Jun 30, 2016

OC Fair 2016 "Get Your Fair Face On" - Giveaway




Summer's here which means it's time for the OC Fair!

The 23-day event features shopping, exhibits, hands-on activities and contests. The Fair is open Wednesday-Friday Noon-Midnight and Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-Midnight. Visit ocfair.com for promotions, entertainment schedules and more.

If your family is a foodie family, then you’ll want to come on Thursdays from noon to 4 pm to take advantage of the $2 Taste of Fair Food days. There are also multiple discounts and promotions this year to make visiting the fair affordable for all families.


VENUE INFORMATION
dates: July 15 - August 14, 2016
location:  100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
hours: Wednesday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm & Saturday - Sunday 10 am - 4 pm
admission: $10 general, $7 senior, $7 youth (6-12), children 5 & younger are FREE
parking: $10 per vehicle
buy tickets: At venue box office, online or by calling 800-745-3000

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GIVEAWAY

one lucky winner will win 4 general admission tickets & 2 carnival ride cards (good for 3 FREE rides per card)


How to enter:
 - Leave a comment with your favorite thing about the fair.


Giveaway will end on Tuesday, July 12 @11:59 pm (pst). Winner will be contacted via email and prize will be provided directly by OC Fair.


Jun 16, 2016

Father's Day Dishes - Las Palmas Mexican Dishes




Celebrate Dad on his special day with a marvelous meal he will always remember. Las Palmas has several mouthwatering recipes to show him just how much you care this Father’s Day.

Spoil dad on his special day with the help of the little ones to create a feast of the traditional, savory flavors he loves. A parent herself, Chef Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, author of MuyBuenoCookbook.com, developed three delicious modern twists on old-world Mexican dishes that are easy to make with kiddos – a delectable Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, hearty and flavorful Beef Picadillo Stuffed Peppers and Pastel Azteca (aka Mexican Tortilla Pie). 

These recipes incorporate Las Palmas Sauces, as they add that authentic Mexican flavor that generations of Hispanics love while conveniently shortening time spent in the kitchen.



PASTEL AZTECA (aka Mexican Tortilla Pie)
serves: 9
cook time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS                                                                          
                                                                                  
·         One 28-ounce can Las Palmas® Red Enchilada Sauce
·         12 lightly fried corn tortillas
·         1 pound shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken
·         One 15.25-ounce can corn
·         One 7-ounce can sliced mushrooms
·         ½ cup chopped white onion
·         1 ½ cups shredded Oaxaca cheese
·         1/2 cup Manchego cheese grated
·         1/2 cup bread crumbs
·         2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS
·     -Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
·     -Layer 4 tortillas in a square baking dish. Place 1/3 of chicken, corn, mushrooms, onion, and ½ of the     Oaxaca cheese over tortillas and pour 1/3 of the sauce. Place second layer of tortillas and repeat the      procedure with the rest of chicken, vegetables, and cheese to create 3 layers.
·    -Combine the bread crumbs with Manchego cheese and sprinkle on top.
·    -Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
·    -Garnish with fresh cilantro. 




MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL
serves: 6-8
prep time: 5-10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

·         1 cup ketchup
·         One 28-ounce can Las Palmas® Red Chile Sauce
·         2 to 3 tablespoons horseradish (add more or less according to spicy tolerance)
·         Juice of 3 limes
·         1 teaspoon bottled hot sauce
·         1⁄8 teaspoon garlic powder
·         ½ cup finely chopped red onion
·         ½ cup chopped cilantro
·         1 pound small shrimp, shelled, deveined, and cooked
·         1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and finely chopped
·         Saltine crackers or tortilla chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
·     -Stir together the ketchup, sauce, horseradish, lime juice, hot sauce, and garlic powder until well blended.
·     -Taste and add more horseradish or hot sauce if you would like it spicier.
·     -Add the onion, cilantro, and shrimp and mix well. Gently stir in the avocado.
·     -Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

·     -Serve in 4-ounce glasses with saltine crackers or tortilla chips.




