Here's what is in today's paper in case you missed it:

I have the annual guide to the Triangle's farmers markets. (There are now more than 30.)

I have a story profiling a few bakers at the farmers markets: Annelore's German Bakery, The Cookie People and Chicken Bridge Bakery, whose loaves are show to the left. 

My column is about Margaret Gifford and Farmer Foodshare's efforts to get local food to those in need.

Linda Gassenheimer's Quick Fix column offers recipes for Mediterranean Steak and Minted Couscous.

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' On the Table column is about the obesity epidemic.

Kathleen Purvis' Cook Q&A is about freezing wine for cooking. To get an answer to a cooking question, send those queries to kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com

We share a wire story with a recipe for Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Skillet Blondies.

Oro Restaurant and Lounge, a new tapas place in downtown Raleigh's RBC Plaza building, will open Sunday night.

I got to walk through Oro yesterday afternoon with co-owner Cara Zalcberg Hylton. I have to say it is beautiful inside: sleek white leather chairs, a 17-foot wooden wine carousel in one corner and two huge light fixtures dangling from the ceiling that dominate the space. The lights are these bronze cylinders decorated with circles. (I can't do them justice so go to the restaurant's website and there are photos on the front page.)

The decor will make you feel like you are enjoying a sophisticated adult evening but with more reasonable prices. The tapas cost between $7 to at most $15. (To see the menu, go HERE.)

The restaurant is for evenings when "you want to feel like you are in a big city but with Raleigh prices," says Cara Zalcberg Hylton. 

They offer six local beers on tap and 16 wines on tap. The wines on tap allows you to "taste wine that you wouldn't otherwise buy by the bottle," she says.

Hylton's husband, Chris, is the chef and worked most recently at The Mint restaurant, which has since closed in downtown Raleigh. (Go HERE to read an earlier post about his background.) He's joined in the kitchen by Lauren Smaxwell, who most recently worked at The Pit with barbecue legend Ed Mitchell.

You know the drill: Leave a comment below this post to be entered to win a copy of "In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks," by Ted Allen. (Allen, the host of Food Network's Chopped recently won James Beard Foundation's best media personality.)

You must leave a comment before noon Friday, June 1. I'll choose a winner at random. Good luck!

If you have a recent high school or college graduate in your life, this would make an excellent gift: "How to Cook Everything: The Basics, All You Need to Make Great Food," by New York Times writer Mark Bittman.

You must leave a comment below this post before noon Friday May 25. I'll use random.org to pick a winner. Good luck!

Farmers at the State Farmer's Market in Raleigh are predicting about one more week of strawberries. So when you head out to get your last pints or buckets of strawberries, consider making strawberry ice cream.

Bill Garrabrant, 80, of Raleigh, invited me over to his Raleigh home last week to taste some of his strawberry ice cream. It was delicious. No wonder Garrabrant's ice cream recipe was featured in a 1976 story in The Raleigh Times. His recipe requires an ice cream maker but it's fairly simple and easy to make. 

Here are Garrabrant's instructions: Remove stems and slice three pints of strawberries. Place in a bowl with 2 1/4 cups of sugar and let sit for a hour until sugar dissolves. Place sugared berries and juice in the blender and puree until smooth. Pour strawberry puree, three pints of half-and-half and 1 tablespoon vanilla into your ice cream maker. Make ice cream, per your machine's instructions. 

Garrabrant's only adaptation is for peach ice cream: substitute five pounds peaches for the berries and a dash of almond extract for the vanilla.

It's rare that Greg Cox hands out 4-1/2 stars so you will want to read this review of Mandolin, a modern Southern restaurant in Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood.
 

After Friday night's James Beard Foundation's book, broadcast and journalism awards, I had some reading to do. These are just a handful of the award-winning pieces. Since I enjoyed reading them, I thought you might as well.

• In the humor category, Brett Martin of GQ won for this piece about actor Aziz Ansari, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and chef David Chang eating and drinking in Tokyo.
• Alan Richman of GQ won for restaurant criticism. This is one of his winning reviews: "Diner for Schmucks."
• I loved this story by Cal Fussman of Esquire, which won for personal essay: "Drinking at 1,300 feet: a 9/11 story about Wine and Wisdom." (Fussman also had the best acceptance speech.)
• Susan Choi had a lovely profile of spicemaker Lior Lev Sercaz in Food & Wine that won in the profile category.
• And John T. Edge won the M.F.K. Fisher writing award for "BBQ Nation: The Preservation of a Culinary Artform" that appeared in Saveur.

To see the entire list of winners, go HERE.

To help parents (and others) everywhere get dinner on the table during the week more easily, I'm giving away copies of these two books: "The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every mom Needs in Her Back Pocket," by Katie Workman and "Gourmet Weekday: All-time Favorite Recipes."

You know the drill: Leave a comment below this post before noon May 25 to enter. I'll choose a winner using random.org.

Good luck!

I have a story today offering advice from television chef Sarah Moulton and cookbook author Katie Workman and others for moms and dads about how to get dinner on the table during the weeknight. (This is a new struggle for me.)

Note: Recipes are to the right of the story. But links to printable versions are at the bottom of the story.

We have a story about new vodka flavors inspiring summer cocktails. I'm looking forward to an Adult PB&J Milkshake!

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' On the Table column is about the recent mad cow scare.

Linda Gassenheimer's Quick Fix column offers recipes for Crisp Crusted Snapper and Island Salad.

If you missed Debbie Moose's Sunday Dinner column, it's about Crepe Suzettes.

I got an email this morning from chef Ben Barker: there are no more reservations available between now and when the restaurant closes on May 31. 

Barker notes that walk-ins can be accomodated on most nights except for graduation and Mother's Day weekend (May 11 and 12) but there's no guarantee that you will get a table. Barker wrote, "The response to our announcement has been overwhelming." 

UPDATE Friday evening: Barker said they are maintaining a waiting list for reservations and have already called people off the waiting list to fill tables.  

If you are late to the news, go HERE to read my story about Magnolia Grill closing.