Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Many thanks to the California Avocado Commission, Mission Produce and to California Avocado Growers, especially the Pinkertons for one of the best days ever.  We LOVE Avocados.

We recently traveled to Oxnard for a hands on tour with a California Avocado Grower.

It’s a special day when you start it with an outdoor brunch on a hill.

AVOCADOS — The Star of the day in every way.

We learned about growing techniques from Dan Pinkerton on his farm.

Bloggers from all around were invited to experience the California Avocado Story.

We RSVP’ed Y-E-S!

And you can see why we were glad to experience it all.

Avocado in EVERYTHING was the Menu — Starting with a Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche.

Bacon Smoked with Avocado Wood.

A very fresh Fruit Salad, including Avocados — It’s a Fruit you know, right!?

Omelettes with Tomatoes, Asparagus, Cheese and sliced Avocados.

Baby Greens Salad with Avocado.

Spring Vegetable, Sausage and California Avocado Frittata.

Warm Bagels with an Avocado Spread.

Grilled Fajita Potatoes with Avocados.

A Chocolate Mousse dessert made with Avocados.

Professionals also photographed Avocados’ glory.

My first plate (below) before going back for more Bacon Smoked with Avocado Wood.

Take all the Avocados you want they told us — Thank you!

We stuffed our face (and bags to go). 🙂

We loved the view, brunch and our friendly, informative tour guides.

Our drive was already worth it.

Then it was on to Dan and Susan Pinkerton’s other grove/farm/crop, along with Jan from the California Avocado Commission to pick our own Avocados and possibly drive a tractor.

Learning about tree buds and what to look for and hope for when growing Avocados.

The beautiful trees were loaded.

Looking to pick some Avocados.

As if all wasn’t enough, it was on to a tour of one of California’s leading Avocado packing houses, Mission Produce — It was truly a behind-the-scenes look at a farm-to-fork journey.

Hair nets please everyone — Oh goody.

Thousands of Avocados — Crates filled on farms and hauled off by tractors to be here.

First a cold wash to bring down the Avocados’ basking-in-the-sun temperature.

The cool-down is an important step to Mission Produce.

On to the belts and rollers, through specially made machinery.

First a wash, then light wax.

Now sorting — Second tier Avocados, Grade 2’s get tossed on top for separate packaging.

Others move on to be weighed, stickered by size and PLU, then packaged.

Each cup weighs then drops the Avocado — I think the heaviest lasts the longest.  Not sure.

Boxing Avocados to be shipped to grocery stores and restaurants near YOU.

You’ve seen them sold in stores and now you know the care involved — All is well run.

More Avocados to take home — Thank you!  And a 1/2 Avocado Stress Ball.  Does it look real?

We’re grateful for all that grows, those who grow it and those who get it to us.

What an amazing day — God bless California Avocados.

Nibbles of Tidbits was recently invited by the California Avocado Commission to attend a gourmet, interactive lunch and cooking demonstration with chef partners Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of the Too Hot Tamales.  Since I was unable to attend, but didn’t want to miss it, Nibbles of T sent its resident Guest Blogger, Bonnie of Bonnie Joy Designs.  She always provides an interesting angle to a story and was excited to receive a personally signed copy of Cooking With Too Hot Tamales (below). 

Ahhhh – Those Avocados were Awesome!

Avocado advocates Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (a.k.a. The Too Hot Tamales) along with the California Avocado Commission hosted a rousing, festive Food Blogger-only event ahead of Cinco de Mayo at their downtown L.A. restaurant, Ciudad, last Saturday. The afternoon began with a surprise. Actually, it was the “interactive” portion of the show, which turned out to be a “Top Chef” style competition featuring the Food Bloggers themselves as the chefs along with California Avocados, and a very long table full of potential accoutrements.

