Friday, May 20, 2011

Hangin with the 82nd Airbourne and Grandma!!

Hey there! I've been on the road a bit taping a special I pitched to Food Network a few years ago. I kept getting a "no", but as is my motto, I kept trying and finally got a "yes"! I can't say it enough here if you stop by to read about my journey, that it's all about hard work and not giving up. I also believe things happen when they are supposed to so I never really stress when I get a "no", I translate it into a "not right now". Because of that I am extremely excited for you to finally see something I've wanted to share for some time, a behind the scenes look at a big part of my life ... the military! Check me out tryin to take off ...Felt like I was playing Call of Duty!! I don't want to give too much of the special away, but it has plenty to do with the military, my family and food (of course!!).

My dad was a member of the historic 82nd Airbourne as well as an Army Ranger and there are so many things about the military I wanted to share. The special is an hour long and is scheduled to air the 4th of July weekend! I know I talk about the military plenty, but it's kind of like being from another country and always wanting to impress people with all the details and cool stuff. Plus it's just in me. It's part of my life. I just want to share what I'm proud of and give you a peak at things never seen on television before due to my unique access. Here's a little sneak peak ...

Sunday, May 15, 2011

New Cooking for Real Sunday! The Cod Father!!!

Hey, real quick, the Dr. Oz show from Friday reruns Monday on the early airing of the show, check your listings if you want to catch it again if you missed it (Charles!!!). A big thanks to the Scotto Family, Santos Loo, Chef Clarence and Charles!! I rode home and put the trophy right where it belongs ...
Ok!!!! Finally ... "The Cod Father" episode of Cooking for Real! Lol, Look, I have to admit that I love my job and one of the best parts is creating things. I get to create recipes and then compile them into menus and then I get to create a theme for a show and a title. Sometimes the cart goes before the horse and I think of a great show theme then I find the recipes that fit. I can tell you this was fish first, "cod father" second, but oh was it a good moment when the brainstorm hit me, because I knew I'd make a fool of myself and do an impression of Marlon Brando as the "God Father". I did it a few times on the show and I think they are all very bad impersonations, but I'm goofy, so I did it. That day on set I had some guests from right here on the blog and even blogged about it while taping season 9. You can read up on the behind the scenes stuff on "Day 3 is a Wrap". In the meantime, here's the latest menu ...

The Cod Father!!!
Coconut Cod
Saffron Basmati Rice
Cauliflower in Curry Cream Sauce

Cooking for Real airs Sundays (today! The Cod Father ep!) at 11AM, Weekdays 1130 and 4PM, with the Sunday repeat airing in the 4PM slot on Mondays :-) All times are eastern, check your listings here on the Food Network schedule page.

Enjoy the show! I'm heading out to North Carolina again to shooting some stuff for a special I am very excited about!! I can't wait for you to see it because it's very close to my heart. Ok, have a good weekend and I'll check in when I can!! Catch me on twitter where I say sill things in 140 characters or less ... I still predict the next social media will be the conversation. smh ... but I'll assimilate :-). Sunny Anderson Twitter

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Catch me & the Scotto's now & later, just like candy!

Hey there! Well, it surely has been a minute since I've blogged about something other than a new show. I've been so busy and I like to have "real" time to write instead of just rushing things, so I've not been able to share some cool stuff. First, I am currently taping the 10th season of Cooking for Real! I can't tell you how happy I am, it just blows my mind and I'm truly thankful. Thanks so much for watching, I'm still enjoying it like the first day.

Today I had some guests come hang out for a bite ...
That's the Scotto's! Well, some of them. My set isn't really big enough for the whole family tree and they do have a restaurant to run! So Marion, the matriarch of this big family sent me 3 of her darlings and I can't even believe we got anything done during the 22 minutes of the show (commercials happen!). That's John, Rosanna and Anthony Jr., he runs the family restaurant, Fresco by Scotto along with his brother John and his sister Elaina (not pictured). Then, Rosanna Scotto is the co-host of WNYW Fox 5 NY's, Good Day New York. She's an Emmy Award winning journalist and this week is celebrating 25 years at Fox 5! What a career! I cannot WAIT for you to see this episode of Cooking for Real when it airs. Here they are getting ready for their close up ...My director Mike said go, then all I remember is laughing and thinking to myself, these are my kind of people! They were a total blast. I watch Rosanna every morning for not only the news, but the great chemistry with her co-host, Greg Kelly. The whole morning team is really funny and I like to start the day with a smile. They make it really easy to do. Catch them live online if you ever want to see what I mean. Here's the link.

