Guy and I Play with Food

Hey there! Remember when I told you about shooting an episode of Guy's Big Bite? Well, it already aired once and I missed the chance to give you advance notice. So hopefully this is within enough time, but it airs TODAY!!!

Catch Guy's Big Bite: Playing with Food featuring me :-) @ 3PM ET/PT.

We make his Bo Peep Pie and My Brother Brusssels then wrap it up with , my O.G. Snap Shake! A little story ... I blew up his blender on our first take. I have a record of things like that happening on-set, one run of taping Cooking for Real, 3 or 4 really thick cutting boards split right down the middle while I was chopping, I've splattered the set with my over ramped stand mixer, dropped eggs, equipment, so much stuff. So, anyway this time around we were almost done with the last act of the show where we make my shake. There Guy was on my left just chatting away with the viewers and for some reason I couldn't get the pitcher off the base of the blender. I use a blender plenty, but I'm accustomed to my stuff and although I'd given his a test-run before the cameras started rolling, I just couldn't figure it out live on camera. Even now as I type I'm laughing because in my head I was stressed out, but on the outside I was just smiling away. It only took a second or two for me to make the wrong move and the shake just gushed and oozed out from the base of the blender. Seems I'd twisted the base out of it's cradle and now my half of Guy's cutting board countertop was a total mess. He turned to see what I'd created and we all had a pretty good laugh. I felt bad because there was clean up involved, but just a few minutes later we composed ourselves and got it done without the mess. I really had a great time shooting the show and was happy when I got invited. Check the old blog link above and tune in today! Hope you catch and enjoy the show! Remember TODAY, Nov, 9th at 3PM!

How To Make The Ultimate Jay-Z Sandwich

Hi ... sorry I've been M.I.A., I had a ton of work and an emergency that kept me away. Still have plenty of work, but this back load of stuff is eating a hole in my 'blog pocket' ... so be prepared for some frequent updates to catch me up ... and now my recipe for making The Ultimate Jay-Z sandwich ...

The Ultimate Jay-Z Sandwich

Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, 2009

1 amazing bff

2 round trip train tickets to Philadelphia

2 tickets to Power 99's Powerhouse

1 Foodie car service driver

2 trips to Max's

1. Take one amazing BFF that knows even though you've been many times, your guy has yet to see a live Jay-Z show and add her to a conversation with an industry friend she knows that has tickets to said show. Mix them with Power 99 in Philadelphia until they become 2 Powerhouse tickets. Get online and book 2 round trip train tickets to Philadelphia while rapidly stirring until all work for the weekend is done, leaving two days free.

2. Catch the train to Philadelphia and look for car service driver to take us to eat and then to hotel. Preheat the driver by telling him you know where you want to get your cheesesteak, but you just can't remember the name of the place. Put smart car service driver in the hot seat and challenge him by revealing you really only know one cross-street and that it's next to some train tracks. Grill driver with seasonings of details like "it's a cheesesteak spot that turns into a bar when you walk past the register" and "they sell socks on the corner". Flip when foodie car service driver is done being grilled and says "Oh, that sounds like Max's!!". Mash together thoughts of what you will order and what you will drink, then scoop out of the car and onto the sidewalk to fresh Philadelphia air.

3. Open door and press buttons to make pictures and finally capture record of your favorite place to get cheesesteaks in Philly. Think to yourself, if only your memory was as good as your sensory functions. Watch it sizzle.

4. Tilt and look down the line to snap a photo of the man that has made you at least 15 cheesesteaks since you found him 3 years ago, 2 of those cheesesteaks being made on Thanksgiving.

5. Briskly place your order for 2 cheesesteaks and snap more photos.

6. Knead into your head that you will eat every single piece of the beef-steamed bun when it hits your tray. Carbo-what's?

