The Holiday Season is here to enjoy with family and friends. Check out the new Holidays page which features Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Birthday items in addition to Cooking and Drink Tips. If you have other useful links to add, please let us know on the new Forum. Post a Forum comment by 2pm Oct. 31, and you may win a SF Ski & Board Fest ticket for Nov. 110/30/2008
Have you wanted to meet Gratitude Gourmet members and share restaurants, recipes, tips, and events? Good news! A new Forum has been setup with the following topics: Recipes, Planning A Party, Great Finds & Web 2.0, Kids, Cooking Tips, and Drinks/Wine & Food. Do you have a delicious vegan icing recipe? Go into Recipes, Desserts and Post your recipe! Check it out here, and let us know how it's working for you. Test it by 2pm Oct. 31 (today) and you may win a ticket to the SF Ski & Board Fest! Send us general site comments here. San Francisco Wine Week brings together the new generation of young wine enthusiasts including wine producers, restauranteurs, sommeliers and urban professionals for a unique San Francisco wine experience. For six nights, attendees will sample some of the newest wines and celebrate one of the most defining aspects of Bay Area culture. Are you looking for cruelty-free Halloween Candy to satisfy your sweet tooth? Several suggestions are located on Peta's site. Join Colleen Patrick-Goudreau at Micio Mambo in Oakland as she provides guidance and goodies for enjoying a vegetarian Thanksgiving! Come with your questions and leave with everything you need to know about the history of Thanksgiving, about creating a beautiful harvest centerpiece, and about treating family and friends to traditional autumnal desserts. Colleen will sign books, treats will be distributed, and there will be a drawing to win prizes, including a copy of the cookbook, a cooking class gift certificate, and a Micio Mambo gift bag. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=30795879595 The inaugural San Francisco Ski and Snowboard Festival will be held on November 1-2, 2008 at the Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion, celebrating mountain culture and the winter sports lifestyle. Celebrate with two days of wine tasting, beer tasting, and interactive booths featuring your favorite brands and resorts and a huge pre-season winter gear and clothing sale. There is a free lift ticket with admission. I'm planning to attend the Wine Expo on Nov. 1. More information about both days is here. Fresh Faces in Fashion returns to San Francisco!!! For the last 13 years, Gen Art’s anchor event, Fresh Faces in Fashion, has shown some of the best emerging fashion designers in womenswear, menswear and accessories on the runway and given runway debuts to fashion’s rising stars including Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor, Philip Lim (for Development), Katy Rodriguez, Sari Gueron, Shoshanna, Louis Verdad, Chaiken and many more. My great friends Martina and Ryan originally introduced me to Peju Winery in Rutherford, California several years ago, and I immediately became an instant fan of their wines and gourmet food items such as the Raspberry Cabernet Chocolate Fudge and Specialty Mustards and their beautifully landscaped grounds. I returned last Saturday with my family and friends for a Tour and a Wine & Vegetarian Tapas Tasting arranged by Katie Lewis at Peju and given by Kimberly Mansager. Kimberly warmly welcomed us and provided us a beautiful tour with information on the sustainable farming practices and solar initiatives. Peju's H.B. Vineyard in Rutherford is certified organic while the Persephone Vineyard (Pope Valley) and Wappo Vineyard are sustainably farmed with organic certification goals set within the next few years. Ariana Peju launched the "Harvesting of the Sun" project where 720 solar panels have been installed over 10,000 square feet of the winery's roof which will generate power throughout the winery. Turtle Mountain, makers of America's most popular dairy-free ice creams and frozen novelties, has introduced the world's first ice cream sandwiches made with non-dairy coconut milk ice cream. I've tried several of the new coconut milk items including Passionate Mango, Coconut Almond, Vanilla, and Banana Split Minis, and Mocha Almond Fudge. Every single item was Delicious. If you've already tried Turtle Mountain's other products, you will be very impressed with this new Coconut Milk line! Here's some great news for you! Three lucky Gratitude Gourmet Blog readers who make a blog post comment below on 'So Delicious Dairy Free Made with Coconut Milk sandwiches and bars' will have the chance to win their favorite So Delicious Dairy Free ice cream. Here's the Store Locator: http://turtlemountain.com/locator/locator.html May the best comments win!! Indulge your boutique style and conscience by shopping from over 65 stylish and cutting-edge GREEN designers. Enjoy complimentary beauty services and a glass of wine while browsing aisles of jewelry, apparel, and accessories. 2 for $15 online or $10 each at the door, and includes a fabulous, reusable goodie bag. A portion of the door proceeds benefit friends of the Urban Forest. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.appelandfrank.com/ The October 3rd Vegan A Go-Go booksigning event sponsored by VegNews featured author Sarah Kramer and her fans. I asked Sarah to choose one recipe to feature for all Gratitude Gourmet readers, and she immediately selected Nanaimo Bars, which is a three-layer Canadian dessert classic that originated in Nanaimo, British Columbia. 'Nanaimo Bars' is the featured Gratitude Gourmet Recipe of the Week. The first Tour de Champagne San Francisco brings together prestigious champagne houses, top cognacs and the city's most celebrated pastry chefs for one evening only. Tour de Champagne also welcomes White House Pastry Chef for 26 years Roland Mesnier. |