RecipeMuncher

Say hello to the little green fairy with an Absinthe dinner at Morton’s, or do something good with your money and help the Tap Project get clean water to millions of children around the world by paying for water in select restaurants or attending any number of events this weekend. Plus, there are plenty of wine tastings and dinners going on this weekend to please every grape lovers palate. And finally, explore the flavors of extra virgin olive oil with a tasting hosted by Neal Fraser of Grace.

March 20 - Absinthe, The Green Hour @ Morton’s
Burbank (6pm)
Morton’s The Steakhouse in Burbank is hosting an “Absinthe, The Green Hour” tasting to give guests a chance to experience Pernod Absinthe. Pernod gained notoriety in the 19th century as artists, poets and writers and patrons of Paris cafés popularized the pleasures of absinthe, which was often called the “Green Fairy” in part to its characteristic green color. Priced at $45 per person, this event will be hosted in Morton’s private boardroom and will feature three Pernod Absinthe cocktails and Pernod Absinthe served in the traditional ritual. Guests will also enjoy oysters Rockefeller made with absinthe, crab-stuffed mushrooms, sliced tenderloin on crostini and Morton’s miniature cheeseburgers. A Pernod Absinthe expert will guide guests through the tasting event and each guest will receive a complimentary gift. Call 818-238-0424 for reservations.

March 20-22 - Paso Robles Zin Festival
Paso Robles
If your down for a beautiful drive up the 101 this weekend you’ll be rewarded at the end of your trip with lots of great wine.The Zinfandel Festival is made up of three events, the RESERVE event on Friday evening and the Wine Country Auction and Zinfandel Grand Tasting on Saturday evening. A portion of the proceeds from the Zinfandel Festival will be donated to causes benefiting health, education and community services for the vineyard worker population in the local community. Prices vary at the different wineries, but you can buy tickets in advance for the Reserve and Grand Tasting events.

March 21-22 - LA TAP Project Kick-off
Santa Monica & Hollywood
The TAP Project kicks off in LA on Saturday with the Tap With A Beat event at the Ikeda Auditorium in Santa Monica from 3-5:30pm. Featuring Orlando Bloom, Alyson Stoner, Teo Olivares, Quincy Brown, Miki Ishikawa along with a raffle of select items from the celebrities and performers. Great event for the kids, and tickets are only $10. Then on Sunday, a little something for the adults. DJ Alex Merrell, DJ Roundhouse, DJ Frank Dizzle, DJ Hideo & DJ Tony Jr. will be at Bardot at the Avalon for the Blue Party. Tickets for this are only $10 and can be purchased online. Donate at various restaurants around town or join in on the fun online at Tap Project Radio starting at 9am on Sunday.

March 21 - Exploring the Flavors of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Los Angeles (12-4:15pm)
Iron Chef winner Neal Fraser of Grace Restaurant and ECCM are pleased to invite you to a special olive oil education and tasting workshop. The science of sensory assessment of olive oil; How to taste olive oil; How to identify defects in olive oil; Health benefits of good quality olive oil; Cooking with olive oil; Tasting comparisons with fresh mozzarella and vinaigrette. Cost: $100 per person, $85 for Slow Food Members and patients of the Eastern Center for Complementary Medicine. Contact information: (323) 551-5962 christine@herbalroom.com

March 21 - Aussie Wines @ Mel & Rose
Los Angeles (5-7pm)
Discover the unique qualities of the Australian region and compare the interesting range of these wines. Their main focus is on small production vineyards with affordable prices. Choose from red, whites or both. The idea is to relax, taste and enjoy the wines featured that day with some cheese. Wine and entertaining are nearly inseparable. The tasting is $15, for more info check out their web site.

March 21 - Spring Wine Fest at Mr Marcel
Los Angeles (1-5pm)
Come taste the season’s newest wines and beers featured at the World Famous Farmers Market. Wine and cheese will be provided by Monsieur Marcel and other featured beer and wine bars from the Market. The event takes place on the upper dining deck and tickets are $15 presell or $20 at the door. Call 323-939-7792 or visit the Market to purchase your tickets.

