California Archives | Fake Food Free

3 Things to Do in Irvine, California

September 8, 2016

3 Things to Do in Irvine | Travel | Fake Food Free

Irvine is one of those California towns that is surrounded by so many other action-packed places, that it often gets overshadowed. Drive your car a few miles and you are headed through Costa Mesa, on the beach in Newport or Laguna, or sitting in the heart of L.A.

After visiting for the first time last March for the Women In Travel Summit, I learned that this overshadowing is most certainly undeserved. That’s why I decided to reach out to Destination Irvine when I learned that my husband’s Dave Matthews Band concert agenda would take to Irvine in August.

The fine folks there helped us organize our weekend and as a result I have three things you must do if you find yourself there in the near future.

Sacramento: Seven Places to Eat and Drink

August 9, 2016

Insight Coffee Roasters, Sacramento | Food and Drink Travel | Fake Food Free

It only took a stop in one coffee shop for me to wonder why I’d not made Sacramento a higher priority on my California travel list. Things appear to be changing rapidly in this city and that means it is ticking all the boxes of a top food and drink destination.

There are coffee shops that make you want to pull out the laptop and sit a few hours, craft beer lists that represent the state’s growing number of breweries and beyond, happy hours with bites that combine comforting favorites with trendy twists, and vegetarian food that I could easily pick over a meat treat any day of the week.

I was in Sacramento for 4 days at the end of July to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference. It was a fun few days catching up with old friends and making new ones. The conference did an excellent job of tying in so many of the wonderful foods and food companies that Sac has to offer.

Club Sandwich with Duck Breast, Cambozola, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Roasted Garlic

November 2, 2015

This recipe takes an ordinary sandwich and makes it worthy of an excellent wine pairing! It comes from Chad Hendrickson, Executive Chef for The Hess Collection. A special thank you to The Hess Collection for sponsoring this post.

Sandwiches are casual. When we don’t want to have a fancy meal or invest too much time in the kitchen, we go for a sandwich.

They are convenient and familiar, but many lean a little towards boring and monotonous. That is, until you start considering whether the lowly sandwich could possibly pair with wine. Not just any wine, but a syrah that boasts black and blue fruits with a subtle touch of spiced vanilla and cedar. Before you know it, you have a duck breast sandwich on your hands that also happens to be layered with bacon and Cambozola cheese.

Four Favorites in July

July 31, 2015

My Four Favorites series is back and I’m introducing a new theme to these monthly installments of my favorite finds.

The four Bs. A book, a blog, a brand and a break.

These are a few things I’ve come across this month that I’ve enjoyed so much that I must share.

Spicy Noodle Bowl with Sausage and Greens Paired with Cultivar Rose Wine

March 24, 2015

This spicy noodle bowl is topped with turkey sausage, mustard greens and garlic. It’s vibrant flavors pair well with the 2014 Cultivar Rose that I received as part of the Cultivar Wine Bloggers!

Growing up, like most people who come from the middle portion of the U.S., comfort food was defined by things like mashed potatoes, pot pies and biscuits and gravy. Heavy, nap-inducing and delicious.

Fortunately, travel has introduced me to a few more things that define comfort food for others around the world. Feijoada in Brazil, fish and chips and pastries in Europe, but nothing can compare to noodle dishes in Southeast Asia. They have redefined comfort food for me.

Meyer Lemon Bourbon Winter Warmer

February 8, 2015

This Meyer lemon bourbon cocktail is the best way to get through a cold winter night! It combines the fresh flavor of seasonal citrus with warming spices and Kentucky bourbon.

Let’s be clear. It’s not cold here. If I were to utter the phrase, “I’m cold,” I’m certain it would be met with a bless-her-heart chuckle and an eye roll from just about everyone Colorado and eastward. Those being pounded with snow would likely close the browser window, never to return.

So it’s not cold, but it does get cool and there are distinct differences between winter, spring, summer and fall here in the Bay Area. Thank goodness, because I do love the four seasons. They just aren’t nearly as extreme as other places I’ve lived.

That being said, I still love the comfort foods and drinks of winter — a steaming bowl of soup, rich pot pies, and a warm bourbon drink — just as much as a person digging out from the snow.

We might not have freezing temps, but one thing we do have in the winter is citrus! And you are probably well aware of my love for it.

When we moved into our apartment here in 2012, I immediately purchased a small dwarf Meyer lemon tree from the local farmers market. I read up a little on growing them in pots and this tree already had a few lemons on it when I bought it so I thought, this is going to be too easy.

