Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Have you had it before?  Houston’s Restaurant makes a fabulous Braised Red Cabbage.  I like it so much, I created this Copycat Recipe.  To me it tastes just like it — It’s super easy too.

Braised Red Cabbage Recipe:

1 Head of Red Cabbage (Chopped or Shredded) 

1/2 Cup White White Vinegar

1/4 Cup Water

2 1/2 Tbsp. Butter

2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar

Add the Vinegar, Water, Butter and Sugar to a Dutch Oven.  Heat all on the stove for about 5 minutes.  When the Sugar is dissolved, add the chopped Red Cabbage. 

Stir all together, then cover and braise in the oven at 325° for 2 hours.  Stir every half hour or so.  If the liquid completely evaporates, just add a little extra Water.

Houston’s serves their Braised Red Cabbage with Goat Cheese.  Since I wanted to create the entire experience, I purchased a Goat Cheese trio from Trader Joe’s. 

TJ’s trio includes a combination of Plain, Garlic & Herb and Four Pepper flavored Goat Cheese.  I had already used the plain, so I used the Garlic & Herb for this dish.  Each is 3.5 ounces and individually wrapped, which is great for freshness.

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

What Sauce?  The Sauce associated with this post – http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=622

I added a little Cream and Shaved Parmesan, then had it with Penne Pasta.  The Sauce is good without Cream too, but it does add a needed dimension of flavor if you don’t have fresh herbs.  I think I’ll try it with Vodka next time.

A serving without the Cream.

Related Links:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/pastas/glossary.asp

I’m lucky.  Four family members are growing Tomatoes this year and keep giving them to me.  This time I scored and broiled a batch in the oven, then peeled and chopped all to make a Sauce for use tomorrow.  With what?  You’ll see someday.

I added minced Garlic, Olive Oil & Salt and simmered for about 20 minutes.  This process makes a good, fresh tasting Sauce.  And if I have fresh herbs around, I’ll toss them in – Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley, or other.  🙂

With recent Tomato uncertainty, these gifts have been a commodity.

More about Tomatoes and growing them:

http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=151

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/Vegetables/tomatoes.asp

http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/growing-good-looking-tomatoes/index.html

It’s the Farm and Garden Competition at the Orange County Fair.  The biggest and best of Fruits and Vegetables, miraculous food from the earth.  Thank you God.

Grapefruit, Grapes, Carrots, Chili Peppers, Lemons and Zucchini.

Plums, the largest Pumpkin and Avocados.

The largest Zucchini, Onions and Nectarines.

Pumpkins, Beans and Cucumbers, plus more that’s not pictured.

OC Fair Information – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/

Centennial Farm grows stuff there all year round — It varies with the seasons.  Right now, during the Fair they’re growing Lettuce, Pumpkins, Brussels Sprouts, and more respectfully listed downward.

Corn, Carrots, Turnips, Tomatillos and Grapefruit.

Gourds, Peanuts and Apples.

Plums, Peppers and Sunflowers.

Lettuce, Zucchini and Walnuts.

Artichokes, Kohlrabi, Onion and Eggplant.

Plus a lot more — It’s a dream backyard.

Orange County Fair Info – http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/

A friend sent this to me in an E-Mail — I’m not sure where it originated, but I found it very interesting.  I’ve always been amazed and thankful for the bountiful foods from the Earth.  I like the photography and information here.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red — The heart is red and has four chambers.  Research shows that Tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.  Each Grape looks like a blood cell and research shows that Grapes are a profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

Sliced Carrots look much like an eye — The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye.  And science shows that Carrots greatly enhance blood flow to the eyes.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut look like the neo-cortex. We now know that Walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and look much like human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look a lot like bones.  These foods specifically target bone strength.  Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium.  If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Grapefruits, Oranges and other citrus fruits look very much like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – They look much like these organs.  Research shows that when a woman eats 1 Avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers.  And it takes exactly 9 months to grow an Avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.  There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods.  Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.  Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well as help to overcome male sterility.  

Onions look like body cells.  Research shows that Onions help clear waste materials from the body cells.  They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes, and they’re even shaped like tears.

Olives assist with the health and function of the ovaries.

NOTE:  The above information has not been verified for accuracy.  It has also been modified for grammatical accuracy and readability.  I apologize that I wasn’t able to correct the font variation and some formatting.

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.

Lemon Zest adds so much flavor to food.  It can be magical in some dishes.  I often make Lemon Zest Potatoes as a side dish.  To vary the flavor, I’ll usually toss in whatever herb(s) I have on hand.  This time it was Cilantro, one of my favorites.  It’s a punch of flavor.

This is simply a combination of Red Potatoes, Lemon Zest, Butter, Cilantro, Salt, and freshly ground Pepper.  Toss all together lightly, so not to mash.  Sometimes I put them in a skillet to fry the outsides a bit, and other times I’ve made a soup out of it.  Both ways it’s been delicious.

* I partially peel the Potatoes, mostly to cut off the weird parts.  If I have a perfect Red Potato, I usually don’t peel it at all — Mostly because I just don’t find it aPEELing.  Sorry.

For some reason, preparing this dish makes me want to go back to Italy.  I’m not sure why — I didn’t eat this there.  Maybe because it’s rustic, simple and flavorful. 

Just cut all the florets off (1) whole Cauliflower, then toss with a fair amount of Olive Oil, several whole or cut Garlic Cloves, Lemon pieces, Salt, and freshly ground Pepper.  Place all in a glass baking dish and ROAST in the oven at 475° for 20 minutes, or longer if necessary.  Stir a couple times to evenly brown.  It tastes so great, and it’s pretty good for you too.  I even eat the Garlic and some Lemons.

Note:  Although most roasting is at 500°, I often prefer the oven be preheated, and a bit lower in temperature.  475° can be good too, or 500° if deemed necessary.  If areas of your baking dish start to burn, add a little water to loosen.  It can steam the Cauliflower a bit, and help to avoid adding more oil.

What Not To Do:  It’s not necessary to squeeze the Lemons into the mix, it can make the dish too tart.  It’s best to just stir in the pieces.  It imparts a better flavor.

Here’s the basic recipe minus the measurements — It makes too much for a small quick serving.  It’s simply a mixture of chopped Artichoke Hearts, Jalapenos, Green Chilies, Shaved Parmesan (since that’s the type currently on hand, but grated is best), and Mayonnaise.  Just mix all ingredients to a balanced creamy consistency.  Cover with just enough mayo to coat. 

One of my friends brings a larger serving of this dip to my Annual Christmas Party.  I believe she won a Ribbon for it in 2007.  FYI: I didn’t provide the measurements below, because they appear to be off — Way too much mayo, which doesn’t seem necessary. Read more…

Fried Rice is so easy to make, especially if you already have left over rice.  For a simple and flavorful Fried Rice, just dice half an Onion, then carmelize in Oil/Butter.  Once cooked well, add a clove of minced Garlic, cook for a minute, and then add the prepared Rice, thawed Peas, Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil. 

Mix all together and heat through.  Then push the Rice to one side of skillet and scramble a couple Eggs on the other side.  Once cooked, fold the Eggs into the Rice.  Taste.  Stir in more Soy sauce, if necessary.  You’re done.

Note:  Sometimes it’s easier to scramble the Eggs in a separate pan to avoid having them prematurely mix with the Rice.

Read more…