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58. Preven T ing Summer Tragedie S in T he w aT er k aiser Permanente

62. u rinary Tra CT and Bladder i nfe CT ion r elief e lk g rove vitamins

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22. Si P & S T roll m cConnell e states

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64. The l in C oln h ighway l ouis Silveira

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

No doubt you’ve heard a lot about Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy lately. What is it all about? How does it work? Who needs it? Is it something you could benefit from?

Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy, also known as BHRT, is exactly what it sounds like. Your declining hormones are replaced with hormones that are structurally identical to the hormones produced by your own body. Why is this important? Hormones that are not structurally identical to your own (for example, Premarin, which comes from horse urine) do not act the same on your body, may contain hormones that your body does not make and has no receptors for these hormones, so you waste energy by giving incomplete messages to cells which then fail to produce a balanced hormonal response. Also, your body cannot effectively metabolize these foreign hormones, which may have long term unknown, potentially, negative effects on your body.

MYTH: Our hormones levels are declining because we are growing older.

FACT: We are growing older because your hormones are declining.

The goal in BHRT is to turn back the hormonal clock to around age 35, or around 20 years younger than your chronological age. Anti-aging medicine is a personalized, metabolic medicine. We now have the science to individually customize your care and we can look at the cause of the problems, instead of just treating symptoms. If you are basically healthy, we can look at how your body breaks down things to help you be healthier and stay healthy. All the patients in my practice have a totally different treatment regime, there are no protocols. It is a very personalized approach.

So is Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy right for you?

Do you find yourself wondering……?

Why am I so tired?

Why am I gaining weight?

Why do I have mood swings?

Why do I have a low sex drive?

Why am I not able to sleep well?

Why am I having memory lapses?

Why do I have frequent urination and/or incontinence?

Why do I have migraine headaches?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, bio-identical hormone therapy may be just what would benefit you.

How does the process work?

After obtaining lab testing of saliva, blood or urine, you meet for a consultation with Dr. Dayle A. Imperato, an American Anti-Aging Academy trained physician for evaluation of your unique bio-identical hormonal needs. You are prescribed the specific hormones that your body needs! We use a quality compounding pharmacy and carry a high pharmaceutical grade of supplements for your use.

Your hormones are a symphony of interactions. All of your hormones are designed to work together and if one is altered, or deficient, it will affect the actions of all of the other hormones in your body. It is an interactive balance and as unique to an individual as a fingerprint. One size does not fit all. Treating even “mild” hormonal deficiencies can dramatically improve quality of life. Longevity medicine is aimed at the early detection, prevention, treatment, and reversal of age related decline.

We are not prisoners of our genetic destiny. Chronic inflammation is the cause and the effect of most illnesses and the diseases of aging. Balanced hormone optimization and a balanced life style decreases chronic inflammation. Hormone optimization is the finishing touch of an anti-aging lifestyle of good nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, anti-oxidants and nutraceuticals.

Contributor’s Corner

Justin Azevedo

Justin has been a Youth Services Librarian for Sacramento Public Library since 2010, and is currently the Youth Materials Selector for the system.

Allie Crump

Event Manager at McConnell Estates

Ed Goldman

A former daily columnist for the Sacramento Business Journal, as well as monthly columnist for Sacramento Magazine and Comstock’s Business Magazine, he’s the author of five books, two plays and one musical (so far).

David Hipskind

Owner of The Red Door Antiques, Vintage, and More. Located in Historic Old Town Elk Grove.

Cheyenne Hoff

Owner of Cheyenne Hoff Photography

Dr. Dayle A. Imperato

A Board Certified physician, she has served the Sacramento community for the past 20 years. Owner of Rejuvenation Wellness & Aesthetic Medicine in Old Town, Elk Grove.

Nan Mahon

Nan is an author and journalist. She is a member of the City of Elk Grove Committee for the Arts and received the Elk Grove 2011 Mayor’s Award for Volunteerism in the Arts.

Cindy Della Monica

Cheesemonger and Owner of Cheese Central in Lodi, Ca.

Carole Morris

Instructional Specialist, Author and Adjunct Professor. She is married to an outstanding, brilliant man and the mother of two grown aweinspiring children, and grammie to three flawless grandchildren.

Anna Osborn

Anna lives in Elk Grove with her husband and school aged twins. She owns Life Unscripted Counseling in Midtown Sacramento.

Elizabeth Pinkerton

Teacher and Administrator for 40 years, she is now a historian and author.

Justin Pinnell

Justin is not just another pretty face in Real Estate. He enjoys long walks on the beach and high mountain sunsets.

Louis Silveira

Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Archivist at the Elk Grove Historical Society

Dianna Singh

Owner of Elk Grove Vitamins for the past eight years.

Zachary Wackman

General Manager at McConnell Estates Winery

Kayla Webb

Marketing Manager at McConnell Estates Winery

Brendle Wells

Is a librarian and lifelong reader who has a passion for sharing books with pretty much anyone she meets. She currently works as the Adult Materials Selector for the Sacramento Public Library and asks, “What have you read lately?”

For full bios of our contributors, please visit www.ardentforlife.net.

creative director Sara Pinnell sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

executive editor Carole morris carole@mrsandmrpublishing.com

art & production info@mrsandmrpublishing.com

view ardent for life online at www.ardentforlife.net

Our cover recipe is the perfect summer salad; light, refreshing, and the ultimate way to welcome the season! Find the recipe on page 18.

Recipe by CT Morris

You can also check out the Baked Brie with Spiced Cherry Chutney recipe on page 34.

business manager Justin Pinnell justin@mrsandmrpublishing.com

sales sales@mrsandmrpublishing.com

Copyright © 2024 Mrs. and Mr. Publishing

Published by Mrs. and Mr. Publishing six times a year

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Ardent For Life is distributed in Elk Grove, Sacramento, Lodi, and every point in between.

Have a great story idea, or know someone that we should feature? Email us with your comments & suggestions at info@mrsandmrpublishing.com

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The information in this publication is for informational purposes only. Mrs. and Mr. Publishing Inc. (DBA Ardent for Life) assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, event or organization is not necessarily the views of the magazine.

Ardent for life

Checking In

My husband and I have become farmers…we have two rows of vegetables growing! I don’t know how many of you have fashioned a garden that ACTUALLY grows produce, but it is really empowering. I recommend it for anyone who has a little yard space, it is so cool watching little tomatoes grow. Thomas Moore expressed my sentiment completely. He said, "The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided."

executive editor

Carole Morris

What Have I Learned?

If you like the blues, there is a bluesy article written by Nan Mahon. The Elk Grove Arts Commission partnered with the Sacramento Blues Society to bring the blues to the people in Elk Grove.

This issue has an uplifting article written about the Food Bank commemorating its first half-century; its director, and Marie Jachino’s two decades at the helm.

Cindy Della Monica, Owner of Cheese Central has a wonderful article about brunch (and some delicious recipes). I love brunch! If you are a brunch-er, these recipes are for you.

A summer salad with cantaloupe and watermelon hits the spot. It’s light and a thirst quencher; and really, no salad says summer has arrived better!

Cantaloupes originated somewhere in Persia and were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans, then the Europeans, and finally the inhabitants of the western hemisphere. Italians were quite fond of cantaloupes and are credited as the source of the fruit’s name. They were cultivated in the country villa in the town of Cantalupo just outside Rome. The French then called them cantaloup which was eventually Anglicized into cantaloupe. The benefits of Cantaloupe are many; it is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium.

