Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Happy Halloween!  These Cupcakes can easily be made using any Chocolate Cake Mix — Just add Frosting to a pastry bag with a Basket Weave Tip, then pipe it back and forth strategically over and around Edible Eyes.  That’s it.  Since I got the flu this year (from the flu shot mind you, no mas para mi), I was sadly unable to participate in our annual Halloween Cookie Decorating Party, thus post links from last year here and the year before here.

It’s going to be a tough decision for the judges and I’m thrilled to be in the mix — Can’t believe I now have a (6/1) chance of winning a Trip for 4 to New Zealand.  That’s incredible!  And tomorrow is the last day to enter the Kiwi A-Go-Go Bloggers’ Contest to be selected as Ms. or Mr. October, if you will.  Each month from May through October, Zespri picks a Semi-finalist.  The links will tell more.  The winning entry will then be selected by a triad of prominent Kiwi specialists… Karen Brux, Zespri’s US General Manager, a representative of Air New Zealand, and Peter Ombler, a Kiwifruit grower from the Bay Of Plenty.  The winner will be announced on November 15th. 

Good luck to all Semi-finalists — May,  June,  July (Me),  August,  September and October.  If you’re not a Blogger, you may enter here to win your own New Zealand vacation.  And you’ll find more Kiwi recipes here.  Play The Kiwi Game often!

11/08/10 Update:  The Blogger Contest is now closed and October’s winner is linked above.

11/15/10 Update:  Congratulations goes to Baking Barrister for winning the Trip for 4 to New Zealand.  We were close, but no Kiwi for Nibbles of Tidbits.

Taco Dawg will be serving up new menu items starting this Halloween in celebration of their one-year anniversary.  Taco Dawg is a gourmet food truck (a popular food option these days) that puts a spin on two classics — Tacos and Hot Dogs, hence the name.  We recently tried a few at Taco Dawg’s Critics Dinner 2010.  Thank you Taco Dawg!  We were happily impressed with the new and featured menu items.

All may try the pictured items for the first time on October 31st, somewhere in Irvine by day, then at the Spooktacular in Orange that evening.  Note: Since it is a truck, it’s best to follow Taco Dawg on Twitter to obtain their exact location.  To learn the names of the Tasting Menu items soon to debut, hover over each photo.  Starting from the top is the Taco Papa and above is The Samurai, my favorite — We all loved its Miso Caramelized Glaze.

Above is The Hipster, Taco Dawg’s first Vegetarian Taco, made with Portobello Mushrooms, Chipotle Sauce, Grilled Onions, Jack Cheese and Romaine Lettuce.

We appreciated the Beer and Wine and met cool new friends, including Taco Dawg.

OMGosh, we ate so much at this Critics Dinner.  It was on to the Hot Dogs, then back to the Tacos.  We tried The Reuben Dawg (above) and The Dirty Dawg  (below) that’s piled with Homemade Chili, Nacho Cheese, Crumbled Potato Chips and Onions — Both are made with an all Beef Hot Dog.

Continuing on, we tried The Big City Dawg (below).

And The Cuban (below), thought to possibly be the best item of the night, at least at our table — It’s a Taco variation of a Cuban Sandwich that includes a combination of Ham, Pickles, Swiss Cheese and traditional flavors.  The Cuban is the featured item of the month.  Each month, Taco Dawg will feature a special item that’s not on the menu.

It all ended with a miniature version of their Apple Taco — It was good, but thank God it was small, since we already ate so much.  Barely had enough room.

To learn more about Taco Dawg and the pictured Tacos and Dawgs, visit whaddupdawg.com and here — Their site will be relaunched next month, so check back for that.  Follow Taco Dawg on Twitter to learn their exact whereabouts.

The Red Wine I drink most often is (and has been) Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel.  The price is right, especially when it’s on sale, and it has a nice depth of flavor, thus I was excited to stumble upon Ravenswood’s No Wimpy Wines Assignment just in time.  YOU now have 8 more days to create and submit a video using Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel as the star.  Since we already think it’s a star, it was fun to experiment with Windows Movie Maker and the ideas bouncing around my head.  Wish us luck!

