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Shop Local

I love summertime at the market. The selection increases and the tables seem to overflow with a multitude of bright colors. It makes me want to dance down the aisles and shout out, "So long root veggies and tubers, hellooooo juicy berries and ripe melons!" while kicking hipster moms with their 6 by 6 strollers out of the way. If you haven't been to the farmers' market in Sac, you're missing out. There are a few weekday markets in Midtown now that the weather's nice, but my favorite is the W Street location on Sunday mornings. What's nice about the W Street location is that it's in the shade, provides plenty of parking, has a good array of vendors (fruit, veggies, fish, meat, flowers) and there's an asian farmers' market kitty corner from it (great for picking up essentials like ginger, peppers and herbs).

* Here's a great site for locating a Sacramento farmers' market by you:  Certified Farmers' Markets
* Info on the Oak Park location can be found at : Oak Park Farmers' Market
* In a hurry? Kaiser Permanente now has a few small farmers' markets in front of select facilities, where you can swoop in and pick up some produce: Kaiser Farmers' Markets


(Photo by Julie Davis Photo)

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Picnic in the Sun

This year the National Park Service is offering several fee-free days at over 100 National Parks. It's the perfect excuse to make your favorite picnic recipe and grab a few friends (or pack up the kids) and spend the day enjoying some sunshine and fresh air.

Visit A National Park 



(Photo from Suzy Sputnik )

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Gone Camping...

...be back in a few days.

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Gadgets: Jot It Down

Some might think they're a bit old fashioned, but I love recipe cards. They come in handy for those times when you've hit upon the perfect mixture of ingredients when experimenting in the kitchen or perhaps when your Great-Aunt Millie is drunk at Thanksgiving and you're finally able to get her to divulge the secret recipe for her famous lasagna. I've also seen them given as gifts for brides-to-be at showers...just have your friends each write down their favorite recipe on a card and then them place them in a cute recipe box. Wrap & voila, instant keepsake!

In the past, I've used simple index cards but that may be changing as I've found there are some really cute designs out there. Here's a few that might pique your interest from Etsy  or you could just design your own, they're pretty easy to make :

Recipe For A Happy Marriage 

Recipes For Vegetarians

Damask Spring-Summer

Break Out The Fat Pants

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What a Cute Little Clove of Garlic : Roasted Garlic

My friend Cate makes this appetizer that's always a hit at her get-togethers and simply requires only two ingredients. Her roasted garlic is so delicious that I once ate two whole heads of garlic by myself while watching an episode of Glee at her house...seriously! Sure, I smelled like an Italian trattoria and had a stomachache the next day...but damn, it was good while I was eating it.

Roasted Garlic

~ Grab a few heads of garlic.
~ Remove the loose skin, keeping the rest intact.
~ Slice off the top of the heads. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if you wish.
~ Place the garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil.
~ Drizzle generously with your favorite olive oil.
~ Wrap the garlic in foil and place it in on an oven-safe dish.

~ Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour @ 400 degrees, depending on how many heads of garlic you're cooking.

~ Remove from oven and serve.

* Cate usually serves them up with various crackers. You take a small knife or toothpick and pop the clove out of the head (it'll be soft). You can eat the whole clove as is or squeeze out the garlicky deliciousness and spread it on your cracker or sliced baguette.

Photo courtesy of  Noisebot

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Gadgets: May The Force Be With You

Williams-Sonoma is currently carrying a line of Star Wars products including pancake molds and cookie cutters for the young (or older) Jedi in your life.

The pancake molds are nonstick steel with handles and include Yoda, Darth Vader and a storm trooper. The cookie cutters are plastic and include Darth Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and a storm trooper.


Williams-Sonoma - Star Wars Kitchen Gear

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