farms in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, INGREDIENTS shows the heart of an alternative food system – healthy, sustainable and tasty.

Through interviews with world-class chefs such as Alice Waters and Greg Higgins and sustainability-minded farmers in Oregon, New York and Ohio, INGREDIENTS weaves an uplifting tale that is equal parts earthy rebellion and mouth-watering homage.
Narrated by Bebe Neuwirth, INGREDIENTS is a fun, open-minded film that will satiate both veteran slow-food fans and the uninitiated alike.

Narrated by Bebe Neuwirth? Guys, need I say more? 🙂

6:00 Farmaggedon 90 min.Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasona-bly burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.


7:45 Farmers Panel Discussion 60 min.
WHAT’S ORGANIC ABOUT “ORGANIC?” delves into the debates that arise when a grassroots agricultural movement evolves into a booming international market. As the film moves from farm fields to government meetings to industry trade shows, we see the hidden costs of conventional agriculture. We also see how our health, the health of our planet, and the agricultural needs of our society are all intimately connected. The film compels us to look forward, towards a new vision for our culture and encourages us to ask, “How can we eat with an ecological consciousness?”

For more information on the event go to: http://sacfoodfilmfest.com

Special thanks to sponsors Simply Recipes, Whole Foods, Slow Food Sacramento, Munchie Musings, Mikuni Sushi, Guild Theatre, and the Sacramento Co-op.

You can find the Sacramento Food Film Festival on Facebook here!!

PS: If you buy a ticket by March 1st, you will be automatically entered to win a restaurant gift card from deVere’s or Ella.

Buy tickets here now! Hurry because the Guild only holds 200 people and tickets are going fast!!

February 17, 2012 | Categories: events, festival, food, movie, organic, paleo, sacramento | Leave a comment

Last Night We Had a Paleo Dinner at: Il Fornaio, Downtown Sacramento

I thought I might start a little series on my website called “Last Night We Had a Paleo Dinner at…”
I will showcase all the meals we have out and show you how you can eat almost 100% Paleo anywhere you go. It’s all about choices… 🙂
Seafood Trio Appetizer with parsley sauce.

House salad… we could have asked for no beans (but, my legume consumption is a rarity anyway and not the worst of Paleo offenses), I did ask for the dressing on the side. 🙂
We split a meal of game hen, sausage, and lamb with carrots, green beans, and spinach!!

February 15, 2012 | Categories: dinner, food, il Fornaio, Last Night We Had a Paleo Dinner at:, paleo, wine | Leave a comment

Paleo Recipe: True Love Blood Orange and Red Onion Salad with Kalamata Olives

I just love going to the farmer’s market and buying whatever catches my eye. Last Sunday, it was blood oranges. Here’s a quick salad that’s completely Paleo using those that beautiful citrus I picked up!! This recipe serves 2 people as an appetizer or side dish.
Ingredients:
3 blood oranges, sliced widthwise
1 red onion, sliced into rings
10-12 Kalamata olives, sliced into rings
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Gaea Laconia P.G.I.,
kindly sent to me by the reps at Gaea.)
Procedure:
Peel the oranges and slice them widthwise so the slices will look like the picture above. Lay one layer of them out on a plate and then slice the onion into rings and lay them over/on the oranges. Then arrange another bit of oranges around the onions. As you are doing this, you can squeeze a little of the juice over the onions and the plate. Then chop the olives into little rings and sprinkle over the onions and orange slices. To finish, drizzle the olive oil over the salad.

So unique, but simple to prepare, and beautiful on the plate. I named the recipe “true love” because of the ring shapes in the salad (the symbol of eternity), and all that red/orange color in the mix.

It might sound like an odd combination, but I hope you try it. 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2012 | Categories: love, paleo, Recipes, salad, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Valentine’s Food and Drink Picks!!

Here are a few things I have tried lately that sort of fall into the Valentine’s category, and since today happens to be Valentine’s Day, I would like to share them with you.

Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa



This brand new liqueur combines Patrón Silver tequila, the light essence of coffee and the richness of chocolate.

Distilled at 60 proof, Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa is less sweet than many other coffee liqueurs, and a mix of coffee, chocolate and tequila.

The label and outer box for Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa are dressed in red. You can find Patrón on Facebook here.

Xan Confections


Xan Confections was started by Susan Johnson and Kerry Johnson Anthony of Susan’s Healthy Gourmet. With the combination of chocolatiering creativity and Kerry and Susan’s vision of healthy, Xan created indulgent artisan chocolates, caramels, and other handcrafted treats using distinctive flavors with only the finest, all-natural ingredients. Many of the Xan products are gluten-free. I was sent a few of the CocoXan products to try, a line of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate European-style truffles paired with a selection of nutritionally enhanced ingredients.

