5. Calolea Olive Oils and Vinegars: With best-in-show and best-in-class awards over the years for several of their California extra virgin olive oils, Calolea is a top-flight producer to follow. In fact, their Mission Blend was a 2011 Gold Medal Winner in the California Olive Oil Council competition. In addition to regular oils, they offer a crisp and lively Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, an Orange Olive Oil that is a blend of mandarin, blood and navel oranges, and a Garlic Olive Oil with a heady amount of the stinking rose. In fact, I used their garlic oil in a stir-fry of mixed veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, red onion, cabbage), and it elevated this simple dish to a higher plane. For the same dinner, I drizzled some of their Orange Olive Oil over my salad of mixed greens, tossed in a tablespoon of their 12-year-old White Balsamic Vinegar imported from Italy, and I effortlessly took my mundane lettuce to leafy green nirvana.  I can’t wait to try all their amazing flavors in some of my favorite recipes. Speaking of which, I wonder how their oil would do over vanilla ice cream? (They are offering  a 10% discount if you use the code MK10off on the website.)

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS FAIRE — November 25 – 27, 2011

• Thanksgiving Weekend [driving directions]
• Opens 10am, No Pets Allowed
• $4 for Adults, Children 12 and under free
• Parking $5; one free admission for each parking pass
• Free babysitting
• 2011 Gingerbread House Competition Entry Form

Mark your calendar for the 27th annual Country Christmas Faire at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley on November 25, 26, and 27. Rated as one of the top handcrafted shows in Northern California, the Country Christmas Faire features unique gifts and crafts from top artisans from across the state.

The hours are 10 am – 5 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 am – 4 pm on Sunday.

No Pets Allowed.

Exhibit buildings will be filled during the Thanksgiving weekend, giving shoppers a chance to start their holiday shopping with quality hand-made holiday items, ornaments, jewelry, wooden crafts, soaps and lotions, hand-woven baskets, stained glass, candles, beadwork, and dozens of other unique gifts.

Visitors to the Faire will enjoy strolling live entertainment, festival foods, the magical Gingerbread House exhibit, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, errand elves, and a community bon-fire. Wagon rides around the Fairgrounds will be offered; and Victorian singers, the bell ringing RiverBells, and the Sierra Symphony quartet will perform throughout the event.

Free babysitting will be offered, so parents can drop off their children while they enjoy holiday shopping.

The Country Christmas Faire begins Friday, November 25, and runs through Sunday,
November 27.

For more information, call (530) 273-6217.

HOLIDAY IN CARNEROS – NOVEMBER 19 & 20

10:00am – 4:00pm

Join us for our Annual Harvest Open House Weekend

• Wine Specials – save up to 40%
• Wood Boxes for Wine Gift Giving
• Great Pricing on Many Wines for Gifts and Your Holiday Menus

• Recipe Sampling:
• Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk and Lime-Cilantro Topping
• Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

• for more info visit www.carneroswineries.org

The 2011 Mandarin Festival will be held

November 18 – 20

Gold Country Fairground (Auburn, California)

FRIDAY SPECIAL ADMISSION $2

Saturday/Sunday $6
Seniors $4
Under 12 Free

Parking $5, some street parking available.

The Festival is a November destination in Auburn, California (northern part of the state). It is held annually the week-end before Thanksgiving.   The Festival celebrates the harvest of  locally grown Owari Satsuma Mandarin oranges in Placer County just 35 minutes north of Sacramento (the state capital).  The Mandarin orange is truly a citrus experience!

For the pleasure of the attendees, live entertainment;  hundreds of quality crafter’s; a cooking stage with demonstrations by professional chefs; a very competitive recipe contest; an area devoted to children’s activities; and Foothills citrus farmers selling their freshly harvested Mandarin oranges.

Tickets now online!

Sorry, no dogs allowed.

News

• Tickets now online
• Wikipedia on Mandarin Orange
• 5K Run information posted
• Vendor Applications now available!
• Recipe Contest Rules
• Peel and Eat Contest
• Best Placer County Mandarin Contest
• Press Release — just posted!



• Mandarin Festival a hit!
• USDA noted that 10 oz. of Placer County (California) Satsuma mandarins juice contains as much synephrine as a regular Sudafed decongestant!

Thank you Monica. I can’t wait to share your products–David and I enjoyed them so much.  We were in the Castro district of San Francisco at Easter and fell upon the market there.  I must admit that day was a wee torcherous in that we tasted the combo of lemon oil and white balsamic– I could drink it by the glass!   Right across from your booth was a vendor selling the most beautiful mixed greens with edible flowers.  As we were staying in a hotel and did not have a kitchen, we could not do any food prep.  Being cooks, that was torture. : )  We were surrounded by fabulous ingredients and heavenly bread.

Happy holidays to you all,

Colette