The Food Bloggers were given only seconds to pair up (I assume none of the Bloggers had ever met one another before, which made what came next even more amazing), then they were given just 3 minutes to flesh out (pardon the pun) their best recipe for guacamole. Then they got a mere 5 minutes (yes, there was a timer!) to execute their dish and 2 more minutes to give it a definitive name. I can report that the Food Bloggers took this competition very seriously, even if it was all in fun.

And I don’t think I need to tell you who the judges were… But what I can tell you is that even they were impressed at how well all 10 recipes turned out. Bravo! (Sorry Susan, that’s actually not a plug for the network you are on as one of the final “Top Chef Masters” on May 5th…or… maybe it is). I think I got to sample all ten dishes, and they really were all tasty and creative, so everyone was a winner.

The next hour featured the Too Hot Tamales doing what they do best – whipping up a four course meal with each one featuring avocados as the core ingredient. If you want to see poetry in motion, then you need to experience Susan and her long-time business partner Mary Sue as they whirled and twirled their way through a menu that included a Crispy Avocado Taco, an incredible salad with fried (yes, fried) capers, Chicken and Avocado Chilaquiles and for dessert, Avocado and Mango Slices with a Creamy Yogurt Dressing. They even managed to blend an Avocado and Orange “Liquado” to drink. Needless to say, each dish was a masterpiece.

Ciudad Executive Chef Jeremy Tummel and Jan DeLyser from the California Avocado Commission also joined in the fun that happened at this invitation only event. If you came away from this afternoon hungry, then you did not attend the same event that I did. The attention to detail was impeccable – from the beginning Margarita to the personalized cookbooks at the end – and was well appreciated by the interior designer in me.

I now have a fresh appreciation for a fruit that is locally grown and nutritionally packed. So be sure to add Avocados to your daily diet, and not just on special occasions or on Cinco de Mayo!

Thanks Bonnie.  I love Avocados too and my parents eat ’em almost daily.  It looks like I missed a pretty cool event, but I’m happy to have the exciting report and photos.

Note:  Bonnie bought a new camera for this event — As I write this, it’s in the process of being returned.  We like what was captured, but weren’t happy with the graininess of the photos.  What’s posted here is the best of the worst.  Click on the Blogger links above to view better photos.

THANKS to the California Avocado Commission for all this goodness — Since we had so many Avocados, we ate a lot of Avocado dishes/meals.  You name it, we made almost everything.

Most are familiar Avocado favorites and some ideas came from others linked throughout.

We made them all from top down — Starting with Snow Crab Stuffed Avocados made with Mayo, Lemon Juice and Zest, Red Bell Pepper, Dill and Red Onion.  Simple, rich and amazing.

Continuing with a Veggie Croissant Sandwich made with Salad Bar Vegetables, Avocado, and Cream Cheese instead of Mayo.  An Egg Baked in an Avocado — Have you seen that one before?  It’s different and not bad.  And I could eat an Avocado with Good Seasons Italian Dressing (above) everyday.  It’s ready in minutes and always satisfies.  On to Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa ingredients, plus Jalapeno are pictured above and combined below.

BLT Sandwich, plus A+, minus the L & T on this day.

Open-faced BLT, plus A, minus L — Avocado was mashed with a little Mayo.

Avocado Pizza (if you will) made with a Flour Tortilla, mashed Avocado drizzled with Olive Oil and Lemon Juice, topped with a Fried Egg, Cumin and Salt & Pepper.  I overcooked this Egg.

It could be better next time — The original is much more impressive.

Black Beans, Corn, Red Bell Peppers, Avocado, Red Onions, Jalapeno and Lime w/EVOO.

Cucumber Avocado Salad with Tomatoes, Green Onions, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil.

Avocado on Toast with Sriracha and Olive Oil — An unexpected new favorite.

Avocado with Grapefruit — Many say how well it goes together.  It’s okay.

And would you believe Avocado Ice Cream?

Ours was made with Avocados, Coconut Milk, Milk, Lime Juice and Lime Zest.

I didn’t think I’d like the Avocado Ice Cream, but did and would make it again.

