Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

The Playground, what a find.  I knew I’d like a restaurant named The Playground.  It’s in Santa Ana off 4th and Spurgeon, near the Plaza Fiesta.  A group of us recently met there for an amazing Champagne Brunch, and spent time with its passionate Owner and Executive Chef Jason Quinn, who loves what he does and only offers the best – Impressive food and team.

Fresh, sophisticated, quality ingredients combined simply for superb flavor seems to be the focus.  And they don’t skimp on the aesthetics, as you see, the food is beautiful too.

Unfortunately I didn’t capture all well enough, but the posted photos start with Wagyu Beef.

On to an artistic Soft Shell Crab Roll and Wild Boar Belly (both shown above).

Benton’s Ham is added to many tasty dishes and is out of this world alone.

The Playground’s MENU will vary, as creativity and enthusiasm overflow.

Breakfast Hash with Brussels Sprouts above and a special Short Stack below.

A bowl of the freshest Shellfish with Whole Shrimp hangin’ out — Nice Broth.

Thanks for the Oysters too — Tasted freshness over and over again.

Unique offerings of Beer and Wine are available at the Bar or anywhere inside.

We met at The Playground as a fortunate group of Local Experts for Local Cuisine.

I’ll soon spotlight Local Cuisine to note the cool things about it, after the Cinnamon Roll.

IHOP’s Seventh Annual National Pancake Day will be happening on Tuesday, February 28th.  All day long, IHOP restaurants will be serving each guest a FREE Short Stack of Buttermilk Pancakes hoping they’ll donate what they would have paid, or more, to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.  This year, the restaurant chain aims to raise $2.7 million, their most ambitious goal to date.  Mark your calendar to consume and contribute.

Note: In my own International Apartment of Pancakes, a Dutch Baby (pictured) was created.

Though I’m not a big Twitter or celebrity person, as previously expressed, it’s pretty cool to see David Rosengarten following me on Twitter.  Maybe he saw what I wrote about him or maybe it’s not really him!?  You can’t be too sure about the virtual world, but I’m sure I learned a lot from him on Taste several years ago — That’s real, and what I like most about this post.

Note:  Photo is completely unrelated.  It’s been so beautiful here lately and just walked 12 miles that started with a Naked Juice and freshly baked Morning Bun from Fresh & Easy.

I’m most excited about the Canelés, the so-called New Cupcake (left), a favorite in Bordeaux and the Turkish Lokma (right) that would be discovered on a Doughnut World Tour. You should be seeing more of both in 2012 according to The Official James Beard Foundation Blog. Other Food Trends I’m not so thrilled about, especially Diminishing Portion Sizes — I’d prefer to see diminishing prices.  All 2012 Food Trends are published on Delights & Prejudices.

We Wake And Bake Every Morning — Hhhmmmm, sounds a bit suspicious.  Pushing the envelope again I see, wink wink.  It’s sex, drugs and rock and roll in advertising.  How about some rock and roll, without a cow?  Okay, for now a FREE Biscuit will do.  Thanks Carl’s.

Line up Wednesday morning, November 16th for a FREE Hardee’s Made From Scratch Sausage Biscuit at Carl’s Jr.  During breakfast hours, walk into a Carl’s Jr. and ask for YOUR Biscuit.  No purchase necessary — Eat in or walk out, it’s all yours.  So, how many Carl’s can you hit in the morning?  Puddy says just ask the 8-Ball.

Word.

I like the idea of the $2, $4, $6, $8 Menu at Denny’s and had to try something for $2.

Thumbs up on the $2 Biscuits and Gravy with Eggs — It beat other choices for lunch this day.

Also tried the Build Your Own Chicken Wrap for $4 — A fair amount of food, but no thanks.

And didn’t find anything irresistibly valuable under the $6 or $8 — Enlarge Menu to view.

Check it out — La Espiga De Oro Panaderia.  Remember what we said about it?  And the verdict is… It’s as great as it looks and relatively inexpensive for the quality and splendor.