Now, the behind the scenes I leave for the blog ... I asked them to join me on Cooking for Real after we both joined Dr. Oz to tape an episode of his show for a segment called "Family Food". Think, Family Feud - with nutritional content. :-) BTW, I LOVE the newest version with Steve Harvey as the host, it's like an hour of stand up comedy!

Anyway, we taped the Dr. Oz show a few weeks back and it airs this Friday!! Here we are before we went out on the stage to compete ...
That's actually in a green room for the Jimmy Fallon show that tapes on the same floor. He has each room set up with a different animal theme, pretty cool.

Because I don't have any family in New York, my mom made room in her schedule and came to town and my dad couldn't compete because as a doctor he had an unfair advantage. So, I lined the rest of my "family" up with family in another sense :-). Along for the fun was Executive Chef Clarence Van de Mark from Del Frisco's here in NYC. I eat there maybe once a month or so and every time I leave stuffed and very happy. The steaks are crazy delicious! Next, I invited my right and left hand man, Santos Loo from Food Network. And last but certainly not least, I'm just introducing them in the order we were in on the show, is blog winner Charles!!

I can't give away too much about the competition, but I can tell you the Scotto's are a rowdy bunch, and so were we! Tune in to see how it all turns out, the winnings go to charity, so really we all win!! The Dr. Oz show we are on airs this Friday, the 13 (spoooookkkyyy!!!) on WNYW Fox 5 here in New York at 11AM. Click here for local listings.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

New Cooking for Real Sunday! Fish and Grits

Hey there! I've had such a busy week taping the new season of Cooking for Real and can't wait to share the new recipes and pictures from behind the scenes. Today on Food Network is a new episode of the show I taped earlier this year. I call it Fish and Grits and it's pretty literal, not a play on words this time :-). Check the menu ...

My Catfish Nuggets - Cut em down and they cook faster! Plus I got the idea for the quick hot sauce mixture from a place here in NYC called Prune. They serve it on a fried oyster omelet ... crazy!!

Creamy Cheesy Grits - Simply one of my fave things for breakfast. I just had a conversation about grits vs. cream of wheat and if they deserve sugar vs. savory. Where do you stand? I'm a salty grits and sugary cream of wheat person. I can't switch the two and just don't understand sweet grits, not for me at least. I love how different food is for everyone.

Simple Blueberry Apple Pie - When I say simple, I mean it. I made this for the holidays and the only change in my home kitchen was I actually made the crust instead of buying it. That's my rule, make it on special occasions, but in a pinch check out the refrigerator section of the grocery store for a little shortcut to the party.

That's it, plus some smile and stories. I hope you enjoy the new episode! There's still time to make brunch for mom after it's over ... I'm heading to my kitchen to make some brunch for myself now. I think it'll be a croissant with jelly and some of the stewed chicken I made yesterday, bacon and a sunny side up egg. Then, maybe some apple cider with mint and strawberries. Trying to get rid of those berries and mint before they die on me! In the meantime, I made a cereal shake last night and didn't feel like making a big serving, but also wanted to make sure I properly measured the ingredients so I can share the recipe with you at a later date ... I give you two pictures I was so happy to take last night before I blitzed up my midnight snack ...
Apple Jacks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Capn Crunch. Then, if you don't want to use a whole pint, but need to accurately measure half of it ... divide and conquer ...
The other half is in a freezer bag waiting on part two of the shake ... I think I have some Cocoa Puffs that need a new purpose in life ... Take care and enjoy the new show today!!!

Cooking for Real Today, Sunday May 7th (Happy Mother's Day!!!) 11am on Food Network
or tomorrow at 4pm!

And don't forget Cooking for Real also airs week mornings at 1130AM est. Plenty tof times to catch a new trick, idea of use for an ingredient in your kitchen!