The five new product lines include fortified ingredients targeting wellness, heart, brain, pre-natal and pre-menstrual health.

Nutritional enhancements in selected products include vegetarian Life’s DHA, Wellmune WGP, folic acid, a proprietary blend of Vitamins A, C, D3, and E, chasteberry, bilberry, CoQ10 and Kaneka QH.

You can find them on Facebook here and on twitter here.
Oren’s Kitchen

Perhaps my favorite line of samples I have been sent lately is the nut packages from Oren’s Kitchen. There are four different varieties: Rosemary Almonds, Smoked Paprika Pecans, Indian Ajwain Cashews, and Coconut Chili Macadamias. My favorite are the macadamias. The nut mix is a blend of toasted and shaved coconut, macadamia nuts, some honey for sweetness, and dried Full Belly Farms red chilies are added for a little flavor kick. They are so addictive I could probably eat 2 or 3 bags in one sitting. 😉 To order, you can go to their website here.

You can find them on Facebook here and on twitter here.


Emanuel Andrén Chocolates

Emanuel Andrén Chocolates (www.emanuelandren.com) are crafted in the small town of Lilla Edet, located just southwest of Stockholm. The family-owned company has been producing confections since 1868, with recipes passed down from generation to generation. Emanuel Andrén, who has followed in his great-great-great-great-grandfather’s footsteps, transformed the family business since becoming CEO in 2002. Today, Emanuel Andrén Chocolates is recognized as some of the world’s most luxurious chocolates and truffles, each of which is deemed a work of art, with Andrén being named “Pastry Chef of The Year” in his country.

Red Carpet was featured at the 54th and 50th Grammy Awards. The Red Carpet collection makes your successes memorable with elegant chocolate creations that celebrate any occasion.

Rich and Robust is an extraordinary luscious sensory-provoking confection created from a selection of the finest spirits and tobacco with a taste of distinction.

Royal Tribute a Swedish inspired array of noble flavors reaching a new level of sophistication and designed in honor of Sweden Royalty.

Rustic Harmony offers chocolate lovers the creamy and delicious union of chocolate and cheese with a touch of sweet fruit marmalade.

Swedish Strawberries offer fresh aromatic summer berries captured in their purest form to seduce every palate.

You can like Emanuel Andrén on Facebook here, and follow on twitter here.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2012 | Categories: chocolate, food, Oren's, Reviews, tequila, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Second Annual Riedel Wine Glass Seminar on Tuesday, February 28th

The Second Annual Riedel Wine Glass Seminar presented by the National Association of Catering Executives, Sacramento Chapter and Sacramento Magazine/Our Wedding Magazine in association with Sean Minor Wines and Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa will take place on Tuesday February 28, 2012.

Time: 6:30p.m.– 9:00p.m. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)

Tickets $75 are per person  and $85 after February 15. To register, please click here.

Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa is located at 1220 Arden Hills Lane Sacramento, CA.

This unique and fascinating wine glass seminar will be led by Sylvie Laly of the world famous Riedel Glassware. She will showcase Riedel’s Vinum XL glasses and teach about the relationship between the shape of the glass and how the wine tastes, and the enjoyment of wine to our Sacramento community.

The seminar includes a set of four Vinum XL glasses ($123 value) post presentation hors d’oeuvres and sample wine from Sean Minor Wines. Sacramento NACE is offering this fascinating seminar to all interested parties (over the age of 21), whether you are a sommelier, in the food and beverage field locally, a restaurant owner, or a wine connoisseur.

Please join this spectacular presentation where everyone will gain new perspective on how the bouquet, taste, balance, and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass. Representatives of all the newspaper companies, TV channels and free lance journalists are cordially invited to make this event a successful one. Doors open at 6:00p.m. Seminar starts at 6:30p.m. Post seminar hors d’oeuvres are from 8:00 – 9:00p.m. For more information please visit: Sacnace.com

Below is footage from last year’s seminar:

February 9, 2012 | Categories: arden hills, riedel, sacramento, sacramento magazine, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Paleo Superfood Potluck!!

Hi there! I am sitting here writing this post while my twitter feed is overflowing with people tweeting about pizzawingsnachossupersh*ttysuperbowlfoodoneword.

Sorry, but WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?!

