Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

French’s is having a Cook-Off.  Enter your favorite recipe using any one of French’s products to possibly win $25,000.  For contest details, view here — Then submit an original RECIPE here by October 31st, 2009.  Five finalists will be chosen to advance to a LIVE Cook-Off Event to be held in February or March 2010.  And if you can’t think of a recipe, enter to win all this — A sampling of French’s products, a colorful T-Shirt and a “super cute” (I’m told) Apron.  The French Fried Onions could come in handy for your Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole or the recipe you might enter in the contest.  All you have to do to win this yummy party pack is leave a comment on this post.  On November 1, 2009, we’ll draw a name randomly from all who commented.  You may comment once a day, until contest close.  And if you love French’s products (around since 1904), become their Fan on Facebook.  Good luck winning all prizes.

It’s reported to be Chocolate Day in some places.  Why not?  Examiner.com hosts many reports about Chocolate today.  As Orange County Food Examiner, I write about Chocolate in Orange County, not a bad combo.  The pictured Chocolates are by Christopher Michael Chocolatier in Newport Beach.  They’re gorgeous and the flavors are unique and fun.

Enter TODAY ONLY to win FREE Chicken from El Pollo Loco for an entire year — Translated it means (52) 2-Piece Meal Certificates.  All you have to do is become a fan of El Pollo Loco on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.  And while you’re there, tell them why you think flame-grilled Chicken is better than oven “grilled” Chicken.  From all entries received on 10/26/09, El Pollo Loco will randomly draw the name of the lucky winner on 10/27/09.  It’s a one day Sweepstakes, which makes for better odds and a short wait for the tasty prize.  Enter now and good luck.

Or you can stand in line at KFC for one FREE piece of their oven-grilled Chicken today only — I’d rather win a years worth of flame-grilled Chicken from EPL without standing in line.  In fairness, I enjoy KFC’s Fried Chicken on occasion and their Apple Turnovers, Wedge Cut Fries and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, but they can’t compete with EPL’s truly grilled Chicken.

UPDATE 10/27/09:  EPL announces the winner of the free Chicken — Congratulations to Theresa Wilson Goldman.

A friend sent me this article a couple weeks ago and I found it very interesting.  It kind of makes sense to a layman.  I learned that it’s best to drink warm water after certain meals, instead of a cold beverage.  After reading the article, you may want to opt for a cup of Green Tea with your French Fries in place of a Soda.  Since there are many factors involved in a heart attack, we don’t purport that following this advice will avoid one, but don’t think it will hurt.  The report includes several links to additional beneficial (healthful) information.

Nibbles of Tidbits will be getting a new look this Saturday & Sunday — It’ll still be simple, yet updated.  Any transitional formatting issues are in the process of being corrected.  Thus if you see weirdness (overlaps, covered text, or other), it’s just temporary growing pains.  We’re excited about the future and plan to do a lot more cooking, dining and reporting here. 

Although these photos don’t represent the theme of this post, they were thought to be nice to look at while testing out our final theme selections.  Both were taken while camping in Carlsbad — We experienced the gorgeous sunset while basting skewered Shrimp with Lime, Soy Sauce and melted Butter on our portable grill.  Ciao.

To become a “Bertolli Influencer” at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, it was required that applicants submit a MENU using Bertolli products — One Appetizer and One Entree.  Bertolli and Foodbuzz have teamed to offer a brand scholarship program to provide (10) Featured Publishers with free airfare and transportation to/from the festival, and accommodations for (2) nights in the heart of San Francisco.  Please pick me. 🙂

Pictured HERE is the 2nd Course of my Bertolli Tasting Menu.  As an entry, I proposed the following:

1st Course (Appetizer): Melt in your Mouth Meatballs with Bertolli’s Fire Roasted Tomato and Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce w/ a Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crostini.

2nd Course (Entree): Roasted Asparagus and Red Peppers tossed with Penne Pasta and Bertolli’s Garlic Alfredo Sauce with Aged Parmesan Cheese and Pine Nuts.

