The Picky Nibbler

Celebrating Suzie!

thepickynibbler — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:03:56 +0000

Happiest of Birthdays to the BEST Mama in the world. I know not everyone has a mom to love and that loves them back. And I know that even people who have moms don’t always love them or get loved in return. But I am one of the fortunate few who has an awesome mom who loves me very much and I love her too! I try to not to ever take her for granted.

My Mama has some favorite food items that we all know about and try to keep stocked for her. Things like rocky road ice cream, mint milano cookies, and chocolate covered cherries to name just a few. But this particular dessert table was inspired by her love of trifle dishes, pistachio pudding, and animal crackers.

What favorite things does your Mom love? I encourage you to surprise her with one of them and let the lovin flow… Don’t have a Mom? You can borrow mine. She’s got enough lovin for everybody! :)

Annual Homemade Egg Rolls & Fried Rice

thepickynibbler — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:23:16 +0000

Does your family have any annual food traditions? Ours has lots, including Stephie’s Birthday Egg Rolls which are so labor intensive that they only come around once a year. But they are Oh-So-Worth-It.

Traditions are so wonderful because they give us something to look forward to, and something to mark the passage of time. Food traditions are especially important I think because they involve so many of the 5 senses, including the most important one – taste. :)

The menu below is usually accompanied by an ice cream cake and colorful balloons, but you can personalize your celebration any way you’d like. And believe me, this meal definitely qualifies as a celebration even if it’s just a Tuesday night…

Suzie’s Egg Rolls

Makes about 80 egg rolls – Feeds 8 LOL

1 tblsp oil

6 large cloves Garlic, minced

2″ toe of Ginger

1 lb ground beef

1 lb turkey

.5 lb ground pork, not sausage

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 lbs. carrots, diced to match size of green beens

2 lbs. green beans fresh, trim ends and slice on diagonal

2-3 large yellow onions, diced

1 c soy sauce

4 pkgs of egg roll wrappers

Heat oil in 4 qt stock pot. Saute garlic and ginger until translucent. Add all meats, salt, and pepper and brown, stirring until a fine crumble. Add all veggies and soy sauce. Stir all together. Cover and let veggies steam for about 8-10 min, until tender. Let mixture cool for about an hour.

Prepare wrapping stations with plate and paper towel, small bowl of water, and cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Lay out one wrapper, moisten fingers, run them along edges, then using slotted spoon drop 1/3 c of meat filling in center of wrapper on diagonal. Fold in sides, bring bottom corner of wrapper over filling and continue to roll up. Place finished egg roll seam side down on parchment lined cookie sheet. Be careful that finished egg rolls don’t touch each other. Cover with damp dishtowel and place in fridge for at least 1/2 hr. Best if chilled before cooking but not necessary.

Heat oil over medium high heat in large frying pan. At least 2″ deep. 360 degrees. Gently lower egg roll into oil. Turn over with tongs after about 30 seconds. Place on layer of paper towels to drain excess oil.

Sweet and sour sauce

2 c Pineapple juice

3/4 c apple cider vinegar

1 c brown sugar

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c ketchup

1 T cornstarch in 1/4 c water

Mix all ingredients together in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and then whisk in cornstarch mixture. Cook for another minute while it thickens and then remove from heat.

Fried rice

2 lbs bacon

Bunch of green onions

18 eggs

2 c. Soy sauce

6 c rice

12 c water

Vegetable oil

Cook rice for 20 min. Cook bacon and crumble. Soft scramble eggs just until set. Thinly slice green onions. Heat up griddle. Use pastry brush to heavily grease griddle with oil. Add 3 c rice in a layer and let it brown. After about 4 min,flip rice over in sections using spatula. After another 3 min mix in 1/4 of scrambled eggs, bacon, and green onions. Shake on soy sauce until rice is golden, about 1/2 c. Stir and mix until everything is coated nicely. Transfer to huge oven proof bowl. Place bowl in oven on low. Clean up big chunks off griddle and repeat 3 more times.

Sounds like a lot of work doesn’t it? It is. But totally worth it for the ones you love…

Panera Pink Ribbon Bagel

thepickynibbler — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:57:49 +0000

I love October for many reasons, but one of them is that everyone seems to turn “pink” in trying to raise awareness and proceeds for very important cancer research. I was recently in Chicago and it seemed like the whole city was pink! Storefronts had pink displays, special pink confections were sold at eateries, and even a couple buildings lit up pink in the night sky!!

But Panera has one of my favorite limited edition treats – a Pink Ribbon Bagel made with cherry chips, dried cherries and cranberries, vanilla, honey and brown sugar. I recommend ordering it toasted with hazelnut cream cheese. Not only is it sweet and savory and delicious, but a portion of proceeds go to benefit breast cancer charities. Now that’s a sweet deal.

The Panera Pink Ribbon Bagel is only available during the month of October, so hurry in if you’d like to try it.

