Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

I should have ordered this, but mostly because it’s so colorful, plus the Ranch Dressing wasn’t great on our Side Salads.  The Lettuce was fresh, but (in our three opinions) if having Ranch Dressing it’s hard to beat the taste of homemade/restaurant made Original Ranch Dressing.  Most others are too tart, thick, or just not good.  The one at Glen Ivy is okay, but a Salad is 100% better with any great dressing.

And I’m not a fan of the pre-made Sandwich waiting in the fridge.  We ordered a Turkey Sandwich and they just reached into the fridge, grabbed a Sandwich and handed it over the counter.  Cafe Sole´ looks better than that and should be.  They make their Salads fresh, so I was bummed to see the Sandwich.  

Since the Turkey Sandwich didn’t look bad, we kept it, but later returned it when refrigerator flavor was detected.  Yuck.  I can’t stand that taste.  We weren’t looking for it, but unfortunately it was there. 🙁

On a brighter note, they make the Pizzas in a wood burning oven.  We had the Mediterranean Pizza with Caper Berries, Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes, along with our mud bake, mineral bath, lounge in the pool, pedicures, pool aerobics, Wine and Bellini’s.  It was a beautiful day!  Glen Ivy Hot Springs is a pleasing place to spend the day.  It’s not inexpensive, so we were very happy to have $400 in Gift Cards.  We left with $1.24 remaining — Fabulous!

Related Links:

http://www.glenivy.com/

http://www.glenivy.com/index.php/resort/C18/

http://www.hiddenvalley.com/products/DryDressingDips.php

Online Restaurant Menus are a lot less messy and more organized than paper Menus.  Many of the pictured Menus are online, so I’d better read them there or arrange mine in alphabetical order for just as easy access.

Search Menus By all USA Locations:

http://www.allmenus.com/
http://www.menuism.com/
http://www.takeouttonight.com/
http://www.imenuhq.com/
http://www.usmenuguide.com/

Specific Area Menus:

http://www.menupages.com/ – New York
http://www.usmenuguide.com/lasvegas.html – Las Vegas
http://www.menupix.com/losangeles/ Los Angeles
http://www.menukarma.com/menus/los-angeles

Design Your Own Menu:

http://www.themenumaker.com/
http://www.menushoppe.com/

About Online Menus and How To Find More:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_menus
http://www.ehow.com/how_2002982_menus-restaurant-online.html

I’ve been making this basic recipe for years.  I just switch it up between an all in, or some out combination of chopped Red and/or Green Cabbage, grated or chopped Carrots, finely chopped Celery or Celery Seed, chopped Parsley and finely sliced Green Onions.

I then add all to the above — Mayonnaise, White Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, and freshly ground Pepper to taste.  This is one of my favorite snacks to have on hand.  It’s hard to rival that perfect combination of ingredients. 

The Coleslaw above is made with Red Cabbage and Carrots, and the one below is made with Red Cabbage, finely grated Celery and Green Onions.  The measurements of the remaining ingredients vary on the volume of vegetables.  I’ll usually add a little at a time to dial in that perfect taste and coverage.  I tend to have a lighter hand on the Mayo and heavier hand on the Vinegar, without overdoing it.

P.S.  I confess that I also happen to like Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Coleslaw and Chic-Fil-A’s Coleslaw, although neither taste like mine, nor each other.  Coleslaw has endless variations and it’s a better snack than many.

Post-Post Coleslaw:  This one was made with shredded Green Cabbage, grated Carrots, chopped Parsley and finely sliced Green Onions, plus the standard mix-in, as detailed above.

Related Links:

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

http://www.seasonalchef.com/recipe0406a.htm

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#home

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124752/American-Chain-Restaurant-Recipe-Book

http://www.kfc.com/

Ruby Tuesday Restaurant has been advertising in Southern California forever it seems, at least a year — But there hasn’t even been one in the entire state.  It’s kind of annoying, especially since they’ve persuaded me to want to try their Mini Burgers – HA.  I guess they’re busy building a brand, but seeing as they’ve spent a lot of money advertising in this market, they should at least open a restaurant in the state.  Right?

And I just recently saw a new Ruby Tuesday commercial telling me to “…forget everything [I] know about Ruby Tuesdays, [your] changing it all, a new menu, new decor…”  Blah, blah, blah.  Well, since I’ve never actually seen one, I can certainly forget everything I don’t know about it.

