Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

A formal THANK YOU to Cost Plus World Market for the lovely prizes and party supplies.

All were pleased by the smart kitchen tools, house decorations and gourmet Chocolates.

Thanks also go to my friends who contributed the appetizing FOOD, even the Jack in the Box Tacos cut in half, disguised as an Appetizer — That’s funny Michelle.  What do you call ’em?  Ironically several were happy to eat them, and it was fast, easy and cheap for her.  So be it.

Always look forward to the Chocolate Dipped Oreos from Loretta — Wish I had some now.

Merci, Gracie, Danke Shoen, Mahalo, Arigato, Gracias y mas Cost Plus World Market.

A wave to you for making this 17th Annual Christmas Par-Tay a success.

I tour the world at CPWM.

Preparing for a Christmas Par-tay by shopping at my favorite store, Cost Plus World Market.

How old are you?  Did you ever have a metal Lunch Pail?  We love the variety and nostalgia at Cost Plus/CPWM.  Would you believe this girl (me) doesn’t like to shop, but it’s always fun and interesting shopping there.  This visit Chef Nieces, Bailee and Lexi of Kids in the Kitchen model a few goods.  Bailee liked the mini Tabasco Bottles — I do too and told her that I used to carry one with me all the time, until one leaked in my purse.  That was a bummer.

Some things just need Hot Sauce, but that’s another story.

We’re supposed to be shopping for a Par-tay, better than a Par-tee.

Too many cool, stylish things — Is it the models? 🙂

Today we set out for a Gift for the Christmas Par-tay exchange, plus 10 Prizes, 4 kinds of Beer, 4 Bottles of Champagne, 4 Bottles of Wine, Munchies, Candy and Wrapping Paper.

And former Miss Downey Contestant, mi Madre still has it — Sorry Mom for writing that, hahaha.

Stay tuned for more about my 17th Annual Christmas Par-tay.  It’s always the first Friday in December.  We filled two carts with unique prizes, beverages and snacks — Ready to dig in.

Cost Plus World Market is a terrific place to find unique food items.  We’ve previously reported about a few of them.  What would you buy with a $2,000 Gift Card?  YOU could win it and a trip to the Greek Theatre to see the Go-Go’s with (10) of your best friends.  Please choose ME or YOU.  I’d pick up several bottles of Champagne at Cost Plus and we’d be Beauty and the Beat on the way to the Greek.  Enter before July 23, 2011.  Good luck!

We cracked up reading several Wine Bags at Cost Plus World Market today.  They have some of the funniest we’ve seen.  Although I don’t need any, I had to buy this one.  Funny yes, no?

It shall be received by the next party host, unless already seen here. 😉

A Christmas Party and Cost Plus World Market go very well together.  This year I hosted my 16th Annual Girl’s Christmas Party for several long-time dear friends (and the best sister in the world), and Cost Plus fit right in, since my relationship with it spans equally long.  My first apartment in Belmont Shore was basically furnished by them — I was so proud of its style and still have several cool imports and dishes from way-back when.  For this Sweet 16, CPWM generously provided a Gift Card that was used to purchase all snacks, prizes, drinks, wrap, and most stylish and tasty party supplies.  What a great thing!

Each guest brings an Appetizer, Salad or Side Dish, plus a GIFT for a wild gift exchange with plenty of opportunities to steal what you really want — And this year, as always we enjoyed an abundance of FOOD, fun and laughs.

A PRIZE is awarded to the person bringing the Best Voted Appetizer, an incentive to bring something good.  Guests cast anonymous (and sometimes padded and made-up) votes that are tallied to choose a hopefully legitimate winner.

Desserts are always baked by my treasured friend Loretta, whose goodies can’t be beat.

