August 22nd, 2008 Hi Everyone, Summer in Sacramento comes to a close with one great event

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Living in a commune, the syncronicities of life.

This spring I left Rapunzel’s tree house (24th & I), which I had been renting for the past five years, to run off with Prince Charming and live in a castle far, far away (Del Paso). One ill turn deserves another and our little fairy tale quickly turned from dream to nightmare. Spending $50 a day in gas just to make enough to get back home again and facing a loom

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an Indian inspired dish that is a hearty weeknight meal

This meal was exactly what I was hungry for after a bike ride to midtown for a great hatha flow class with Tamara at Deep. What better to follow an inspired class with Indian chants than a curry and garam masala spiced dinner! I did have to plan ahead though, the dal takes some time to cook. The measurements are approximate, please correct as you see fit.

I started with the dal.

Chana Dal

4 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of chana dal, washed and drained (baby

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a simple, quick meal that's easy on the wallet serves up late summer flavor

Its a little late for green beans, but there are still some good ones out there if you look at the market this Sunday. The beans should be a good green color, crisp and not wrinkled, nor too large around the middle. I picked about two-thirds of a pound in my neighbor's wonderful garden and tossed together my variation of a dish I found in a Vegetarian Times:

Green Beans in Black Bean Garlic Sauce over Rice

2/3–1 lb of green beans, washed, ends trimmed and cut into

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Cornbread and beans gets a California home grown twist

This evening I made a new dish of my own design. I took a box of Trader Joe's cornbread mix and topped it with a garden grown summer chili and paired it with steamed chard. It was a hit! I often cook without a recipe, with varying success. But this one warrants another go for certain.

Prepare cornbread according to directions and bake.

1 T oil
1 medium onion
1 small red pepper
1 small yellow pepper
1 small green pepper
2 tomatoes
1.5 c water

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Got the 3:00 hungries? Try packing this salad for work to snack on instead of heading to the chip machine.

Well its August here in Sacramento and cucmbers and tomatoes are in full season. This afternoon I put together a batch of one of my summertime favorites instead of snacking on crackers or chips. There are endless variations on this recipe, experiment with what you have in your kitchen!

Cucumber Tomato Salad

1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tsp balsamic
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper

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Second Saturday Art Walk Events - August, 2008 The art attracts the scene. And vice versa. Our town's thriving art walk is attracting important artists from all over the world as well as struggling and newly emerging ones. It also brings in viewers from a

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Second Saturday Art and Music

Tonight's the big night at javalounge! Punk extravaganza w/ Raw Power from Italy!? And a great photo exhibit by the incredible 'phototakerer' Scott Duncan. His photos run the gamut from smiling kittens to quirky portraits to sexual fetishes to cool machines... come check it out! It's free from 6-8pm, and once the music starts, it'll be a $7 cover. Hey, kids are coming from Italy and New York! That's a lotta gas money!! This is gonna be sweet..... oh, and javalounge is now serving beer and win

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A Critique of the Dining Event that is Stone Grill

 

I have the Entertainment Book, so with things a little tight in the purse, I thought I’d help us save some cash after receiving the call to socialize with an old friend. The suggestions I was left with were Brew It Up! or Stone Grill. While I had been to Brew It Up! And enjoyed it, the beer-a-holic that I am, Stone Grill would have been completely new. However, I was unaware of the concept and as we were both wearing silk and heals, we agreed it would be inappropriate to

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