Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Do you remember Orange Guy?  I thought he was so cute and wanted to peel him alive.  Well, I gave it a try and created Orange Dude, if you see what I’m sayin’ — It just happened that way.  The photos are minimized to tone down our rating.  Enlarge each for a better peek.

What excites me most here are these Orange Jellies I made for the first time — They are absolutely delicious!  I will soon be posting more about them, along with an easy recipe adapted from another.  All pictured utilized one glorious Orange.  It’s a sexy, sweet thing.

The New Face of Food Coloring is here on Nibbles of Tidbits with a Jelly Belly nose, since we’ve arrived at BROWN – Do you need a drop of color?  It’s a magnificent thing, from the depths of the ocean through the sky.  Our Food Coloring Series started with orange to spotlight links to OC Blogs, then kaleidoscoped into purple, yellow, green, blue, red, white and black.  Without further ado, brown kicks off with a RECIPE for these Puppy Cupcakes.  Awe.

 Continuing with Sherry Mushrooms with Pine Nuts, on my ‘To Cook List’ that’s too long.

Steak Au Poivre by Alton Brown — It has to be good.  Filet makes the brown and red list.

Cookie decorating ideas for any color — Brown and White Bite Size Cookies pictured here.

Beef on Weck — This Sandwich looks so good to me.  I can almost taste it all with the Pickle.

I love Candy Buffets and once set-up a mini buffet with my favorite flavor.

I like the feel of this photo, but is that Canned Bread?  I want to provide credit — Is it yours?

Mounds Brownie — I once was a Brownie, while still a Blondie, and won a ribbon for it too.

Kumato Brown Tomatoes — I think they’re interesting, but I’m more impressed by the blog I found ‘em on.  It’s called Eat at Joe’s and it anonymously reviews all things Trader Joe’s.

I choose a Sugar Donut most often and the runner-up will always be any HOT Donut.

Chocolate Bar Brownies (above) and the RECIPE.

A Chocolate Keyboard — To eat or to write, that is the question.

 Rock Candy made with Brown Sugar.

Instant personality with a marker!  Funny Eggs – I want to replicate ‘em.

Smile inside and out — Grateful for Bacon & Eggs on a t-shirt or rock in Carlsbad.

Brown Sugar Lil’ Smokies wrapped in Bacon — The RECIPE is here.

Which Sugar/Azucar doesn’t belong?  Do you remember that from Sesame Street?

A Giant Hostess Cupcake Cake and Step-by-Step RECIPE.

Chocolate Fountains — What a sight and site it came from.  Where’s the Strawberries?

I want to dine here with friends and Wine.  It’s so beautiful – Photo Credit.

Bread in many forms is mostly brown.

This cow wants to know what you’re looking at – How now brown cow.

Black is the new black — Continuing our Food Coloring Series at midnight in recognition of all shades of black.  Is there a color with more associations?  See its depth in relation to food.

Nobu Black Cod With Miso and Squid Ink Pasta start our black mack pack.

Black Pepper Crusted Tuna Steaks on the BBQ.

Steamed Mussels in Curry Broth and the recipe.

A black and white kitchen with dining — I see laughs and passionate happenings there.

The above foods aren’t really black — Sshhhhhh.

Pretty in pink Chocolate Cake or a Chocolate Cake on fire — It’s a good look either way.

Black Coffee in bed?  The stain on my notebook says nothing to me, just sayin’.

And now back to Black Food Coloring — It’s available too.  I just learned that.

Food related words above — It’s a bit repetitive I now see, but initially looks interesting.

Creative use of Black Licorice and Candy Corn in the Haunted Licorice Forest – Love it.

I’ve burnt many a Toast, as proven here – Is it me or the Toaster Oven?  Mostly me.

Blackened Catfish and the recipe.

Do you remember Davey and Goliath in black and white?  I loved watching it as a kid.

Olive, Cream Cheese & Carrot Happy Feet Penguin Appetizers and step-by-step instructions.

Who is behind the bar?  Many chairs pulled-up over and over again in time.

Blackberries, a bucket of purple pickins amongst black nuance.