Having one person bring the Dessert is also strategic — In earlier party days, guests/friends  were asked to bring an Appetizer or Dessert and I learned that it would produce too many Desserts and not enough Appetizers.  Now, Loretta automatically receives a prize for her award-winning Desserts and there’s always enough savory stuff to eat.  This year, Patty aka Tricia won a prize for her Salad pictured at top.  All tasted fantastic — And I’m now trying to obtain the recipe for the Tapenade pictured above, which was made by my friend, Nora’s husband Brian.  If allowed, I’ll share it here, as it was truly outstanding and a runner-up to the Salad.

Wouldn’t you know that I had technical difficulties with my camera this evening, which resulted in mostly blurry and poorly lighted food dishes that can’t be shared. 🙁

Cost Plus World Market recently to stumbled upon Nibbles of Tidbits, and me who is already in love with them — The result is continuous adoration and perfect party supplies (from around the world) for my Sweet 16th Annual Girl’s Christmas Party.  We girls appreciated it ALL!

Because I like handing out prizes and laughing at people playing the stupid games I come up with, each year we play several new and old favorites — This year Nora won the red and white votive candles, Arlene won the Oil & Vinegar Cruets, Loretta won the colander, soap and bath fizzies, and Heidi won the Chocolate Champagne bottle and more.

The pictured snacks were chosen from CPWM‘s seemingly endless selection of international goods.  It was hard to decide, as one could host a variety of party themes with Cost Plus food.

And a BIG SHOUT OUT needs to go out for the White Cheddar Snowball Puffs!  They have a perfect amount of tasty Cheddar flavor and a nicely crisp puff.  They were a hit and I want to go back for more before they disappear.

Cost Plus is the only place I’ve seen thus far with Red & Green Tortilla Chips that taste and look good.  I served them with a favorite Salsa determined during a Salsa Taste-Off.

And if you don’t know already, Cost Plus World Market offers an amazing selection of Beer and Wine.  We enjoyed Stella Artois, Corona Extra and Skinny Dip New Belgium — Had to get it for the name and we were pleasantly surprised by its likable flavor.

To keep our drinks straight, we used the above drink markers, also from Cost Plus.  I turned ’em into a game by awarding a prize to the person picking the prized adjective — Whomever chose DESPERATE won.

Photo of this year’s party attendees and BFF’s.

Although I’ve shopped at Cost Plus for years, I haven’t purchased much of their Beer, Wine or other imported beverages, which is probably a bit odd, since many shop there specifically for it.  Since CPWM sponsored most of this year’s party, it was a great opportunity to sample their infinite offerings — And ultimately there was an overwhelming response to the Cristalino Champagne.  It’s terrifically bubbly, fresh and not too sweet.  It’s an excellent inexpensive Champagne.  Other photos reflect prizes happily won by guests.

Do you like my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree?  It’s easy clean up, but I’m starting to miss a real one.  Maybe next year.  Also pictured is a giant bottle of the Champagne noted above.  The large bottle was fun and oh so good — We went through it too fast.  And I probably talked on the microphone too much, but had to get the attention of the rebellious crowd to participate in the next silly game.  There were cool prizes to be won.

Cost Plus is an old friend that made my Sweet 16th Annual Christmas Party extra special and tasty — All friends were joyful about it too!  Merry Christmas to YOU.

So many Chips, so little time — Well, we actually have the time, but can only eat so many Chips.  We thought it would be fun to sample a cross-section of the vast Chip selection offered at Cost Plus World Market.  Although they have much more than you see here, we ultimately decided to try (7) Bags of Chips and (4) Salsas for our Chip Invasion Taste-Off.

Seven of us gathered for the festivities to determine our favorites — To learn more about the Chips, hover your cursor over the pictured plates below to match ’em up with the Chip Bags above.  It’s always good to see what’s in a bag before you buy it.

The variety we selected appears to be a good representation of Chip types and brands.  Some are produced especially for Cost Plus World Market, and others you’ve seen there and at other popular markets (i.e., Kettle Chips).

