BIG GAME MADNESS!!! New show tomorrow, Access Hollywood Monday!

Hey! There's a new Cooking for Real tomorrow, I'm hangin out on Food Network all weekend between shows and catch me Monday on Access Hollywood live :-). I'm all over these grid-iron eats!

You know we LOVE a food holiday at Food Network and next week's Sunday festivities are just in time if you ask me. Even though the JETS didn't make it, I'm still gonna figure out a way to celebrate and the addition of some comfort food will soothe my wounds. I am really excited actually, just think about it -- next to New Year's Day, the BIG GAME kicks off the eating season for the year. So, one season closes and another opens. All this weekend we have everything you need on Food Network to plan for a great party and we also have some great ideas and recipes online. Remember when I told you a few weeks ago my girl Natina and I taped some stuff at the Chip Shop in Brooklyn? Well, those segments are running all weekend on Food Network, so I hope you enjoy! Ok here's a list of stuff to check out ...

NEW Cooking for Real airs Sunday at 11AM!
It's called GAMER'S GATHERING
On the menu tomorrow ...
Spicy Boiled Peanuts - These are so easy to make and perfect for a party. My dad made these all the time growing up, I just added some spice. Make these the day before and reheat them the morning of the BIG GAME :-). Then make sure there's a big bowl for everyone to discard their shells.

Grown Up Bologna Sandwiches - Just what it sounds like, the childhood pleasure on an adult palate. These are clever and an easy sell to any beefy or skinny guy for that manner, cuz my dude loves them!

Nachos Blanco with Roasted Jalapeno Salsa - Along the same theme, these are grown-up nachos. Not bachelor/bachelorette nachos. Not college student nachos. But, grown woman and man nachos lol. I just think the "huge block of cheese melted with salsa" nachos has seen it's days and the "broiler-burned chips with crusty melted cheddar cheese" nachos is just a tragedy. So, I say phone in the chicken and buy the rotisserie from the grocer, but make the salsa and the cheese sauce. You know if I'm doing it, it's EASY. Trust me, for the little bit of work needed for these nachos, the compliments will be exponential.

And to drink ...
BEER PUNCH!!! - This is something I came up with about 4 years ago. I was working at a magazine called HIP HOP WEEKLY as the Food & Lifestyle editor. I had a little column called Belly of the Beats and interviewed various recording artists about what they ate, cooked, like to drink, etc. Well, rapper Da Brat said she loved to put a drop of grenadine in her beer to turn it pink. I thought, "that's cute", but then thought to myself "where's the flavor with just a drop?". Felt almost like a wasted ingredient that if used right could add flavor and color. So I added some fruit, more grenadine, some sugar and a squirt of lime juice! Now, the grenadine is doing more work than just looking pretty. Give this one a try, beer drinkers like it and so do people that say "eww, I don't do beer".

Still need more help with your BIG GAME party? Check out my section on Food Network.com called Sunny's Strategic Super Bowl Menu

or check out the end zone for Big Game party hosts, touchdowns in the kitchen allowed :-), That's over at the BIG GAMEsegment of the website.


I'm in California a bit early this weekend for my Monday morning visit to Access Hollywood Live with Billy and Kit. I was just here for Thanksgiving and now I'm back with some great tips for a successful Gameday strategy. DVR and check your local listings. Or, just click here and see if it's in your area.

We're done taping!

Hey! Taping got the best of me and I wasn't able to keep up with the pace and post blogs at the same time for the last three days, but I still have pictures and videos from shooting the 9th season of Cooking for Real. We just wrapped today and just in time for another snow storm! Look who joined me on the show yesterday ...
It's AARTI!!!!! And please believe, we had a PARTY! She came on a show I title "It Takes Two to Salsa" and salsa we did :-). She is such a ball of sunshine and having her on felt like the thing to do. We met when I was taping NFNS: After Party and have been online chat buddies ever since. I can't wait for you to see us in the kitchen together!!! She a blast and really brought some crazy flavor!! We taped the first show of the day together and I still had another to go. So, she headed out to get some things done, but not before leaving me a sweet note in the green room ...Sweet huh? She's the best and I hope you are catching her show, it's such a nice departure from the norm and the flavors she can brings into your kitchen without any new shopping, is so valuable. Trust me, you have these ingredients or can get them in your grocery store.

