Saturday, August 29, 2009

Intoxicated Zodiac: astrology for your cocktail

Intoxicated Zodiac is such a fascinating concept. Gwen Sutherland Kaiser–mixologist, blogger and artist, amazing woman.

First of all, I could have talked to her for a long time, and I can't wait to talk to her again! I could ramble on about the marvelousness of Gwen all day, but I really think you should listen to the interview so you can hear what she has to say about herself.

Listen to the interview, Sat & Sun @ 4 PM PST, 7 PM EST: www.radiodentata.com/RDplayer/lunaraven/


Gwen's Tips:

*Use green liquours
*squeeze your own juice
*Talk to your bartender, how do you like your drinks?

Be sure to check out the website!

Baroscopes

Celestial Cocktail candles

Bar Ware

Friday, August 28, 2009

Luna's Pick of the Week: Redux: Coco Zen



I bought a chocolate lip balm and it was alright. Then I got my hands on a Coco Zen lip balm and discovered what I had been missing!

In so many fabulous flavors, Chocolate Chai, Chocolate Coconut, Chococlate Cappucino, Chcoolate Mint, Chocolate Orange Blossom and Chocolate Strawberry, my lips were feeling pretty good. Then I tried it: the ultimate lip scrub…cause its edible!! Oh yeah, I kid you not! And my lips have never been softer, sweeter or tastier

The best thing to do is order this: A lovely Lip Duo as it will allow you to get a great deal on the scrub and your favorite balm. Here is something else really cool: it is safe for your kids, too!

How good is this stuff really? My friend Chris was complaining about having dry lips. I, being the always prepared Aunt type, whipped my Chai Lip Balm from my pocket and presented it to him. He rubbed some on his finger, sniffed & rubbed it on his lips. This was followed by a happy smile.

So there you have it, loved by a woman who didn’t know she was craving edible lip scrub and enjoyed by a young man. A true crossover product. Even funnier? Thus far, my favorite lip balm is the Cappucino! Wonders never cease! Oh yeah and Joyce & Co are committed to using Fair Trade and Organic products, as well as being local to the San Francisco Bay Area.

So go to the website: Coco-Zen and don’t forget to follow Joyce, the one and only Coco Zen Mama on Twitter!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Moving Beyond Pastry

I love pastry and being a pastry chef. The opportunities it affords for creativity are actually endless.

Lately I find myself turning to the Dark Side, as it were, reading Julia Child and Amanda Hesser just as I have always read Emily Luchetti and David Lebovitz.

Here's the thing: the more good food you eat, the more you want to. And because you want to eat good food, you need to know about good food. So you have to expand your reading.

*sigh*

Each good meal I have makes me crave the next: the first time we had duck, that perfect burger, the first time I tasted Foie Gras, or a piece of really good chocolate.

I admit that sometimes my cooking skills are sort of stretched to the limit but that just means I have room to grow. Each new book, The United States of Argula, The Primal Feast: Food, Sex, Foraging and Love, or In the Devil's Garden is shaping what comes next for me, what I am really to try, taste, learn and love.

I am excited about what lies ahead: next I will be learning more about canning and I have already been experimening with my own flavored liquors. The world of food is an endless wonder, which I am dying to explore!

I can't wait to do some foraging and gardening, learning more about bees and teaching my family about being sustainable.

Moving beyond pastry doesn't mean I am leaving my roots, just expanding and growing them. Thanks to all the people who love food and write about it. You make the world of food more interesting, worthwhile & fun.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Esculent Desires: Chef Kami cooks!


Chef Kami Redd serves up sensual cooking classes, events and so much more! With a new cookbook and body marinades on the way, this is one chef to keep an eye on! You want to know more?

Listen to the interview, Sat & Sun @ 4 PM PST, 7 PM EST: www.radiodentata.com/RDplayer/lunaraven/

Esculent Affairs
Personal Service Specialist
Sensualistic Event Planning, Catering, & Erogenous Personal Chefs
"Experience Your Culinary Fantasy"


info@esculentaffairs.com
www.facebook.com/kami.redd
www.twitter.com/esculentdesires
pleasureprinciples.wordpress.com

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Eat Real Fest

As we get closer to Eat Real, I get more and more excited!

I have actually convinced several of my friends to attend, and @EsculentDesires is actually coming in from Vegas for it!

This, my friends, is the power of love for food!

About Eat Real: Oakland has been in need of such a festival for a long time. This is not about the elite getting to eat, this is about community and heart.

Want to see who they are partenering up with? Check it out! Eat Real partners

Do what I did to help! Volunteer

See you there!

Luna's review of POPChips

PopChips

These popped chips are very interesting. They have a texture unlike anything I have every encountered before. I have seen them in the store many times, so it was a fun experience to try them at the Fancy Food Show.

The chips are made with natural ingredients and currently come in five flavors: Original, Salt & Pepper, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Parmesan and Barbeque.

The Barbeque was hands down my favorite, as having given up flavored chips for the most part due to the additives, I was so happy to have such a tasty and healthy chip! We have really come to love the black pepper and sea salt as snack, too!

It is certainly an interesting concept, no baking, no frying….just popping. Try them for yourself and see!

www.popchips.com

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Luna's Pick of the week: Pinky Vodka

I have to admit that Pinky Vodka was a bit of a challenge for me. The flavors were not quite what I was used to. I tried it over a scoop of fresh Peach sorbet, which was delicious.



I couldn't think of a what to combine it with, so I decided to call in the big guns. The flavor is unusual, wth roses, violets and other botanicals. I went to the Ruby Room where Sascha came up with a lovely cocktail that I think compliments the vodka nicely!

Ruby Fizz

In a rocks glass over ice:

1 pt Pinky Vodka
1 pt grapefruit
simple syrup to taste
splash lime
splash grenadine
splash soda water

This is a refreshing drink with just the right amount of fizz. A votre sante!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

SF Chefs Food & Wine event review

I volunteered on Friday for the SF Chefs Food and Wine event, and what an event it was!

I started my morning by guiding people to a room where we would all get to hear about GeorgeAnne Brennan and Martin Yan's culinary journeys.

I have not yet read 'A Pig in Provence', though I now fully intend to.

It was amazing to be in the same room as Chef Yan, whose cooking show I watched every weekend, with my dad, when I was a kid.



Afterwards I got to hit the big tent, where I tried food from Lake Chalet's chef, Jared. Lake Chalet is opening in Oakland this next week, and I am really excited to taste more of the food! If this losbster deviled egg is any indication of Jared's talents, I am ready!



I loved, loved, loved Parke Ulrich of Waterbar's sweet corn soup with pickled shrimp, which had flavors that really expanded my palate's capacity.

Bi Rite Creamery was serving up Strawberry IC, but I really gotta try the Salted Caramel....

Roland Passot of La Folie was serving up (fantastic) corn mousse with bacon marinated scallops.



Mark Dommen of One Market was having fun with his crabcakes on a spoon.

Erik Hopfinger of Circa, had awesome fish tacos, Chef Eric, please forgive that lousy description, which doesn't do your dish justice!

It was a wonderful and amazing day, and there was so much more that happened, which is why there is more to come!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Wine Whore

Take one man who loves wine, one blog who will work for it and what do you get? The Wine Whore!

Randy is fun and very nice to put up with me!

This is the first of many conversations I hope to have with him and he has plenty to say on wine, stemware, bubbly, and wine pairings.

Take a listen, check out his site and a votre sante!

Luna's Kitchen Magic plays @ 4 pm EST and 7 pm PST Saturdays & Sundays