Hey there! Remember when I said here that I'm back in the studio and I had a cool visit from the crew at Airman Magazine? Well, they are putting together an article, but they also shot video I have below. Because they are from the same department I worked in while a broadcaster in the Air Force ... they have file footage of me at work back then so it's cut into this short video ... take a look at me at 20, ahem with my real hair and big glasses! :-)
Who knew back then that video would all be archived?? I had a good laugh watching it! I should've worn makeup or something, which btw, I used to get in trouble for the color of my nail polish in the military, too funny. I get more of a kick looking at the old equipment, boy has technology really changed the face of broadcasting and journalism. Those days we checked and double checked sources, these days some journalists are so lazy, they'll take a tweet and use it as a quote to make a full story. Crazy, but also I guess the natural progression with the changing times, eh?
And Didja Know ...
Remember when I was at the "up fronts"? I mentioned it briefly in an unrelated post, then forgot to share, or didn't have time to share a picture of someone I met there ...
Yep, on the other side of me is Andrew Zimmern! The guy between us works with us in the Chicago office and if you didn't know, Travel Channel and Food Network are owned by the same company now, so it was neat meeting a few of the other people at the Travel Channel that day. Andrew was really cool and about to head out on another eating adventure. He asked if I would do a mini Q&A for his blog and I said suuuuuure! It's on his blog now, just click the link to Sunny Anderson on AndrewZimmern.com and read away!
Annnnnd ...
The best is saved for last ... I just got word yesterday that I'm booked for an appearance on The View!!!! Tuesday!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!! I met Sherri Shepherd last year in New Orleans and blogged about it in my post called Essence Festival Wrap Up. I of course was thinking at the time, boy would I like to cook on The View and feed the ladies and now it's about to happen! My segment is with Sherri and I don't want to give away what we are making, but I am just too excited! Please plan to catch it or Tivo or DVR! More details as they come!
I met the newest member of the Iron Chef Americafam yesterday at Food Network. Did you watch the Next Iron Chef? I caught a few episodes, but my 1st impression of Jose Garces' was made at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. Remember when I told you I had a spot under the tents right across from the Iron Chef set up? Well, the first day I went to the festival I met him and tried his dish because EVERYONE back in the kitchen was talking about it. It really was yummy! If you are in Philly, you can catch his flavors at Amada.
We were both at the Food Network studios to tape 2 minute segments for CW 11 and their affiliates. Here we are in Studio B right after I finished my recipe demonstration and before he started his ...
Then I caught a picture while he was prepping his mise en place ... That ladder is there for the camera man to either get a top view, or for the lighting guy to mess with the lights. I don't know what he cooked because I left so he could concentrate, but I did some recipes for the big game day and some Valentine's Day recipes that should pop up on CW stations across the country and online. If you want some game day ideas, check out my FOOD NETWORK BIG GAME DAY PREP VIDEOS. Guy Fieri has some up on that link as well ... check us out!
aaaaandDidja Know ... A restaurant I love for a cheesy reason will be featured tonight on Best Thing I Ever Ate? It's starts at 10PM!! DVR it and enjoy! If you are interested in any of the places featured on the show tonight, check the Cheesy episode page.
Hey all! Well, when you wake up daily to a routine and one morning find out you are going to be a part of that routine, it's pretty cool. Yesterday, I did just that and joined the Good Day NY team here at Fox 5 for a cooking segment on air. Sometime early last year my guy got me interested in this morning cast because he knows I like local news, I have watched them ever since, so it was pretty neat meeting everyone.
Here's a look at the segment. While I was getting ready at home I was watching and saw that co-host Greg Kelly was a bit under the weather. Having been through it recently, I packed a little get well soon bag and brought it to him at the station. It had an Air Force coffee mug, 2 green tea packets, 2 ginger tea packets, creamed honey, a plastic spoon and the one thing that got most of the attention ... Courvoisier!
Rosanna was sooooooooooo nice! I gotta tell you, I was really excited to meet them all and can't believe I didn't get a picture with her and Greg. There's always hopefully next time. When the segment was over I headed into the hallway and caught a picture with my favorite goofy weather man, and I say goofy with respect! That's Mike Woods on the left and on the right is Addison, a meteorologist and aspiring on-camera weatherman. Mike Woods is like me, a broadcaster that moved around a bit until he made it to NYC. I can't stress how hard that is from actually doing it myself, my hats off to him! Matter of fact, if you Twitter, you should follow him, he also posted a picture of us on his site, tell him I said hi and had tons of fun. I'd hang out with him in the Good Day Cafe any morning!
Next, I met the ladies of Pepa's new show and we took a blurry pic :-) ...
That's Kittie, Joumana, Me, Pep, and Jacque Reid. Read more about them here and catch the premiere of Let's Talk About Pep, Monday @1030PM on VH1. Silly note, I actually ran in to Jacque Reid earlier in the week, we have the same dentist!