Between shows I chatted with the crew at AOL DayBreak and the video is up now, no need to click away though, I've got the code ...

You’re watching Daybreak: The Rich Beg for iPads. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Pretty fun, thanks to the team from AOL! Such pros!! Oh wait, before I forget ... I also had some other studio guests! If you hang out in the comments here a bit you may know of Charles. A few months ago I met him in Philly at an event I hosted for Aetna Healthcare and he asked if he could visit the set. I never say no to a visit! I don't have a studio audience show, but I'll set up a chair and hand out some candy :-). Here we are right before a quick tour of the Food Network kitchens and my set ...That's Charles next to me and his guy Tremaine, next to Aarti. Pretty cool they got a bonus with the visit from Aarti, eh?! I can't wait for you to see this new episode! I don't know how we got any cooking done, it was all laughs and chatter. Love her!

Then today, I decided to have my parents stop by and hang out with me! The production team worked hard to plan a funny surprise for them on my show. I'll save what it is until it airs, but check out just a small part of the team hovered around the surprise trying to figure out how to make it work within the show on my set ...I mean ... for the better part of an hour more than 20 or so people were brainstorming and working on the staging of the surprise. They discussed at length the hows, whens, how fast, where, everything, you could imagine for what will end up being about 2 minutes of television. Total group of pros, this hard work has nothing to do with a paycheck, this is dedication to doing the best. Pretty cool to watch them work it out. The hard work was worth it because the surprise went off without a hitch and it's pretty funny. I can't wait for you to see me catch my parents off guard when it airs. This episode is called, "Fish n Grits". As soon as I get new airdates I'll let you know.

Ok, one last thing before I fall asleep to the sounds of American Idol ... I went to Columbus, Ohio this past weekend to hang out at Giant Eagle Market District and cooked for a crowd of smiling people. If you were there thanks so much for turning out to have fun and eat, for real! I'm glad you stuck around for dessert :-). Here's a pic of the culinary team that helped everything go off without a hitch ...Giant Eagle is a huuuuuuuuuuge superstore and each time I go, I feel like big time grocery shopping is the one thing I miss living here in NYC. We don't have football field grocery stores in the city. That means you have to go all over the place to get many things. I don't mind because I end up finding so much more than I'm looking for, but I truly envy you if you are close to a Giant Eagle. I mean ... dry-aged beef, gelato and Cap'n Crunch for sale under the same roof?? Sign me up and upgrade my membership please. Teeheehee, for real.

Ok, last, but not least. A special huge hello to straight A student Zamarius from FAIRMOORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!!!!! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! Sorry it took me a few days to post, but I'm a woman of my word Zamarius! Hug your mom!

Ok, I'm heading to Los Angeles to tape Access Hollywood with Kit and Billy Monday, stick around for some California love :-).

From snow to Ohio!

Hey there! Well, day 4 of taping Season 9 of Cooking for Real was plenty of fun!! I opened the window to my hotel and saw what the weather did over night ...
Not much, eh? I got to work and the day started with some friends ...There they are getting all ready for their close up. When I have airdates, I'll share more details. We had a great time taping, I wonder how we got any cooking done. For real :-)

Ok, well it's the end of the week and I'm beat! Hence the quick post ... I'm in Ohio though, ready to hang out tomorrow at the Giant Eagle within the Kingsdale Market District in Columbus. Come on by if you are in the area, I have a fun menu and plenty of smiles to share :-).

Day 3 is a wrap, now how 'bout some snow!

Hey there! Well, day three went by so fast and probably because I had some guests in the studio!!! Take a look ...That's Lys from the blog Cooking in Stilettos and Jen from the blog One Curly Fry in a Box of the Regular. I met them both here on the blog and together and separately we've enjoyed some fun, food and drinks together in now 3 states! I'm looking forward to more fun this year ladies and what a way to kick it off with a set visit! SoBe is next!!