Although I propose the use of Bertolli’s “Garlic” Alfredo Sauce, the original was substituted here, since the other wasn’t available at the store I shopped. Instead I roasted a bulb of Garlic in the oven and mixed in a few cloves.  All was a flavorful combination.  The (10) winners should be announced tomorrow, then Foodbuzz readers will vote for the top (3) menus to possibly be prepared at the festival — My fingers are crossed.

UPDATE 10/22/09:  Unfortunately I didn’t win this one, but you can review the winning menus here.  Thanks for the opportunity Foodbuzz and Bertolli.

When I first heard the title of this movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I thought how adorable.  And since it somewhat relates to food, I can mention it here.  I haven’t yet seen the movie, but have the BEST Meatball recipe to make before watching it on Netflix DVD someday.  They report that you’ve never seen a shower meatier than this, but the weather here in Southern California is still sunny, with currently no chance of Meatballs unless you make ’em yourself.

Although technically not food related, it may be of interest to some.  If you’re on the east coast, you may be able to catch us on Family Feud tonight.  Our show should air on 09/30/09 & 10/01/09 in the east, and on 12/23/09 & 12/24/09 in the west (KCAL Channel 9 @ 6PM).  We’ll be popping open a bottle of Champagne on December 23rd, but we’re still working on the appetizer menu.  If anyone catches tonight’s broadcast, we’d love to hear about it.  You’ll be seeing it before we do.  Family Feud was a blast!  Back to the food, us girls wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of John O’Hurley. 🙂 Would that be considered an acceptable appetizer?  Probably not.

If you’re an official food, wine or spirits blogger, there are a limited amount of tickets still available for the 1st Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.  The 3 day schedule of events is a food lover’s dream that takes place in the heart of San Francisco.  If it happens for me, I’ll report all about it.

If you’re going to eat out today and have kids, be sure to eat at one of these restaurants — They’re offering free meals to kids.  The options are great.  Enjoy.

As a Food Correspondent for Foodbuzz, I attended the Taste of Newport Food Festival and reported about it on Foodbuzz.com.  See more photos there and most of the review below.

The 21st Annual Taste of Newport Food Festival happened this year on September 18^th – 20^th.  And I was there as a Foodie Correspondent on behalf of Foodbuzz.  The beautiful city of Newport Beach is home to some of the finest restaurants in Orange County, California, and over 30 of them were serving top notch fare on Newport Center Drive, around Fashion Island.  The food was amazing as usual and this year’s musical headliners were Sugar Ray, Train and David Cook.  Do you think David can cook?  Maybe he’ll cook me dinner some night.  In any event, it wasn’t a food event to be missed.  Happy 21st Taste of Newport!  We celebrated by taking in all it had to offer – Indian, Italian, Brazilian, Thai, Japanese and more.

Taste of Newport provides a great opportunity to sample dishes from several local restaurants in one evening.  For the price of admission, one can participate in cooking demonstrations, corporate giveaways, and superior entertainment.  Some even consider the Taste of Newport a great concert with access to fabulous food.  We had fun dancing at the Sugar Ray concert this year, especially with a Lamb Chop in hand.

Unfortunately the food isn’t included in the $25 cost of admission – Once you’re inside, it’s necessary to purchase an eScrip card in any amount between $1 and $100, which is then swiped at the various food booths in lieu of cash.  The process works well, after you get passed the two lines.  The restaurant lines aren’t too bad if you arrive when it opens, but the event packs them in and gets pretty crowded.  For optimum enjoyment it’s best to get there early and bring cash, as the credit card lines to purchase tickets and eScrip are much longer than the cash lines.

Our favorite restaurants this year were Chakra Creative Indian Cuisine and Agora Churrascaria.  Another benefit of attending Taste of Newport is taking home lots of coupons as an incentive to visit the actual restaurants – I can’t wait to eat at Agora Churrascaria with my $10 off coupon.  As a Foodie Correspondent for Foodbuzz this year, I learned how best to navigate a Taste of Newport next year, which will hopefully helps others.  The event isn’t cheap, but a portion of the proceeds are donated to various local charities.  And my final recommendation is to select a few Christopher Michael Handcrafted Chocolateson the way out with the balance left on your eScrip card. 