The same applies to our Salsa selection — The (2) on the left below are specially made for Cost Plus World Market and the other (2) can be purchased there and elsewhere.  And the Salsa verdict is… All were good and enjoyed for their comparative uniqueness.  In other words, the pictured Salsas would be a terrific combination for a party.  One was spicy (Chipotle), one was mild (Roasted Tomato), one was cheesy (Chili Con Queso) and one was chunky (Corn, Black Bean & Red Pepper).  All were picked as a favorite by one or another, with the most votes cast for the Frontera Chipotle and Cost Plus World Market Chili Con Queso.

With respect to the Chips, the verdict was all over the board.  The favorites were the Gaytan Baked Cheese Puff, Sweet & Spicy Tortilla Chips with Flaxseed and the Death Valley Chipotle Chips.  We really don’t think the Spinach & Artichoke Chips taste like Spinach and Artichoke, but they’re a good dipping Chip for any Salsa.  The favored combo seemed to be the Veggie Tortilla Chips (due to their neutral flavor) dipped in the Chipotle Salsa.  It’s all good.

Note: Nibbles of Tidbits loves Cost Plus World Market — Check back to learn about our future Candy Taste-Off, our picnic inspired by Cost Plus products and more.  We have a lot of great ideas, because they have so much cool stuff!

Cost Plus is so worldly.  It’s been one of my favorite stores for over 20 years.  I recently took a trip to England, Australia, Thailand, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, China and a few other stops along the way at Cost Plus World Market.  Did you know that it’s a food lover’s paradise?  It truly is!  Many travel far and wide for the Wine deals at Cost Plus, which are impressive alone, but you’ve got to check out the large food section.  It offers hundreds of sought after treats from all around the world.  If you’re looking for something in particular and haven’t found it elsewhere, give Cost Plus a call.  If they don’t have it and there’s a demand, they may consider offering it in the future — They strive to satisfy their customer’s needs.

Since there is so much FOOD to try and report about at Cost Plus, Nibbles of Tidbits will be posting a series of articles highlighting many of them.  We’ll be calling it our Cost Plus World Series.  For starters, we are planning a Chip Taste-Off, whereas we’ll be sampling several of the numerous bags of Chips available.  After that, we’ll be going on a Gourmet Picnic bringing only Cost Plus goodies (it can easily be done), and then we’ll be touring several regions for dinner, etc.  The possibilities are literally endless.

Note:  The first honorable mention goes to Nyakers Gingersnap Cookies from Sweden (above).  They’re Sweden’s Best Cookie and Cost Plus built a facility to have them made especially for you.  They are phenomenally crispy, thin and tasty.  We’re hooked.  Be sure to follow our Cost Plus World Series to learn a lot more.

I had Beignets on the patio at Café Du Monde in New Orleans about seven years ago.  Café Du Monde is the Original French Market Coffee Stand that serves Café Au Lait and Hot Beignets aka French Doughnuts 24 Hours a day, year round.  Love ’em when they’re HOT!

Café Du Monde has been a familiar New Orleans landmark in the French Market since 1862.

You can get Café Du Monde Beignet Mix at Cost Plus World Market just in time for Mardi Gras (on March 8th) or any time of the year — I celebrate with special indulgences on a whim.

Although I don’t love frying things, every now and then it’s necessary to make certain tasty treats, such as Onion Rings, Tortilla Chips, Fried Chicken and these French Doughnuts.  They’re easy to make — Just Mix, Roll, Fry and Enjoy, as the package states.

Roll and cut into 2 1/4 inch squares as the original or into any shape you want.

A few Beignets were oddly shaped, but tasted the same.

Fry until golden brown, then sprinkle generously with Powdered Sugar.  YUM!

And since it’s easy to make and tastes so good, I prepared fresh Whipped Cream too.

All was served as an after dinner dessert with previously prepared Lemon Curd, Coffee & Milk.

It’s as simple as Un, Deux, Trois, Quatre — Check the back of the box.  Au revoir.

