For those of you that have fruit trees going into overdrive currently- whether it be citrus, persimmons, kiwis, etc., please think of donating your extras to those in need. The Sacramento Food Bank accepts fresh produce donations in addition to the traditional canned or dry goods.

They are open :
Monday through Friday 8am-4:30pm, Wednesday 8am-7pm.

Address:
3333 Third Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 456-1980
http://www.sacramentofoodbank.org/

What is with the overnight closures of restaurants in Sacramento lately? There seems to be a trend of restaurants closing up shop overnight - Blackbird, The Broiler and McCormick & Schmick's most recently come to mind.

Not to mention that it seems like it's now the "in" thing to inform staffs of their layoffs via an email blast...is it just me or does that seem like a pretty heartless practice?

Is anyone else watching David Chang (of Momofuku) in "Mind of a Chef?" on Netflix? I just started watching the series this week and am really loving it. In fact, I couldn't stop raving about it at a luncheon I went to today. It's fresh, smart and slightly sarcastic. What's it about? Well according to Anthony Bourdain, who produces and narrates the show, "We’re exploring the creative process, the anatomy of a style of cooking. Not just what inspired this dish, but where did it come from, what are they thinking about, what’s intriguing to them. How did we get here? The end result is often the end of a long story...." Basically it's a wonderful mix of food, travel science and history...something for everyone.


Season 1 won a James Beard Foundation award for Best Television Program, On Location. Season 2 will begin in the fall and will focus on the minds of two chefs- Sean Brock and April Bloomfield.

Website: Mind of a Chef

Here Chang talks about one of my all-time favorite Japanese foods, the humble yakitori:

Go Farm to Basket


You know how I love going on daytrips... well, I love going on picnics too- to the beach, the wine country even just down to McKinley Park. There's something just so romantic and timeless about it. Whenever we picnic though, I always think about how great it would be if someone else could pack the food for me so I could just relax and enjoy the day fully. Well, now there is! Sacramento Picnic Company is launching later this month. Their elegant baskets will be packed with fresh produce, tasty gourmet dishes and delicious local meat and artisan cheeses. I took a peek at their website and saw homemade jams and pickles listed, smoked salmon and chipotle deviled eggs with Osetra caviar, and creamy banana pudding listed amongst other goodies. This creative company offers "theme" baskets with prechosen items or you can customize your own basket. Baskets run roughly about $60. In addition to the food, the basket rental includes a picnic blanket, plates, silverware, napkins, glassware, wine opener, sparkling or still water and a map of some their favorite picnic spots. SPC will not have a brick and mortar location, instead they'll be cooking out of a local commercial kitchen and coordinating with local businesses, florists and vineyards to serve as pickup locations for the preordered baskets.

* I think this would also work great as a gift for new moms and dads. They're usually too exhausted to cook. What better than a romantic picnic basket full of tasty goodies so that they can picnic with their new bundle of joy?

More info: Sacramento Picnic Company
Phone: (916) 477-8269


Step Back in the Past



Remember The Coral Reef, Stan's Drive-In and The Hong Kong Café? These are just a few of the nostalgic food places that will be discussed next Wednesday. Time Tested Books in Midtown will be holding a reading, book signing and multimedia presentation of siblings Maryellen and Keith Burns' new book, "Lost Restaurants of Sacramento and Their Recipes."

The event is free and open to the public. July 17, 7pm. 1114 21st Street.
The book will be on sale at the event for $19.99.
More info: Time Tested Books


Vive la France!



Bastille Day is just around the corner and the folks at Matteo's/Supper Club have put together a pretty amazing French-inspired wine dinner to honor it. The menu will be offered on Monday, July 15th from 630pm-9pm and includes mouthwatering items such as crispy leg of Muscovy duck confit, classic steak au poivre with peppercorn crusted filet mignon and garlic butter basted escargot nestled in crimini mushroom caps.
Reservations are required so make yours now, before they fill up!

