Week-at-a-glance

Hey there! I looked up and realized halfway through the week, that it's almost over! Last time we chatted I was on the way to a secret taping for a show. Look who I shot the show with ...
Look familiar!? It's Kelsey Nixon and Adam Gertler, former finalists on Next Food Network Star, Season 4. That's at rehearsal last week. We are working on a new show for the Cooking Channel called Next Food Network Star: After Party. It debuts in just a couple of weeks on Sunday, July 18th. I am really excited about this show, basically each week after someone is sent packing on NFNS, they'll arrive on our show over on the Cooking Channel to talk about getting sent home and how the competition was for them. I cannot wait! Only thing not so fun is that I know who gets the boot before it airs, which as a television viewer takes out the fun, but rest assured, I won't tell you a thing! You'll have to catch the show and then hopefully ... :-) watch our After Party. A program note, it is designed to air right after NFNS, just switch over to the Cooking Channel and we'll be waiting at 10PM eastern ... except for July 18th, the night it debuts. That show airs at ... 11PM, 1 hour later. I know, pretty late for a school night, but totally worth it! One of the judges on NFNS stops by ... I won't say who, but they have a chat with the person they voted off, good stuff. I mean even if I weren't on the show, this is right up my alley of viewing, really happy to be a part of it. I hope I ask the questions of the finalists and judges you want to know as a viewer, if you have any along the way, feel free to post them here! Hope you catch it live, or on Memorex :-). (showin my age, 35) I'll surely give a reminder here before the show begins to air. If you want to check out a new blog, give a Happy Bday over at the Cooking Channel's blog, they're 1 month old!

Remember how I told you about taping The Best Thing I Ever Ate a couple of weeks ago? Well, yesterday was the follow-up taping here in Brooklyn at the actual restaurant that serves one of the best things everrrrr. I can't tell you what it is or where to get it ... but I can share this picture. They brought it out while I was eating a smaller version as a surprise ... I immediately whipped out my phone for a pic!
What a mammoth of a ... well, can't say can I? So many secrets today, huh? Sorry. Let's see what can I tell you ...

I'm wrapping up my menus for the next season of Cooking for Real! I tape in August and the shows begin to air in the autumn months, so I'm doing plenty of off-season eating at home while in the final recipe testing stages of the process. I like to make sure that when the shows first air, they are in season. Plenty of stews and roasts and ...
Meatballs!! Like my fine china? Teeheehee. I am soooo over dishes when in recipe testing mode, sorry for being a bit too real ;-). As soon as the website gets relaunched, I promise I'll try to class it up a bit. This is in an episode I'll call "First Date Spaghetti". I can't tell you how many times over the years I've heard about a friend or someone making spaghetti for someone on the first date at home. It's an easy sell to a date, easy to prep and not a wallet buster. My version has mega meatballs I flavor up and sear in a pan then finish off in the oven and the sauce is so easy and tasty, I hope you give it a try. If things go as planned, I'll tape this episode along with 12 others in just a couple of months. I can't talk about this without an emotional knee-jerk response to tell you thank you. You with those eyes reading this. Thank you so much for the support and for watching Cooking for Real if you have already or intend to do so. Because my parents raised me, I know I am capable of anything, but because I am always chasing dreams and sometimes landing them, I also know nothing is done alone. Thank you so much for being here. I wake up every day happy and thankful.

On to today in my week-at-a-glance ...

Ever learn a new word or hear about something and the next thing you know it keeps popping up? Well, just after doing my first ever SMTea a few weeks back, I got up at 5am this morning and headed to the city for my second SMT. It was at a completely different studio and this time I was there to talk about cool recipes for the 4th of July weekend. Look who I ran into!
That's Jack, he was at my very first SMTea and if you caught the blog he's also in one if the pictures I shared, hooking me up with some audio. Today he was running the camera behind us. When I walked in and saw him I was too excited! Nothing better than a familiar face from my first go at it. Look at what time it is! 107PM. We started around 8AM and just after we took this picture I did one more interview and we wrapped. Then I headed out to another meeting about my website. I can't wait to launch it! Looks like a few months at the most and I'll have new bells and whistles.

