02 | July | 2010 | Club Dine In!

Daily Archives: July 2, 2010

The Weekender July 1-5

Posted on July 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

The long weekend is finally here! If you don’t have plans to jet out of town¸ check out these good ol’ American (non-touristy) events happening in the Bay Area. Check out the slide show for more inspiration!

Thur-Mon July 1-5 • Marin County Fair • 11-11PM
The 65th edition of the Marin County Fair will celebrate the theme Going Global: Connecting Cultures complete with attractions, interactive exhibits and contests that offer the best in family fun. Along with traditional Fair favorites (thrilling carnival rides, delicious food, loveable farm animals and dazzling fireworks) there’ll be exciting family discoveries each day of the Fair!

Friday July 2^nd • Turning the Tables • 7-9PM
A recurring theme in the art of Glenda and Jesse Drew is to render visible the often unseen human labor embodied in the modern food system. Their most recent effort, Turning the Tables, is a series of video/audio portraits of waiters in local San Francisco restaurants. By sharing the hopes, thoughts, and stories of these men and women, Turning the Tables offers viewers a richer, more human view of restaurant culture. Join us to celebrate the opening of this exhibition, enjoy a glass of wine, and spend some time with these wonderful moving portraits.

Friday July 2^nd • Food Truck Congregation • 5-8PM
Music, great food, beer, wine, and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and Alcatraz?! “Off The Grid” is organizing this weekly cultural market. Participating food vendors include Peko Peko Catering, El Huarache Loco, Kung Fu Tacos, Chaac Mool, Hapa SF, Seoul On Wheels, Soul Cocina, Onigilly, Azalina’s Malaysian and Global Soul. Get your grub on!

Off the Grid: Fort Mason

Sat-Sun July 3-4 • Fillmore Jazz Festival • 10-6PM
With live acts spinning grooves on multiple stages, the Fillmore Jazz Festival welcomes artists from all over the jazz spectrum, including everything from jazz-fusion to vintage jazz standards. The Jazz Festival prides itself on not only looking forward into the future of jazz music, but it is likewise deeply respectful of the jazz legends that came before. In addition to live music, the Fillmore Jazz Festival will feature over eight blocks of arts and crafts, gourmet food and drinks on San Francisco’s historic Fillmore Street.

Saturday July3^th • Crush Barrel Wine Market • 12-5PM
The Crush Barrel Wine Market is the first of its kind to offer consumers a $10 instant rebate towards the purchase of wine. Northern California’s premiere wine tasting and wine market celebrates the Bay Area’s vintners, food purveyors, specialty vendors, live music (Bautista), and more. Buying tickets early is recommend — they sold out last time.

Sunday July 4^th • Summer Festival and Chili Cookoff • 10-4PM
The 29th Annual Palo Alto Summer Festival and Chili Cook-off continues the tradition of the Independence Day Celebration, attracting thousands of sun and chili lovers. The festival embraces everything wonderful about summer, and teams of chefs battle for the chili championship. There will be live music, dancing, children’s activities, food vendors and more.

Sunday July 4^th • Mind, Body & Wellness Workshop • 10-4PM
Mind-Body Wellness Workshop is a free community service initiative by The Art of Living Foundation and aims at creating more awareness about healthy and stress-free way of life. The experience of meditation can take us beyond the usual mental stress and emotional agitation to a calm centered place. Explore the delicate art of quieting the mind!

Sunday July 4^th • Fireworks and BBQ • 1-6PM
It’s San Francisco’s biggest Fireworks Party! Come sample and shop for dozens of boutique wines and enjoy barbecue food in the historic Del Monte Square next to the Cannery on July 4th at 1p-6p. Fill up on barbecue food, enjoy boutique wines, and select your wine for the fireworks and for your after party!

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Posted in Weekend Guide

Tagged Body & Wellness, Crush Barrel Wine Market, Fillmore Jazz Festival, Fireworks and BBQ, fort mason, Glenda and Jesse Drew, Going Global: Connecting Cultures, Mind, Off the Grid, Palo Alto, Summer Festival and Chili Cookoff

Easy Chicken “Kebabs”

Posted on July 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

Cooking meat isn’t my favorite, but after writing the post about Healthier Social Eating, I was inclined to make chicken kebabs. The problem is that I live in an apartment in San Francisco, and I do not have a backyard¸ much less a balcony. So grilling is not an option. (I tried the George Foreman indoor grill, but I did not like the results). Anyway, I decided to put the vegetables and chicken on wooden skewers, wrap them in foil, and roast them in the oven. After, marinating the vegetables and heating up the oven, I discovered we didn’t have the skewers. That is the worst thing that can happen to a cook on limited time. I thought about ditching the whole project and settling for leftovers. Then it dawned on me that I could use my pizza stone (a fancy wedding gift). The results were d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. What impressed me was how little time I spent on the whole process and everything tasted as if it came out of a wood-fire grill. This is definitely going to be something I whip up when I have hungry friends over.

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
2 lemons juiced
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups assorted summer vegetables, cut into 1½ inch pieces (zucchini, squash, bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
12 (10- to 12-inch) wooden skewers (optional)

Directions

Whisk together olive oil¸ mint¸ lemon juice, thyme, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper until well blended to make a marinade.
Put vegetables into a glass bowl. Put chicken into another glass bowl.
Divide marinade equally among the bowls and mix each well to coat all of the ingredients.
Cover each bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally.
Soak wooden skewers in water for at least one hour.
Skewer vegetables and chicken separately on skewers. For example, thread only bell peppers on one skewer, only squash on another and only chicken on the next. Since protein and vegetables cook at varying times, this will allow you to cook individual skewers until the items are sufficiently done (and eliminate burning one ingredient while trying to cook another). If you don’t have skewers, you can roast them in the oven.
Preheat grill to 375°F (a medium-hot fire). Grill chicken until just cooked through and slightly charred, turning often, about 8 minutes. Grill vegetables until just tender. OR Alternately, preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread out the vegetables on a nonstick baking sheet. Pour remaining marinade over the vegetables. At the same time, you can spread out the chicken on another baking tray and pour its marinade over the chicken. Cook vegetables until tender and the chicken for about 10 minutes. OR If using a pizza stone¸ cook vegetables until tender and starts looking charred, about 6 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Add chicken to the pizza stone and cook for about 10 minutes, turning once.
Transfer skewers to a platter and serve.

Serve with a side of Greek yogurt, salad, and/or couscous for a complete meal.