Watermelon, on the other hand, is native to Africa, it was a portable source of water for desert situations. Watermelons were cultivated in Egypt and India as far back as 2500 B.C. as evidenced in ancient hieroglyphics. Watermelon has many health benefits; it has many antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C,

Cantaloupe and Watermelon with Coconut Milk

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 cups cantaloupe balls

6 cups watermelon balls

Kitchen tool needed- melon baller

Directions

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk cook over medium heat. Bring to a simmer (whisking often) and cook until thick, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool and add vanilla extract. Sauce can be made ahead and chilled. Cut melons in half then place the melon baller tool down into the melon with the entire half circle scoop. Make sure you press down firmly until the melon fills up the entire scoop. Mix cantaloupe and watermelon together in a bowl and stir in sauce. Your guests and family will swoon with delight (seriously).

SummerMelon Salad

By CT Morris

Brown Butter Popcorn With McConnell Estates Reserve Chardonnay

By Allie Crump, Event Manager at McConnell Estates - mcconnellestates.com

There’s nothing better than sipping on a glass of white wine in the summer sunshine. But if we’re sipping then we’re also snacking, and our Reserve Chardonnay pairs excellently with one of our favorite snacks: a bowl of brown butter popcorn.

Our estate-grown Reserve Chardonnay underwent secondary malolactic fermentation before being aged for eight months in 100% new French oak barrels. The result is a rich, oaked, and round white wine with notes of baked apple and caramel that complement the plushness of this brown butter popcorn recipe. For this pairing, browning your butter is key as it makes the flavors more complex and brings out the nutty undertones present in our small-batch, limited edition Reserve wine. The new vintage of our Reserve Chardonnay is releasing this June, so stay tuned!

Brown Butter Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 1 stick salted butter

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels

• 1/4 teaspoon popcorn salt

Directions

1. Brown the butter: Place the stick of butter in a small pot and melt over low heat. Once melted, turn the heat to medium and cook the butter until the foaming subsides, the milk solids turn to a golden-brown color, and it smells toasty (this should take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the pot and heat source). Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Skim off any foam and keep warm.

2. Make the popcorn: In a stove-top popcorn cooker or 8 qt stock pot, pour in the neutral oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add 3 kernels to the pot and place the lid on top. Once all 3 kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels and turn the heat down to medium. Stir or shake constantly with the lid on over medium heat until the popping stops (this should take 2-3 minutes).

3. Remove the popcorn immediately and place into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the browned butter and popcorn salt while stirring. Add more salt to taste if necessary. Serve and enjoy!

NOTE: All McConnell Estate's wines are available in our tasting room or e-store. You can visit our online store by scanning the QR code or through our website www.mcconnellestates.com.

Sip & Stroll McConnell Estates Winery

Written by Kayla Webb

Here at McConnell Estates Winery, we love our Elk Grove community. One of our favorite ways to connect with this community is through winery events like Sip & Stroll, annual shopping nights we host in our barn typically in the winter. This year, we added a Spring Sip & Stroll to our event line-up and invited 20+ local businesses to participate. Despite the rain, our very first Spring Sip & Stroll was a lot of fun, with guests enjoying an evening of sipping on award-winning wines while shopping from artisan vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry and woodworking to candles and soaps.

Needless to say, we're already counting down the days until our next Sip & Stroll, taking place this winter. Our Holiday Sip & Stroll will be on Saturday, November 16th, and will include another fantastic line-up of local, artisan vendors. Tickets are $10 and include a complimentary glass of wine. We hope to see you there!

Food Bank

Commemorates Its First Half-Century; Its Director, Two Decades At The Helm

Marie Jachino Has a Saintly Role Model

By Ed Goldman - www.goldmanstate.com

We’re chatting over homemade tacos in Marie Jachino’s office at Elk Grove Food Bank Services, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Filling the wall behind me is a starkly beautiful portrait of the late and sainted Mother Teresa, whom Jachino unhesitatingly proclaims “is my idol.” Painted by the immensely talented David Garibaldi, it’s in Jachino’s direct line of vision six days a week when she reluctantly deigns to sit still at her desk. She may be technically past traditional retirement age but still has the restless energy that got her this job two decades ago.

In fact, as we rise to go on a tour of the bank’s immaculate HQ and the converted warehouse that stores and serves the food, clothes and low-budget niceties of life to 14,000 area people-in-need per month—and for the past eight years, their pets, as well—a near-invisible shard of chopped onion makes an almost imperceptible suicide leap from one of our paper plates to the carpet. Jachino, who was about 5’6″ tall a split second before, has now doubled over to toddler height to scoop up the offending food fragment as she continues walking, straightening when we reach the door.

It’s a study in perpetial motion and makes me think of the get-ahead tip for wanna-be execs: “Think like an owner.” But Jachino thinks at a much higher level than that: I’m not sure even über-mom begins to cover it. Maybe Mother Teresa could weigh in.

“My two sons are my greatest achievements and loves of my life, along with my granddaughter Avery James,” she tells me later. “But the Elk Grove Food Bank has been a calling in my life.” At another point, she says she feels “married to this place.” Bridegrooms should be this doted on.

I wrote about Jachino (pronounced Jah-KEEno) twice for the Sacramento Business Journal. The first time was to simply report on the food bank’s existence in a city one wouldn’t normally associate with poverty. Most of the homes in Elk Grove’s suburbs, which stretch for miles in all directions, are mid-to-high-end family households, many with swimming pools, multiple bedrooms and cricket-ready front and back lawns, more than a few with tennis courts and several boasting three- or more-car garages.

The second time was when Jachino successfully lobbied the state for a $4 million grant, a measure championed and piloted through the turbulence of the Legislature by then-Assemblyman/now Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper. At the time (2018) she said she was so overwhelmed to receive the gift that “I’ve been crying off and on all week.”

As we tour the beneficiaries of that award— the massive warehouse and her administrative offices, which are cheerful but utilitarian, sitting on two acres a few blocks off Elk Grove Boulevard—I’m taken by how many middleaged-plus retirees volunteer for often laborintensive jobs that require bending, lifting, operating load-in equipment and delivering supplies to Food Bank clients physically unable to get to the facility.

Above photo: Executive Director Marie Jachino was honored by the Cosumnes Community Services District with a proclamation for International Women's Day (Photo by: Craig Pattenaude, Cosumnes CSD Parks and Recreation). - Photos on the opposite page, from top left to right: A happy group of volunteers. - Soroptimist International of Elk Grove presented Marie with a check for sponsorship of the Elk Grove Run 4 Hunger. - Groundbreaking of the new warehouse in 2021 - from left to right: Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen, Food Bank Executive Director, Marie Jachino, Rosanna Herber, SMUD Board of Director, Jim Cooper, Sacramento County Sheriff, Adrian Guerro, Vice President-West, Public Affairs, Union Pacific Railroad. - Fresh donated produce.

“Think like an owner.” But Jachino thinks at a much higher level than that: I’m not sure even über-mom begins to cover it.

“Twenty-five percent of our clients in the past few years have been low-income seniors,” Jachino says—and of them, “the biggest population is Asian: mainly Hmong and Mandarin.”

Jachino oversees a staff of 14 and hundreds of volunteers. Unlike many charities, only six cents of every dollar raised by Elk Grove Food Bank goes toward administration. “I hope we can keep that balance,” she says. So far, they have: the ratio is unchanged from when I first interviewed her seven years ago.

While the fiscal accounting segment of her operation is automated, Jachino’s staff, paid and unpaid, does much of the work by hand—and heart. While I’m there, on a

brisk winter day, I see them treat their clients with respect and the kind of human warmth no portable heater could provide.

I ask Jachino what compelled her to take this job, especially since she began it for pay after retiring years ago from a career with the State Department of Aging. She explains that her father was of Italian heritage, her mother Slavic. “I grew up around older people,” she says, “not just because I went to visit them but because we sometimes all lived together. I happen to love people.”

She laughs lightly at the irony that after years of caring for senior citizens, she’s now one herself. She’s on the Elk Grove Senior Center’s board of directors and, when prodded, admits she’d love to serve on the California Commission on Aging.

Note to Governor Gavin Newsom: Jachino would be an ideal appointment—especially with her idol not being currently available.

