Hot from the pot: Hatch Chile season is approaching + recipe

The ingredients in this post were provided by Melissa’s Produce but the opinions expressed here are my own.

Hatch Chile season is one of my favorite times of the year. This delectable pepper has a unique flavor and if you have ever been to a roasting event, the char-grilled aroma is mesmerizing. Melissa’s Produce is a huge part of bringing the Hatch Chile to stores across the country. They are only available for a few short weeks each year in August and September, so get them while you can.  

Certain locations for these stores will be having Hatch Chile roasting events: Apple Market, Baker’s Store, Bristol Farms, Brookshire Brothers, Busch’s, Seaside Market, D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, Dillon’s, Fiesta Mart, Forest Hills Foods, Gelson’s, Harps Food, Heinen’s, Hy-Vee, Jensens Foods, Kroger, Lazy Acres, Market District, Price Chopper, Mollie Stone’s, Northgate Markets, Pavilions, Russ Market, Safeway, ShopRite, Smart & Final, Super Saver, Thriftway, VG’s, and Wegmans. Click here to find a location near you.

Melissa’s Produce also has amazing Hatch Chile recipes on their website like Hatch Chile Deviled Eggs, Shrimp Hatch Chile Jalapeno Poppers, Hatch Chile S’mores, Bleu Cheese Stuffed Hatch Chile Burgers, and Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes with Roasted Hatch Chile Vinaigrette.

Hatch Chile season inspired me to create a new recipe, Spicy Hatch Chile Pork Tofu. Growing up around the melting pot cuisine of Hawaii, I took some hatch chiles on a virtual plane ride to Hawaii. Pork (Mapo) Tofu has its roots in Chinese cuisine, utilizing a wok to combine ingredients for optimum flavor and texture. This dish was inspired by my mom and her love of Hawaiian comfort foods and my dad who loves spicy chiles.

Spicy Hatch Chile Pork Tofu by OC Food Diva

Servings: 4

8 oz package Melissa’s Organic Red Quinoa, follow cooking instructions on package

½ cup Melissa’s Hot Hatch Chile Salsa

3 tbsp Aloha Shoyu or your favorite soy sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 lb package Johnsonville Ground Hot Italian Sausage

2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp Melissa’s Dry Ground Green Hatch Chile Pepper

½ cup green onions, sliced

18 oz package Melissa’s Firm Tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 oz package Melissa’s Sno Peas, strings and tips removed

1 tsp sesame oil

1. Cook quinoa per package directions.
2. In a small bowl, combine salsa, shoyu, cornstarch, and rice vinegar. Stir until cornstarch is completely incorporated. Set aside.
3. Lightly coat wok or pot with high sides with vegetable oil and preheat over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add ginger, garlic, and green hatch chile pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add green onions and cook for 1 minute.
4. Give the cornstarch mix a stir and add to wok. Cook and stir until boiling. Add tofu cubes, sno peas, and sesame oil. Cook and stir gently for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through.
5. Serve atop quinoa and enjoy!

Enjoy Hatch Chile season and let me know if you try the recipe. I would love to hear your thoughts!

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• It’s Hatch Chile season with Melissa’s Produce and Gelson’s Market + recipe

Enjoy a summer’s night out at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern in Brea, California

The menu items in this post were provided by Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern but the opinions expressed here are my own. 

If you have been following me, you know I absolutely love, love, love Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern (JFAT for short)! Now that summer is in full swing, they have new summer drinks to cool you off during our hot, sweltering SoCal summer: The Pearfectionist, SoCal Sour, Summer Sunrise (on the brunch menu only), Blackberry Sangria, Peach Sangria, and Classic Sangria.

New aspects of JFAT is that they have partnered with Aquarium of the Pacific’s Seafood for the Future (SFF) program committed to responsible seafood sourcing. They are also a Certified Green Restaurant, making them environmentally sustainable in energy, water, waste, food, chemicals, disposables, and building.

