Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

God bless America on this beautiful day.  We’re thankful for our blessings and grateful for our dear United States Military Soldiers — Without YOU, we could lose the freedom to enjoy what’s pictured here.  Let’s all send a care package to a Soldier next week.  We provide a few links to help do it:  Troop Care Pack, Operation Gratitude, Operation Shoebox and Give 2 The Troops.  Happy 4th of July!

It seems that more and more good things are coming from trucks.  Not only did Sarnoff’s Summer Splash include a couple Kogi BBQ trucks as previously reported, but also Coolhaus, a gourmet Ice Cream Sandwich truck.

Coolhaus Ice Cream is all natural and handmade.  As you can see, the Ice Cream Sandwiches are gigantic too — And the paper wrapped around ’em is edible.  How fun is that!

They’re happily served from converted chromed-out postal trucks with pink tops.  The flavors are cool too — Dirty Mint Chip on Chocolate, Vanilla Bean on Chocolate Chip, Meyer Lemon on Ginger Cookie, Chocolate on Snickerdoodle, Brown Butter with Caramelized Bacon on Chocolate Chip, plus other varying flavor combinations.

Believe it or not, several reported that they ‘really liked the Brown Butter with Caramelized Bacon on Chocolate Chip’ Ice Cream Sandwich — They said it didn’t taste much like Bacon, but more like Butter Pecan Ice Cream.  That’s a good thing.  Coolhaus is a cool house.

* We’re not sure what’s up with the serious looking photos on the side of the truck!?  It looked a little trippy. 🙂

Today my food and legal worlds happily collided — I happen to make a livin’ as a Litigation Paralegal and Freelance Writer majoring in food. 🙂 Our law office was invited to a Summer Splash Party that was hosted by Sarnoff Court Reporters and catered by Kogi BBQ trucks.

By now most have heard about the elusive Kogi BBQ trucks drivin’ and parkin’ around Orange County and Los Angeles, offering Mexican/Korean cuisine to eagerly awaiting Kogi lovers — And today they came to me with ease.

Since Sarnoff sponsored the party, we had the Kogi trucks all to our legal selves.  We only had to wait in line a couple minutes, unlike many others at popular destinations.

We each received a Kogi Beef Slider, Kogi Pork Taco and Kogi Chicken Taco.  All were very good as reported by countless others, but we weren’t knocked off our chairs.  We wouldn’t wait hours as some have, but maybe 15 minutes or so for another Beef Slider and their Short Rib Taco (a specialty not offered today).

Thanks Sarnoff — You always have the best food at your parties!  And thanks Kogi BBQ for the fast tasty food.

We’ve attended and reported about many Cooking Classes in Orange County, but no matter where you live (including the OC), you can easily arrange to have a Professional Chef teach cooking in your own home.  Chefz Table makes it happen.  To learn about the Professional Chefs near you, just go to their website and enter your zip code.  After that, select the Course you’d like to learn… A Taste of Italy, French Bistro, Indian Feast, Tamales and Sangria, Southern Cookin’, Advanced Knife Skills, Pies and Tarts, a Date Night to Remember, Cheese and Wine Pairing, etc.  All Course details and prices are clearly provided at Chefz Table.  We haven’t tried ’em yet, but it’s nice to know the fun possibility is only a few clicks away — The menus sound good too! 

* Semi-related photo was taken at a Bloomingdales South Coast Plaza Cooking Class.

Have you been to Tanaka Farms yet?  If you haven’t, you’re missing out.  It’s in Irvine and is also known as Orange County’s Largest U-Pick Farm.  During certain tours you get to pick your own Strawberries, Watermelon and much more.  We recently went on the Strawberry Tour, which was more fun than we imagined.

At the end of the Strawberry Tour, you get to pick and take home your own large basket of Strawberries, which happens after you eat as many as you can stuff down.  We all said they were the best Strawberries we had in our lives.  Not sure why, but they’re amazingly sweet.  The tour lasts about an hour. 