This article first appeared on www.goldmanstate.com

Ed Goldman's column appears almost every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A former daily columnist for the Sacramento Business Journal, as well as monthly columnist for Sacramento Magazine and Comstock’s Business Magazine, he’s the author of five books, two plays and one musical (so far).

Marie Jachino admires the amazing cold storage made possible by the generosity of Simon and Merrilee Engle.

Brunch - Ubiquitous? Or Very Well Done

Did you sleep well? Refreshed, ready to tackle the day? A cup of coffee to jolt the metabolism into wakefulness, or do you blunder sleepily to a breakfast table and chow down?

I NEED that first cup of coffee. A bonus of two hours of mindless mini-chores will allow my brain and tummy to register that I am hungry. THEN I want something breakfast-y to fuel my morning. Let’s explore delicious options.

Breakfast can be had anywhere, and any time of day. Your circumstance will dictate where you find it: could be your own kitchen, Denny’s or IHOP, a diner, café, or a fancy restaurant. Though I don’t choose to do the chain diner bit, a specialty diner might attract my attention if I’m traveling. Dining at home today? Love a Summer patio brunch, which by the way, does not need to be on Sunday. Do you have a brunch memory that was spectacular that you could recreate at home?

My personal food journey over the decades has been mostly for family, but my food business journey started with crafting catered Breakfast in Bed Baskets, with delivery to your door. Gosh, that was way back in the early 1980s! Obviously, breakfast/brunch has a special place in my heart! Those “baby steps” in catering kicked off a foodie lifespan of awesome cooking opportunities. It fulfilled many of my clients “dreams” in creative food for their event, spreading my creative wings not just in cooking, but in presentation, styling and décor. What great doors have been opened in my food life!

So, back to brunch. What are the components of brunch as we know it? Coffee, of course, in whatever way you love it. Juice and/or fruit, eggs, meat, carbs in the form of pastries or waffles or pancakes—double duty for the sweet component. No mystery there. What SHOULD be on your mind are the wonderful variations of goods that make up each item of the meal. A great beverage is the best place to start. That cup of coffee should be perfect, or it’s not worth

it. I need half-n-half in my cup, so don’t even bother pouring me coffee lightened with skim or 2%. A barista filling your cup is good, too. Not a work day? Bubbly is my go-to after the coffee. French 75 is a favorite tipple, for sure! Brunch at a restaurant usually has a lovely cocktail menu, a very nice not-everyday indulgence. If an alcohol-free drink is preferred, pick something out of the norm! A recent trip to brunch at Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, had the most inspired I’ve come across. Your juice choices included Pineapple/Kiwi/Mango, Rhubarb/Apple/Ginger, or Honeydew/Orange. Yes, please!

My family is fiendish about their scratch Buttermilk Pancakes, with or without add-ins like blueberries. Not my favorite, but I do love a crispy Belgian waffle. Many café menus now have the trendy Chicken and Waffle entrée (even IHOP, for goodness sake!). Certainly more savory than sweet, sometimes served with Hot Honey instead of syrup. Elevate the experience by making your waffle with buckwheat flour,

By Cindy Della Monica, Owner, Cheese Central

or sourdough starter. Add browned butter for the fat called for in the recipe as the browning adds a rich nutty flavor. I make my own baked chicken tenders with seasoned panko bread crumbs, lighter than fried. The sweet/savory component is more interesting when a bit of baby arugula salad tossed in tart vinaigrette is placed on the waffle before the chicken tender goes on. Your favorite syrup? Log Cabin certainly works, but real maple brings a different flavor, as does plain or hot honey. During the holidays, fresh cranberry syrup is bright, tart/sweet and colorful. Use your imagination!

Eggs are next on the list. My complaint? Many people, cooks included, don’t treat the egg with respect to prepare it delicately. Scramble should be soft, omelets don’t have brown or crispy edges, poached should be neat and whites cooked/yolks runny. When cooking eggs, a sulfur aroma indicates mistreatment of that delicate beauty! So, a delicious omelet might have imaginative fillings like roasted or caramelized onions, a terrific cheese, a modicum of vegetables and a nice punch from fresh herbs. Aioli or hollandaise is easily made, and can be spiked with interesting flavors from citrus to smoky chilies, and a light hand to drizzle the finished sauce. Another lovely dish trending now is Shakshuka. Usually a roasted vegetable tomato sauce in a skillet has fresh eggs nestled into spoon-hollows in the sauce, and left to poach. Wonderful!

Bacon? Absolutely! Ham of any sort, perfect. There are many regional meats that make an appearance here, from specialty sausages to Spam and scrapple. Lacquered bacon is a thing, too, so Google the simple directions. Why not indulge and have some of all three! Years ago, our stays and breakfast at Heritage House in Little River, introduced us to Round Man Smokehouse bacon, from Ft. Bragg. Now our go-to bacon. Best little piggy ever!

Hash browns always make an appearance on the morning menu, but they rarely are made right. Too crisp, almost burnt, or soggy from sitting in a steamy chafer on a buffet. My home breakfast tackles both items—meat and potatoes--with something quite simple. BaconWrapped Potatoes. Very easy to assemble, no tending while cooking. Voila!

Seafood seems to make an appearance during this meal. Plain poached prawns with lemon and cocktail sauce, maybe upscale presentation of oysters or crab. Smoked salmon, lox with schmear and a bagel (which is a whole meal in itself). If bagels are a must for your patio brunch, purchase mini ones so that you can indulge and still leave room for ALL the other good things on the menu. Yummy toppings always include traditional cream cheese or a nice soft chevre. Capers, finely minced red onion or shallot, Roma tomato slices, fresh chopped chives or dill, and lemon wedges on the side are pretty as a picture. Provide a pepper grinder to top it all off. Stretching a bit of seafood at home is easy--make Shrimp or Crab Beignets. Simple and impressive! Accompany with Tabasco, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce or homemade tartar sauce. Better than just poached prawns.

Shrimp or Crab Beignets

By Cindy Della Monica, Owner, Cheese Central

Ingredients

1 C all purpose flour

1 t baking soda

2 t minced garlic

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper

8 drops of Tabasco

2 drops of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 lb. shrimp, cooked, shelled, and chopped, or cooked and shelled crab meat

Vegetable oil for frying

Lemon wedges, and cocktail sauce or tartar sauce for accompaniment

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Whisk in 1 C water. Stir in the next 6 ingredients until well combined. Let stand on the counter for 15 minutes to one hour.

Heat a deep fryer or large saucepan filled with 2½” vegetable oil. Add tablespoons of batter in batches, and fry the beignets, turning them once, for about 45 seconds or until they are golden. Transfer the beignets as they are fried to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt to taste, and repeat with remaining batter. Serve the beignets with the lemon wedges, additional Tabasco, cocktail sauce or tartar sauce, as desired.

Fruit is sometimes a dilemma. Seasonal fruit has the most flavor. So why do restaurants insist on a “fruit cup” that has under-ripe honeydew melon, pink/white strawberries, squishy grapes and canned pineapple in it? No imagination! Simply cut summer fruit in season, or seasonal poached winter fruit and citrus, is the flavorful choice to cut through the richness of your indulgent brunch. The fruit should be tip-top—you are worth it.

Mmmmmm. Pastries or dessert, or both! And another cup of coffee. If you are a baker, I don’t need to tempt you with any ideas in this area. If not a baker, locate the very best you can purchase of both from a local bakery. For example, when we go to the coast, we make multiple visits to Gayles, in Capitola. The Downtowners, their version of San Francisco’s Morning Bun invention, are what I crave, but everything is delicious. You COULD twist my arm for a cinnamon roll or bear claw, a streusel-y coffeecake, or nut-filled pastry—with sweets, I’m not picky. That little touch of sweetness signals the end of the meal, the start of relaxation over a long beverage of choice, and quiet or lively conversation. Brunch is done. Now, go have a great day or weekend. Cheers!