OK, so I am kind of shaking my head, trying not to judge, and thinking back to a time I didn’t eat so well or look all that good, or for that matter FEEL all that great.

I have been Paleo for eleven months now, and since last March I am stronger, faster, sharper, and just better than ever. An old saying, but I believe it’s true: You are what you eat.

I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t care about you. 

Or about the health of the human population in general and the quality of our food supply. See, when you buy cheap, processed food, it creates a demand for more of the same. I know it’s easy and convenient to eat fast food or hard to pass up that juicy burger/pizza/french fry basket… but know this: even french fries are fried in cheap soybean oil… most likely grown by seeds from Monsanto and genetically modified in some form. Even the non fast food places in downtown you go to for happy hour. Cheap veggie oil, people!! The only oil you should be (pan) frying in is olive or coconut, PERIOD!

Backing down a bit….

All I am asking is that you make better choices, and your body will be reward you generously.

So many of my friends complain about being sick all the time. I haven’t been sick all year long. I hear about migraines, flu, colds, and the list goes on and on and on and on. I also know if the complainers cut out all the garbage some of these ailments, would in fact magically disappear! If you are skeptical, take a look at my pictures… I will paste them below in a bit…

And also skeptics, all I ask is 30 days of your life. It’s a crazy scary commitment to stop eating your Subway sammies, your pizza, your #crapfoodofchoiceIknowyouhaveonewealldo.

Cut grains, sugar, dairy, and legumes, as well as artificial sweeteners. You’ll probably lose weight, but that will just be a pleasant side note to how much better you will feel in general.

And you can have super fun parties with great food just like this!! (BF’s awesome house not included)

Here’s the whole spread. So much good food. Eat like this everyday with even minimal exercise and you will lose and maintain your weight and live to be 100 years old. True story.
Our good friend Rick brought this Macadamia Nut Crusted Ahi Tuna Salad. So for those of you who say “I don’t have time to eat Paleo/prep food…” Sorry, yes, you do. Super convenient to stop by Nugget Market, Whole Foods, etc, and point to what you want. As long as it’s grain/gluten/sugar/dairy free.
Great contribution to the potluck, Rick. I believe this salad can be defined as a pot of luck. 😉
Thank goodness I hung on to my hotel/catering pans and equipment. This dish is actually Brussels sprouts, which I shredded in my food processor. I baked 2 pounds of bacon (because it was a double recipe) and crumbled it up and also dried out some roasted chestnuts and chopped them up to throw them in the mix as well.
So recipe is basically something like this:
Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts (or Pecans)

1 pound of shredded Brussel sprouts
2 sliced onions
1 jar of roasted chestnuts* chopped
*(Optional, really. You can also use a nut of your
choice like pecans, walnuts or almonds.)
1 pound of bacon
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Garlic
You should prep the sprouts in advance, shred them in the food processor.
Bake the bacon on a sheet pan on parchment to get it extra crispy.
The parchment will absorb the extra bacon grease.
Dry out the chestnuts or toast your nut of choice and chop up.
Sauté the onions in the olive oil and add some salt, get them carmelize-y… 😉
Add the Brussel Sprouts and cook to barely wilt them.
Place sprouts/onions in a hotel pan or jelly roll pan and douse them with balsamic vinegar. Roast for about 10 mins at 400. Then take em out and top with the chopped bacon and nuts of choice. Ding!
Gluten Free Almond and Hazelnut Rosemary Crackers
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup hazelnut flour
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 teaspoons rosemary, minced
8 medjool dates, chopped
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoon olive oil
In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond flour, hazelnut flour, salt, soda,
rosemary and chopped dates.
Mix in egg and oil until well combined
Roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until ⅛ inch thick
Cut dough with pizza cutter into the size of cracker you like.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.
Greek Meatballs (recipe to come). I think these were my favorite dish of the night…
Well, unless you count the Bacon Wrapped Dates natch 😉
This was salad a contribution from our dear friend and fellow wine lover, Lynda.
It was a spinach salad with dried cranberries, with goat cheese, walnuts, an orange vinaigrette.
Andy’s famous Girlfriend-Fetching Bacon Wrapped Dates
(So, I’d go on a date with that guy any day.)
To make them: I am pretty sure he just gets the Medjool dates (love!!) and some really swanky thick cut bacon from Taylor’s Market. Then pits the dates, places a pecan in the middle, and wraps a half slice of bacon around the date. Then you bake them at 400 degrees. Watch them closely. The natural sugar in the dates will burn easily. And don’t use the maple bacon. It will burn and maybe catch on fire. That is not what you want. 😉
Catherine brought a chocolate fudge torte thing. Recipe and proper name of the dish to come!!
Here’s the little centerpiece I labored on. I do kind of miss cake decorating.
The cakegrrl still lurks inside of the cavegrrl. 😉
But, I use my powers for good and not evil, so you will never see me make anything with sugar or flour or and processed crap. #Iwillnotberesponsibleforyougettingcancer. #sugargivesyoucancer
Almond butter filling inside the cake. Recipes to come in the next few days.
Paleo cake pop. Yes, that just happened.
Recipe to come.
That’s all for now. Nighty night from Paleo land.
Oh yeah, BTW… I promised my pics.
OK here’s one of chubby wubby from last year around this time.
Photo taken by Diana Miller.
And then here’s me on New Year’s Eve!! Oh yeah!! Thank you Paleo!!
Self indulgent MySpace-esque photo taken by… MYSELF!! Wheeeee!!!
IF you are local to Sacramento and want to LEARN more about Paleo, you can join my Facebook group, Sacramento Beyond the Paleo. Lots of love and support in the group in a really unsupportive world of gluttony, dough, flour and things rolled in sugar.
One life to live and one shot in this world.
Why look or feel anything less than your best?

