cookiesinheaven

The fabulous French Festival is coming back to Oak Park.

Smiling families dine at sidewalk cafés with checkered tableclothes and umbrellas. Starry-eyed couples toast each other with wine. Artists wearing bérets paint at their easels. The air is filled with music, laughter, and the tempting aromas of French cuisine. Surely this must be France?

Actually, it's the 22nd Annual French Festival in Santa Barbara, Saturday and Sunday, July 11 & 12 (Bastille Day Weekend), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara's Oak Park. Admission is free. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend.

While Parisians celebrate the French Revolution 8,000 miles away, Californians will revel in the sights, sounds, foods and joie de vivre of France at the largest French celebration in the Western United States.

Will this be the last one? The Festival is up for sale. Inquires - FestivalForSale@yahoo.com

Labels: Festivals, French, Santa Barbara

...Health officials still do not know how E. coli 0157, a bacterium that lives in cattle intestines, ended up in a product that seems so unlikely to contain it. The risk usually associated with cookie dough is salmonella, a bacterium that can be found in raw eggs. None of the ingredients in the dough -- eggs, milk, flour, chocolate, butter -- is known to host E. coli 0157.

Federal investigators spent more than a week at the Danville plant and did not detect contamination in the equipment or among workers, Acheson said. "It raises the likelihood that it was an ingredient," he said. "And it really means that industry has to be constantly vigilant, because foods we think of as low risk could be contaminated with a deadly pathogen." - WaPo

Labels: Cookies, e.coli, Nestle, Recalls

is looking like it is now what USED to be Hummingbird Cafe.

According to the signs posted..."Coming soon...FRENCH PRESS."

Let's hope the economy doesn't squeeze yet another business out of this spot.

Labels: cafe, closings, Coffee, economy, Restaurant, State Street

Labels: Fires, Newspapers, Santa Barbara, tourist

and sample some of our local wares!

See you there!

Labels: Music, Passings, YouTube

Labels: Farmer's Markets, Farms, Santa Barbara

Corporate cafeterias, museums and restaurants across the country are about to take a bite out of foodservice costs by sparing the environment.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Restaurant Associates (RA) today unveiled their Green Dining Best Practices - a comprehensive set of science-based recommendations for environmentally friendly foodservice. The practices have been tested by two RA clients - Random House and Hearst Corporation - early results will save over $85,000 each year at the two sites, cut 275 tons of carbon pollution and reduce landfill waste by 60 tons annually, among other environmental benefits.

In a National Restaurant Association survey of trends for 2009, environmentally friendly equipment and sustainable practices topped chefs' lists of hot trends and top cost-savers. The Green Dining Best Practices, available free of charge at www.edf.org/greendining, focus on aspects of the foodservice and restaurant industry with the biggest environmental impacts, including food purchasing (addressing specific products like meat, produce and seafood), facility operation (improvements in the use of energy, waste, and water), packaging, transportation of food, and the use of toxic cleaning chemicals. The best practices provide clear, objective, science-based advice for dining managers and chefs to make smart choices in their kitchens to improve environmental performance across the board. - PRWire

Labels: Environment, foodservice, Green Practices, restaurants

has his Montecito digs up for sale.

Labels: comedy, For Sale, Montecito, real estate, unaffordable housing

They can cause Pine Mouth. No joke.

They are a favourite with celebrity chefs and hailed as the latest healthy salad ingredient.

But a liberal sprinkling of pine nuts over your dinner could also leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Increasing numbers of people have reported that after eating pine nuts, typically as a snack or in a pesto sauce, they have developed a foul, metallic taste in their mouth lasting for up to two weeks, making practically all food and drink unpalatable.

The first reports of 'pine mouth', as it has been dubbed, began last winter in the U.S. from those who had eaten imported Chinese pine nuts.

Now pine mouth has spread to Britain, and shoppers across the country are experiencing the same disturbing symptoms.- The Daily Mail

Do you know where your Pine Nuts came from? You might want to check.

Labels: China, Chinese, Chinese Imports, nuts, Public Health

admits to starting the Gap Fire.

Wonder how he's going to repay the State, County and the Feds for the $22 million + it cost to fight it.

Labels: arson, disaster, Fires, Gap Fire

Labels: Farmer's Markets, jojoba, Santa Barbara, TV

Bill

Eating can be one dangerous business. Don't take another bite till you see Robert Kenner's Food, Inc., an essential, indelible documentary that is scarier than anything in the last five Saw horror shows. Decepticons have nothing on ears of corn when it comes to transforming into mutant killers. Kenner keeps his film bouncing with humor, music and graphics. Just like the ads that shove junk food down our faces. - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

I figured it wasn't important for me to go into detail about the photography and the editing. I just wanted to scare the bejesus out of you, which is what "Food, Inc." did to me. - Roger Ebert

Through out Europe, The term "Scampi" takes a few left turns....

