Sac Foodies

Giveaway Galore Winners

sacfhoodies — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:08:05 +0000

Congratulations to the following winners: Fiona Y. and Sheryl T., winners of the $25.00 Cost Plus World Market gift cards; Eric E., California Brewers Festival winner; and Michelle J., After Hours at Fairy Tale Town winner. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Sac Foodies Giveaway Galore Week!

Thanks for participating….

sacfhoodies — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:18:50 +0000

A big THANKS to everyone who participated in our Sac Foodies Giveaway Galore week! We enjoyed reading everyone’s entries and we hope you had fun participating. Winners will be notified by email and we’ll post the winners next week. Have a safe and food-filled Labor Day weekend!

Giveaway Galore! Day Three – After Hours Event at Fairytale Town

sacfhoodies — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:15:43 +0000

Q: What do SacFoodies like more than a local food and wine event?

A: A local food and wine event that benefits a deserving charity, of course.

Enter: Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center’s 18^th Annual “After Hours” Event at Fairytale Town. A few of us had the pleasure of volunteering at last year’s event and are excited to do so again this year. We’re told this year they’ll have a few new features including a Wall of Wine (we can’t wait to find out more!) and a live auction.

Just like last year, you’ll be able to nibble and sip your way through Fairytale Town and enjoy some of our favorite Sacramento establishments, including: Aioli Bodega Espanola, de Vere’s Irish Pub, L Wine Lounge, Mulvaney’s B&L, Tower Café, Thai Basil and many more.

SacFoodies take a seat in Fairytale Town’s Sherwood Forest at the 17^th Annual After Hours Event

If you can make it out to the event, you won’t be disappointed! Here are the details:

What:
18^th Annual “After Hours” Event at Fairytale Town

Where:
Er, it’s at Fairytale Town
(in William Land Park)

When:
Friday, September 10, 2010
5:30 – 8:30pm

Cost:
$50 ticket price includes a commemorative wine glass
(Remember, proceeds benefit Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center)

Now, the fun part:
Our friends at the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center who are organizing the event have been kind enough to offer a pair of tickets for one lucky SacFoodies reader!

Enter by commenting below or on our Facebook page, and name a fairytale that included food. For example, there were breadcrumbs in Hansel & Gretel (sorry, can’t use this one!).

(Process note: All entries in any of the three Giveaway Galore giveaways must be received by Thursday at 3pm to be counted. We’ll notify all winners on Friday.)

By Jenna Buhagiar

Giveaways Galore: Day Two, Giveaway Two

sacfhoodies — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:23:41 +0000

The California Brewers Festival is coming up on September 11^th and we’ve got your chance to attend – for free! This year marks the 16^th year of the festival which will include more than 150 microbrews from more than 60 brewers across the country. With live entertainment from Velvet Tongue and Utz! and the Shuttlecock’s and food options galore, this is not an event to be missed. I can attest to this, having been to the event in the past – what’s better than a sunny day in Sacramento, a microbrew in hand, live music and a bevy of delicious food to choose from? Here’s how you can attend for free: leave a comment here on SacFoodies or on the SacFoodies Facebook page telling us your favorite food and beer pairing. We’ll choose one winner to receive a pair of tickets to the festival this Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

California Brewers Festival, 2010
Discovery Park, Sacramento
Saturday, September 11, 1-5 p.m.

Tickets available online here

By Liz Conant

Giveaway Galore! Three Days. Three Giveaways.

sacfhoodies — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:49:12 +0000

As we are holding on to our last few weeks of summer, what better way to enjoy fun in the sun than with some free stuff! We will be hosting Giveaway Galore here on SacFoodies – three days, three fantastic giveaways. Please enter to win below, and be sure to come back tomorrow (and tomorrow’s tomorrow) for more!

First up: Two Cost Plus $25 Gift Cards

Cost Plus is a great place to stock up on all summer picnic and entertaining essentials and it’s a perfect place to swing by and pick up a unique and worldly hostess gift. The Sac Foodies are hosting a giveaway for two $25 gift cards so you can stop by your local Cost Plus and find something to help you celebrate these last few weeks of summer.

To enter, please post a comment on either the blog or the SacFoodies Facebook page telling us your favorite place to have a picnic or BBQ. We will be announcing two winners later this week.

Cost Plus World Market
1821 Howe Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 929-0220

Potluck Series: Red Chile Enchiladas

sacfhoodies — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:49:43 +0000

In July 2009 our lives were forever changed when the Texas issue of Saveur landed in our mailbox. While there were many delicious recipes featured, one caught our eye and we’ve made it at a half a dozen times since then. The Red Chile Enchiladas come from the Gonzalez family in Las Cruces, Texas and they serve them with potatoes, which was a switch for me since I’m accustomed to beans and rice, but the potatoes were a welcome surprise here.

