Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

The 2 for $20 meal — It’s a real deal at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar.

Right now at Applebee’s you get (1) Appetizer and (2) full size Entrees for $20 – See MENU.

This was our first time to an Applebee’s and we learned it’s hipper than we thought.

It’s a welcoming place for the young and the old — I like that.  Its full Bar helps too.

We happened upon “$5 Sangria Saturdays” and appreciated the generous size glass too.

For an Appetizer, we opted for the Spinach & Artichoke Dip and would do so again.

And for Entrees we chose the Chipotle Cream Steak & Shrimp and the Three Cheese Chicken Penne.  Both were good.  Top Sirloin was served as the Steak (above) and it was tender, a must for any Steak — I never like to chew and chew and chew a Steak.

The ‘Welcome Back!’ sign shall apply next time, since we’d go back for this deal.

Cheers to 2 for $20 at Applebee’s and other specials like it — The service, atmosphere and lighting was pleasant too.  We also like the T.G.I. Friday’s 3-Course Menu for (2) for $20.  And Chili’s Grill & Bar has a $20 Dinner for Two that we plan to try (and report on) soon.

More keep landing here to view our Halloween Cupcake and Cookie decorating ideas.

I’ve posted much about it previously — A link to all is here.

Pictured are the latest and hopefully greatest, though certainly not professional samples.

Trick or Eat is adopted from the Trick or Eat Dinner at The Cellar in Fullerton.

Happy Halloween from Nibbles of Tidbits!

Growing up some of the best times were spent trick-or-treating and trading Candy.

Now it’s fun to decorate and give away Cookies and Cupcakes to/from/with friends/family.

The kids love them too — Halloween is a creative time.

Enjoy the possibilities — Eyeballs bring anything to life.

Can’t have Burnt Toast featured at the top of the page for too long — Who wants to keep staring at that?  Not me.  Our recent Brunch at the Rusty Pelican was excellent (and much prettier to see).  That’s all about it for now.  We’ll go back for more info and Champagne.

Over the edge with too many slices of Burnt Toast that it mustn’t go unreported — Its ratio has tipped into the majority, possibly happening 57% of the time, I confess.  Why is everything else more enticing when toasting Bread?  I’ll still eat it to give a better slice to you.

Under the boardwalk, we’ll be having some fun — At the Redondo Beach Pier, people walking above.  Fish Markets and Old-Time Arcades, people falling in love.  I’m grateful to be reminded of the magic that’s there and hope to return to experience more soon.  There’s so much to do.

And much more to eat under the boardwalk around the Redondo Beach Pier.

Many things I love like Crab and Lobster, but we weren’t so excited about the Sea Urchin.

Others were eating ’em up, after a breaking of its shell and a quick rinse of water.

Several fresh Oyster types were available to be shucked and consumed.

The offerings are varied and seem endless — Pick something, have it cooked and eat outside.

Free cooking — Broiled, fried or otherwise.

Smelt — I remember my Mom serving them for dinner when I was a kid and I liked them.

We opted for Ceviche this day — There are so many choices above and under the boardwalk.

Ceviche, Tortillas and a giant Pacifico on the patio with much more to go.

One of my favorite Old-Time Arcades is here near the Pier.

We had a blast with $20 — Its old-time prices go with its nostalgic experience.

Mostly old-fashioned games meet a few worthy new ones — Didn’t catch the Candy though.

Caught a Jawbreaker that escaped during its retrieval and bounced down the boardwalk. 🙂

Like some newer Arcades, tickets are earned towards prizes.

We chose Surprise Boxes — The sampling above wasn’t too bad.  I can use the basting brush.

This day we also walked along the shore from Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach (and back), ultimately to El Torasco, a long-time favorite Mexican restaurant of mine, and then barely made it back to Hermosa before the sun went down — A beautiful day indeed!

Dare to make Pozole — Check, and in most cases it’s all about the reconstituted Dried Chiles.

In researching how to make Pozole, I learned… Dried Chiles soaked in Hot Water, then puréed and added to the Broth commonly denote this Mexican Soup, as do its accompaniments.

Its familiar garnishes include all shown and more.  My first attempt at making Pozole turned out fairly well, but not great enough to add a recipe.  I referred to several recipes in order to make the pictured version and will add more Chiles next time — Extra RED to be best fed.

One of my favorite Burritos is the Junior Super Deluxe at El Tarasco in Manhattan Beach.

It’s been about ten years since I’d been there and had one, and it tastes exactly the same.

LOVE the Chips and Salsa there too — We used to drive miles to get there at midnight.

This day we walked a couple miles along the surf from Hermosa Beach — It’s worth it no matter how you travel to get there.  Enlarge MENU for a better view.  This first El Tarasco has been open since 1969, and though prices aren’t the same, they’re definitely reasonable.

It won’t take another ten years to sink my teeth into another one — I’ve got the fever again.

Note:  It’s a tiny place only a counter long — Sometimes you wait, other times you don’t.

They were easy to make, but it seems the Sugar Cookie Dough I used (Pillsbury) isn’t conducive to the recipe shown below and linked here — The Candy Corn Cookies baked up well-formed on the video, but my wannabes didn’t end up as triangularly cute or colorful.