BEEF PICADILLO STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
serves: 12-16
cook time: 6 hours (slow cooker) - 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Beef:
·         3 pounds beef brisket or chuck roast
·         3 bay leaves
·         2 large or 4 small peeled cloves garlic
·         ½ teaspoon peppercorn medley grinder, ground
·         ½ teaspoon whole peppercorn
·         1 tablespoon salt
·         1 teaspoon ground black pepper
·         3 cups water

Picadillo:
·         1 tablespoon canola oil or shortening
·         2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
·         2 carrots, peeled and chopped
·         2 zucchini or Mexican squash, chopped
·         6 tomatillos husks removed, rinsed, chopped
·         1 Roma tomato, chopped
·         1 small onion, chopped
·         ½ cup Las Palmas® Diced Green Chiles
·         Cooked and shredded beef
·         One 28-ouncecan Las Palmas® Green Enchilada Sauce
·         ½ cup water
·         Salt to taste
·         12 bell peppers (your choice of color)
·         2 tablespoons olive oil
·         ½ cup crumbled queso fresco
·         Cilantro, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

To Cook the Beef:
·     Place the brisket on a large skillet on the stovetop and sear for 5 minutes on each side to form a nice brown crust.
·     After searing make three deep slits in the meat. Insert bay leaves, garlic cloves, and peppercorns into the slits.
·     Place meat, salt, pepper, and water in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours turning after 3 hours.
·     Remove the meat and discard the bay leaves and peppercorns and coarsely shred the meat and discard fat pieces.
·     Put the meat back into the liquid and allow the meat to soak some of the juices.

To Make the Picadillo:
·     Heat oil in a large stockpot (caldero, in Spanish). Place the potatoes and carrots in the pot, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender.
·     Uncover and add zucchini, tomatillos, tomato, onion, chile, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
·     Add shredded beef and combine.
·     Add sauce, water, and stir. Let mixture come to a boil. Add salt to taste. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
·     Rinse the peppers. Cut the tops off and remove the white flesh and seeds. Rinse out the inside of each pepper. In a large stockpot semi-boil the peppers, about 3 minutes. Remove the peppers and drain any excess water that is inside them. Brush each pepper with olive oil.
·     Heat up a griddle (comal, in Spanish) and place the peppers on their side on the griddle, about 1 minute on each side, just long enough to sear the sides of each pepper.
·     Stuff each pepper with some picadillo.

·     Plate 1 pepper per plate, top with crumbled queso fresco, and garnish with cilantro.


Jun 15, 2016

RINGLING BROS. "OUT OF THIS WORLD" - TICKET GIVEAWAY



This July, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, the circus that started it all, invites fans to blast off on an intergalactic adventure with the launch of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Out Of This World.  Feld Entertainment, Inc., the world’s leading producer of live family entertainment, today announced that this new, immersive experience will debut on the West Coast for the first time in the 145 year history of Ringling Bros., marking the Tour World Premiere at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 14, 2016; playing STAPLES Center July 14 – 19, followed by Citizens Business Bank Arena/Ontario from July 22 – 26 and rounding out the Southland engagement at the Honda Center/Anaheim from July 29 – August 7.  

Tickets for all California engagements are on sale to the general public now. 
*see my previous post for show info or visit Ringling Bros.



GIVEAWAY
one lucky reader will win a family 4-pack of tickets to opening night at the venue of their choice*

*Staples Center - July 14,;CBBA - July 22; Honda Center - July 29


Giveaway will end on Friday, July 8 @11:59 pm (pst). Winner will be notified via email and has 48 hours to claim or a new winner will be chosen. Tickets will be held at the venue box office for winner to pick up the day of the show.


Disclosure: SoCal Blog was provided with complimentary giveaway tickets to opening night in exchange for posting event material/information. SoCal Blog was not monetarily compensated. 

Jun 13, 2016

RINGLING BROS. "OUT OF THIS WORLD" - TiX ON SALE NOW


Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey  to debut Out Of This World Circus Experience with world premiere performances in Los Angeles. First-ever west coast tour debut blasts off July 14 - August 7 throughout Los Angeles. 

