Bon Bons and a Kitchen Boogie!

Hey there! A week can really breeze by, huh? I started my week with a trip home from Foxwoods where I hosted the Bon Bon Boogie Bash at the 4th Annual Foxwoods Food and Wine Festival. Here I am with my "Bon Bon" for the night ...That's my Molten Chocolate Cinnamon Pots topped with a scoop of my Butter Pecan Buttermilk Ice Cream with Butter Sauteed Bananas. Lots of butter in the latter part recipe description because it's what I made for Paula Deen on one of her future shows! I blogged about visiting her set in "Just got back from Savannah!" and can't wait to see the episode when it airs.

Want a little background on why that was my "bon bon" for the night? Well, up to just a few weeks before the festival myself, Anne and Alex were to host a gala dinner together with each of us handling a course. It was cancelled for some reason so, to fix things they put us at the bowling party together. Then, so I could still do something with food, I ended up hosting the then host-less Bon Bon Boogie Bash. The event planners decided the same recipe I was going to present at the dinner would work as a dessert for the new event, just in a smaller version. I was all ready to send over some new options, but when they gave me the solution, I thought why not? Other things at the event were very loosely bon bons, so I didn't feel too crazy for such a big serving! Take a look ...Popcorn!! Reminds me of those biiiiig canisters of popcorn you see around the holidays. And check out these cuties ...Those little egg-cups are filled with Creamy Ginger Polenta, Pumpkin Gelee & Candied Chestnut.

Thanks to everyone that came out to the festival and the party! I had so much fun!

Then, I went home to boogie in my kitchen and do some Cooking, for real :-). I recently shared the great news about being picked up for season 9 of Cooking for Real. Well, I tape the new episodes in January 2011! What a way to start off the year and that also means the end of my year is all in preparation for the next 13 shows. Actually I plan 15 and pitch 15, then they choose the 13 they like the most. The decision is usually based on seasonality and variety. I write the recipes, then theme the shows, title them and even write the show introductions. Here's something I made last night to add to an episode I'm planning ... It's a stuffing I thought up when I saw that the green plantains I bought a week or so ago were now black :-). From hard and starchy to soft and sweet, my kind of transformation! I was already making some pork chops so in the blink of an eye, I decided to stuff em and work the plantains into the game plan. I sauteed the plantains after the veggies then tossed them together for a really nice stuffing. I always save the specifics for the show, but it was sweet, spicy and savory. I stuffed it into 2-inch thick chops I pre-seared and split, then wrapped them in bacon to keep the stuffing in. It was really a huuuuuge portion. I think I'm going to call the episode "Bigger is Better". Hope it makes the cut, the final dish was so tasty my guy and I barely talked much at dinner. Can't wait to share the recipe with you!! Speaking of, Holly is still Cooking for Real over at her blog RandomCravingsBlog.com. Check out how her Cooking for Real @ home is turning out! Btw, if you are Cooking for Real @ home and have pics, let me know in comments! I'd love to see them!

Ok, hope you've had as swift a week as I have! One day until the weekend. Hey, did you hear Conan O'Brien may start working at Food Network one day???
Teeheehee, I am so happy Coco is back! I was actually down to watching a web feed of the stairwell at his office building in the weeks leading up to his debut. The stairwell show was actually funny, but the real show is obviously better! Glad it's back! Ok, enjoy your Thursday, if that's when you catch this :-).