As always, our staff at CHEESE CENTRAL is ready to help you with samples of our 100+ cheeses at the counter. Visit us at 11 N School St, Lodi, CA 95240 or visit our website at www.cheesecentrallodi.com

French 75

While gin is far more popular today, some cocktail classicists swear by Cognac in a French 75.

Ingredients

1 C simple syrup

1 oz gin or Cognac

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, or Cara Cara orange juice for a Blush 75

2 oz Champagne or sparkling wine lemon twist

Directions

To serve, in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake gin or Cognac, lemon juice and 1/2 oz simple syrup. Strain into a chilled flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with lemon twist.

TIP: Prep 75s for a crowd? Have the syrup-lemon-gin base prepared and refrigerated, then add the sparkling wine and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Potatoes

Ingredients

8 bacon slices, cut in half crosswise

16 small potatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*. Wrap each bacon piece around a potato and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish and bake until bacon is crisp and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.

Grove Fine Arts Center

WIDE OPEN SPACES

Cookbooks that

2024 BRINGS FORTH A FLAv ORFUL ARRAY OF NEW COO k BOO k S , CATERING TO A WIDE RANGE OF CULINARY PREFERENCES . W HETHER YOU CRAv E COMFORTING CLASSICS , AD v ENTUROUS FLAv ORS , OR ANYTHING IN BETWEEN , THERE ' S A COO k BOO k TO SUIT E v ERY PALATE . H ERE ARE JUST A HANDFUL OF THE ENTICING COO k BOO k S THAT HIT THE SHELv ES IN 2024.

Hot Sheet

Sweet and Savory Sheet Pan Recipes for Every Day and Celebrations

By Olga Massov

Transform everyday meals into extraordinary ones with over 100 recipes leveraging the power of your sheet pan. From breakfasts to starters, dinners, and desserts, bid farewell to mundane dishes and welcome flavor-packed creations suitable for both weeknight dining and special occasions.

Indulge

Delicious and Decadent Dishes to Enjoy and Share

By Valerie Bertinelli

valerie Bertinelli, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Enough Already, Losing It, and Finding It Her cookbooks include Valerie’s Home Cooking and One Dish at a Time, and her most indulgent cookbook yet, Indulge—a collection of 100 recipes to nourish the body and soul.

Sesame, Soy, Spice

90 Asian-inspired Vegan and Gluten-free Recipes to Reconnect, Root, and Restore

By Remy Morimoto Park

Remy Morimoto Park, a vegan and gluten-free recipe developer and health and wellness content creator, brings Sesame, Soy, Spice, featuring delicious vegan and gluten-free meals drawn from her pan-Asian background and personal wellness journey. Originally from New Jersey, she has lived in New York, Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok, sharing vibrant plant-based recipes inspired by her korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese heritage as well as the countries she’s resided in.

Around Our Table Wholesome Recipes to Feed Your Family and Friends

By Sara Forte

Zaytinya Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon

By José Andrés

My Life in Recipes Food, Family, and Memories

By Joan Nathan

Anything's Pastable 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People

By Dan Pashman

Dan Pashman, creator and host of the two-time James Beard and Webby Award–winning podcast The Sporkful, presents Anything's Pastable. Dan sets out to revolutionize people’s conceptions of pasta sauces, traveling across Italy and collaborating with an all-star team of recipe developers in the US to create a new kind of pasta sauce cookbook for those bored with the old standbys.

look too good to ignore ... cookbooks that demand attention .

Smokin' and Grillin' with Aaron Brown' More Than 100 Spectacular Recipes for Cooking Outdoors

By Aaron Brown

Desified

Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid & Every

Day

By Zaynah Din

Desified celebrates South Asian flavors and spices, drawing inspiration from the core principles of Ramadan. Featuring over 90 recipes, including show-stopping breakfasts, simple and satisfying dinners, and feasting dishes to share, this book offers a desi twist that's always delicious. Zaynah Din, an award-winning digital marketer, content creator, and passionate home cook, shares her South Asian-inspired recipes, cooking tips, daily vlogs, and viral Ramadan Recipes series.

Rooted Kitchen Seasonal Recipes, Stories, and Ways to Connect with the Natural World

By Ashley Rodriguez

Explore an enhanced connection with the natural environment with more than 80 creatively crafted recipes highlighting seasonal elements. Rooted Kitchen, also includes insightful essays, advice, and fundamental skills for foraging, preserving, and preparing meals over an open flame. When Ashley Rodriguez isn't immersed in culinary exploration, she can often be found foraging, flyfishing, and embracing the outdoors to the fullest.

Islas A Celebration of Tropical Cooking By Von Diaz Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

Over 75 Fresh Recipes for Every Pizza Night By Sara Haas

Deviled Eggs

with a Twist

It’s time to turn an old classic into a new favorite! Let’s start with the deviled egg…

I’ve always wondered how deviled eggs got their scary

Buffalo Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

• 2 tablespoons finely cut celery

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish ingredients: Thinly cut celery sticks, crumbled blue cheese, Frank’s Red Hot sauce for garnish

It’s All About The Herbs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of dill relish

There are many flavor combinations you can explore! Make your next deviled egg recipe your own by mixing up your favorite combo. Maybe a breakfast burrito with a mix of salsa and cheddar cheese? Perhaps the classic mayo, mustard, and paprika will always be your go-to. Make sure to think outside the box this summer as you cook. You never know, you might turn a classic recipe into something you love even more. Have fun developing something new this summer.

Start with hard-boiled eggs. Each of these recipes is measured for a dozen eggs.

1. Peel and cut in half, lengthwise.

2. Place yolks in a medium bowl.

3. Mix your chosen recipe’s ingredients in a bowl. Add yolks. Mix thoroughly.

4. Fill up the whites of the eggs. You can transfer them to a zipper-lock bag. Cut the corner of the bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites. This will give you a cleaner way to fill the eggs.

5.Use the garnish ingredients to give the deviled eggs a burst of extra flavor and a finished look.

Refrigerate or serve immediately.

• 1/4 teaspoon of dill

• 1/4 teaspoon of thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon of rosemary

• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish ingredients: Thyme and halved Kalamata Olives

California Roll

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1 tablespoon wasabi paste (add more for an extra kick)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish ingredients: Flaked crab meat, Half sliced English cucumber, Black Sesame seeds, Soy Sauce.

By CT Morris

Baked Brie with Spiced Cherry Chutney

Ingredients

1 12-ounce round Brie Cheese

1/2 cup Cherry Chutney (recipe follows) cooled to room temperature

1 sheet thawed puff pastry

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 large egg, beaten

Spiced Cherry Chutney

Ingredients

3 cups Tart Cherries (pitted)

1 Large Onion (chopped)

1 Small Green Pepper (chopped)

1 Small Sweet Red Pepper (chopped)

1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons Orange Zest

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ᴼ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then cut the round of Brie in half horizontally. Lift the top off the Brie and spread the Cherry Chutney over the bottom half. Replace the top. Lay the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Roll pastry slightly with a rolling pin until it is 3 inches wider in all directions than the round of Brie. Place the filled Brie in the center of the puff pastry. Fold in the 4 corners of the puff pastry so they meet in the center of the Brie. Lightly brush the dough where the pieces meet with the beaten egg. Fold the remaining edges into the center so that the Brie is tightly wrapped.

Place the Brie onto the prepared baking sheet seam-side down. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes, then use a large spatula to transfer to a serving platter. Serve with the remaining Cherry Chutney, nuts, dried fruit and crackers.

Photographed by Cheyenne Hoff Photography - www.cheyennehoffphotography.com

How did you meet?

We met by chance at a going away party for a mutual friend. After heading to Downtown Sacramento, we spent the rest of the night in a shouting match, trying to get to know one another over the music. The highlight of the evening was walking from bar to bar, Cameron teasing me about my law-abiding ways and my refusal to jaywalk.

