Dr. Oz today!

Hi there, don't forget ... I'm on Dr. Oz today at 3PM! Hope you can catch it! I'm on the way to get some of my favorite chili here in Detroit! Can't wait!!!

Dr. Oz tomorrow, Bushman today!

Hey there! Just a couple of weeks ago, I got up at the crack of dawn to hang out with Dr. Oz and now it's set to air tomorrow! I gave some details in a blog I called "My trip to the Dr., Oz that is" ... check it out if you want some behind the scenes stuff. Here's the doc and I just after we taped our segment. He was sooo nice and I'm happy he thought my corny medical joke was funny.
I don't know when the segment airs during the show, but check his local listings page for your local show time and channel. It airs in NYC on FOX 5 @ 3PM. Set the TiVo/DVR and get ready to learn about some healthy stuff you can make in a cinch! Hope you like the show!

I'm in Detroit today visiting some friends and places I've missed since I left in 2001. If you are a Detroiter, I'll be on with Bushman @ WJLB today around 3pm. He's a buddy from my radio days here and even though at the time we worked at competitors, we didn't care and were the best of buds. Radio can be a weird land where the employees of one station actually dislike employees of other stations. I've seen it get nasty and it's not like that everywhere, but I'd say it's the prevailing sentiment from each market I worked in. I never understood it, because if I worked at Mc Donald's and you worked at Burger King, I'd still be your buddy :-). Let the suits not like each other, I don't own the company. So, anyway Bushman, a DJ here in Detroit was just the opposite of every other radio jock I'd met from the "competition". In a word ... NICE. So, we've kept in touch and I can't wait to see him today! Catch us catchin' up around 3pm. If you aren't a Detroiter and you still want to tune in, they stream on the internet! Just check out WJLB's Website and click on the listen live tab!

San Juan and Beyond

Hey there! I'm in Chicago for a charity event tomorrow (Saturday)! It's the 2010 True Flavors Celebrity Cook-off with True Child. It's an organization that insures children see their full potential and not be held back by narrow stereotypes for boys or girls. They are particularly concerned with the special challenges faced by children who are at risk or disadvantaged especially in the LGBT community. Check out True Child's website.

Ok, I just wanted to give you a heads up about tomorrow's Cooking for Real. It's called San Juan and Beyond and it's in honor of my 1st visit to Puerto Rico. I had so much fun it would be hard to explain, but I can say one thing ... I ate my way through that island!! Here are some pics from my vacation to inspire you if you like pork, which is what the show is all about tomorrow...
That's me next to my dinner. We stayed in San Juan and enjoyed the food in the tourist area, but you know it's all about eating like the locals. So, we asked around, rented a car and we took a trip to the mountains for a place all the locals know about in the city of Guavate. There's a street called Calle los Pinos and the whole street is lined with purveyors of pig on a spit and so much more.
I stepped in further and took a picture from a better angle. Then proceeded to tell the lady taking my order "con todo" or "with everything" lol. She looked at us like we were crazy, but then piled us up with one of every side. Yaaaay!!! That's her adding up our total ...

This is the spread from the first day. Yes, we went back after a day of rest and digestion lol. These are my plates ...

That's pork with crispy skin on the left, then morcilla which is a Puerto Rican blood sausage that reminds me of what we called 'pudding' in North Carolina when I was growing up. Then on the table is a some yucca boiled in garlic sauce and of course ... a cerveza :-). The skin was so crunchy we could hear it over the pounding rain behind us. It was an open air place and a band was playing, little stray dogs came by for a bite. A really great meal. My guy was too busy eating and I wanted to remember the crunch so ...

Extreme close up, but boy was that some crunchy skin! Ok, hope you like the show tomorrow! I share my recipe for P.R. Pernil and Faux-fungo, which is my easy and simple way to make mofungo without all the pomp and stance. Catch it! Cooking for Real - Saturday at noon!