Blueberry Donuts from The Donuttery

thepickynibbler — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:22:24 +0000

Oh my goodness. I tried the most amazing blueberry donut this morning. Mrs. Saturday Night Foodies did it again! She and hubby drove to Huntington Beach this morning at 6am to pick up a couple dozen of these blueberry beauties and I’m oh so glad that they did. I ate my first half this morning “John (co-worker), would you like to split a donut with me?” My sec0nd half 5 minutes later “Oh my goodness that was so amazing! John, do you want to split another one with me?” And then I just consumed the last half donut in the box for an afternoon snack. Moist and flavorful with a beautiful blueberry taste. And it must be healthy right? I mean blueberries are full of antioxidants after all… :) The Donuttery 17420 Beach Blvd. Huntington Beach

Concha

thepickynibbler — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:10:21 +0000

“Concha” means “shell” in spanish. And doesn’t this look like a beautiful shell? Not only is it beautiful, but its soft and buttery and slightly sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Conchas from Elizabeth’s Bakery are definitely the BEST mexican sweet bread I’ve ever had. Hands down. (They also bake AMAZING rolls which I already wrote about here.) I didn’t even like conchas before I had one from Elizabeth’s. The ones from the grocery store are always dry and stick to the roof of your mouth. But not so at Elizabeth’s… If you live even remotely close to Elizabeth’s I recommend that you make the drive. I promise it will be worth it.

Elizabeth’s Bakery

2828 Firestone Blvd.

South Gate, CA 90280

323-566-3834

p.s. They also make Conchitas (which are ‘little’ shells) which are just as tasty and actually more manageable to hold and eat. Either one, you can’t go wrong. :)

Sprinkles Ice Cream

thepickynibbler — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:19:02 +0000

As an ardent fan of Sprinkles Cupcakes I anxiously awaited the opening of the Sprinkles Ice Cream shop just next door to the Cupcake shop on South Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills. My rational brain got the better of me though as it dissuaded me from driving the hour up there on opening day. I wanted to try it so much, but just couldn’t bring myself to wait in line for who knows how many hours!! I did end up going during the first week of opening though and got really lucky with “rock star parking” and only a 20 minute wait. By the time I got to the front of the line there were probably 40 people in line behind me! The ice cream angels were looking out for me that day.

So let me just start with telling you that I drove back up there 3 days later because I was craving it so much – that’s how good it is! And I’ve been back a 3rd time as well even though its 60 minutes away through nasty traffic. I asked my local Newport Beach Sprinkles when they are going to stock the ice cream and the response was that they want to build one soon. Soon?? That could be at least 12 months away if not longer!

Anyways, the picture shown here is the Red Velvet ice cream sandwiched between two red velvet cupcake tops. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! The ice cream is slow churned locally with organic milk and then whole red velvet cupcakes (frosting and all!) are mixed into the ice cream. Let me tell you that frozen cream cheese frosting is taking dessert to a whole new level. The flavor and texture of this ice cream is out of this world. And then to put a scoop of it between two (un-frosted) red velvet cupcake tops takes it to a place only the hubble telescope can see. Truly incredible.

I’ve also tried the red velvet ice cream in a red velvet waffle cone that was light and crispy and oh so good.

And I’ve tried the red velvet ice cream sundae which is a normal red velvet cupcake (frosting and all) cut in half with a scoop of red velvet ice cream in between the top and bottom. I’m salivating just remembering it!

I’ve also tried the strawberry gelato sundae with a strawberry cupcake (divine!)

And I’ve tried the chocolate gelato (super rich!) in a red velvet waffle cone

I know it sounds like I’ve been there more than 3 times but it helps to take a friend and share…

There are a dozen different ice cream and gelato flavors and I’d love to try them all! And the combination available for sundaes and sandwiches climbs into numbers too high for me to count.

The good (and bad) news is that Sprinkles ice cream is available for delivery anywhere in the nation. But at $10 a pint (up to 6 pints per box so who would order anything less than 6 pints?!) plus $45 overnight shipping it just seems a little too ridiculous for even me to splurge on. But I admit that I have added it to my “cart” on more than one occasion before the rational side of my brain got the better of me again.

All-American Cupcake Flag

thepickynibbler — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:37:50 +0000

Happy Memorial Day weekend friends! Need a fun way to display your patriotism and serve dessert to a crowd? Buddy up with a couple friends and make a cupcake flag! I only made the blue ones with stars and Ruth and Trena made the white and red. Put them together and voila you’ve got a beautiful, edible symbol of freedom.

This particular flag is made up of 108 cupcakes (we were feeding a large crowd!). But if you want to do something smaller I recommend 36 cupcakes to keep the shape. 6 blue, 15 red, and 15 white – 6 cupcakes across, and 6 cupcakes down.

I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.