The pictured Cookies didn’t stay triangular and basically baked into blobs.

The wannabes were entertaining to make and not bad to eat, but not what I wanted.

Halloween Cookies — I’ve decorated a lot of them.  Samples (visual only) are linked here, if you’re searching for Halloween Cookie decorating ideas.  This year I’m most excited about the Candy Corn Cookies shown on the Howdini Video above.  They look credible and are so cute.

I’ve added Candy Corn Cookies to my ‘To Make List’ since they’re too easy to make, a bonus.

We’re forever in search of the “this is the best one yet” Hamburger and heard good things about the Burgers at Café Beau Soleil and Crêperie at Fashion Island — So we went.

Its outdoor patio is across from Urban Outfitters.

Café Beau Soleil And Crêperie is so French — Even our waiter was French and looked familiar.  It couldn’t be that I remembered him from France, since it’s been more than ten years since I’ve been there.  No, I later remembered that he waited on me at Pescadou Bistro one time, another French restaurant in Newport Beach where you’ll find him working at night.

Toast with a Glass of Wine, but not with the one circled below — It’s 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Grigio, which probably doesn’t sound all that great in the first place, but since I like Chardonnay and my Mom (and Hamburger sharing partner) likes Pinot Grigio, we gave it a try.

And it might be the worst Wine I’d ever had — Not sure what’s up with it, but be warned.

Other than that, all was pleasant at the French Café on a beautiful day.

And we liked the Hamburger — It ranks high on our informal best Hamburger list.

We had the Le Burger with Caramelized Onions and Gruyere Cheese on a Brioche Bun and would get it again, with sure to be a better French Wine.  Cheers to many other things, including the bitchen bracelet my Mom bought at Uno de 50 shortly before our relaxing lunch.

Where should we go next sweet Mom?  Cheers to you!

You can’t make it as good as this he said.  Purposeful reverse psychology or not, I’m going to try.  It’s what I do and part of the reason why I started Nibbles of Tidbits.  We’re talking about Posole and the one we had here was good, but the Broth was a little flat.  The challenge now is to make a Posole that’s better than the one pictured.  Coming soon my friend (hopefully).  I’m not sayin’ it’ll be great, but it’s possible, thank God.  Check back to see if you get any. 😉

Posole aka Pozolé aka Pozolli is a Mexican Stew that’s most often made with Pork and Hominy.

I’m currently reviewing recipes to incorporate the best authentic and common themes.

Garnishes will be included, but no human meat — Pozolé has a bizarre history.

Update 10/20/12: First attempt at making Pozole shown here — Second attempt in order.

It’s Watermelon LOVE, what a surprise since it’s generally not one of my favorite flavors, though I always like it as Fresh Fruit and 100% Juice.  Inspired by the request of Kids in the Kitchen, I discovered Shelly’s Jellies are superb when made from pureed Watermelon.

At first I didn’t think it was possible to create an intensely flavored Candy without using Citrus Juice and Zest — Since I’d made all available citrus flavors, I took a chance with Strawberry and Watermelon and both couldn’t have turned out better.  Lexi and Hannah (pictured) loved the Watermelon and Bailee liked the Strawberry ones better.  Blackberry Jellies are next.

None can say they’ve tasted a better, naturally flavored Jelly Candy. Thanks for the ideas kids!

A gift from the Grandkids (Kids in the Kitchen) who know their BBQ’ing Grandpa (aka Mad Dog) well and it’s definitely Budweiser in between his grilling.  Always marinate and never use a recipe it also states — I concur with that.  October still feels like July in Southern California.  The ten minute rule seems doable in this record heat.  Pop open a Stella for me, sorry Dad.

Official exploration and documentation of FOOD in Fullerton kicked off at Moodaepo’s.

We spent two days sampling food in Fullerton’s SOCO District (South of Commonwealth).

At Stadium Tavern (above), we had Salads on the patio — The top special was a Lump Crab Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Avocados with a Basil Oil and Balsamic Reduction.  We relished both Salads on a sunny afternoon.  Have you been to Roscoe’s Famous Deli (below)?

The Sandwiches are crazy tall — We needed an extra pair of Bread.  The place is cool too.

We had the Harbor Sub (above) and the Silly Billy (below).

On top of all that jazz, its twinkling atmosphere glows ready for any kind of patron.

My Fullerton restaurant Tour Guide (below) doing who knows what at Roscoe’s. 😉

After all, we toasted to life with a customized Iced Tea from Tranquil Tea Lounge.

Refreshing and flavorful on this hot day — We’ll get it hot on a cold day, someday.

An informative and nice bunch run Tranquil Tea Lounge — And you may smell any of the labeled jars.  It’s how we decided what to drink.  They are well identified and pungent.

Its limited menu is inviting and it’s casual and artsy inside.

We’ll be scouting the streets to choose where to go next in Fullerton.  Check back.

I’ve previously written about The Cellar too — It’s within walking distance from (or in the same building as) Stadium Tavern, where we’d gladly have another Salad.  I’m learning that Fullerton has much to offer in the way of FOOD and people.  I’m ready for more.