When was the last time you had a picnic?  We mustn’t forget the simple enjoyment of a picnic.  It seems Americans don’t take enough pleasure in them.  While traveling through many parts of Europe, you’ll see people having picnics everywhere and often.  It’s a great thing.

We’re inspired to have more picnics and Cost Plus World Market, a favorite destination for unique and imported food items can make it happen on a moment’s notice.  It has everything one could need for a picnic.  We prepared for this one by getting ALL shown from Cost Plus, including the insulated picnic basket that transported the Salami, Cracked Pepper Smoked Salmon, Bruschetta, Roasted Artichoke Hearts, Pepper Jack Cheese, Assorted Crackers, Almonds, Pickles, Olives, Wine and Cookies.

This day it was too windy to show you it was too windy — Meaning, we couldn’t back up for a wide photo, since all hands were necessary to hold down the light stuff during the wind gusts.  It was (kinda) funny, until it blew over our Chardonnay, and it was a bit scary thinking the Smoked Salmon could possibly land on us, but ultimately it was a lot of fun.

We had this picnic in Temecula, near Pechanga Resort & Casino, where we took our Grandma to see her favorite singer, Engelbert Humperdinck.  Prior to the concert, we laughed eating the Orange Chocolate Rolled Wafers — They are sooooo darn good and fodder for immature jokes that transcend generations, Groucho Marx impersonations and more.

We weren’t the only Trunk Bar in stacked parking at The Greek Theatre last night, not that it’s right.  Though we only had one shot of Patron and a Corona, we like doing unlawful activities in style — This time it included a Cost Plus World Market Picnic Basket, Tequila, Limes and Salt, while waiting for the Go-Go’s to play.  Please drink responsibly.  We do. 🙂

08/23/11 Update:  Pictured above are the Go-Go’s and winners of the Cost Plus World Market Go-Go’s Getaway Sweepstakes.  The official winner was Amanda Wright who invited (10) of her best friends to join her.  She had this to say… “The night of the concert was amazing and we were treated like royalty.  We managed to fit in Universal Studios, tours of the Chinese and Nokia Theatre, Star walk and an amazing dinner at Yatai Asian Tapas Bar.  We actually got to sing Happy Birthday to Belinda Carlisle.  It was truly amazing!!  We will never forget it.”

Yes, I buy inexpensive Olive Oil — When I get home from the store, I just transfer it to the above bottle and forget that it’s cheap. 😉 Somehow it tastes better.  As long as your bottle has a secure top dispenser, you’ll always be ready to pour.  The pictured is from Cost Plus World Market and I love it.  It looks good sitting out and works well too.  Enter to win some good, attractively bottled Olive Oil here.

‘Pick out all the Candy you want’ is what I said to my Chef Nieces, Baliee and Lexi from Kids in the Kitchen — It would’ve been a dream come true for me as a kid.  I still love Candy and Cost Plus World Market has the best selection, if you don’t know that already!?

Come with me and you’ll be in a world of Pure Imagination — A song superbly sang by Gene Wilder in one of the most magical movie clips ever and appropriate to this post.  Cost Plus could be a modern day Willy Wonka.  Today it was.

I think I would have picked out way more Candy than they did, hahaha, but we did end up with a good cross-section of nostalgic, imported, mainstream, unique and extreme Candy, which was fun to try — On a rowdy sugar high we dumped the tub of Old Time Favorites over Chef Lexi’s head.  It’s raining Candy. 🙂

We had a great time trying the Violet Mints, Candy Buttons, Mango Gummy Candy, Ginger Candy Chews and various small imported Chocolate Bars.  And we enjoyed having a couple nostalgic favorites, like Chick-O-Sticks and Bit-O-Honey.  The Toxic Waste Candy pictured below was ridiculously strong.  They do call it ‘hazardously sour Candy’ and you can tell by the post-sampling expressions.

We haven’t yet tried the Bean Boozled by Jelly Belly.  We’re afraid and may need to host a Jelly Belly Fear Factor Game later — Stay tuned for that when we find a couple brave volunteers.  So far all asked say no way José.