After this, we all headed down to tape the after show that airs online. As I walked through the newsroom it was neat to see the staff digging into what was left of my food from the cooking segment. Here are the links to the recipes ...
Parmesan Herbed Orzo - try wheat orzo and like I said in the video this is great hot or cold, take it to the next level with artichokes and black olives.
Sauteed Broccoli and Almonds - it's so easy it doesn't even seem like it needs to be a recipe. Totally spritz it with lemon if you want.
And here's the web show called Good Day NY Live Online ... you have to do some work to see it. Click the On Demand button in the video border and even though it's January 2010, look in the December 2009 category and click on Thursday Jan 7. It should pop up. It's a bit longer and relaxed ... but the host Kathy starts the show around the :28 minute mark. Pep and her girls are around the :31 minute mark and I start around the :40 minute mark. Enjoy the clickin'!
BTW
Catch me on the season premiere of Best Thing I Ever Ate - Hometown Favorites, tonight on Food Network at 10PM. Many people ask me where I'm from and I never have a good answer. It's because I grew up in the military and moved around so much, I don't really have a place to say. I guess the real answer is the places that were constants and those were the cities my grandparents are from and where I went to high school. We always visited my grandparents during the summer. So, the place I feature tonight is close to my heart and I fell in love with it because every time we went to my dad's home of South Carolina, it was the book end of the trip. We hit this restaurant on the day heading in and the day heading out of town and it always seemed like we'd never left. My dad is on a first name basis with the ladies that cook there and from what I understand they may not get full air time tonight, but let me tell you if, you ever go ... the kitchen is the best kitchen around and I'm not talking about the amazing food. I'm talking heart. Ok, other than that ... if you want to see me not so happy and cry a bit, I remember being brought to tears during this interview, I don't know if they will use the footage, but that should let you know how yummy this food is. It's in my heart ...
and
Didja know ...
On my days off from taping I develop recipes, play video games, grocery shop, run errands and between braising and frying, sometimes I answer some questions. Take a look at some recent interviews.
Don't forget to catch my guest appearance on Movie and a Makeover on TBS! It's a show within a movie! Enjoy Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion while during the commercial breaks, Anne Burrell and I help Jen and her friend Jamie plan a girls-only reunion of their own! We bring the food tips and recipes then leave the ladies up to the rest. The party was a hit! It airs tomorrow morning at ..... 1040AM est on TBS. Check here for a synopsis about the movie and airtime. Didja miss my blog post about our trip down to south to tape this? Check Movie, Makeover & Mangia, for the details. Do what I do most weekends, stay in bed as long as possible and watch Saturday morning TV. Or, if you are like me and have plenty of house chores leftover from being lazy this past weekend, this is a great way to get up early, do some cleaning and watch TV at the same time. Speaking of same time, a brand new episode of Cooking for Real: North of the Border airs tomorrow as well. There may be some overlap, but like Digital Underground said ... "dowhatchalike". I just hope you enjoy your Saturday in a foodie way! Movie and a Makeover was fun, hope you like it. The recipes are up on the TBS website.
and Didja Know ....
I'm a healthy cook? Yup! That's sometimes and if you have diabetes. Recently, Diabetes Focus Magazine featured my recipe for Curry Pork Burgers with Spicy Ketchup along with the recipes of other Food Network hosts with diabetic-friendly recipes. Here's the article sourced by a sister site. There are nutritional breakdowns and all, pretty neat! These burgers are a great alternative to the typical grill scene, so if you are in need of a change, give em a try! Know a diabetic? Pass it on! They are easy to make because everything is easy to find at the grocery store, and c'mon ... it's a burger! Did you miss the episode where I made 'em? Check out this video of me preparing them on the show.
I did a podcast interview with Vicky and Jen, two cool chicks with a radio gig. You can catch our chat on their blog. We talk about Cooking for Real, my beginnings at Food Network and all kinds of food stuff. It's a long one, 38 minutes long!!! Sorry, I talk way too much :-), but if you have an interest in some inside stuff it's a good listen, these chicks are great interviewers and as a former interviewer I really had fun being on the other side of some pros. Alright, so check it out and check their site!
and
Didja Know ...
I just wrapped taping 13 more episodes of Cooking for Real? I'll throw up some flicks soon and finally hope to get my tail in gear and get you some words from our on-set graphic artist that makes a label at the drop of a lime. :-) Don't forget new episodes premiere Saturdays at noon est., like this week's First Down, Ten to Feed ... just in time for gameday!
I was on BET's Black Carpet show a couple of weeks back with Aaron McCargo Jr., working up some holiday stuff. I taped it in the Food Network kitchens like a week before it aired I think. Then the next week after it aired on BET I heard the show was cancelled. Tough times. The host and crew were great and we had plenty of fun, hope they land somewhere soon. Check the segment here on the website ... while you can.
