Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Important Women’s Health Issue:

* Are you feeling tired?
* Are you stressed?
* Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
* Do you suffer from shyness?
* Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
* Do you feel overwhelmed at times, as if there is not enough time in the day for all of your responsibilities?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas. 

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you’re ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacle that prevents you from living the life you want to live. Your stress will literally melt away. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas. 

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn’t mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.  

Side effects may include:

– Dizziness
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Incarceration
– Erotic lustfulness
– Loss of motor control
– Loss of clothing
– Loss of money
– Table dancing
– Headaches
– Dehydration
– Dry mouth
– And a desire to sing Karaoke 

Warnings:

* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.

* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting. 

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.

Note:  Photo by Food Colors — Above was forwarded by a friend. Original origin is unknown.  We think it’s funny!

Since this sounds like a fun contest with a great prize, and its proceeds benefit a much needed organization (all good criteria), we’ve reprinted the details here on Nibbles of Tidbits.

MAKI MADNESS SUSHI SHOWDOWN

Attention Surf City: It’s Time to Put Your Sushi Where Your Mouth Is — March 21, 2010!

WHAT: On Sunday, March 21, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant is partnering with CASA of Orange County and OC Weekly to host its inaugural Maki Madness Sushi Eating Contest to coincide with the NCAA March Madness. Whether you’re a professional food eater or just like a little competition, you’ll definitely enjoy this sushi throw-down. One participant will be named Surf City’s 2010 Maki Madness Champion – winning sushi for a year, which is equivalent to 12 $50 RA gift certificates. Think you’ve got what it takes?

All interested gamers must register in advance online at www.ocweekly.com/RAsushi – space is limited to 40 participants. All of the proceeds from the $10 cash only registration fee and raffle (no purchase necessary), will benefit CASA of Orange County.

RA will feature its signature Tootsy Maki and offer guests a selection of themed drink specials. In addition to the sushi showdown, spectators and cheerleaders will enjoy full coverage of the NCAA March Madness tournament and may take part in mini basketball competitions.

WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: RA Sushi Bar Restaurant
The Strand in Huntington Beach
155 5th Street (at PCH)
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Phone: (714) 536-6390

* The Hamachi in the photo is from a Sushi experience of another time.

Hip hip hooray, we’re on our way to the Pala Casino Buffet to spend the winnings of Super Bowl Sunday.  It’ll be explained later, but now I’m happy to report a $100 win in a Super Bowl pool, as I luckily did last year.  Is it legal?  I don’t know — Oh well.  In celebration of ALL and because my Dad loves Budweiser, I’ve posted the quotes below.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

– Benjamin Franklin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.”

– Dave Barry

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“Beer: Helping ugly people have sex since 3000 B.C.”

– W. C. Fields

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Remember I before E, except in Budweiser.”

– Professor Irwin Corey

For breakfast I recently enjoyed a simple Egg Salad (Eggs, Apple Cider Vinegar, Mayo, Mustard, Salt and Pepper) with a few strips of nutritious Bacon — Instead of making a Sandwich, I ate ’em together like Chips & Salsa.  Why not?

A friend just told me she’ll be eating 12 Grapes at midnight and an Orange on New Year’s Day.  After reading an article on Lucky New Year’s Day Foods, she wants to do all she can to have an amazing 2010.  Instead of Grapes, she’ll be eating Raisins since they’re on-hand.  She says they’re still Grapes (technically once true), but I told her she needs actual Grapes if she’s gonna do it right, HA. 🙂 Who knows?  Happy New Year with or without Grapes, Oranges, Round Cakes and Breads, Noodles, Fish, Black-Eyed Peas, Pomegranates and other regional lucky foods.

I never thought I’d do this in a million years — Broil Romaine Lettuce in the oven before chopping it for a Salad.  Usually wanting the freshest, most chilled Lettuce for a Salad, broiling Romaine would seem out of the question.  After having my first Grilled Romaine Salad from a restaurant, I was hooked on the smokey flavor imparted into the Lettuce with a quick grilling.  It’s now one of my favorite Salads.

To copycat it, I made grilled Romaine on the BBQ, but this evening it was too cold and rainy.  We only have an outdoor grill.  Since Romaine was on hand and I really wanted this Salad, I desperately broiled the Lettuce in the oven for (1) minute.  It worked (a little) — It’s a simple runner-up if you can’t grill it on a BBQ.  The above Romaine was tossed in a bag with Italian Dressing before broiling it.  It wasn’t bad at all and I’ve already made it again.  It’s dubbed the Romaine Runner-Up.