While on the tractor ride that’s included with the Strawberry Tour, you get to try a few of the seasonal vegetables along the way.  After sampling all, you feel like you’ve just had a healthy meal.  We joked that we should bring Salt, Pepper and Ranch Dressing next time — And we seriously might.

In addition to the endless Strawberries, we ate Radishes, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans, Iceberg and Red Leaf Lettuce directly from the field.  What a treat!  And when you’re done eating, you just toss the remains (aka Carrot and Radish tops, Strawberry leaves, etc.) over your shoulder off the tractor.

Weekend Strawberry Tours are running now through June 27th (weather permitting) and the Watermelon Tours begin in early July.  Tanaka Farms also offers Cookout Tours, whereas you get to pick, wash and cook your own meal directly from and at the farm.  The view from the cookout area is beautiful.

We still keep talking about how much fun this was and that we now look forward to enjoying Tanaka Farms all year long.  They have a fresh produce stand that’s open daily. 

Family run Tanaka Farms is organized, friendly, fun, clean and pesticide free.  They do a lot of creative planting to put forth the best produce possible.  We’re impressed with ALL.

The post title is inspired by The Naked Gun, since we love Leslie Nielsen, and by our recent numerous Cheese & Wine parties.  Here we finally summarize our favorites and the consensus is unanimous.  For our slew of parties, we purchased (6) different Cheeses from Trader Joe’s.  They have an excellent selection.  Before the first party, we tested the Cheese to spare guests from potential scary flavors, which is highly recommended and turned out to be necessary, since we quickly ruled out the TJ Morbier (France).  It tasted awful, thus we replaced it with another.  It’s a better party when all tastes good.

And the winners are… (1) Toscano Cheese With Black Pepper (Italy), (2) Blue Catello (France), (3) Italian Truffle Cheese (Italy), (4) Gouda Cheese With Olive Oil (USA), (5) Kiwi Swiss Cheese (New Zealand), and (6) Smoked Cheese (Holland).  All are Cow’s Milk Cheeses.  The first three listed are definitely worth buying again — Everyone particularly loved the Toscano Cheese With Black Pepper (back row right).  And the Italian Truffle Cheese deserves a special mention too, as it includes actual Truffle pieces throughout (front row left).

Our final Cheese & Wine Par-tay included a few Mezzetta products that went well with the Cheese and other accompaniments.  We dipped Olive Bread in the Pesto Sauce and the Roasted Red Peppers and Pepperoncinis were a compliment to all.  Thanks Mezzetta — We’ve enjoyed many of your fine products over the years and the arrival of the (3) above surely came at the right time.  We liked the Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio had with all, but have no elaboration on ’em.  They sufficed.

Note: What makes a Party a Par-tay is your own personal Wine opener.  Thanks T.

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.

If you’re planning a small Cheese & Wine Party, you should be set to have more than one gathering, as a little Cheese goes a long way and one shouldn’t eat the balance alone.  As previously reported, our party was inspired by a recent trip to SideDoor in Corona Del Mar.  We’ll report about our favorite Cheeses after our 2nd (or possibly 3rd) Party.  We’re almost done. 🙂 It ain’t easy being Cheesy.

Inspired by the Cheese & Charcuterie we saw at SideDoor in Corona Del Mar, we’re testing Cheese to select the best for a Cheese Tasting Party I’ll be hosting.  The goal is to make our platter as special as theirs.  We learned the importance of preliminary testing by quickly ruling out the TJ Morbier from France, Cheese #1 (Above).  It was awful.  I don’t like having to write this because it’s not appetizing, but it smelled and tasted like stinky feet — Not good!  I definitely wouldn’t want to serve it to guests, as it could be a turn off from the rest.

I ultimately decided on 5 – 6 Cheeses from Trader Joe’s and can’t wait to plate them with Calabrese Salami and Black & Green Olive Bread, with a complimentary selection of fresh Pears, dried Montmorency Cherries, Pecans, Garlic Stuffed Olives, Red Grapes, Mustard, Club Crackers, Pita Chips, etc.  Check back to see how our Cheese & Charcuterie measures up to the platters at SideDoor.

