Hey! It's the Holidays!!

Hey there! So much housekeeping! I've been working really hard and it makes sense, this is the eating time of year! Love it! It goes from candy at Halloween, a weather shift so you add some stews, then the next thing you know it's Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and New Years' Eve and Day. Yes, I did count Black Friday as a holiday :-) ... an eating one, because you need fuel!

At the end of this post I'll leave my recipe for my holiday fuel (pictured above). First, I want to update you on some stuff I'm working on. Well, reeeeally first is me just telling you thanks so much for being here! There are some big changes coming in the new year and some new stuff that I couldn't do without your support. I am SO SINCERE, if I could just hug you if we ever meet, you'd know. Thanks for being here :-).

Ok, so first let me tell you about this weekend and where to catch me and some holiday food!!!

Sunday 830-ish on NBC for The Today Show!!

They have a stuffing contest and asked me to come by and judge it!! I just love everyone on staff there and I love eating, so it's a no brainer for me. Plus, it give me a chance to tell more people about ...

Sunday @ noon est on Food Network for Food Network Live!

Ok, this is going to be fun. I am so happy to be a part of this show. It's a 2-hour LIVE (really!!!) show with myself, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Melissa D'Arabian, Alex Guarnaschelli and more! It's hosted by Alton Brown and we're taking your calls, skypes, emails and tweets for the entire 2 hours while we also cook up some of our favorite holiday recipes!! Here's how to reach us:

Twitter stuff

#FNThanksgiving

@FoodNetwork

@SunnyAnderson

Facebook and Like us as well as posting questions

http://www.facebook.com/FoodNetwork

Skype us with video questions!!

FoodNetworkThanksgiving

Email!

ThanksgivingLive@FoodNetwork.com

Call!

855.281.1363

Log on!!

http://www.FoodNetwork.com/Live

So many ways to interact with us Sunday! Ok, I just read my notes from the network and they say we have to have our phones off during the broadcast because it will mess with the signal. We have rehearsal today and I'll ask about ipads lol, so we can live tweet!! I'd love to live tweet and do the first ever live shout out on Food Network lol! Ok, that's a 2-hour show, from 12-2, so tell a friend and check your listings, it also reruns later in the day and in the week as well!

Then, I'm heading to the Giants game for some Sunday night football! I plan to head over to the Food Network concession stands and tweet some photos, so follow me if you are interested in what we offer at a game! Can't wait!!

Monday I'm sleeping then ...

Tuesday 7AM - 8AM Martha Stewart Radio!! SiruisXM 110

It's another year of fun with my girl Betsy Karetnick and her new co-host Brian for the Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Hotline. I'm hanging with them the whole hour answering questions about the big bird and whatever else comes up! This year there's an online cookbook with all of the recipes from each guest during the hotline hours... get it here (I'm in it!!! In a Martha cookbook!! crazy!!):

FRRRREEEEEE MARTHA COOKBOOK!!!

www.MarthaStewart.com/radio

call us at 866-675-6675!!!

Then...

Tuesday Nate Berkus Show!!

Check your local listings by clicking here, but it airs in NYC on WNBC 4 at 2PM. Our show is called "Made in America" so he focuses on American designers and products then hangs with me for some classic American eats! Tune in and catch the recipes on the links once the show airs.

Wednesday, I'm more than likely heading down to Philadelphia for a cheesesteak at my favorite spot. Why? Well, I'm Thanksgiving'd-out :-).

Ok, in the meantime ... I should probably do a big time press release, but you've been asking me for years and for years I've been working on the right thing, not the fast thing...so I'm really proud to tell you first here that just last week in a flurry of meetings I finally signed a cookbook deal with Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House! This little girl that loved words and often found friendship with a dictionary because we moved so much, now gets to be published. Darnit, I can't even type it without crying. I hate being a girl sometimes for that reason alone, I'm wimpy. I've wanted to be published for so long, which is why I didn't want to rush into anything. From the moment I started at the network people have asked me when a book is coming. I have to tell you, no way I could've put one out and be successful back then. It takes time. I never rush life, I like to say I'm not slow, I'm just deliberate. I can't wait to begin the real work on it, recipes are written and I'm still developing more, but there's so much more to do. After talking with my publisher and the team we all agree it would also be best if I write it myself instead of using a co-writer. I'm going to be a *real* author!!! :-) I want you to know the words are mine and so is the heart. Thank you so much for the continued support!!