Let’s take a look at some of cool and sizzling summer menu items:

Peach Sangria ($13) combines Simi Sauvignon Blanc, Christian Brothers Sacred Bond Brandy, peach puree, and peach schnapps. The cocktail was a little tart. It could be a little sweeter to bring the peach flavor forward. Rating: 3.5/5

Summer Sunrise ($13, on brunch menu) combines Ketel One, blood orange juice, blood orange liqueur, and sparkling float. I absolutely loved the flavors in this drink. It was sweet and juicy like a summer drink should be. Rating: 4.8/5

Spicy N’awlins style Peel & Eat Shrimp ($14) bathing in wine, garlic butter, cajun spices, and served with grilled sourdough. The shrimp were seasoned well and cooked perfectly with a nice snap although I would have preferred it to be just a bit spicier. Rating: 4.3/5

BBQ Pork Cheeseburger ($18, daily specials menu) is a cheeseburger topped with pulled pork simmered in BBQ sauce, onion fritters, Anaheim chile, and chipotle aioli. This burger was overwhelmingly savory. It needed an acidity and/or sweet component to balance out all the savory notes. A sweeter BBQ sauce, spicy pickled jalapeno, and/or macerated red onions would do the trick. The truffle parmesan fries were awesome as usual. Rating: 3.8/5

Beef Stroganoff ($24) starts with filet mignon strips, forest mushrooms, pearl onions, tarragon, Dijon cream sauce atop pappardelle. The filet added a meaty bite but this dish might be better with a braised beef, like short rib, for a more tender texture. The sauce was creamy with subtle hints of Dijon. The pappardelle were cooked perfectly and caught all of the sauce. The crispy onions strings on top added a crunchy texture. Rating: 4.5/5

If you’re looking for a great place to hang out for a summer meal, Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern will have a something perfect for your summer cravings.

Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 stars

Décor: 5 out of 5 stars

Service: 5 out of 5 stars

Food: 4 out of 5 stars

For more information:
Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

3325 E. Imperial Hwy.

Brea, CA 92823

+1.714.733.1310

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to close, Sunday from 11 a.m. to close

Parking: Free parking in Village at La Floresta shopping center

Seating: Interior and exterior

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World Fabulous Drag Brunch at House of Blues Anaheim serving “fishy” and hearty brunch

Admission to this brunch show was provided by House of Blues but the opinions expressed here are my own.

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE RuPaul’s Drag Race. It all started back in 2010 when I was home recovering from a major surgery. When I was either stuck in bed or on the sofa every day for 3 months, I began to go stir-crazy with pain from the surgery and being in the same position for hours, depressed about of why I had to have surgery (dealing with infertility and knowing that I could never have a baby), and just being lonely for most of the day until the hubby came home from work. One day, I was just channel surfing (a girl can only watch so many DVD movies) and found a show called RuPaul’s Drag Race on LOGO. I had heard of RuPaul and thought she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. At the time, I did not realize RuPaul was a drag queen. I thought she was a runway model. The whole “drag” culture fascinates me and having a lot of friends in the LGBTQ community, I knew I had to watch and see what this show was all about. After that first show, I was hooked! I was drawn into their lives during the competition with all the highs and lows – cheering when my favorite queens won challenges and crying when the queens shared their stories growing up and as they “sashayed away” after “lip syncing for their life”.

It was no surprise, when House of Blues Anaheim announced that they are going to have a World Fabulous Drag Brunch featuring Willam, I wanted (needed) to go. Willam was on the 4^th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2012) which was a season loaded with “shade”, cat fights, and was just FAB-U-LOUS! Willam had already made a name for herself as an actor and, girl, she made sure everyone knew about it. “Escandalo” ensued after Willam was the first (and remains the only) contestant to be disqualified from RuPaul’s Drag Race. But, that didn’t stop her from going on with a music career, being an American Apparel Ad Girl, book author, and talk show host with a body that any woman would kill for!

The World Fabulous Drag Brunch starts with a buffet brunch including breakfast items like eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, and such.

More brunch items like an omelet station and shrimp cocktail.

Specialty items such as jambalaya and smoked brisket round out the savory while bread pudding and pastries grab your sweet tooth.

After everyone had settled in with their plates full, Willam came out and greeted the audience with some singing and comedy. She had a troop of girls with her to entertain us – Morgan McMichaels (2^nd Season of RuPaul’s Drag Race), Trina Modele, Misty Violet, and House of Avalon.

Morgan McMichaels looked hot as she lip-synced Tina Marie’s “Lovergirl”. She rocked my world.

Trina Modele did an awesome Madonna impression and came out with showgirl feathers flying to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”. “See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen!”

If you enjoy brunch and loved to be entertained, World Fabulous Drag Brunch is here to feed and entertain you every first Saturday of the month at House of Blue Anaheim. “Can I get an amen!”

For more information:

World Fabulous Drag Brunch featuring Willam

House of Blue Anaheim at GardenWalk

400 W. Disney Way Ste. 337

Anaheim, CA 92805

+1.714.520.2334

Tickets: Next brunch is August 5, 2017, $46 per person

Hours: Atrium Bar opens at 10 a.m. and seating starts at 11 a.m.

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