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.

Although Halloween is officially over, our DC Correspondent, Steven Woo sent us a few photos we just had to post.  He reports:  “Arghhh — I was in the Port O’ Baltimore for a Halloween Party, hosted by a zombie bride and groom.  They had some very creative decorations, including a skull ice sculpture that chilled the punch kettle, chili with and without flesh, mad scientist lab jars (cauliflower = brain, grapes = eyes, fennel = heart) and an inflatable coffin with ice cold beverages.  The last shot was some of my intake for the evening.  Are Rolaids available in fun size?”

Thanks Steven — It looks like it was a morbidly fun party.  They certainly were creative with the use of food.  Hopefully that’s not a real finger on the chopping board!  And I agree that Rolaids (like candy) should come in fun size packs too.

We dared to descend the darkened stairway (freight elevator) into the depths of The Cellar Restaurant to celebrate their 3rd Annual Trick or Eat Halloween Dinner Party.  They report that the lore of haunted restaurants is talked about, but nowhere is it truer than in The Cellar.  The space in which The Cellar inhabits was home to untold mysteries and the haunting of The Cellar is a closely guarded secret that’s only revealed once a year.

Course One:  Radioactive abductor muscles in a pool of gamma charged ooze, black goop, and unearthed fungus AKA Pan Seared Sea Scallops with a Zesty Basil Sauce, Balsamic Reduction and Enoki Mushrooms.

Course Two:  Dissected alien seed pods, toxic forest leaves in slimy secretions, with rotten and moldy milk AKA Mission Fig Salad with Baby Oak Leaf Lettuce, Maple Vinaigrette and Aged Gorgonzola.

Main Course:  Fire charred boat deck aged fishing chum, steamed maggots, and finished with a gangrene and puss (yuck) sauce AKA Grilled Mahi Mahi with Savory Rice, finished with an Herbed Butter Sauce.

Or decayed cow muscles with slaughterhouse drippings and fungal growths AKA Grilled Flavorful Rib Eye Steak, with a Merlot and Mushroom Reduction.

Dessert:  Graveyard mud soufflé with dried blood and bloody sacks AKA Chocolate Soufflé with Melted Dark Chocolate and Fresh Raspberries.

We thought the $49 price for all was pretty great and the show was entertaining.  The Scallops were just okay, a little rubbery, but the Mahi Mahi and Rib Eye Steak were definitely The Cellar’s usual caliber.  It was so dark that we didn’t know the sauce on the Mahi was bright green, until viewing the photos — Sorry a couple are out of focus.  Overall, it’s a good deal and a fun experience.  It’s sold out for tonight, but worth booking next year.  Luckily we survived the zombies.  Happy Halloween!

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.

Sometimes you don’t even feel like making a Sandwich — Inspired by Top Chef’s Deconstruction Challenge, I had Deli Shaved Honey Turkey with Sliced Aged White Sharp Cheddar Cheese and my favorite Dill Pickles.  A Sourdough Crouton, Aioli and a lot more style might make it a show contender?!  This is the one minute unsophisticated, I’m hungry now version of a Turkey Sandwich on a paper plate.  It hits the spot with a glass of Milk.

 

I bought these fresh White Currants for less than a dollar at Grower’s Direct.  The price was good, like most of the produce there, and I’d never tried them before.  You’ll find great prices on fruit and vegetables at Grower’s Direct, if you can put up with the narrow aisles, people traffic and (sometimes) parking issues.  I went there for the makings of a Vegetable Platter and tacked on these White Currants for a try.

I quickly learned that White Currants aren’t too edible alone — They’re tart and have a lot of crunchy seeds inside.  So much for simply enjoying a new tasty Berry, HA.  I was hoping to eat ’em like a Blueberry, Raspberry, etc.  The next thought was to make something out of them.  What?  The obvious was Jam/Jelly, which I don’t use.  And I couldn’t see them enhancing the flavor of anything that’s quick and simple to make.

Since I didn’t want to waste all of them, I tossed some in a small batch of Rice Pudding, which isn’t as simple as it sounds.  I had the prepared (leftover) Rice, but it’s necessary to pick off both ends of the White Currants before adding to a recipe.  And by the time you pick off the bottom fur-ish part, you’re left with mostly seeds and skin, HA.  It’s real worth it, not. 