You can now enter one or more of the competitions happening at the Orange County Fair this year.  The 2010 OC Fair doesn’t start until July, but competition sign-up has begun.  Last year we luckily won several ribbons in the Culinary Arts Competition and this year we hope to do the same.  And I’ve talked my Mom into entering the Table Setting Competition — She’s always set fun and beautiful tables over the years, including the one above.  Online entry forms are due by May 26, 2010.  Good luck!

It’s still St. Patrick’s Day at Santa Anita Race Track, which was a good thing for us today.  We saved a lot of money on Beer and Hot Dogs and went home with a little more money than we came with — That’s a good thing!  It was a beautiful, thirst quenching day.

The big money was won on a 55/1 (odds) to Place — Too bad we didn’t go all the way with the Win.  Nevertheless, we had a magnificent time at Santa Anita.  It’s an entertaining way to spend the day.  The horses are only running live at Santa Anita Race Track until April 18, 2010.

Other media was broadcasting from the track and another race was getting ready to start, as we headed for six Beers for the price of one.  FYI:  There’s FREE Admission and more $1 specials every Friday.

Stay tuned tomorrow on ABC starting at 9PM (Pacific) and on Twitter for Bertolli’s Taste & Tweet Sunday Night Dinner Party.  Nibbles of Tidbits will be virtually dining with other VIP Bloggers via #BertolliItaly — We’re on Twitter as FoodBlog and our Tweets (aka Chirps) are RSS’d below.  Our participatory selection for this fun event is Bertolli’s Lemon Herb Shrimp & Penne paired with Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio.  We can’t wait to try all during Desperate Housewives, when the Into the Heart of Italy episodes premiere.  Learn more @ www.IntotheHeartofItaly.com.

* Come back tomorrow to see how the above cooked up and click here for previous Bertolli product reviews.

Continuing our tour of Casino Buffets, Nibbles of Tidbits recently enjoyed the Lunch Buffet at Choices inside Pala Casino Spa Resort.  We’re not major Buffet fans, but find many of the Indian Reservation Casino Buffets quite impressive and an amazing deal, especially if you join a Player’s Club.  You’ll need to check the details for each Casino, but a free or discounted Lunch or Dinner Buffet is often a perk of joining a Player’s Club.  At Pala Casino, it’s called a Privileges Card — It affords a 20 – 100% discount relative to one’s gambling practices.

Unfortunately our photos don’t capture the full grandeur of Choices Buffet, thus it’s recommended that you try it yourself.  They offer almost everything you can think of… Seafood, Mexican food, Chinese food, Japanese food, an extensive Salad Bar, fresh Fruit, American favorites, Italian food, every Dessert you can imagine, plus more.  And it’s the first Buffet we’ve seen serve Leg of Lamb during lunch — All you can eat Lamb, shucked Oysters and peel and eat ’em Shrimp is a deal in itself, without mentioning the Ribs, Ham, Turkey, Chicken, Salmon Fajitas, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, etc.

Pala Casino takes a lot of pride in Choices Buffet and wants its customers to truly enjoy their experience.  It’s well kept, clean, fully stocked and ready to be served.  We found the service and attention to detail remarkable.  They’re excited to present their remodeled Buffet (reopened Memorial Day 2009) and interested in customer feedback.  They want to make Choices the best Buffet in town.

We’ve learned that Indian Reservation Casino Buffets are relatively progressive (I wish I’d win it) and sophisticated.  Gone are the days of cheap Buffet food — There’s a lot of competition.  Casino Buffets are quite the production, prepared and maintained by a team of attentive chefs and staff.  Food is often presented as art, as shown by the flower carved out of a Watermelon and a dove carved from I’m not sure what.

As of this date, we think Choices may have the best Desserts seen thus far.  We haven’t found any Buffets lacking Desserts, but we’re extra impressed with the Dessert case pictured directly below.  In addition to offering almost every imaginable Dessert outside the case, those presented below are extra special.  To me, it was like visiting an expensive bakery after the Buffet, whereas you get to pick and eat whatever you want for free.  Elsewhere, each gourmet item may cost $5.  You always want more than you can afford — Here you can just go for it.

