MOSH THE
“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.” – L.M. Montgomery
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Frosé, or frozen rosé wine, has already had its moment of foodie fame. Here’s a WALTER riff on the trend: garnish glasses of sparkling rosé champagne with homemade popsicles. You can try the easy combination of pureed watermelon and shredded coconut, frozen until solid. Voila, cocktail hour made cool and easy.
GOOD DIRTY FUN
TWIN CITY If your birthday falls between May 21 and June 20, you’re a Gemini. Said to be curious, adaptable, and enthusiastic, these air signs are known to be sociable and communicative. You can celebrate your inner Twin sign locally with the following: Your curious, open mind likely appreciates a good book, and all the better if you get to discuss it with the author. Ann Kidd Taylor, author of The Shark Club, will be at Quail Ridge Books June 28. She’ll discuss her novel and also be in dialogue with her mother, Sue Monk Kidd, who wrote The Secret Life of Bees. Sue won’t be there in person, but the motherdaughter discussion is sure to satisfy. 7 p.m.; quailridgebooks.com/event/taylor17 Uncork some of that natural enthusiasm with the “I’ve always wanted to try that!” Raleigh Meetup group. This month, the adventurous cadre will go skydiving June 3, gun-range shooting June 11, and tubing down the Dan River June 24, among many other bucket liststyle adventures. meetup.com/a-new-adventure Celebrate the air in your air sign with a birthday flight in a hot air balloon. Raleigh’s Above and Beyond Hot Air Balloon Company is one local outfit that can hook you up. 855533-4036
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You can learn about wetlands at a Mud Festival June 3. The free celebration at Walnut Creek Wetland Center will teach kids about the wetland ecosystem through playful activities: painting with soil, making mudpies, learning about rain gardens, walking through the creek, and hunting for friendly critters. Dress to get messy and wear your rain boots for this one. If you don’t have any, the Center will lend you some. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; parks.raleighnc.gov
PESTO, PLEASE Summer isn’t exactly peak planting season, but you likely know somebody whose herb garden is overflowing with basil. Cue pesto! The bright, savory, zesty condiment is perfect for simple summer pastas, as a dip for crudite, and to garnish caprese salads. Spice up your pesto rotation by using any herbs and greens you have on hand, from beet tops to kale and braising greens. Here are the basic ratios, made for mixing and matching a nice little jar of sauce: 2 cups herbs or greens (traditionally basil, but try beet greens and parsley) up to 1/2 cup hard grating cheese (traditionally Parmesan, but try aged Gruyere) 1/2 cup oil (traditionally olive, but try walnut) 1/4 cup (or more, if you like) nuts (traditionally pine, but try pistachios)
Why not... Put on your blue suede shoes (Elvis appears twice in this issue)...share a chocolate-chip-cookie ice cream sandwich from Sola Coffee...attend the free, no RSVP-required monthly bookclub June 12 at Vita Vite...catch the caboose at Dos Taquitos on Glenwood South, where queso and guacamole arrive on an electric train...check out Aldi’s wine selection...indulge your senses at the annual lavender harvest celebration June 10 and 11 at Sunshine Lavender Farm near Hillsborough...treat yourself to the delectable coconut rice pudding at Vidrio...get your hands dirty, city-style, at Logan’s One Stop Garden Shop’s class on urban gardening June 10 at 11 a.m…
DRAW IT Yes you can. Suzanne McDonald believes everyone can learn to draw. Her workshop, Drawing for Absolute Beginners, will teach you the basics in just a few hours on a Saturday at Sertoma Arts Center. June 24; 10 a.m.1 p.m.; raleighnc.gov
Thinkstock (BETTER LATE, TWIN CITY, DIRTY, PESTO, SHOES, DRAW); courtesy N.C. Museum of Art (SKETCH)
SKETCH PAD The N.C. Museum of Art’s expanded African art gallery opens at the end of this month. To celebrate, the museum has invited Washington D.C.-based artist Victor Ekpuk to create a massive, site-specific wall drawing in the gallery June 5 - 9. If you can’t get there for the installation, the entire process will be streamed online, and the 30-by-18-foot work will be on view for a year. ncartmuseum.org/ africangallery
