There’s nothing big featured at FRANK Gallery this month. The gallery drew the line at 20 inches for its featured show, Small Wonders, which runs through Jan. 9.
Author: webstaff
SPOTLIGHT: A Trekky Christmas
Trekky Records will welcome a very special guest to its Dec. 16 Christmas at the Cradle show – legendary local jangle/power-pop band The dB’s. The lads will join an impressive array of North Carolina performers for this fifth-annual gala to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an event that’s already well established as a Yuletide classic.
A show dedicated to the importance of trees with a book to match opens during the 2ndFriday Artwalk with an event at The ArtsCenter on Dec. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. The book and show by the Paintbrush Forest collective – a mix of 30 local emerging and established artists – will raise funds for the Haw River Assembly. The project was funded by the Orange County Arts Commission.
Holiday Trolley Tour Friday Dec 10th
Eastgate, Womancraft and FRANK Gallery have teamed up to run a holiday trolley between the Franklin Street gallery and Eastgate Shopping Center, the home of Womancraft, on Dec. 10 during openings and meet-the-artist events at both locations. Four loops this evening, along with refreshments at each stop, are planned, starting at Eastgate at 6 p.m.
SPOTLIGHT on the holidays
As if your dance card isn’t already booked solid with shopping mayhem, visiting kinfolk and leafing through the L.L. Bean catalog, The Citizen hereby offers a rundown of save-the-dates for this year’s holiday season. Topping the list, of course, is the annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Look for The Heelraiser, Santa, doggie drill teams and plenty of marching musicians. The route runs through downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro, offering plenty of room to set up camp and enjoy some hometown fun. This year, the entire parade will be broadcast on The People’s Channel.
Conjuring a What-If world
By Vicky Dickson
“I feel children’s fiction is the most important fiction written,†says John Claude Bemis, “and the most entertaining.â€
This week’s Market recipe
Light Summer Pizza
Recipe Provided by: Market Customer, Sacha Knowles
I tried this one at home with an easy white flour tortilla crust. You could of course make your own dough, but the tortilla works great. I get the great big tortillas. Have fun with the toppings. I’ve used cooked corn, fried okra, fried eggplant, peppers, and other toppings when I want to make bigger pizzas. This is a simple and light summer version. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 large head of Garlic (minced)
2 large onions or 4 small onions (chopped)
1 Tablespoon of honey
6-7 tomatoes (Chopped) *I used a collection of heirloom tomatoes because I had them, but paste tomatoes work great
4 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Small bag of fresh basil (chopped or whole)
3 large flour tortillas (the bags usually contain 12 tortillas)
Salt and pepper to taste
Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onions in olive oil and be careful not to burn them. Add about a tablespoon of honey and cook until onions are clear. Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer for about an hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
Coat both sides of the tortillas in fine olive oil. Broil each side in the oven until the tortilla is lightly toasted (about a minute or less on each side). The tortilla will balloon out and rise. Take out of the oven and pop the air bubbles to regain a flat surface. Spoon the sauce overtop the tortillas and cover with cheese.  Stick back in the oven on broil just long enough to melt the cheese. Top with fresh whole or chopped basil. Take out of the oven and drizzle the surface of the pizza with a little olive oil and salt. Serve hot.
* Ingredients Available at Market
New Broadcasting Tower
It’s a big day for WXYC today; the University radio station just switched broadcasting towers. The new tower is located in Chatham county and now provides 1200 watts where the old was only 400. I tuned in just after the switch to catch the dj on air play by request, appropriately, Radio Silence by Thomas Dolby from the release The Golden Age of Wireless. Congratulations WXYC!
Lunchtime in Carrboro
At the split where Main Street becomes Rosemary, tucked just behind the new coffee shop Jessee’s, is Carrburritos. Despite its small size, I was able to park in the parking lot. Inside you walk up to a counter, much like a cafeteria. The atmosphere is cheery, with bright yellow stucco walls adorned with large colorful acrylics. (In the hallway immediately preceding the restaurant door are featured local paintings.) All the indoor tables are covered in festive oilcloth, lending a South American feel to the joint. Ordering takes only a couple minutes; Mike Ellis of the Reservoir made me a delicious burrito with carne deshebrada, black beans, lettuce, cheese and salsa. All orders come with chips (made there) and your choice of six salsas, all made in house. I asked for the Frutas, which is a citrusy blend of tomatoes, pineapple and red onion.
If you have, as I do, a screaming baby, you may opt to sit on the patio outside. There, amidst the foliage and the quiet burble of a fountain, she can scream to her heart’s content. There are eight tables outside and plenty of shade. It’s also enclosed and looks out onto the Main Street side, through a wrought iron door with a metal cut out of Carrburritos. Lunch with a sweet tea (not toothachingly sweet) doesn’t come cheap at 8.14 plus a dollar tip, but the portions are large and can easily be split in two. Treat a coworker!
Check out the menu online at http://www.carrburritos.com/menu.htm.
Recipe of the Week: Tomato Jam
Recipe Provided by April McGregor: Market Vendor and Owner of Farmers’ Daughter Brand.
Yields about 2 pints
This is a thick and glossy tomato preserve that is like a grown up, very sophisticated version of ketchup. It is delicious on bread, cheese, roasted chicken, meat, and fish, okra fritters, and beans or peas. This recipe is adapted from my great grandmother’s, who never served field peas (usually purple hull peas) and cornbread without it. You can make this jam with virtually any type of tomato, even green (unripe) tomatoes. The juicier heirloom and beefsteak type tomatoes will take longer to cook down than less watery tomatoes, like Romas or other paste tomatoes.
3 ½ pounds of tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 cup sugar (I have used unrefined sugar with good results)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed
¼ teaspoon ground celery seed
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
A big pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne, or to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
I prefer my tomatoes peeled, but if you don’t mind a slightly more rustic preserve, feel free to skip the first step. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score an “X†on the bottom of each tomato. When the water is at a steady boil, drop in the tomatoes, being careful not to overcrowd your pot, and cook for one minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer your tomatoes to a rimmed baking tray or other container. Let them cool slightly and then slip off the skins. Core them and crush them with your fingers as you transfer them to a wide saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer rapidly for about 10 minutes to reduce the excess juices. Add the salt, sugar, spices, and lemon juice. Cook the jam over medium low heat, watching carefully and gently stirring regularly, so that it does not scorch on the bottom, until thick and glossy. That should take about 1 hour depending on the variety of tomato that you’ve chosen. You can then transfer the jam to sterilized jars and water bath can them for longer keeping or simply refrigerate for several weeks.
Check out what’s at the Carrboro Year Round Farmers’ Market…
Saturdays: 7am – Noon
Wednesdays: 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Thursdays at Southern Village: 3:30pm – 6:30pm
New Item this Week: PEARS, butternut squash, concord grapes, apples, peaches, plums, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, melons, corn, heirloom and various varieties of tomatoes, basil, beans, tomatillos, okra, peaches, blueberries, carrots, snow peas, parsley, bell peppers, zucchini, fava beans, cucumbers, summer squash, new potatoes, kohlrabi, lettuce, chard, onions, flour, onions, garlic, beets, cabbage, radishes, collards, fresh herbs, kale, mustard greens, salad greens, sweet potatoes, turnips, squashes, pecans, herb and vegetable starters, flowers such as zinnias, sunflowers, lilies, gladiolas, snap dragons, status, meats like goat, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, buffalo, and various specialty meats like liverwurst, bologna, hotdogs, etc, cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses, eggs, breads, doughnuts, tortes, pies, cakes, jams, and relishes .