The Proposal?

Last August, Cameron was insistent we go on a weekend camping trip to one of our favorite spots. I tried to talk him out of it, since there was a possibility of rain, but nope - we loaded up our dog, Trout, and headed out. While we were out fishing, I randomly turned around, and Cameron was down on one knee. I was totally shocked!

what is love?

Mackenzie: Love is waking him up after he falls asleep on the couch, even though I know I’d get a better night’s sleep without him taking up the whole bed. True, selfless, love is waking him up nicely, without poking, prodding, and tickling.

Cameron can do anything and everything! He is the most competent man I know and makes me feel so safe and secure.

what is love?

Cameron: Love it letting her put subtitles on, even though it drives me crazy.

what do you love most about him?

Cameron can do anything and everything! He is the most competent man I know and makes me feel so safe and secure.

what do you love most about her? How thoughtful and caring she is to everyone in her life.

when did you know you were in love?

Cameron: When I could tell she was going way out of her comfort zone to try new things with me: hiking, sailing, camping, hunting, exploring caves barely big enough to squeeze through...

when did you know you were in love?

Mackenzie: When my grandma, Grammy Pam, got to meet Cameron for the first and only time before she passed...

Love it letting her put subtitles on, even though it drives me crazy.

She reached over and patted my arm, “I think he’s the one!” and I thought, “Oh great, now I’m stuck with him forever – because she’s right!”

fun facts

We have a dog named Trout & a cat named Tuna. Our first date was at Chicago Fire. We’re both middle children and our dads' names are both Jeffery.

what did you enjoy most on your wedding day?

Having all our favorite people in one place, dancing and partying together. Honorable mention: despite all odds, the weather cooperating and being beautiful (just long enough to allow us to have our outdoor ceremony).

honeymoon

A couple days after the wedding we jetted off to Europe. Over the course of 20 days, we visited: Amsterdam, Zurich, Munich, Prague, and Dublin. It was the most amazing trip, we got lots of steps in and even more beer!

Vendor List

Photography

Cheyenne Hoff Photography

Venue

Sequioa mansion wedgewood weddings

Caterer

Sequioa mansion wedgewood weddings

Cake frank vilts Cakes

DJ Steven Boutte

Hair and Makeup all dolled up

Florist

Couture weddings by dottie

Tux Rentals men’s warehouse

Bride’s Dress miosa Bride folsom

Bridesmaids Dress azazie

Bride’s Rings kenny g & Company

Do More of What Light’s You Up!

By Anna Osborn, LMFT, Relationship Therapist and Coach

It’s official, I’m not eating cooked zucchini or mushrooms anymore. For the very simple reason that I despise them. And I believe that as a grown up that eats more than enough vegetables, I no longer need to eat the ones I hate. Because if you really despise something and it’s not required of you, then there are very few reasons to continue engaging in the behavior. Plus it’s a heck of a lot more fun to not try and gag down a vegetable you find particularly disgusting.

To be honest ‘a lot more fun’ is often the answer to the question.

I work with couples every day that are working diligently to transform their communication and heal trust in their relationships. And they’re working really, really hard…be-

cause let’s be honest, it’s not easy to dig in and change relationship long patterns, even if the pattern is working against you.

I love when my couples reach a point in their work that they start asking what they can do to create more connection in their relationship. They’ve worked through some of the harder and darker parts of their relationship and yet they feel a little lost on what to do next.

And my answer is always the same…start finding ways to have a lot more fun together.

Simple in its delivery, but hard in its application.

Although your relationship has all the potential to be really fun, I think that household logistics, parenting demands and just plain ol’ life can get us into a mode where we forget that fun is what connects us. We become so programmed to manage the

difficult or stressful stuff, that we don’t even realize we’re on autopilot in our relationship.

And the easiest way out of this rut is to find more ways to have fun together.

Do more of what lights the two of you up! Enjoy the silly and the wacky…together. Take the time to remember that joy is more easily created when you slow down together and just find more ways to have fun.

And in the spirit of summertime, why not invite more fun in. Regardless of work and life responsibilities, the hotter days feel a bit lazier, the pool looks oh so inviting and there’s usually countless ideas on how to spend your time.

So why not spend these beautiful summer months creating more opportunities to have more fun–together.

Remember doing the fun stuff together not only brings joy, but it builds up the reserves for those times that feel darker or heavier.

Do more of what lights the two of you up…and see the connection that grows from it. I know that whenever I talk about this idea in session, couples automatically smile and get a little giddy at the invitation to have more fun. Just because we’re not kids in school with a long-extended summer break, doesn’t mean we don’t need the same amount of fun in our life and our relationship. Your relationship thrives when it’s connected. When you’re spending time together. When you’re experiencing each other as dynamic individuals with interests and intrigue and all the things that attracted you to each other in the first place.

So, what are you going to do?

Listen to live music. Ride your bikes to all the fun places your hearts desire. Play cards, get out the board games. Soak in the summer and keep growing…together.

The options are endless and the only thing that will limit you is your imagination.

or heavier. And for better or worse, Fall will be here before we know it, so why not build up those reserves.

Cheers to a summer doing more of what lights the two of you up! And letting all that beautiful connection grow because you have found countless ways to have fun…together.

AnnaOsborn,LMFT,is a relationship coach and therapist. You can reach out to her by calling 916.955.3200 or visiting her website at www.AnnaOsborn.com.

What I’ve Learned About Volunteering

Even if my own powers of observation hadn’t concluded that people who volunteer are healthier and happier, I can refer to data (that science has gathered) which tells us that volunteering reduces stress, combats depression and provides a sense of purpose.

What would our communities be like without volunteers? volunteering offers essential help to worthwhile causes and people in need. In fact, many organizations and charities rely on the generosity of volunteers because they’re only partially funded through government or local councils. In fact, many companies depend almost solely upon teams of volunteers to help them thrive.

When we volunteer it connects us with others, so if you’re feeling lonely, isolated, or want to widen your social circle, volunteering in your local community is a fun way to meet new people.

Additionally, doing something positive for the community helps to create a sense of accomplishment. And working as a volunteer helps boost our self-confidence by taking us out of our comfort zone and environment. I know that many times I’ve volunteered and thought, “I don’t have time for this!” Mentally I start smacking myself, “What was I thinking? I don’t know what to say!” However, after I pushed myself, I realized how rewarding it was to share my time and energy…

Moreover, if you have teenagers at home, research shows that volunteering is important in enhancing the self-esteem and confidence of adolescents who are just starting

out on their life journey. A study from the University of Missouri and Brigham Young University (of almost 700 11- to 14-yearolds) examined how helping and comforting others affected self-confidence. The study found that volunteering raised teens' feelings of self-worth and that those who assisted strangers reported higher self-esteem one year later.

A National Youth Agency report confirms this evidence. In the report, young people aged 11 to 25 “repeatedly stressed that volunteering had increased their self-confidence, self-esteem and self-belief.”

Remarkably, volunteering also has distinct health benefits that can boost your mental and physical health. Evidence suggests that people who give their time to others might benefit from lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan. In fact, a study showed that volunteers had a 63 per cent lower mortality rate than non-volunteers. And research found that adults over 50 who volunteered regularly were less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to non-volunteers. Lastly, volunteering boosts mental health because carrying out a selfless act makes you happier. We are hard-wired to give to others, and by measuring so-called brain activity and happiness hormones, researchers have found that being helpful to others can deliver great pleasure

I personally work for a non-profit and understand the worth of our volunteer’s diverse knowledge and skills. I truly can’t imagine what our museum would be like without them. They contribute to the skills and diversity of our organization and save the museum thousands of dollars. Additionally, our volunteers (docents) boost our museum’s visibility to our community and enhance our effectiveness. When you stir in their gift of friendship, comradery and laughter—they are irreplaceable.

By CT MorrisBS Elementary Ed., MS Ed.

