Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

I came across these Mini Beef Wellingtons in the frozen foods section at Smart & Final.  They were on sale and the picture looked good, so I gave ’em a try.  Thus far I’ve only tested three in the toaster oven, but the flavor of the Duxelles is perfect — I wish there was a little more inside.  And the Beef Tenderloin was tender.  The combination makes a yummy (authentic old school) appetizer or snack.  I can’t wait to serve them to someone.

Related Links:

http://www.originalrangoon.com/ (Note: For some reason I didn’t see a post regarding this specific product, nor the Smart & Final affiliation listing on the manufacturer’s website, but Original Rangoon’s other appetizers look good too).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duxelles – How to make Duxelles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Wellington – What is it?

http://www.smartandfinal.com/intro.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2findex.aspx

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

I like the Claim Jumper Restaurant because they give you tons of food.  I was recently offered the opportunity to try a few of their Frozen Entrees.  The main purpose of this post is to provide visual insight to assist with consumer selection.  I like the Classic Ravioli Parmigiana pictured above — It’s spicier than similar dishes and has good flavor.

Claim Jumper’s Shrimp Scampi.

Claim Jumper’s Chicken Marsala.

Claim Jumper’s Chicken and Penne a la Vodka.

I was also supposed to try Claim Jumper’s New Chicken and Shrimp Penne Rustica, but didn’t see it in the store.  Instead I selected the Salisbury Steak for old time sake.  I haven’t had Salisbury Steak since I was a kid, when it was the first frozen entree ever.  It took me back.  You’ll need an extra plate for the Claim Jumper’s Salisbury Steak, unless you don’t mind mixing the Gravy with the Macaroni and Cheese. 

An honorable mention should go to Claim Jumper’s Spaghetti and Meatballs (not pictured), since the Meatballs are the best “frozen” ones I’ve had — They’ve got a surprisingly good grilled flavor.

Related Links:

http://www.claimjumperretail.com/

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

These were created by a food lover and 10% of the proceeds go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  To learn a lot more, visit Grill Charms’ website.  If you type “grilling” in the Coupon Code box, you’ll save $5.00.  I could have used them on past occasions.  How about you?  Related Link:  www.grillcharms.com

UPDATE (09/29/09):  Leslie Haywood of Grill Charms just got offered a sizzling deal on ABC’s Shark Tank.  Congratulations and good luck!

For the daily readers, I’ll get to the Christmas Party Appetizers shortly, but now I have to mention the luxurious Tea I’m enjoying.  What a treat!  One of my fabulous party guests gave me an amazing gift.  Have you seen this before?  I hadn’t.  It’s cute, practical and the Crimson Nectar Tea is a layered flavor explosion.  I love it all — Thanks again.

Related Link:

http://www.teaforte.com/

Italian Organics sent me a couple bottles of their Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice.  They’re based in Staten Island, New York.  I did a little work for them some time ago and have been wanting to try this juice ever since.  Thanks for sending it Alfredo.  It’s tasty.  Italian Organics (I.O.) is working on finding more suppliers across the United States.  Right now it’s available in New York, but let’s hope it’s soon shelved in a store near us.

You can drink to your health knowing that Organic Blood Oranges contain Anthocyanins, which act as powerful Antioxidants.  I.O. harvests this exceptional fruit in volcanic soil near Mt. Etna Sicily.  Not only does it taste great, but it’s rich in Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Fiber, and Vitamins A & C.

And since it’s so good for you, if you want to make a Blood Orange Martini out of it, that’s okay.  The recipe I used is linked below.  Instead of using typical Orange Juice in your Martini, shake things up with this colorful juice.  It makes a prettier presentation too.  And I added a Sugared Rim to sweeten the deal.  Yummy!

Related Links:

http://www.iojuice.com/

http://www.iojuice.com/Pages/ContactUs.htm

http://www.recipezaar.com/282479

http://sarahacconcia.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/blood-orange-juice/

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/

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

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

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

It’s really hard to tell the difference between this one, Thai Joe’s Lemongrass Chicken Stix and Thai Joe’s Coconut Curry Chicken Stix.  I like to call them Cigar Springrolls.  Both are equally good and taste similar.  It’s fun to do a taste comparison with friends — I did, and guesses were right and wrong regarding both.

Unlike the picture on the box, they don’t come with Sauce, so I’ve posted the recipe for my favorite Springroll Dipping Sauce.  It’s enough for two boxes of these Springrolls.  Double the recipe if making more.  Each box holds 10 Chicken Stix.

I cook them at 450° for 20 minutes, which is longer than the posted time.  I find that (almost) all frozen food needs to be cooked longer than its recommended time.  Do you find the same?  I wonder if it’s done purposefully to make one think they’ll be eating faster than they actually will.

Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce Recipe: 

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1/8 Cup of Rice Vinegar

1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoon of Sugar

Mix all together until Sugar is dissolved.  Serve with any crunchy Asian dish.  It’s quick, easy and tasty.

Related Pictures and Links:

Trader Joes – http://www.traderjoes.com/

Extra – http://www.answers.com/topic/tv-dinner

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/

Since I love everything Orange Flavored, I had to try it.  Here’s the naked Bundt Cake before a quick messy coat of Whipped Cream.  It was super moist, but I must admit that I added a 1/2 box of vanilla pudding mix to the mix.  I had an opened box and wanted to use it.  I’m not sure if it made a big difference or not, but the Cake was good.

