The Artisans Market Place co-op in the courtyard in Truckee is having a special wine tasting among the flowers with Grant Ramey of Grant Eddie Winery on July 23 fro 5-7pm.

This California foothill winery produces more than a dozen varietals, all estate grown and bottled. Thirty-five-years of finely honed wine-making skills and artistry has led to numerous prestigious awards. The current line-up features 10 medal winners including two golds and three silvers from the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and two double gold awards from the Best of Appellation competition.

Grant and his partner Eddie Schulten combine their growing and blending mastery to produce some wines from the rough soils of Yuba County.

Also present at the complimentary wine tasting will be creations from the co-op artists featuring Tom Beebe’s curving wine racks, Toni Rockwell’s glass-topped wine stoppers, Nichole Busse’s jeweled wine charms, and potter Brian Watson’s wine goblets.

Expect a few surprises.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older.

The Artisans Market Place is located at 10382 Donner Pass Road in Historic Brickelltown, just west of Commercial Row, Truckee (east of Burger Me). The art co-op features 19 local artisans and is open daily 11am to 6pm.

By Bobby Caina Calvan and Deia de Brito, Sacramento Bee

California’s salad bowl remains far from pristine, even as farmers attempt to do more to keep produce free of stomach-churning contaminants.

Four years after tainted spinach killed three and sickened hundreds, state health officials this week again told consumers the E. coli bacteria was lurking in their produce – this time in Fresh Express brand packaged lettuce in California and 18 other states.

The discovery again raised questions about how the nation’s fresh food is farmed and processed, and whether government should have a stronger enforcement role in policing farming practices.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Reading this month’s issue of Cooking Light magazine took me back a bit as I read the calorie intake for several items on a Thai menu. Naively, I think of all Asian food as being rather healthy.

Thai food often contains coconut milk – not exactly a slimming agent. Fish sauce and curry paste could put you over your daily sodium needs.

Sometimes you just have to say to heck with nutrition, I want to eat what I want. But it’s that awareness that is so important – that you know what you are consuming.

I was at Orchids Thai restaurant in South Tahoe recently for a business lunch. I ordered one of my favorites – Tofu Salad. (It’s much better than it sounds.) I tried making it at home once before, but had not marinated the tofu long enough for it to absorb the flavors of the marinade.

I decided to try again. By no means is the recipe below Orchids’ recipe. Theirs is made with cilantro and has a sweet taste to it. Plus, the tofu is deep fried. While I can see the benefit of deep frying the tofu – a firm, crispy finish – I just don’t deep fry food.

How healthy is my version? Probably not very. But it is one of those salads that can be a meal. It would also work well as a side dish.

One of the nice things about what I came up with is that the marinade is used as the cooking liquid and then as the dressing.

I had a bunch of red leaf lettuce, so that’s what I used. With the farmers’ markets having fresh greens, I’d suggest using those. Also, I think peanuts or cashews could easily be substituted for the pecans. I happened to have an open bag of pecans, so that’s why I chose them. Just remember that some nuts come with a ton of salt.

Tofu Salad

1 package firm tofu

1 bunch basil

1/8 C soy sauce

1/4 C sesame oil

3/8 C rice vinegar

2 T hot chili oil

1 bunch lettuce

6 baby carrots

1/2 C pecans

Drain tofu and cut into cubes. Place single layer in baking dish. Add chopped basil and liquids. Gently toss so all pieces of tofu are covered. Cover, marinate overnight or for several hours. Toss pieces every so often so marinade soaks in to each side of tofu.

Pour tofu mixture, including liquid, into skillet or wok on high heat. Gently stir. (Tofu may break apart a bit.) Cook until heated all the way through.

Put bite-size lettuce pieces in serving bowl. Add carrots that have been cut into matchsticks. Add chopped pecans.

If serving salad immediately and you want to serve a warm salad, pour tofu mixture over greens. If you want to serve later or a cool/room temperature salad, let tofu mixture cool.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — Before calling Tahoe home, some of us spent the night in cars or a $20/night hotel room because we only had enough money for a lift ticket.

Food Network star and restaurant owner Guy Fieri is no different – except that he is still contemplating calling the South Shore home. Living here half the year is his goal.

Guy Fieri

Growing up in Humboldt County’s Ferndale, this popular chef spent many winters trekking to Tahoe to ski at Squaw. He remembers one three-night stretch in his Datsun 280Z in a parking lot across from Heavenly.

“I love Tahoe. I have great memories as a kid skiing here,” Fieri told this reporter while he took a break from adding to the rowdiness of Hole 17 at last year’s American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament.

With Fieri’s trademark spiky bleach blond hair, armful of tattoos and his buddies’ tough-guy appearance, one would think these bad boys would be a little edgy. I’m sure it’s not the Jack and Coke they supplied this writer with that convinced her they are harmless and truly giving.

Dirty P. is Fieri’s left-hand guy, while Kletus is his right-hand dude – they are distinguishable by which arm their tattoos are on. They are part of the traveling Food Network gang, or as they say, the culinary ganstas.

Dirty P. said Fieri, who is married and has two kids, is all about giving back whenever he can. Even though the network was not filming last year, Fieri and his Kulinary Krew donated their time, gave away 500 sandwiches to the public and players; and let the Soroptimist sell hundreds more as a fundraiser.

Cooking up batches of pork on the 17th hole at Edgewood Tahoe in 2009. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Squirt bottles with Fieri’s tattoos etched on them that once had tequila or water, and aprons were tossed out to the throng gathered around the stage that looked out onto the 17th fairway.

