Tuesday, November 24, 2009 

Hungry for a great breakfast on the cheap?

Tomorrow, Silvergreens SB is offering a free Breakfast Burrito, with purchase of ANY beverage, on WEDNESDAY, Nov, 25th!!!

Mention "Facebook/Twitter Promo" / one free burrito per customer / additions extra / valid during breakfast hours, 7:30am-11am

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Paula Deen

I feel your pain! Get well, girl!

Celebrity chef Paula Deen got more than she bargained for when she went to Hosea Feed the Hungry & Homeless to make a donation on behalf of Smithfield Foods.

As hams were being tossed down a relay line Monday morning, an eight-pounder whacked Deen in the face.

The errant ham "hit me full long in the face and 'bout knocked me cuckoo, but I'm fine," a laughing Deen told WXIA-TV. She iced her nose to keep down the swelling. -
AJC



I suggest a little of your Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding to ease the pain.

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Monday, November 23, 2009 

The World Famous Nugget

and it's Presidential favorited burgers...are coming to Goleta.

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Fresh or Frozen?

Seems that frozen salmon might be better for the planet.

Frozen salmon over fresh? Why, it's better for the planet. Frozen salmon is
better for the planet than fresh because it takes much less energy to make
it safely to your dinner plate, Portland-based Ecotrust concluded in a new
study.

...The trio's findings may fly against a conventional assumption that fresh is always better, based on a culinary outcome. But for those wishing to understand the environmental impact of wild salmon harvest and farmed salmon, the research looks hard at food distribution and energy consumption.

For instance, salmon that are flash-frozen at sea can be transported by freighter or train, which uses significantly less fossil fuel than jets. Troll-caught fish burn diesel fuel as ships chase fish across the seas. An Alaska salmon caught by a purse seiner, however, has a low carbon impact, Scholz said. - Portland Oregonian


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Sunday, November 22, 2009 

November 22, 1963


"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea -- whether it is to sail or to watch it -- we are going back from whence we came."

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009 

Joel Salatin is coming to speak in Santa Barbara

You might not recognized the name, but if you have seen the movies Fresh and Food, Inc., there is no way you could ever forget him! He will speak at the Faulkner Gallery and then provide a two-day training session in "Relocalization"

December 9, 2009, 7 pm - 9 pm
Public Talk: Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Central Library
40 East Anapamu St, Santa Barbara.
Suggested Donation: $10

December 10 and 11, 2009
Pathways to Relocalization Training - two day training with Joel Salatin
at the Orella Ranch, north of Santa Barbara

Joel Salatin, fulltime family farmer of the highly successful Polyface Farms, and recipient of the Heinz Award for Environmental Leadership, is one of the world’s leading advocates of farming and food relocalization. Featured in Michael Pollan’s book, Omnivore’s Dilemma, and in the films FRESH and FOOD, Inc., Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms exemplify successful grass farming and the farming and food relocalization movement. Joel is the author of six books including Family Friendly Farming, Salad Bar Beef, and his latest, Everything I Want To Do is Illegal.

In this course, Joel will challenge participants to design pathways to relocalization based on his own very successful model at Polyface Farms in Swoope, Virginia, and will also include techniques and directions from the emerging relocalization movement.

Relocalization is a strategy to build societies based on the local production of food, energy and goods, and the local development of currency, governance and culture. The main goals of Relocalization are to increase community energy security, to strengthen local economies, and to dramatically improve environmental conditions and social equity. The Relocalization strategy developed in response to the environmental, social, political and economic impacts of global over-reliance on cheap energy. Our dependence on cheap non-renewable fossil fuel energy has produced climate change, the erosion of community, agricultural lands, wars for oil-rich land and the instability of the global economic system.

Carbon Economy Courses


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Monday, November 16, 2009 

Balsamic Lead

No....Really.

Special Report: Some vinegars -- often expensive, aged balsamics -- contain a big dose of lead. Signs in grocery stores in California warn shoppers about exposure to lead in many balsamic and red wine vinegars. Experts say regularly consuming it may pose a risk, particularly to children. Eating one tablespoon a day of some vinegars can raise a young child’s lead level by more than 30 percent.

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Saturday, November 07, 2009 

She's "Z" one!


Zenyatta1
Originally uploaded by crystaldiamondk2.

Horse of the Year!

Zenyatta, the unbeaten 5-year-old mare, put together a performance for the ages Saturday before 58,845 at Santa Anita. She rallied from last place in a field of 12, went to the inside around the final turn, went to the outside in the stretch and mowed down her male rivals to win the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, her 14th consecutive victory.