BTW, I previously tried the Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix and found it to be too sweet.  The Pineapple flavor was a bit imitation tasting.  I hope they rework that recipe.

Duncan Hines – http://www.duncanhines.com/

To enjoy variety and test what tastes best, I prepared 9 Scallops 3 different ways.  I seasoned four with S & P and seared them in a pan with a little oil, while the other 2/3 of the trio was broiling in the oven.  Thankfully the seared Scallops couldn’t have turned out better.  The cooking time was about 4 minutes.

I prepared another three Scallops with a mixture of Mayonnaise, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, Lemon Juice and S & P — I topped them with the Sauce and sprinkled with Panko Breadcrumbs, then broiled them in the oven with the ones below.  The cooking time was about 5 minutes.

I coated the remaining two Scallops with Ponzu Sauce and Lemon Zest.  They tasted okay, but looked extremely boring.  I won’t be repeating this 1/3 of the trio, but it was still fun to have the assortment and none were terrible.

Overall, the seared Scallops were the best.  The Sriracha Scallops were good too, but mostly because they tasted similar to a Scallop Handroll at a Sushi Bar.  Next time I might just sear them and serve with a Sriracha Dipping Sauce on the side. 

Related Links:

Sriracha Sauce – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha

Sriracha Sauce – http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm

Ponzu Sauce – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzu

Ponzu Sauce – http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ponzu-sauce.htm

Panko Breadcrumbs – http://www.sacbee.com/taste/story/1003427.html

We had marinated and grilled Carne Asada, Chorizo & Beans, flavorful Pasta Salad, juicy Watermelon, homemade Salsa, a Layered Dip with homemade Guacamole*, Tortilla Chips, fix-ins for Tacos and Burritos, fresh baked Brownies, Strawberry Lemonade, Coronas, Cactus Coolers and Big Sticks.  The food was excellent and we had a BLAST.

To keep away the pesty bugs associated with many backyard parties, it’s a must to have these netted food tents.

Related Links:

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/tabletop-food-tent-large

*  Unfortunately the Layered Dip PICS weren’t up to par — It looked and tasted great in person though.

Dried Plums are great tasting and you already know Prunes are good for you.  Did you know they’re the same?   These Orange Essence ones are my favorite.  It’s a tasty snack, I swear.

Interesting Related Links:

http://www.sunsweet.com/

http://www.californiadriedplums.org/

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/09/13/prunes.reut/

They’re adorable and were only $1.00 each.  Quite a nice Smorgasbord — Dulce De Leche, Cherry Garcia and Strawberry.  All come with a convenient spoon in the lid.

Related Links:

http://www.haagendazs.com/

http://www.benjerry.com/

Trader Joe’s is synonymous for unique and tasty snacks.  Here are two I’ve recently discovered.  The Freeze Dried Mango spears look like Steak Cut Fries, but they’re feather light.  And the Rambutan Fruit grows plentiful in Thailand.

Related Links:

http://www.traderjoes.com/

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

Since I like Houston’s ‘Chicago-Style Spinach Dip’ so much, I wanted to make it at home.  I researched the Internet and came across a few Copycat Recipes, so I tried a couple. 

I combined and fine tuned all that I learned to decide on the following as my version of the restaurant’s tasty dip, with a little more of the goodies — Artichokes and Spinach.  The Houston’s flavors are there.

Recipe and Ingredients: 

As shown above, first cut off the tough ends of the Artichoke Hearts (if necessary), then mix all ingredients together.  Transfer the mixture to an oven proof dish, then bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

1 (16 oz.) Bag of Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed or drained of all water

1 (12 oz.) Jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped (Unmarinated is fine)

1 Large Garlic Clove, minced or pressed

1 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese, grated (Jack Cheese can be substituted)

2/3 Cup of Parmesan Cheese, grated or shaved

1/2 Cup Sour Cream (Heaping Cup)

1/4 Cup Cream or Half & Half  (Less, if too runny or watery, add a little at a time)

Houston’s serves their Chicago-Style Spinach Dip with Tortilla Chips, Sour Cream and Salsa, which is great, but at home I usually have it with Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips.  It’s hard to find a good bagged Tortilla Chip — But if you prefer the complete Houston’s combination, Have’a Chips are recommended as one of the better packaged Tortilla Chips.

Bridgford Ready-Dough — Thawed, set aside to rise, then dipped in melted Butter and rolled in Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and chopped Pecans.  It’s was baked at 375° for 30 minutes, then turned upside-down onto a plate.

I wish I could say this tasted as good as it looks, but it was a little dry — Next time I may set it aside to rise again and cook it for less time. 

Related Links:

http://www.bridgford.com/consumer/default.asp 

FYI:  The Post Title was inspired by a Robbie William’s Song – Me and My Monkey.  I used to have it linked here, but its origin was unfortunately removed.  Robbie Williams is so under-played in the USA.  I love his music.

I’ve probably spent thousands of dollars on countless bags of these Sunflower Seeds over the years.  Only David!  No other Sunflower Seed will do.  David is the best.

POST UPDATE (11/10/08):  Note to David – Why has your price sky-rocketed?  The pictured bag used to sell for $0.89-$1.09, and now it sells for $1.39-$1.69.  That’s too high!  CVS is selling them for $1.69.  That’s outrageous.  What’s up David?  Is it CVS or YOU?

http://www.davidseeds.com/

Read more…