I shot two shows today, Comforting Classics and one title I'm very, very proud of ... The COD Father. Teeheehee, it's complete with my very own version of a Marlon Brando impersonation. It's bad, really bad. But I took one for the team and made a great meal between outbursts of Brando. I'm a total cornball and very cool with it. Can't wait for you to see some of my corniness. Ok, it's set to snow tonight in NYC, so instead of sleeping in my own bed out in Brooklyn, I'm holed up in a hotel room close to work so I don't have to worry about getting into the city tomorrow morning. The best thing across the nation at a hotel is a caesar salad, if you ask me. So that was dinner, told the room service guy to take back the bread sticks and butter or I'd eat em! There was enough bread in that basket to make a 9X13 of bread pudding!

Tomorrow's shows are called Piling it on and Easier Than it Looks :-), and trust me it's alll easy! Stick around and if you are in the NYC area, bundle up for another one!

Pull up a chair!

Hey there! Day two is over as we continue to tape the 9th season of Cooking for Real and it was just as fun and exciting as yesterday. Well, I finally got my act together and between the action caught a snap of the newest addition to my set ...Chairs!!! Also if you look close I have a new extension to my counter for guests to lean in and have a bite! This season we decided to have some people come and hang out with me while I cook, for real :-). It looks like a bar or better yet a diner counter!!! Which reminds me ...
Teeheehee, totally showing my age. That show was so funny! Ok, then I got a picture right before we finished the last show of the day ...That's Wendy Waxman looking over her selections for the final dishes I'll plate everything on. Each time I go back to tape a new season she has a new additions to my "show cupboards". This time around I'm noticing some really pretty textured and painted bowls and plates. Can't wait for you to see them all! Ok, stick around for more stuff! Day three on the way!

... And we're back!

Hi there! Today we started taping season 9 of Cooking for Real and I think I slept maybe 4 hours last night. I'm just too wired, excited, anxious, everything! Here's a shot from the end of today ... I call that picture "Lights Out!". A split second before we took it, the stage lights were dimmed because it was the end of the day for us. That's Jeff and Des, they've worked on so many Food Network shows, to list them would be silly. That's 2 shows down and 11 more to go! Can't wait for you to see them!!

As usual, I can't share all the details, but I can give up some goods. Remember how I mentioned the kitchen set got an addition? Well, I saw it today and I really like it. I'll take some pictures and post them up. I only thought to get that picture from above at the very end of the day. I was so focused on work I completely forgot most everything else. Has that ever happened to you? Maybe a full day and you notice at the end you forgot you even own a cell phone because you never thought to use it? Focus is something crazy, it just takes over everything doesn't it? Love, love, love the human body and how it works. Well, I am just so happy to be back and I love the recipes this season, plenty of comfort and ease. Easy for me to say, right? Can't wait for you to see them and give some things a try! I can tell you the names of the shows from today the first was "Smother and Hover" and the second was "Diner Breakfast". Tomorrow it's "Don't Scrimp on the Shrimp" and "Much Ado About Stuffing" :-).

I really have fun titling the shows and recipes, it's kind of an added bonus. I get to flex my corny side and it feels good teeheehee. Ok, I don't have much more except here's a picture I took while we were planning my shows. A sign of things to come ...That's Santos holding out my Caprese Steak, quite like my Caprese Burger, but you need a knife for this one. I let him do the honors of slicing it up so we could all take a bite! Can't wait for you to give it a try if you like a good steak with a twist! Then, this next one allows me to end on a sweet note ..
It's my Easy Blueberry Apple Pie, and although I love a shortcut of the ready-made pie crust, this is homemade, just as it will be on the show. I was planning these episodes around the holidays and I didn't really want to "phone it in" for holiday meals, so now I get to share with you a quick and easy method to perfect, flaky and buttery pie crust. It's easy, trust me! I'm not a pastry chef!! But guess who is?!? Another way to end sweet ...It's Anne Thornton, host of Food Network's Dessert First. If you haven't already, you have to check out her show! She is so much fun and she was planning her next season of the show when I happened upon her heavenly creation. She's holding it, but it's so far away, lemme give you a close-up ...Click on the picture, I beg you. It's totally worth a 30 second day dream! I stopped in my tracks when I saw it. You can't even really see what's beneath the whipped top, it's deep and decadent. I don't know what she calls it, but I can't wait to see it on her show!! Alright, time to get ready for day two! Stick around for some behind the scenes stuff!