And Didja Know ...
I pre-taped a segment for Good Morning America that airs on New Year's morning? I demo a breakfast meal and Chris Cuomo is the anchor that guided me through the segment. I wrote a bit about it here, but I thought I'd give you a flick from it and then once it airs on New Year's Day, I'll post the rest of them. I myself, hope I can wake up that early to catch it, hope you catch it too! Happy Holidays!
I forgot to tell you about Dear Food Network - Holiday Desserts airing last night :-(. No worries, like many other networks I enjoy, Food Network knows how to throw us busy people a bone with repeats! It reruns this Saturday, Dec 13, 2008 at 2:00 PM ET/PT. When I taped this episode, we were in the Food Network kitchens and although we are dressed in long sleeves like it's cold, boy was it hot in there! We had to turn the fans off for sound and the air is connected to a fan lol, which was directly connected to our sweat! Funny thing is, the drink I made was hot and even though we were burning up we not only sipped it, we polished it off on the walk from the set to the elevator at the end of the day! It's really yummy, so if you like hot drinks, give it a try! Remember, this Saturday afternoon at 2 :-).
and
Didja Know ...
Every night this week a different episode of Dear Food Network runs at 9 PM ET/PT? I give little holiday tips in each and recipes in a few. So, tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, catch a new recipe from me. This one was fun, it's called Dear Food Network - Roast Beast. I did a garlic-heavy roast that I hope you give a try if you are a garlic lover! I came up with the recipe shortly after returning home from a trip all about garlic. I was taping How'd That Get On My Plate? and I remember talking about 40 clove chicken so much the week I was in garlic city aka Gilroy, CA. When I got home all I could think was, beef needs garlic love too. So, there it is for you if like garlic, give the recipe a try and have fun with it adding your twists if you like!
BTW ... Tonight check out Dear Food Network - Turkey Day Disasters at 9p.m., along with Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence and Michael Symon, I'll help a viewer with a cooking problem that is Thanksgiving related. All this week the Dear Food Network special runs with different episodes each day, I make an appearance in all of them giving holiday tips, but only make recipes in a few. Check them all out and hopefully if you have any holes in your menu, you can plug em up!
and
Didja Know ... When I taped this episode, I posted about it? Check out the behind the scenes and stuff in my Super Tuesday post and have a look at the set before tonight's show. A quick story ... My recipe calls for hazelnut creamer for coffee, but when I got to the set all they had was the liquid creamer, not the powder. Once we realized it, no one could figure out where to get some powder for the recipe in a rush, so when I taped my segment the "powder" I added wasn't coffee creamer. A total fake out, no one ate that pie on set I'm sure, lol ... I've learned since then to be very specific about ingredients when sending them via email ... Enjoy the show!!!
BTW ... I was so busy and hectic this week that I didn't even tell you some neat news. Tuesday, while in the Food Network Kitchens I got word that there was a possibility that I was going to be booked on the Rachael Ray Show!!! Well, I'll surely explain more later, but yesterday I did actually tape the show, I'll have pics and the air date up later today. I can tell you it was a holiday themed show, which brings me to today's Cooking for Real...
This Wednesday's rerun of Cooking for Real is Gone Shuckin'. We do some Po' Boys and I'll tell you about one of my closest friends and her request to cook something for her that turned into a recipe for the show.
BTW I'll be on with Ed Lover tomorrow and his crew at NYC's Power 105.1!! Tune in and have some fun while we talk food. Click here and look in the upper left to listen live, should be on around 7AM eastern.
and Didja know ... When on the Wendy Williams show, someone called in and asked me when I was going to do an oxtail recipe, I replied ... "it's done, should be on soon!". Well, it's on this Sunday :-), I'll make some oxtails, plantains, something I call kale-llaloo instead of calaloo and I'll show you how I make my perfect rice ... a few tricks that'll keep it nice and fluffy. Hope you like it!
BTW ... Here's that FN Dish clip I promised. It was taped back in April to promote the debut of Cooking for Real. Plenty has changed since, then ... like ... I invested in a new kitchen and that meant a move to fit it all, but I'm still in Brooklyn, my spices are still organized, and I still have plans to use my pot rack for something other than a pot rack :-) ...
and Didja know ...
I'll be back with Wendy Williams tomorrow! This time on the radio! She's on 2-6PM eastern and her live stream is here, click the red "on air" icon in the upper left corner and listen away!! I'm taking a full menu of food and my life is an open book(kinda), so who knows where it'll go, but I know we'll be well-fed and have fun!