First they had to answer various questions Dirty P. and Kletus asked. The crowd needed to know Fieri owns Johnny Garlics in Santa Rosa, Windsor and Sacramento, as well as Tex Wasabi’s in Santa Rosa and Sacramento.

After winning The Next Food Network Star competition in 2006, Fieri has become the host of four shows – Guy off the Hook, Guy’s Big Bite, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.

None of the guys professes to be much of a threat on the links. Dirty P. said think Chuck Liddell, and that’s where the cooking crew would rank.

Put a kitchen tool in these guys’ hands and they will work magic, even with the distraction of motor boats, personal watercraft and partiers strewn along the sandy shore of Lake Tahoe just a few feet from them.

Below is the recipe for the pork sandwich Fieri was serving at last year’s golf tourney. Because he was cooking it over a large vat fueled by propane for the masses, you’ll need to figure out the quantities for your taste buds and number of people you’re serving.

This year marks the 21st annual celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe – July 13-18. For info, go to www.tahoecelebritygolf.com. Fieri will be back, but not cooking. Instead, look for him to be prowling the grounds in his personal souped up golf cart.

Pork el Fuego

Pork

Bacon

White onion

Red pepper

Cherry peppers

Green onions

Cilantro

Garlic

Basil

Thyme

Oregano

Cayenne

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

White tequila

Worcestershire sauce

Havarti cheese

Ciabatta bread

Today is the last day to eat at Chevys Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe where a part of your bill   benefits Taste of Tahoe.

Taste of Tahoe is a fundraiser for the South Shore’s Relay for Life event. Relay begins Aug. 7 at Kahle Community Park in Stateline. The event raises money for the American Cancer Society.

Chevys South Lake Tahoe is a Taste of Tahoe supporter. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Chevys restaurant in the middle of South Lake Tahoe is this week’s Taste of Tahoe eatery.

A portion of the receipts from now through July 3 will go toward the local Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a nationwide phenomenon put on by the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer research.

The South Shore Relay for Life is Aug. 7-8 at Kahle Community Park in Stateline.

Mott Canyon on Lower Kingsbury Grade in Stateline is serving up burgers, cold beer and more to raise money to fight cancer.

As this week’s featured restaurant in Taste of Tahoe, the restaurant it is donating a portion of the profits to the event. Taste of Tahoe is the foodies’ way of raising money for the South Shore’s Relay for Life, which is in early August. Eat at one of the participating restaurants, which changes weekly, and know part of your check goes to fight cancer.

A turkey burger and fries at Mott Canyon fuel a hungry reporter. Photo/Austin Fay

For more information about Taste of Tahoe, click here.

Mott Canyon on Lower Kingsbury Grade is in the spotlight this week for Taste of Tahoe.

Now through June 26 the Stateline restaurant will give a portion of its proceeds to Taste of Tahoe. This event is raising money for Relay for Life, which is a nationwide fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.

The South Shore Relay is in early August at Kahle Community Park in Stateline.

By Kathryn Reed

I was often the envy of my friends when it came time for lunch – especially in high school. Mom made my lunch until I graduated. No cafeteria food for me.

One of my favorites was when the brown bag was filled with a piece of Dad’s leftover barbecued chicken. It’s been years since I’ve had a piece – such are the hazards of becoming a vegetarian. With Dad’s death in April, the chance to savor just one more bite won’t ever be possible.

I could cook some up this Father’s Day in his memory. But I won’t. I’d rather smile at the memories I have of him over the grill, peeking in the kitchen to check in with Mom to make sure the side dishes would be ready when he was.

Plus, I never did cook his chicken as well as him.

It wasn’t until talking to Mom a few days ago about the recipe that I learned she used to be the main barbecuer in the family. Dad took over the role when we moved to California in 1973. But I don’t remember Mom standing before the open flame.

Mom doesn’t remember how the famous barbecued chicken started. She thinks it could have been when we lived on the East Coast. When they were on a two-month road trip last fall they met up with longtime friends in North Carolina who cooked some of all of their favorite meals. Dad’s chicken was one of the entrees.

One of the things I loved is having the skin left on the chicken breast. A crispiness was created. I would eat it separately. The meat was so incredibly moist and juicy.

My stomach is growling.

Eventually, I started buying skinless chicken breasts. It wasn’t ever the same.

Oftentimes Dad cooked potatoes on the grill with the chicken.

Both recipes are simple, easy, and most important – yummy. Happy Father’s Day.

Dad’s Barbecued Chicken and Potatoes

Enough chicken to feed everyone at the table and to eat the next day

Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

6 medium red potatoes

Italian salad dressing

Season both sides of the chicken pieces with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. Then cook them on the barbecue until done.

Partially cook the potatoes inside – boiling works. A fork should go in slightly. Then slice them about ½-inch thick. In a Pyrex bowl toss slices in Italian salad dressing. Place slices directly onto the grill. Turn once. They don’t take long to finish cooking.

Murphy’s Irish Pub on Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe is this week’s featured restaurant for Taste of Tahoe.

Taste of Tahoe is the a tasty way to raise money for the South Shore’s Relay for Life. The Relay raises money for the American Cancer Society. The event in the first weekend of August at Kahle Community Park in Stateline.

Murphy’s Irish Pub will donate a portion of its proceeds now through June 19 to the local Relay for Life.