All that’s pictured totaled $8.55 — Why not take a box of this to the office instead of Donuts?

There’s a lot more to choose from than what you see here.

This fine Panateria is off 19th and Placentia in Costa Mesa.  Have a nice day!

Unsolicited recommendation, like most here — Kind Healthy Snacks are the best Fruit & Nut Bars.  It’s the clear packaging that got me to try them and the taste keeps me buying them each week.  Unlike many Snack Bars, you can see what you’re getting and it’s even better than it looks.  The pictured Almond & Apricot and Mango Macadamia are the two I eat most, but all flavors tried have been exceptional.  Kind offers a lot of combinations to choose from.

I’m rarely hungry in the morning, but know I “should eat breakfast” — If and when I do, it’s usually a V8, Jamba Juice, KIND Bar, Clif Bar, or some sort of bottled Green Juice.  It’s seldom a full breakfast, unless enjoying a special, leisurely weekend.  In that case it might be Huevos Rancheros or Eggs Florentine, but lately it’s been Plain Yogurt and Granola (with sometimes Berries).  How can it taste so crazy good?  It just does.  The tartness of the Plain Yogurt goes well with Granola and I’m really liking the Maple Pecan Granola Clusters from Fresh & Easy.

It was an unexpected treat to receive all this Yogurt in the mail.  They were still well chilled when transferred to the fridge.  Thank you Voskos – I apologize for not thanking YOU sooner for the chance to run wild with your Greek Yogurt.  Already a Yogurt and Granola fan, I agreed to try it, but didn’t expect all this and cannot complain.  I like the flavors and variety.

I was a little skeptical about the Granola remaining crunchy after being in the fridge, but DAMN, it’s the crunchiest Granola I’ve ever had and its packaging works well.  I now buy it.

I appreciate the opportunity to test out Southern Living’s Big Book of Cupcakes.  It became available April 12th and timely arrived, as I had just begrudgingly returned Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes cookbook that was loaned through Bookswim.  And I’m still not done with Cupcakes.

The Big Book of Cupcakes bakes up 150 recipes and provides tips to satisfy any sweet tooth.  It’s reported that its author, Jan Moon transforms basic Cupcakes into brilliantly creative Dreamcakes with the whip of a whisk, although no whisk was needed for the pictured.

I have several pages tabbed, but started with the Monkey Bread Jumbo Cupcakes.

I first chose the Monkey Bread Jumbo Cupcakes, due to ease and the love of Monkey Bread.

No batter is prepared, since they’re made with Biscuits cut into fourths.

The recipe says to spray the Cupcake liners with a non-stick spray – I’m not sure if it’s necessary, but did it anyway.  If I didn’t, would they stick to the paper?  I’m not sure.

The Caramel Sauce aka Syrup mixture is made with Orange Juice, Brown Sugar, Butter and Cinnamon that thickens after boiling – The Biscuit quarters are then coated with the Syrup.

And then placed into Cupcake liners, as shown.

Instead of making 24 Monkey Bread Jumbo Cupcakes with (3) cans of Biscuits, I tested the recipe using (1) can, which produced 6 Cupcakes and leftover Syrup for another batch or two.  Since unsure of its yield, I sprayed more Cupcake liners than necessary.

I saved the Syrup for the next Biscuit purchase — I’ll update this, if something new is learned.

After assembly, they’re baked in the oven for 20 minutes at 350°.

And they’re more beautiful in person than in the book — My co-workers fought over them.

They were easy to make, but a little messy when dunking the Biscuits into the thickened Syrup.  The recipe says to shape the Biscuits into balls, but I found that step unnecessary, since the shapes change when dipping ‘em into the Syrup.

Like all Southern Living cookbooks I’ve tried thus far, the Big Book of Cupcakes is a winner.  If you want to make these Cupcakes, the recipe is pictured above, or I recommend buying the cookbook for it and other delicious looking recipes.  Thanks for the review copy!

Happy Valentine’s Day — What the world needs now is love sweet love or heart shaped Eggs.

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.