We submitted 2 videos (above and below), as YOU may submit as many as you’re able to create.  Ravenswood looks to purchase at least 4 videos for use — Creators will receive a one-time usage fee of $5ooo for each video chosen.  Enter your video here now.

* In consideration of the pending competition (and embarrassment), the above videos are only posted now on Nibbles of Tidbits — It took a lot to work up to that. 🙂

We’ll be making lots of Cookies, Cupcakes and Halloween goodies to be posted here soon.  Until then, if looking for more Halloween action than that, I just published a list of unique events happening throughout the county.  It’s posted with links on Examiner.com, where I write as Orange County Food Examiner.  Above photos were taken by Steven Woo at a DC Halloween Party last year — Hover above to learn more.

Although I haven’t watched it lately, I’ll forever be a long time fan of Saturday Night Live.  And I particularly LOVE the NPR Delicious Dish sketches — They crack me the hell up!  Since Nibbles of Tidbits is often about the FUNNY regarding FOOD, this video mixes right in.  And I’ve been a Betty White fan for years, before she became popular again.  She’s pretty funny! 😉

* Try Betty’s Giant Dusty Muffin, described in the video, or these Sugar Donut Muffins, or learn about Pete’s Schweddy Balls on NPR’s Delicious Dish.  Bon Appétit.

Who doesn’t love Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce?  I haven’t met anyone.  And after countless years of Steak marination and mixing it into Sauces, for the life of me I still can’t pronounce it, and need to assess its spelling over and over — We all know what I’m talking about, right!?  Regardless, the mysterious concoction of flavors is the best!  And right now Lea & Perrins is asking YOU to Shine at Dinnertime with a Video Recipe Challenge.  You could WIN $10,000 and more.  Just create and submit a home video (under 4 minutes long) showing how easy it is to make a flavorful dish using Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.  Submit a video today through November 14th.  Unwrap the possibilities, get filming (and editing), then upload your video here.  Voting begins in December.  More will be reported here when it’s happening.  GOOD LUCK!  Hhhmmm, perhaps I should start thinking about this one too.  I invented The Kiwi Game* in my first video and too shy to link my second — Will the third be a charm?  We’ll see.

* Thanks to Zespri and The Kiwi Game, I’m a lucky Semi-finalist in their fabulous contest you can enter here.  Not sure if I can actually call The Kiwi Game an invention. 😉

We wanted to buy this giant fork (and spoon) at Pier 1 Imports, but they cost too much and there’s really nowhere to put them — Sooooo instead we played with ’em in the store.  Probably not the best example to set, but ‘crazy aunt’ status can be a good excuse to act silly.  We just dusted them off with laughter.  Can you see Lexi’s reflection in the fork? 🙂

Where’s the giant food?

Bobby Flay was at Williams-Sonoma South Coast Plaza yesterday signing his new cookbook — Bobby Flay’s Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes From Food Network’s Ultimate Cooking Challenge.  Since the line was way too long and my patience and available time too short, Jennifer provided her adorable photo for posting above.  Thanks Jennifer (and Bobby).

Just a fraction of the line going in to Williams-Sonoma to see Bobby Flay.

Since the book includes recipes from Bobby Flay and a few hometown challengers, we’ll soon be hosting our own Throwdown!  We plan to make competing recipes and have a blind taste test to see if we agree with what went down at the Throwdown.

Check back to see Nibbles of Tidbits Testdown! results.

I’d never been much of a Donut person, until I had a warm one when Krispy Cream passed through a few California towns.  I fell in love while driving to the office with a dozen warm Original Glazed Donuts in my car.  I couldn’t wait, had to have one (eating while driving), then two, and dare I say three?  I did, until I tossed half out the window for the birds — It became one half Donut way too many, but LOVE ’em when they’re “HOT Now.”