When we volunteer it connects us with others, so if you’re feeling lonely, isolated, or want to widen your social circle, volunteering in your local community is a fun way to meet new people.

L I s TE n F o R THE L IE

Author: Amy Tintera

Book Reviews by BRENDLE WELLS

When I describe the plot for this book it is going to sound familiar to you, but this debut novel definitely stands out in a crowded field of thrillers. Five years earlier Lucy was the main suspect in her best friends’ murder but she doesn’t remember what happened that night. Though she was convicted in the court of public opinion, she was never arrested, so she tries to live her life quietly and anonymously, far away from her hometown. But a podcast has dredged everything up again. Fired from her job and on rocky ground with her boyfriend, she returns to her hometown for her Grandmother’s birthday party where the podcaster, Ben, just happens to be hanging out. It turns out he’s pretty good at uncovering new information. He is also very motivated to find the truth— or at least an ending for his podcast. There are plenty of other thriller novels available right now that feature podcasts and unreliable narrators, so what makes this one different? The main character’s voice. Lucy is bitter, sarcastic, prone to poor decisions, and half convinced that she actually did it. There are plot twists of course (some pretty juicy ones, in fact) but it is Lucy who draws the reader in and holds their attention. Her chapters alternate with transcripts of the podcast making for a gripping reading experience. It’s a must read for all mystery and thriller fans.

Celadon Books 2024

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

Author: Shubnum Khan

Past and present collide in this atmospheric South African novel that takes place in a once grand palace atop a hill in the coastal town of Durban. Today Akbar Manzil is divided into apartments and shrouded in secrets, home to a collection of eccentric tenants. Joining them are fifteen-year-old Sana and her father, both looking to escape the memories and grief that have recently overwhelmed their lives. Once upon a time, the manor in which they now live was home to great wealth– but who resided there and what exactly happened to them is a secret the house keeps. The djinn who wanders the halls knows, but it cannot speak, has never wanted to speak, until Sana begins to investigate the locked rooms and uncovers a love story from a century before. The story, alternating between the glamorous past and the threadbare present, is told with a haunting magical realism that brings the house to life, a character in and of itself. The house and its residents practically embody despair and the doom they face is written on the walls, yet the book isn’t overwhelmed by the impending tragedy. Instead its language is beautiful, evocative and transporting, making this a singular read. Those who enjoy international fiction, magical realism, or gothic literature would do well to check this one out.

viking Penguin 2024

P IPER C HE n sI ngs

Author: Phillipa Soo & Maris Pasquale Doran

Illustrator: Qin Leng

Children's Book Reviews By JUSTIN AZEvEDO

Piper sings everywhere she goes. She greets the morning sun with a tune, sings along with the birds and frogs outside her window, practices her whistling at school, and even hears the music of Nǎi Nai’s delicious jiaozi as they pop in the pan. So, when her teacher asks her if she wants to sing one of the solos in the class’s upcoming Spring Sing, of course she belts YES! But something happens when it’s time to practice: she can only sing softly now, and it feels like butterflies are dancing in her belly. When Nǎi Nai notices Piper’s singing has vanished, she tells Piper that the Chinese word butterfly is húdié, and she knows all about them. She felt them during her first piano recital, and they wouldn’t go away no matter what she did. But they settled when she played her song, and she realized that they would visit when something exciting was ahead. She felt them when she came to America, when she got married, and when she first brought Piper’s dad home as a baby. So now, when they come, she greets them back: “Hello, húdié!” When the time comes for Piper’s solo, she greets the butterflies, and remembers how to meet each moment with a song. Award-winning Broadway actor Phillipa Soo creates a beautiful story based on her own childhood experience with stage fright, infused with Chinese culture (including a pronunciation guide). Leng’s watercolor, ink, and pastel illustrations are wispy and vibrant, and perfectly depict Piper’s emotional journey. This picture book is an uncommonly whimsical readaloud for helping kids process nervousness and build confidence, recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Random House Studio, 2024

s heine Lende

Author: Darcie Little Badger

Set decades before the events of Little Badger’s previous novel Elatsoe, this book follows Shane, a seventeen-year-old Lipan Apache girl who assists her mother with search-and-rescue missions for the local community. While their finely tuned survival skills are important for such work, Shane and her mother have another advantage: their ancestral ability to summon the spirits of dead animals, providing them with a much-beloved ghost hound, among other things. Having lost their own home through a flood and broken promises, Shane and Lorenza provide this service for desperate families whether or not they can afford to pay. During a routine mission to find two missing siblings, Shane’s mother also goes missing, leading to the discovery of a mimic ring: rare and dangerous circles of extra-dimensional mushrooms that can teleport people with wildly unpredictable results. What follows is a quest to find all of the missing that leads Shane across multiple states and, ultimately, the land of the dead. Little Badger’s world seamlessly suffuses 1970s Texas with elements of the supernatural, with ghosts and vampires being as much of a threat as climate emergencies and stolen land. The suspenseful adventure tale frequently leads into deeper themes of generational trauma and the complexities of cultural identity. The result is a fast-paced mystery that carries an aura of magical realism, with wonderful characters that directly connect to the future generations depicted in Elatsoe. Deep and exciting fantasy, recommended for ages 12 and up.

Levine Querido, 2024

Blues In The grove A Banquet of The Blues

By Nan Mahon

Sometimes, when a person is getting sad and down, there is one answer to feeling happy again.

“THE BLUES! The blues is the cure for the blues,” suggests singer, performer Gary Mendoza who will be master of ceremonies for Blues in the Grove music festival at District56, July 21 in Elk Grove from 11 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Blues music is as old as the mud along the Mississippi Delta. It was the songs sung out by the sad, weary, or oppressed, as well as for love and happiness. The music got too big for the Southern cotton fields, riverboats and juke joints. It grew vines across dirt roads and asphalt highways, going every which way across the United States. It settled in mountain top towns, small Southern radio stations, the back streets of big cities, and on the coast of California. But, most of all, it went to Chicago and called the place home.

“There is a blues song for everything,” said singer Billie Holiday. “There is feeling bad blues, falling in love blues, even going to church blues.”

It’s the people’s music. So, The Elk Grove Arts Commission partnered with the Sacramento

Blues Society to bring it to the people in Elk Grove.

The Arts Commission invites everyone to listen with their soul to the first blues festival ever produced in the city. Blues in the Grove will offer a virtual tasting room of this American roots music when five bands of different styles take the stage on this day long event inside District 56 community hall.

“The arts commission has put together the kind of variety we used to see and hear at the Sacramento Blues Festival years ago,” said band leader Mick Martin. “The audience will get a banquet of blues.”

There is straight blues with Papa Day Blues Band ; soul/R&B/blues by Bob Jones and the Chosen Few ; rock and blues with the A nnie Sampson Band ; Louisiana swamp blues from the Zydeco Flames ; and the Mick Martin Big Blues Band with Marcel Smith singing soul. Gary Mendoza will bring traditional Chicago- style blues.

“It’s a stellar line-up,” says Mendoza. “Five of the area’s best bands following each other on stage here in our town.”

The Sacramento Blues Society has kept this musical genre alive locally since the organization’s inception 45 years ago. It is dedicated to the preservation of the blues.

“The general public can get a taste of a music that appeals to your ears, soul, heart and feet,” said Martin. “I’m excited to be part of Elk Grove’s first blues festival.”

“It’s like that snake remedy,” says Mendoza. “Takes the blues to cure the blues.”

Food and drinks will be available for purchase on site. Admission is $40 for the full day. Due to limited seating, tickets can be purchased only online: elkgrovecity.org/bluesinthegrove

Annie Sampson

Bob Jones and The Chosen Few

Papa Day Blues Band

Mick Martin Big Blues Band with Marcel Smith

Zydeco Flames

Gary Mendoza

Festival of The Arts

Written by Heath Buckmaster

On April 27, the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center presented the Third Annual Elk Grove Festival of the Arts; a full day of creative expression at the Old Town Plaza on Historic Main Street. This partnership with the City and the Elk Grove Arts Commission brings together local artists, musical performers, creative students, and the community to enjoy a bit of culture in California's beautiful spring.