The flood gates are open!!

Hey there! That's me and my bestie Natina taping some segments in Brooklyn last Wednesday for an upcoming promotion on Food Network. Can you guess when this may air?? We taped at place I go for a good beer and something ... ANYthing fried to perfection, Chip Shop. Here I am with one one of the owners, Suzanne.

If everyone needs a Cheers, Chip Shop is mine - complete with a visit from my parents that started sober and ended hilarious. Can't wait for you to see what we shot, of course I'll give more deets when I can, but being here promises that you've got the scoop already!

Well, looks like from comments while I'm thinking I'm saving you from the stereotypical boring vacation slide show, I'm actually holding out on ya! I also took counsel from a former blogger and friend, and he too agrees with you in comments, sharing is caring teeheehee. I now feel so bad I didn't post that 15-lb lobster tail last year! Someone asked in comments where I got the Jurassic Park-sized tails ... I got em in Eleuthera, an outer island of the Bahamas that is an inexpensive, must-stay with a jillion empty and beautiful beaches. I just didn't want to over share, as I actually do in person. So, I promise from now on to post pics from vacay, but since everyone has been so encouraging ... how about a VIDEO??!!

Hope you liked my first video. I haven't edited video since I was in training for broadcasting for the Air Force. Back then one of the pieces of equipment was so big we called it a "toaster" and now I'm editing on a tiny laptop. No cords, board or speakers needed. Crazy.

Anywho, the vacay was to Paris, France. Here's a picture from the day we landed ... in the middle of a blizzard!

Here are a couple more food shots ...Far East in France ...There's a huge and growing Asian immigrant population in Paris and we took advantage of it. We ate all over the place, even at the Louvre. This is a cream of asparagus soup I got at the museum. It had the crunchiest little, oil-laden croutons ...

Very smooth and balanced, see the saffron? Then a vegetable terrine at a place on the Champs Elysees ...
It needed salt, but I tend to think that about many things. And finally a bowl of rummaged through mussels. The frites were served in a little cup on the side and happily throughout dinner, as I ate them, fresh and hot new ones arrived like a refill of tap water. Loved it!

We ended up in Paris because while I was planning a sunny beach vacation I ran into a really cheap apartment rental in Paris. It was actually cheaper to go to Europe than hitting the Caribbean. Another thing, just in case you are a tripper ... it's WAAAAAAY cheaper to rent an apartment or house on vacation if you are planning. Only difference is no room service, but I actually enjoy cooking and dining out on vacay, as I call it. Plus no crazy hotel and tourist taxes added on to the bottom line of the lodging bill. Even in the lean times I've scrounged and taken a vacation at least once a year since I left home at 18, refueling is important for the battle (military ref. lol), but seriously ... growing up moving around all the time, kinda turned me into a "change of scenery" seeker. So, we booked the trip and immediately began to work on our French. I'd been a few times before in my pre-teens, but it was my guy's first time. All I really wanted to know how to say was, "one more please" and "please can I have some more" lol ...