March 22 - Wine Class @ Riva
Santa Monica (1-3pm)
Starting February 21, 2009, Riva, Santa Monica’s newest neighborhood dining destination for seasonal coastal Italian cuisine, will host a series of monthly Italian wine education classes for $65 per person including food pairings. Executive Chef Jason Travi will complement each wine tasting with generous food pairings featuring his boldly flavored dishes inspired by the rustic cuisine of the Italian coastline using the highest quality of ingredients found at the neighboring Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. More info at SocialDomain.

Join Planned Parenthood at this once-a-year event to sample food and drink from the city’s premier restaurants, wineries, caterers, and beverage purveyors. Enjoy arrangements from the city’s finest florists. Shop for unique gifts. Participate in the Silent Auction featuring vacation packages, entertainment and sporting event tickets, gift certificates and much more. In its 29th year, the Food Fare raises funds for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles which provides vital health care an education services for over 58,000 people.

Started in 1979 with a cooking demonstration by Julia Child, Food Fare has become the oldest and most celebrated culinary event in Los Angeles. Food Fare 2009 offers guests a unique opportunity to sample the finest food and drink that the city has to offer. Some of the participating restaurants include: A.O.C., Ammo, Border Grill, Clementine, Lucques and Drago. Famed Los Angeles chefs Suzanne Goin of Lucques and AOC, Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza/ Pizzeria Mozza, and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (otherwise known as “The Food Dudes”) of Animal, will be at the event signing their cookbooks from 11:30 am -1:30 pm.

Taking place on Thursday March 12, advance tickets for Food Fare are $125 for the daytime session (10:30 am to 2:00 pm) and $175 for the evening session (6 pm to 9:30 pm). Tickets can be purchased at the door for $150 for the daytime session and $200 for the evening session. Tickets are available online at www.pplafoodfare.com or by calling (310) 395-0098.

Welcome to the (almost) weekend. We’re kicking it off a little early this week in honor of the 2009 LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival on Thursday. Then, after a few hours of celluloid laughs, check out the live performance at the Naked Musical Review. Please no touching the actors. If music is more your thang, check out a live performance by Fool’s Gold and BLK JKS at the Natural History Museum. There’s also discount tickets to a spa event, live horse racing, an Irish fair, coking classes, and the first ever, Gold Standard event by LA Weekly. Enjoy your weekend!

March 5-8 - LA Comedy Shorts 2009 Film Festival
Downtown Los Angeles (times vary)
Taking place at the Downtown Independent Theater, the 2009 L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival is a four-day, non-stop celebration of comedic short films, held March 5-8, 2009 in Los Angeles. The focus of the festival is to introduce the newest and hottest comedic talent to the industry and audience in a fun-packed weekend of screenings, parties, industry panels, and a star-studded red carpet awards event, sponsored by The ONION. Price is $10 for a 90 min block of shorts or $99 for an all access pass. More info on the LA Comedy Shorts Website.

March 6 - 8 - Hangin’ Out, a Naked Musical Review
West Hollywood (8pm)
Not since Naked Boys Singing!, Oh! Calcutta or Adam and Eve has there been such a celebration of the human body. Three men and three women perform naked in a hilarious new musical revue, exploring different aspects of nudity in song and dance. Get discount tickets at Goldstar for $17.50.

March 6 - First Fridays at the Natural History Museum
Los Angeles (7-10pm)
Enjoy live music at the Natural History Museum with Fool’s Gold and BLK JKS. Get there early for a lecture on “Finding Your Inner Fish” with Dr. Neil Shubin. He’ll guide guests through the discovery of a key link between fish and amphibians, and how this ancient event informs the basic structure of the human body.

March 7 - Santa Anita Handicap (The Big ‘Cap)
Santa Anita (12pm)
It’s time for The Big ‘Cap at Santa Anita. A $1 million purse (the richest annual race held at Santa Anita). Enjoy a full day of racing in the historic Santa Anita Park. It’s the 72nd running of the race and famous horses who have won include Seabiscuit, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, John Henry and Lava Man. Not to mention all fans through the gates receive a FREE Santa Anita logo tote bag. Admission is $5 bucks.