7. Ask for hot peppers (right bin) as opposed to sweet peppers (left bin) for your cheesesteak and ketchup ... why not?

8. Unfold wrapper and quickly take a photo before you eat more than a pound of beef, set on tender-steamed bread that is slathered with mayo, a melted layer of provolone, a squeeze of ketchup and a handful of hot peppers.

9. Go to Jay-Z show and enjoy.

10. Let body and belly rest overnight. Return to Max's the next morning before you head back to NYC for another run of cheesesteaks.

11. Get mesmerized by the steam and drift ...

12. Repeat steps 4-7, adding Cheez Whiz (don't judge) this time around.

13. Get back to the train station just in time to get back to NYC and slip into an Ultimate Jay-Z Sandwich coma for the ride home.

Serving Size: Ok, a "Giant" costs twice as much, plus 5 cents and a "HALF" is larger than a true half of a "GIANT". So, I can't judge what 4 "HALF"-steaks equate, but they surely were giant in many respects. Also, who's on first? Teeheehee

Calories: Too many to count

Nutritional Content: Is processed cheese a food group?

Time: 2 days

BTW, if you catch Cooking for Real regularly, first thank you so much and second ... this blog may fill in the blanks for a story I told on a past show or two. I mentioned a place in Philadelphia that I love to visit for cheesesteaks, but couldn't remember the name. Well, here it is. I asked the guy for his name and he kindly declined, but allowed me to snap away. He works there everyday and quite like Dom at DiFara's here in Brooklyn, he is the only one to touch your cheesesteak. He's also part of the experience. You feel like family and boy, when you mix that with food you can't go wrong. Philly you guys are pretty lucky to have him ... too bad you have to wait another year for that World Series Title :-). J/K, but not :-P

What I Had for Linner: Mystery Meal, FN Mag-Style

Hey there! So, I got word that Food Network Magazine wanted me to participate in one of it's features in the magazine, 'He Made, She Made'. Have you seen this in the mag? Well, basically two people are given the same subject and are asked to create their own ultimate recipe for it. I love the feature and a good challenge, so of course I agreed to participate. Now, I can't tell you what it is and I can't even tell you who the He is, but I can tell you some of the process. I immediately went into brainstorm mode. I made a mental list of ideas, recipe titles and ingredients then for a day tossed the ideas around. I was familiar with the subject, but wanted to make sure my definitive recipe reflected what I like most. Thing is, I change my mind from week to week as to my favorite thing sometimes, so I hope this recipe rings true longer than that.

Ok, after thinking and writing a couple of rough drafts of the recipe in my notebook, I made a list yesterday and checked it twice. Then I looked in my pantry to get an inventory and headed out to shop. That was about 9AM. Shopping is pretty fun in my 'hood because not one store has everything. I usually have to make a few stops and I like this because I get to look at new set ups and ingredients at each stop. Really keeps your mind open when you are constantly bombarded by new stuff. So, after a few stops my total for groceries was $60.47. This is pretty low considering I had enough for six or eight runs of the recipe and then some. I never feel like any recipe is complete though, they are all works in progress I continue to think about forever. Anyway, around 11AM yesterday I got to work in my kitchen and around 5:30PM I stepped out of the kitchen with the last and final run of the recipe. It was as good as it could get, as far as taste and ingredients. It only took me a few different variations before I was happy. This was something I make often, so really the trick was picking something unique to my point of view. Next, I recorded the changes in my starter recipes and typed up the final and sent it around 6ish via email to my peeps at Food Network Magazine. Since I ate this basically for lunch while I was working the recipe and I had plenty of ingredients left over, I remixed it and had it for dinner as well. Linner never tasted so good, work done and tummy full. Want to see pics of a few of the ingredients? I can't tell you what they turn into, but you can guess ... you have until April 2010 though, because that's the projected issue. I know ... long time, eh? That's how it works in mag-world. Here are the hints ...

Any guesses?

The 5th Annual Great Gathering of Chefs and Me.

One of these things is not like the other ...

