Cooking the Neiman Marcus way

GREER WYLDER

Stop by Neiman Marcus on Wednesday for an autographed copy of the

Neiman Marcus Cookbook. The book, written by executive chef Kevin

Garvin, is filled with treasured recipes from Neiman Marcus

restaurants.

With each cookbook purchased, you’ll receive a complimentary pair

of butterfly-shaped napkin rings. More than 150 favorite recipes of

loyal customers are featured, along with beautiful photographs,

interesting customer stories and Neiman’s culinary history. Some

recipes come from the debut of their first restaurant, which opened

in 1953.

Now you can make their famous firecracker spring rolls, Thai

chicken satay; the popular orange souffle; chicken salad;

Mediterranean vegetable wrap; smoked salmon with red onion relish

sandwich; and even the often requested chocolate chip cookie. The

book costs $45.

Neiman Marcus is at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Call (949)

759-1900, ext. 2333.

CHRISTMAS JEWELS

Wm. Harold Jewelers will have its annual pre-Christmas sale

Tuesday through Dec. 24. Most items are reduced 30% to 50%. The

family-owned and -operated jewelry store specializes in fine estate

jewelry and designer vintage watches. It also has high-quality

diamonds, precious stones, unusual settings and fresh merchandise --

new pieces arrive daily. Bring in estate pieces; they’re always

looking to buy unique pieces. Wm. Harold Jewelers offers excellent

customer service; it’s becoming a retail landmark -- 33 years on the

Newport peninsula. Expert service offered for jewelry repairs and

pearl stringing. Wm. Harold Jewelers is open Tuesday through

Saturday. It’s at 3116 Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach. Call (949)

673-0365.

TREE LIGHTING

One of Orange County’s favorite holiday traditions, South Coast

Plaza’s 21st annual tree lighting, will happen Monday at 6 p.m. The

All-American Boys Chorus provides beautiful holiday entertainment,

and the special honorary emcee will be Jennifer York from KTLA-TV.

Guests can enjoy the spectacle of Santa’s cheerful arrival and the

visually stunning 90-foot Christmas tree from Mt. Shasta. More than

15,000 twinkling lights illuminate the tree. The event will be at

Town Center Park, adjacent to the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel,

near the intersection of Bristol Street and Anton Boulevard.

MORE SHOPPING FOR THE SEASON

The Orange County Market Place has added two shopping days o its

regular weekend schedule. The special shopping days will be Friday

and Monday, Dec. 22, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The swap meet features

thousands of holiday gift ideas, and there’s an Artisans’ and

Crafters’ Corner for handmade items. The Market Place is at the

Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. Call (949)

723-6660 or visit https://www.ocmarketplace.com.

SURF SALE

Becker Surf & Sport will have its famous annual Thanksgiving sale

starting Friday through Sunday. Prices on most everything are reduced

23% (excluding surfboards, O’Neill wetsuits and Ugg Boots). It’s a

great time to find bargains on holiday gifts. Becker Surf & sport is

open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; from 10 a.m. to 7

p.m. Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. It’s at 3140 E.

Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. Call (949) 720-0533.

HOLIDAY AT CANNERY VILLAGE

Don’t miss the festive Cannery Village Holiday on 31st Street

Event from 4 to 8 p.m. today. Wonderful food and drinks from the

Cannery Restaurant and Alta Coffee will be served at participating

stores. Holiday singers will provide entertainment. And you can enter

a raffle to win a reproduction vintage tricycle at the Paper House.

Call (949) 566-9863.

FIX THAT COMPUTER

Comp Squad Inc. is a home and small business computer repair

company that serves Orange County. James Watkins, founder of Comp

Squad, is incredibly patient and unlike me, computer savvy.

“Computers are just like automobiles, and they need to be tuned

regularly to perform at peak levels,” Watkins said. “Computer

companies want buyers to constantly upgrade to new machines to solve

performance problems.” Comp Squad can extend the life of your

computer and help end frustration. It’s infinitely better than

talking to a technical support stranger on the other side of the

world. Comp Squad has new diagnostic software that rapidly identifies

problems. It also has the latest tools in virus detection and

removal. Most problems can be fixed with Comp Squad’s $50 tune-up,

which is recommended twice a year. The business will remove Internet

clutter and junk files; clean all debris from desktop to hard drive;

repair missing shortcuts; repair disks and scan for virus files;

clean all drives; configure the registry; restore all invalid

registry items; repair security links; repair and compact all drives;

and configure the system to original factory specs. All services are

completed without harming documents or personal data. In addition to

the tune-up, Comp Squad offers removal of viruses and spy software

(small programs that record and report all your search entries);

software installation and upgrades; hardware installation and

upgrades; tutorials for computer programs and software; wired and

wireless networks; firewall setup for privacy; modems for cable, DSL,

dial up and video; computer TV; baby monitor; video surveillance

systems; custom computers for gamers; music and entertainment

machines; home theater systems; and Web site construction and

maintenance. “We also started a service that takes your old computer

and donates it to assisted-living, disabled, and needy people. All

hard drives are wiped clean and all data is removed. The donation is

tax deductible, usually the original purchase price,” Watkins said.

Call (949) 394-2905.

* BEST BUYS appears Thursdays. Send information to Greer Wylder at

greerwylder@yahoo.com; at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; or by

fax at (949) 646-4170.