Chefs Vs. City wrap up

So ... we lost! Chefs Vs. City was fun and fear I may sound like a reality show contestant cliche, so I won't bore you with the "that's not how it went" stories, but suffice it to say ... I totally get what the reality show contestants are talking about. Editing can be interesting! Okay, here are some photos I couldn't share before ...
That's Aaron and Chris diving (pun) into the first challenge at Miami's Casa Blanca Seafood Bar & Grill. The way this was taped, If we were a few seconds behind but the camera's had to stop to reset, we had to wait to begin based on some one timing the events. Very confusing because we could never tell who was keeping time, but that's neither here nor there. The funny thing is right after we finished this task and I wiped my fishy hands on the owner's face, I rounded the corner to exit the shop and proceeded to slip and fall in a very funny way. Instant karma and it was hilarious. It didn't make it because the camera's didn't get a perfect shot, but I still get a teeny giggle thinking about it. I felt much better later when Aaron fell on the goat challenge teeheehee. I feel bad he was the only one caught on camera falling down though ... so I'm owning up to it! Here we are at the end ...
We'd just stepped off the elevator to the rooftop of the hotel and right ahead of us in a narrow pathway were the guys. We had such a good time even though it was basically a day of running, driving and frenzied competition. Those guys work hard!!! Catch more episodes on Sunday night's ... Competition Night @ 9PM Est!

So real quick, just yesterday I stopped by Food Network for some meetings and ran into a freelance editor that works on Cooking for Real. We'd never met before and we chatted quickly before I headed into a meeting. I told him how neat it was to watch a finished show knowing what went into it and how I delight in the simple things like hearing a music bed drop in or seeing a really pretty shot of my food cooking. I really like all the parts of putting together a show, which is why I try to share as much as I can here. Jeff said he'd been so into editing the show, that many nights he went home and he and his wife were inspired by what he saw. That's what it's all about! I was just so happy and really appreciated the compliment. It deserves some return in love, so I say to Jeff and anyone else that watches Cooking for Real and gets the foodie tickle, thank you so much. It's really neat to hear the stories and it's nice that you would allow me in your homes in a foodie way. I truly don't take it for granted. Jeff mentioned he had a picture of an inspired meal and I asked him to email it ...
Looks gooood!!! Looks like my I Want Mussels episode ... and now, looking at that picture ... I do want some mussels! I can't have them in the near future though because today I shoot 2 segments for Best Thing I Ever Ate. I can't tell you where I'm going, but one place is in Queens and the other is in Brooklyn. I'd also like to show you what I'm wearing to one of the locations ...
Yes ... those are adult onesies teeheehee. I don't know how I got into this mess, but I love it! They just came in the mail the other day and I couldn't wait to try them on before the shoot. I'll be sure to let you know when the episode runs and I'll take pics tomorrow if any thing seems interesting. Alright ... take care!

Warm and Fuzzy Spring Tomorrow!!

Hey there! If you picked up the April issue of Essence magazine with Zoe Saldana on the cover, this weekend's Cooking for Real should look familiar. It's still on stands so grab it! Inside I had an Easter themed articled filled with some of my picks for an easy Easter dinner. Take a look ...
The Lima Bean Puree in the top right corner is my star side this weekend and made the editor's really happy over at Essence Magazine when I suggested it for an Easter spread. The colors are spring, the taste is spring and it's a great healthy side for an eating holiday. If you click to enlarge you can get a preview of the recipe.

Catch my Minty Grean Lima Bean Puree, Roasted Half Chicken and PB&J Choctini on this Saturday's newest Cooking for Real - Warm and Fuzzy Spring at 12noon!

Chefs Vs. City This Sunday!

Hope you are enjoying your week so far, I'm in Chicago for "up fronts", which is an industry name for basically a big sales meeting. The networks present shows and talent to advertisers. I've seen actors do it for network shows and had no idea I'd ever be involved in one. Par for the course, eh? I love new stuff and with this new leg of my career, I am really enjoying the change of pace. I don't mind swapping hosting concerts with 60,000 screaming hip hop fans for a business meeting in a hotel conference room. Only difference is the clothes I'm wearing. Can't really do jeans and a t-shirt at the up fronts. So, I'll share some behind the scenes stuff if it isn't too stuffy for pictures. Ok, on the subject at hand ... the new season of Chefs Vs. City!!

A few weeks back I shared some behind the scenes deets in my Weakened Warriors blog post about a Chefs Vs. City episode I taped with Claire Robinson, Chef Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino. Check the post if you have time because there are plenty of pictures and a decent preview of the show this weekend.

Claire was fun to work with, but lemme tell you ... we chatted before we shot the show and I found out she'd had no less than 3 cars totalled while she was at the wheel in her native Tennessee. Unfortunately, I let my NJ driver's license expire and never renewed because I live in New York now and love the train and how green it makes me feel to take it. I also have a car-sickness thing when I'm not driving. That being said, I went into this taping knowing for a person that gets car sick, I had a day ahead of me as a passenger riding with the car crusher! So tune in this weekend to see if we survive the streets of Miami victoriously.