February 6, 2012 | Categories: events, food, paleo, wine | Leave a comment

Pour Your Heart Out, a Mended Little Hearts Wine Tasting Fundraiser on February 18th

Pour Your Heart Out, a Mended Little Hearts of Sacramento Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, February 18 at 6:00pm at the Carvalho Family Winery in the Old Sugar Mill, 35265 Willow Avenue, Clarksburg, CA.

The fundraiser includes wine tasting, silent auction, and live music! You must be 21 to order ticket(s) and attend – ID will be checked at the venue.

Tickets are $45 through January 31st, $50 from February 1st-to event date, and $55 at the door.
To purchase tickets, and for more information click here. If you wish to donate to the event, you can contact Lorie Walton at mendedlittleheartsgrants at gmail dot com.
Proceeds will go toward buying AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machines for local schools. Also, there will be a “wall of wine” and all raffles will win off that wall!

Elk Grove Hampton Inn & Suites is offering special room and shuttle rates for Pour Your Heart Out guests. To book your accommodations, you can click here. You have until February 5th to book the special rate. 

January 28, 2012 | Categories: events, food, fundraiser, Hampton Inn Elk Grove, mended little hearts, wine | Leave a comment

Sacramento Film Screening: The Last Crop, January 31st, Sierra 2 Center



The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Sponsors Screening And Discussion To Support The One Farm At A Time Project
SACRAMENTO, CA – A documentary film in progress about the efforts to preserve local farms, The Last Crop, will be screened in Sacramento, Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 p.m., Sierra 2 Community Center, Curtis Hall, 2791 24th Street Sacramento (See Details Below).

Filmmaker Chuck Schultz, pioneering organic farmers Jeff and Annie Main of Good Humus Farm, young farmer and veteran Eric Hart, and innovative leader of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Paul Cultrera, will be a part of the panel discussion following the screening.

THE EVENT: The Last Crop, a documentary film in progress about the efforts to preserve local farms will be screened in Sacramento followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker Chuck Schultz, pioneering organic farmers Jeff and Annie Main of Good Humus Farm, young farmer and veteran Eric Hart and innovative leader of the co-op movement Paul Cultrera, General Manager, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.


WHEN: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 6:30–9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Sierra 2 Community Center, Curtis Hall, 2791 24th Street

TICKETS: $15/$10 Co-op Owners and Students

Advance Registration: (916) 868-6399 or www.sacfoodcoop.com

About: To enjoy local food, we must preserve our local farms. The Last Crop is a documentary film that tells the story of Jeff and Annie Main of Good Humus, who like many farming families, confront an uncertain future as development impinges on their rural community and their children choose careers off the farm. What sets the Mains apart is their resolve to ensure their land will be affordable and productive for future farmers.

While interest in local food is increasing, farmers are getting closer to retirement age and farms are being lost to development. Without local family farms, consumers will lose the local food that they are now beginning to appreciate. One Farm At A Time is a collaborative project that is raising funds and awareness to protect Good Humus Farm, operated by Jeff and Annie Main, and eventually help other local farms to ensure opportunities for young farmers and sustainable sources of local food for generations to come.

One Farm AT A Time has raised approximately $200,000 toward the purchase of an easement to protect Good Humus Farm in perpetuity. $4,000 in matching funds have been offered by the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Davis Food Co-op and Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation to encourage individual donations at upcoming events over the next month.