That's me, Culinary Gangsta of All Things Cuisine (as I call him) Santos Loo, Owner of one of my favorite restaurants in the world and chef, Marva Layne of Negril Village and part-owner of Annisa, Chef Anita Lo. We are all huddled together yesterday at The 5th Annual Great Gathering of Chefs. Why am I there? Being that I'm not a chef? Well, sometime last year I was taping Cooking for Real here in Manny Hatty and famed photographer Alan 'Battman' Batt visited the set as a guest of Susan Stockton. We met briefly and I went back to work. Later that day I was asked by Susan to participate in his book. Seems he enjoyed what he saw and even though I wasn't a chef, he asked her to invite me to participate in his charity efforts. As soon as I was told it was for charity, I said yes and dropped what teeny bit of insecurity I had about being in a cookbook with such big-time chefs. Oh, let me explain ... Alan puts out beautifully photographed (by him, of course) cook books once a year using donated recipes from the world's top chefs. Then he hosts an event so they can all sign the books. He then sells the books donating the proceeds to a charity. This year the charity is Action Against Hunger. I didn't hear much after I submitted the recipe, but then earlier this year while I was shooting, I got back to my green room and on my table was a huge blown up photo of the recipe I submitted. I was so excited, what a great photog can do to a simple recipe! Anyway, just yesterday was The 5th Annual Great Gathering of Chefs and there I was in some jeans and a cowl-neck sleeveless sweater, while most of the attendees were in chef whites, blues, blacks and other.
I call this picture "Where's Waldo", look at all the chef coats! Can you find a home cook in there somewhere??? Lol, it was really crowded, but I got there early and caught a shot of one of the long signing tables ...
That's just one of the tables, they wrapped the entire room with tables and still with that had to snake a bit to fit all the chefs, plus me, teeheehee. The lush green to the right out the window is Central Park. What a view. Would you pay millions to live there? I dunno, I think Prospect Park in Brooklyn is just as beautiful, I digress ...
That's a guy from D'Artagnan prepping hot dogs made of duck. He topped 'em with spicy brown mustard and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. They actually served a 3rd of a hot dog, cut and then skewered, I coulda done about 6 of those. I held back though and did one. I must say, I keep some reduced balsamic on hand in the fridge because it's so good over so many things, so now I'll have to add hot dog to that list. To the right is the crew from ISBRE water. They were total foodies and watched Food Network and watched my show, so that was neat to meet them. On the other side was a Starbucks set up with the new instant coffee. I mention these sponsors because I really like companies that support charitable causes, especially when budgets are being cut across the board. The coffee tasted like, well coffee. I couldn't tell it wasn't brewed, but I muddy my coffee up so much with other stuff so ...
And that's the book I'm in! It's called Small Things Savory, Bite Size Dishes From 150 Chefs. Eric Ripert, Emeril Lagasse, Daniel Boulud, Alex Guarnaschelli and me. Goooooooo Homecooks!!!! I scored one for the team and did it for charity, thanks for your support! I couldn't do this without you watching and supporting. Pretty neat.

NYC Wine n Food Fest - My Weekend Deja View

Hey there! Sorry so slow on the post from this past weekend. I've had a couple of packed days. I'll make it quick :-). After hangin' with The dancin' Chairman in the Grand Tasting Tent Friday afternoon, that night it was all about Brooklyn!
That's me under the Brooklyn Bridge happy I'm there! I was pretty beat earlier in the day mostly from traveling, but Aaron McCargo and Aida Mollenkamp both visited me at the Grand Tasting and we made plans to hangout at the Burger Bash. Plus it was in Brooklyn, how could I not go? Speaking of, here I am with the big guy ...
He met my dude that night and we all had a good laugh at how eating too many burgers, even tiny sliders, could make you feel like ... you ate too many burgers. You know? So, I had Bobby Flay's burger and stuck to the beer. Smart choice, his burger was just as good as I remember the last one being down in South Beach at the other festival. Mmmmmm yummy. It was crowded and so many people were there to chat with.
This is Aida and me sandwiching Stan, a big-time-crazy-cool ad sales rep at Food Network. We hung out a bit there and then walked around the corner to an after party. I had a cooking demonstration the next day, Saturday, so I scooted early to get some rest.