Ok, that's it and I just got a call from the car service picking me up for rehearsal today. Tune into my twitter feed for pics from rehearsal!!! Hope you enjoy the weekend and find a way to virtually hang out with me in the next few days :-)!!

(excuse the typos, I'm in a rush!! I'll reread this and fix em later!!)

And now ... BACON BARK!!! it's on Martha's online cookbook as a different title, but it's all the same!! I make a batch of these and pack em in my bag on the weekdays I know I'm gonna be running around. Good energy boost thats sweet and spicy and baconey lol

Sunny's Bacon Bark

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2011

For the nuts:
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bacon:
6 strips center-cut bacon
1/4 cup light brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon hungarian paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the nuts. In a small bowl add pecans, walnuts, maple syrup, brown sugar, paprika, pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Stir until everything is coated, set aside.

In a small bowl add bacon, brown sugar, lemon zest, paprika, a pinch of salt (yes, bacon has salt, but a pinch goes a long way here) and a grind or two of pepper. Spread out on a non-stick baking sheet (or line it with non-stick aluminum foil) and cook until almost done (flimsy, but wrinkled) and sugars are bubbling, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and using scissors, cut the flimsy half-cooked bacon into chunks the size you'd like to bite :-). Add snipped bacon back to the same baking sheet and pour contents of the nut bowl on the sheet as well. Stir and fold the bacon and nuts together with a spatula and spread everything out on the sheet.

Place back in the oven for 15 more minutes, stirring and spreading again halfway through. Serve warm or allow to cool then break apart.

My Turkey Coma ...

Hey there! Well, I am just now waking up from what I like to call my "Turkey Coma", a bit of hibernation, if you will. Truthfully I woke up yesterday from the coma, but by the time I got home from work ... it was time for a Tylenol PM coma. I somehow got the sniffles and with recipe testing this week among other events, I can't really be sick. I thought I could post a blog last night, but just 30 minutes after taking the meds, I couldn't even aptly respond to emails without thinking about how to spell simple words or compose a thought. So anyway, I hope you had a great turkey day and an enjoyable hibernation as well!!

I started last week with a trip to Martha Stewart radio where I handled the Turkey Hotline. The reason I mention that is the hosts, Kim and Betsy laughed and shunned me when I said I was frying my turkey ... inside instead of the recommended back/front yard suggestion. I told them, "Reeeeelax, I'd found a counter-top turkey fryer and intend to test drive it". Well ... it drove ...

Look at that wing!!! Look, I'm not an endorser, but if you want to know where I got the counter-top turkey fryer just ask in comments and I'll give up the goods. The fryer does up to a 22 pound turkey and what I really like about it other than it actually works, is it's also a huuuuuuuuge vat for deep frying at home, so the next day instead of doing my stuffing bites in batches, I threw all 10 of em in the big vat with confidence that the temperature wouldn't fall due to overcrowding. I actually did my Stuffing Bites as croquettes, a bit bigger than the bites. I just roll the stuffing into a ball, flatten it, dredge in flour, then egg wash, then panko breadcrumbs. 350 degrees and about 6 mins later after a sprinkle of salt ... yum yum yum ...Perfect thing about this recipe is if you like your stuffing ... you'll love your very own stuffing bites! I serve it with the leftover cranberry sauce blitzed with some walnuts. This year I thought I wouldn't make cranberry sauce, but ended up doing it anyway. Hey, wait ... can't get ahead of myself. Did you want to see the bird? It was an 11.11 pounder, I brined it in a small cooler for 2 days in my fridge (I was shooting for 3 days, but my schedule didn't really allow it). Then I rubbed and rested it on it's end right on my counter top to let it dry and come to room temp. It took just 38 minutes to fry. I promise when I get my website relaunched, (I'm on track for a late January launch!) I'll get my act together and have more "styled" photos if you like, but there's nothing like a cell phone cam in a pinch ... :-)That's right before I tented it with some aluminum foil for a rest. Lemme tell you those legs just pulled right off! I broke it down and plated it. What do you do? Do you make slices of the breasts or do you take off the breast as a whole and then cut it against the grain? I do the latter, seems like there's more meat that way, a total optical illusion for me. Then I made mac and cheese, collard greens, sweet potato casserole with a pecan topping, rice, sweet ice tea, chorizo and plantain stuffing, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce and a blueberry apple pie. Ok, ready for the "real" part of Cooking for Real? I was so busy the few days before Thanksgiving that I got up late that day, therefor starting late ... I did everything that day with no prep other than the bird brining. Here's the real part ... we didn't eat until Conan O'brien was on! Pretty late, but totally worth the wait. Take a look at dessert in the oven!I know they sell pie guards, but Kim over at Martha Stewart radio and I agree, it just takes up too much drawer space. Aluminum foil does the trick, non-stick aluminum foil is even better! (Cooking for Real! Don't need the fancy stuff to get it done!) The day after Thanksgiving we continued to hibernate and had pie first then I made some turkey pot pies out of the dark meat, the leftover gravy, some frozen rice, carrots, stock, cream and I made extra dough for the blueberry apple pie and froze it, so I used that for the crust. And yes, I totally support pre-made pie crusts in a pinch, but it's the holidays and I was feeling it, so I went old school and made it :-). Here are a few of the pot pie shots ...