Olive – I’ll live, Lord willing.  Thanks for this food.  Amen.

Black Bean Soup and its origin, Black Beans, rock hard first.

Black Tea telling you so.

A simple life is a beautiful thing — My Mom knew the car-hop experience with school friends.  She tells the stories.  Sonic Drive-In is the closest thing to that for me.

Colorful Salad Greens against a striking black background — I just like it.

The next color in the series will be                  .

I could write a dissertation on political and religious aspects of this photo, but here I appreciate its creative value — It makes me want to carve Bread, not bite the hand that feeds me, reach out and touch someone, ask not what my country can do for me and/or give it five.

Our freshly dubbed Parade of Colorful Food series “gives new meaning to food coloring,” said Steven Woo, DC Contributor.  In contrast to the yellow, orange, green and purple food currently on display and linked here, not much in the food world is naturally blue.

Blue is otherwise a surrounding color in nature — In the oceans and wondrous sky, and it also seems to be the favorite color of most.  Mine will be in the spotlight next in the series.

We like the posted photos because they’re aesthetically pleasing, interesting, idealistic, unique, inspirational, educational and fun – Credit for all is linked throughout.

Learn about Five Ways to Raise Seafood here and above.

Does anyone eat Jellyfish?

If fried, would they disintegrate or crisp up?  I’ll look it up later.

I endlessly appreciate a fresh, well-prepared, handsome Macaron and more of them.

And couldn’t feature blue food without Blueberries, my preferred fresh Berry.

It’s blue and relates to food — Always had an interest in vintage documents and photographs.

The best Cookie Monster Cupcake I’ve seen.  It doesn’t look too difficult to prepare.

The photo below just trips me out, especially the Banana – Crazy for blue food perhaps?!

Food coloring as I know it and craft glue with eyes – Things should have eyes too.

The first to identify these blue eyes wins a prize, said the brown eyed girl.

Where the folks are fine and the world is mine on Blue Bayou with a BBQ.

It’s parade day for yellow, in stride after orange, green and purple – And the band played on.

Continuing here with another pictorial post highlighting color, this of a highlighter, emphasized.

Medley of yellow food from the earth and some hand prepared — Photo credit here.

Yellow Tomato Carpaccio, more striking than red, to be featured before or after blue.

I like the Missing Tooth Emoticon and Invisible Emoticon above.

Yellow Spotted Boxfish, admired and not eaten here — So much to see under the sea.

And above sea level there’s bountiful yellow food to view, get the hue, yes even some roux.

I’m in awe of the contest winning photo above — It’s so incredibly beautiful.

It’s reported… YELLOW FOOD is favored by Rock ‘N’ Rollers — By Korn, Corn, the Banana? 

And Yellow Squash like to dance — Get a pan will ya.

I didn’t see the pictured Hamburger on Yelp’s Burger Blitz or anywhere else for that matter, but did see others I’ve tried and some I’ll need to try on their “Most Wanted Patties In Town” list.  If you were to eat this monstrosity, you may turn into a Burger, as it probably weighs more than you.  Do you think it’s possible for one to finish it?  Do you think a giant fork would help?  It likely wouldn’t matter, but an extra stomach (or two+) would surely be in order.

Don’t toss the SEEDS, bake ‘em – Pumpkin Seeds are too easy to make, especially in October.

We see that you’ve been searching for Halloween ideas, thus we’ve gathered our previous posts and linked them here for easy access.  How about some Fruit Punch with skeleton shaped Ice Cubes?  The hands are easily made with rubber gloves filled with water and then frozen, but you’ll need to find a creative cast to make the face.  Do you plan to decorate Halloween Cookies or Cupcakes?  If so, several ideas can be found here, here, here, and here.  Are you looking for the perfect Vodka for your Halloween Party?  How about Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head?  Or how about a Trick-Or-Eat Dinner at The Cellar in Fullerton?  We went a couple years ago, though unsure if it’s happening again this year.  We’ll report back about it and other Halloween ideas.  Who’s gonna check me Boo?  Happy Halloween.

Note:  Thanks goes to our Guest Blogger Steven Woo in Washington, DC for the photo.