BTW ... Cooking for Real is now on Saturdays as well!!! So catch me today at 12pm ... noon is a more palatable time for some, but my Sunday people, don't worry ... Sundays stay the same with an airing at 1030am with the reruns on Wednesdays at 130pm ... wow, thanks for everything guys! Your viewership is surely the reason for the additions to the schedule! Click here for local listings.
and Didja know ... There's a new video up of my old apartment on the FN Dish? Check for it here. I'll post the vid here soon too ... but if ya wanna see an interesting video of me burning my tongue ... check the post below. Ouch!
BTW There's a joint commercial running for my and Aida's shows on Food Network! I toldja about it as we were shooting it and during the post-production and now it's done! Take a look ....
I haven't caught it on TV yet, but a friend saw it on MTV last week and texted me about it. Then, I get on a flight today and while I'm sitting on the tarmac for about an hour, I check my email and my former co-worker Fatman Scoop hits me and says congrats cuz he saw the billboard!!! I immediately responded like where?? lol ... I think New Yorkers will run into it next to Chelsea Market somewhere according to my official email, I gotta go check it myself when I get back to town next week. Pretty neat. The radio station I used to work at had an annual ad campaign for years in the NYC subway system, so I'd take the train and get off looking at a huge pic of me riding a motorcycle with a rapper, crazy .. especially since the picture didn't look quiiiiiite like me ... turns out the photog took some creative license and changed my skin tone and hair color to 'match' the rapper I was in the ad with. lol ... I was like huh? "To Match"??? "How about just letting me be me??" For a year, people would come to events and tell me I looked nothing like my picture, which they had made into little 4X6's to sign ... I just had to laugh ... lol, never worked with that photog again although he was a total sweetheart. Lemme tell ya, there's no shortage of people in the biz that think they know what you should look like. Here's the current billboard ....
and Didja Know ...
Remember how I said Fatman Scoop told me he saw the billboard? I told him in the email that I was just thinking about him this weekend because watching the Olympics, I heard his voice like a jillion times in songs played in the arenas ... I told him he should deem himself the "#1 voice in arena's", and then he replied and told me he actually just inked the deal to be the voice of the NY Rangers!!! Ha! I'm a talent scout! Congrats Scoopy!
I'll be on the Wendy Williams Show Tomorrow!!!! Monday August 11th @ 10AM LIVE! She's also in other markets the link above has the listings. Sorry I'm posting late ... I got in Saturday morning from the road and have been in "move-in and get out of boxes" mode since I landed! How bout a hardware store run at 8AM??!! So, I hope you can catch it! We'll be making a nice menu and having fun!
and Didja Know ...
There's a new episode of How'd That Get On My Plate? tomorrow as well, it's all about cocoa!!! Chocoholics spread the word!
I have some great flicks from last week's trip to a wheat field and a brewery that makes wheat beer, between hanging lights and stuff I'll drop them here and on the home page for How'd That Get On My Plate too ... Have a great Monday!!!
BTW Tonight's How'd That Get On My Plate? is at a NEW time!!!! 830 PM EST and Pacific ... NEW TIME NEW TIME NEW TIME! :-) it's' 830PM now!!! Check here for local listings, there's a tab at the top for each time zone. This week it's all about the only fruit we eat with seeds on it's outside ... strawberries!! Check here for the local press. Then, check your TV tonight for the rest. (my attempt at a loose rhyme... "press", "test" teeheehee)
Didja know ...
Last week I was in garlic country a.k.a. Gilroy, CA. Scroll down for the stories. Christopher from the local paper came by and he shot video instead of print- which is what I guess I expected ... go figure! I love a paper that has vlogs on it's site ... check me out talking about my love of garlic and check for the 10 foot pile of garlic in the background ... crazy!!!
ANNNNNNND ... Tonight if you are a Sirius listener, tune into MAXIM radio with Devore and Diana tonight around 730ish and then I'll be hanging out with the ladies of Lip Service on Shade45 radio around 8ish. See ya on the radio!
p.s. If ya follow the blog, i wrote this on friday in anticipation of my mess today as i'm moving into a new kitchen. just got my wifi so i feel human again ... like on Seinfeld ... "Serenity Now!"
BTW... Reruns of Cooking for Real air on Wednesdays at 130PM!!! Catch me cooking during the week!! Again, reruns on Weds!! This Weds it's all Tex-Mex food, a term used in Texas to describe the blend of both cultures, duh teeheehee. Really this is what you call unauthentic Mexican food, what the natives have done to make it their own. Best of both cultures. This is how I ate when I lived there and still do. I miss Texas, I remember a bumper sticker I saw while living there that said "I wasn't born here, but I got here as quick as I could". So fitting.
and didja know ... Debuts are still on Sundays at 1030AM. This week PB&J pancakes plus my take on green eggs and ham ... feels like a must-do for a cooking show right? The green part is great with more than just eggs, hope you like the show!
In honor of my rerun's ... the original Rerun - Fred Berry, r.i.p.
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