Whole Foods Gilman in Berkeley: Favorite Things

November 4, 2014

There is a new Whole Foods Market opening on Gilman in Berkeley! I had the pleasure of attending a media event last week. I learned so much and was so inspired that I had to share a recap.

There are few things I enjoy more than listening to people talk about their passion for good food. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my first media event for an opening of a new Whole Foods Market in Northern California.

I was pretty excited to get the invitation. You see, we have a bit of a healthy addiction to The North Face Outlet on Gilman. This usually leads to a Saturday of visiting someone of the great craft brew spots in the area, like the Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room. So our conversations as we drive down Gilman in Berkeley have progressed kind of like this –

5 Favorite Lemon Recipes

September 25, 2014

Since moving to California with amazing access to citrus, I love cooking with lemon. These are a few of my favorite lemon recipes.

Our backyard is currently filled with the intoxicating aroma of citrus blossoms. It’s the part of the citrus growing process that is second only to the lemons and oranges that come several weeks later. That scent has the power to take you from a bad to a good mood in one swift sniff.

While I wait patiently for new fruit, occasionally sticking my head out the door to breath it in, the lemon tree has been kind enough to produce some stragglers throughout the entire summer. I pulled a few off the tree to photograph last week and it got me in the mood for some of my favorite lemon recipes. These five recipes are from the Fake Food Free archives and worthy of being made again year after year. (Click on the name and it will take you to the recipe.)

Blue Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Lemon Tuna and Chickpea Salad
Lemon Rosemary Thumbprints with Peach Jam
Blood Orange Bulgar Wheat Salad with Honey, Meyer Lemon and Cilantro Dressing
Kale and Pistachio Soup

Grilled Chipotle Peach and Nectarine Tilapia Packets

August 19, 2014

Grilled Chipotle Peach and Nectarine Tilapia Packets | fakefoodfree.com

We’ve lived in California less than two years and I’ve already started to lose track of the seasons. I grew up around all sorts of berries in Indiana and I visited the orchards in Kentucky so I could tell you exactly when strawberry, blueberry, peach, plum and apple season where in full swing at different points throughout the summer.

But here? Here, most of those fruits last all summer long.

It’s quite the experience for the fruit and vegetable lover. I aim to cherish every moment of it, while still grounding myself with thoughts of those produce-lacking winter seasons spent in Kentucky.

Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

July 7, 2014

I like my chicken salad loaded. It’s to the point that I want it to contain equally as many other ingredients as it does chicken. Nuts, grapes, dried cranberries, celery, onion, bell peppers – you name it and I’ll mix it in.

My favorite part is the fruit. I love that little touch of sweetness against all the other savory ingredients. Grapes and dried cranberries are my standards, but this time of year, nothing says summer like fresh blueberries.

Normally when I get my hands on some I ask around on social media as to what other people would do with them. The response is always to eat them fresh, and believe me, I’ve got that covered. But after I’ve downed a couple gallons, I still need a few good ideas that aren’t jam.

So when I got hungry for chicken salad last week, I decided to use blueberries in place of my old stand-bys. It was my first time trying it and it beat my old versions by a mile. Not to mention that there is something so pretty about those deep blue berries no matter what you use them in.

I use a mix of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard as a dressing for my version of chicken salad. It’s become my favorite combination not only for chicken, but for potato salads and slaws, too. If you have your own favorite, don’t hesitate to stick with that and just add the blueberries. They are the real star here, but I do have to admit I am loving them with both the pecans and dill in this recipe.

Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries via @Lori_Rice

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Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

2015-06-25 10:02:59

Makes: 2 to 3 servings

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Ingredients

6 to 7 oz. roasted chicken, shredded
¼ cup finely diced onion
½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill
¼ cup full-fat or 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon sugar (any type - white, raw, brown, etc)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Place the chicken, onion and dill in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chicken and stir well until the chicken is coated and the dill is distributed throughout the chicken salad.
Stir in the pecans. Add the blueberries and very gently stir just until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Disclosure: The Sierra Cascade organic blueberries used in this recipe were provided by Whole Foods Oakland. I was not required to write about them and received no compensation for doing so.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Older Posts

California

3 Things to Do in Irvine, California

Sacramento: Seven Places to Eat and Drink

Club Sandwich with Duck Breast, Cambozola, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Roasted Garlic

Four Favorites in July

Spicy Noodle Bowl with Sausage and Greens Paired with Cultivar Rose Wine

Meyer Lemon Bourbon Winter Warmer

Whole Foods Gilman in Berkeley: Favorite Things

5 Favorite Lemon Recipes

Grilled Chipotle Peach and Nectarine Tilapia Packets

Picnic Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

Thanks so much for reading!

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