So the next day I headed over to the Javits Center for WBLS' Circle of Sisters event. Remember I told ya, you'd never guess who I ran into? Take a look ...
Look familiar? I was walking up to the stage and saw her standing there and immediately thought, "Hey! Next Food Network Star!". It's Nikki Shaw, remember she was on a couple of seasons ago. Well, she was hosting the event that day and took questions from the audience as I prepared my Grilled Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce and Sweet n Sour Garden Collards. Then, I headed over to the broadcast booth to do an interview with radio host Jeff Foxx, when I ran into WBLS host Jasmine and singing legend Charlie Wilson. I grew up listening to him when he sang with the Gap Band and just recently caught him at the Essence Festival. He tore that stage up! What a performer! It was a nice chance to tell him that and if you are interested ... he said he'll be back next year. Says the event organizers called him shortly after to book him again.

I called it a day after that because I knew I would be giving out more of my North Carolina House Ribs with Viva Towels the next day. Sunday, Jacob stopped by for a visit and has some great flicks on his blog. Right across from me was the Iron Chef booth and the plates coming outta that kitchen were soooooo good!
That's contestant Eric Greenspan and you can jussst make out the back of Seamus Mullen's head. Then I headed out to eat some and drink as well. One of my first bites was from Govind Armstrong.
Looks tiny, but it packed a flavorful punch. I told him my daddy used to always have venison in the freezer from his hunting trips, so I was familiar with the versatility of the meat. Here we are after I had two of these, I'm so greedy.
Then, I doubled back around and headed over to get something everyone was talking about the whole weekend ... the marrow.
Wanna know what's in it, and by it, I mean the hollowed out bone ... can you see it?
Ahem, that's my drink there, Wild Turkey with Honey. I had it neat, then got the mixed drink ... very yummy, not an ad, just an observation. :-) Here's the marrow getting shaved on ...
I ate so much and then when I was stuffed, headed home to rest. I sat down in my movie room to the read the Sunday paper and look what I found!
Pardon the hard cheese, but this is seconds after I saw it and I wanted to catch the moment. Totally excited. And pardon the mess, it's my work-couch lol. Anywho, in my hand, is what fell out of the advertisement section ... my first ever coupon! How neat! I knew it was coming, but didn't know when. It's with Viva of course and my Dad called shortly after I saw this told and me one of his co-workers saw it, then I got a text message from a friend that saw it. It seemed to be everywhere. Neat feeling, I love a coupon with a real amount of money off, that's almost a dollar!!! My dad kept saying on the phone I was "20 cents off" to kid with me and I kept correcting him with "it's 85!!". It was funny. Hope you saw the coupon and put it to use! Viva towels were all the rage at the Wine and Food Festival everyone kept telling me they were so soft, like I had something to do with it. That's the smart engineers and people at the plant. I'm just happy to be here to spread the word. Ok, well that's it! More flicks later from a secret shoot I had yesterday with some ladies from Food Network and food flicks from my vacay.

NYC Wine n Food Fest - Look Who Likes My Ribs!

Hey all! I've been a bit quiet because I was on vacation ... more on that later. I got back just in time for this past weekend's festivities here in NYC at the Wine and Food Festival ... I have more on that later as well, but just to give you an appetizer, here's a pic of me and The Chairman at my Viva ... Get Closer To Your Food booth at the Grand Tasting.
There I was busy chatting up people eating my ribs and wiping their faces when I hear someone say ... "Hey the Chairman is here!". I turned around and he was already on his 3rd rib! I was totally flattered when he told me they were yummy and asked for a picture for my blog ... nice guy! I've been to a couple of Iron Chef America tapings and never got the chance to meet him, so I was totally happy to run into him. It wasn't that much of a stretch though because I was stationed right by the Next Iron Chef America booth, more on that later as well ...