March 7 - Pamper Me Fabulous
Downtown Los Angeles (12pm)
The March 7th event at the Vibiana in Downtown Los Angeles gives fabulous, successful women the opportunity to get the red carpet treatment. More than 15 top-notch spas and salons-to-the-stars will offer Pamper Me Fabulous guests mini spa treatments and dish beauty advice: lash extensions from Makeup Mandy, manicures from Bellacures, or a style and blow dry from Salon Chameleon, to name a few. Purchase tickets at PamperMeFabulous.com. Enter discount code “Dig” and get 10 percent off the ticket price!

March 7-8 - Los Angeles County Irish Fair & Music Festival
Pomona Fairplex (10am-6pm)
Celebrating its 6th year, The Irish Fair & Music Festival has become the largest festival of its kind in Southern California. With 9 stages featuring true Irish music from the likes of Gaelic Storm, Skelpin’, The Mulligans, Diane the Bard, and many more. General admission is $16, children under 11 are free. More info on the website.

March 8 - Providence Cooking Class Series: Shellfish and Crustaceans
Los Angeles (11am-1:30pm)
If eating fish is more your thing, Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence will demonstrate recipes and dispense his wisdom on the selection and preparation of shellfish and crustaceans. All classes will be presented in the kitchen, with tasting portions served in the dining room for you to taste. Providence Sommelier, Drew Langley will present wine suggestions for the prepared dishes

March 8 - Girls-Only Cooking School: Cake Baking
Downtown Los Angeles (4pm)
Aphrodisiac food “sexpert” and cookbook author Amy Reiley (Fork Me, Spoon Me) and Kiss My Bundt bakery founder Chrysta Wilson lead an intimate, girls-only food and wine event dedicated to the art of baking cakes. The hands-on event includes a demo and tasting featuring four unique cake recipes paired with some of the instructors’ favorite “chick wines.” Get discount tickets at Goldstar for $40.

March 8 - LA Weekly Gold Standard
Los Angeles (3-7pm)
LA Weekly presents the first annual Gold Standard Food Event. A selection of LA’s top restaurants selected by Pulitzer Prize winning LA Weekly Food Critic, Jonathan Gold. Enjoy food samples from 30 hand picked restuarants. Tickets still available for $60.

And me without a new banner!  I should probably do something to remedy that, huh?

So I am involved in a challenge this month. No spending! What do you think, could you do it? One of the hard things for me will be magazines. I’ll keep you updated on how I’m doing.

Your goal, should you choose to accept it, is to avoid spending money on ANYTHING in March other than the absolute essentials for your work, education or survival. Let’s see how little you can spend. Obviously there will be some things you cannot avoid, such as basic food and prior bills but apart from that your mission is to make sure you don’t buy anything that is not essential.

Just for clarification, this month you should NOT be buying:-

Takeaway food of any sort
Lollies or chips
Dips
Soft drinks
Magazines
Books
Frozen dinners
Movies or videos
Fancy brands
Bought cakes
Pre-made food
Ice cream
Clothing
Beauty products
Alcohol

Yes, we know it’s harsh, but look at that list. How many of those things do you currently buy each month? Imagine how much you would save by not buying them for a month. Imagine how much headway you could make. Imagine all the things you could do to get ahead financially if you managed to keep all that money in your bank instead of automatically handing it over to shopkeepers for things you don’t need. You could use it to pay off a credit card. You could pay some extra off the mortgage and save yourself some interest. You could use it to create an emergency fund to bring a little extra peace of mind. You could use it for a reward or holiday for your family. Put like that, isn’t it worth the effort for a few short weeks?

Things you CAN spend money on:-

Rent or mortgage
Basic food
Utilities
Insurance
Petrol
Car
Health care
School essentials (meaning uniform, camps or stationery requirements, NOT money for the canteen!)
Other prior bills (we don’t want you incurring late fees!)

Happy Monday! Happy March!

Now my life has settled down a bit, I’m thinking more about my tummy. It’s flatter than it used to be, thanks to all that stress. So I’d like to keep it that way (the tummy, not the stress, thank you).

Here’s what I’m eating this week:
Kangaroo steak with peas and broccoli
Roast vegetables with white beans
Stirfry veggies with noodles (more veggies than noodles)
Steak and salad

Good luck with your week!