Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

It was a Cake Making Competition among culinary students from The International Culinary School at the Art Institute.  The participants represented a few different schools, including Orange County, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Texas. 

The theme was America’s Best.  On this first day of the competition we saw the makings of a Liberty Bell, Luggage, a Hamburger and French Fries, a Stadium, the United States, and a few others we couldn’t make out at the time.

And the winner is…

We didn’t see all the Cakes in final, but do have a picture of the WINNER.  This picture was sent to me by one of its creators, Michael Hadobas, who is coincidentally the one piping the playing cards above.  He did a great job on them.  He and his partner Dorthy Sepcic made the winning Cake.  As you may guess, they’re from The Art Institute of Las Vegas.  Congratulations!

Related Links:

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=793

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=735

http://www.celebrityfoodshow.com/

http://www.artinstitutes.edu/

The event was touted as the 2008 Celebrity Food Show.  It was heavily promoted and looked enticing, so I went with a friend.  We didn’t stay for the Ace of Cakes Show because the food exhibit area was way too small.  We had reservations to see Duff and the rest of the gang at the 4:30 show, but left before it started.  The picture is from a peak at the 2:30 show.

We had arrived at 1:30 to first experience the Cake Making Competition and Food Exhibits, but there wasn’t enough to see to fill the time.  Overall we weren’t impressed.  It seemed more like a glorified swap meet or Costco’s on a Saturday, plus a fair number of vendors weren’t fabulous or even set up.  And we saw way too many Salsa booths.  

All didn’t seem worth the $25.00 entry fee — And no one even asked for our tickets.  People were just wandering in and out of all the open doors.  The pictures below are of a few items we sampled or purchased, and a couple displays that caught our eyes.  The Cake Making Competition pictures will be featured in a future post, since it was the best part of the event.

Related Links:

http://www.celebrityfoodshow.com/

http://www.thesmokestackco.com/index.shtml

http://www.chipotletx.com/

http://www.lacookiestogo.com/Lisa_Anns_Cookies_to_go/Home.html

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=735

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Some flowers are edible, but these aren’t.  This post is for the locals, but you can certainly enjoy the pictures.  If you’re nearby it’s a fun find.  Dahlias can be fresh cut from our Costa Mesa neighbor’s backyard from June to September.

Just point to the one you want and Mr. or Mrs. Banks will cut it for you.  They’re located at 1589 Riverside Place in Costa Mesa, California 92627 – (949) 642-8107.  The Dahlia prices range from $3.00 – $8.00 each.  If there’s a ‘Dahlias Today’ sign out front, feel free to walk back to see the beautiful flowers.  They’re gorgeous.

A friend gave me these herbs from her garden.  I love bouquets of everything.  This one consists of Rosemary, Basil, Garlic Basil, Chives and Garlic Chives.  Thank you very much!

What should I do with them?  Maybe a Tomato Soup or Gazpacho?  I really don’t feel like peeling them.  Any suggestions?

It’s a new cool convenience to fresh Herbs if you don’t have them on hand.  They’re pretty good and especially great for Soups and Stews.  I’ve seen them in Basil too at Trader Joe’s, but the manufacturer sells a larger variety.  Both links are below.

Related Links:

http://www.dorot.co.il/eng/

http://www.traderjoes.com/

Have you had it before?  Houston’s Restaurant makes a fabulous Braised Red Cabbage.  I like it so much, I created this Copycat Recipe.  To me it tastes just like it — It’s super easy too.

Braised Red Cabbage Recipe:

1 Head of Red Cabbage (Chopped or Shredded) 

1/2 Cup White White Vinegar

1/4 Cup Water

2 1/2 Tbsp. Butter

2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar

Add the Vinegar, Water, Butter and Sugar to a Dutch Oven.  Heat all on the stove for about 5 minutes.  When the Sugar is dissolved, add the chopped Red Cabbage. 

Stir all together, then cover and braise in the oven at 325° for 2 hours.  Stir every half hour or so.  If the liquid completely evaporates, just add a little extra Water.