Budding young artists participated in art projects and a KIDS Zone presented by Pinot's Palette, while adults enjoyed refreshments from area wineries and breweries, all while shopping and exploring over two dozen artisan booths. On the main stage five musical groups, including the Elk Grove Youth Honors Orchestra, entertained the crowd of more than one thousand guests.

The Festival is presented annually as a way to introduce the community to the diverse world of the visual and performing arts in our region.

Preventing s ummer Tragedies in the Water

By Carmen Carazo-Gonzalez, MD, Kaiser Permanente

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says drowning is the single leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of injury-related death for children up to age 14. In the United States there is an average of 4,012 unintentional drowning deaths per year. That is about 11 fatal drownings per day.

It can happen in as little as one inch of water or within 30 seconds. As a pediatrician and a mom, the idea of a child losing their life, in this way, shakes me to my core.

The CDC also reports American Indians and Black children drown at disproportionately higher rates than White children. In swimming pools, Black children ages 10-14 years drown at rates 7.6 times higher than White children.

The scary thing about drowning is that it can happen quickly and silently. Most children who drown are out of sight for less than five minutes.

While most pre-school-aged children drown in swimming pools, most infant drownings occur in bathtubs and buckets. Eightyeight percent of child drownings took place when at least one adult was present and 70% occurred during non-swimming time.

Children are very curious. Drownings can happen any time a child is left unsupervised and has access to any standing water like hot tubs, spas, bathtubs, buckets, toilets, and natural bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans).

Inflatable flotation devices such as vests, water wings, rafts, and tubes can give a false sense of security and are not effective protection from drowning.

If a child is pulled from a waterway and found to be unresponsive, immediately get help and have someone call 911. CPR should be started as soon as the child is pulled out of the water. Many organizations such as the American Red Cross and American Heart Association offer CPR training courses, both online and in-person.

For those with pools, there are ways to help prevent children from gaining unsupervised access.

l Every pool should have a fence that surrounds all four sides, especially the side that separates the house from the pool. The fence should be non-climbable, at least four feet high and be self-closing and self-latching.

l Install alarms on house doors and around pool areas.

l Pool covers and alarms add an extra layer of protection but are not substitutes for fencing and active adult supervision.

l Remove toys and ladders from swimming pools when not in use.

l Children should wear bright colored swimsuits.

l If a child is missing, always check the water first.

Inflatable flotation devices such as vests, water wings, rafts, and tubes can give a false sense of security and are not effective protection from drowning. Never use these as a substitute for constant adult supervision in or near the water.

However, life jackets provide great protection from drowning. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all children and adolescents wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets whenever they are in or on watercraft, and that adults should wear life jackets when boating to model safe behavior and so that they can help a child in case of emergency. Small children and those who cannot swim should wear life jackets when they are near water and when swimming. Check the life jacket’s label for user weight and chest size. It should not be too loose and should fit properly when strapped and belted.

As people start to plan summer pool parties, I would also recommend designating a “water watcher.” This is someone whose role it is to watch the water when kids are swimming, staying poolside like a lifeguard the entire time and avoiding other activities. You may wish to share shifts with other adults during the gathering.

If you take nothing else away from this, I want to say that every adult and child should learn how to swim. The AAP recommends starting swim lessons as early as one year of age. Children should know how to float, control their breathing, avoid panic, and swim a distance.

Drowning is preventable. Putting some of these practices in place can help keep this summer fun and safe for your family.

Carmen Carazo Gonzalez, MD, is a pediatrician at the Elk Grove Big Horn Medical Offices. She joined Kaiser Permanente in 2016.

Urinary Tract and Bladder Infection Relief

Written By Terry Lemerond

Terry Lemerond has o ver 45 years of experience in the health food industry as an owner of several health food stores and dietary supplement manufacturing companies. He has researched and developed over 400 nutritional and botanical formulations that continue to be top selling products on the market today.

Sponsored

by

Dianna Singh, Owner of Elk Grove Vitamins

Urinary Tract Infections

are Common and Frustrating

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common bacterial infection in the world, second only to ear infections. While men can get urinary tract infections, it is much more common in women. Approximately 50 percent of all women will experience UTIs, primarily in their 20s, with up to a 30 percent chance of recurrence, sometimes caused by the very same bacteria as the initial condition. Individuals with autoimmune conditions or preexisting kidney disease have a higher risk of UTIs, but up to 25 percent of the population, including children, suffer chronically from these infections.

Although uncomplicated UTIs may not cause noticeable symptoms at first, over time, they can invade and colonize the bladder and kidneys, becoming more evident, painful, and difficult to treat.

Responsible for about 85 percent of UTIs and bladder infections, uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is especially adept at adhering to the surface of the urinary tract and colonizing the body. Other bacteria associated with urinary tract infections include Klebsiella pneumoniae and staphylococcus. But in most cases, UPEC is the primary culprit behind these infections.

Antibiotics are commonly used to fight UTIs, but their use can create resistant bacteria that cause recurrent infections, and they can wipe out the good bacteria that we need in the intestinal tract to help the body fight illness and keep our digestion running smoothly. Fortunately, there are effective alternatives.

Cranberry

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) has been used for decades to treat UTIs. Cranberries provide a natural abundance of healthy compounds, including proanthocyanidins, phenolic acids, and flavanols that provide a wide range of protective benefits throughout the body, including strengthening the immune system and bacterial resistance.

Cranberry compounds prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the epithelium (lining) of the cells in the urinary tract. Scientific research shows that the flavonoids in cranberries are most likely responsible for their actions against UPEC, either helping sweep it out of the body or stopping it from colonizing in the first place. And because cranberries have a low pH of about 2.5, this acidic element may also push bacteria out of the urinary tract during urination as well.

Another way cranberry nutrients keep harmful bacteria at bay is by interacting with our good bacteria in the digestive tract. Cranberry compounds are modified by probiotic bacteria into active metabolites that can fight infections. And quinic acid, one of the components in cranberry, has potent antibacterial action.

For example, a clinical study found that a combination of quinic acid and malic acid (another component of cranberry) reduced the number of harmful bacterial cells in the bladder by 81 percent.

Cranberries stop infections in other ways, too. They stimulate the production of a defensive protein called Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP) in the kidneys which also prevents bacteria from colonizing further up the urinary tract. This could stop UTIs from becoming more serious, as long as cranberries are introduced early in the course of the illness.

As they disrupt bacterial infections, they also clear up the symptoms associated with those infections. One metaanalysis compiling the data from 50 clinical trials concluded that cranberry consumption and/or supplementation reduces the risk of symptomatic, verified UTIs in women with recurring infections by 26 percent, in individuals who were susceptible to UTIs after other interventions like radiation treatment by 53 percent, and in children by 54 percent.

But again, it’s important to supplement with cranberry at the earliest signs of a UTI, because when these infections are left untreated, they can travel up the urinary tract to the kidneys, creating the potential for even more serious damage as well as intensely painful symptoms.

D-Mannose

Chances are, you’ve consumed d-mannose from food sometime this week, or even this very day. This monosaccharide is found in many fruits, including apples, blueberries, peaches, and–not surprisingly–cranberries. But as common as d-mannose is, when taken as a supplement it has some uncommonly strong abilities to prevent or stop urinary tract infections.

Interestingly, some of the preferred nesting places for bacteria in the urinary tract are called mannose receptors. D-mannose helpfully takes their place on those sites, interfering with bacteria’s ability to adhere to and colonize those receptors, stopping infections from taking hold and spreading.