Overall, they weren’t bad in the Rice Pudding, nor good either.  I learned a lot, yet still don’t know the best thing to do with White Currants.  That’s okay, because it’s always fun to try new things — Some are fabulous finds and others just an educational story.  Next.

Patrick and Gina of TV Food Network’s Show Down Home with the Neeleys are so cute — They have a lot of fun together centered around food.  Their happy interaction and enjoyment made me want to make Pat’s Sausage and Pepper Sandwich, and I’m generally not a fan of Sausage Sandwiches.  Another appeal is the Beer in the Sauce.  And since I didn’t have Neely’s BBQ Sauce (in the recipe), I used Lucille’s BBQ Sauce. 

I went to Henry’s Farmers Market for the Sausage — They didn’t have a Smoked Sausage, but the Butcher highly recommended the Pork Sausage  over the Turkey, when asked the difference between the two Sweet Hot Italians.  As a substitution, I opted for the Pork and was glad it was $1 less a pound.  And I ended up with Potato Rolls that were toasted inside. 

RECIPE: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/pats-smoked-sausage-and-pepper-sandwich-recipe/index.html

Confession:  It wasn’t until after the preparation of this recipe did I realize that I misunderstood and used the wrong type of Sausage.  The key word is “smoked” and I used fresh Sausage.  A Kielbasa in a vacuum pack may have been better, especially since casings gross me out.  Good thing I cooked the Sausage well done.  And I cooked all ingredients longer (except the Garlic) than noted on the above linked recipe.  Onions are always best caramelized and the Peppers were added after the Onions cooked a bit.

Overall, it’s a great recipe — The Sauce turns out pretty tasty.  I now wanna make it with a Kielbasa, and might not eat it on a Sandwich.  Luckily all who tried this preparation liked it.

Where to buy Neely’s BBQ Sauce:
http://www.neelysbbq.com/home.htm

We’re going camping on the beach, so I made the perfect Cupcakes.  Aren’t they cute?!  They’re easy to make too.  I used a Spice Cake Mix, then topped each Cupcake with an Orange Powdered Sugar Glaze.  The sand is ground Teddy Grahams and the towel is a piece of a Fruit Roll-Up.  Just lay a Teddy Graham on the towel, prop open a cocktail umbrella to block the sun and voila.

Since there was extra batter, I made a small Cake in the toaster oven.  It turned out good, but needed to be cooked a little longer than noted.  And as you can see in the photo, it became a sun bathing cliff for the Teddy Grahams.  My Chef Nieces are going to love it.  FYI:  I did not come up with this idea.  Similar Cupcakes won an Honorable Mention at the OC Fair this year.  Unfortunately I didn’t catch a name, nor a photo of the original Cupcakes.  If its creator stumbles across this post, please make yourself known — This copycat is a memory of yours. 🙂

Each year the Orange County Fair serves up a new weird food item (E.g., Fried Twinkies, Fried White Castle Burgers, etc.), and this year it’s Chocolate Covered Bacon.   We’ve tried ’em all, thus had to sample the Bacon.  As you can see (above), it’s covered in thick Chocolate — And it’s kinda difficult to bite into, since it’s served from the freezer or fridge.

Overall, the flavor isn’t bad and is reminiscent of Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.  The Bacon has a salty flavor and crunchy texture that goes well with Chocolate.  The OC Fair’s Chocolate Covered Bacon is okay, but we would have preferred full strips instead of broken chunks.

It’s served in Chinese take out boxes with a packet of Salt on top, which seems odd, but whatever — We were done after a few bites, though think it’s better than some of the other crazy food items we’ve tried at the Fair.

More posts about Orange County Fair FOOD

I love a Mango, but they are so darn hard to cut.  It’s the seed.  I can never tell where it is, and sometimes it’s thin and sometimes it’s wide.  Does anyone know the secret?  I haven’t researched it yet.  This post simply mentions its benefits — It’s high in Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene, but I’ll leave that to the health experts.  We’re just posting a couple helpful links to assist with healthy living through FOOD and more.  I appreciated the information.  And now it’s time for a Mango Smoothie, as recommended and linked below.

101 Healthy Smoothies For Your Health
101 Ways to Detox Your Mind, Body & Home
Best Foods for Weight Loss & To Feel Great

Post Title Inspiration — Sorry, there’s a 30 second commercial preceding it.

