Enjoy Sizzlin Summer Selection at the Market

This Saturday, July 31st, the Coppell Farmers Market over in Coppell, TX will be hosting their second event of the summer, Sizzlin at the Market. Not only will they have lots of fresh, locally grown produce for you to enjoy, but the will also have about 40 artisan vendors there as well.

The Coppell Farmers Market focuses on seasonal and local produce and products. There are a wide range of products available for purchase. Their mission statement:

To form a relationship with local growers/producers in order to provide fresh, seasonal produce and agricultural products for our community while fostering a sense of place in Old Town Coppell.

The market opens at 8:00am and remains open until “sellout.” However, getting their early ensures you’ll get better selection. This week will be even more fun with the artist booths set up as well.

It’s a little bit of a drive to Coppell from Autumn Chase, but without traffic it would probably only take about 20 minutes. This market is definitely worth the drive!

Want to Learn to Cook?

I love to cook. I would definitely consider myself an armature foodie. Taking a cooking class or two has been on my to do list for sometime now. I just haven’t really gotten around to it. However, I recently found out that the Central Market in Plano has cooking classes. They cover all kind of ingredients and style. Classes are offered in the evening from Wednesday through Saturday. They even have children’s cooking classes!

The adult classes span a number of topics. They have sushi classes, bread making, French cuisine, even pizza! I personally really want to go take a sushi class. I think it would be a blast as I am seriously addicted to sushi.

The kids cooking classes is part of a summer cooking series. The classes are separated by age range. This week it’s focusing on peanuts and peanut butter. Kind of makes me wish I was still a kid! It is a great way to teach your kid about food and cooking with out getting your own kitchen messy.

The kids classes are all $40 a session or $280 for an 8 week series. Although, it’s probably a little late to do the 8 week series as most school’s start back in August. The adult classes are a bit pricier ranging from $45 all the way up to $75.

This would make a fun date if you and your partner both are interested in cooking. It would also be a fun girl’s night out! Have you ever taken a cooking class?

Ready, Set, EAT!

The 24th Annual Taste of Dallas kicks off today at 4:00 pm! This is easily one of my very favorite local events and something I look forward to all year. While I know Fair Park is a bit of a haul from our happy home here at Autumn Chase, it is entirely worth it! Parking is pretty easy to find and is about $10, which isn’t too bad.

This three day festival is rain or shine, which is a good thing since the weather is looking more like rain. Although on the bright side that means the temperature should be lower than the seasonal average. Just don’t forget a poncho or umbrella!

This wonderful event showcases the amazing food of Dallas. Not only will there be a wide selection of foods to sample from around town, but there will be a vast array of entertainment and shopping opportunities as well. There will be live music every day on the Gilley’s Music Stage. An artist corner so you can enjoy some artistic venture from up-and-coming Dallas artist. There will be a wonderful kids area hosted by Radio Disney.

Admission to this fabulous event is just $5 a day, kids under 12 are free. The event is on Friday from 4:00pm -12:00am, Saturday from 11:00am – 12:00am, and Sunday form 12:00 – 6:00pm.

Have you gone to Taste of Dallas before?

Summer Sides

For me, summer always means grilling and cookouts with my friends. I love a good cook out and my mom’s pasta salad is one of the most exciting parts of summer cooking. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good pasta salad or coleslaw, but pasta salad is my favorite summer side dish.  When ever I use the Autumn Chase grills I make pasta salad to go with dinner.

What is your favorite summer side dish? Go vote in our blog poll and let us know what you like to enjoy at your summer cookouts, or tell us about it down in the comments section!

2010 Liberty Fest

This weekend, in honor of Memorial Day, Farmers Branch, TX will be hosting the inaugural Liberty Fest. This two day event will start on Friday, May 28th, with the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall at the Liberty Plaza and conclude on Saturday, May 29th, an outdoor concert and fireworks. This is a family friendly festival designed to honor and remember our service men and women.

The annual Fishin’ Fun event has become a part of Liberty Fest and will take place on Friday, May 28th, from 6:30 – 9:30pm at Rawhide Creek.

The events on Saturday will include a walk through historical Farmers Branch, a grill-off, an old-fashioned carnival, a car, truck and motorcycle show and fireworks.