Houston’s serves their Braised Red Cabbage with Goat Cheese.  Since I wanted to create the entire experience, I purchased a Goat Cheese trio from Trader Joe’s. 

TJ’s trio includes a combination of Plain, Garlic & Herb and Four Pepper flavored Goat Cheese.  I had already used the plain, so I used the Garlic & Herb for this dish.  Each is 3.5 ounces and individually wrapped, which is great for freshness.

It was quick and easy to make, but next time it needs Vegetables and more Cilantro.  Here’s the step-by-step pictures of the preparation.  It’s fun to experiment.

I first sauteed the Onion, then added grated Ginger and minced Garlic, then the Shrimp and cooked all for another 3 minutes.  I separately mixed Cornstarch and more grated Ginger into some Coconut Milk, then added the combination to the Shrimp saute along with a few Red Pepper Flakes. 

I quickly brought all to a boil to thicken, then added what little Cilantro I had and served it over Basmati Rice.  And here’s the final (below) — It’s WAY too white.  All was just okay, NOT great.  Its preparation was a bit impromptu, but with a few changes it has the potential to be better next time. 

Claim Jumper’s Blackberry Pie from the freezer section of the grocery store.  It was good, not great, but good.  I added a fair amount of Cinnamon and Sugar to the top crust, as I do with most Pies. 

The instructions note to line your cookie sheet with foil before placing the Pie in the oven.  Be sure to do that, since mine made a bit of a mess.  I’m not sure if that happens each time, but it’s best for cleanup if it does.  I was glad I wasn’t serving it to company, since it didn’t look as pretty as those that haven’t bubbled over.  

I did like the ease of preparation and the smell of it baking in the oven, so I’m not going to completely rule it out as a future dessert of the week.

Contact the Claim Jumper directly here.

El Toro Bravo Tortilleria is hidden to those who don’t know it’s there, but every time I’ve been by there’s been a line.  I wrote a review for Christian Z’s blog OCMexFood.  Check it out.  The links to the story and pictures are below.

Mexican Restaurant Reviews: http://ocmexfood.blogspot.com/

More Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cziebarth/sets/72157606680398118/

Location Information: http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3710208274

I learned how to make this fabulous Cocktail Sauce from a Waiter, while having Oysters in Amsterdam.  I wish I was there right now.  It was about eight years ago and I’ve been making it ever since.  I never buy Cocktail Sauce because I always have the ingredients on hand, and homemade is always better.

Amsterdam’s Cocktail Sauce Recipe:

Ketchup

Horseradish

Cream

Mix all together to taste, more Horseradish if you like it spicy and less if you don’t — Then just add a little Cream. 

It’s so simple and good — Just 1, 2, 3.  Mine is prepared a little on the spicy side.  Enjoy.

Related Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam

Since today’s topic on my political blog ‘Politics is Not a Sport’ relates to food, I posted a link here.  The picture is just for aesthetics and relates to a future post about homemade Cupcakes.

http://usacopywriter.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/youre-my-politician-not-my-parent/

Sheesh, the Shish has a lot of explaining to do, so I’ll let Wikipedia define it below, but here and now the KABOB’s are made with Beef that was marinated in a Chimichurri Sauce.  

Water soaked skewers were laced with a combination of Beef, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini and Mushrooms, then grilled on the BBQ.  My favorite Beef for Kabobs is Filet Mignon, Top Sirloin or Rib Eye chunks.  The skewers are soaked in water so they don’t catch on fire.  It makes a difference.

These were made with a tougher meat that wasn’t as good.  I thought an overnight marinade would tenderize the meat enough, but it didn’t.  The Beef basically needed slow long cooking, unlike the Kabobs.

* The Kabobs were served with Saffron Basmati Rice, which is made with Chicken Stock, Saffron Treads, Butter, S & P.

Related Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebab – What’s the Shish mean?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimichurri – What’s Chimichurri Sauce?

http://bluekitchen.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/meaty-secrets-and-argentine-chimichurri-sauce/

Most of my Cookbooks have come from Border’s bargain section.  They’ve got a great selection and the best deals in many towns.  These pictures are from the Costa Mesa location on Newport Boulevard.  It has a Cafe too.