These were our neighbor’s Burgers at Slater’s 50/50 Burgers by Design in Anaheim Hills.  I’ve never seen one that big.  We were there to try The 50/50, Slater’s Signature with 50% Ground Beef and 50% Ground Bacon that comes with a Fried Egg, Avocado Mash, Pepper Jack Cheese and Chipotle Mayo.  It’s a crazy Burger joint — One gnarly report coming right up.

I haven’t been to Hof’s Hut in years, but once upon a time lived a block away from its former Second Street location in Belmont Shore (now Lucille’s) — It and I were there a few years while in college, and I had many-a satisfying meals on its upstair’s patio.  Awe nostalgia.

Hof’s Hut first opened its doors in 1951 and to celebrate their 60th Anniversary, they’re hosting a Burger Contest.  What would you put on your best Burger?  Tell Hof’s Hut and name it to potentially see it on their menu.  I’ve already mailed in 5 — It’s easy to fill out the one-page form pictured above and here.  The deadline for submission is May 31st, 2011.

Using up leftover Mini Marshmallows — Roasting them in the Toaster Oven on Fondue Forks.

Aren’t they cute?

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…

Although the pictured 14lb. Turkey cooked up too dry, it was only $3 and provided a lot of tasty meals.  I think the oven was too hot.  During the holidays, Turkey deals are everywhere.  It’s fun to get a giant Turkey for the price of a Chicken and better yet when it’s cooked well.  Lemon slices were placed under the skin of this one, unlike another Turkey we’ve shown.  Let’s see what happens next time — We try different methods and always shoot for juicy.

Prior to morphatizing the leftovers, we enjoyed the dark meat with Sage Mashed Potatoes (Potatoes, Butter, Sour Cream, Milk, roasted/fried Sage Leaves and Salt & Pepper), Roasted ‘What’s On-Hand’ Veggies (Celery, Carrots, Onions, Garlic and Sage Leaves roasted in the oven with Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and Salt & Pepper), and Cranberry Sauce made with fresh Cranberries, Water, Sugar and Orange Zest.

Then it’s on to make the Turkey Stock that’s strained through cheesecloth and skimmed of fat.  Prior to its preparation, most Turkey meat is obviously reserved to make the following or whatever YOU want.

We always have a Turkey Sandwich (or 10).  Sometimes it’s only Turkey Sandwiches, because they’re simple and good.  Sandwich variations are endless, but we often find basic the best.

This Turkey Chili was made with roasted and peeled Tomatoes and Chilis (Poblano, Anaheim, Jalapeno), Garlic, Turkey Stock, Chili Spices, drained Kidney and Garbanzo Beans, and large chunks of white meat Turkey.

Turkey Quesadillas with Sharp Cheddar and Pepper Jack Cheese, Salsa and Sour Cream.

Turkey Noodle Soup made with the Turkey Stock and leftover Roasted Veggies (pictured above), that were pureed, then strained to leave behind the Celery fibers – The process produced a flavorful Soup base in which to add Noodles and Turkey chunks.

An attempt at Shepherds Pie in a Mason Jar was put forth with a thickened version of the Turkey Soup (using Arrowroot), minus most Noodles, which was then topped with Sage Mashed Potatoes and Paprika and baked in the oven.

The Shepherds Pie wannabe ended up cooking together.  It was pushed over its fine line of doneness, bummer – There was a moment when it looked great and was surely hot enough to eat.  It should’ve been pulled out then.

Happy Holidays — Give a cheap Turkey a good home, your stomach.

Zespri, thanks for choosing me as a Semi-Finalist in your Kiwi A-Go-Go Bloggers’ Contest — I now live happily knowing that, and enjoy the use of this lovely anatomically correct GOLD Kiwifruit Flash Drive aka consolation prize.  If you don’t know, the gold KIWI differs in shape from the green in that it protrudes slightly at both ends, a fact I haven’t known for long.  Unfortunately I didn’t win the grand prize dream vacation for 4 to New Zealand, but do appreciate having a great shot.  It was fun to think about.

I still like playing The Kiwi Game, the new phenomenon sweeping the nation.