We tore into those for late lunch, because of course the pie was a late breakfast, gluttons. For dinner we did a turkey day repeat with the stuffing bites being the only difference. Then Saturday for breakfast I made eggs, grits with the giblet solids I strained out of the gravy on Thursday and left over chorizo that didn't make it into the stuffing. I also made waffles and folded in the leftover sweet potato casserole, then made a pecan caramel sauce to drizzle over it, pretty darn good. I wrote down the recipe and I'll try to share it in a future show. We did the waffles two days in a row. I froze them the first day so day two, was all toaster time! I just sat here trying to remember every meal so I asked my guy for help, let me tell you how much we ate ... we just both got tired even trying to list the meals and what we had. So I've totally missed some meals here, but I just wanted to share. There were so many "snack" meals lol. The "hey, go warm up some of the stuffing bites real quick" or the "gimme a piece of skin". I feel like I'm in confession, I really over ate! Check out Holly's blog Random Cravings to see more turkey talk! She decided weeks ago to cook for real for 6 weeks, so last week she made some of my Thanksgiving recipes. Check out I'm Thankful for Sunny's Turkey Recipe and Thanksgiving Leftover Bonus!

Ok, well as if all that eating that wasn't bad enough, Monday morning was the first day of pre-production for Season 9 of Cooking for Real! What that means is I get in the Food Network kitchens and pretty much demo the bulk of the recipes from the menus I've pitched for the upcoming season. Lot's of eating!!! There are so many reasons we do this, but the main one is to make taping that much easier. When everyone on the team knows how I make it, what it looks like and how long the processes are, it makes planning each act of the show and each taping a breeze! You'd never guess how much time we spend talking about where in the show to start making each dish or if we need to move things from the oven to the stove top or vice versa. I totally enjoy the process and can't wait for you to see the new shows! So far I've plowed through shows I have tentatively titled "Easier than it looks", "Diner Breakfast", "Cookin' it Old School", "Comforting Classics", "Much Ado About Stuffing" and "Fish n Grits". Here's the first pic I took Monday, pretty much says it all ...

Alright, that's it. I'm headed to Chicago for a quick trip. Can't wait to tell you all about it and hope you'll join in on the plan! Especially if you like baking cookies :-) Stick around!

Thanksgiving Day Rewind!

Hey there! So, hopefully by now you are out of your tryptophan coma. I spent all of yesterday working on a cook book proposal. I just sat and typed, the next thing I knew it was midnight. Because of all that work, I have some time to put up some pictures today. A special thanks to Clark Vincent for working on Thanksgiving. Sure, I was on the float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but he got up and arrived at my house at 530AM on Thanksgiving to give me a face and do my hair. I can't say thanks enough because I as told you, I found out just 2 days before that I would participate in the parade. Short notice to change holiday plans. Thanks Clark.

Ok, so after he got me camera ready and helped me figure out "red hat or black hat", I left the house and to my surprise just like the itinerary said, a Macy's employee was waiting on my curb to escort me to the parade. His name was Alex and together he and the driver tried to figure out why I was so happy that early in the morning. I just was and always seem to be, I made it through the night and get to take place in some Americana ... what's not to smile about? Well, that and in a few hours I'd be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner!