Ahhhhhh Avocados, they’re wonderful to eat and moisturize well — Cheers to Avocados!

Dogs apparently love them too — I can’t believe we ate ’em all and still want more.

Hands suitable to prepare the many AVOCADO dishes that’ll be pictured here soon.  We’re creatively enjoying our California Avocado Commission Avocados as Avocado Ice Cream, etc.

It’s toasted Sourdough Bread and sliced Avocado drizzled with Olive Oil and spattered with several evenly distributed dots of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce with Salt & Pepper.  This snack, lunch, dinner and/or breakfast was originally prepared to fill the What to Make with Avocados post and to best use all the California Avocado Commission Avocados received, but I’m now having this tasty combination (almost) every day.  It’s simple to prepare, yet so very good.

Nibbles of Tidbits has a lot of exciting posts coming up.  We’re reviewing a couple Cookbooks from Southern Living.  We recently attended an amazing event sponsored by the California Avocado Commission and just hosted a few small parties we need to report about.  Network Solutions, our hosting provider is currently updating its server, thus we’ll be posting photos of all once the maintenance is complete.  At that time, we’ll resume the feast(s) for your eyes.

We took a short trip to Temecula to celebrate our engagement.  Thanks for the engagement gifts and money.  We didn’t expect anything and finally cashed a few checks sent over a month ago.  Sorry.  We were set to spend it on backyard lounge chairs, but couldn’t find one long and comfortable enough for Mr. 6’4″, then considered it towards a new dishwasher, until deciding to spend it on a spontaneous weekend of eating and exploration.  Thanks for the fun!

It started with Coffee, King’s Hawaiian Rolls and a Lottery Ticket from 7-Eleven in Fullerton.

Without any research, we stopped at various places of interest along the way and all day.

Once in Temecula, we started with a Mango Margarita at Rosa’s Cantina.

Where next?  We picked on a whim.  If it sounded good and had AC we were in.

One of our favorite stops was at Crush & Brew, where we sniffed and tasted Wine.

We liked #3 (above) best and contemplated buying a bottle, but wanted to stretch our bucks to try more places and things.  Crush & Brew also offers the largest Flat Breads we’ve seen.

We had the Greek Flat Bread, which filled us up good (and we were trying to save room).

We take a moment to thank you for this opportunity — On to more Temecula finds…

I’m not sure what Death Paste (above) was/is — We didn’t want any. 😉

Soro’s Mediterranean Grill was our next stop for Dolma (aka Dolmades) and Iced Tea.

Blackbird Tavern is below — It’s a large, super-cool, indoor/outdoor restaurant and bar.

What a great space they have — You wouldn’t know it from the front.

All this outside is hiding inside — Blackbird Tavern is the place I miss living next to the most.

I’m not sure what you call the toss-the-beanbag-game, but we played it — See it in flight?

I liked the starter (below) so much, I recreated it at home — See the recipe here.

It’s called Olives & Almonds on their menu.

Menus are inside album covers — I don’t know Lee Evans.  Also pictured is The Blackbird.

We finally scratched our scratcher and won nothing — No worries, it’s a great day.

All pictured above are located on or off Old Town Front Street in Old Town Temecula.

Stopped at PALA Casino with only $20 of our $250 designated towards hopeful multiplication.

It was instead hijacked from the bunch after a short time in play.  Adios.

On the road again… We bought Avocados off the side of the road.  I always want an Avocado.

On the way home, we stopped and walked around Oceanside — View from its pier on an overcast day.  The sun disappeared awhile, but do you see the giant bubble?  Some guy was making them.  Since we still had adventure money to spend, we planned to stop at The Beach House in Laguna Beach to exhaust the rest, but there was an hour wait and we didn’t want to.  Instead, all was saved for the next day’s escapades in the SOCO District of Fullerton.

We started at our favorite Tea Lounge — Tranquil.  Iced is always refreshing and flavorful.