Plus, as d-mannose passes through the urinary tract, it also weakens the structure of harmful bacteria. And it works quickly, too. Within about an hour, d-mannose passes through the urinary tract, weakening the bacteria attached to mannose receptors and flushing them away. Clinical work shows that these multifaceted actions of d-mannose yield impressive results–sometimes in very little time.

By incorporating cranberry, d-mannose, and vitamin C into your regimen daily, you can prevent UTIs from developing.

An observational clinical study of women with acute, uncomplicated UTIs compared results from participants taking only d-mannose, dmannose and antibiotics, and d-mannose with a variety of other interventions (generally teas formulated for the bladder or kidneys).

In just three days, 85 percent of the patients in the d-mannose-only group were considered healed, compared to only 56 percent of the dmannose and antibiotics group and 53 percent of the group taking d-mannose with other interventions.

But for longer-term issues of recurring infections, d-mannose is highly effective as well. In one study of participants with multiple sclerosis (who are at an increased risk of UTIs), dmannose use for 16 weeks prevented recurrent infections in 75 percent of the patients without urinary catheters, and 63 percent of patients using catheters.

Another cross-over clinical study found that dmannose greatly outperformed antibiotics in cases of recurrent infections, delaying their onset by 200 days compared to the antibiotic’s average of 52 days.

A six-month clinical study found similar results, with participants divided into three groups: those taking d-mannose, participants taking nitrofurantoin (an antibiotic used to prevent or treat UTIs), or those who received no treatment. By the end of the study, only 15 of those in the d-mannose group saw a recurrence versus 21 participants taking the antibiotic, and 60 participants not taking any preventative. Here again, dmannose was superior to the drug.

Bear in mind that the level of d-mannose from foods is low and that a supplemental form of the nutrient is best for treating infections. But that doesn’t mean that you necessarily need mega doses of d-mannose, either. While initial studies used large dosages, sometimes two or three

grams per day, excellent results have been seen with as little as 200 mg per day. I think that middle ground is probably best and that 250 mg to 500 mg per day, especially when combined with cranberry extract and vitamin C, can provide a solid foundation for preventing or stopping UTIs.

Vitamin C

vitamin C can help the body maintain glutathione levels, which is critical to the prevention of, or recovery from, any disease, including those of the kidneys and urinary tract. Researchers believe that vitamin C may be especially beneficial for anyone with renal kidney injury, protecting them from the oxidative damage that is often associated with kidney failure.

Vitamin C is naturally present in cranberries, but at varying levels, so having a supplemental source can help ensure that you get a consistent amount of the nutrient. I recommend it for anyone with kidney, bladder, or urinary tract concerns.

You Can s top Urinary Tract Infections

While UTIs can seem to be unstoppable, having the right nutrients on your side can stop the cycle of infection and recurrence that can lead to everdiminishing results and increasing side effects from antibiotics. By incorporating cranberry, d-mannose, and vitamin C into your regimen daily, you can prevent UTIs from developing, keep them from returning, and regain control of your life again.

This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

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Stockton Blvd. Elk Grove.

The Lincoln Highway

By Louis Silveira, Elk Grove Historical Society

courtesy of Elk Grove Historical Society

In 1912, railroads dominated interstate transportation in America, and roadways were primarily of local interest. Outside cities, “market roads” were sometimes maintained by counties or townships, but maintenance of rural roads fell to those who lived along them. Many states had constitutional prohibitions against funding “internal improvements” such as road projects, and federal highway programs were not to become effective until 1921.

At the time, the country had about 2.2 million miles of rural roads, of which a mere 8.66% (190,476 miles) had “improved” surfaces: gravel, stone, sand-clay, brick, shells, oiled earth, etc. Interstate roads were considered a luxury, something only for wealthy travelers who could spend weeks riding around in their automobiles.

At that time, Indiana native Carl Graham Fisher realized the need of a paved road across the United States to connect the East with the West. Fisher was an early automobile entrepreneur who was the manufacturer of Prest-O-Lite carbide-gas headlights used on most early cars, and was also one of the principal investors who built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He believed that the popu -

larity of automobiles was dependent on good roads. In 1912 he began promoting his dream of a transcontinental highway. At a September 10th dinner meeting with industry friends in Indianapolis, he called for a coast-to-coast rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915 (in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco). He estimated the cost at about $10 million and told the group, “Let’s build it before we’re too old to enjoy it!”

Within a month Fisher’s friends had pledged $1 million. Henry Ford, the biggest automaker of his day, refused to contribute because he believed the government should build America’s roads. However, contributors included former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and

Photos

1924 photo of the first and 10 millionth Ford automobile. Written across the left car, "The ten millionth (Ford), New York to San Francisco, Lincoln Highway". Photo Credit: Library of Congress

The Lincoln Highway is recognized as the first graveled road highlighted with markers from the East Coast to its terminus in s an Francisco. This road truly opened the country to travel for all, both business and pleasure.

Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, as well as thencurrent President Woodrow Wilson, the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for relaxation.

So, on October 13, 1913, the Lincoln Highway was formally dedicated. It would run coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Originally it included 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. In 1915, the “Colorado Loop” was removed, and in 1928, a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia. Thus, there are a total of 14 states, 128 counties, and more than 700 cities, towns and villages through which the highway passed at some time in its history.

The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln Highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles. Over the years, the road was improved, and numerous realignments were made, and by 1924 the highway had been shortened to 3,142 miles.

The Lincoln Highway was gradually replaced with numbered designations after the establishment of the U.S. Numbered Highway System in 1926, with most of the route becoming part of U.S. Route 30 from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. After the Interstate Highway System was formed in the 1950s, the former alignments of the Lincoln Highway were largely superseded by Interstate 80 as the primary coast-to-coast route from the New York City area to San Francisco. Today, Interstate 80 (I80) is the cross-country highway most closely aligned with the Lincoln Highway. In the West, particularly in Wyoming, Utah and California, sections of I-80 are paved directly over alignments of the Lincoln Highway.

The Lincoln Highway was America’s first national memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, predating the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., by nine years. As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to the hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the way. The Lincoln Highway became affectionately known as “The Main Street Across America”.

The Lincoln Highway Association, originally established in 1913 to plan, promote, and sign the highway, was re-formed in 1992 and is now dedicated to promoting and preserving the road.

When the Lincoln Highway arrived in California, it was divided into a northern and southern route.

Sierra Nevada Northern Route: U.S. Route 50 Alternate northwestward to Wadsworth, Nevada, then Interstate 80 and old U.S.

As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to the hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the way. The Lincoln Highway became affectionately known as “The Main s treet Across America”.

Route 40 westward, through Reno, Nevada, and over Donner Pass and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento.

Sierra Nevada Southern Route: U.S. Route 50 westward, through Carson City, Nevada, then around Lake Tahoe and over Johnson Pass (nearby Echo Summit) and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento. (Note: This section runs right in front of the Elk Grove Stage Stop and House Museum.)

On October 6, 2007, The Lincoln Highway Association in conjunction with the Elk Grove Historical Society erected a commemorative marker:

“The Lincoln Highway, a coast to coast all weather road from Time Square in New York to San Francisco’s Lincoln Park, was an idea whose birthday was the 10th of September 1912. The road which freed America from the clutches of changeable weather was completed finally in

the mid 1920’s. Autos now could travel twelve months of the year. No more mud and no more deep ruts.”

“The Lincoln Highway is recognized as the first graveled road highlighted with markers from the East Coast to its terminus in San Francisco. This road truly opened the country to travel for all, both business and pleasure.”

“Some thirty yards west of this commemorative marker, the Lincoln Highway was located on what is now Freeway 99. Historically called the Monterey Trail, this modern transportation route now connects travelers to all points throughout the United States.”

“On this day, October 6, 2007, through the efforts of the Elk Grove Historical Society, this Lincoln Highway commemorative marker is dedicated to an important transportation Epoch. The financing to purchase the commemorative marker fittingly was provided by the Elk Grove Auto Mall Association.”