Inspired by warm Donuts, the Sugar Donut Muffin photos by Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, and the ease of baking versus frying compelled me to make them immediately.

These photos aren’t doing the Sugar Donut Muffins justice, but we truly enjoyed them right out of the oven, rolled in lots and lots of Sugar.  They seemed a little cakey and dry the next day, although still a recipe worth keeping.  It’s linked above.

The “Sugar” Donut Muffins were rolled in 3 choices of Sugar, granulated Sugar, Cinnamon & Sugar and Powdered Sugar.  The Cinnamon & Sugar was the favorite. 🙂

Muffins packed TO GO!

I’m excited to tune-in to Digital Happy Hour for the first time — It’s a Live Broadcast that happens from Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza each Wednesday between 5:30-7:00pm.  See you there.  They say…

Each week, Executive Chef Amar Santana & Social Filmmaker Sean Saint-Louis host unique celebrity and social media guests as they unwind with cocktails and culinary delights, while discussing the latest trends in food, film, mixology, sports and fashion.  It’s always progressive, always fun and never predictable.  Wherever you are in the world, you’ll be glad you tuned in to The Digital Happy Hour.

You can learn more from Orange County Films.  And previous Charlie Palmer reviews can be viewed here and here.

Note:  Broadcast times and locations vary, thus check the Digital Happy Hour link above for the latest news.  The video player becomes live each Wednesday.

Does your Vodka bottle speak to you?  Perhaps it will, if you spend enough time together.  MEDEA Vodka is being sold as the world’s first interactive, programmable bottle.  It’s a new Dutch Vodka that I haven’t yet tried, but do appreciate the uniqueness of the bottle.  When I get a bottle, I might program it to say — What are you looking at?  Or, take a picture it might last longer, or back-off.  Or something else fun that’s up to 255 characters long.  We’ll see.  🙂

Circa 10+ years ago, I was subscribing to all the popular gourmet cooking magazines — Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Cook’s Illustrated, etc.  And for Christmas my Grandma got me a subscription to Taste of Home.  I hadn’t known of it and remember her saying… “It’s not a fancy gourmet magazine, but I’ve liked it for a long time.”  She was indeed on to something, because it turned out to be one of my favorite magazines too.  My Grandma (now 89) and I have enjoyed many recipes from Taste of Home magazines over the years.  Thanks Grandma.  And now Taste of Home is having a CONTEST you could possibly win.  It’s a Win-Win Contest, as you’ll learn by reading below.

WIN UP TO $20,000 FOR YOUR SCHOOL, PLUS ANOTHER $20,000 FOR YOU!  ENTER THE TASTE OF HOME TEACHERS RECIPE CONTEST PRESENTED BY BOOKS ARE FUN™

Bake sale blockbusters, popular potlucks, teachers’ lounge favorites, fabulous finger foods, delicious desserts, good for you goodies… The stomach often rules the mind at school. Now, Taste of Home, the world’s most popular cooking magazine, and Books are Fun™ have teamed up to put some money where that food goes with the Taste of Home Teachers Recipe Contest.

Books Are Fun will award more than $70,000 in cash and prizes for the best original submitted recipes chosen by the staff at Taste of Home, with $20,000 awarded to BOTH the grand prize winner and the affiliated school.

“Taste of Home is thrilled to work with Books Are Fun to celebrate our teachers and all the wonderful people who help make our schools so special,” said Catherine Cassidy, editor-in-chief of Taste of Home. “We’ve all heard the news stories about budget cuts. This is a chance to do something positive for schools.”

The Taste of Home Teachers Recipe Contest has six categories for submissions: 

• Appetizers & Snacks – Finger foods are always popular in the teachers’ lounge.  Pick the spreads, snack mix, and other savory bites that keep the staff happily munching!
• Soups, Salads and Sides – What recipe do you grab for your potluck?  We’re looking for dishes that travel well and steal the show, like salads and pasta creations among others!
• Entrees – What’s your best main course outside of school?  We want to see your bubbling casseroles, slow-cooked specialties, family-favorite main dishes and even party subs!
• Desserts – Enter everything from cakes and pies to trifles and tortes in this tooth-tingling category!
• Bake Sale – Send us your favorite cookies, cupcakes, bars, brownies, spiced nuts and home-made jams, whatever clears bake-sale tables the quickest!
• Healthy Recipes – Healthy is huge in school these days.  Submit your favorite recipe that is so good, no one ever guesses it’s lower in fat and calories.