Ended up at Joe’s No Limits! Bar & Grill — We sought to eat and drink on patios only.

Had ‘Joe’s Picks’ Sausage selection — I liked the Chicken & Jalapeno Sausage, primarily.

Though the menu doesn’t say, we were glad the above came with really good French Fries.

After Joe’s, we went to The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen (below).

Cheers to more food and drinks on SOCO patios.

The Slidebar offers a long list of Opening Acts (they call ’em) aka Appetizers.

We had the Smothered Tots and Deep Fried Pickles — Well prepared and different.

And the Deep Fried Mac N’ Cheese — Not the healthiest options, but it just so happened.

Do you know where this heart is found?

It’s at Fullerton Train Station.  We considered eating there, but opted for Hopscotch Tavern.

We were down to our last few engagement-dollars and almost done eating.

On our final SOCO patio of the day — Hopscotch Tavern we had a shot of Tequila — Mezcal.

And Donuts with Lavender, a dessert special — I like the Hopscotch menu and will go back.

We appreciate the weekend journey — It was worth it all and so much more.

Smiling faces here. 🙂

How many things can you make from a Potato?  The list would be long.  One more sibling in this scenario might be Chili Cheese Fries — Our list of ‘where to find the best’ is here.  One of my favorite things to do is to see how many dishes I can make with the same ingredient.  Did you see all the Avocados we received?  Stay tuned to see what we made (and did) with them.

It’s a Holy Moly Guacamole Chopped Challenge — Ingredient options are on the table.

My food and legal worlds (again) collide at a Sarnoff, Veritext Company Fiesta.

Sarnoff knows how to throw a party — Contestants (Lawyers, Paralegals & Secretaries) suit up in aprons and sombreros to make the Best Guacamole possible within 2 minutes.  Go!

Scrambling for choice ingredients — Limes, Cilantro, Onion, Chili Peppers, Hot Sauce, etc.

Time is up — Bring your Guacamole to the table.

What would you put in your Guacamole?  And what would you call it?

Contestants had to title their Guacamole and present it to the Judges.

And the winner is… this guy (below).  Congratulations.

For extra caution, the Avocados were cut, halved and seeded pre-challenge.

A Mariachi Band played.

Tacos were served.

And they were just okay — Taco Cart and shirt names withheld.  The Asada was too gristly.

Endless Churros and Virgin Margaritas were there for the taking.

A Chopped Challenge is a fun, interactive activity for an above average office party.

After the Irvine Spectrum, the Cadillac Culinary Challenge Test Drive Event drives on.

As reported, I was one of five Food Blogger Judges at Cadillac’s Irvine stop.

As one lucky Judge, I got to taste the dishes prepared by Mary Sue Milliken and Yvon Goetz.

The event’s sponsors also include Share Our Strength, Bon Appétit and Epicurious.

Samples were delivered to the first two rows of the audience — Get to the next event early.

Halfway through Mary Sue’s sample the Judges were informed they’re to receive larger samples than the audience.  Wow, okay.  I quickly finished the small sample of Ceviche to prepare for the larger sample.  Happiness, because it was perfectly tangy and spicy.

And then tried Chef Yvon Goetz dish, Chili Lime Rubbed Hawaiian Mahi Mahi (above). 

Both dishes were impressive and the Mad Hungry Woman wrote more about ’em here.

Voting — Three of five Judges voted for Chef Yvon Goetz dish and two voted for Mary Sue’s.

Beautiful, fresh ingredients were used by both.

And the winner of this challenge was Chef Yvon Goetz.

I voted for Mary Sue’s Ceviche — It received the popular (audience) vote.  No losers here.

I like taking photos of other bloggers taking photos of FOOD.

Before, during and after the competition, some test drove Cadillacs — Love the Escalade.

What a terrific, well run event — Check the schedule to see if it’s heading towards you.

Can I just travel the country judging food competitions?  Thanks for the taste.