Martha Stewart Radio Rocks!

Hey there! Well, I'm midway through my week filling-in on Martha Stewart's Sirius morning show, Morning Living. The usual co-host Kim is taking time off, so all this week I was invited to sit in with host her co-host, Betsy. The show airs from 7-10AM Monday through Friday on Martha's Sirius/XM channel, so all this week I'm waking up like I'm in basic training again. :-) Luckily for us, on Tuesday we got a wake up call from acapella group Rockapella. And I do mean wakeup, take a listen ...Sounds pretty cool, huh? This is just one of the jingles they are known for singing in commercials. Others include Dr. Pepper, Almond Joy, Budweiser and because I did a quick internet search I knew to ask them about the Preparation H jingle I'd never heard of. I didn't get it on video, but it was hilarious. Worth a look around on the internet. If you like acapella music they have a new cd out right now called "BANG!". Sounded great! If you want more videos and behind the scenes stuff from this week, Martha Stewart Radio has a blog and even posted more video of Rockapella Live on Morning Living.

We also had on Chef Gavin Kaysento talk about braising (!!Loud!! music on that link if you are at work). The great thing is I was already set to braise some beef because my guy requested it on Monday, so when Chef Kaysen mentioned his braising trick, I took it and ran. What's the trick? Nothing major, just a way to cover a dish without needing a lid ...Use parchment paper! The good thing about this is it keeps the tips that peek out from your braising liquid from getting dry and tough, while still creating steam so every thing cooks. Something Chef Kaysen didn't get a chance to mention is how this method also allows a bit of the moisture to evaporate around the edges, giving you a thicker consistency without using a thickening agent, verrrry nice. Here's how my Beef and Barley Stew kicked off after I seared all the beef chunks with olive oil, salt and pepper ...It's the usual suspects. Some people call it a mirapoix (MEER-uh-pwah) or French for the combination of celery, carrots and onion, but I often add one or two other things to my base flavor so I call it a mirapoix plus 2. The two extra ingredients here are parsnips and garlic, then I threw in some spices. I'm really on a parsnip kick lately. I love all the eating seasons, but I think this time of year, when the seasons are changing is the best! Just a few short, hours later and an addition of some wine, broth and barley in the last hour, we were ready to eat!!!On the bread was just good olive oil, salt and pepper. I toasted it in the already hot oven and called it a night! It was late and we were hungry! I was happy to make my guy happy with a request, because he almost never requests anything, he just takes what I make and it always changes so he likes the variety more than anything. I'll add this to the line-up on Cooking for Real so I can share all the particulars with you, but if you are considering braising anytime soon, give the parchment method a try. Really nice results and if you are like me and sometimes want to use a dish that didn't come with a lid, it's a great little trick that is better than aluminum foil.

Ok, one more pic, then I need to get to sleep so I can be awake and ready to go in the morning! Remember how I told you about my brunch at Prune on 1st Avenue and 1st Street in NYC? Well, I made plans with a friend last week to return and today was the day I fell in love again ...That's our plate of Fried Sweetbreads. I say OUR because the preamble to this declaration was both of us devouring our own plate of Prune's Fried Oyster Omelet. I was too excited when my friend said on the final swipe of her omelet plate "I'm still hungry!". I immediately suggested "Sweetbreads? Wanna split?" and she happily agreed. Actually when we first ordered the sweetbreads were the first thing that came to mind, but I just couldn't resist another plate of the omelet, so I gave in. Let me tell you ... I have had some sweetbreads in my life, but these are right on par with the best. Gee whiz. I mean tender, smooth and the crunch on the outside was perfect without being a tad bit greasy. Now, I'm hooked and know I have to go back and finish the whole menu. I'm an omnivore and I have no dilemma lol. Luckily it's not a book, just a 1-fold menu:-).

Ok, hope you have a chance to tune in, we are having a great time and just laughing the whole way through the morning. It's Martha Stewart Radio - Morning Living 7-10AM eastern, Sirius 112 and XM 157. Tune in and join us for some fun! Wanna steam it online for a free trial period of 7 days? Click here :-).