It was hard to narrow down our selection of Choice’s Desserts, but we ultimately decided on the Mango Mousse Tower, Tiramisu Mug and Raspberry Mousse Tower (clockwise below).  We’re not sure of their actual names and describe them by taste and design.  All looked like a work of art. 

Pala Casino is situated in a valley among beautiful hills — Below is just one view from the deck near the Food Court, close to more dining offered at Pala Casino.  After this visit, we deem Choices to be one of our favorite Lunch Buffets.

Although not captured in this post, Choices’ design is worth mentioning.  Our Interior Designer (Guest Blogger Bonnie) would have approved.  We particularly liked the giant monitors displayed throughout.  Each had incredible rotating food images to help get you in the mood.  Make sure you bring your appetite to this Buffet.

Note:  We’ll be visiting Casino Pauma’s Buffet in March — Check back for a report on it.

The Crab Cooker is an oldie, but goodie in Newport Beach.  It’s been open since 1951 and still draws a crowd each day.  The prices are relatively reasonable for a beach area restaurant and the food is consistently fresh.  Most of my recent trips have been to its Fish Market.  Since the restaurant is within walking distance to the beach, we often get the Smoked Albacore to go.  With a little Cocktail Sauce and Tartar Sauce for dipping, you’re set for a beach picnic if you can successfully avoid the pesty seagulls.

The Crab Cooker’s Smoked Salmon and King Crab Legs (pictured above) and their Manhattan Clam Chowder, Scallops on a Skewer and Romano Cheese Potatoes are also favorites of ours.  People travel miles to have the Romano Potatoes, but if you’re looking for New England Clam Chowder you won’t find it here, as they only serve Manhattan, which is different because most seafood restaurants only offer New England.

On this beautiful day in January, we enjoyed our Smoked Albacore on the beach while watching the brave surfers and boogie boarders — The water is still way too cold for me, even with a wetsuit, but it’s entertaining (and warmer) to watch.

Can you tell what’s in the photo below?  It’s our magnified sliced Smoked Albacore with Tartar Sauce and Lemon to go.

FYI:  There’s a second Crab Cooker in Tustin, California.  For location information, the menu and more restaurant history, click here.  Eat lots of fish!

I’ll be donating money to help fund Ovarian Cancer Research and hope you’ll do the same.  Thanks to Foodbuzz and Electrolux for their efforts to raise money for this very important cause.  As well as money, I’m hoping to dedicate time on February 9th, 2010 in New York City.  Foodbuzz and Electrolux will be hosting a Special Cake Decorating Event and Baking Demonstration (along with Kelly Ripa and renowned Pastry Chefs) to help bring more funds and awareness to Ovarian Cancer Research.  Foodbuzz Featured Publishers were invited to answer a few essay questions to (hopefully be selected) be sponsored to be a part of this significant event.  Chosen or not, I’ll do all in my power to represent and support this worthy organization.  PLEASE do the same.

We thoroughly enjoyed the $45 prix fixe meal served at Back Bay Bistro Restaurant on New Year’s Eve — And we’ll definitely be going back again for the Lobster Bisque.  It’s one of the best we’ve had in a long time, due to a perfect balance of complex flavors.  Wow!

Included with the fantastic Lobster Bisque was a fresh Bistro Salad, Surf & Turf (a Petite Filet Mignon and Jumbo Shrimp served with Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Asparagus and Baby Carrots) and Chocolate Mousse with a fresh Raspberry Puree.  All was fantastic.

Back Bay Bistro is a little tricky to get to — It’s tucked back in Newport Dunes near a boat launch.  Be careful walking over and valet parking, so not to get run over by a launching boat.  Once you’re there, it’s a pleasant experience.