 The Taste of Home tasting panel will pick three winners from all of the submissions. The grand prize winner will win $20,000 and $20,000 for the school affiliated with that winner, plus a free one-year subscription to Taste of Home magazine for all paid full-time teachers and staff at the school. The second-place winner will win $10,000, plus $10,000 for the school. Third place will take home $5,000 plus $5,000 for the school. 

Entry forms and rules can be found at www.tasteofhome.com/teacherscontest or www.teacherscontest.booksarefun.com.  Completed entries must be received by 11:59pm (CT) on November 30, 2010.

Learn where to GIVE in Orange County and throughout California during National Food Bank Week and all year long.  Give today for you may need to receive tomorrow.

Tomorrow begins National Food Bank Week (10/09/10 – 10/15/10) — As Orange County Food Examiner, I’ll be posting about what can be done locally to contribute.  Do you have food or time to donate right now?  If local and unsure how to help, the Orange County Food Bank is a good place to start — And Second Harvest Food Bank is another.  More links and information will be reported on Examiner.com.

Although no voting takes place here, you’re cordially invited to peek at my who cares anymore dinner party, a blog post formerly known as the Challenge #3 Luxury Dinner Party in Project Food Blog.  I’m kidding (kinda), I care.  And we did have a nice party, after I drank away my sorrow, just kidding again (mostly kinda).  The links will provide more information about all that.  We’ll continue with the party — I prepared a few Thai dishes, since I’m familiar with the cuisine and dinner guests were not.

I invited my awesome family to partake in the food and since none were familiar with Thai food, this post is really titled Thai One Over On The Family, instead of who cares. 🙂 I know they do.  They’re generally Steak, Seafood and Potato people.  The Potato People — Sounds scary.  Anyway, they were game to try it all.  I didn’t tell them about the Fish Sauce, but used it sparingly just in case.  Busted — They know now.

Since this post is no longer in competition and other stuff needs to get done, it’ll mostly consist of photos, a few words and relevant links.  Hover your cursor over each photo to learn a little more.  We had a great time together, as always.  I appreciate them so much.

Grilling Chicken and Filet Mignon Satay in the backyard on a beautiful day, with the Coconut Peanut Sauce waiting on the sidelines.

They take just minutes to cook, so turn them over quickly, take ’em off the grill and dig in.  The Satay was the family favorite, as expected.

They’re finally ready to dip into the Coconut Peanut Sauce.

Just a few of the ingredients used to prepare our Thai meal, certainly not all.

The Shrimp and Coconut Milk Soup started with defrosting homemade Chicken Stock, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves and Galangal.  I’d made this soup many times before, but it’s been a few years.  About 10 years ago, I was working as a Paralegal at a large law firm and we were having a fund raiser for the United Way.  To assist, I offered to prepare ‘any dish’ for the highest bidder.  One law partner paid $750 for a spicy Tom Kha Gai, a variation of the pictured Soup.  Thank God it turned out well and all proceeds went to the United Way.

Wish we could show you the Shrimp in the “Shrimp” and Coconut Milk Soup.  It’s too late now.

The pots were filled and the Lemongrass Tea chilled and ready for guests.  I’m not sure if the above photo can be considered artsy or if it’s just plain blurry!?  If just blurry, I apologize.  Had I still been in the competition, I would’ve taken more photos. 🙂

I also prepared a Vegetable Curry with a bountiful array of fresh Veggies (Baby Bok Choy, Sweet Pea Pods, Yams, Asparagus Tips, Carrots, Potatoes, Cauliflower, Zucchini and Broccoli).