Here she is from my vantage point driving us to victory or defeat ... no spoilers here :-). You can find out which team won this weekend!
Catch the All Star Miami episode of Chefs Vs. City at 10PM. TiVo or DVR if you can't stay up on a school night ... I still call them that even though I don't go to school anymore :-). Then, check back here Monday and I'll have some behind the scenes flicks that I can't show now, plus some stories about the day. It's hard not telling!

Hammin' it up Saturday - Easy is as Easy Does

Hey there! So this weekend's show is all about making a super simple meal starting with the protein. I try to chronicle plenty of my development process here on the blog and happen to have some background reading if you didn't catch the making of this episode.

Back in early February I hit the Food Network kitchen to prepare and demonstrate my recipes for the culinary staff on the show. It was the end of the recipe development stage for the episodes airing now and I wrote a blog called Kitchen Time is a Wrap! to share some stories and pictures from the kitchen. You can see a preview of two recipes I'll present this Saturday on Cooking for Real.

Also check my blog post Back to Class, I wrote it on the first day back to taping shows and just by chance the first episode we taped is the one airing this weekend! I share an on-set picture of me between acts tending to the ham chops as well as some other behind the scenes stuff.

I call this weekend's Cooking for Real, Easy is as Easy Does and I hope you agree, the recipes are pretty simple! I even try to take the mystery out of making a quick popover that actually pops! It airs at 12 noon here on the East Coast and if you check the Food Network Show Schedule page, you can check your local listings.

Hope you like the show and the recipes! If you are having a hard time finding ham chops in your area, ham steak or pork chops work just fine :-).

Have some time to kill at work? Read up on the ham steak, the ham chop's cousin at Wisegeek.com

ok... Cooking for Real, Saturday @ Noon!!

My trip to the Doctor, Oz that is

Hey there! Well, I told you yesterday about my plans to visit the set of Dr. Oz today and I took a few pics to show you what the day was like. I got up at 6AM this morning to get into the 7AM car they sent for me. I actually snoozed until 620 and got in the car a tad late, but that's because I live much closer to Manhattan than most think. Some people think Brooklyn is far and some parts of it are, but where I live is pretty close. I can get from home to midtown in about 25 minutes. Pretty fast, so I always know I can get in extra snooze button hits when I work in the city and someone sends a car.

At 745 I arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and was greeted curbside and hustled inside where I showed my I.D. to get a badge and then we caught an elevator to Dr. Oz's Studio, which I found out is Conan O'Brien's old studio. I dropped my bag in my little green room and headed to the studio for the show rehearsal.
That's my view of the stage as I wait in an empty audience for my turn to go up and run through my segment. That's the floor director, the director and Allie, my segment producer. Again, I just think television is such a happy place because everyone on the Dr. Oz staff was so nice and pleasant. Really cool for an early morning call. I wake up pretty happy and it can be boring if I'm the only one pumped up at 8AM. Almost right after I took the above picture, it was my turn to go on stage and rehearse the segment.
That's my point of view from the stage. We basically just went through where we'd stand, who would do what when and how much time we had to get the segment done. It all took about 5 minutes and then I was escorted back to my room where I was greeted by an hour or so of hair and make up and a plate of green room food ... Dr. Oz style ...
Yes, you are looking at a plate of healthy mini bran muffins! When I realized what they were I giggled to myself a bit and then thought, well did I expect him to have bagels and cream cheese and bacon and eggs or something? It's Dr. Oz! So, anyway, I give him a big thumbs up for the healthy start. I had one and it was so moist and something about a bran muffin always makes me drink plenty of water, so of course, the drink of choice back stage at Dr. Oz was water. Perfect. I guzzled a few mini water bottles, brushed off the crumbs and sat still to get some professional work done and then snapped a pic ...
I waited in my room and went over notes for about 30 more minutes and then it was go time! I headed to the stage and got set up where we planned and next thing you know we were live ... to tape. Jill was the name of the audience member that joined us on stage and she was really cool under pressure and plenty of fun to do the segment with. Hope you catch the show when it airs. Here's Dr. Oz and me after we taped the segment.
That's me hunching and giggling, a habit I need to drop in pictures, but it does catch a moment in time, so hey. We'd both just finished laughing about something. He's such a nice guy, I guess in his language you'd say he has great bedside manner. I grew up with a daddy that is a doctor, so I think it's great that he is having a national conversation about the things we often discussed at home growing up, but I knew other households weren't so much judging from my friends. Medicine and personal health are so personal to some that it seldom gets discussed. Anyway, I had a chance to tell him thanks and he was so gracious and we even giggled a bit. Nice guy and I can't wait for you guys to see the show!! It airs April 28th! So please set your TiVos and DVRs!!! I'll put up a reminder closer to the date, but just so you know.