On the westside entrance is a Rosemary bush.  It’s always nice to save a few bucks by picking local public herbs. 🙂

Related Links:

http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_260

http://www.borders.com/online/store/Home

I’m usually Thai at Diho Siam, but this visit we were Chinese.  Remember Egg Foo Young?  I hadn’t seen it on a menu in a long time.  We had it with BBQ’d Pork, House Special Fried Rice with Chicken, Beef & Shrimp, and Wor Wonton Soup.

The Egg Foo Young was nicely packed to go, since the Sauce was separate from the fried Eggs and Bean Sprouts.  It looked a bit like a Funnel Cake.  It might be the best I’ve had, but I do prefer the Thai Fried Rice over the Chinese Fried Rice.  All I’ve had thus far has been good.

Related Posts:

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=602 

http://www.restaurantrow.com/MoreInfo.cfm?Code=818445&state=CA

A Pulled Pork Sandwich and Cole Slaw, which may be my last meal this year at the Orange County Fair.  Sadly it’s only open 4 more days, but I could possibly squeeze in one more visit.

Since 2008’s theme relates to Cheese, as in “Say Cheese” and the kind you eat, they’re carving up a large block for the entertainment.  It was cool to see, but it also kind of grossed me out, because it had that shiny room temperature look about it.

I was going to try the Fried Spam or Fried Avocado, even though they didn’t sound good, but all had already been fried and were just sitting in the window.  It wasn’t appealing.  If I’m willing to try it I want it made fresh.

Related Link:

http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/

It’s the Herbs in the Salad Mix.  They add a sophisticated and notable dimension to the standard BLT.  I now prefer it this way.  I made the same Sandwich yesterday and it was so good I wanted it again.  Since I didn’t have enough Bacon, I only made 1/2 a Sandwich — With a side Salad it’s a great meal.

It’s easy to put together.  The Tomatoes weigh down the Lettuce, and with them in the middle, the Bread doesn’t get soggy.  I toast the Bread and add Mayo to both pieces, and S&P the Tomatoes too.

This Herb Salad Mix includes fresh Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Arugula, Baby Lettuce, Frisee, Radicchio, and more.  TIP:  I buy this mix most often.  It’s great to have if you need a few Herbs.  It’s less expensive overall and multi-purposeful.  I’ll remove a little Dill or Cilantro to add to a recipe.

Related Links:

http://www.traderjoes.com/

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Frisee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicchio

Since several Cupcake Bakeries have popped up around town, I decided to conduct a taste comparison of the 3 closest to me — Dolcissiomo, Suzie Cakes and Mrs. Beasley.  I tried a small variety from each. 

(1)  Dolcissiomo Cupcakes were my overall favorite.  I’ve tried almost all the Cupcakes there.  They offer a lot of great flavors and look aesthetically best. http://www.dolcissimobakeshop.com/

Lemon Blueberry

Orange Dreamsicle & Coconut Snowball

Tiramisu & Lemonade

(2)  Suzie Cakes Cupcakes were very moist and appeared to have a filling, at least the two I tried did.  You can see it in the pictures.  http://www.susiecakesla.com/

Lemon and Vanilla

(3)  Mrs. Beasley’s Cupcakes have the most frosting by far, so if you’re into that, they’re definitely the Cupcakes for you. http://www.mrsbeasleys.com/Cupcakes.cfm

Orange and Mini Blueberry

The Grand Prize flavor winner was Dolcissiomo’s Orange Dreamsicle.  It may be the best Orange flavored Cake I’ve ever had.  I’m trying to confirm that opinion, but it’s only sold on Tuesdays.  I’ll report about more locations as I try them.