Location: Matteo's, 5132 Arden Way Carmichael
Cost: $58/pp + tax and gratuity

For more info, contact:
(916) 779-0727 or email: wineshop@pizzamatteo.com

For full menu & wine pairings: Matteo's Bastille Day Dinner


Pickle Me This


By now, most of us have heard about (or tasted) the awesome pickled products from local company, Preservation and Co. From pickled habanero chips to horseradish dilly beans, these Sacramentans are rockin' the house with their tasty preserved foods. Currently their products can be found at The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op, local Williams-Sonoma locations, and Amazon.com. They make a crazy-delicious zesty Bloody Mary mix that I received as a gift from a friend and used to make crockpot Bloody Mary chicken. Loved it! Supposedly, they're planning on coming out soon with a All-Natural Bloody Mary Mix soon that will be Gluten Free, Non-GMO, and preservative free. Can't wait!

Product Website: Preservation and Co.
More info: Jason@Preservationandco.com

Last year, Travel + Leisure magazine declared that New York City took the prize in it's America's Rudest Cities poll and I'm sure most people weren't surprised. I know I wasn't- pushy commuters, harried business folk and cramped quarters aren't exactly the ingredients that foster a friendly community in my opinion. On the other hand, I've always felt that my hometown, Sacramento is a pretty personable town- random people smile and say, "Hello," to you as they walk by on the street, it's pretty easy to make friends here and neighbors are always down for helping you out. But lately, when I'm in restaurants or stores I've felt that Sacramento has sorely begun to lack in manners. Some of my big pet peeves lately have been people who answer their phones in upscale restaurants and proceed to have lengthy (and loud) conversations while disturbing those seated around them, drivers who refuse to let you merge even though you have your blinker on and your lane is clearly ending and patrons that think it's acceptable to be snotty, loud or just plain asshole-y to customer service personnel (i.e. cashiers, waiters, the mailman). Not to mention- what ever happened to simply saying, "Please," and "Thank you"?

Today for example, I was in a great mood as I headed over to Taylor's Market to pick up some filet mignons to BBQ at Mr.S.'s. As I drove down Freeport Blvd., this silver SUV rode my bumper the entire length of the drive from Broadway to Taylor's parking lot. It was annoying, but I got over it. The car pulled into the lot after me, a mother and adult daughter exited from the vehicle and followed me into the store. Now count it- not one or two but- THREE times while I was in the store, instead of walking around/behind me, they chose to push their way through and walk in front of me as I looked at grocery items. No "Excuse me," or "Pardon Me's" either as they squeezed their asses between me and the meat counter as I ordered. When it was time to check out, lucky me- I ended up at the checkstand at the same time as them. Now if you've ever been to Taylor's, you know that their store is pretty cramped. These two women decide to just stand there and block the checkstands while jabbering so that no one could get around them. Like two bumps on a log they just jammed everything up, until a clerk directed them to a open cashier. Really is it that hard to just pick a line and get in it folks?! The final topper was that I ended up behind these two idiots as I existed the store and as they passed through the door the older of the two women (the mom, perhaps?) just lets the door go after she passes through so that it almost hits me (who's walking just a few inches behind her)...it narrowly missed smacking me in the nose. Ugh...but that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that this behavior is becoming commonplace and I see it often. When did having good manners become the exception instead of the norm? It doesn't cost anything to be polite, so please take a minute and think of how you interact with those around you...and let's all try and bring politeness back and spread some kindness. If you're not sure how, think back to the Golden Rule from kindergarten - "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." It's an oldie, but a goodie.

Whenever the new year rolls around, I (like most of the world) am hasty to make a multitude of resolutions. Honestly- I always have the best of intentions but the majority of the time, my lofty resolutions (which usually have to do with exercise and eating healthier...big surprise!) end up being cast aside with that first giant bite of double chocolate cheesecake (gosh darn it!). Anyhow, I still like the idea of starting anew each year and this year in particular I'm ready for 2012 to wrap itself up. December has been a particularly rough month and I can't wait to dispose of it and start fresh. I've been feeling emotionally drained and conflicted for weeks on end and my stress eating has become reflected in some holiday pudge. I did get a tiny respite this weekend, when Mr.S. and I took a spontaneous weekend trip to SF. His kidlets were out of town and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a romantic weekend getaway and just de-com-press!