Instead of running back home right after taping the show I ran errands and then right as I was about to head underground for the ride home, I ran into the perfect way to book end my Dr. Oz visit ...
The cupcake truck!! I know, I know ... I had such a good start, but I've heard and even read about this truck in the paper and it's a traveling truck. That means you gotta catch it when you see it, or follow it on Twitter or something, I'm sure. Anyway, no matter how I rationalized it ... I was going to stop! Take a look at the menu ...
I decided on the mini 5-pack. It struck me as pretty neat I could get the same package size as the bran muffins from Dr. Oz, plus the 12 pack would mean that I'd have to eat them all. I can do that, but why? Summer is on the way! Time to drop a quick 10 and fit into a cover up! Lol ... and OMG I just realized typing this that it means I payed a buck each for a teeny MINI cupcake!?!?!? Sugar will make you do crazy things, huh? Ok, well, just wanted to share a bit. Here's my mini cupcakes, minus a bite. :-)
And after eating 2 more, I can firmly say they are each worth $1 and for their size, they are extremely moist! Which is sometimes hard to do in a tiny tin. Glad I ran into them and got a chance to poetically end my business day kinda the way it started, save for a few extra calories on the end.

Don't forget the Dr. Oz segment airs on his April 28th show! Hope you tune in!!!

BTW and Didja Know ...

Hey there! Just a couple of things ... BTW ...

I'm heading down to the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival this year and have a special event I'd love for you to attend! I even have a discount code that only works for the next couple of days, so if you are planning to attend or know a fellow foodie that is, send them the link and details...

The festival is from July 29th - August 1st. I'll be there the whole weekend hanging out, but I have a rooftop pool party planned for that Saturday, July 31st. My party is at Caesars's - Atlantic City and originally it was called "Dinner Under the Stars", but then I checked the internet for the sunset time on that date and the event time is more along the lines of a sunset, which worked perfectly because I wanted to serve something fun and less formal, like sliders ... and of course spirits will pour, so I changed it to "Sunset, Spirits and Sliders". I plan on a menu of a few different types of sliders with different proteins and then some fun sides to go with them all and a dessert. No real details yet, but as soon as I have them, you know I'll share :-).

Ok, to the discount. Tickets for my event go on sale officially this Friday, April 9th, but if you click the link for the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival and then, click on the "Tickets and Events" tab, you can scroll down to "Sunset, Spirits and Sliders with Sunny Anderson". Click on "Purchase Tickets" beneath my picture and when it's time to buy the tickets enter promotional code "FOOD10". That'll save you $25!!! That's real money if you ask me, and special thanks to Jen, we all know her from comments ... she was nice enough to alert me of the savings, so I'm passing it on to you! Hope to see you there!! Not into all the clicking or the flash download? Go straight to Ticketmaster and start there, just know the old event name may pop up, but you are in the right place for the right tickets, enter the promotional code the same (FOOD10) and you'll get your discount! Hope to see you there and spread the word about the discount, it may work for other events that weekend and just about all the Food Network hosts are scheduled!

AND DIDJA KNOW??

I'm taping an episode of Dr. Oz tomorrow? Well, I am teeheehee. As is par for his course, it's about health and where I come in is I provide a couple of easy recipes that are a cinch to pull together and they also happen to be pretty good for ya. I don't want to give away the segment too much, but if you watch Dr. Oz you know he likes to have audience participation and there's usually some fun involved, so I can't wait! I don't know if it's live or only in NYC live and then syndicated to the rest of the country, but if I find out throughout the course of the day, I'll amend this post just in case you are interested. For now it's off to get my nails done just in case they get a close up tomorrow, because they've grown a bit gnarly and need to be tamed. Hope you are enjoying some of the same weather we have here in Brooklyn ... I've been on my stoop most of the morning handling work from here, such a nice breeze!

OK ... don't forget ... get those tickets and spread the word, I'd love to meet you if you are in the area and I'd say a rooftop pool party is a good setting!!!