You can like The Last Crop on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here.

For media information contact Karen Bakula & Company, Inc. (916) 442-0957 or (916) 715-9117

January 24, 2012 | Categories: events, food, movie, paleo, Sierra 2 Center, The Last Crop | Leave a comment

Hyatt Renovation Celebration


So, if you haven’t been to the Hyatt Regency Sacramento recently, you must swing by and take a peek!

A little party was held there last night to celebrate the newly renovated lobby, lounge, Vines Restaurant, second floor meeting space, 12th floor suite and the amazing 360 degree view of the 15th floor Capitol View Room. I felt like one of the luckiest girls in the world–sipping wine at the top of the Hyatt with my sweetie, and taking in the absolute best view in town of Sacramento and the State Capitol.

Me and my date! 🙂

The Hyatt Sacramento applied for and received a Hyatt Community Grant
which nominates and honors local non-profit organizations for funding
built around the Hyatt’s philanthropic pillars–Environmental
sustainability, education and personal advancement, economic development
and investment or health and wellness. Hyatt Sacramento is one of only
27 Hyatt properties worldwide to be recognized to receive a grant. Their
nominated non-profit organization, the Stanford Settlement Neighborhood
Center received this honor and a $15,000 check at the event. KCRA’s footage of the new space is here.


Another reason to check out the Hyatt? It’s Dine Downtown week through January 18th, and Dawson’s Restaurant is one of the participating restaurants. You can check out their menu here, and make a reservation on Open Table here.

Built in 1988, the Hyatt Regency Sacramento was considered a key pillar in the redevelopment of the central downtown business community and a vital part of the future of Sacramento’s tourism industry.

You can like the Hyatt Regency on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here.

Pictures of guests were taken by Tia Gemmell. You can see her full set of photos here.
Snaps of the view from the top were taken with my iPhone.

January 14, 2012 | Categories: Dawson's, Dine Downtown Week, events, Hyatt Regency, sacramento, tourism, travel | Leave a comment

Lodi’s Wine and Chocolate Weekend is February 11th and 12th

Here’s a press release from my friends in Lodi. I hope you’ll be able to join us for the upcoming Wine and Chocolate weekend. There are lots of events planned at the participating wineries, and even food available besides chocolate! Cheers!! 
-cg

LODI, Calif.– Lodi’s annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend – held each Valentine’s Weekend – has quickly become one of Northern California’s “must do” events for many wine and chocolate lovers. The fifteenth annual celebration of tasty decadence is scheduled for Saturday, February 11th and Sunday, February 12th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Event attendees will have the opportunity to visit more than 45 participating wineries and take part in hosted activities ranging from wine and chocolate pairings, barrel tastings, live music and cellar tours. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win over 100 prizes including the “Golden Ticket” which will be hidden in a commemorative chocolate tin.


“Lodi’s Wine & Chocolate Weekend is a fabulous event for anyone who loves wine, chocolate, someone special or any and all of the above,” said Ryan Sherman, winemaker and partner at Fields Family Wines – one of the participating wineries. He added, “Best of all you get to experience the passion of LoCA and what makes the Lodi wine region so memorable, fun and approachable.”

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.lodiwineandchocolate.com or by calling the Lodi Wine and Visitors Center at 209.365.0621. Advance tickets cost $45 per person and $55 per person during the event. Tickets include a commemorative wine glass, a chocolate tin, wine tasting and admission to all participating wineries. Tickets are valid for both Saturday and Sunday and there is no charge for designated drivers.

LoCA – short for Lodi, California – is one of the state’s most historic wine regions and home to more than 100,000 acres of winegrapes farmed by more than 750 growers as well as more than 80 wine tasting rooms. With more than 60 varieties currently being grown, Lodi offers a diverse portfolio of wines. While long known as a superior producer of Zinfandel, the area has also been producing award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Newer varieties to the area include Albariño, Tempranillo, Viognier and Syrah.

For more information about the Lodi wine region, visit: www.lodiwine.com.

You can find LoCA on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here.

January 12, 2012 | Categories: 7 Deadly Zins, chocolate, events, Lodi, M2 Vintners, Michael David, Wine and Chocolate | Leave a comment

Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free!)

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the month, wine tasting night (with a local wine group to which I belong) at the Barton Gallery (next to Michaelangelo’s Restaurant.