 
We stayed at an adorable boutique hotel just steps from Union Square called The Orchard Hotel (super cute room and friendly staff), indulged in a delicious seafood dinner at Anchor & Hope with Mr.S.'s brother and did some fun touristy things like eating clam chowder at Pier 39 (I hadn't been in years), shopping in Japantown and taking a moonlit stroll to Union Square to see the ice skaters and holiday lights. It was a lovely trip and just what I needed.





Anyhow, my heart and soul haven't been into cooking for weeks but I was able to somehow muster myself into the cooking spirit for the big Christmas Day dinner. I made some spicy chorizo-lentil empanadas for appetizers and also a scrumptious corn casserole as my side dish. My friend Minzi had suggested a recipe by Paula Deen which gave me the idea to do a corn casserole. I liked the basics of Deen's recipe so I used that as my starting point and built from there. The dish turned out to be a big hit and almost all of it was eaten; considering how much food was out on the table, I was pretty impressed. Even the pickier eaters gave me compliments!


The recipe is listed below, give it a try in the new year and let me know what you think.

Holiday Corn Casserole

Ingredients

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (*do not substitute frozen corn, use canned)

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8-ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

4 ounce can diced mild green chiles, drained

1 egg

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

5 slices bacon

salt and pepper


Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

2. In a skillet, fry up your bacon. Place cooked bacon slices on a plate lined with a papertowel. Allow to cool. Then dice bacon slices. Next, in the same pan- fry up your diced onion. Then set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine: corn kernels, creamed corn, Jiffy corn muffin mix, onion, diced green chiles, 1 egg, sour cream, melted butter and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix throughly.

4. Take a greased 8x8 glass casserole dish and pour corn mixture from bowl into dish. Spread so it's even.

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Then remove from oven. Sprinkle bacon pieces and 2 tablespoons of cheddar across the top. Place dish back in oven and cook for another 10-15.

6. Serve warm.

Dear Readers,

Well, the world didn't end this Friday as the Mayans predicted, so I'll just assume you're all out there fighting your way through insane traffic and frenzied crowds at the shopping mall or (if you're smart) curled up next to the fireplace with a hot cup of Bailey's and coffee watching "Love Actually." I apologize that I haven't posted much in the past few weeks but I've been extremely busy, not "busy in the kitchen" busy but more like "life busy." My mom was recently diagnosed with an incredibly serious illness and I had to fly out to Kansas City at the drop of a hat. I'm home now but it's been nerve wrecking and we're holding our breaths and waiting day to day to see what develops and if I need to fly back out in the immediate future. So with all this going on, my cooking has been been pushed to the wayside.

I did get a small break from all the stress and worry the other night when Mr.S. insisted on taking me out to dinner. Afterwards, we drove over to Dovewood Court in Orangevale to see their holiday lights and decorations. It was crowded but fun. There was the Grinch, Spongebob and all kinds of other assorted characters from popular culture and Christmas tales. There was even an Xmas Margaritaville! It was nice to get away for a few minutes.

So in case, I don't get back on here before the new year, I'd like to thank you for reading A Girl and Her Fork this year and I wish you and your families a happy holiday!

Lots of love from my kitchen to yours,

Ally
A Girl and Her Fork


PS Here's a few photos I snapped while we were at Dovewood Court.

9402 Main Street, Plymouth, CA 95669. (209) 245-3463
http://www.restauranttaste.com/

A few months ago, a friend posted on her Facebook an inspirational quote that said, "One day someone will walk into your life and make you see why it never worked with anyone else."



I copied and saved the post because it really resonated with me. Mr.S. and I have both been in marriages where it just flat didn't work out (for very different reasons) but luckily the choices we made afterwards led us to each other. He's such an amazing man and I feel so lucky we met. He's a great boyfriend and my best friend. He tells me often that I'm beautiful and that he loves me, he always holds my hand whenever we're together and his eyes light up whenever he sees me...these may sound like small things but look around at many of the couples around you. Most aren't happy. They're together because of a multitude of reasons/excuses. The reasons I hear most often for staying together are because they have kids or they don't want to be alone...not because they actually want to be with their partner. It's sad. So when I see couple friends who are truly happy and in love, it warms my heart.

