Letter from the Publisher

August 2018

Dear Life Bites Readers,

This month features the opening news on Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort and the Heritage Menu being featured by their chef. Dining bites and fun things to do in Budapest and cities along the Danube. Travel section offers destination news for summer/fall travel, with special Airline announcements. We have news on the upcoming Emmy Awards and tidbits on SBIFF in TTT.

Culinary Coup has some wonderful chef and restaurant news, including new restaurant openings and latest food trends for sumer and fall close to home (Santa Barbara) and abroad. New product food & beverage news.

Wine events and food festivals are in full swing throughout California and the nation and we have some news for our grape lovers in Sips, including a wine tour through the Santa Ynez Valley with Fritz the fantastic tour guide.

A fond farewell to Archie Mc Laren, host of SB Wine Country and Wine Events from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara. he was a wonderful 'poster person' for everything good in food, art and wine along the California Central Coast and we will all miss him. Cheers dear Archie!

See new book updates in BookBites and items in the gift guide. Cute news and advice in Kids K and Teen Times.  Updates on TasteTV Chocolate Salon in Pasadena, and enjoying specialty coffee and pastries at Aida in Vienna. See super recipes to enjoy at home that inspire you to book a reservation at your favorite restaurant for delicious summer dining. Spa Baby Secrets advise on taking best advantage of your day spas.

If you live near the water take advantage of this time...go for a  ride on the Condor Express in Santa Barbara to watch whales and dolpins or just enjoy a dinner watching the waves break. Water is healing and we all need it's healing energy. Try fishing from a pier. My favorite spots in summer include the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach, the pool at Casa Velas in Puerto Vallarta, the pool at the new Hilton Santa Barbara Resort or one of the great seafood haunts at the Santa Barbara Harbor. Visit our Health Minded section for great 'feel good' tips and valuable information to add to your own health regimen.

Enjoy our coverage of special events along the Central California Coast. We also have some nice wine news from Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as Viking River Cruise news.

Gottweig Abbey Wines, Krems Austria

Pray for peace and I hope you all will join me in remembering our soldiers who are fighting in other countries, and pray for their safe return to their families. God bless them. May the great spirit of our Nation reign now and forever, and may our citizens find hope and prosperity for their families. 

Cordially,

Frittata di Fiori di Zucca

Squash Flower Omelette

Ingredients

• 6 organic eggs
• Splash of milk, I use coconut - rice milk
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 12 large squash flours
• A handful of chopped chives
• Sea salt and pepper to taste, I use gomasio instead of salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Rinse squash flowers well, remove the outside points and inside piston. Clean well and tear in quarters.

Crack the eggs open into a bowl, add a small splash of your choice of milk and a light swirl of olive oil. Whip slightly. Add the flowers and grated squash, then the chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.  Meanwhile, oil an omelet pan with a generous swirl of extra virgin olive oil and swirl it around so it covers the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on a very low heat. Move the pan so that the oil covers its entire bottom.  

Add the whipped egg mixture and let cook on a very very low heat for up to 45 minutes without stirring. Keep an eye on the edges of the omelette. When brown, flip the omlett on a plate and put the top side down into the pan. Let cook for another minute. Flip the pan back onto a clean plate, and serve with artisan homemade bread.

Recipe from Loren CookingVacations.com.

____________________________________________________________________

LBN Staff

Bonnie Carroll, Publisher/Editor

writebc@aol.com  

Rosalie Frances, Contributor, tolifebites.com

Mary Hilton, Content Contributor/Marketing Director

Maryehilton2000@aol.com

Cody Chandler, Teen Times Columnist

tolifebites@aol.com

Mike OConnell, Photo/Video Director/Contributor

tolifebites@aol.com

Isabella D'Angelo, Rome Correspondent

tolifebites@aol.com

Natasha Melikoff, Montreal Correspondent

Additional contributing writers are included on an individual issue basis. Please contact the editor with questions regarding journalist assignments. Email: writebc@aol.com

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