Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

More funny at my expense — The Orange County Fair Competition Results are now in.  My entry is the only one above without a Ribbon.  Oh well, can’t win ’em all.  And today I shot more video than photos, but most times when I thought I pressed record, I stopped the video (and vice versa), thus lamely captured our walking and talking most of the day, instead of the interesting, yummy stuff, haha.  Duh!  In defense, it was difficult to see the ‘REC’ light in the bright sunshine and I unfortunately got it backwards along the way.  It won’t happen again.  Gotta laugh though, which is easy since we’ll be going back soon.

Happily others we know did well in the OC Fair Competitions.  Hover over the above photos to learn more about each — And get to the Fair to see the results of all competitions.  Congratulations to ALL winners!

The Orange County Fair starts Friday, July 16, 2010.  Little Chef Alexis (aka Chef Lexi) has entered her Food Eraser Collection into the Youth Competition, Junior Collections.  Nibbles of Tidbits hopes Chef Lexi gets a Blue Ribbon!  It’s too late to enter the competition now, but you can see the results at the OC Fair — See you there.

We’re fine tuning recipes to enter into the Orange County Fair Culinary Arts Competition this year.  Entries are due by May 26, 2010.  You can ENTER HERE.  Other than the photos, we’re not tellin’ more about what we’re working on.  And no, they’re not Lemon Bars above.  It is a competition afterall.

To read about past Culinary Arts Competitions and more, click HERE.

You can now enter one or more of the competitions happening at the Orange County Fair this year.  The 2010 OC Fair doesn’t start until July, but competition sign-up has begun.  Last year we luckily won several ribbons in the Culinary Arts Competition and this year we hope to do the same.  And I’ve talked my Mom into entering the Table Setting Competition — She’s always set fun and beautiful tables over the years, including the one above.  Online entry forms are due by May 26, 2010.  Good luck!

 

The Orange County Fair closes at midnight tonight, then it’s on to Los Angeles.  You’d better hurry back NOW, if you’ve got to have that certain food item one more time.  We may have tried it all, but will be going back for the final concert, Three Dog Night, and will certainly round up our options and final enjoyments this year.  Until then, we’ve posted previously unpublished OC Fair food photos here.

My final contest entry of Scones in the Orange County Fair Culinary Arts Competition awarded me a Third Place Ribbon.  I submitted Lemon Zest Scones with a Pomegranate Glaze.  They were good, but I really wanted a bite of the First Place Scones.  And the pictured Chocolate Loaf won the division.  Stop by the Orange County Fair, near the Promenade Stage to view all Second Show entries. 

Related Links:

• Fine tuning our Scone Recipe
• Single Day Pie Competition
• Culinary Arts Results at the OC Fair
• Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
• Excellent Scone Recipe

The Single Day Pie Competition went down today at the Orange County Fair.  Approximately 20 Pies were entered and Ribbons were awarded for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place, plus 3 Honorable Mentions.  After the judging, FREE Pie was served to the public.  It’s best to be around at that time (2PM each Saturday and Sunday at the Promenade Stage).  During this Contest, I happily received an Honorable Mention for my Chocolate Mountain Orange Cream Pie.  It’s pretty good.  Here’s the RECIPE: Orange Cream Pie Recipe.  Enjoy!

More Orange County Fair Competition INFO:

• Culinary Arts Competition Results at the 2009 OC Fair
• Fine Tuning our Scone entry for the OC Fair
• More food related competitions at the OC Fair
• Baking contests at the OC Fair

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

The results are in for the first phase of the Culinary Arts Competition at the Orange County Fair.  I’m excited to learn that my Ambrosia Bundt Cake won a 2nd Place Ribbon and my Gourmet Nut Clusters won a 3rd Place Ribbon.  Not bad for a first time OC Fair submitter — Two for two.  For the second phase of the Culinary Arts Competition, I’ll be delivering Scones on July 28th, and for the Single-Day LIVE Judging Contest a Pie on July 25th.

This day I met Jaqui Dulebohn (Santa Ana), a Division Winner in the Preserved Foods Competition.  That’s impressive!  It means she won a 1st Place Ribbon, then beat out all the other 1st Place Ribbon winners in the Jam’s Division.  Congratulations to Jaqui on her Apricot Jam.  She looks forward to the competition each year.  ALL entries are displayed in the Home Arts Building.  You’ve got to get to the Fair for all the fabulous food and fun.

OC Fair INFO

Competition & Contest INFO

PHOTOS from 2008’s Culinary Arts Competition

Nibbles of Tidbits will be entering a few items in the Culinary Arts Competition this year at the Orange County Fair — It’s July 10th – August 9th.  We’ll be submitting a Pie, a Bundt Cake, Gourmet Nut Clusters and a Scone.  Until then, we’re working on the best Scone to enter.  Once decided, we’ll post  the recipe here.  The Scones above include variations of Lemon Zest & Juice, Orange Zest & Juice, Dried Montmorency Cherries, Pomegranate Juice, Cream and Powdered Sugar.

Related Links:

http://www.ocfair.com/2009/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone_(bread)

Where’s your favorite place to get Chili Cheese Fries?  We’ve been trying a few around town and would love to know whose Chili Cheese Fries you like BEST.  Some are extra good and some are just okay.  We describe a few, but want you to be the judge too.  Each photograph will have a brief description and related restaurant link directly below it.  And we’ll be adding more Chili Cheese Fries photos and observations, so keep checking back.

The Hat’s Chili Cheese Fries with Pickles & Tomatoes – You get a lot of them.  It’s heavy.

Tommy Pastrami’s Chili Cheese Fries – It’s got nice Steak Fries, but the Chili is a bit Tomato-Paste tasting.  It has big chunks of Beef in it, which is ok, but generally not preferred in a CCF.

Carl’s Junior’s Chili Cheese Fries – They’re not bad.

Fatburger’s Chili Cheese Fries – For some reason I expected more, but they were good.  Fatburger offers a choice of Skinny Fries or Fat Fries.  Pictured here are the Skinny Fries.

SONIC Drive-In’s Chili Cheese Fries – I haven’t tried these yet, but others like them.

Orange County Fair’s Chili Cheese Fries – You can only get them during the OC Fair.

Wienerschnitzel’s Chili Cheese Fries – Unfortunately they’re not one of my top picks.  I’d have to go with Carl’s Jr.’s Chili Cheese Fries before these (above).

Pink’s Chili Cheese Fries – Very good.  Second favorite to Original Tommy’s Chili Cheese Fries.

Del Taco’s Chili Cheese Fries – I’d pick them over Carl’s Jr. ones, since the Fries are better.

EZ Take Out Burger’s Chili Cheese Fries – I liked them, especially the French Fries.  Their Hamburgers are similar to In-N-Out’s Burgers, but dare I say I like EZ Take Out’s Fries better.  And Chili Cheese Fries don’t appear to be an option at In-N-Out Burger.

Johnny Rocket’s Chili Cheese Fries – They’re acceptable.  Nothing to rave about, nor rag on.  On a separate note, their Hamburgers are very good.

Original Tommy’s Chili Cheese Fries – They still stand as my favorite over all those pictured.

Wendy’s Chili Cheese Fries — It’s made with Chili that should be served in a bowl with a side of Buttered Crackers, but instead it’s dumped over French Fries and topped with Cheese.  I don’t think so.  They’re not recommended.

Jack in the Box Loaded Chili Cheese Wedges — Good with the Onions picked out.

Portillo’s Chili Cheese Fries — Portillo’s Chili has a really good flavor that goes well with their crinkled-cut French Fries and a little melted Cheese.  We’d have them again.

Santa Fe Cafe Chili Cheese Fries — They’re best had on their outdoor patio with a Pitcher of Beer.

MORE TO COME.

A Pulled Pork Sandwich and Cole Slaw, which may be my last meal this year at the Orange County Fair.  Sadly it’s only open 4 more days, but I could possibly squeeze in one more visit.

Since 2008’s theme relates to Cheese, as in “Say Cheese” and the kind you eat, they’re carving up a large block for the entertainment.  It was cool to see, but it also kind of grossed me out, because it had that shiny room temperature look about it.

I was going to try the Fried Spam or Fried Avocado, even though they didn’t sound good, but all had already been fried and were just sitting in the window.  It wasn’t appealing.  If I’m willing to try it I want it made fresh.

Related Link:

http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/

Some food is great and some just novel experiments.  This day was a combination of both.  We started with Australian Battered Potatoes with Cheese Sauce and Ranch Dressing.  I had read that they’re loved by many, so had to give them a try — And we liked them too.  The batter was cooked perfectly, but they can get heavy after a couple.  I’d probably share them with a few people again.

These Smoked Pork Ribs had a generous amount of meat and flavor.  They were definitely more than fair fare at the Fair. 🙂

And on a different note, there was the Fried White Castle Burger, which I won’t be getting again.  My friend liked it, but it tasted way too greasy for me.  Granted we had already eaten the above, but overall I don’t see its value — But it was fun to try.

The following pictures respectively relate to the three above.

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

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/

We LOVE the Burger Parlor’s new Gringo Bandito Tostada Burger (pictured above) — It’s made with a Hormone-Free Nebraskan Beef Patty and includes a Crisp Tostada Shell (yes, it’s true), Crushed Avocado, Roasted Anaheim Chili, Marinated Carrots, Gringo Bandito Crema, Gringo Bandito Aioli and a Fried Egg.  The well-selected ingredients create an amazing Burger.

What is Gringo Bandito you might ask — It’s a Hot Sauce created by The Offspring’s Lead Singer, Dexter Holland.  Well, we also love The Offspring and saw them in concert the last two years at the Orange County Fair.  Together Dexter Holland and the Burger Parlor’s founder, Joseph Mahon created the Gringo Bandito Tostada Burger.  And it’s now on the Burger Parlor menu.

The Burger Parlor could make the best Onion Rings I’ve ever had.  We had them a few times previously and I’d considered writing an entire post about them, but didn’t get around to it.

Inside the Burger Parlor’s Fullerton location (above and below).  There’s another one in Orange.

They have Beer and Wine too, in addition to Milkshakes and Sodas — Cheers to that.

We were The Ramones #57 waiting for food delivery.

This visit we also had the Kali Burger made with Smoked Bacon, Crushed Avocado, Provolone Cheese, Peppers, Caramelized Onions, Arugula and Chipotle Aioli (below).  Another great combo.

We split and shared both.

It’s tricky cutting a Gringo Bandito Tostada Burger, due to the Tostada Shell (and Egg) on it.

A Tostada Shell is an unusual ingredient on a Burger, but it really works, especially with Marinated Carrots between the Burger and the bottom of the Bun.  Both are perfect with an Egg.

I may have a whole one next time, if I can decide between all the gourmet combinations.

The also make a House Ketchup that’s offered next to Heinz.  We got one of each and used all the House Ketchup.  You cannot tell the difference by looking at them, but Burger Parlor’s House Ketchup tastes like it’s meant to go with the Onion Rings.  There’s something special there.

The Burger Parlor knows how to make things right — Their wall instructions impressed us (below).

We highly recommend the Burger Parlor and their Onion Rings — To me, they kind of taste like Shrimp Tempura, especially with the House Ketchup.  The duo is on my favorite’s list.

The Burger Parlor is a favorite of many and has the awards to prove it.  We’ll be back.

Have you heard of Fiverr.com?  It’s where I got the cartoon above created.  Fiverr.com is a fun, useful, creative place where one can commission a custom cartoon, caricature, logo or other graphic design for a great price.  One can buy and/or sell graphic and design projects, as well as writing, translation, video, audio, programming and marketing projects, and much more.  Check it out.

I’m currently hooked on graphics — I commissioned a couple cartoons, vectors and logos.  At approximately $5 – $20 each, I can afford it.  It’s interesting working with artists/sellers around the world.  I’ve had good experiences so far.  Comparison Photo:  A Pie I made won an honorable mention at the Orange County Fair a few years back and this is a photo of me behind it.

Fifty-four recipe cards later… We’ve had some terrific meals with Blue Apron.

Though I’ve experimented with a lot of different ingredients, thanks to Blue Apron I keep discovering new ones like… Pea Shoots, White Miso Paste, Queso Oaxaca, Arepas, Pearled Barley, Yu Choy, Yuzu Juice, Ramps, Soba Noodles, Castelvetrano Olives and Fregola Sarda Pasta.

Meals are forever changed knowing these ingredients — Several meals will remain on my menu.

I now love Red Quinoa, which has been included in a few Blue Apron Meals.  I used it in a Salad I created and entered in the Culinary Arts Competition at the Orange County Fair this year and won a 5th Place Ribbon for it.  That recipe will soon be posted on Nibbles of Tidbits.  Check back for that.

I have posted Blue Apron meal photos on Instagram @ShellyChiliFreis, but for the most part I just want to eat them.  Dinner on my time has been more important than pausing to compose a photo. There is work involved.  The meals don’t make themselves, but they’re worth the time.

Meals pictured from top down — Spiced Meatballs with Garlic Toasts & Summer Squash Salad, Salmon Burgers with Crème Fraiche Sauce, Arugula & Potato Salad, Arepas De Carne Molida with Avocado & Pickled Jalapeno, Chicken Milanese with Summer Corn, Cherry Tomato & Cucumber Salad, Seared Cod with Spring Vegetables & Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette and Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs with Zucchini & Brown Rice.  Blue Apron continues to be highly recommended by us.

Though we planted late this year, we’re enjoying the Radishes.  They’re pushing through the soil daily alerting they are ready to pick — It took about 4 weeks from seeds to grow and eat them.

And we learned that Beans and Peas practically grow overnight, but as of today they are far from being ready to eat, especially since our large turtle tortoise (Cesar) ate them when we weren’t looking.  We wrongly planted them in the lower planter, which we’re in the process of amending.

As for the other seeds we planted, much is growing or trying to grow.  Our Purple Cabbage has sprouted large leaves, but the row of Purple Cabbage growing at the Orange County Fair includes numerous large heads of Cabbage.  Our garden is coming along slowly, but we’re optimistic.

I wonder what we get to eat (before Cesar) next — To be determined and announced.

Would you believe we grew this?  You shouldn’t because we didn’t.  We bought it at the Fullerton Market in downtown Fullerton.  Though I had a Sweet Onion at home, I had to get this giant one for $3.  You can see the size difference below, although it was more impressive in person. People stopped us to ask what it was.  It should’ve been entered in the Orange County Fair.

We continue to tend to our real life garden and we’re starting to see the Radishes, Carrots, Eggplant, Purple Cabbage, Sweet Onion, Green Onion and possibly the Swiss Chard grow — We have a long way to go to grow such a large Onion and will be happy growing one that’s any size.

Awe, Home Sweet Home, I end up where I wanted to be, with a Division Win in anything.

At the Orange County Fair in receipt of a Certificate of Recognition for my Confections Entry (Fruit Bursts aka Shelly’s Jellies) in the Culinary Arts Competition.  Thank you very much!

2012 Awards (center) and entries are linked — A hard act to follow in 2013, but will try. 🙂

The OC Fair New Year’s Eve Block Party is almost like being at the Orange County Fair.

Dry Turkey Legs (sorry) best underscore my first sentence — You’ve seen them before.

Snapshots of the NYE event, Part (2) of (2) are posted here — Untimely camera issues caused spots on most photos planned for use.  Gourmet Food Trucks were parked throughout.

Cocktails & Desserts were available in each and every hanger.

The LA based Border Grill Truck was in the OC too, amongst many local darlings.

We were keen on the Casino games and won OC Fair tickets, as reported in Part (1) of (2).

I still don’t know how to play Craps — I like Poker best, but it wasn’t played this night.

In addition to the Gourmet Food Trucks and Baja Blues, a few OC Fair fixtures were grillin’.

As like 2010, a nice, respectable, friendly bunch of people attended this year’s Block Party.

Dueling Pianos were playing at Baja Blues, replacing last year’s Karaoke.

Unicycling and chainsaw juggling was happening in the streets, near the Ferris Wheel.

Piaggio On Wheels Chicken Milanesa Sandwich — I like their Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog best.

Do you remember what I reported about the Brussels Sprouts?  I’m still thinking about ’em.

To its right is the Truffled Fried Mac N’ Cheese, I think — Don’t recall its exact name.

It’s from Home Skillet, like the Brussels Sprouts — Most impressed with them this evening.

The Media Lounge was in a different spot this year, closer to the action they say — We stopped in for a few and most enjoyed the Cheese Platter, pictured in Part (1) of (2).

Thank you!  I already can’t wait until next year.

It’s an exciting year at the Orange County Fair — More Culinary Arts Competition ribbons won.

In the 2nd Show, I happily accept another First Place Ribbon for my Snickerdoodle Scones and a Third Place Ribbon for my Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake.  And still delighted about the First Place Ribbon received for Blondies prepared for the 1st Show — I feel lucky.

Didn’t win anything in the Blog Post Competition on display above, but maybe next year.

Our Guest Blogger, Bonnie won a Second Place Ribbon for her professional table design.

And thought the above was adorable — Entered in the Crafts & Hobbies Competition is a mini replica of the Table Design Competition.  It’s rightly a First Place and Division winner.  Congratulations Donna!  The OC Fair is happening now through August 14, 2011.

Yeah!

Hollywood is in the OC — Pink’s is at the Orange County Fair.  We crave their Chili Cheese Fries and must share them every visit, especially since they will only be in town until August 14th.  They’re one of the top rated CCF’s listed in our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison post.