We received excellent service from everyone we encountered and were impressed by that alone.  We mistakenly arrived a 1/2 hour before the first seating and were content to hang outside, but a nice manager (Jesse) invited us in early.  That was super cool of him and on this colder evening it was a treat to be sitting inside with a glass of Merlot.

We’ll be going back soon for Happy Hour — It’s an all around good restaurant that’s nice and airy, has interesting views, offers “dog friendly dining” on the outdoor patio, provides on-the-ball service and high quality food.

For all reasons noted above, we were happy with our decision to enjoy our last meal in 2009 at Back Bay Bistro — And we’ll be heading back over in early 2010 for more.

Happy New Year from Nibbles of Tidbits in Newport Beach, near Back Bay Bistro.

If you’re looking for somewhere fun to go on New Year’s Eve, I just published a compilation of events happening in Orange County.  As the Orange County Food Examiner on Examiner.com, I’ve provided several links to help you determine where to eat, drink, dance, laugh, sing and kiss on New Year’s Eve.  And if you plan on drinking, please have a designated driver or take a taxi — It’ll help us all start 2010 off on the right foot.  Happy New Year!

During the holiday season, it’s good to have products on-hand that will help create an instant party.  It’s reported that a handful of Mezzetta products and little advance preparation can create the ultimate 20-Minute Mezzetta Miracle Party.  I succumbed to the challenge by creating the above hot and cold appetizer platter.  With Mezzetta’s Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes, Garlic Stuffed Olives and Artichoke Hearts (l-r) — I made a Hot Artichoke Dip with the addition of Sour Cream, Mayo, Parmesan Cheese and Chopped Jalapenos, and a quick cold Goat Cheese and Sun-Ripened Dried Tomato Dip using just that, then served all with Garlic Stuffed Olives, Crackers and Pita Chips.  The swift combination was appreciated by pop-in guests and took about 25 minutes to prepare, baking time included.  I’ve enjoyed Mezzetta’s products for years and always have ’em in the pantry for a spontaneous party like this one.

Our Family Feud Show finally airs tonight at 6:00PM on KCAL Channel 9.  If you’re local tune in.  We’ll be poppin’ open a bottle of Champagne to toast the money we won.  Yeah!  We played as the Breneman Family from Orange County, California.

* Our show airs on December 23rd & 24th at 6PM on Channel 9 (KCAL).

We finally visited Tapas Restaurant Night Club in Newport Beach near the John Wayne Airport — It’s only been open about 16 years.  Under the Hot and Cold Tapas Menu, we tried the Lamb Chops Madrilenas, Cheese Fundido and Artichoke Toasts. 

We prefer to emphasize the positive on Nibbles of Tidbits, but we’re also truthful in our reports.  I deferred the Tapas review to my dinner guest, who wants to remain anonymous (she’s infamous, ha).  She wrote the following:

After wondering for years about Tapas Restaurant Night Club in Newport Beach, we finally got the chance to visit this venerable institution, which has been tucked away in a strip mall for the last 16 years. The dictionary definition of Tapas is “small snacks that are often served as an appetizer along with alcoholic drinks, originally from Spain” — Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, after our visit tonight our conclusion is that this concept is all tapped out.

First, the restaurant itself has lost whatever appeal it used to have on a visceral level — it is now dirty, dusty and damaged. Second, the food sounds good on the menu but it is just plain BLAH. For example, the Artichoke Hearts tasted like they came straight out of a can (they even had that can smell to them). The bread was stale and tasteless and the Cheese “Fundido” — which was baked Manchego and Goat Cheese with Spanish Chorizo – sounded divine but was barely edible (congealed). Ditto with regard to the bland Potato (Bomba). The only good Tapas we tasted was the Lamb Chops.

Equally tasteless was the décor, with broken tiles lining the floors everywhere and Spanish outfits hanging from the walls that were literally covered in dust. Finally, we were served on plates that did not even remotely match! In sum, don’t bother with Tapas as they are all tapped out. 

Tapas Restaurant Night Club’s sustainability must be through the night club, bar and entertainment.  We wish all restaurants well, thus hope they take more pride in their Tapas (for its namesake and for Pete’s sake), and why not tidy things up a bit?!

