The food trucks are back for lunch Wednesday at the Oak Street Mill, 19725 Oak St. in Cornelius, behind the police station. Food Truck Wednesdays are part of a broader effort to enliven downtown Cornelius, organized by the Cornelius Cultural Arts group, including downtown merchants. Two trucks will be in the parking lot this week: Sunrise Grill & Sandwich Co. and Root Down. Read the full story

Spicy Shrimp Fajitas with Sour Cream

Weeknight cooking doesn’t have to be boring, pre-packaged, or microwaved.   Yes, you’re tired from a long day of work, but with a little advanced planning a satisfying and fresh dinner can come together in minutes.

What’s the trick? Organization. The less time you have to cook during the week, the more organized you need to be. I suggest planning out a week’s worth of meals in one sitting.  I make a chart that includes each day of the week and then fill in what I will be eating for each day.   I then pull together any recipes that I’ll be using and go day-by-day to compile a grocery list. Read the full story

In a promotional video for the CNBC show “Crowd Rules,” Tim (left) and Brian Helfrich talk about their business. Click to watch the video.

Summit Coffee’s Brian and Tim Helfrich will be on national TV next week, on a new CNBC program called “Crowd Rules.” They’re after a big chunk of change that will help them expand their downtown Davidson coffee bar.

You may have seen signs on the windows a few weeks back warning that filming was going on and to think twice about entering if you didn’t want your mug on video. Turns out that was a CNBC film crew working on the upcoming episode. Tim and Brian also have been up to New York for the studio portion of the show. Read the full story

A crowd gathered at the Sunrise Grill truck in the Oak Street Mill parking lot Wednesday. (David Boraks photo)

Ron Pope (left) and Kevin Sheil of the Sunrise Grill, a Cornelius based food truck. (David Boraks photo)

By DAVID BORAKS

A crowd gathered around the Sunrise Grill & Sandwich Co. food truck Wednesday in the parking lot at the Oak Street Mill, helping to kick off a new weekly offering in Cornelius: Food Truck Wednesdays: Lunch in the Lot.”

Cornelius native Matt Sorensen was among the diners. “In all my years, Cornelius sure has changed a lot. I think it’s good,” he said, as he waited for an order of Asian zucchini. Read the full story

Quinoa Burger (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

I’ve long been intrigued by quinoa. It’s got a great story. Cultivated high in the Andes of South America over 5,000 years ago, quinoa is a whole grain that is a complete protein with all eight essential amino acids. It cooks quickly, which, combined with its nutritional benefits, have resulted in me keeping a bag of it as a staple in my pantry. The only problem: I’m not head-over-heels in love with quinoa’s taste. I find it a little bland.

Before you cry slander, hear me out. I’ve given it a fair shake. I’ve made quinoa pilaf and added the distinctive spiral-like grains to salads and soups. Yet when I stand in front of my kitchen cabinet, I’ll reach for time-consuming brown rice, chewy Farro, or bulgur wheat ahead of quinoa every day of the week. Or I did until I came up with this recipe for quinoa burgers. Read the full story

Strawberries at the Davidson Farmer’s Market.

Davidson Farmer’s Market hosts its annual Strawberry Shortcake Day fundraiser this Saturday, May 11, with proceeds going toward the market operations. The event runs 9:30 to 11am (or until supplies last) at the market next to Davidson Town Hall. They’ll have homemade strawberry shortcakes for $5 each. Read the full story