She becomes the first female horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic in the 26-year history, and there were thousands of screaming fans rooting her home as the 5-2 favorite. - LA Times

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It's Breeder's Cup Day


The Horse Barns at Santa Anita Race Track, Arcadia, CA
Originally uploaded by claimsmantoo.

at the Great Race Place.

Go Zenyatta!


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Thursday, November 05, 2009 

Happy 40 Years, Sesame Street!

and thank you, GOOGLE, for highlighting the show and having some fun with your logo "doodles" this week. As my favorite Sesame Street character sings it...with a google google here and a google google there...everywhere a google google

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Monday, November 02, 2009 

New Tuesday Farmer's Market Hours


Herbal Essence
Originally uploaded by santa barbarian.

Start on this Tuesday. (November 3)

3:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Set your clocks!

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Sunday, November 01, 2009 

Chaucer's Books is celebrating 35 years

of serving the Santa Barbara community. They are sharing their celebration with a 20% off this weekend. (Ends today, however...) If you miss the sale, keep in mind it is Book Fair Season and a portion of sales goes to various schools in the community.

So...time to get some cookbooks for the chef or foodie in your life? Might I offer some suggestions that I found while strolling the aisles at Chaucers.

My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family and Big Sur.
My Nepenthe weaves together stories and tales about the famous California restaurant perched on the majestic cliffs of Big Sur. It celebrates the magic and history of place through food and the Fassett family who started Nepenthe.

(Mark your calendars for a book signing with the Author, Romney Steele - December 7, 2009 @ 7:00)

Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook
This follow-up to the "New York Times"-bestselling "Top Chef: The Cookbook" draws from all five seasons of the hit reality show and features 75 of the best recipes culled from the Top Chef Quickfire Challenges. Illustrated.
My New Orleans: The Cookbook
"My New Orleans" will change the way you look at New Orleans cooking and the way you see World-famous chef John Besh. It's 16 chapters of culture, history, essay and insight, and pure goodness. Besh tells us the story of his New Orleans by the season and by the dish. Archival, four-color, location photography along with ingredient information make the Big Easy easy to tackle in home kitchens. Cooks will salivate over the 200 recipes that honor and celebrate everything New Orleans.

..
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Cafe Reconcile, a New Orleans-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing at-risk youth an opportunity to learn life and interpersonal skills, and operational training for successful entry into the hospitality and restaurant industries.
Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant

Here from the celebrated California restaurant Big Sur Bakery is a stunningly photographed cookbook showcasing seasonal ingredients, local vintners, fishermen, and farmers--and the food that makes the Big Sur Bakery unique.

Tucked behind a gas station off California's legendary Highway 1, the Big Sur Bakery is easy to miss. But don't be fooled by its unassuming location--stumbling across the Bakery, as countless visitors have done on their way up and down the Pacific Coast, will make you feel as if you've discovered a secret: a gem of a restaurant where the food, people, and atmosphere meld together in a perfect embodiment of the spirit of Big Sur.

The Complete Tassajara Cookbook: Recipes, Techniques, and Reflections from the Famed Zen Kitchen

In this comprehensive book, one of Tassajara's most well-known and beloved cooks, Edward Espe Brown, presents hundreds of recipes using fresh, whole foods; detailed notes on preparing seasonal ingredients; and, perhaps most important, inspiration for cooking with joyful intention and attention. Presented with humor and warmth, this book is full of wonderful insights into living a life that celebrates simple food.

Tacos (from Mark Miller of Coyote Cafe fame)

Featuring 75 contemporary and classic taco recipes, this book also highlights the history, culture, ingredients, and techniques that have made this one of America's favorite foods.

Crescent City Farmers' Market Cookbook

Poppy Tooker tells the story of the Crescent City Farmers Market through her distinctly New Orleans voice as one of a local food preservationist, Slow Food New Orleans founder, and longtime market collaborator. With a market tradition dating back to the late 1600s, the story of the rise and decline of New Orleansa city markets prior to the creation of the Crescent City Farmers Market is both educational and entertaining. Tooker recalls whimsical and wacky market events with both prose and archival photography.

Ad Hoc at Home

In the book every home cook has been waiting for, the revered Thomas Keller turns his imagination to the American comfort foods closest to his heart—flaky biscuits, chicken pot pies, New England clam bakes, and cherry pies so delicious and redolent of childhood that they give Proust's madeleines a run for their money. Keller, whose restaurants The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York have revolutionized American haute cuisine, is equally adept at turning out simpler fare.
All Cakes Considered.
Melissa Gray is National Public Radio's Cake Lady. Every Monday she brings a cake to the office for her colleagues at NPR to enjoy. Hundreds of Mondays (and cakes) later, Melissa has lots of cake-making tips to share. With more than 50 recipes for the cakes that have been dreamed of and drooled over for a lifetime. (Listen to the NPR story about the book...here.)
Remember to try to keep it local this holiday buying season, especially books. I, for one, don't want my beloved Chaucer's to be a casualty of the "Book Pricing War' now being waged at an ever "decreasing" pace.
You might be happy when you walk into a store and see a potential Christmas gift at a deep discount. But the American Booksellers Association is not, accusing three giant retailers of "predatory pricing." They've asked the Justice Department to investigate.