This should be a wonderful event for people of all ages. The event is free and parking should be plentiful. The concert and fire works are free as well; however, you will need to get a ticket beforehand. For more information and a full schedule visit FBLibertyFest.com.

Taste of Addison

This weekend, May 21 – 23, Taste of Addison will be bringing you a wide selection of food and music. There will be over sixty restaurants serving samples from their menus. There will be celebrity chef demonstrations, seminars, and exhibitions. There will also be a number of great musicians performing throughout the festival.

Weather should be lovely this weekend, so it is the perfect time for this event. Admission is $5 before 5:00 pm and $15 after 5:00 pm, children 3 and under are free. Plus there is ample, and free, parking. Animals, lawn chairs and coolers will not be allowed into the event.

This should be a great event, and is a must go if you’re a foodie. It is family friendly and is only about twenty minutes away. For more information, the restaurants involved and the musical guests visit the Taste of Addison website.

Mother’s Day Muffins

Warm muffins may be one of the best things to wake up to on a Sunday morning. So why not make mom’s day (as it is Mother’s Day) this Sunday by throwing together a batch of Banana Coconut muffins. It’s a great take on the classic banana bread; I love the addition of the coconut to the recipe. They are not only delicious, but will look lovely as a part of a little breakfast-in-bed tray and they are quite quick to make.

You can find the full Banana Coconut Muffin recipe on Epicurious. The reviewers there have a number of great suggestions on how to improve the original recipe, including trading the white sugar for brown. It’s definitely worth a quick browse before you start baking.

Do you have any big plans for Mother’s Day this weekend?

This Weekend’s Local Events

It is that time of year, the time for lots of great outdoor festivals and celebrations! There are a number of things going on this weekend. With Cinco de Mayo falling on a Wednesday this year I’m sure there will be celebrations both this weekend as well as next. If you know of any other event’s I missed please feel free to add them in the comments!

• Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd, Cottonwood Art Festival will be at Cottonwood Park in Richardson. This is a bi-annual event featuring wonderful artist, music and food. There is also a wonderful kids area and a notable juried art exhibit.
• The Four Seasons Markets are styled after European markets and opens on Saturday’s from 9am – 2pm, and Sunday’s starting in May from 10am – 3pm. It features ranchers, farmers, specialty food producers and artisanal craftsmen.
• Cinco De Mayo in the West End is Saturday, May 1st, from 11am – 11pm. There will be live music, street salsa dancing, and a number of other festive events.
• The Chefs on Fire event on Saturday, May 1st, is a collaboration between the Dallas Fire-Rescue and Texas Chefs Association to benefit the Parkland’s Burn Center. This family-friendly block party will feature local cuisine, fire safety information and the Chefs on Fire grilling competition.

Do You Watch Your Sodium Intake?

Everyone has heard by now that sodium can lead to health problems and that consuming too much salt can have its consequences. What is that magic number, how much is too much when it comes to salt? Dietary guidelines suggest that we consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day. Excessive sodium consumption is strongly linked to high blood pressure, which is a significant factor for heart disease. The bottom line with salt consumption less is more.

It is hard to avoid salt, but here are a few place’s to watch out for it:

• Be aware of high sodium items when eating out such as soy sauce and ham.
• Check the labels on processed foods you by, look for products labeled low sodium.

Simply being aware of the sodium in your food and working to cut back on your sodium intake make a big difference. Cooking Light has a wonderful article about salt consumption.

All-Time Best Recipes from Cooking Light

Cooking Light went through the last 20 years of recipes they’ve published and pulled their top recipes for our enjoyment. All of the one’s they listed look amazing (which is in part to their wonderful food stylists and photography) and I really intend to cook each and ever dish on this list. However, the dish that will be gracing my table tonight in honor of Meatless Monday is the Cavatappi.

This looks like a notable combination of pasta, beans, and spinach. I really like all of the flavors they use, although I will probably be adding some fresh parsley and cherry tomatoes. Plus, since it’s a cooking light recipe I know it’s pretty healthy!

Have you heard about the Meatless Monday movement? How often do you make vegetarian dishes?

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