Thursday, February 1, 2024

Sacramento's Sports Scene: Cheering for the Kings, River Cats and Republic FC

This guest blog post has been contributed by Gennifer Rose of the local blog Sacramento Love.

Nestled in the heart of Northern California, Sacramento stands as a vibrant metropolis that seamlessly bridges the gap between history and modernity. Known affectionately as the "River City," Sacramento derives its nickname from all of rivers and waterways that have played an integral role in the city's growth and character.

Sacramento is a city where the past and present converge harmoniously, offering visitors and residents a dynamic blend of culture, nature, and history. From its humble beginnings during the Gold Rush era to its current status as the state's capital, Sacramento's evolution has been always changing and simultaneously growing.



All About the Sacramento Sports Scene

Sacramento is not just a hub for politics and culture; it's also a passionate sports city with three major teams that capture the hearts of its residents and fans far and wide. In this blog post, we'll take you on a journey through the exciting world of Sacramento sports, highlighting the Sacramento Kings (NBA), Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A baseball), and Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship soccer). 

Whether you're a die-hard sports enthusiast or just curious about what makes Sacramento's sports scene so special, read on to discover the all-star experiences offered by these three remarkable teams.


Sacramento Kings: The Crown Jewel of Basketball

The Sacramento Kings have been an integral part of the city's identity since they relocated from Kansas City in 1985. Over the years, they've brought excitement, drama, and a sense of unity to the community. The Kings call the Golden 1 Center home, an ultra-modern arena in the heart of downtown Sacramento. This high-tech venue not only provides an immersive fan experience but also showcases the city's commitment to sustainability.

Known as the "Sacramento Proud," the fan base is unwavering in its support, filling the Golden 1 Center with chants and cheers, creating an electrifying atmosphere for every game. Beyond the court, the Kings are deeply involved in the community. They support numerous charitable initiatives, provide scholarships, and have a positive impact on the lives of Sacramento residents.



Sacramento River Cats: Baseball Fever in the Valley

Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, playing in the Pacific Coast League. Their games are a cornerstone of the city's summer entertainment. The River Cats play at the beautiful Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. This family-friendly stadium offers a perfect backdrop for an evening of baseball with its stunning views of the river and city skyline.

Attending a River Cats game is a quintessential Sacramento experience. Fans enjoy a relaxed, welcoming environment, making it an ideal outing for families and baseball enthusiasts alike. With affordable ticket prices, delicious ballpark food, and fun promotions throughout the season, the River Cats make professional baseball accessible to everyone.


Sacramento Republic FC: The Rise of Soccer Power

Founded in 2012, Sacramento Republic FC quickly became a soccer powerhouse in the United Soccer League (USL). The team aspires to join Major League Soccer (MLS), an exciting prospect for soccer fans. The Republic FC plays their home matches at Papa Murphy's Park, a soccer-specific stadium with an intimate setting, creating an electric atmosphere for fans.

The Tower Bridge Battalion is known for their passionate support, colorful displays, and creating a vibrant soccer culture in Sacramento. Just like the other teams, Republic FC actively engages with the community, providing youth programs and clinics, fostering the next generation of soccer stars.


In Conclusion

Sacramento's sports landscape is a testament to the city's resilience, community spirit, and love for competition. Whether you're attending a Kings game at the Golden 1 Center, cheering on the River Cats at Sutter Health Park, or joining the Tower Bridge Battalion for a Republic FC match, you'll experience the palpable energy and pride that define Sacramento's sports culture. These three major teams not only represent Sacramento's athletic excellence but also its unity, diversity, and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence in sports. Sacramento takes immense pride in its teams, and the future of sports in the "River City" promises even more thrilling moments for fans of all ages.





Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Introducing Elf Grams!

Remember when you were in school and you could send a Candy Gram to a friend to show you were thinking of them?  Elf Grams are the same concept except you can surprise your friend or family member with a treat from a local baker.  Our “baker elves” have delicious handmade treats that you can order to make someone’s holiday a little brighter.  You can order the items for pickup or some can be delivered for an additional charge.  (Scroll down to see participants and details.)


This idea stemmed from the fact that this year has been particularly isolating and we haven't been able to see our friends very much.  My hope is to bring back some of that excitement of younger years when you got a surprise little treat from a friend and it made your whole day.  Holiday cheer is so needed right now so let's bring it to our friends and family!

Another reason I'm doing this idea is to help our local small businesses.  Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community and they need us more than ever.  Remember, when you are supporting a small business you are literally helping someone make their dreams come true.  Also, I'm only here to come up with the idea, get some people together, and help advertise it.  Each baker makes their own products, sets their own terms, and keeps 100% of their money.  This blog post is just a resource so you know how to contact them.  Click their links and you can Direct Message them on Instagram to order!  

Participants:


Sophie's Sweets


Dec 1-24: 1 dozen macarons with 3 flavors per box.  Macarons must be ordered 3 days in advance.  Pick up is in Elk Grove and delivery is offered in Elk Grove and up to 30 miles outside of Elk Grove for an additional fee.  