We'll start off with the shrimp, I think I went overboard with the amount, but hay, what's new. 5lbs for 7 people...

Here is the method bit I love. Scampi is all about the garlic and we're going to coax the sweet flavor out...

Now here is where you could blow it. Don't salt right away and don't stir like a maniac...

The salt will make the shrimp weep and will ruin our beautiful crust and stirring will create steam that will do the same thing....

Color equals flavor and we want to build a crisp crust on the shrimp. so leave it alone...

This is an Italian American dish, so Pinot Grigio, buttery Chardonnay whatevs. As long as it's something you want to drink...

Labels: Recipes, San Francisco, Scampi, twitter, tyler florence, Wine

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In a swift move to remove possibly tainted products from store shelves, Nestle’s USA Baking Division has issued an immediate recall of all raw Toll House cookie dough due to consumer complaints of E.coli illness brought about by eating raw dough. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control have launched an investigation into this popular product, however no mandatory government recall has been put into effect. - Health News

Labels: CDC, e.coli, FDA, Nestle, Recalls, Toll House

Cooking with natural and organic foods? Search Whole Foods Market Recipes for delicious recipes that include everything from dinner entrees to breakfast and beverages.

• Filter by categories such as Budget, Cooking with Kids, and Quick & Easy
• Target special diets, including gluten-free, lowfat, and vegetarian/vegan
• Find recipes that use ingredients you already have with our On-Hand Search feature.

You can also use our store locator to find the Whole Foods Market locations near you, or search by ZIP code. Each store page includes links to the store's website and weekly specials. - Whole Foods

Labels: Apple, computer, iPhone, Recipes, Whole Foods

"As we have always done, we continue to listen and evolve to improve the shopping trip for customers. We're hearing customers want to stretch their dollars even further, without compromising on quality," said Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy CEO. "Particularly in this economy, we're pleased we can open four additional stores in new neighborhoods while creating more than 80 high-quality jobs." - PRNewswire

Labels: British, grocery stores

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Labels: Books, Cookbooks, Fabio, Fabio Viviani, Garlic, Gilroy, Top Chef

The next "big" thing after cuppycakes?

I learned that these small cake balls are edging out trendy cupcakes and mini-size desserts to satisfy those who have a sweet tooth. Poor me, I seem to be out of the loop on what's in on the culinary scene. Hey, they were even offered in the Neiman Marcus gift-giving catalog and are showing up at upscale bakeries.

And wait, there's more! According to a story in The Dallas Morning News, home baker Robin Ankeny opened The Cake Ball Co., a custom baking and mail-order business.To make these cake balls, all you have to do is bake a cake (whatever pleases your fancy) and once it's cooled, you simply crumble it up, mix with any kind of frosting, then roll the mixture into tiny balls. Then -- here's where your creative juices can run wild -- the balls can be dipped in chocolate, nuts or whatever confectionery coating you can think of. - Times Picayune

Labels: bakery, cake, cake balls, cakes, Flickr

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It is no longer enough to just conserve energy. More and more corporations, government agencies and entire cities are making large, long-term commitments to ensure that the power they do use comes from renewable sources. To recognize these trendsetters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a quarterly list of the top American users of green power: organizations that generate their own renewable energy, buy it from suppliers, or purchase offset credits to compensate for their traditional energy use. To put things in perspective, the average U.S. home consumes about 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year. That means number 25 on the list buys enough green energy to power more than 14,000 homes...

5. Whole Foods Market
Austin, TX | Retail
527 million green kWh, 100% of total power used
Since December 2005 Whole Foods Market has entirely offset conventional power consumption at its stores nationwide. At that time, its buy was the biggest renewable energy purchase ever in North America. Employees at the regional or store level determine what kinds of energy to purchase (or generate) for the most locally sound decisions.

Labels: Energy, EPA, Whole Foods

Representative Lois Capps, sits on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. That committee will consider crucial food safety legislation on Wednesday. Let Representative Lois Capps know today that you expect her to stand with us.... her constituents — not big industrial food companies — when it comes to food safety.

Earlier this year, salmonella-tainted peanut butter from a single Georgia factory caused nine deaths, sickened over 600 people, led to the recall of thousands of products, and cost the food industry $1 billion in losses. Meanwhile, deadly E. coli outbreaks are on the rise. The USDA recalled a total of 300,000 pounds of contaminated ground beef during the month of May alone.