Note:  Photos for this Candy Taste-Off were taken at the Bella Terra Cost Plus World Market.  If going to the movie theater nearby, we suggest stopping in Cost Plus to get the Candy — Shhhhhh.  So sorry, theater Candy prices are gouging and I buy the Popcorn.

A gift from the Grandkids (Kids in the Kitchen) who know their BBQ’ing Grandpa (aka Mad Dog) well and it’s definitely Budweiser in between his grilling.  Always marinate and never use a recipe it also states — I concur with that.  October still feels like July in Southern California.  The ten minute rule seems doable in this record heat.  Pop open a Stella for me, sorry Dad.

For whatever it’s worth, May is National Asparagus, Barbecue, Egg, Hamburger, Salad, Salsa, Strawberry, Chocolate Custard, Mediterranean Diet, Gazpacho Aficionado and Artisan Gelato Month — Linked sources say.  Why not observe by eating more (or less) of these things?! 😉

Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp.

A Fancy Smancy Steakhouse Burger — Our contribution to National Hamburger Month.

Party Salad from an earlier post.

Deviled Eggs, Salsa Baked Eggs and/or Huevos Rancheros will happen this month regardless.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on the grill — Enjoy May with or without these foods.

Nibbles of Tidbits and company doing my kind of camping.

We also celebrated Bailee’s Birthday (Kids in the Kitchen) — The pictured Cake design is not recommended.  Don’t these things happen (lost a hunk) when it matters most?!  It tasted good, so I made the best of it.  It’s Chocolate Mountain Cake with an Orange Juice/Zest Glaze.

Unusually warm and extra beautiful in January on the South Carlsbad Cliffs.

Food, walks and painting rocks.

It’s mostly a rock beach now, after a storm a couple years ago.

Moments of branding wrapped in family time.

Christmas Crackers from Cost Plus — Wanted to try them.  A pop with jokes & prizes inside.

We had plenty of Dips, Salads, Chips, Coronas, Cactus Coolers and Mimosas at bay.

Talented Kids in the Kitchen — You’ve seen their work.

Simple eats to compliment all — Ground Beef Tacos.  The kind I grew up with.

Don’t you love the smell of a campfire?  I do!

Must have S’more ingredients on hand for these occasions.

Watching the surf with tunes and lazy dogs.

The sunsets were striking, like always, it seems — I’ve never seen a bad one.

Picnic tables are resourceful.

Playing games, flying kites, painting, taking pictures and eating — Ahhhh, free time.

Uniquely shaped rocks inspire — What’s its story?

Well wishes to your family in 2012 — Explore and eat together.

Enjoy all when and while you can.  Traveling mercies.

The posted RECIPE is an Award WINNER and officially named Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho.  It’s not a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail silly — Duly advised, but it reminds me of one.  Either way, it may be the best I’ve had.  It’s fresh tasting, flavorful and super easy to make.

Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho

3 ripe Tomatoes, cored and cut into large cubes [I seeded them]

1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into large cubes [I didn’t seed it; used an English Cucumber]

1/2 Green, Yellow or Orange Pepper (or tricolor combo), diced [I used half a Green, half an Orange]

1/2 Shallot, or 1 Tablespoon Red Onion, diced [Shallot]

1/2 cup Scallions, chopped

Juice of 1 Lime

1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 t. Tabasco [or other hot pepper sauce, like Red Rooster, which I now like better–use 1 T.]

1/2 cup V-8 Juice [buy one small bottle at a liquor store; grocery stores only sell it by the case!]

Lemon Pepper to taste

Seasoned Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine all Soup ingredients in blender until well blended (ingredients will retain some pulp, which is great).  Pour into chilled bowls and garnish as desired.  Makes 1/2 gallon–6 appetizer servings or 3 main dish servings.  Tastes better if you make it the night before.