And a Thai Peanut Noodle Salad, Saffron Rice and homemade Mango Lime Sherbet Ice Cream.  I found the BEST Peanut Dressing recipe for the Noodle Salad and coincidentally it’s by another Foodbuzz Featured Publisher.  It’s linked here and definitely a keeper.

The girls at the Thai Dinner Party (l-r) Niece Lexi, Mom, Sister Ami, Niece Bailee and Maggie, the King Charles Cavalier.  The boys were in the den watching football.

Lexi entertaining the crowd, as usual — She’s staring at YOU.

The Mango Lime Sherbet turned out too tart and I even added more sugar than the recipe called for.  Although everyone claimed to love tart flavors, it was pushing it.  My Dad took one bite and handed it back to me with a pucker on his face.

Above is a little sampling for the dog, just kidding — It’s what I had the next day, a Mini-Meal.  For the Satay and Coconut Peanut Sauce, I used a recipe similar to the one linked here.

My Nieces were in charge of the camera most of the time and secretly recorded us on video too many times.  I can’t use that, hahaha.  And I’m not even sure who this is, but it’s funny.  When it’s discovered by its Star, I may need to take it down — Until then, enjoy. 🙂 The only photo of me is the BBQ’ing hands.  I’m okay with that.  Thanks Kids in the Kitchen.

Hurry, hurry, step right up to see the ‘Easiest Belgian Waffles in the World’ (or wannabes).  The pictured Lemon Luxury Waffles were created for another contest, blah, blah, blah — I’m now up against the last hour deadline, thus there’s no time to explain.  See an earlier entry here for more information.  All week I’d been working on recipe creations using Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Wheat Bread and this was a favorite!

They’re named Lemon Luxury Waffles because it’s a luxury that they’re so easy to make and they taste luxurious with Lemon Zest throughout the recipe.  The above is a mixture of 1 Egg, 1 tsp. of Vanilla and Sugar (each) and 1/4 tsp. of Lemon Zest.  It makes 2 – 3 Waffles using Nature’s Pride Bread (cut into the largest circles possible) and a Belgian Waffle Maker. 

The warm Waffles are topped with fresh Whipped Cream (1 Cup) that’s beat with Powdered Sugar (2 -3 tbsp.) and 1/8 tsp. of Lemon Zest (or just a pinch).

If you don’t have a Belgian Waffle Maker, any will do.

Luxury Lemon Waffles are made similar to French Toast, without turning.  Cut the Bread into the largest rounds possible, then dip each into the above mixture before placing rounds on the Waffle Maker.  Cook until done throughout and golden brown.  Plate and top with the Lemon Zest Cream.  Garnish with a slice of Lemon Rind, Mint Leaf, or pretty Lemon Candy of some sort — I didn’t have the time or resources to jazz this one up, thus opted for available Lemon Rind.

I wasn’t sure if this recipe would work, but it did and beautifully — And the Lemon Zest makes it extra special tasting, kinda like old fashioned homemade Ice Cream.  These Lemon Luxury Waffles were terrific.  I hope I covered it all.  If any questions, just ask.

Although I didn’t officially advance to Challenge #3 in Project Food Blog, I prepared a Thai Feast for my family.  I was sad, but might as well have that Dinner Party, eat and DRINK a lot.

My family is so awesome — They gave me the above as the best consolation prize ever and they’re mostly Meat and Potatoes eaters, but graciously tried the entire Thai MENU I’m no longer required to post by tomorrow, as I’m out of the competition. 🙁 But it’s nice to be back on my own time/terms.  I shall enjoy the outdoors instead.

Chicken and Filet Mignon Satay with Peanut Sauce is just one of the dishes on the MENU.  After 24 hours of marination, the Meat was amazing and didn’t even need the Sauce.  We’ll post our “Thai One On With Family Dinner Party” highlights here soon.  Good luck to the remaining 200 contestants — Talent is abound.  I guess I’ll take my one trophy, sit back and watch.  It’ll certainly be interesting to see who wins.