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!

My Big Bite

Hey there! I think this is the first time I've posted in the wee hours, but it's for good reason. I just got back home from joining Guy Fieri on The Guy Fieri Road Show in Wallingford, CT! Sorry I didn't tell you in advance, but it was a surprise and I wanted to be a team player :-). If you check the link and are close to a venue, it is such a fun experience. Here are some flicks ...
That's us backstage before the show. He invited me to join him a month or so ago and until just about two weeks ago I didn't know exactly what state I'd visit with him. When I found out it was in Connecticut, I was pretty happy, haven't been to the state in a few years. Back in my radio days though, I took the drive regularly to host events and sometimes just to hang out with friends. Another big treat??? The kid in me loves to pass by the WWE (formerly WWF) building on the highway. The sign is so big and bright, and every time I drive by I think of Hacksaw Jim or Andre ... those were the days. Can you believe Hulk Hogan is back at it?! I digress ... Ok. Here's a crowd shot, it was packed!
I took this right before I went out on stage with him. The big machine in the middle of the stage is a margarita maker. Yes, it's huge. I had to tip-toe to pour tequila in it. When the mixing was all done, I served some to the guests on stage and then had a full pitcher left to myself.
That's us from the back. We're just chatting while our feet are pumping the mechanism that makes the margarita machine blend. It was really a pretty neat contraption. While waiting on drink to mix, Guy and I had a good time joking about work and he told some really funny life stories to the audience. His show is so much more than just a cooking demonstration, it had the feeling of a concert with food ... and audience participation. I won't tell too much, but there were laughs, cheers and plenty of great surprises.
After the drinks, I stepped behind the counter and helped make the night's menu. That's Guy's right hand man, Kleetus in the foreground. On the menu was a cross of his Hong Kong Noodles mixed with his Pork En Fuego. See the people sitting in the background? Those are the people we fed all night and even served drinks to. It was such a good time and everyone was so nice. If you were there tonight, thanks for all the smiles and yells :-). I don't want to give away the entire show, but this is a teeny peek at my visit. It was so much fun. Catch it when it rolls into your area. Ok, nighty night. :-).

Catch Me On Giada's Family Therapy-2nite@9pm!

Hey there, I posted this headline today as I was on the set shooting some stuff for the NFL. Neat thing is, in small-talk with the producer he reminded me that a show we worked on previously would air tonight! I knew I had the 17th in my head for a reason. Ok, here are some links ... If you want to see some behind the scenes of the show check my blog post titled TGIF: ThanksGiving It's Friday . Wanna see the Food Network page with show info and recipe links? Then check the Dear Food Network page. Want to see some behind the scenes video with Giada and the crew? Check Giada's Family Therapy mini-video. Have time for more than one Thanksgiving-themed video from Food Network? Check the Food Network Thanksgiving Video Page and see some tips, behind the scenes ... everything. If you miss it tonight, don't worry ... it reruns.

Catch it ...

Nov 17th TONIGHT :-) @9PM

Nov 18th Wednesday @ 12AM and

Nov 21st Saturday @ 3PM

Stick around, I got back in the kitchens and had some fun with food, and as mentioned above, I just wrapped shooting some fun game day foods for the NFL. I'll post up some stuff as soon as I get some time in the next couple of days. Take care and thanks so much for the continued support!

Rachael Ray, Cubed

Hi there! Well, just last week I got the chance to make another appearance on The Rachael Ray Show! So that's 3 times, and at the infancy of my food television life, I'm totally counting. :-) Before the show airs tomorrow, I thought I'd give you some behind the scenes stuff like this ....
That's Jeanette, she works in Rachael Ray's in-studio kitchen and greeted me with a smile and early morning calories. She asked if I Tweeted, I said no (while feeling very wack) and then told her I do the snail-mail equivalent ... blogging. Anyway, she says I should give you the link to the kitchens, I agree .... Rachael Ray's Show Cooks Tweet! Please, if you do this thing called tweeting, let Jeanette know in 140 characters or less that I loved the mushroom soup! Here's a better view ...
From the left, pea soup with ham chunks, my fave- the mushroom soup, pumpkin soup, then beneath them are lil focacia paninis. That's my coffee over there and ... i used all the sugar packets. I remember having a chat about my muddy coffee practices, here's proof. Did I really need 4 sugars? Nope, did I use them? Yep. Anyway, I've blogged about RR Show food for the green rooms, it is hands down the best guest food I've ever had.

When Jeanette came to greet me with the tray of food, I was sitting in the hair and make up room ready to get presentable. This is the before photo ...
Look at all that make up!!! That's Robin Watson, if you watch the show, you may have caught one of her make-over segments. In the background is equally talented Randall Tang. We had such a good time chatting and gossiping. They should also get credit for calming jitters. The small talk really helps take your mind off the task at hand. Totally like going to the hair salon. Then it was time for me to get to work. Here we are when Robin is done with her magic ...
Oh wait, did I tell you what the show is about? It's the Daily News' 5-Alarm Cook-Off finale. The finals were held right in her studio kitchens, but it began a while back with the preliminary contests. I was asked to participate and judge a few months back, but then Rachael Ray's team decided they wanted to put the firefighters on a national stage instead of just the local judging. Our time came to judge and we were summoned to her set to tape a show. Who is we?? Well that ends the post, it's the last picture I have ...
That's fellow judge Iron Chef Michael Symon and another chef, whose name totally escapes me and I hate myself for it. EDIT! :-) ... I'm so sorry I forgot his name, but upon watching my DVR, I have it ... It's Stanton Social owner and chef, Chris Santos. He was really funny and guess what? He is allergic to shellfish, but still took bites of everything, it seems most of us really thought we'd have 5 bowls of chili to judge that day. Tough guy, but a nice one. This is a shot of us mid-deliberation. Each borough of NYC was represented by one fire fighter and the competition was pretty stiff. Those guys eat pretty good stuff, I'd say if you are a single, non-cooking type, find yourself a firefighter. They are brave and can cook!

The Rachael Ray Show airs tomorrow. Check here to find your local listings. In NYC it's on ABC at 10AM. Congrats to all the firemen, what a brave profession and I am more than thankful for your service! May the best cook win!!!

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