Garnish (with one or more)

1/2 lb. chilled, cooked Shrimp [buy the fresh $10 Shrimp tray from Costco; scarf the leftovers with the Cocktail Sauce]

1 chilled, sliced Avocado

1 T. fresh Cilantro, chopped

Follow and vary the RECIPE to your taste — Above [brackets] indicate specifics by Arlene T., 2011 Best Appetizer Winner.  She agreed to share all on Nibbles of Tidbits and we thank her.

I recently made the same for a Holiday Party and everyone loved it well chilled in a cup.

Voted the Best Appetizer at our Christmas Par-Tay was this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.  Recipe coming soon to this blog you see now — We be kickin’ it at this moment on a sunny Saturday.

Congrats Arlene (second from right) and thanks to Cost Plus for making it extra special.

Why is it I’m compelled to push this Mini Shopping Cart down the aisle every time I see it at Cost Plus?  I ponder that.  It embarrasses my Mom when I do it.  Maybe that’s why, and it just makes me laugh.  I’ve promised to refrain from now on.  This time I had Chef Lexi of Kids in the Kitchen do it.  It’s double-mint cute now — Post title inspiration is here. 🙂

A good friend brought Tapenade to a party I had last month and left the leftovers, which I LOVED having the next day.  It tasted and looked like it was from a restaurant.  Her husband made it and I finally got the recipe (kinda).  No measurements, but I understand.  Prepare it to taste.  He simply wrote — Two kinds of Olives, Garlic (not powdered), Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Italian Seasonings.  For the Italian Seasonings, I used Oregano and Basil.

I think mine (pictured) tasted like his, but I’ll have to find out if he adds more “Italian Seasonings” than Basil and Oregano.  At first the above Tapenade had too many Green Olives in it and then I overcompensated a bit with the Black Olives.  Overall, I learned that good Tapenade can be made in an instance with items always on hand.

After a party, I’m often left with a fair amount of washed and trimmed vegetables — I love it because it’s a convenient, healthy snack to have ready, but after a few days it gets a little boring, thus I hunt for other ways to use ’em.  I TRY to make something different each time.

This time with Iceberg Lettuce and an abundance of Cucumbers on hand, I made a simple Salad with a Cucumber Dressing — I’d link the recipe, if it was good, but it wasn’t.  I’ve yet to master the flavor I’m searching for in a Cucumber Dressing.

After the latest party inspiring this batch of ideas, I cooked Eggs over leftover Salsa, which I loved having (over and over again) with a side of Sour Cream.  I’ve since made and purchased more Salsa to make the same.  I can’t stop eating Eggs Over Salsa for breakfast and dinner.  It’s simple and fabulous with or without Tortillas, Chips or Toast.

This time I roasted the Carrots with a little Olive Oil and Spice Blend I found locally.  Carrots are always good roasted in the oven, but were better last time with Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and S & P — Past ideas are linked here.

A tasty Artichoke Heart, Olive and Tomato Bruschetta Dip that was leftover from the same party was cooked and served over Angel Hair Pasta — Why not?

And then there’s Celery, which always stumps me — The best thing I’ve made thus far is Cream of Celery Soup and this time I made a Braised Celery and don’t see its appeal.  I followed a highly ranked recipe, but yawn was the consensus.

If not in a Soup or a mirepoix, I might prefer good old-fashioned Celery with Peanut Butter.

Peppers roasted in the oven with Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and S & P.

Asian Cucumber Salad made with Rice Wine Vinegar, Canola and Sesame Oil, Honey, Soy Sauce, fresh grated (or powdered) Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes and S & P.

And with the leftover sliced Oranges, bar garnishes from the night before, I made Candied Orange Slices.  I’ve always wanted to make them — What better time?

Here’s the recipe I used from The Repressed Pastry Chef — Candied Orange Slices

Candied Oranges – I’ll use this recipe again.  They turned out great and weren’t bitter at all, as some are reported to be.  I think one key is to cook them for a fair amount of time.

Until the next leftovers…