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Incredible Crab

Incredible Crab

Alana Sugar

My Louisiana roots give me a deep appreciation for good food and, in particular, crab. I have fond memories of eating king crab legs, crab cakes, French Cajun creamy crab bisques and spicy crab salad. Dad used to say: “Us Cajuns get mighty crabby without our crab!” 

There are two types of crab meat: lump and claw. Lump crab comes from the leg muscles. It’s the tastiest. Claw meat is the dark meat of the crab. Both are interchangeable in recipes, but as a general rule, lump meat is used in hearty crab cakes, crab cocktails and salads. It’s a pretty white color and stands well all by itself. The less expensive claw meat can be reddish-brown and is often used in mixed dishes such as soups, dips and appetizers. 

Crab can be steamed, boiled, baked and fried (I only eat fried on very special occasions though). Soft-shell crabs are eaten whole, including the shell but otherwise just the claw or leg meat is eaten... Read More

Amazing variety of alternative wines to be poured at ZinFest

Amazing variety of alternative wines to be poured at ZinFest

Planning or still thinking about coming out to Lodi ZinFest this coming Saturday, May 18 (12-5 PM at Lodi Lake Park)? One thing to take note of:  it’s not just all about Zinfandel at ZinFest.  It will also be about Albariño and Alicante, Grenache and Grenache Blanc, Barbera and Sangiovese, Merlot and Montepulciano, Tempranillo and Graciano, Souzão, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, and a dizzying host of other varietal wines and imaginative blends now being produced by Lodi’s finest. As a matter of fact, the Lodi AVA has always grown a wider range of wine grapes than any other region in.. VIEW MORE »... Read More

Strawberry patch cocktail

Strawberry patch cocktail

What's better than fresh strawberries? Fresh strawberries with rum. Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum to be exact, an exotic, strawberry-infused rum with dragon fruit. It's a great rum cocktail for enjoying on those hot summer days... Read More

Abba Vineyards grows Grenache comparable to “Pinot Noir”

Abba Vineyards grows Grenache comparable to “Pinot Noir”

Michael McCay, the owner/winemaker of McCay Cellars, believes that Lodi might have discovered “its own Pinot Noir.”  He’s thinking, however, that it may be red wines made from the Grenache grape. “There is a lot of potential for Grenache in Lodi,” says McCay.  “It may become one of the great grapes of Lodi, right up there with Zinfandel.  It’s the perfect fit for our Mediterranean climate.” Wherefore the Pinot Noir analogy?  Explains McCay, “We can make can make an incredibly elegant style of wine in Lodi because of our consistent, predictable growing season.  The sun comes up over the Sierras.. VIEW MORE »... Read More

Slushy margaritas for Cinco de Mayo

Slushy margaritas for Cinco de Mayo

Entertaining for Cinco de Mayo? Put down the overly sweet, premade margarita mix and pick up your favorite tequila. You'll need it for these slushy margaritas that are sure to please a crowd (and yourself)... Read More

Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks from May 3-12

Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks from May 3-12

As the days get warmer (hint: it's supposed to be in the 90s Friday thru Sunday in Sacramento), who doesn't love a Starbucks Frappuccino as a treat now and then? From Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 12 ALL Frappuccino..... Read More

Michael David’s annual Zinfandel growers tasting reveals east vs. west side distinctions

Michael David’s annual Zinfandel growers tasting reveals east vs. west side distinctions

Michael David Winery hosted their yearly Grower Barrel Flight Tasting for their Zinfandel growers this past April 24 and 25 at the winery’s Bare Ranch facilities This annual rite of Spring, organized Kevin Phillips –Michael David’s Vineyard Manager and VP of Operations – is put on to give the winery’s Zinfandel suppliers the opportunity to taste, and evaluate, over 60 of their own single-vineyard wine lots from the previous vintage, while the wines are still in a raw, unblemished state (without the influence of new or extended oak barrel aging).  The tasting is done “blind” – no one knows whose.. VIEW MORE »... Read More