NEWS BULLETON:  A Ruby Tuesday finally opened in California last month — It’s in San Bernardino, so I still won’t be trying their Mini Burgers (aka Sliders) anytime soon.  Have you been to one?  If so, where?  I guess the advertising worked on me, but I’m still not driving to San Bernardino, so there. 😉

Ruby Tuesday: http://www.rubytuesday.com/

Ruby Tuesday’s MENU: http://www.rubytuesday.com/menu/pdf/s7.pdf

Make your own Sliders: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=4063

It’s half a homemade Waffle with Boysenberry Syrup and fresh cut Strawberries made by ‘Kids in the Kitchen’ while visiting Lake Arrowhead.  It was a colorful breakfast, but sadly the forest outside is badly burned. 🙁

Almost one year ago, a family cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California almost burned down.  If you recall, it was reported on the news in late October 2007 — There was a big fire in Lake Arrowhead and surrounding parts of the mountain.  One fire burned all the way up to the back of my Sister’s cabin. 

We had heard that most cabins on our street (Brentwood) were on fire, then finally learned that ours was one of the few still standing.  We were/are so thankful and convinced that ours was spared partly due to a fire access road directly behind it. 

Before the fire we all stared out the big cabin window and colored a picture of the forest.  We recently found those pictures and feel very sad for the trees.  Our crayon colors are now gray and black, whereas they were several shades of green and brown.  Our Waffles tried to cheer things up.

We THANK ALL the Firefighters who helped save our cabin and others.  Sadly most of the trees in our area are burned, but many others are okay, and several cabins are being rebuilt. 

Related Links:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=5720289

http://www.knbc.com/news/14397191/detail.html

http://calfire.blogspot.com/2007/10/lake-arrowhead-fire-updates.html

This visit we had the Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad and Brick Oven Margherita Pizza.  Both were good.  I like many things on their menu — Next time I want the Chicken Artichoke & Goat Cheese Salad or Salmon BLTA. 

The decor could be lightened up a little, but the service is excellent.  The Desserts are on display and they offer Beer & Wine.  It’s a nice escape from shopping or working.  You’ll find it on the 2nd Floor of Nordstrom at the Irvine Spectrum Center — There’s a lot of great restaurants and entertainment at the Irvine Spectrum.

Related Links:

http://about.nordstrom.com/aboutus/restaurant/default.asp

http://www.allmenus.com/menus/54953/Nordstrom-Cafe-Bistro/

http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/

The Brea Mall Cafe Nordstrom INFO & FOOD:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/06/07/cafe-nordstrom-serves-a-mean-mall-lunch/

The recipe is from my Niece’s Cookbook, Family Fun Cooking with Kids.  And as declared, it is a simple Bread, especially if you’re not the one getting your hands dirty.  I supervised the preparation of this Turtle Bread and looking back the process wasn’t too bad.

BUT there was a time in the middle that hands were stuck to the Dough and Flour was flying.  There are no pictures of that in the book, nor here, since they’re not pretty.  But Oil up your hands real good BEFORE starting to knead the Dough.

This post is another feature of Kids in the Kitchen with Bailee and Alexis.  It was FUN to watch the Bread rise and shape it into a Turtle.  Its eyes are Raisins that expanded to look like Olives. 

The aroma of Bread baking in the oven and the opportunity to eat your own homemade Bread are special experiences.  We want to do it again.  For the recipe enlarge the picture below, or obtain this creative Cookbook and start cooking with your kids – They have fun doing the dirty work, HA.  It’s a win-win.

Related Link and Cookbook Information:

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=990

The Lemon Pepper Boneless Wing Strips at the Wing Stop are yum-ME.  I usually get them TO GO with the Sauce on top, and they are still super crispy when I eat them.  I love that!  And I especially like the Lemon Pepper flavor.  Their Boneless Wings are tender and juicy, as well as crispy.  You can’t ask for more.  It’s nice to enjoy every bite of a so-called “wing.”  So not to wait too long, it’s best to call, fax, or e-mail in your order, if you’re getting it to go.  The Wing Stop in Costa Mesa off Newport Boulevard is fairly small inside, with two extra tables out front.  Enlarge the menu below to get a peek at the various flavors.  So far we can’t pull ourselves away from the Lemon Pepper.