Category Archives: Enticing Events

Crunch-A-Licious Almonds and a Food Gal Giveaway

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Garlic Almonds for Father's Day.

Garlic Almonds for Father’s Day.

 

By now, you probably know how much of an almond addict that I am.

I love to eat them by the handful, of course. But I also love to bake with almond flour, smear almond butter on toast, dig into spoonfuls of almond jello at Chinese restaurants,  and nosh on any cookie made with sweet almond paste.

So, when Santé Nuts, a family-owned company in Santa Clara, recently sent me samples of its Garlic Almonds and Chipotle Almonds to try, I was practically delirious. The nuts themselves taste so incredibly fresh. You’ll notice that difference right off the bat. There’s a real crunch to them. The garlic ones are just garlicky enough so you still get the natural almond flavor, too. The chipotle ones have a slow smoky burn that’s never overpowering, either.

Company founder Sara Tidhar roasts the nuts the way her grandmother taught her. Tidhar used to make them for friends and family as gifts. But when she found herself divorced and a single mom, she decided to take a leap of faith to create a business around her grandmother’s tradition.

The rest is delicious history.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a “Dad’s Day 4-Pack” of two large bags of Santé Chipotle Almonds and Garlic Almonds.

Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Feb. 16 (Father’s Day). Winner will be announced on Feb. 19.

How to win?

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Seafood for Father’s Day and a Food Gal Giveaway

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A dish with which to spoil any father.

A dish with which to spoil any father.

 

My Dad loved nothing better than scrambled eggs in the morning enfolded with salty chunks of SPAM.

Yup, that was his breakfast of choice, if given his druthers.

If he were still alive this Father’s Day, I’d change that up. I’d present him with pillowy scrambled eggs, all right. But topped with briny caviar instead.

I’m sure he’d be startled, thinking I’d lost my mind or was mortgaging my house to do so.

Nope, on both accounts.

Instead, I’d tell him that Southern California-based Anderson Seafoods provided me with a sample to try. The roe is from American Lake Sturgeon. The teeny-tiny, ebony-charcoal-hued eggs have a nice pop when you bite into them. At $38 for a 1-ounce jar, it’s relatively affordable, too, as far as caviar goes, especially because it takes only a smidgeon to make anything more luxurious tasting.

The company offers an array of fresh and frozen seafood, all of which can be delivered to your door overnight.

A precious jar of roe.

A precious jar of roe.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a chance to sample $300 worth of seafood of your choice, courtesy of Anderson Seafoods. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through 6 p.m. PST June 13. The winner will be announced June 14.

How to win?

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Join the Food Gal and Chef Robert Sapirman at Macy’s Valley Fair

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MacysSapirmanAd

Join me, 6 p.m. June 25 at Macy’s Valley Fair in Santa Clara, when I’ll be hosting a cooking demo with Chef Robert Sapirman of Citrus restaurant.

Sapirman, head chef of the restaurant at the Hotel Valencia in San Jose’s Santana Row across the street, will be dropping by to cook up a storm with local, sustainable ingredients. You may remember the long-time South Bay chef from his years at Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, too.

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La Boulange Celebrates PRIDE, Santa Clara City Library Card Perks and More

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(Photo courtesy of La Boulange)

(Photo courtesy of La Boulange)

Macarons for PRIDE Month

All through June, La Boulange bakeries throughout the Bay Area will salute PRIDE month with a limited edition box of rainbow-hued macarons.

What’s more, La Boulange will donate $1 from each box sold to the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, which raises funds for AIDS service organizations through the production of entertainment programs.

The limited edition box of seven macarons is $12.50.

Santa Clara City Library Card Perks

And you thought a library card was only good for checking out books?

Not the Santa Clara City library card.

Now, show that library card at participating local businesses to reap discounts such as 10 percent off at Athena Grill, $10 off a tab of at least $50 at Justin’s Restaurant, 10 percent off at Fuji Florist, free coffee with purchase at Stan’s Donut Shop, 10 percent off Mission City Creamery and many more. For a full list, click here.

StarChefs SF Rising Star Chefs

StarChefs will salute its 2013 “Rising Star” award winners  6:30 p.m. June 13 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

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Sunday Mornings, Please Do Not Disturb (Sponsored Post)

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CoffeePost

Peace. Quiet.

Two simple things in short supply these days. With weekdays full of honking cars during dreaded commute traffic, ring tones that jolt, emails that never cease and all manner of pinging high-tech gadgets tethered to us 24-7, our lives are assaulted by so much noise – both figuratively and literally.

So, when Folgers recently asked me to write about how coffee and music play into my morning ritual in order to help tout its Folgers Jingle Contest that supports aspiring musicians, I got to thinking. I realized there are few things I appreciate more now than the stillness of an early Sunday morning. I covet creeping out of bed before my husband wakes, when sunlight is just started to seep through the edges of the curtains. The soothing sound of solitude is broken only by the rustling of the pages of the morning’s newspaper, the whistling of the kettle as I make my French press coffee, and the caressing vocals of Adele that emanate softly from the CD player.

Yes, I’m old-school. And I make no apologies for it.

Sure, I carry a smartphone, write my articles on computers, shoot with a digital camera and exercise to streaming tunes. But when it comes to Sunday mornings, I want none of that. I don’t want to read words on a backlit screen. I want to hold a real honest-to-goodness newspaper in my hands, the kind that lands with a thud on the porch. I want to turn its pages, one after the other, joyously discovering story after story just because they happened to catch my eye. In the background, I don’t want a thumping techno beat created by the wizardry of electronics, but a soulful, plaintive voice of a chanteuse that harkens back to another era. And I don’t want the latest-greatest gadget that dribbles out one tiny solitary cup of coffee at the touch of a button. No, I want the civilized ritual of actually pouring steaming water over fragrant grounds until they swell, before I push a plunger down forcefully to release the deep, dark, brooding brew.

To me, that is a perfect Sunday morning. I relish each and every one of them, too. Because like a great cup of coffee, it does its intended job. It relaxes me, then slowly but surely perks me up me to take on the challenges in the week ahead.

Only one thing could make it even better: If Folgers could ever get Adele to croon its jingle. Now, that would make my Sunday complete.

 

Folgers Jingle Contest: Be sure to vote for the best Top 10 finalist in Folgers’ Jingle Contest. Meet the Top 10! Take a look at Folgers® Jingle Contest Finalists, and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in the Top 10. Cast your vote once every day through June 19. You could win exciting prizes, like free Folgers Coffee, iTunes® gift cards, signed CDs from Gavin DeGraw, and even a $10,000 Grand Prize just for voting. Vote now. Click here for official rules.

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