Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

My sister recently reported that she had the best Chocolate Cake in her life.  She obtained the surprising recipe and it’s what I made here.  It’s a Devil’s Food Cake Mix prepared with the addition of Mayonnaise (approximately a tablespoon).  It may sound scary to some, but it’s basically just more egg and oil if you think about it.  The Cake my sister ate was made with a canned Chocolate Frosting, but I made a Glaze of Powdered Sugar, Orange Zest and Orange Juice.  I haven’t tried it yet — We’re taking it luxury camping over the weekend and will report our results here soon.

Update (11/29/09):  The Cake was good, but certainly not the best ever.  It was a little overcooked too.  We’ll try another variation some time.

I initially bought these Belgian Chocolate Fancies to be a prize at a Christmas Party I’m hosting next week.  I usually buy about (10) $5.00 prizes to award to the winners of the crazy games I conjure up.  This year will be my 15th Annual Girl’s Christmas Party and it appears I’ve already won (or cheated), since I’m eating them.  I’m not supposed to do that, but couldn’t resist after reading the package.  The natural fruit flavors sounded way too delicious, plus I’ve been craving fancy Chocolates after recently trying those made by Christopher Micheal Chocolatier.

These Belgian Chocolate Fancies are sold at Trader Joe’s for only $4.99, which is less expensive that those by Christopher Michael — They’re good too!  It looks like I’ll need to go back to TJ’s to buy a replacement box, before my party guests see this.  Nibbles of Tidbits highly recommends these Chocolates for their flavor and beauty.

Update 01/29/10:  When I last saw them at Trader Joe’s, they were on sale for $2.99 a box — I’m not sure if they’re still selling them, since their products change quite often.  The packaging didn’t do ’em justice.

It’s reported to be Chocolate Day in some places.  Why not?  Examiner.com hosts many reports about Chocolate today.  As Orange County Food Examiner, I write about Chocolate in Orange County, not a bad combo.  The pictured Chocolates are by Christopher Michael Chocolatier in Newport Beach.  They’re gorgeous and the flavors are unique and fun.

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

It’s a doctored up Red Velvet Cake from a mix — I added a box of Chocolate Pudding Mix, Vanilla Extract and Orange Juice in place of Water.  And the Glaze was made with Pineapple Juice and Powdered Sugar.  I hope it tastes good, since it’s on its way to a 4th of July Pool Party.  We’ll report back.  Happy 4th to YOU and God Bless America.

UPDATE:  By the time the Cake was cut, I was busy swimming in the pool in my dress, HA.  I’m told it was good, but unfortunately didn’t get a photo of its beautiful color.

The sacrifices of our American Soldiers past and present is tremendous, and it’s the reason I’m free here today to make homemade Biscotti.  Let’s honor, respect and support all who fought and fight for continued freedom and liberation.

This is the first time I’ve made Biscotti — Since it’s pretty dry, I’m generally not a fan.  I added Powdered Sugar and drizzled Chocolate for sweetness and excitement.  Overall it was fun learning how it’s made, but I like Cupcakes, Pies, Cookies and other goodies a lot more.

Recipe: http://tiny.cc/5Qqwq
(The recipe calls for “2 Egg Equivalents” but I used 3 medium Eggs.  I also added chopped Almonds and Orange Extract).

What is Biscotti?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscotti

What is Memorial Day?: http://www.usmemorialday.org/

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

These are the “Delightful Surprise Clusters” I created for a Recipe Contest sponsored by Quaker Oats and Foodbuzz.   They’re made with Dark Chocolate and offer many delightful surprises inside, Cashews, Almonds, Macadamia Nuts, Toasted Coconut, Dried Cherries, Orange Flavored Dried Cranberries and Banana Chips.  All is topped with swirled White Chocolate.  My office appears to be loving ’em — That’s good.  They’re Gourmet Nut Clusters!

RECIPE: http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/859636-delightful-surprise-clusters

Enter the Contest HERE:
http://www.foodbuzz.com/promos/780121#rules

Contest Inspiration – Quaker Oats True Delights Chewy Granola Bars: http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=1985

Recipe Contest WIN too long ago:
http://www.ineedtext.com/Gourmet%20Magazine.pdf

Happy Holidays!  This is a yummy gift and indulgence.  See’s Box of Truffles has great flavors and its price isn’t bad.  I especially like the Pineapple Truffle — It was a tasty surprise.  All flavors are noted and shown below from back to front (L-R), if you can follow along.  It’ll help you decide which one to pick.  🙂

(1) Orange, (2) Cafe’ Hazelnut, (3) Raspberry, (4) Pineapple, (5) Light Chocolate, (6) Dark Chocolate Chip, (7) Key Lime, (8) Lemon, (9) Raspberry, (10) Cafe’ Au Lait, (11) Blueberry, (12) Dark Chocolate.

Related Links:

http://www.sees.com/prod.cfm/Truffles/Truffles

http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/MAIN/CHOCOLATE/chocolate-truffle-history.asp

Chocolate’s progression on its way to your mouth.  I didn’t get to see the entire process, but the HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE links below will show you more.

Related Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuKL9uesf2c

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chocolate

To me, it’s best described as subtly intense — It’s different and impressive.  I love Lindt’s progressive Chocolate flavors.  They’re fun to try.

Related Links:

http://www.lindt.com/2865/2866.asp

Melt good quality Chocolate in the microwave at 50% for 1 minute at a time, and stir in between until perfectly melted.  Stir in enough Almonds to generously coat all with the Chocolate.  Drop clusters onto a foil lined tray and pop into the fridge to chill.  They can be considered done at this point, and ready to eat in about 5 – 10 minutes.

In this instance I melted a Coconut White Chocolate bar, then drizzled it across the chilled Almond Clusters.  I usually melt the second Chocolate in a separate microwaveable bowl to keep its color pristine, but this time I needed the bowl for something else.  These taste just as good, but I think the white against the brown looks better than the lighter brown. 

Want a bite?  Just make some real fast.

Related Link:

My favorite Chocolate – http://www.lindt.com/2865/2866.asp