I came across these Mini Beef Wellingtons in the frozen foods section at Smart & Final. They were on sale and the picture looked good, so I gave ‘em a try. Thus far I’ve only tested three in the toaster oven, but the flavor of the Duxelles is perfect — I wish there was a little more inside. And the Beef Tenderloin was tender. The combination makes a yummy (authentic old school) appetizer or snack. I can’t wait to serve them to someone.
Related Links:
http://www.originalrangoon.com/ (Note: For some reason I didn’t see a post regarding this specific product, nor the Smart & Final affiliation listing on the manufacturer’s website, but Original Rangoon’s other appetizers look good too).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duxelles - How to make Duxelles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Wellington - What is it?
http://www.smartandfinal.com/intro.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2findex.aspx
Does My Blog Look Good In This (“DMBLGIT”) is a monthly food photography contest initiated in 2005 by Spittoon. It’s now hosted by a different food blog each month. The submission criteria requires that the photograph be published on a blog the previous month — My January submission appeared on Nibbles of Tidbits in December. The competition is always stiff, but I hope to win sometime. So far this month I have a chance, but entries are being accepted until January 20th. We’ll see what happens.
Check out ALL entries here below – Mine is photograph #9.
http://picasaweb.google.com/kochtopf/DMBLGITJanuary2009#
Related Link: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1583
I’ll never forget that “Pound Cake” is the title of a Van Halen song. My friends and I were once running late to a Van Halen concert at the Pacific Amphitheater, as Pound Cake was just starting to play. I can’t write what my friend said as we were running in, but I’ll never forget it. I like the song and the Cake.
Here I made the easy Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix we’ve all seen in the grocery store for years. It’s good and simple, but I like to doctor them up differently each time. The mix makes two small loaves. This time I added Cinnamon to one and Lemon Zest to the other. I swirled both into the batter, then topped with leftover Streusel – I had made too much for a pie, so it came in handy here. Both turned out yummy and are great to have on hand for guests. Rock on. 
Related Links:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=153
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IWZcf2_aPY
Another Mystery Shop at The Cheesecake Factory. It appears the company really cares about customer satisfaction. That’s a very good thing. This lunch visit I had Renee’s Special. I’m not sure who Renee is, but the Baked Potato Soup was amazing. I’ll go back just for it. The Cheesecake Factory possibly offers the most menu items I’ve ever seen. I could eat there every day for a month! I’d bet that all would be good too. Renee’s Special includes the choice of two Sandwiches and comes all together with Soup of the Day and a Salad. It’s a good combination for some, but there’s too many other options to get it again.
Related Links:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1304
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1185
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/default.asp
Where’s my extra CHEESE Del Taco? That’s what a few of us want to know. Del Taco charges $0.39 for extra Cheese on their regular $0.59 Taco. The cost of extra Cheese is more than half the price of the Taco. And since we pay that much for the extra Cheese, WE WANT IT. We’re not just interested in paying more for the Taco. Can you PLEASE start giving us what we paid for? Corporate needs to communicate this to all restaurants – ADD THE EXTRA CHEESE when a customer requests and pays for it!
Related Link: http://www.deltaco.com/
I’m lucky to know a couple Fishing Charter Captains — Every now and then I get a fresh cut, cleaned piece of the catch. This time it was Sculpin, which I’ve not tried. I poached it in White White, Water, Fresh Dill, Garlic, a Bay Leaf and Pink Peppercorns.
My preparation was an adaptation of the recipe linked below. I used different poaching herbs, but finished the Fish with Kosher Salt, Olive Oil and Capers, which added the needed extra flavor to the Sculpin. The Fish would have been a little bland otherwise, but the texture was flaky and white. Thanks again Kat and Doug.
Related Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpin
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1327
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/92/Poached-Fish
http://www.goldenstateimages.com/GSI_search.php?srch=Marine%20Fish%20Sculpin&op=cat
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on the BBQ – Just wrap bundles of Asparagus with strips of Bacon. I usually wrap one slice of Bacon around 3-4 Asparagus. I’ll add a well placed toothpick to each bundle, so not to worry about the Bacon unraveling on the grill – That’s a bad thing. Bacon Wrapped Asparagus is an easy tasty appetizer or side dish. Everyone loves them.
Related Links:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=380
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=377
I like fresh Cranberry Sauce all year long. It’s easy to make and a great side dish to have on hand. It goes well with Pork, Chicken, Ice Cream, Sandwiches, and much more. Why ever eat Cranberry Sauce out of a can when all you need to do is boil Cranberries in a mixture of half Sugar and Water for about 10 minutes?! One Bag of Cranberries calls for 1 Cup of Sugar & 1 Cup of Water. I also like to add Orange Zest and Juice. It really makes a tasty Cranberry Sauce.
I’m very impressed with Little Caesars “Pizza Pizza” who is giving back to our injured Veterans. They’re really changing lives and making more opportunities for deserving people. I hope other companies will do the same. Here’s more information regarding Little Caesars Veteran’s Program.
http://franchise.littlecaesars.com/VeteransProgram/tabid/76/Default.aspx
The service at The Golden Truffle Restaurant was superb. We enjoyed the prix fixe New Years Eve Menu. The food offerings were progressive and broad, which I like. And the $68 price for four sophisticated courses wasn’t bad. We enjoyed our food and wine on the outdoor patio under the overhead heater.
Respectively pictured are just a few of our picks — The Cream of Maui Onion Soup, the Tempura Chicken and Avocado Hand Roll with Fresh Wasabi, the Pit Smoked Prime Cowboy Cut Brisket with Whipped Potatoes and Horseradish Jus, the Black Truffle Sauteed Breast of Jidori Chicken with Beaujolais and Mushrooms, the Lavender and Wild Honey Creme Brulee, and the Bitter Chocolate Pot De Creme with Crushed Berries.
The Sauce on the Jidori Chicken and the Brisket were both outstanding. We hoped for more Black Truffle flavor on the Chicken and more Lavender in the Creme Brulee, but their preparation was perfectly executed. Overall it was a great experience with well timed and friendly service. I’d go back for that. Although it’s a restaurant, The Golden Truffle’s main business is catering. Long ago they figured they might as well set up a store front too.
Related Links:
http://www.goldentruffle.com/
http://www.jidorichicken.com/
http://www.answers.com/topic/prix-fixe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber_(genus)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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