Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Print this photo and tell the Theater it’s okay to bring in Candy, but don’t tell them I said so.

Stopped by to learn more and will be donating time to Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in November and December when it’s needed most.  How about you?  Come do it too.

Read more and watch a video about the volunteer experience here.  Also appreciate the Rosemary bursting through the fence at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen — We’re always on the lookout for Herbs planted around the city.  An abundant find saves money and inspires new dishes.  In this case, a Rosemary sprig will come in handy for Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts.

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

When asked if I wanted to sample Wheat Thins Stix, my first thought was no thanks.  To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Wheat Thins, but know my Mom is.  She’s been snacking on them ever since I was a kid.  Since they’re always in her cupboard, I asked if she wanted to try the Wheat Thins Stix.  She agreed and here we are — Lexi from Kids in the Kitchen (pictured) loved them, especially the Cinnamon Kick.  And my Mom liked both.  Okay, I sampled a few too and have no complaints.  Thanks for the opportunity Nabisco, as I’m now partially converted.

Update:  Apologies, the post title was changed due to formatting issues.

When I only purchased Pickles and Ice Cream, the grocery checker asked if an announcement was going to be taking place.  I’m glad she didn’t ask when I was due, hahaha.  Funny, but both were picked up for a purpose during a recent lunch break.  The reason for the Pickles was a debate over the best — And the justification for the Ice Cream is that it’s reported to be outstanding.  A co-worker brought in a baggie of Famous Dave’s Pickle Chips claiming they’re the finest around.  After one bite, I knew it wasn’t true.  They’re too sweet and not what I want in a Pickle.  Sorry for spitting it back into the bag so no one else could eat them.  Ooops, my bad.  In my opinion, the best Pickles are Bubbies, pictured above.

And with respect to Graeter’s Ice Cream – It is pretty darn good.  Mike got this one right.  Over the years he’s paid hundreds of dollars to have it shipped to California from Ohio and now it’s available here.  He recommended the Black Raspberry Chip, which is fabulous and made up for the Pickles.  None of us ate both together.  We’re not pregnant.

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.

Have you heard of Bookswim?  It’s the Netflix of books.  The library that comes to you.  I love it.  It’s a great way to test out books, or read a lot of them for less money.  Through Bookswim I checked out Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes cookbook and chose to make the Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes.  The recipe is in her book and it’s also been reported about by several food bloggers, as found here and halved here.  It’s an easy and luxurious dessert.

Since I REALLY didn’t need 30 Cheesecakes, I halved the recipe, which worked very well.

Start with a Muffin tin with paper liners and an Oreo Cookie for the bottom Crust.

Combine the other ingredients as specified and pour over each Oreo Cookie and bake.

They look special in B & W, color and upside-down, and taste great too.  I’ll make ‘em again.

After much experimentation, I found the best combination/ratio of ingredients to make Hummus using (1) Can of Garbanzo Beans aka Chickpeas.  I always have at least one can on hand, plus all necessary components to prepare a flavorful Hummus — Garlic (1 Clove), Tahini (2 Tablespoons), Lemon Juice (3-4 Tablespoons), Olive Oil (2 Tablespoons), Salt (1 Teaspoon) and Pepper (to taste).  And the best part is… All is simply blended together to produce instant homemade Hummus in minutes.  With warm Pita Bread, it’s my current snack preference.  Recipe doubles well, if you want more.  Opa!

Boursin Cheese from scratch, Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts, homemade Hummus, Mimosas and more are bound for Palm Springs in a (thankfully) giant, comfortable motorhome for warmer weather and family fun.  The above photo was taken while BBQ’ing Hot Dogs on a previous “camping” trip, if we can call it that, on the cliffs of South Carlsbad.  Enjoy the weekend rain, snow or shine.  Traveling mercies.

Cheez-It wants YOU to choose the next Cheez-It flavor.  They recently introduced Baby Swiss and are now looking to add another flavor – Asiago, Colby or Romano.  Which sounds best to you?  We’re still unsure.  Six of us tried ‘em all, but couldn’t agree.  Our votes were split between all three.  That’s not very helpful to Kelloggs, but we enjoyed eating them all.

You may still be able to obtain free samples to try the same.  Here’s the link.  Voting ends March 31, 2011.  If you already know which Cheez-It to vote for, you may vote here now.

There’s not much more to say about the Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts that hasn’t been said or written by many.  I first saw them on the Food Network as one of Giada De Laurentiis favorite snacks.  They looked and sounded so good I made ‘em the next day.  I love Nuts and everyone is right, the Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts are superb and easy to make at home.

The Nuts are toasted in the oven at 350° for about 10 minutes, then tossed with a little Butter, Sugar, Sea Salt, Cayenne Pepper and Rosemary.  That’s it.  They end up with a sweet, salty, smoky, spicy, herby flavor.  Our new favorite snack — The Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts.

While Nuts are toasting in ovens coast to coast, Kids in the Kitchen are playin’ in the NYC snow and we’re ready to toast on an OC beach.  We’re nuts over these Nuts – This time we used Almonds, Pecans, Cashews and Hazelnuts.  Use any Nut you want, and read what others are saying here, here and here.  We’re happy to have the recipe.

Who sent these to me?  I don’t recall being asked to try them?  Let me know if it’s you?  In any event, they are timely.  Just this day I told someone how much I like freeze dried fruit — I usually eat it out of the Cereal before pouring the Milk.  I like ‘em crispy.  Thanks Crispy Green.

These Fruitzio Kiwi Snacks are outstanding.  There were a couple tart bites, but I still want more.  I’m not hinting or begging, I’ll be buying.  Most dehydrated fruit I see is fairly expensive.  I hope these aren’t, because I’m eager to try the Pineapple, Peach, Mango and Asian Pear options.  Q’s: If one eats a snack pack and drinks a lot of water, what happens?  Does it grow like capsule dinosaurs, into 10 Kiwis?  Unrelated, have you heard of The Kiwi Game?

It’s practically Summer all year long in So Cal — Although it’s really Winter, today we couldn’t tell.  We all had Strips and Cheese from Zack’s or Jack’s in Huntington Beach, near Lifeguard Station #11.  Fixated on the Strips and Cheese, I forgot to check where I got them.  Similar and/or related food shacks along the HB bike and walk path have sold ‘em for years. 

Today some went swimming, some rode bikes, played Frisbee and football, and others dug for sand crabs, but ALL had the HB Strips and Cheese for old time’s sake and a few others for the first time.  I first had them as a kid.  They’re unique in that the Cheese isn’t melted and the Sauce is mild and sweet — A good beach combination.  Hope they’re sold for another 50 years.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.