Category Archives: Enticing Events

Summer’s Made for Iced Tea — And A Food Gal Giveaway

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Mighty Leaf Tea's Ginger Peach iced tea.

Mighty Leaf Tea’s Ginger Peach iced tea.

I am not a soda gal.

Too sweet and too many unnecessary calories for me.

When I want to quench my thirst in summer, I reach for a glass of iced tea instead.

I don’t add any extra honey, sugar or artificial sweeteners, either. I like the tannic nature it has all on its own. If I really want to get fancy, I’ll muddle some fresh fruit, mint leaves or even cucumber slices in it.

That’s exactly what I did when Mighty Leaf Tea sent me some samples to try recently. Its over-sized tea bags make it easy to brew a big pitcher of iced tea in minutes. I steeped a bag of Ginger Peach Iced Tea for 5 minutes, then added some ice cubes to chill it down. Since I’d just come back from the farmer’s market, I sliced up some nectarines and added them to the iced tea for a pretty — and pretty delicious — gulp on a warm day.

The iced tea bags come in four varieties.

The iced tea bags come in four varieties.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win samples of Mighty Leaf Tea’s four iced teas:  Sunburst Green, Ginger Peach, Calypso Mango and Organic Black. What’s more, the winner also will receive the Takeya plastic iced tea pitcher and Takeya glass water bottle, both pictured above.

Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST June 29. Winner will be announced July 1.

How to win?

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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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