Kalani Kakes is offering holiday edition mini cakes on sale for $22. This one is blue velvet. The other holiday flavors available are: peppermint chocolate Kona and pineapple butter rum. Mini cakes are 4” 2 layer cakes, and boxes are festively wrapped. Orders must be placed within 5 days, contactless pickup is free and delivery available for $5. This sale and flavors are available until 12/20.




Baklavas With a Mission is participating in Elf Grams!! We have baklava mini cheesecakes for $6 each!! We are available any day in December with pickup at Stoneridge Elementary School in Roseville!




This Holiday season, I will have Poinsettias Cupcakes, Christmas Yule Log, Cakes in Tin cans and Holiday Gift Box.  Early bird Pre orders gets $5 off from the regular price (vegan chocolate in a tub is not included) from December 1-15th.  We deliver or pick up in Elk Grove of your choice.  Orders must be placed 5 days in advance.  




Red Modern Sweets will have Earl Grey Brown Sugar Cookies available for pre-order and pickup in Sacramento.  Pick ups will be Dec 12 and 26, orders need to be placed before Thursday of the same week.  




A box with all the wrapping and everything for $40: 4 cake pops, 2 Gingerbread hearts, box of marzipan fruits and Italian amaretti cookies.  Orders must be place at least 2 days in advance.  Pickup in Arden area 8am-11am or delivery with a fee.
Cake pops flavors:
-Spiced orange, cranberry and dark chocolate 
-Gingerbread and dark chocolate
-Chocolate and peppermint candy cane with white chocolate.
-Egg nog 


Sweet Flour Bakery (100% Vegan)


-Pre ordering starts 12/07
-They’re $3 each 
- delivery 12/19 ($3.99 fee or spend $30 and up for free delivery) 
-pick up in Natomas 12/20-12/23 (8am-3pm)
Order on website : 
www.sweetflourbakeryonline.com



I hope you will consider ordering some of these delicious treats and gifting them to your friends or family to spread some holiday cheer!  Remember to support small businesses!  




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Monday, September 14, 2020

The Tailgate Takeout Ultimate Watch Party: Taco Bar

 Hi friends!  Today, I wanted to share a fun idea for The Ultimate Tailgate Takeout!  This is perfect for hanging out with your family while watching the game or you can set it up in your driveway for some fun distance tailgating with neighbors.  It's a Taco Bar Party that can be easily made to accommodate every kind of lifestyle.  Go here for more information about The Ultimate Tailgate Takeout.

(This post is a paid collaboration with Prairie City Crossing/Regency Centers.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.)


I headed over to Prairie City Crossing to pick up the ingredients and supplies for my Tailgate Takeout Ultimate Watch Party.  I was able to pick up everything I needed at Safeway!  One of my biggest tips for entertaining is to pick up items that you can heat and serve or are already ready to go.  My biggest focus when I'm hanging out with my family and friends is to enjoy quality time with them.  I can't do that when I'm standing at my stove since it faces the wall.  I like to have a mix of items that are ready to go and super simple recipes so that I can enjoy eating with my loved ones.

The best thing about this taco bar is that everyone is eating the same thing.  Often times when I make food for family that have different dietary needs or lifestyles, I end up making several different things.  I really like how inclusive this taco bar is to everyone.  This taco bar is friendly for people who are vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten free, and even picky kids.  It does mean putting things out in separate dishes with separate serving spoons but I've collected so many little bowls over the year, it's the perfect way to use them!  


Here's a list of the ready made items I purchased:

- Chile Verde 

- Grilled Chicken

- Guacamole

- Tortillas

- Pickled Jalapeños and pickled veggies

- Sour Cream

- Shredded Cheese

- Salsa and hot sauce 

- Shredded lettuce

- Romaine lettuce 

- Tomatoes

-  Limes 

- Tortilla Chips

- Mexican Wedding Cookies 

- Mexican Sodas

- Paper Plates 


Here's a list of items I quickly prepped:

- Cilantro and onions - chopped and mixed together

- Pickled red onions - I made a brine of vinegar, salt, and sugar then pickled thinly sliced red onions for a few hours in the fridge.

- Cucumbers - I sliced the cucumbers and dressed them in lime juice, salt, pepper, and chili powder. 

- Chickpea taco filling - I took a can of chickpeas and sautéed them in a little olive oil and added taco seasoning to taste.  I used a jar of pre-made taco seasoning.  

- Taco Tater Tots - I air fried some tater tots and tossed them in taco seasoning when they came out of the air fryer.  

-  Mexican Style Corn Salad - I heated frozen corn and dressed it with lime juice and sour cream.  Then I topped it with Tajin and Cotija Cheese.  



I put together some sample plates to show off some of the different creations I came up with for different diets.  I'm especially proud of my Totco creation (aka tater tot taco.)  I'm sure it's been done but I've never seen it before and I'm pretty amused by the play on words.  

Vegetarian tacos on the left, vegan taco on the right.  The Totco can be made vegan if you leave off the cheese.

Keto friendly tacos that are also gluten free.  