Hey speaking of new ... I learned a new trick from Kersti Bowser and her Gourmet Butterfly crew today ...
That's my Blackberry Gin Fizz Float with blackberry sorbet ... or is it, take a closer look ...
All morning the drink sat on set and that 'sorbet' never melted. I guessed and it was right, it's vegetable shortening, lard really, blended with black berries. Smart, eh? Reminds me of one of my favorite posts here on the blog; Making food ready for it's close up. Give a read if you are in to food photography or just interested in how food is made to look so yummy on camera. Here are the ladies that pulled off the lard trick today! Chef Kersti is on the left ...
What a day! I have tomorrow off and plan to spend it in the kitchen! Then I get up early on Friday to hang out with Good Morning America in Central Park for their Summer Concert Series!! I have a great 4th of July spread ready to go and I'll post the recipes from the show on Friday. Now all I have to do is find something festive to wear! If you are in NYC, it's a FREE concert with Mary J. Blige!! Come on out and have some fun in the park! If you are elsewhere, I hope you tune in. Click the link above for all the details. Here is a map to Rumsey Field if you plan to join. I'll try to take pics and post them as well! See you Friday!

One day @ a time - #7 Best follows Worst - June 10

Hey there! I'm almost caught up with my sharing! Hope you are enjoying your Friday or whatever day you catch this. I have a back log of blogs I'm logging. Say that 10 times fast ...

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Well this was day #4 of my computer disaster. I had the blow up and blank face on my computer screen Monday. Tuesday I headed to the computer doctor and found out my computer was dead and needed replacing. Wednesday I completed setting up my new home office and finally got my wireless everything to communicate seemlessly. Then, Thursday I had to leave my new office digs and head to Chelsea Market to chat about some of the best thing's I've ever had. Here I am with some set props ...

That salt shaker was so big, I could barely palm it. I didn't use any of these props, but just thought you'd like to see them. I taped two episodes and would love to tell you what food I discussed and where I got it from, but I'm sure the producers would get mad. I can share with you that one of my favorite dishes sounds sooooooo crazy, the producer didn't believe me when I said it was life changing. So, just a few days ago, I invited him to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a taste test. I'll update you in a post later today, I'm trying to do this in chronological order.

BTW, Best Thing I Ever Ate has moved from Friday to Monday's at 9PM. I left this taping and headed up a few blocks to oversee some preparation for the work I had lined up the next day with Lipton. Details on that in the next blog post ...

Chefs Vs. City wrap up

So ... we lost! Chefs Vs. City was fun and fear I may sound like a reality show contestant cliche, so I won't bore you with the "that's not how it went" stories, but suffice it to say ... I totally get what the reality show contestants are talking about. Editing can be interesting! Okay, here are some photos I couldn't share before ...
That's Aaron and Chris diving (pun) into the first challenge at Miami's Casa Blanca Seafood Bar & Grill. The way this was taped, If we were a few seconds behind but the camera's had to stop to reset, we had to wait to begin based on some one timing the events. Very confusing because we could never tell who was keeping time, but that's neither here nor there. The funny thing is right after we finished this task and I wiped my fishy hands on the owner's face, I rounded the corner to exit the shop and proceeded to slip and fall in a very funny way. Instant karma and it was hilarious. It didn't make it because the camera's didn't get a perfect shot, but I still get a teeny giggle thinking about it. I felt much better later when Aaron fell on the goat challenge teeheehee. I feel bad he was the only one caught on camera falling down though ... so I'm owning up to it! Here we are at the end ...
We'd just stepped off the elevator to the rooftop of the hotel and right ahead of us in a narrow pathway were the guys. We had such a good time even though it was basically a day of running, driving and frenzied competition. Those guys work hard!!! Catch more episodes on Sunday night's ... Competition Night @ 9PM Est!