Speaking of being happy and in love, recently we celebrated our three year anniversary! (I know, where does the time go?) Our anniversary was on a Monday and we had his kidlets so we decided to postpone our celebration. He did send me these amazing flowers though (I love how romantic he is).



Our first free day to celebrate was this past Saturday, so we booked a table at Taste in the tiny outpost town of Plymouth. We were both quite excited about dining there because we had heard a lot of great things about the restaurant from friends and family who'd been there. Reservations were simple enough through Open Table. We weren't sure how long it would take us to get there though...our guess-timate turned out to be a wee bit off and we rolled up to the quaint little building a half an hour early. No worries though, the friendly hostess accommodated us immediately. Now before, I launch into the food, I just want to comment about the fantastic service we received at Taste. Even Mr.S. who doesn't usually say much about service, mentioned to me on the drive home that the service was wonderful-- a warm and knowledgeable staff who were attentive but not overly attentive (it was the perfect balance) and the courses were paced well.

Once we were settled into our seats and had time to peruse the menu, I ordered a glass of the St. Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone blanc. It was fresh-tasting with fruity undertones, well rounded and not overly acidic. I think it would appeal to most wine drinkers. (Taste's wine menu has a nice variety of selection and is reasonably priced.) Mr.S. really wanted to try the mushroom cigars so we ordered that as our starter. Without us asking, the kitchen split the order for us. The "cigars" were actually like little mushroom eggs rolls made with delicate phyllo dough. We each received one cigar cut in half. The earthy-tasting medley of shiitake, oyster and crimini mushrooms mixed with goat cheese was scrumptious. I just wished they had given us more.

For dinner, Mr.S. opted for the duck breast with red quinoa, black plum, fig pine nut relish and mache. He really enjoyed the duck, commenting that it was flavorful and tender. I had a bite and have to agree that the breast was cooked perfectly (kudos!). I went the seafood route and ordered the night's special- fresh sturgeon with a dijon/whole grain mustard/lemon vinaigrette over tiny roasted potatoes and caper greens. The sauce was so heavenly that I scooped up the leftovers with my potatoes. We were both still a bit hungry after dinner so we each ordered a dessert and coffee. I ordered their house specialty - "The Chocolate Rose." Can I say OMG? So decadent...creamy dark chocolate mousse topped with rose petal gelato and candied rose petals. Totally girly and almost too cute to eat! Mr.S. loves cheesecake so he got the vanilla citrus cheesecake with nectarine sorbet. There wasn't a speck of cheesecake left so I'll assume he gives it the thumbs up.




I enjoyed our dining experience at Taste...it was the perfect spot to have a romantic anniversary dinner. The prices are a bit steep so I think we'll have to keep it on our restaurants for special occasions list but we'd definitely go back. (Maybe next time we should do some wine tasting beforehand?) The food and service are superb. I think the only improvement I'd suggest is that the portions need to be adjusted to be reflective of the price (or vice versa). The serving sizes were on the smaller side compared to the other fine dining establishments in Sacramento we usually go to.

Does anyone else get super giddy when they get their monthly magazines in the mail? I get really excited...but then again, in all honesty, I get excited over any mail that's not a bill or marked, "Resident" or "Occupant." I have subscriptions to some of my favorite food magazines like Saveur, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Sunset and each month, I enjoy settling down with a nice cup of coffee and indulging in some leisure reading.  Anyhow, my July issue of Food and Wine just arrived this weekend and I've really enjoyed reading their article entitled, "Food Trends: Good or Evil," where they ask Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert their thoughts on various food trends. The eight they listed and discussed were:

1. Food Trends (in general)
2. Pop-Up Restaurants
3. Fancy Chefs Making Burgers
4. No-Reservation Restaurants
5. Chefs Creating Cross-Cultural Cuisine
6. TV Chefs
7. Death of Fine Dining
8. Chefs as Sex Symbols

I'd like to add a few of my own as well as what I think of them:

1. Communal Table Dining in Restaurants: In theory this idea sounds great - you get to meet new interesting people and expand your social circle. However, more often than not, in reality, you end up sitting next to some loud, brash guy who's radiating BO and elbowing you every time you try to take a bite of food or a drunk lady who chews with her mouth open and continually kicks you under the table while interjecting comments in your conversation with your dining companion.