Would you eat this Taco?  Check out the commercial for Taco Town’s New Taco.  It’s gigantic and hilarious — Bon Appétit.

In honor of Father’s Day that’s fast approaching, Lucca Café Owner, Chef Cathy Pavlos will lead a group of Dads through a course dubbed “Manly Meats on the Grill.”  Dads will have the opportunity to learn about grilling various Meats — Marinating, brining, sauces and more.  Each attendee will get to feast on the fruits (Meats) of his labor, while sipping wine paired by Lucca Café’s General Manager and Sommelier, Elliott Pavlos.  The price is $50 per Dad and includes tax, tip, FOOD and Wine.  It sounds like a good time if you can get your Dad to go — Mine won’t, HA.  He already knows how to BBQ and prefers his Budweiser.  It’s just the way it is. 🙂

Lucca Café: http://luccacafe.net/index.html (FYI & UPDATE: If you click on this link, you will not be able to use the back arrow to return to Nibbles of Tidbits, not even if you double or triple click it — It appears to be programmed that way.  For the record, I don’t appreciate that in any site and will not be linking to similarly programmed sites in the future.  It’s not convenient for the readers.)

Manly BBQ Grill:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/05/08/i-believe-in-the-right-to-keep-and-bear-bbqs/

Shown above is a third of my often referenced Cookbooks.  This block of photos was posted in an unnecessary page, but now finds its final place in this quick post.  For some background on the post title, I once won a contest that landed my recipe and face in Bon Appétit and Gourmet Magazines, blah, blah, blah.  It’s been reported on here previously.  The point of retelling it now leads to the ‘phony photos’ above.  A few friends found it funny to add my milk moustache face to a Chef’s body.  They made a poster board using another photo from the same magazine, HA.  I look like Man Hands on Seinfeld — Good thing it’s my favorite show.

Man Hands Episode Excerpt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSL4cmFW_GU

This came to me with a note that it should be towed with the barrel facing backwards — It’s a fun way to detour tailgaters, HA.

See MORE gun shaped and interesting grills HERE:
http://www.memorialmeat.com/wp-gallery2.php?g2_itemId=15

Did you know these Circus Animal Cookies ceased production last year?  They did, but Kellogg Company acquired the trademarks and original recipes to ensure they continue.  That’s pretty cool.  I truly haven’t had them since I was a kid, but the flavor is just how I remember it.  I brought them to the office and all said the same.  The taste transports many back in time.

The aesthetics of the Cookie was also commented on.  Some think the Frosting could be a little thicker, since you can see the Cookie on several White Circus Animals.  Others commented that the animal shapes could be more defined, and all should have more nonpareils.  It’s like the Cookie assembly line runs a little too fast, HA.  I agree with the observations, but does it really matter since it tastes the same?  Some think so, and some think not.  I’m still eating them — They’re good.

Happy 95th Anniversary Mother’s Brand.  That’s a good thing.  My favorite Mother’s Cookie is the Oatmeal. 🙂

http://motherscookies.com/

A friend sent me this 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe via e-mail.  It’s touted as “The Most Dangerous Cake Recipe in the World” because it’s only 5 Minutes away and the ingredients are usually on hand — I guess one shouldn’t eat too many of these.  With that typed, here’s the Dangerous RECIPE:

1 Mug

4 Tablespoons Flour

4 Tablespoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons Milk

3 Tablespoons Canola or Vegetable Oil

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Combine the Flour, Sugar and Cocoa in a Mug – Add the Egg and mix thoroughly.  Pour in the Milk, Oil and Vanilla and mix well.  Place Mug in the Microwave and cook on maximum power (1000 watts) for 3 Minutes. Let Cake cool for a few minutes, then eat straight out of the Mug or empty onto a plate or into a bowl with Ice Cream.

The Cake will rise over the top of the Mug while cooking, but don’t be alarmed — It’ll be OK and it looks kinda funny.  The Cake is a little dense and dry and tastes best with Ice Cream, Powdered Sugar, Whipped Cream and/or a big glass of MILK.  Overall, it’s a fun, fast and warm Dessert that fills the air of Chocolate Cake within minutes.

FUN Related Links:

http://www.dizzy-dee.com/recipe/chocolate-cake-in-5-minutes

http://alladither.typepad.com/halfassedkitchen/2008/10/five-minute-chocolate-cake-yes-really.html