The group fears these "book wars" could close the book on many small, independent stores, - CBS News

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Sunday, October 25, 2009 

Who Killed the Honey Bees?

We did.

~ Bee Vibrant ~
Originally uploaded by ViaMoi.


...The nation’s great bee die-off has provoked a furious debate: What has caused a third of all commercial honeybee colonies to perish each year since 2006? Although widespread bee deaths have occurred before, the current sharp decline is different. This time some bees have simply vanished, abandoning their hives. The phenomenon, known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), has been attributed in part to the same viral and bacterial infections, pesticide poisonings, and mite infestations that devastated bees in the past.

Whatever the proximate cause, it increasingly appears that the bees are succumbing to a long-ignored underlying condition—inbreeding. Decades of agricultural and breeding practices meant to maximize pollinating efficiency have limited honeybees’ genetic diversity at a time when they need it the most. - Discover Magazine

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Saturday, October 24, 2009 

Vote for a Local Santa Barbara Edible Hero

Edible Communities 2010 Reader's Choice Local Hero Awards are here. These awards were developed to honor members of communities where Edible magazines are published who make significant contributions to their local food movements. Voting is open until Dec. 11, so you still have some time...but it's always good to get your votes in early. (But, not often may I remind you.) The winners will be honored/mentioned nationwide in all the Edible Publications so we are helping our local heroes get some great coverage for all their deliciously good work/products/efforts. Who is YOUR Edible Santa Barbara hero?

Click here to Vote for “Best Of Santa Barbara” in the following categories:

  • Farm/Farmer
  • Chef/Restaurant
  • Food Artisan
  • Beverage Artisan
  • Non-profit Organization

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Friday, October 23, 2009 

Congrats to new mom, Heidi Klum


Heidi Klum, Seal und Leni im Juni 2005
Originally uploaded by frogfriends.

She and husband Seal recently were delighted with an arrival of a new baby, Lou Sulola Samuel. I guess they decided to take a little getaway and were apparently having a nice family stroll along State Street this afternoon. I waited, along with the Seal-Klum family and their entourage, for the light to change on the corner of State and Canon Perdido. Too afraid to really get a good gander...and too shy to lean over and tell Heidi I love Project Runway.

The big pink pram and the bodyguards were a giveaway that celebrities were amongst us common folks, although, both Heidi and Seal were very calm, cool and seemingly unpretentious. Their kids acting, well, just like kids.

Too bad I didn't have my camera...so a Flickr photo will have to do. I'll, as Tim would say, "make it work."

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Thursday, October 22, 2009 

Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire

on PBS next Wednesday, October 28. Check your listings. Another "don't miss" public television show.

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Hansen Soda (maker of Monster Energy Drink)

SHAME ON YOU!

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009 

Downey's Restaurant

If you want perhaps the best restaurant in Santa Barbara that supplies amazing meals day after day, year after year without the PR/media fanfare given other restaurants in our area, look no further than Downey's. Chef John Downey runs his little comfortable restaurant like a well oiled machine and last night's Chef's Local Tasting Dinner was a hands-down, checkered flag winner.

Appetizer - Fresh Local Crab with Ambrosia Melon. Pine Nuts, Opal Basil and Fresh Ginger-Lime Dressing. (packed with textures and flavors. Crunchy. Soft. Tangy. Smooth. Perfect compliments to each other. Perfect way to start up the tastebuds.)

Salad - Tom Shepherd's Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette. (Tom Shepherd. Need we say more? Fresh, local salad...once you've tasted it, you will never want to go back to packaged stuff again...)

Main - Carpenter Ranch Squab with Caramelized Apples. Butternut Squash with Leeks. (Succulent. Moist. Taste of pure comfort. This meal would warm even the cockles of Scrooge's heart...oh, heck...it might even warm up Dick Cheney's.)

Dessert - Choice from the Dessert Trolley (I wanted them all, really..but chose a chocolate/hazelnut tart and refused to share it with any of my dining companions, save one.)

Four truffles to seal the dinner deal.

Absolutely scrumptious. No better way to celebrate Epicure.SB and showcase our local flavors than with a visit to our local little gem of a restaurant.

Thanks Chef Downey...and hostess with the mostess, Liz. I'll be back for more!

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  • I'm Cookie Jill
  • From Santa Barbara, California, United States
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