This July, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, the circus that started it all, invites fans to blast off on an intergalactic adventure with the launch of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Out Of This World.  Feld Entertainment, Inc., the world’s leading producer of live family entertainment, today announced that this new, immersive experience will debut on the West Coast for the first time in the 145 year history of Ringling Bros., marking the Tour World Premiere at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 14, 2016; playing STAPLES Center July 14 – 19, followed by Citizens Business Bank Arena/Ontario from July 22 – 26 and rounding out the Southland engagement at the Honda Center/Anaheim from July 29 – August 7.  Tickets for all California engagements are on sale to the general public now.

“As we unveil Out Of This World, a show unlike anything experienced before, we are launching our iconic brand into the future,” said Alana Feld, Executive Vice President of Feld Entertainment and Producer of Out Of This World.  “Ringling Bros. is constantly changing, but this is more than that.  In this production, we’re creating a new genre of circus that will shatter expectations, spark excitement and push the limits of what’s possible.”



In Out Of This World, audiences will be riveted by an interactive, action-packed storyline filled with space-age family fun and technology, which deepens their connection to the performers.  Through the lens of a magic telescope capable of discovering the most spectacular circus stars in the galaxy, they will join the Circus Space Fleet on a heroic mission of good versus evil to bring performers back to Earth, traveling to interstellar worlds of sand, water, fire and ice.

For the first time, the show features thrill skaters, in addition to unbelievable performances by gravity-defying acrobats, majestic animals and hilarious clowns.  Imaginations will run wild throughout the non-stop display of artistic athleticism, with acts seamlessly transitioning from floor to air to ice, a feat never before done in Ringling Bros. history.


L O S  A N G E L E S
WHEN:          Thursday, July 14 – Tuesday, July 19
Thursday, July 14              7:30 PM
Friday, July 15                  12:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 16              11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 17                11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Monday, July 18               7:30 PM
Tuesday, July 19               12:00 PM & 7:30 PM


WHERE:       STAPLES Center – 1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles 90015

TICKETS:     Tickets start at $20 for Adults
Kids (age 2-12) tickets available for only $10 each (with discount coupon from participating Chick-fil-A locations)
Opening Night Special Discount tickets are only $15 each (not valid for premium VIP/Front Row seating)


Tickets available for purchase online at AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9AXS-TIX or in-person at the venue Box Office.                                                                  
*tickets may be subject to service charges & facility fees

O N T A R I O
WHEN:          Friday, July 22 – Tuesday, July 26
Friday, July 22                  7:30 PM
Saturday, July 23              11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 24                1:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Monday, July 25               7:30 PM
Tuesday, July 26               12:00 PM & 7:30 PM

WHERE:      Citizens Business Bank Arena 4000 Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764

TICKETS:    Tickets start at $20 for Adults
Kids (age 2-12) tickets available for only $10 each (with discount coupon from participating Chick-fil-A locations)
Opening Night Special Discount tickets are only $15 each (not valid for premium VIP/Front Row seating)


Tickets available for purchase online at AXS.com or CBBankArena.com, charge by phone at 888-9AXS-TIX or in-person at the venue Box Office.                
*tickets may be subject to service charges & facility fees

A N A H E I M
WHEN:         Friday, July 29 – Sunday, August 7
Friday, July 29                 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 30             11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 31               1:30 PM & 5:30 PM
Wednesday, August 3      1:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Thursday, August 4         10:30 AM & 7:30 PM
Friday, August 5              1:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 6          11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 7            11:30 AM, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM

WHERE:      Honda Center2695 E. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92806

TICKETS:     Tickets start at $20 for Adults
Kids (age 2-12) tickets available for only $10 each (with discount coupon from participating Chick-fil-A locations)
Opening Night Special Discount tickets are only $15 each (not valid for premium VIP/Front Row seating)


Tickets available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com or HondaCenter.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or in-person at the venue Box Office.                      
*tickets may be subject to service charges & facility fees

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GIVEAWAY COMING SOON!