And now, in the new spirit of sharing ... a final note from my babies ...Meow, meow. :-) That's Truffle on the left and Cheddar on the right. You can buy your cats toys, but they always end up playing with other stuff, the laundry basket is the new thing all of a sudden. Both are rescue cats. Cheddar, or "Ched-rock" was taken to our local vet for boarding and her owners never picked her up and the number they left was fake. I found her 4 months into her extended and caged stay when I made my boyfriend take his cat, yes HIS cat to the vet for a check up. His is a rescue as well, found his on the street years before we met, and very nasty. I keep telling him it's feral lol. Cheddar has a super protruding chest bone, not all of her teeth and when we got her she was a bit ill and in need of some TLC. She's just fine now and she brings me joy everyday, can't believe someone would leave her :-(. Her biggest worry these days is which treats she gets, how many and when. Then my Truffle or "Truffle-duffel" as I tend to call him was at the right place at the right time, I got him from an ASPCA truck during NY Pet Week last year while waiting to meet friends for a trip to Coney Island. Truffle, a Maine Coon, talks allllllll day everyday, very loudly. Cat owners know what I mean. We think it's why he's a rescue, some owners just don't see the beauty in quirks like that, I rather like my kitty alarm clock :-). I mean he is up at 7AM everyday, just talking. To whom? We have no idea lol. If I wanted a quick million I'd record him saying "Hello" and send it to AFV. He also does this very human-like stand on his hind legs when he wants to be picked up, and like a baby he also prefers to be held over the shoulder. Really cute. I know, this totally puts me in the running to be a cat lady, but I'm not, I grew up with dogs and look forward to adding some to the pack soon. Trust me though, rescues are hard to pass up, just ask Lindsey in comments... she was there when I rescued Truffle, he was undeniable.

And in true form, I bury the lead ... My show air times are on the move!!! Until I letcha know, catch new episodes of Cooking for Real, Sundays at 11AM, then catch repeats weekday afternoons (Monday-Friday) at 4PM. Catch it live or set your DVR for the series, or season and let it do the work! This week's episode is "Phonin' in Flavor", I have a tasty frozen drink, I'm grilling some pork and I'm making broccoli shake what the cook is givin' it. :-)

First things first ...

Happy New Year! I'm a few days late and a holla short :-). I hope you started off the year with a bang! I'm in high gear after the blizzard and I've started the year with plenty of work. Before I start to share I just wanted to say one thing FIRST ...

THANK YOU!!!

Just before New Year's Eve I got word from my friends at Kenmore that we reached the goal of 250,000 cookies sent to the troops overseas for the holiday! Baking for the Troops was a huge success!! I don't know if you can imagine how much this means to me. It was just one day of press and me here on the blog asking you to spread the word and YOU did it! You got us on other blogs and in the paper!! Because of that many soldiers, airmen, marines, national guard and seamen got cookies for the holidays and $50,000 was donated to Heroes at Home Wish Registry. This is pretty major and I just wanted to say thank you. I knew with your hearts that the clicks would happen, but I didn't know how long it would take, but we got it done just in time!! Thanks again!

I hope you started off the year with a rush of renewal. I'm working on clearing a room just for my cats (don't call me a cat lady lol, I just have a heart for rescues), I'm finalizing recipes for Season 9 of Cooking for Real, tomorrow I shoot some tape with my best friend here for a yet-to-be-mentioned television thingy and Thursday I head to Washington D.C. to hang out with the ladies of N Street Village and dinner with a friend. Phew!

Then a question for you, my dear blog reader ... When I go on vacation, many times they are food vacations. I love to cook and eat while I'm abroad. I usually save those trips for me, pics, stories and all. Mainly because I know to some telling you about my down time activities may be too much, or even seen as a bit frivolous. The downside, I feel you miss some of the food discovery I'm going through ... all really courtesy of you. Like the one time I bought 2 15-pound lobster tails! For just a dollar a pound!!! I still look at the pictures of them fresh and cooked and marvel at the size and flavor! So question, and let me know in comments ... would it bother you to see pics from vacation if they are food related? Over the holidays I was reading perezhilton.com (don't pick on me teeheehee) and he took a trip to countries in the Middle East and Africa while sharing those pictures and stories. It had nothing to do with his blog, but he shared it and for some reason I actually liked it. Then I thought, why don't I share? I'm not perezhilton.com, but I have a blog :-). So, I'll go by opinion. This is your space just as much as it's mine. I have big plans for the website and blog this year so this is just another way to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. So let me know your opinion.

In the meantime, fish DOES fry in the kitchen :-) ...

Beans don't burn on the grill ... Now if I could just get that DEEEEELuxe apartment in the skyyyyy-yyyy-yyyy!!! :-) Happy New Year!!