Buns, Apps, Cravings, Fun and More!

Hey there!

BUNS!!!
I made mention a post or so ago that I was still rounding out my menus for the next season of Cooking for Real because we start taping in January. Seems far, but it's close when the holidays are on the way and we are already getting into mid-November. Here's the latest addition to my season 9 menus ...Those are my Glazed Apple-Pecan Cinnamon Buns and if you do a count, it's a bakers' dozen!! Recession is ova!!! Teeheehee, whatever happened to the "baker's dozen"? Well, I got this one by accident, really. In development you just try stuff out and I was concerned with the "room-to-grow" factor and removed a few buns from the cake pan before the ride in the oven. I ended up with 13 buns, but plenty of dough left, so I'm plumping up the height of the buns on my next test to make sure I leave no dough on the table. :-) Sounds like I'm brokering a deal! Hope you like the recipe when I share it on the show, the website and now .....


APPS!!!
Well, just over a month ago I had an episode of Cooking for Real that I titled "I Have an App for That". It was a play on the whole advertising campaign for the iPhone applications many people use to make their day easier. Well, my "Apps" weren't applications, but were totally applicable to Appetizers. Now, we have a real App you can use! If you are App crazy, head to the App store and download the Food Network: In the Kitchen application! It's basically more than 45,000 recipes straight from FoodNetwork.com and more neat bells and whistles. There's a shopping list function, a measurements and amounts converter, a cool clock that counts down while you are cooking, the ability to upload your own recipes, neat categories for recipes or an ingredient-based search and so much more. The one thing I like the most about the App is that every time recipes get added to FoodNetwork.com, they are added to the App! It's a cookbook that keeps growing! It's just a buck.99 :-), not bad for 45,000 recipes and more at your finger tips!

Last night was the kick off event for the App and I spent some time on a panel with our design team and creative people that brought it to life. I never got a chance to take any pics, but there was plenty of tweetin' goin' on. Teeheehee, sounds funny when I type it. Ok, real quick, so you know I'm totally feeling old because I need my bff to give me a twitter 101 course before I start talking and stuff. I see plenty of people I just want to say hi to, but I first need to know what I'm doing. Is this the beginning to feeling old? Not intuitively knowing technology? Too funny, well take a look around for some fun pics from last night and click and follow me in the meantime, @SunnyAnderson :-). I promise when I start tweeting, for real :-), I'll withhold my minutiae and do my best to have fun with it. I'm no @AzizAnsari, but I'll do my best to make you smile :-). Ok ...

CRAVINGS!!

Hey, remember when I told you about a brunch-changing experience I had at Prune here in NYC? Well, one of my brunch co-conspirators was Holly at RandomCravingsBlog.com. She put up a cool post just after, then surprised me with an even crazier post soon after that! Turns out she's Cooking for Real, for 6 weeks in a row and sharing it with all her readers!! I was too busy to alert you to her first results post Cooking for Real, Week One - Appetizers and Dessert, but I'm right on time for her second post Cooking for Real, Week Two - Moderation Flies Out the Window! It just went up this morning for your weekend enjoyment :-). Holly has hand-picked some recipes from this new season of shows and is taking them into her kitchen, even adding me to her Thanksgiving menu! Niiiiiiiiice, I'm seriously honored. Check out the blog and bookmark it, she's got some good stuff over there.

FUN ...

I'm headed to Connecticut in the next few hours for some Food and Wine fun! Check in over the weekend and I'll post some pictures from the Foxwoods Food and Wine Festival. If you are in the area, tickets are still available and I have plans to do the bowling event to night and I host the Bon Bon Boogie Bash tomorrow! Come out and say hi! No, really ... say hi :-), I never mind stopping to talk!

More!!!

There's a new episode of Cooking for Real premiering tomorrow on Food Network! It's called Cooking for Real: After School Special. Back when we were taping this episode I wanted to do a tribute to Mr. Roger's and even shared my goal here with my post, Trivets aren't Trivial, but as it would happen, it takes plenty to fill those shoes. Like how do I walk in the door with everything I need to immediately get started on cooking? There were camera lighting and blocking issues and just too many kinks I hadn't considered. Well, I didn't have the answer then, but after we did an actual walk-through on the set, my brain began to work on it and I realized I could plan the show and recipes better. So, I scrapped the whole tribute and will hopefully chase that teeny goal in my next season of shows in January. Can't wait to give it a try after planning it better! In the meantime, catch the show and enjoy my Chicken Chorizo Patty Melt, Jicama Salsa and my Red Velvet Swirl Brownies. Holly says she's going to try the Jicama Salsa and the Red Velvet Swirl Brownies for next week's RandomCravingsblog post, can't wait! If you already have the Food Network: In the Kitchen App, these recipes are already there! Ok, take care and enjoy your weekend! Again, if you are headed to Foxwoods, say hi so we can chat, for real :-)!!