Rumbi Island Grill is opening with a bang in California.  Its first restaurant here is in Mission Viejo and they’re having a Grand Opening Party to celebrate.  The first 100 guests in line will receive a free meal card.  And a drawing will be held to giveaway a free meal card for a year.  The festivities are detailed below and will be followed by music and fire dancers.

WHEN: Monday, September 21, 2009 (11 – 11:30AM).

WHERE: 24000 Alicia Parkway Boulevard, Mission Viejo — The Gateway Center, near Jeronimo and Via Fabricante.

WHAT & WHO: 
• Welcoming remarks from Ron Brown, Rumbi Franchise Owner.
• Welcoming remarks from Kat Vermelis, representing State Senator Mimi Walters.
• Welcoming remarks from Mission Viejo Council-member Trish Kelley.
• Welcoming remarks Chamber President Dennis O’Connor.
• Remarks from Margaret Pendleton, President of Saddleback Valley Educational Foundation.
• Ribbon cutting by Mission Viejo Chamber Ambassadors.

Nibbles of Tidbits was invited to attend a pre-grand opening cooking demonstration at Rumbi’s new Mission Viejo location — We sent guest blogger, Bonnie to cover the event.  She’s an OC Interior Designer, foodie, International Surfing Museum Board Member and friend, and always provides a unique perspective.  Unfortunately her camera didn’t deliver the food photos we were hoping for, but you can read her report below.

GO TRIBAL. EAT TROPIC.  That’s the tag line of the brand new Rumbi Island Grill, according to co-founder and Vice President of Operations Deven Moreno, who hosted the hour long event. Deven is passionate about this new restaurant and stated that Mission Viejo is the first of 8 planned “fast casual” Island cuisine restaurants for Orange County. It is the 25^th restaurant in the chain which started in Utah in 2000 and has since expanded to Colorado and Arizona.

The Rumbi concept centers on “gourmet” rice bowls. The bowls are combined with salad and then topped with chicken, steak, pork, veggies, tofu or shrimp.  A variety of signature sauces and dressings are then added for a unique, customized dining treat. For this special Media event, Moreno cooked two of Rumbi’s most favored dishes – the Aloha Chicken Salad and the Volcano Blackened Mahi. Both are grilled or fried in 7 minutes or less using a small amount of sesame oil, which makes them not only fresh but healthy too.

Moreno emphasized that this is “Island” food rather than Hawaiian, and this theme is carried over and translated very well in the interior design.  The interiors vary at each restaurant. At the new Mission Viejo store, there is a bit more emphasis on the surfing theme, with a picture of “Duke” Kahanamoku and other old time surfers in one corner. Other elements such as spears, arrows and palm trees are more universal, but the over-all look is both fun and family-friendly.

Whatever tropical island it invokes, the Rumbi concept is unique to Southern California and will surely catch on quickly. With all entrees priced under $10, their prices and attention to quality cannot be beat. It’s highly recommended that you mosey on over to Rumbi Island Grill to experience this brand new taste sensation!

Thanks  Bonnie and welcome to California Rumbi Island Grill.

The 21st Annual Taste of Newport Food Festival starts Friday, 09/18/09 and happens until Sunday, 09/20/09.  Sugar Ray, Train and David Cook are the headlining musical guests this year — And I’ve got a pass for all 3 days.  We’ll be posting about the festivities on Foodbuzz, Examiner.com and here on Nibbles of Tidbits.  Hope to see you there!

Access information about Orange County Restaurant Week through the OC Food Examiner online.  And to see reviews and photos of previous Orange County Restaurant Week meals and cooking classes click HERE.  It’s a great week to dine out, now through September 19, 2009.

So far we’ve determined that Bayside Restaurant in Newport Beach has the Best Happy Hour in Orange County.  Their Tapas Menu is fabulous.  This visit we had the Crab Cake with Herb Cabbage Slaw and Chipotle Aioli (above) and  Fusilli Carbonara with Bacon and Parmesan (below).

