Carnivale on Cedros

Can you believe it is time for the fourth and final gala of the year at the Leaping Lotus in Solana Beach? The theme for this event is Carnivale on Cedros, featuring stilt performers, acrobats, jugglers and living statues stationed in different locations along the main street of the Design District.

All of the major stores will be open, and there will be a great Carnivale atmosphere all the way down Cedros.

So mark your calendars for December 3rd, and come ready for a fun shopping party starting at 5:00 pm right through until 9 pm.

Leaping Lotus is always a great place to go for gifts, and beautiful items for your home, and there are items to suit every pocket.

Gourmet Fusion has a full range of great gift ideas. For the pet lover, take a look at our pet water bottles, cat and dog dish towels, and cattitude ceramics. We also have a great range of teas and teapots, gourmet food items, and many kitchen products that are both practical and fun.

Leaping Lotus will have live music from “Third Coast Jazz,” near the front entrance, and throughout the store vendors will be serving cookies and appetizers.

Leaping Lotus is also making donations this year to Carol’s House, the domestic violence shelter for women and children in Encinitas.

So ring in the holiday season by joining Leaping Lotus and Gourmet Fusion for the most fun shopping party of the year. You can find Gourmet Fusion on the 2nd Floor of the Leaping Lotus, 240 S. Cedros, Solana Beach.

Gourmet Fusion Spring Shopping Party at Leaping Lotus

Mark your calendars for the first party of 2009 at Leaping Lotus in the Cedros Design District, Solana Beach. On March 19th from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., Gourmet Fusion at Leaping Lotus, together with many other vendors on Cedros, will be celebrating Spring with the first shopping event of the year.

Leaping Lotus will have live music, refreshments, raffle drawings and a BBQ to get everyone in the party mood. Appetizers and wine will be served throughout the store, and Gourmet Fusion will be giving samples of our wonderful, organic chocolate Art Bars.

Leaping Lotus is a great place to find those special, hard to find gifts, and this year won the Ranch and Coast Magazine "Readers Choice, Best of ..." award in two categories for 2009 - Best Accessories store, and Best Home Accessories store - so why not spend the evening with Leaping Lotus and the Gourmet Fusion store, and have some fun while you shop?

Gourmet Fusion has many sale items, including teapots, travel tumblers, salt and pepper mills, and Cattitude. We have also expanded our range of beautiful cast iron teapots to include the new Namaste range.

If you have not visited Leaping Lotus before, now is a great time to do so. Leaping Lotus is located in the heart of the Cedros Design District, in Solana Beach, California. 21,000 square feet, with over 100 merchants and literally millions of unique items and gifts to choose from. Come see us at 240 South Cedros Ave - Solana Beach,CA 92075 858.720.8283.

Simple Retro Party Appetizer

When I was at the Winter Fancy Food show in San Diego recently, one of the seminars I went to talked about how people have less and less time available to prepare meals either for themselves or when entertaining.

At one time it was thought that as technology became more integrated with our lives we would have more leisure time, and machines would do all the work. Ha, ha! I think that this accounts for the success of this super simple appetizer that I put together for the open evening at the Leaping Lotus spring gala last week.

I wanted visitors to be able to sample some of the new Spanish pickles we have introduced to the store, and also some of the pimento olives. So I put some olives on party picks by themselves, and for variety I added a cube of Swiss cheese to the others. Within about 30 minutes all the olive and cheese picks had gone, and people were marveling at the combination of the olive flavor with the cheese.

Many bought the cans of Spanish olives which have a remarkably mild flavor compared to many I have tasted, with the express purpose of making the olive-cheese combination for their guests over the Easter weekend.

I called these a "retro" appetizer because there is something that makes you think of the sixties when you see them. I almost felt like adding some celery filled with cream cheese and sprinkled with paprika to complete the picture. They would definitely be great with a glass of Babycham!

Fondues

Fondues are definitely back in style. Whether its traditional, innovative, or simply retro, the fondue has made a welcome return to the dinner party scene.

The latest issue of Food and Wine Magazine even has a retro cheese fondue on its front cover for its New Year's eve dinner.

The fondue originated in Switzerland many centuries ago, and it is now, in fact, the country's national dish. This happened mainly because of the harsh winters in the Alpine mountains which meant that many villages were cut off for months at a time and food supplies were limited. The only readily available ingredients in many areas were cheese, wine, and bread. As the long winter continued, the cheese began to dry out, and the cheese fondue with the addition of wine and kirsch was born. The original Swiss fondue came from the region of Neuchatel and was made with Gruyere and Emmentaler cheese. Other villages soon adopted the dish and created their own versions, using local cheese and produce.

The recipe below is for the traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue.

Ingredients (serves 4)
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes

• 1 garlic clove
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• 2 cups grated Emmentaler cheese
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons Kirsch
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Method

1. Cut the garlic clove, then rub it around the inside of the fondue pot.
2. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, and place over the lit burner.
3. Gradually add the cheeses, stirring throughout until completely melted.
4. When the cheese has melted and begins to bubble, blend the cornstarch with the kirsch and stir into the pot.
5. If the fondue becomes too thick, add a little extra warmed wine; if it is too thin, add a little extra cornstarch, blended with a small amount of water.
   
6. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
   
7. Add remaining ingredients to taste.

Serve with a green salad, or fruit such as pears, apples and grapes. Salami, mixed pickles and prosciutto also work well.

Christmas Crackers

If, like me, you have ever celebrated Christmas in England, you will know that Christmas crackers are an essential part of the holiday festivities. So, in great British tradition, we have included some in both our online and Solana Beach store.

What exactly are Christmas crackers? Apparently, they date back to Victorian Britain when a confectioner started selling sugared almonds, each with a motto and wrapped in a twisted paper package, as love tokens.

One day a jet of resin from the confectioner's log fire burst into flame with a loud crack. He decided to use this idea and make a log shaped package that would produce a surprise bang and inside would be an almond and a motto (not unlike a fortune cookie). This soon became a favorite at parties, and gradually toys and hats were added to each "cracker". By the end of the century it was well established as a traditional holiday custom and now each year many households in the UK have at least one box of party crackers to pull at meal times, parties and family gatherings over the holiday season.

In recent years, they have become ice breakers at all types of parties, dinner parties, weddings and celebrations. Why not try a box at this year's holiday get together - you will be surprised at how the donning of a paper hat can transform the most quiet person in the office to the talkative person you didn't know existed.

A selection of Christmas and Holiday crackers can be found at the the Gourmet Fusion store, and are great for Christmas, New Year, and any other holiday celebration. The English themed ones are especially fun, and include novelty gifts of a London bus, red telephone box, taxi cab, and many other great British institutions.