Plus, somewhere during the weekend I made time for my radio family and presented a cooking demo at Circle of Sisters at the Javits Center in NYC ... YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO I RAN INTO ... more on that later as well ...

Phew, ever come back from va-cay or stay-cay and hit the ground running with no de-lay?? Well, I feel like I'm sprinting ... with a smile on my face. :-) Stay tuned for pics and stories to go with my above mentioned 'laters' .... Until then if you have time to read, I found a fellow bloggers post about the Grand Tasting, take a look and enjoy your Monday!

Scrapple Anyone??

Yes, scrapple. I've heard of this before, but until recently I'd never seen it up close, much less taste it. I actually stumbled upon it. Do you know what it is? Well, I was taking a quick trip to Pennsylvania to a little town I like to visit when I have time. On the way to my room, I always stop at the local meat purveyor to get some stuff to cook with because there's a stocked kitchen where I stay.
Looks old school, huh? Well it is and I love it. This is the spot I get all my thick-cut bacon, hot dogs for the grill, steaks only 2 days from the farm up the road and well ... this time around ... scrapple. There I was in the middle of ordering said meats and my eyes wandered through the glass case and saw this ....
I said to the butcher, "What is THAT??". He smiled and said simply, "Scrapple". I said to myself, 'duh... it says that on the container', but I was captivated by the block of unidentified foodstuff so much that I didn't even catch the label. So, immediately I asked him if it was an easy prep because I wanted to try it. He at first said he didn't think I'd like it ... that's my cue to know I most likely will. This happened before in Hawaii at Super J's. (side note, I've since called and talked to Miss Super J and we have a nice budding foodie friendship). Anyway, as soon as he said I wouldn't like it, the challenger in me said, "well how do you make it?". He suggested I just pan fry a slice and serve it with eggs. That seemed simple enough. I told him to give me two slices and as he weighed it to measure he told me the best part was the crunchy edges and the soft center. I asked what was in it and he said, I didn't want to know. I gave him a deadpan look and said "yes, I do, don't worry ... I'll still eat it!". So you know, it's just pig parts ... the scraps he said, wonder if that's the origins of the name? Then a nice blend of herbs and spices. Well, I was too happy to have my slices of scrapple and the next morning I woke up and sizzled my first slices of scrapple ...
Sorry it's blurry, but that's what I do sometimes and it was warm and callin' my name. Only had tummy time for one more shot. Here's a close up with the same bad focus ...
By this time, I'd done my research online and found it may be tasty with some pancake syrup as well. I gotta tell you though ... it didn't need it. I reeeeeeeally liked it! It is a cross between blood sausage and canned spiced meat. It's a really hard thing to describe, but the butcher was right ... the texture was pretty yummy. The crunch around the edges went very well with the soft center. I sat there thinking, where has scrapple been all my life? I really like it! Well the answer is it is regional and hard to find, but not really because my research found a few places that mail it via online purchase. I'd totally do it with grits. It reminds me of this sausage my grandma called 'pudding' growing up. I'd peel the casing off and squeeze it all over my grits. What a memory. So much of a memory that before I headed out of Kunkletown, I made a quick stop at the butcher's. As soon as I walked in, he asked how I liked the scrapple. I said "gimme all the scrapple you've got, that's how I liked it!". So, now in my freezer waiting on a day I'd like to take a trip back to my childhood, or the great mountains of Pennsylvania sits this ...
A block of heaven. And guess what the whole block cost? 10 bucks and change! I can get at least 20 slices out of this!!! So look, next time you ask about something you've never had, if the person tells you that you may not like it ... try it. It's there because someone likes it, why not that someone be you?