Dr. Maya Angelou, global renaissance woman, will be speaking in Santa Barbara, California Sept. 9 at the Arlington Theater

Pulse Production will be presenting an “Evening with Dr. Angelou.” Michael Horne of Pulse Productions, who has presented Dr. Angelou to audiences over the years, says audiences enjoy Maya’s talks which are always uplifting and inspiring and the topics a delightful surprise.

As a journalist/author, home cook and host of RomancingTheTable.com, which celebrates life, love, food, travel and wisdom at the table, I was so happy when I discovered among Dr. Angelou’s many accomplishments that she can also be found in the kitchen cooking or at the table serving up meals made with love.

Her first food-related book Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a delicious collection with stories and recipes that includes stories from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, the first night in her new home in Sonoma, California and the first time she invited M. F. K. Fisher over for dinner and served a cassoulet.

Maya's latest book, "Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart"

Her second book Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart was inspired by Dr. Angelou’s desire to become healthier. By using portion control of “good food, well made and eaten in moderation” she experienced a dramatic weight loss and her book includes recipes she hopes the reader will find “to be delicious and fulfilling.” Dr. Angelou will also be hosting a Food-related TV show on the Hallmark Channel that will air this spring.

Just recently I was re-reading Dr. Angelou’s first food book Hallelujah! The Welcome Table and was touched by the story of how she began experimenting with vegetarian meals when Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson (singer/songwriters of some of Motown’s biggest hits) first came to visit her in North Carolina. Dr. Angelou said “Ashford and Simpson” were a “bright beautiful couple with gentle personalities” that won her heart and inspired Dr. Angelou to create several vegetarian recipes because Nick was a vegetarian. In her book, Dr. Angelou includes the recipes she made for the couple such as a tomato soufflé, a Moroccan stew, a mixed salad with feta and raisins and a salad made with romaine lettuce and avocado that she named the Ashford Salad – because Nick loved it so much.

Only days after rereading Dr. Angelou’s first book and the Ashford Salad recipe I felt sad after hearing that Nicholas Ashford had passed away at age 70. Dr. Angelou said in a recent interview by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, that Nicholas was like a son to her and she had just spent the last 36 hours holding his wife Valerie’s hand. On Dr. Angelou’s facebook page she wrote “If Nicholas Ashford had lived as long as we wanted him to, he would have attained kingship. As he did live, he was prince; a courtly, generous, kind, gracious prince.”

After I heard the news I decided I would make the Ashford salad. And so I did. Before I shared the salad with my husband Jim, I said a prayer in of honor Nicholas, his wife Valerie and Maya.

My husband and I enjoy having a salad each day, especially our Greek horiatiki (villager) salad that we began eating during our courtship. We found Dr. Agnelou’s Ashford salad to be a delicious combination of flavors and we especially enjoyed the way the mashed avocado adds texture and coats the romaine lettuce. Below is the recipe. *When I made the salad I omitted the sugar and vinegar and made it with some extra lemon juice.

Delicious Ashford salad recipe I made from Maya Angelou's Hallelujah! The Welcome Table book

ASHFORD SALAD ’96
From The Hallelujah! Welcome Table by Maya Angelou.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, with tough outer leaves removed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar *
1 tablespoon of sugar*
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 large English cucumber, sliced

Directions:
Wash lettuce, dry, wrap in paper towels and put in refrigerator. Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and garlic in a large salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mash avocado with potato masher, and mix with ingredients in salad bowl. Mix in tomato and cucumber. Break lettuce into large pieces and toss into salad bowl. Mix vigorously with salad tongs until each lettuce leaf has been flavored with dressing. Enjoy!

Tickets for an evening with Dr. Maya Angelou are available at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara, California and at ticketmaster.com or the Arlington Box office 805-963-4408.
For more info about Dr. Angelou you can visit her website at www.mayaangelou.com

I drove down from Santa Barbara, California to Orange County for a premiere party for the 2nd Great Food Truck Race that is airing Sunday nights at 9/8c on the Food Network. This second season has special meaning to me because my little sister Nicole is on the Seabirds Food Truck from Costa Mesa, California. They are an all girl vegan food truck serving up delicious organic vegan food and lots of girl power! The team is made up of Seabirds owner/chef Stephanie Morgan, raw vegan chef Raya Belna and my sister Nicole.

The Seabirds Food Truck women (L to R, owner Stephanie Morgan, Caroline, Raya Belna, my sister Nicole Daddona) and I (Cynthia Daddona, last on right) at the CA Premiere of the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race." The men of The Lime Truck are (L to R) Jason Quinn, Jesse Brockman and owner Daniel Shemtob.

Cynthia Daddona (right) with sister Nicole Daddona (member of The Seabirds Food Truck) pose with the truck at the Premiere Party for the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race."

The premiere party took place at the So Cal eco-mall and was hosted by The Lime Truck – another popular California food truck on the series that is from Irvine, California. The Lime Truck’s team is owner Daniel Shemtob, along with Jason Quinn and Jesse Brockman who are known for serving up tasty gourmet food.

Food montage featuring delicious dishes from the Seabirds Food Truck and the Lime Food Truck (both participants in the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race.")

At the premiere we enjoyed sampling the food from the two trucks. From the Seabird Food Truck we had the delicious and organic tomato/watermelon salad with almond feta (dairy free), a vegan quesadilla, grilled asparagus and a vegan and raw food chocolate cupcake that was also gluten-free. It was a decadent delight! My husband also ordered the Lime Truck’s gourmet cuisine, namely, its popular Yum, Yum lamb – ground lamb and 10-hour cooked pork served with guacamole, Cotija cheese and fries that were also quite good.

It was a fun time had by everyone who enjoyed eating the delectables from the two food trucks, meeting the personalities and watching the show together while cheering whenever the Orange County trucks appeared on Great Food Truck Race.

Sisters Cynthia Daddona (RomancingTheTable.com) & illustrator/artist Nicole Daddona (member of the Seabirds Food Truck) pose on the red carpet at the Premiere Party for the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race."

Eating healthy and delicious food is a joyful topic between my sis and I that comes from growing up in an ethnic family who loves to eat! So when Nicole comes to visit us in Santa Barbara it is great fun for me to create recipes with options – that includes Mediterranean for my husband and I and vegan for Nicole. When I returned from my visit to the Mediterranean where they love to savor times at the table, I was inspired to create RomancingTheTable.com which celebrates life, love, food, travel, wisdom and romance. I’m also married to an American-Greek who loves to eat and lucky for him I love cooking and creating happy, delicious and healthy times at the table. Best of all I love having Nicole assist me in the kitchen while we chat about life and celebrate our culinary sister connection. I was so glad to be with her on her special night.

The Great Food Truck Race is an entertaining and fun foodie series that will leave you hungering for more episodes each week. The series began last week and will continue until a winner is selected from the 8 trucks that compete against each other in different cities. The truck with the lowest amount of food sales is eliminated each week and the grand prize winner receives $100,000. The trucks competing this year are The Seabirds Food Truck, The Lime Truck, Café Con Leche, Hodge Podge, Korilla, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Devilicious and Sky’s Gourmet Tacos. You can read more about the trucks on the Food Network website.

So tune in to the Food Network on Sunday nights at 9/8c.

Outdoor whirlpool & fireplace at Hadsten House Inn & Spa

My husband James & I enjoying the Inn's outdoor fireplace

Hadsten House Spa Suite Room

Romantic Spa Suite Whirpool for Two

At the Hadsten House Inn & Spa affordable doesn’t have to mean without luxury. Whether you are a searching for an affordable staycation where you vacation locally or you are traveling from out of town to visit the beautiful Santa Barbara wine country/Santa Ynez Valley of California – The Hadsten House Inn & Spa is delightful destination/staycation.

After noticing an ad in the newspaper that the Hadsten House Inn & Spa in nearby Solvang was offering specials, I did further research. Their special one-night dinner package included lodging, dinner for two at their restaurant, wine and cheese in the afternoon and a buffet breakfast ($189 during the week and $259.00 on a weekend (double occupancy). I also discovered that the Hadsten House Inn was a former motel that underwent a year long renovation to transform it into what their website describes as a “luxury boutique lodging destination.”

Since my husband James and I had many “home dinner dates” and we had just completed major work projects, we thought an “extended date night” getaway at the Hadsten House Inn would be ideal.

My husband and I always look forward to our weekly date nights. On Sunday, we sit down for 10 minutes to discuss the activities of the upcoming week and to schedule our mid-week together time and our weekly date night. Each week, we alternate who plans the date night. The person in charge either makes dinner or makes a reservation and also selects the entertainment. We make sure to discuss the ideas with each other to make sure we’ll both enjoy the plans. Many of our date nights are home dates of a delicious home-cooked meal and movie. Staying in allows us to save up our money for dinner out and/or buy tickets to a film festival, concert, play or an overnight getaway.

We both agreed an overnight date night would be a great idea. Since it was my turn to plan, I made the reservations and we were soon in the car enjoying the thirty-mile drive from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley – a scenic route of landscapes reminiscent of the old west.

The Hadsten House Inn & Spa is located in Solvang, which is a European Village in the heart of Santa Barbara’s wine country. The climate and location is great for outdoor activities from strolling to cycling to visiting the nearby wineries, many who offer discounts to the Hadsten House guests.

Once we arrived at the Inn, we took a tour of the property that included a day spa for massage, an indoor pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi area with cozy seating by two fireplaces and a delicious restaurant.

We were pleased with our spa suite room that included a decorative fireplace and a Sanijet Jacuzzi that had plenty of space for two (The spa suite upgrade costs an extra $50 and is well worth it.) Our European style bedroom included French furnishings, a luxurious and comfy custom bed with high thread count sheets, and a second decorative fireplace that produced glowing flames with a flick of a switch. The interior design touches also included crown molding and a stylish armoire.

Enjoying our delicious date night dinner during our stay at the Hadsten House Inn & Spa

Since James and I were in much need of some down time together, we decided to relax on site by enjoying the restaurant and in room spa. We found the in-room Jacuzzi to be a wonderful way to relax together. For our one night package, we received dining vouchers, which listed a nice selection of California-Mediterranean appetizers, entrees and desserts included in the package. You are free to substitute other entrees on the menu for an extra $10 (The menu can be viewed at www.HadstenHouse.com).

Hadsten House Restaurant

My husband enjoyed the pork chops cooked to perfection and served with an apricot and fig chutney, roasted potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus. James said the pork chops were some of the best he had ever tasted. The house salad of chopped greens, chopped tomato and cucumber with goat cheese had a delicious twist of a creamy sherry dressing. For dessert, James ordered the bananas foster which came in a puff pastry with fresh bananas and strawberries. Since I have a wheat gluten allergy, I asked for a fruit salad. The chef created a layered fruit and whipped cream parfait. James and I found both desserts to be amazing. All of our menu selections were offered in the dinner package.

Delicious Banana Foster

If you’d like more ideas on romantic getaways, tips and delicious date night recipes, sign up for my e-newsletter on the homepage of RomancingTheTable.com and you will also receive downloadable bonuses that include my date night scheduler and 12 tips for happier times at the table.

For more information on the Hadsten House Inn & Spa go to HadstenHouse.com. As of this writing the specials included our one-night dinner package, a two-night spa package, a wine country getaway and a two-night golf package. They also offer AAA & AARP midweek pricing.

–Cynthia Daddona

Me (Cynthia Daddona – Romancing the Table host) enjoying the bountiful California harvest at Fairview Gardens

Theo Stephan, Founder and Owner Global Gardens Los Olivios, CA & www.oliverevolution.com with her lovely daughters

Looking for ways to enjoy more love, romance, joy, happiness and healthy, love infused food at the table? Want to feel and feast like a god and goddess and still look and feel healthy? Listen in to my show Romancing the Table ™ with Modern Day Goddess: a celebration of life love and food. This fun, inspiring, informative show explores key ingredients that nurture and delight the palette, heart and soul. It airs on the voiceamerica network which you can access from a direct link from my website homepage www.moderndaygoddess.com. Just click on the listen to Cynthia on Voiceamerica icon to hear the show which airs Thursdays 4 to 5pm (Pacific) 7pm Eastern. You can also hear replays anytime after its aired in the archived section of the show. This week I am celebrating the delicious and healthy harvest, especially since I live in Mediterranean like Santa Barbara, CA. I feel so blessed to live in California and especially beautiful Santa Barbara I decided to celebrate my local farmers and food artisans.

This week I interview Theo Stephan, founder and owner of Global Gardens & www.oliverevolution.com an organic gourmet food products & organic olive oil mail order company and only food tasting room in Santa Ynez wine country located in Los Olivios, CA and Sam Edelman, Gen. Manager of the Santa Barbara, CA Certified Farmers Market Association (www.sbfarmersmarket.org) & Tiffany Cooper, Education Director from Fairview Gardens – the center for Urban Agriculture (www.fairviewgardens.org) on buying local fresh produce. Both Theo and Tiffany also talk about how to have fun cooking with kids. Tune in for a healthy harvest celebration you can share with your loved ones wherever you live.
Here are some recipes from the show.

This Mediterranean PENNE PASTA recipe is from Theo Stephan who is of Greek heritage (www.oliverevolution) She is the founder & owner of Global Gardens, Los Olivos, CA www.oliverevolution.com

PENNE PASTA

Boil penne or farfalle pasta with 2 tbsp. olive oil.

Mix any green (i.e. spinach, arugula or kale) into hot drained
pasta to wilt.

Sprinkle generously with Balsamic Vinegar or
Global Gardens Pomegranate Vinegar

Toss a cup of Global Gardens Organic Spicy Walnuts or regular walnuts over above

Shave parmesan or manchego cheese over dish

A 20-minute gourmet meal awaits your senses!
(In the summer great to add organic sweet onions and diced heirloom
tomatoes from the farmer’s market)

This Spring Roll recipe was submitted by the Tiffany Cooper, who is the Education Director at from Fairview Gardens, the oldest organic California Farm offering wonderful educational programs and especially for kids. www.fairviewgardens.org and she says its great finger food for kids.

Fresh Spring Rolls

3 ounces rice vermicelli
2 to 3 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup matchstick sliced cucumber
1 cup matchstick sliced carrots
½ cup fresh cilantro or basil
12 rice paper discs

Dipping Sauce
1 cup peanut butter
water
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Mix ingredients on stove top. Serve cooled.

Directions:

1. Harvest ingredients.

2. Place rice vermicelli in a heat proof bowl, cover with boiling water, and set aside for 10-12 minutes, until soft. Drain well.

3. Cut veggies.

4. Fill a pie pan, half full of water.

5. Take out one of the rice wrappers and place it in water. You may have to gently press the wrapper down into the water. The rice paper will soften in approximately 45 seconds. When the wrapper is soft enough to eat remove from water and place on the clean working surface.

6. Think of the rice paper as a clock. Place 3 tablespoons vermicelli toward the end of the wrapper (6 o’clock). Top noodles with lettuce, a little sprinkling of carrot, herbs, and cucumber.

7. Begin to roll by folding the bottom portion of rice paper over the ingredients. Fold the two side edges (3 and 9 o’clock) over the filling to form a rectangle. Roll up to 12 o’clock.

8. Try to keep your filling light and to roll as tight as possible. Place seam side down on plate and continue with more rolls.

9. Serve with the peanut dipping sauce, plus other dipping sauces such as hoisin sauce and Thai chilli sauce.

KALE SLAW

1 bunch kale, chopped finely
2 carrots, grated
1 tart green apple, chopped or grated
1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup scallions
1/2 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
2/3 cup cashews, finely chopped
1/2 lb. marinated tofu, cubed (optional)
Mix veggies and set aside
For the dressing:
2/3 cup Annie’s Sesame-Ginger vinaigrette
(or any other vinegarette you prefer)
¼- ½ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
1-1/2 Tbsp. tamari
Whisk together and pour over slaw veggies.

This is a favorite with kids.

PEAR BREAD PUDDING
By Sam Edelman, Gen. Manager of Santa Barbara California Certified Farmers Market Association

Sam says: “While I love eating pears fresh, they also make an absolutely ideal baking fruit. This cousin of the apple can be utilized in many of the same recipes its counterpart, but deliver a little more delicate sweet texture to your dishes. One of my favorite baked apple dishes has always been apple bread pudding, so I chose to give it a try with fresh seasonal Bartlett pears. I decided to try to keep this Pear Bread Pudding recipe a little on the healthier side, although feel free to substitute some of the low fat milk for cream, and an oilier bread if you wish to go all out.”
Bartlett Pear Bread Pudding

4 Fresh Bartlett Pears, firm yet ripe (should still have a little green on the skin and very slight give to touch)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
12 ounces raisin or cinnamon raisin bread (I use a low fat multigrain raisin walnut carrot bread), cut into 1 inch squares
2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
2 ¾ cup low fat milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Peel your pears by taking a sharp knife and carefully running the blade from top to bottom to remove the skin. You can leave the skin on if you prefer, but the texture is much smoother with the skin removed. Cut your pealed pears into quarters, remove the core, and then cut them into nice thin slices.
In a large non-stick pan, melt the butter at medium heat and add vegetable oil. Add your sliced pears and sprinkle the top with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar. Flip pears every few minutes until they reach a nice caramelized golden brown color. Should take about 8 minutes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add milk, eggs, honey, the rest of the brown sugar and cinnamon, and stir until well mixed. In a greased 8x8x2 glass baking dish, add half of the bread crumbs. Carefully place half of the pear
s in a single layer on top of the bread crumbs and top with remaining bread. Then pour your mixture over the top. This will sit for about 25 minutes, until the bread absorbs the mixture. It is helpful to place a piece of plastic wrap over the top and gently press down every few minutes to allow all pieces of bread to soak up the liquid. Place the remaining pears across the top of the bread in a single layer and put in the oven for about 40 minutes until done. The top should be a nice golden brown and an inserted toothpick should come out clean. Let the dish sit for about 8 minutes before serving. Serves 6.