Once you put everything out on the table, your job is done and you can enjoy the game with your family.  Everyone can make their own plates to suit their lifestyle and tastes.  Personally, I don't have any dietary restrictions so I just love to mix and match all the different flavors and textures.  This kind of spread also encourages my kids to try different foods and get creative with their meal.  If you have a taco bar, please tag me in a picture on social media so I can see and don't forget to check out Ultimate Tailgate Takeout!  


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Sunday, April 26, 2020

Mother's Day Gifts - Support Local

Hi friends!  Mother's Day is coming up really fast and this year is going to be a bit different than others.  As always, it's so important to support our local businesses.  I have put together a list of local mom and pop businesses that are offering some Mother's Day specials.  Get your orders in soon since not only is Mother's Day coming up fast, but people are going to sell out!

Photo by Capture Create Studios


Bloom Sacramento is a flower farmer and florist who makes bouquets with flowers sourced from Northern California.  They are teaming up with Burly Beverages to deliver a fun Mother's Day gift where your mom can make a cocktail or mocktail or you can get flowers by themselves.

Kitchen Table (East Sac) is a great shop full of wonderful kitchen items!  They have everything from treats, to kitchen tools, linens, pantry items, and more!  They are offering delivery in their immediate area, porch pickup from their location, or shipping.

A Gift Inside is a Lodi based company that makes gift baskets with fresh fruits and snacks.  They also have treats and dried fruits.  They have organic baskets as well.

Jillian B Designs is a jewelry designer based out of Elk Grove.  She hand makes beautiful and sentimental jewelry pieces.  She is taking orders until May 3 for Mother's Day and also has gift certificates available.

Salt and Shea is a small batch handmade apothecary.  Jayme is a licensed esthetician who has allergies so she created a natural line of skin care items that are good for your skin and soul.

Sola Bee Farms is a wonderful honey farm that has partnered with lots of local partners to put together adorable gift items.

Imagine Play Elk Grove is offering Mother's Day bags full of fun finds for the trendy mom like color changing lip sticks and scrunchie.  They have shipping, local delivery in Elk Grove, or pickup options.

Sheldon Wine Shop is putting together wine and champagne gift baskets wrapped in cellophane and perfect for gifting.

Be the Light Collective is a jewelry store with a 3 year old CEO who hand makes gemstone and diffuser jewelry.

Andy's Candy is a local Sacramento basked candy shop that sells fun and unique candies.  They have boxes of chocolates available or gift sets of different kinds of candies.  They offer free local delivery to the Sacramento area for orders $30+, curbside pick up, and limited delivery.

Bailarin Cellars is delivering their wine within an 20 mile radius and they are shipping wine as well.  For local people, kits of cheese and charcuterie can be added on as well.

Strapping Store Oak Park is a gift shop that offers a variety of different gift items from elegant to funny.  They have Mother's Day gift sets and a variety gift items that can be shipped.

The Pomegranate Boutique in Midtown has clothes, accessories, and gift items.  They have free delivery in Sacramento and free shipping on orders of $45 or more.


These are just some of the options for buying a great gift for your mom or the special mom in your life while supporting local businesses.   It is so important to support our local businesses in this time as many were not able to get any loans from the government.  Not only that but they are bending over backwards to help us by offering delivery, inexpensive shipping, and great deals!



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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins - Grandma's Recipe

Hi friends!  Today, I'm sharing a Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe that was created by my husband's grandma.  I saved the recipe from a blog post that his aunt and cousins wrote a long time ago but they have since deleted that blog.  I asked permission to write this post and they told me yes, roughly a million years ago.  I get asked for the recipe for these muffins every time I post them on social media so I figured I should write a blog post.  Also, as for all recipe blog posts, I will take you on a journey of 900 words about that one time I visited a banana farm in Connecticut with my great aunt Patsy in her vintage Mustang...  But wait... none of that is true or makes sense...


I will preface this recipe by saying that it is a plain and simple recipe and it's not particularly healthy. It has bananas so that's healthy, right?  I find that a lot of older "grandma" type recipes tend to have few ingredients and fewer steps.  If you are looking for gourmet or interesting muffins, these are not them.  These are literally the basic muffins that your grandma used to make.

My daughter goes crazy for these muffins.  I have so many pictures of her staring lovingly at these muffins... how come no one every stares at me like that?  She is also a strange little girl that doesn't like chocolate chips so I just bake up some batter for her before adding the chocolate chips for plain banana muffins and they turn out great.  She loves them.  Is that enough rambling for the Google?  The world may never know...


Grandma V's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (I use salted)
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of flour (you can substitute half for wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 mashed RIPE bananas
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream soften butter and sugar.  I use a stand mixer but you can use a handheld mixer or beat by hand.  You can also use 1/2 cup of shortening instead of butter if you want to.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
5. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined.  Don't over mix muffin batter.
6. Mash your bananas and add to batter, mix.
7. Add in chocolate chips or nuts or toffee bits or whatever mix-ins you like.  Or don't for plain muffins.
8. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 mins.  OR pour batter into a greased bread ban and bake for 1 hour for a loaf.  You can check doneness by poking a muffin or the loaf with a toothpick and it should come out clean when it's done.  Avoid poking a chocolate chip.
9. Cool and eat!

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe!  Tag me on social media if you make them!




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