When we got to the beginning of the parade route there were rows of buses and I was shuttled onto a bus and offered a danish. I took a mini muffin and declined on the coffee, I was already awake. Two seconds later Katherine McPhee hopped on the bus, she was in the parade and looked great with her new blond hair. I'd have a picture, but as soon as she arrived, she had to leave for an interview with US Weekly. There were two soap stars on the bus (one very handsome man from across the pond) and another that worked with him on their show. I'm not into stories too much, so unfortunately I forgot the names and everything. Then Anne Burrell and Claire Robinson arrived on the bus. Finally, some one to chat with that I knew! Here we are at the table chillin' ...

Two seconds after we took this, Gloria Gaynor (I will Survive) stepped on the bus and from behind thought Anne was Cyndi Lauper. That was hilarious. Minutes later we were hustled off the bus and taken to our float.
That's my point of view as we walked the short distance to Tom Turkey, our float.

That's about 20 minutes before the parade began. Everyone else was outfitted like pilgrims and many were family members, so it was nice that they could spend the holiday together.

This is a look ahead of us before we got moving and the balloons fell into line. If you look close off to the right you can see Kermit the Frog waiting to file into place from a perpendicular street.
There he is! I have to admit, I turned into a big kid when I saw him start to move. My heart started beating fast and I thought of all the times I sat and sang songs from my Kermit the Frog CD growing up. He was such a friend in my head. I know, a frog. Too funny.
Below is a look at Tom Turkey's backside. I was taking a tiny tour of the float and saw the door open. Elizabeth and Tracey popped their heads out to say hi and I discovered they are the ones that flap his wings throughout the parade. Cool job ladies!
Take a look down one of the side streets. It was packed and everyone was waving and yelling "Happy Thanksgiving!" or "Happy Holidays!"
Then, something cool happened ... we turned the corner at Columbus Circle and headed down to Times Square.

I was just telling you how neat it felt to move to NYC and host my first event in Times Square, on some level at the age of 25, working at the country's top Hip Hop station, I just really felt accomplished in my goals. Here I was again, in Times Square marveling at how goals can come true if you only work towards them. No, my goal wasn't to be in the parade, but to work hard enough to be invited, just made me feel like I was 25 again. We made it down to the end of the parade and if you caught it, that's when you saw us for about 30 seconds just waving and smiling. The funny thing is, not two seconds after we passed the television cameras, the parade was over. We got off the float and the same guy that picked me up that morning was waiting to take me to my car to go home. I got in my car and got to Brooklyn so fast, the parade was still on television. I was telling everyone that if they saw me texting on television it was me telling my guy to take the pork roast out of the fridge so it could lose the chill. Happily he did and took this flick of me just as I walked in to inspect the kitchen.

That's my pork on the left there.
That's a top view. A lil orange juice and some of those sausage links I showed you the other day. I'll feature the easy recipe on a future show. After the overnight rest and little rest on the counter, it takes just 4 hours to turn into some yummy pernil ... oooohhhhweeee I love some crunchy skin!!!
And I know you are thinking it, yes ... I decided there would be as little to clean as possible on this day, so I made the roast in an aluminum pan. Look at the chopped garlic on the meat!

Here's the teeny mac and cheese I prepped the day before.
A lil 8X8 for two and then I also made another one for Clark along with some yams ...

In all I made, pernil, mac and cheese, yams, mofongo, seasoned rice, red bean gravy for the rice and mofongo, pumpkin cheesecake pie, tiramisu and salad. Yes, salad was the only green thing lol. He took pictures of everything, but many are fuzzy, and actually we thought about taking a picture of the mofongo only after we inhaled it. It was a good laugh. We ate it as an appetizer because we couldn't wait for the pork to get to temperature and eat it all together. We were so full by the end of the day. I think we fell asleep at 7ish. Before you wonder about the menu, it was mostly suggestions from my guy, so no turkey. Instead he requested the pernil, rice, mofongo and gravy. Then I said what about dessert? He said pie or tiramisu. Specifically the spiked tiramisu I made for Pat and Gina on Down Home with The Neely's. I said why not both because I knew I had everything in the pantry. As for my requests ... all I really wanted was the mac and the yams, without those it just isn't a holiday to me. Hope you had your definition of holiday fun and food. Thanks to everyone that caught us in the parade!! What fun!!!

Turkey Links, Sausage Links & Macy's Links!!