Typically, we each bring a bottle of wine (based on a theme we decide ahead of time for the month) and a dish (if we can) to share. This month was sort of a competition to choose the themes for the next three months, so we brought bottles to vote. The very best as decided by the group would win the themes for February, March, and April.

Some of varietals, regions, themes present last night were: Alsace, San Luis Obispo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Tour of Italy, Rare Italians, and the Middle East. We decided that next month’s theme would be Alsatian Wines, and it was an easy decision after we tried an Alsatian Riesling (C and R brought, the Domaine Gresser Riesling, Alsace 2007 to be exact) that had all the great characteristics of a Riesling, such as clean, bright, and crisp, without being sticky and cloying.

I brought these Rosemary Date Crackers to the tasting because I wanted to make sure there was some sort of cracker/snack I could eat once I got there. I do sometimes get weak and miss bread/crackers at wine tastings, but these crackers were way more flavorful than store bought. The original inspiration came from Elena over at Elena’s Pantry, but I have changed it up quite a bit. Enjoy!

Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free and Paleo!!)

2 cups blanched almond flour  

(Tip: Make your own with raw almonds and a food processor)

½ teaspoon salt

1 Tbs fresh or dried rosemary 

(Tip: If you use dried, you can grind up with a mortar and pestle to release the oils.)

4-5 Medjool Dates, chopped

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Tbs unsalted organic butter
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine almond flour, salt, rosemary and dates.

3. Mix in egg, butter and oil until well combined. It’s really best if you dig in and mix with your hands.

4. Roll out the mixture between parchment paper with a rolling pin.

5. Cut dough with pizza cutter, or for fun, you can use little cookie cutters. I left the rolled out pieces right on the paper and placed the paper on a cookie sheet to bake.

6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

7. Bring to wine tasting and people will love you for them. 🙂

January 11, 2012 | Categories: almonds, Alsace, food, gluten-free, Recipes, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Paleo Recipe: Saffron Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice"

My boyfriend’s mother (who I hear enjoyed cooking as much as I do) passed away recently, and left a treasure trove of spices behind, including an abundance of saffron. So I started to think about how we could put some of those precious red threads to good use, and here’s what came to mind. 🙂

Another great thing about this dish is that it is 100% Paleo. I am so encouraged to find more and more people locally who are curious about/have started the Paleo diet. Here I am approaching ten months, and I don’t see any reason to stop now. I am healthier mentally and physically than I have ever been, and I know it is due to my diet and workout routine.

Saffron Chicken with Cauliflower “Rice”
Ingredients:
2 large organic skin-on chicken breasts or chicken thighs (about 14-16 oz of meat)

1/2 stick clarified butter or coconut oil

1 1/2 large onions
2 Tbs of lime juice
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 Tbs of tomato purée
Optional: 1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 portions each of 1/2 cup of saffron infused water

(Prepare this by adding 1 Tbs of scalding water into a mortar and pestle with 4 or 5 threads of saffron, grind the saffron and then adding the saffron mixer to the rest of the water. One you will use in the chicken portion of the dish, and one will go in the cauliflower rice.)
salt and pepper to taste
You’ll also need one head of cauliflower for the “rice.”

Preheat your oven to about 310°F.
Quarter the onions, and then fry in 1 1/2 Tbs clarified butter or coconut oil until transparent.

Gently fry the onion in a large pan until it becomes transparent. If you want to put in the mushrooms, you will add those at this point, too. Brown them with the onion, and then add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper and sear the meat so it becomes browned on the outside. Add the turmeric, tomato purée, and lime juice to the saffron infusion, and then pour over browned chicken. Mix the infusion into the onions and chicken so that everything is well coated. Add about one cup of chicken stock or broth to the pot.
Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then cover and place in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Of course this will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.
While the chicken is in the oven, cut one head of cauliflower into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it becomes the texture of rice or couscous. Heat a skillet and melt 2 Tbs of butter or coconut oil. Then, sauté the cauliflower rice and season it to taste. Allow the cauliflower to cook a bit, and then add the second saffron infusion. Continue to heat the cauliflower and cook to desired tenderness.
Slightly before the chicken is done, remove from the oven and let rest. Portion the rice on your plate and serve with the chicken pieces and the sauce in the pot.
If you are interested in the Paleo diet and live locally, please contact me. I have started a Facebook group called “Sacramento: Beyond the Paleo” and would love to have you join us, even if you are not fully Paleo and just want to learn more about the diet. You can find me on Facebook here and follow me on twitter here. Cheers!

January 10, 2012 | Categories: chicken, paleo, Persian, Recipes, saffron | 3 Comments

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »