Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Ice Cream in the summertime on a Sunny Afternoon.

Knowlwood Restaurant claims to be The Home of the World’s Best Hamburger since 1957.  I’m not sure about that, but some I know say they might have the best Turkey Burger.  Having never had a good one, it may be the most flavorful I’ve had, but it still can’t beat the Beef.

When Irish Nachos are smiling, they’re at Knowlwood.

They say it’s not just another spot to grab an ordinary Burger — Bordello meets Burger Bar.

We finally tried one of Twenty Five Degrees raved about Burgers, the Number Three with Mezzo Secco Jack, Green Chilis, Chipotle and Avocado.  Be prepared, it’s pretty spicy.

The Sweet Potato Fries are good, though our batch was slightly overcooked this day.

We like the dark, cozy environment and the prices aren’t bad either.

Enlarge Menu for a better view — We’re going back to try a lot more.

Twenty Five Degrees in Huntington Beach is a cool place.

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.

Poorly perforated and disintegrating Paper Towels are getting on our nerves.  We’re going to start monitoring these issues to name the best and worst Paper Towels out there.  If they don’t tear off properly, sheets are wasted, and if they disintegrate when drying something or soaking up a spill, what good are they?  It’s time to identify and stop purchasing the bad ones.

Remember the Banana Experiment?  We recently tested Clearly Fresh Bags to see if they truly keep a Banana looking prettier for longer.  Well, um, I think I left the Banana in the bag too long.  While waiting for the bag-less Banana to turn black, as when ready for Banana Bread, the bagged Banana got a bit furry and developed a bed sore — Thus due to our poorly run experiment, we cannot form an opinion on the bags, but will advise not to keep your Banana in the bag too long. 😉 On a related note, reading this will make you want a Banana.

07/26/11 UPDATE:  Clearly Fresh recommends that Bananas be stored for up to 9 days.  Our Banana was stored in a Clearly Fresh Bag for 12 days.

Aerial view of the Orange County Fair happening now.

Pie Eating Contest (above) — Ever seen a Rib Eating Contest?

Beef Brisket Sundae from the Chuck Wagon.

Pork Ribs.

Chicken.

Pink’s Chili Cheese Fries — Love ’em.

Cakes entered in the Culinary Arts Competition.

Chuck Wagon Waffle Fries next to The Best Beef Brisket Sandwich at the Fair.

Unwrapped perfection from the Chuck Wagon.

Photography Competition photos on display.

The Pig Race Track.

Daily Cooking Demonstrations.

Wine Tasting in The Wine Garden.

Let’s Eat! (again) — Floral Design Competition results on display.

And much more at the OC Fair until August 14, 2011.

When did a Strawberry Shake become $6.75 — I love Häagen-Dazs, but what a shake down.

Would you believe I just learned what a Blondie is?  It’s like a Brownie without Chocolate.  Did you know that?  Since I’m one of the few people in the world who doesn’t care for Brownies, this year I chose to make Blondies for the Culinary Arts Competition at the Orange County Fair.  Having never made (or ate) one before submission time, I practiced by varying three different recipes to ultimately create the award winning Blondies pictured here.  And it’s a good thing I did, since the first few batches didn’t turn out well at all — Then at last I was happy with the ingredient combination, taste and texture.  Following is the final BLONDIES RECIPE.  It’s a winner, literally.

1 Cup of Flour

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

1/2 Cup of Butter (1 Stick)

1/2 Cup of firmly packed Light Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup of firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup of chopped Pecans

1/4 Cup of Milk Chocolate Chunks (Chocolate Bar rustically cut)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine the Flour and Baking Powder in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, melt Butter and stir in the Light and Dark Brown Sugar until well blended, then whisk in the Egg and Vanilla.  Add the Flour mixture until all is incorporated, then stir in the Pecans and Milk Chocolate Chunks.  Pour batter into a 8 X 8 baking dish and bake until the Blondies are set in the center, about 25 – 30 minutes. Let cool, cut and dig in.

Cost Plus World Market is a terrific place to find unique food items.  We’ve previously reported about a few of them.  What would you buy with a $2,000 Gift Card?  YOU could win it and a trip to the Greek Theatre to see the Go-Go’s with (10) of your best friends.  Please choose ME or YOU.  I’d pick up several bottles of Champagne at Cost Plus and we’d be Beauty and the Beat on the way to the Greek.  Enter before July 23, 2011.  Good luck!

Seeing more on Day 2 at the Orange County Fair — Let’s Eat! is the theme.

Garden & Floral Competition results.

BBQ smoke in the air as the sun starts to set on a portion of the Fair.

Get there before August 14th.

It started with our favorite Beef Brisket Sandwich at the Chuck Wagon — We love it!

Admission and parking was FREE from Noon – 1PM.

It was the busiest opening day we’ve seen.

The results of the Culinary Arts Competition (1st Show) are in and my Blondies won a First Place Ribbon.  Cool!  It made up for non-placement of my Fancy White Chocolate Flags.

$2 Samplings are available every Friday between Noon – 4PM.

We had a sampling of the Australian Battered Potatoes — One was plenty good.

Waiting for Ribs.

Centennial Farm.

Tomato varieties for future reference.

The above table was entered in the Amateur Table Setting Competition.  We found it a crack up.  While most try to create something fancy or beautiful, this individual produced something (probably) more realistic and definitely comical with a Cat Food can vase and leftover Subway Sandwich napkins for to-go Pizza and basic Beer.  Brilliant but no ribbon.

Faces at the OC Fair — Cows, Goats, Pigs, Chickens and ours.  Chef Niece Bailee of Kids in the Kitchen also won a First Place Ribbon for her painting pointed out by my lovely Mom, Pamela.

The Orange County Fair starts this Friday, July 15th and the Culinary Arts Competition entries were due today.  It’s now baked, done and delivered and out of our hands.  The Judges are deliberating and ribbons are being awarded.  Will there be one waiting for me?  We will see.

I like driving on the fairgrounds when it’s not open — It’s like a ride. 😉

For the first show I made Blondies and a Confection, Fancy White Chocolate Flags — Ribbon winning recipes shall be linked and posted.  The results are publicized on opening day.

It’s a beautiful thing to see FOOD Bloggers and others rally together to help another in need.  I haven’t met Susan, but I’m touched by the organization and Blogger participation to help her overcome cancer — Kick its ass Susan!  And the rest of YOU can (and should) buy something tasty during the Online Bake Sale, or something cool at the Online Auction.  Both happen on July 25, 2011, so mark your calendar.  Numerous Food Bloggers and companies across the United States and Canada will be donating the goods and all proceeds will help Susan win.  Here’s the link to more information.

Rock Salt and Ice are no longer needed to make homemade Ice Cream.  I’ve been wanting a new Ice Cream Maker for years, but really didn’t need one since my old fashioned one is still trucking along.  That’s great, but the pictured Ice Cream Maker was on sale for a price I couldn’t pass up.  I feel a little guilty about it, since it’s nicer than the one I bought my Nieces last year for Christmas, though roughly the same price.  Hopefully they skip this post. 😉

Homemade Lychee Ice Cream — I found a simple recipe online that was varied slightly to make the pictured Lychee Ice Cream.  It can (and should) be made in any Ice Cream Maker, because it’s fabulous and couldn’t be easier.  I lightened the recipe with Milk and less Cream.

Ingredients:  (1) 20 ounce Can of Lychees, 1 3/4 Cups of Whole Milk, 1/4 Cup of Heavy Cream, 1/4 Cup of Sugar and the Juice and Zest of (1) Lime — All with an Ice Cream Maker.

Directions:  Reserve the Lychee Syrup and puree the Lychee Fruit, then combine both with the remaining ingredients listed above.  Place ALL in an Ice Cream Maker and churn for 30 minutes.  That’s how long it took in this Cuisinart.  Pictured is the first batch made in it — A success.  The consistency and flavor couldn’t have been better.  The photos don’t do it justice.

Testing out Clearly Fresh Bags to see what happens (left the slightly greener Banana out).

Will the bagged Banana last longer, as shown to do?  If so, will it taste like an older Banana, though still looking spry?  Stay tuned to learn the results of our experiment.

He’s a Snooth Operator, Snooth Operator — YES, Snooth.  It’s YOU with Fast Food, a well paired bottle of Wine and hot date.  How about it?  Pack a tablecloth and one of the suggested bottles of Wine with a couple glasses and head to your favorite Fast Food Joint.

Order a Burrito at Chipotle, Big Mac at McDonalds or Fried Chicken at KFC, find a table, pop the cork, pour, sip and bite, until you get kicked out for bringing in alcohol.  Chicks will dig it!

Snooth helps one find better Wines.  Their suggested pairings for Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are linked above.  I dare you to dine in.  If so, send a photo and we’ll post it here along with future fast food pairings.  Thanks for the photos Snooth.  Cheers!

We appreciate Summer days, grilled Chicken and having fun — All should happen often.

The pictured Chicken is reported to rival my family’s special recipe.

Providing IDEAS — Summer Salads with Strawberries and Cashews.

Strawberry Lemonade.

Homemade Hummus with Pita Bread.

Swimming.

A Water Balloon Fight — Enlarge the above photos for a better view.

The aforementioned Chicken this day was prepared with a Dry Rub by our friend David.

And then a Mop Sauce that’s applied to the Chicken while grilling.

He’s been making the recipe years and got it out of a BBQ cookbook to be linked here soon.

Food Tents help keep the bugs off.

The kids loved the Oreo Cheesecake Lollipops that were handed out this day.

Any Cookies will do.

My contribution was a Chocolate Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting and Raspberries.

Some of the best memories are made during Summer Pool Parties or near the ocean.

Watermelon is just so refreshing — And check out the Topsy Turvy (below).

One Nation under God — Happy Independence Day!

Preparing for what’s to come and grateful for important liberties.

Food, friends, family, fireworks, fun and freedom on the 4th.

Day before samples.

Having Carne Asada, Hot Dogs, or both and more?

Lamb Chops?

Will there be Watermelon?  I want a Watermelon Mojito.

How about backyard fireworks, if legal, or on the DL? 😉

A happy and safe holiday weekend to all and God Bless America.

I get asked to review a lot of cookbooks, which is pretty cool.  Some I love and have used over and over, and others I’m not so sure about.  Just because a recipe makes it into a cookbook doesn’t mean it’s going to be good.  I’ve learned that the hard way many times.

I was recently reminded that all are not created equal, after a review of The Unknown Cookbook.  I appreciate the opportunity to try it, but the Chorizo (Mexican Sausage) recipe within tasted nothing like it.  Aside from that, it just wasn’t good.  Though the book will never be a favorite, I learned from the process.  In other words, it’s nice to know that I can make Chorizo without Salivary Glands, though this isn’t the recipe to do it.

All is posted to show that the method is easy with the right ingredients.

The pre-rolled Catfood-ish looking “Chorizo” (below) was a bit of a turn off.

Chorizo is better wrapped in plastic than intestines. 😉

We were excited about it, before we tasted it — Blah.

After being refrigerated for two days, we sliced it into patties and cooked it, then took a couple bites and tossed it in the trash.  I’m calling this the review of The Unknown Cookbook, so not to make the author feel bad.  We prefer to emphasize the positive and not hurt the sales of others with a bad review.  I’m sure there is something worth making in the book.  With respect to this recipe, we’re sticking with Soy Chorizo for now — We know it’s good.