(POST UPDATE 08/20/08: It appears that Dolcissimo Cupcakes just moved or closed. This post will be further updated when that information is known)

Here’s a Cupcake Challenge on Food Frenzy:

http://foodfrenzy.freedomblogging.com/2008/05/28/oc-cupcake-challenge-the-results/#more-1140

Cupcake Blogs:

http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2008/03/five-sweets-bakery-costa-mesa.html

http://ooolala-cupcakes.blogspot.com/

My Cupcake Pics – The Story Told Later:

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=12

This dish happened by mistake.  And the title was inspired by a funny SNL skit that cracks me up every time.  Here’s an excerpt of the song by Dana Carvey with some fun animation.  Choppin’ Bro CO Lay — It’s funny stuff!

I was attempting to make my Aunt Barbara’s Spinach Souffle´.  She’s been making it every Christmas for years.  My sister and I always look forward to gobbling it down.  And since I recently learned how simple the recipe is, I wanted to make it immediately.

But it appears I wasn’t paying enough attention at the grocery store, because I ended up with (3) blocks of frozen chopped Broccoli, instead of frozen chopped Spinach.  Since I had the rest of the ingredients, I made the recipe with the Broccoli and added some Panko Breadcrumbs on top.

The Broc-Co-Lay Souffle´ was okay tasting, but the recipe is a lot better with Spinach, and no Panko Breadcrumbs are needed.  Also, it was a bit curdled looking when made with Broccoli, which isn’t attractive in a Souffle´, Gratin or similar.  I won’t be making it with Broccoli again.

Aunt Barbara’s Spinach Souffle´ Recipe: 

3 10oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
[It’s made with Broccoli above and Spinach below – YEAH]

1 16oz. Sour Cream

1 Envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Mix all ingredients together and bake in the oven at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

Recipe shown here with Broccoli and Panko Breadcrumbs.

And here, as it’s supposed to be made with Spinach.  Yum.  Thanks for the recipe Aunt B.

FYI:  These are the Panko Breadcrumbs I’ve been using in recipes.  They continue to stay fresh and crispy each time I open the container.

Panko Breadcrumbs – http://www.iansnaturalfoods.com/canada.html

From the Diary of an equal opportunity eater:  These Apple Turnovers are perfectly crisp on the outside and good on the inside.  They remind me of how McDonald’s Apple Pies used to be when I was a kid.  They changed them somewhere along the way and they’re not as good, if still available.

I haven’t been to a McDonald’s in years, so please correct me if they’ve changed them again.  In the mean time, KFC does the fast food Apple Turnover right.  Currently you get two for $0.99 — It’s worth it.

Update (11/27/09):  They’re now sold for $1.59 for two, which is still a good price.

It’s just okay.  Since I LOVE California Pizza Kitchen’s Salads and Pizzas in their Restaurants, and this was on sale, I gave it a try.  I added Capers before baking, because I often feel the need to add something to jazz up frozen Pizzas. 

The package picture doesn’t capture it well, but the Pizza has a fair amount of Pesto Sauce on it — As some Margherita Pizza’s do.

Related Links:

http://www.cpk.com/

What Sauce?  The Sauce associated with this post – http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=622

I added a little Cream and Shaved Parmesan, then had it with Penne Pasta.  The Sauce is good without Cream too, but it does add a needed dimension of flavor if you don’t have fresh herbs.  I think I’ll try it with Vodka next time.

A serving without the Cream.

Related Links:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/pastas/glossary.asp

The Orange County Wine Society (OCWS) started with a group of independent Wine makers, but has grown and evolved to include those who simply love to drink it.  The OCWS functions to enhance the knowledge of Wine-making (viticulture or viniculture) and the appreciation of Wine.  They’re a fun group who voluntarily pour Award Winning Wines during the OC Fair.

This year $7.00 will get you a tasting of 3 Wines, plus the OCWS’s 2008 Wine Awards Book.  And $3.00 will pour you a tasting of 2 Wines.  TIP:  You can get Cheese, Grapes and Bread from the Italian Restaurant outside the Wine Courtyard, all are shown below.

Related Links:

Orange County Wine Society – http://www.ocws.org/

Viticulture and/or Viniculture – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viticulture

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/viniculture