Nibbles of Tidbits gets to decorate a lot of Cookies — Our Christmas Cookies this year seem to look a little better than those decorated last Christmas.  The Cookies don’t need to look perfect, because the most fun is had decorating them with friends.

The Sugar Cookies start out naked as you can see, but gave permission to be posted here.  🙂

When starting with a blank canvas it’s hard to envision how to decorate some Cookie shapes, thus it’s helpful to view others’ Christmas Cookies for ideas.  We post our Cookies each year to remind ourselves of the possibilities and to assist you with the same.

Our family, friends and co-workers appreciate the Cookies of our labor — We like hand delivering the decorated Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Dipped Oreos & Graham Crackers, and molded White Chocolate Peppermint Cottages to awaiting smiles.

Our holiday Cookie decorating tradition is always a great time — We suggest you do the same with your friends.  The Nibbles of Tidbits ‘Official Cookie Crew’ includes all pictured below l-r, Michelle, Loretta, Kim, Nora, Patty (aka Tricia) and Shelly (aka Me).  Merry Christmas ALL!

Every first Friday of December, I host a Girl’s Christmas Party and this year was my 15th annual.  Guests are asked to bring an appetizer, salad, soup or side dish and a $25 value gift for a crazy gift exchange.  A prize and ribbon are awarded to the person bringing the best voted appetizer.  This year’s winning appetizer is posted above and the runner up is below.

In addition to the winning appetizers, we’ve posted several others to provide a few ideas for your Christmas Party.  Everything was yummy and I’m much appreciative for all contributions.

We enjoyed baked Bruschetta with Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil and Balsamic Vinegar, homemade Guacamole and Chips, Antipasto, Vegetables with Ranch Dip, Chips and Onion Dip, Chicken Wings, Hummus with Pita Chips, a Chopped Salad, Spring Rolls, Buffalo Mozzarella with Tomato and Basil, and much more.  Some dishes aren’t pictured due to photo quality.

Dessert preparation is deligated to the best baker in the bunch, Loretta of Nibbles of Tidbits’ Cookie Decorating fame.  She made a few of our old time favorites for all to enjoy.

Dessert included a homemade Chocolate Cake with Frosting piped using my favorite decorating tip (hair tip), Magic Bars and Lemon Squares.  Loretta receives a prize every year for her amazing efforts.

The past couple years money was saved on a tree, due to the display of our adorable Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  Champagne flows along with the availability of a semi-full bar and lots of Bottled Water.  And poster boards are accessible to view party photos from all previous years.

This year I pulled out an American Idol Microphone to facilitate the party along.  We (I) had a fun time with it — It’s a great way to get your guest’s attention to coordinate the games, the gift exchange and appetizer vote submissions.  We usually end the party with a group photo to be viewed on next year’s poster board.  Unfortunately two left before we remembered to take our 2009 photo.  To view last year’s par-tay highlights, click here.  Merry Christmas!

My favorite part of the Cook Or Be Cooked Wii Game is watching Susie Fogelson gag and Mory Thomas fall back on his chair in disgust of most of the dishes we prepared, HA — We cracked up at that.  We actually wanted more and were disappointed that we didn’t see additional ways of showing dislike.  I know that’s not the object of the game, but it’s entertaining.  We wanted them to run out of the room, fall on the floor, or alternately gag and fall back.  Their reactions are a bit redundant, until you get better at the game.

The graphics and likenesses are well done — It’s a little confusing at first, but once you figure out how to go back and forth between the different dish preparations, it’s more interesting.  Wii Cook Or Be Cooked is fun, but we had a better time playing Wii Air Hockey, Skee Ball, Darts, Bowling, Basketball and Shuffleboard the same day.  We were (6) on an RV vacation when we tried Cook Or Be Cooked.  BBQ’ing on the beach in between our Wii game competition was a great time.  We cooked and got cooked by the Food Network this weekend and look forward to doing it again.