And the Sliced Beef Sirloin with Roquefort Blue Cheese Leek Fondue (below) is divine.  As like our last visit, the Tapas were top quality and excellent tasting.  The Bayside Tapas Menu is served daily from 5 to 9PM in the Lounge and on the Terrace.  Each item is only $5.95 and unique Martinis and select glasses of Wine are available for $6.

Most Happy Hours end at 7PM — We appreciate that Bayside’s Tapas Happy Hour lasts until 9PM.  We’re still searching for a restaurant that can top their selections, service, prices and hours.  If so, we’ll surely report about it.

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream and Cake Dance commercial — Have you seen it?  Some find it completely annoying and others find it oddly funny.  What do you think about it?  We had one of the Ice Cream Cakes for a birthday celebration.  It was okay.  I like the combination, but (unfortunately) always find the Cake portion a little dry.  Back to the commercial, Ice Cream and Cake, Do the Ice Cream and Cake — I find it oddly funny, boarderline annoying and a little creepy, my Mom says she can’t turn the channel fast enough when it comes on, and my Brother-in-Law sings it at the Fire Station with another Fireman who thinks it’s funny.

Just reported on Examiner is a collection of places to go for Taco Tuesdays.

During the month of September, Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering a few great deals.  Be sure to stop in each Wednesday for a complimentary tasting of their Prime Burger Bar Menu.  They serve 5 Gourmet Burgers that you’ll get to try for FREE — Every Wednesday in September, between 5 – 7 PM, they’ll be serving a different mini version of each Burger.

Since it’s National Eat Outside Day, how about lunch on the beach while the weather is still terrific, but watch out for those pesty seagulls.  Or check out the list of Orange County restaurants posted on Examiner.com — All have outdoor patios.

Thanks to all who entered a comment to win a case of the new aluminum Coca-Cola bottles.  And congratulations to the Cupcake Activist — We picked your name fair and square.  So you may enjoy ’em at your Labor Day Party, they’ll be shipped right out.  Nibbles of Tidbits appreciated the opportunity to host this giveaway.  Be sure to check back for future food and drink prizes worthy of winning.

What to make with the PRIZE:  All-American Apple Pie Slushie (recipe below).

6 ounces of Diet Coke®
6 ounces of Applesauce
1 cup of Ice
Cinnamon

Combine first 3 ingredients in a blender and process until smooth — Pour into a 16-ounce glass and garnish with Cinnamon.  Enjoy!

Did you know that you can BBQ with a gas or propane grill in the Angels Stadium parking lot?  The grill must have a fuel valve that turns off.  And charcoal grills are not allowed.  To learn all the rules, view the Angels Stadium of Anaheim Tailgate Policy.  For tailgating food ideas and to see how the Angels are doing this year, check out the OC Food Examiner.com report and its related links.

More Tailgating IDEAS.

OC Fair Culinary Arts Competition Ribbons

Does this mean I might know something about which I write?  Although the purple ribbons only mean participate, I’m happy to have them too.  The Orange County Fair left town, but I picked up these ribbons today among the rubble of the broken down rides.  Each year the OC Fair runs a Culinary Arts Competition and sign up is 3 months preceding it.  I finally met the deadline this year for the first time and pleased to report that all (4) entries placed — Not too shabby, though some of my friends say the contest must be easy, HA.

Ambrosia Bundt Cake

Rocky Mountain Orange Cream Pie

Gourmet Nut Clusters

Pretty in Pink Scones

To enter the 2010 Culinary Arts Competition, start checking this website in late April – May 2010 for Home Arts – Culinary information, guidelines, deadlines, etc.  Good luck!

I was happy to see that The Counter Custom Built Burgers will be taking the place of the former Pasta Bravo in Westcliff Plaza in Newport Beach.  I’ve got a few more Hamburger combinations to test out.  According to the sign, it’ll be open in early 2010.  We wish it would open sooner.  And please excuse the light post shadow down the middle of the photo. 🙂

The Counter DIRECT: http://www.thecounterburger.com/