Hey all, just a quick note ... I found out yesterday that I'm working on Thanksgiving! Yes, I'm happy, because I get to ride on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! Something to tell the grandkids, eh? Joining me on the float will be fellow Food Network hosts, Anne Burrell and Claire Robinson. Just look for the Food Network float amidst the ballons, clowns and marching bands. I'll have pics of the float up tomorrow so you'll know what to look for, check back in...

Now for some links that may help you with some flavor profiles on Thanksgiving...

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Stuffed with Pear Hash - Great for just a couple joining you. yummy turkey sandwich the next day, stuffing is on the inside! Also, the easiest ingredient list.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Peach Rosemary Glaze - Yummy, fast and the glaze is great in lieu of cranberry sauce.

Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies - Perfect to take if you are a guest or have a party at work.

Baklava Cups - Like baklava, but not all the work it takes to make it? Need a tiny bit to take as a guest and want to impress? This is so easy, I promise. Thing is, they look so difficult that you'll surely get compliments and questions. Find the mini filo cups in the freezer section close to the puff pastry and other frozen pie crusts and such. Sub with nuts you like, but the blend I have is pretty yummy.

Cheesy Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole - This is something you can try instead of the typical green bean casserole. I'll give you a permission slip to use canned cream of mushroom, but with this recipe ... you'll never want to again.

Crunchy Sweet Brussels Sprout Salad - This is a break from tradition, but I like things like this, it's bitter, sweet, crunchy, great spice. Plus this cooks up in just 5 minutes, yes ... not that long. The bulk of the work is slicing the brussels.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese - This is my go-to recipe for mac and cheese. Perfect for the family that doesn't have an official M&C person. It's more than mac and cheese though, the custard is so flavorful.

Vegetarian Southern-Style Collard Greens - People always ask me about greens, this is one of my favorite recipes because it doesn't call for a hamhock or fatback, that being said ... I always plan for a vegan in the bunch, give this a try. No flavor is missing here, I promise and many of my non-porkers agree, it isn't just me tootin my horn :-).

Apple Toddy - Wanna put the relatives to sleep?

Second Day Fried Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Pesto - Don't throw out the stuffing or let it sit in the fridge until it dies, give this a try ... it's all made with leftovers so no shopping!!

Second Day Turkey and String Bean Pot Pies - I'd roast a turkey and make a green bean casserole just to have this for leftovers the next day. It's so comforting and yummy, and cheap!

Ok, thoses are a few turkey links ... now lemme show you what I'm making for Thanksgiving ...

Sausage links!! Ok, well that's not all I'm making, but I plan to put these in the bottom of the roast pan. What am I roasting???? Well, not a turkey. My guy's fam is out of town, my family is spread out and none of our friends are joining us. That means I have to make Thanksgiving for two and make sure I hit all the important parts. For my guy that means Pernil. It's roasted pork shoulder that in many parts (my parts) they call it the pork "butt", total misnomer. In his parts, it isn't even pronounced like it's spelled ... it's more like saying the word "benign" with a long "e" sound where the "i" is. Go ahead, give it a try aloud. Well, it was one of the first Spanish words my guy picked on me about because I could never get it right, but I know how to eat it!!! Anyway, I'm putting those links in the bottom of my roasting pan along with some other stuff, but here's my pork shoulder fresh from the market today!

Look at THAT!!! OOOOOWWEEEEE!!! Can't wait to bite into the crispy skin. My meat spot changed butchers and the new one takes off the skin, so I had to take a trip into the city for this baby. I covered the price tags to eliminate the logo of the biz, but if you are curious, the links and the pork shoulder cost me 18 bucks!! Good stuff if you ask me. Ok, I'll take pics during the parade and share them, until then take care and Happy Thanksgiving!

This just in!!! Check the previews of the float!!! Click to enlarge!

This is a schematic drawing of the float and how it will appear. It even tells us where people are standing on the float, nice. Then take a look at the mock-up of the float ....
Looks real, huh? Well it is kinda, it's a flick of an old float with our logos super-imposed. Good ol Tom the Turkey neva looked so good! Alright, hope to see you in the crowd if you are here, if not, hope you enjoy the tradition in the warmth of your home with family and friends. Thanks for all the support this year, I totally can't believe I'm going to be in the parade! It reminds me of the first party I hosted in Times Square when I moved here back in 2001, I said to myself ... look at what I've done. Now, I can say ... look what I've done with your help. Thanks for watching and supporting, it isn't lost on me. :-) Eat well!