2. Small plates: I can go either way on this one. Done right, it's a fab way to share various dishes with your tablemates but done wrong...well, there's nothing worse then going out to dinner, dropping a C-note on a skimpy meal and going home still hungry.

3. Withholding Water: Many upscale restaurants have taken to not providing you with water at your table and then advising you can purchase bottled or sparking water. Yeah, that chaps my hide too.

4. Bacon: Now I like bacon as much as the next person, but seriously I think we've taken it a bit too far. I don't need bacon in my martini, sushi or milkshake. Moderation, people, moderation.

5. Loud Music & Excessive Noise: In a club it's fine, but having to yell when your chatting with your friend, who's sitting 2 feet away from you, is ridiculous. Keep the music low and insulate the damn restaurant so it doesn't sound like Grand Central Station in there.

6. Charging for bread: It's tacky. If it's going to be an economic burden on the restaurant to serve it, then just do away with it.

7. Riding the "Farm to Table" Train: I'm all for chef's utilizing local ingredients but I really don't need to to be handed a menu that lists where EVERY little ingredient comes from down to the parsley garnishing my fish.

What's your take?

Sacramento Seed Library, located within the Colonial Heights Library
4799 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95820
Sac Seed Library

Looking to start a garden? Want to grow your own fresh herbs and veggies? Check out the new seed library at the Colonial Heights Library. It's just one more reason on a long list of reasons why I love Sacramento.

For those who are unfamiliar with what a seed library entails, it's pretty much what it sounds like. You go in and check out seeds, plant them and then at harvest time you bring some of the seeds from your plants back in so that others can grow them the next season. The library is self-sustaining in that way. The best part is that the service is totally and completely free! Can't beat that.

I stopped in this week and picked up seeds for two tomato varieties, I thought it might be a fun project to do with the kidlets. The librarians on duty were kind enough to give me a quick run down on how the seed library works.

First, take a look at the binder. It has a chart that tells you the best months for growing various plants, vegetables and fruits.



Then go over to the catalog. The seeds are organized by skill level: easy herbs, easy ornamentals, easy edibles, difficult herbs, difficult ornamentals and difficult edibles.



Pick a drawer. Inside the category, you'll see seed packets organized by alphabetical dividers.



Choose which ones you like. Fill out one of the envelopes with the seed name and variety, then transfer your seeds into the envelope. You can then either complete the Checkout form on one of the library's computers or do it from home on their webpage.


To return seeds (after harvest), place your seeds in an envelope, complete the Check-in process online and place the seeds in the Return Seeds drawer at the library. Easy-peasy, right?

I ended up choosing some Chadwick Cherry and Japanese Trifele tomatoes to grow with the kidlets. Hopefully one of us has a green thumb. What do you plan on growing in your garden?

Hi Readers,

Just wanted to let you know that starting May 26th, I will no longer be using NetworkedBlogs. So if you get updates to my blog posts via NetworkedBlogs you may want to switch over to liking my Facebook page at  A Girl and Her Fork.

Thanks!

Ally @ A Girl and Her Fork

Absolutely no cooking this weekend. All my appliances are tucked away, the oven's turned off and my apron's hung up. I'm enjoying a date night out at Mulvaney's with Mr. S. tonight and a mimosa-heavy brunch tomorrow with the girls. You should take the weekend off too, it's good for the soul. In the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous Sacramento sunset (I took this photo just outside Mr. S.'s door last month, isn't it beautiful?).

Every year La Cocina comes out with these tees in different colors. Aren't they just frickin' adorable?