Thankfully, Congress is now paying attention. The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 represents a good basis for reform and would be first major update of food safety legislation in decades. But big food industry players are fighting tooth and nail to weaken the bill — it's up to us to tell Congress to strengthen and pass a bill that really protects our food supply.

Tell Rep. Capps to strengthen and pass the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.

The bill, while it does not go nearly far enough, is a good start. As currently written, it will increase funding for and frequency of food inspections by the FDA and the USDA. The bill will expand the powers of the FDA, giving it — for the first time — the ability to order mandatory recalls. The bill will also assess on producers a $500 fee per "food facility," increase criminal and civil monetary penalties for food safety violations and enforce new product traceability guidelines.

The current bill remains dangerously weak in the area of prevention, which is fundamental to being able to stop outbreaks before they start. It allows up to three years between food facility inspections and does not force companies to actually test for pathogens.

At the same time, big food companies and the livestock industry are already insisting that the FDA's proposed new powers be weakened. They must not succeed. Now is the time to make sure Congress improves the legislation and resists the food industry's push to gut the law.

I hope you sign the petition, too.

Labels: Congress, FDA, food safety

Labels: Festivals, Foodies, Santa Barbara

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Labels: Cinnamon, Epicurious, Ice Cream, Olallieberry, Recipes

Labels: Cambria, Nature, ocean, Spirituality

Labels: Agriculture, farmers, farming, Milk

Labels: Food, YouTube

Labels: Bed and Breakfasts, Breakfast, Cambria, Olallieberry, Recipes

before the Governator changes his mind and closes it to the public.

...Here are some not-so-fun facts: California's agricultural sector grows approximately one-third of the nation's food supply and is nourished by diverted rivers and streams filled yearly by runoff from its prodigious sierra nevada snowpack, as well as groundwater pumping and other less-reliable methods. that snowpack -- which once sparked the first, but not the last, water war that helped transform a semi-arid Los Angeles into an unsustainable oasis less populous than only new york city -- is disappearing fast....

To make matters worse, a crushing drought, now well into its third year, has made simply everything problematic. In California's Central Valley, home to a majority of the State's agricultural output, farmers are leaving hundreds of thousands of acres fallow, and the resultant economic depression is having a domino effect that could cost California $1 billion to start and is causing residents of a one-time food powerhouse to go hungry. - Alternet

Labels: California, California Agriculture, Climate Change, drought, Global Warming, Los Angeles

Labels: Big Sur, Movie, Music, YouTube

Labels: For Sale, restaurants

need I say more!

The "Al" cake created by Don Buciak of Holiday Markets, Canton, MI

Labels: Al, cake, cakes, hockey, Michigan, octopus, Red Wings, sports

Labels: Horse Racing, horses, sports, YouTube

in Cambria....

Labels: California, Cambria, Flickr

Labels: employment, jobs, Santa Barbara, Whole Foods

Happy National Donut Day....

National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday in June. In 1917, Salvation Army female volunteers known as “lassies” prepared thousands of fresh donuts to the homesick soldiers that served in France during World War I. National Donut Day was officially established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression.

Labels: donuts, Food History, food holidays

Labels: Benefit, Fabio Viviani, Santa Barbara, Top Chef

CUAFG, also know simply as Fairview Gardens, is a small organic farm nestled in the city of Goleta. It’s location among suburban neighborhoods presents both unique opportunities and challenges. World renowned, Fairview has been a farm for over 100 years andnow serves the community with both local organic produce and as a center for education and outreach. If you want to work on a beautiful organic farm with dedicated people making positive change in a community ripe for transformation with food, education, and sustainability, then this is THE opportunity for you. If you have passion for and/or experience in community food systems, skills and experience in raising funds, designing and managing educational programs, and adeptly managing a budget, then we need you. Do not hesitate; application materials are due by June 22, 2009.

Sound like your type of position?

Labels: employment, Fairview Gardens, jobs

American Farmland Trust is sending a message to food shoppers everywhere that food decisions are important, and as consumers we have the opportunity to support local farmers and communities-just by shopping at farmers markets.

Our three-month outreach campaign will ask Americans across the country to show support ofr their local market by voting in our America's Favorite Farmers Markets contest. The top three vote-getting farmers markets - one small, one medium and one large - will win a free No Farms No Food tote bag giveaway for their market customers.

per CAPTAIN HALEY - The new and improved link is: http://action.farmland.org/site/PageNavigator/Americas-Favorite-Farmers-Markets/best_local_farmers_market_vote
However, the Santa Barbara Market is not available as a choice at this time. The Market Management must enroll in the contest before their name shows up...(thanks!)

Let's get on the horn to the SBFarmer's Market and tell them we want to vote for them!

Labels: Community, Farmer's Markets