When the Mexican theme was agreed upon for the Sac Foodies potluck, I knew we had to make these enchiladas for the group. I recommend making a double batch of the sauce and storing it in your freezer. Once the sauce is made, it’s relatively simple to assemble the rest, so it would be great to have extra on hand when you are searching to make dinner mid-week.

Red Chile Enchiladas

Recipe courtesy of Saveur magazine, July 2009

20 dried New Mexico chiles
3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for frying
10 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
12 corn tortillas
2 cups grated mozzarella
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
¾ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup finely crumbled cotija cheese
3 tablespoons crema or sour cream

Put chiles in a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them soak, nudging them occasionally with a spoon to make sure they are fully submerged, until chiles are soft and dark red, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the water and pull off the stems. Do not throw away the water. Slice the chiles lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Transfer the chiles and 2 cups of the soaking water to a food processor; let cool.

Heat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to the food processor with the reserved chiles, reserving oil in skillet. Puree chile-garlic mixture; add lime juice, cumin, sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Strain through a sieve; discard solids. Transfer chile sauce to reserved skillet; heat sauce over medium heat.

Pour oil into a second large skillet over medium-high heat to a depth of ½”. Using tongs and working with one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in oil; cook until slightly crisp, about 15 seconds. Drain tortilla. Dip in chile sauce to coat, and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella, cheddar and onions along the center of the tortilla. Roll up enchilada. Arrange rolled enchiladas on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Divide enchiladas between four plates; sprinkle with cojita cheese and drizzle with crema.

Makes 6 servings

By Kim Bedwell

Wordless Wednesday: L Wine Lounge

sacfhoodies — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:28:40 +0000

Photo by Jared Rowsey

Pommes Anna, thinly sliced potatoes baked to perfection, from the L Wine Lounge at 18^th and L Streets in Sacramento.

L Wine Lounge
1801 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 443-6970

By Emily Hirschman

Potluck Series: Mexican Brownies

sacfhoodies — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:02:27 +0000

I love me a themed potluck, so when the Sac Foodies decided to go south of the boarder for our 3^rd annual anniversary I was very excited to browse online recipes. In my search I stumbled across several recipes for Mexican Brownies and had to try it. These are very easy to make, with a flavor profile reminiscent of Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Mexican brownies are great paired with Dulce de Leche ice cream; the cool, sweet ice cream is a nice complement to the spice in the brownies.

Mexican Brownies

Most of this recipe is mostly taken from All Recipes, and I simply added the chipotle chili powder and cinnamon for the Mexican flavors.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder, ground chipotle chili powder and cinnamon. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

Sac Foodies note: be careful with the chipotle powder, a little goes a long way. I actually added more chili powder to the brownies than they called for, and when I make this recipe again (which I will!) I’ll stick to the measurements. Luckily the Sac Foodies liked the heat!

By Christine Schunk

Anthony Bourdain Coming to Sacramento!

sacfhoodies — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:41:38 +0000

I would guess that 90 percent of my DVR is queued to record various shows on the Food Network, Bravo and, dare I say it… MTV. However, there is one foodie show on the Travel Channel that I absolutely adore and that is “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain. For those of you that are Bourdain fans like me, you will be excited to hear that he is coming to Sacramento! Bourdain will be hosting a lecture on travel and food at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium on September 17. Tickets to the lecture are $36.50 and are available at the Sacramento Convention Center Box Office, or online at www.tickets.com. (Photo courtesy of Flickr user srlasky)

By Christine Schunk

Potluck Series: Nachos with all the fixin’s

sacfhoodies — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:05:43 +0000

Who can pass up a plate of nachos with all the toppings? Not me, and not the Sac Foodies either as I learned at our 3^rd annual potluck event. This recipe is easy to make and I made sure not to skimp on any of the toppings. Here’s how I made my nachos, but of course the toppings are up to you! Note: This recipe makes two of the pans pictured below.

Nachos with All the Fixin’s

Two bags tortilla chips (I used a mix of corn and blue chips, for added color)
One bag Mexican cheese blend
1 can refried or black beans (your preference)
1 small container sour cream
1 jar jalapeno peppers
Pico de gallo (or salsa, if you prefer)
2 avocado

Layer chips and cheese in pans. I opted for a disposable foil pan, but you could use any oven-safe baking dish. Here’s a tip I learned from fellow SacFoodie Cristina during the potluck which is very helpful: if you’re using refried beans, put the beans into a microwave-safe bowl and add a small amount of water. Microwave for 30-45 seconds, stir, and the beans will be easy to pour over the chips. After topping the chips and cheese with the beans, put the pans into the oven on broil for about 8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with sour cream, jalapeno peppers, diced avocado and pico de gallo or salsa. Enjoy!

By Liz Conant