- Edith Cavell

Jello Sugar Cookies

thepickynibbler — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:42:40 +0000

Super easy to make – much easier than regular sugar cookies because the dough doesn’t have to chill and you don’t have to roll it out with a rolling pin – and they have the added bonus of a hint of flavor AND color! This is for sure a keeper recipe. I used lemon, lime, orange, and raspberry jello flavorings because those were the colors of my Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, but wouldn’t blue ones be cute for a smurf party?! Or watermelon for a paler pink cookie for a princess party?? The possibilities are endless. And I was SO pleased that the cookies came out soft and chewy and stayed that way even after 24 hours. Really, really great recipe. Thanks “Just Helen” via Pinterest!

Jell-O Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 – 3oz. pkg of Jell-O ( I used raspberry, orange, lemon and lime flavors…but my very favorites are raspberry and lime)

Cream the above ingredients. Add:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

matching food coloring to intensify color (optional)

Cream the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well. The dough will be fairly soft, but not sticky. You don’t need to refrigerate the dough before rolling.

Pre-heat oven to 400°. Roll dough into 1″ to 1 1/4″ balls and then roll in a bowl with about 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in it, completely covering the exterior of the dough ball. Place on the pan about 2″ apart. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or bowl) press the dough to about a 3/8″ thickness.

Sprinkle matching sugar crystals on top of cookie and lightly press them into the cookies with flat-bottomed glass.

original recipe from http://justhelen.net/2012/03/jell-o-cookies/

Oy Oyamel

thepickynibbler — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:05:54 +0000

I was recently in Washington DC and had one unexpectedly free evening to try a new restaurant. Not having done my research beforehand I texted my good friend Mrs. Saturday Night Foodies to see if she had any suggestions. Of course she did because she always does! She told me about a great chef, Jose Andres, who has a few restaurants and a food truck in the DC area. Luckily it was late on a Tuesday night so we had no trouble getting a table for 2 at the much acclaimed “Oyamel“. Oy, oy, oy was it delicious! I’ll let the pictures and menu descriptions do most of the talking…

Guacamole

To bear the wait: guacamole made right before your eyes, with green tomatillo, serrano chile, crumbled queso fresco and a basket of fresh tortilla chips.

Papas al mole

Jose Andres’ favorite potato fries in a mole poblano sauce of almonds, chilis and a touch of chocolate, topped with Mexican cream and queso fresco cheese.

Col de bruselas estilo San Quintin

Crispy brussel sprouts with an arbol chile sauce, pumpkin seed, peanuts and lime.

Taco de hongos

Sauteed seasonal wild mushrooms with garlic and shallots, served with guacamole.

Tinga poblana

Stew of shredded chicken with potatos, chorizo, and chipotle, topped with white onion.

Queso fundido con tequila

Melted Chihuahua cheese flambeed with tequila and served with…

Freshly hand-made tortillas

Chocolate Caliente

And why stop there when I could also have… Delicious Oaxacan hot chocolate with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, cloves, and steamed milk. AND…

Cafe de Olla

Ice cream of Chiapas coffee, Mexican cinnamon and piloncillo sugar with milk chocolate-coffee sauce, caramelized bananas, lime gelatin and Mexican cinnamon shortbread.

Whew! As you can imagine we were SO full after a meal like that. Completely delicious and would definitely go back. On my return though I would pare back and just order the crispy brussel sprouts, a mushroom taco, and the queso fundido because it was probably the best thing we tried! Oy, what a meal!

Chocolaty Creamy Goodness – Cookie Dough Brownies

thepickynibbler — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:15:08 +0000

I was lucky enough to visit my friend Alecia and her family recently and she made the MOST divine desert that just HAS to be shared! I asked if she would write a “guest post” for The Picky Nibbler and she readily agreed. Thanks Friend for the all the yummies, the recipe, and the fun memories!

by Alecia Darrow

One of my favorite things to do with Michelle is eat. Nobody enjoys good food like Michelle and it makes it so fun to enjoy it with her. In honor of her coming to visit, I asked my husband, Josh, if there was any special dessert he wanted me to make. He said, “I can taste it. It is chocolaty creamy goodness.” I had no idea what he was talking about and was pretty sure it was not a recipe I had made before so he called his little sister. After the same explination, she said, “You are talking about mom’s cookie dough brownies.” I realized I already had that recipe from my mother-in-law but had never made it because at the top it says “These take quite awhile to make” and I’m not into work-intensive desserts. When I actually looked at the recipe though, I saw that it may take time but not a lot of effort so I made them and they are so delicious! They were the perfect fun and new dessert to make for my wonderful friend and we all enjoyed their chocolaty creamy goodness together.

Cookie Dough Brownies

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnut

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa and salt, then add wet ingredients and beat with mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Then stir in walnut and pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely.

Filling:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 TB milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

Cream butter and sugars in a bowl, then add milk and vanilla; mix well. Blend in flour then spread filling over cooled brownies and chill in fridge until firm.

Glaze:

Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used the mini ones so they melted faster and didn’t burn in my pot) with 1 TB shortening. Spread over filling. Sprinkle with nuts.