So real quick, just yesterday I stopped by Food Network for some meetings and ran into a freelance editor that works on Cooking for Real. We'd never met before and we chatted quickly before I headed into a meeting. I told him how neat it was to watch a finished show knowing what went into it and how I delight in the simple things like hearing a music bed drop in or seeing a really pretty shot of my food cooking. I really like all the parts of putting together a show, which is why I try to share as much as I can here. Jeff said he'd been so into editing the show, that many nights he went home and he and his wife were inspired by what he saw. That's what it's all about! I was just so happy and really appreciated the compliment. It deserves some return in love, so I say to Jeff and anyone else that watches Cooking for Real and gets the foodie tickle, thank you so much. It's really neat to hear the stories and it's nice that you would allow me in your homes in a foodie way. I truly don't take it for granted. Jeff mentioned he had a picture of an inspired meal and I asked him to email it ...
Looks gooood!!! Looks like my I Want Mussels episode ... and now, looking at that picture ... I do want some mussels! I can't have them in the near future though because today I shoot 2 segments for Best Thing I Ever Ate. I can't tell you where I'm going, but one place is in Queens and the other is in Brooklyn. I'd also like to show you what I'm wearing to one of the locations ...
Yes ... those are adult onesies teeheehee. I don't know how I got into this mess, but I love it! They just came in the mail the other day and I couldn't wait to try them on before the shoot. I'll be sure to let you know when the episode runs and I'll take pics tomorrow if any thing seems interesting. Alright ... take care!

Catch Best Thing I Ever Ate Tonight!

Hey there, just a quick program note. Tonight's episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate is all about totally unexpected food finds. It features selections from me, Michael Symon, Chris Cosentino and Alton Brown as well!! My find is sweet and a total guilty pleasure. It's an unexpected find because well ... I guess you have to catch the show for that or someone at the production company will call foul because I gave up the goods. I actually tape more episodes of the show next week and I'll do my best to get some behind the scenes deets ... ok ...

TONIGHT @ 10PM Eastern ... Best Thing I Ever Ate - Totally Unexpected

Best Thing I Ever Ate ... on Labor Day Weekend.

Hey there! Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! The top question I'm getting today from friends and the like is: "What did you do for the holiday?" and "How was your cookout?". Well, my answer is I actually worked this weekend and Labor Day I played video games and made chorizo and bean tacos instead of cooking out.

I can't tell you all the details as usual about work, because the show doesn't air until I think early next year, but it was an episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate. They asked me to participate again, so I sent them a list of places I enjoy eating at and the best things on the menu. One of my places is right here in NYC, so 2 weeks ago I taped the portion of the show where you see the people talking about the dish or menu item they consider the "best" and then they called to ask if I didn't mind visiting the place in NYC to film there as well. I said yes and even though it was on a Sunday, I didn't mind ... I knew it meant lot's of yummy food! Eating and talking about it isn't really work if you ask me. Plus, I don't go to this place often because it's addictive, so I was excited to revisit just a couple of weeks after talking about it to the camera for hours. So, Sunday I got up and put on some TV-worthy clothes and not my usual weekend sweats and t-shirt, then headed into the city to eat at A Salt and Battery. Here I am with Mat Arnfield, the chef.

I'd love to tell you what I ate, but I can't. I can say everything is great on the menu and I found the place back in 2001 when I first moved to NYC. I'd walk the neighborhood after work, window shop, get lost and just explore. This is one of the first places I ate at when I moved here, the staff was really nice and sold me my first bottle of HP Sauce. It's good stuff and I have great memories of my earlier days walking here after work for a bite. I actually thought I was showcasing a business that had not received any kind of love from a restaurant show on Food Network and when I mentioned that to the crew they all told me Bobby Flay actually taped an episode of Throwdown with the restaurant. If you caught that show, don't worry ... we tackled two completely different areas of the menu, but I am happy that Bobby and I have similar tastes ... he's a cool New Yorker that surely knows some good food. Makes me wonder about how I feel sometimes when I think the same places keep getting press or coverage, maybe it isn't an inside thing ... maybe it's just that they have great food! Yes, there are tourist traps, but this isn't one. A must try if you visit NYC and many people that are from the UK actually flock to this spot for authentic food. That whole area actually has some pretty good eating. I envy people that live there, simply for the eating options. I moved out of the area and seldom get back. Many New Yorkers share the same story, moving from a neighborhood is like moving to a different country and don't even start on moving to a new borough. Things are so close, but each area is pretty self sufficient, so people tend to never go back to old neighborhood haunts if living somewhere new. I try to break that, by visiting my old neighborhoods in Brooklyn, but I'm a rolling stone ... plenty of places to revisit. Anyway, outside of A Salt and Battery are some benches and between taping I met some viewers sitting there from New Jersey eating the same thing I was there for and we chatted a bit while I was taping and some people got on camera. What a brunch! My kind of people. I Can't wait to see it all on the show and hope you catch it too. I'll let you know when it airs.