Dec. 6: YAC Holiday Ornament Auction

The Annual Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Holiday Ornament Auction is scheduled for Thursday, December 6, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Powerhouse.

Festivities include tastings provided by local restaurants, holiday wine and cocktail tastings, and an auction of ornaments made by Oxford artists.

Food will be provided by:

– Main Event Catering

– McEwan’s

– Party Waitin’ To Happen
– Taylor Grocery
– Two Stick
– LBs Meat Market
– Maharaja Indian Cuisine
– Honey Bee Bakery
– Ravine

 

Admission is free for all YAC members (membership info can be found online at oxfordarts.com or by calling 662-236-6429). Proceeds from the event go to benefit the Arts Council in its effort to promote the arts and provide access to the arts for residents of Lafayette County.

Get Outside This Saturday

Lots of activities going on this Saturday; get outside and check them out!

The Mid-Town Farmers’ Market opens Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The first Saturday of each month (including tomorrow) will be a children’s day conducted by Sue Castens, with face painting and other fun activities beginning around 8 a.m. The Wednesday market will start on May 9th (8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). For information about the vendors, see the market website here.

The Plein Air Montessori School is holding its 3^rd Annual Kidfest from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Taylor with food, music, carnival games, moon bounces, face painting, stories on the stage, dancing and more.

Taylorpalooza, the YAC annual membership picnic, is this Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the grounds of Plein Air in Taylor. There will be live music on the lawn and a family cookout sponsored by Polk’s Meat and Party Waitin’ to Happen. The picnic is free to members of the Arts Council.

The World’s Largest Crappie Festival is happening in Water Valley on Saturday with food, music, games, and, of course, the crappie weigh in! Check out the festival website for event highlights.

 

Best Bartender Contest Next Week

A Best Bartender in Oxford Contest will be held May 17th-May 24^th with ballot card proceeds benefiting YAC and The Oxford Pantry. The Best Bartender Team will be visiting bars on Tuesday, May 17^th, distributing gifts and selling ballots for $1.00. Ballots can also be picked up at 208, Soulshine Pizza Factory, Proud Larry’s, Burgundy Room, South Depot Taco Shop, Irie, Funky’s, Parrish’s, Two Stick, Blind Pig, and Volta Taverna.

Fill out your ballots, rating your favorite bartenders according to skill, style, and personality while enjoying drinks and appetizers. Ballots will be entered into a drawing for $25 gift certificates to participating establishments.

For more info, see the Facebook invite here.

UPDATE: Chris Senko from Irie won the contest along with $100 and a bottle of Cathead vodka.

St. Patty’s Cabbage Recipe

For St. Patrick’s Day, Beth Ziegenhorn from YAC submitted a story and cabbage recipe for EatingOxford.com readers.

Tradition – Shmadition

 By Beth Ziegenhorn

How to be Meatless on the Greenest Day of the Year.

I’ve recently challenged myself by becoming a vegetarian, but just for the span of the next 40 days. St. Patrick’s Day is my dilemma because it just doesn’t seem like March 17^th without corned beef and cabbage. Then I got to thinking about it: What made corned beef and cabbage popular in the first place, anyway? How does one eat cabbage without corned beef? Why would someone want to eat cabbage?

Well, for one, corned beef and cabbage is an Americanized version of the St. Patrick’s Day meal. Brief history lesson: corned beef was made popular in New York bars when it was offered as a “free lunch” to Irish construction workers who were building NYC in the early 20^th century. To get this “free lunch” you had to buy a couple of beers or shots of whiskey. That’s how corned beef became known as an Irish food.

Since corned beef and cabbage is now this staple to Americanized-St. Patty’s Day, it still feels necessary to at least eat some cabbage. The good thing is, cabbage is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It’s also great for weight loss. The only cabbage recipes that I would use come from community cookbooks, and Square Table Cookbook has a smashing Red Cabbage Casserole that’s beyond easy to make and could double as a wonderful accompaniment to corned beef.

Red Cabbage Casserole

(Makes 6 servings)

• 1 medium red cabbage, shredded
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter. Place in a large buttered casserole. Dot with butter. Cover and bake for two hours.

*Permission to use the Red Cabbage Casserole recipe granted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. Square Table Cookbook is a community cookbook and a fundraiser for the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and can be ordered at www.oxfordarts.com/shop. For more recipes check out: aroundthesquaretable.blogspot.com.