Hey all! It's been a busy week for me here in NYC. On Sunday my new Cooking for Real episodes begin running and Monday is the official debut of How'd That Get On My Plate?.
So lemme give ya tha downlow ... At first the debut ep was to be either about milk or strawberries. We got back from Hawaii taping the beginnings of both chocolate and honey just a few weeks ago. Whatever they saw on those tapes made honey move to the front of the line, so if you can image there's a bit of scrambling goin on :-). We finished shooting the honey parts just last week in ATL and just yesterday I recorded the voiceovers for it. So, between taping, the editors, writers, producers ... everyone is really bustin' tail to get it finished. I don't know the norm cuz I'm new to this, but I've been told getting a show together in such short time is not typical. Everyone is cool though, no stress and they work well under pressure.
So, anyway been working on that plus some recipes for upcoming specials. Add to that interviews to promote the show and my week off the road is stacked with work. I got up early this morning to do radio interviews in about 20 cities via phone and still have some interviews tomorrow via phone. ... I'm hangin in there though. The radio stuff is fun and kinda easy since I used to host a radio show. Pretty funny feeling answering the questions instead of asking them.
Something else I haven't even discussed is how I've been looking for a new place with a bigger kitchen. Finally signed on to the new kitchen yesterday! So, I'm jugglin stuff right now and kinda love it. Busy is better than dormant.
... Want ya to know where to catch me b4 it's too late.
Tomorrow AM I'll be on with the Ed Lover Morning Show @ Power 105.1 in NYC ... they stream, so outta towners are welcome to log on and hangout, should be in the 7am hour ... Thennnnn July 4th ... This Friday, I'll be on Good Morning America!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! That's ABC and I think it'll be in the 8am hour, so tune in! They are broadcasting from Bryant Park for their summer concert series (Chaka Khan!!!) so it'll be a nice outdoor grilling segment. If you are from NYC, come on down and find me and say hi ... Even if I look busy :-) ... Ok, hope ya tune in tomorrow a.m. with Ed, I'm takin him breakfast again and hope he likes it!
Showing posts with label Cooking For Real. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking For Real. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Fast food from my youth ...
Hey all! I'm on the road again shooting the new show that starts in liiiiike 2 weeks? July 7th, but I did see somewhere an email about there being a July 6th showing ... like a sneak peek. I'll let you know as the date rolls near.
Anywhoo ... this week the crew and I are down south and chillin in the heat. lol ... yeah right, chillin'. I think I sweat off about 10 pounds in a tomato field somewhere west of Charleston, SC. Ok, lemme tell you the neat thing about the traveling ... I've lived so many places and been so many places that I'm getting to see people and places I don't normally get to see. So, the first stop this week as I mentioned was South Carolina. Well, my grand-daddy and actually one half of my fam is from there. At first I got really excited to know I'd be close to relatives and then I looked at the schedule and realized there would be no way I could squeeze time to trek out to the sticks to see them. So you ready for this??? Between locations we had to catch lunch on the go because the next part of the shoot, the tomato factory, was like a jillion miles away and we had only one day to do the farm and the factory. At first, we pulled into here ...
Now, I wanted to try this out cuz boy did it have the look of a place that knew how to make a bangin' meal. But one quick trip inside by one of the crew turned the almost "hit" into a miss ... it was more of a relaxing meal spot and not an on the go meal spot. I coulda said that right as we pulled into the parking lot, but really if there is new food available I almost never find a downside lol, so I kept my mouth shut and hoped it would fit in the schedule. It didn't.
So we got back on the road and no sooner did we start to scope for a new faster spot to eat at, did I see a logo I hadn't seen in years. Then, the craziest thing is, I was jusssst talking about this fast food place not 2 weeks ago when I was in Hawaii. I was chatting with the cocoa farm owners who were from South Carolina and all we talked about was what we missed. They moved down to Hawaii 12 years ago and didn't look back, a real cool husband and wife team that chose to spend the rest of their life making chocolate and having wine at sunset everyday. So, just 2 weeks ago we were talking about South Carolina hash, South of the Border, the people, the weather and BOJANGLES!!!! I brought it up to them and when I did their eyes lit up and the wife sez to me "that's just about the only thing he misses, Bojangles". I thought, these are my kind of people!!! I only got to see my grandparents in North and South Carolina a teeny bit growing up, so I tend to repeat the visits in my head alot and one thing I remember was Bojangles. Look, I remember much more poignant things, but we're talkin' food on this one. This place was always colorful growing up, with decorations n stuff and I think that was mostly the allure as a kid, check the pallette of colors and this is just the counter menu view.
Ok, so anyway back to Bojangles, really neat to be pining for it just 2 weeks ago and now I see a sign for it from the highway. We pulled off the highway and the sign at the off ramp said 7 miles to the little town my family is from. I instantly started to get a bit emotional. It has been forever since I've visited and mostly my fault as an adult, lemme tell ya I worked really hard for the last 15 years and barely made time for life. Things are different now and I'm making changes here n there to actually live and take time to enjoy it. Ok, so knowing a 7 mile detour so I can see some family is out of the question. I am really just happy to be in the vicinity and repeat it to myself as a mantra to try to not break down and completely cry. I get inside and order my lunch with the crew and begin to chat up the girl at the counter ... turns out she knows ALLLLLLL of my family!! We were just dropping names and stuff, talking about the church behind my grand dad's place she goes to that our family goes to as well, my aunt was married there. Crazy. I started to cry. Just felt so good to meet someone that had just seen my cousin last week at church. Small world and crazy coincidences. What makes me open my mouth and say to the farmers I missed Bojangles, then 2 weeks later to see a sign for my family hometown and know I can't go, but to pull into a Bojangles and meet someone that sits next to and with my family on a regular basis????? Man, was I a happy and teary eyed chick. I wear my heart on my sleeve proudly and cried a happy and sad cry at the same time. Well, there was just enough time to order, chat, exchange numbers, cry and jet. Here's my lap of a tabletop cradling a biiiiig biscuit, grilled chicken nuggets, and a container of mash n gravy.
Ahhh eatin on the run, some may complain about having to eat fast food on the run while pulling a long, hot day of work, but for me it returned me to my youth and visiting family we didn't get to see on a regular basis due to my dad being in the Army.
Ok, If you read my blog regularly, a coupla weeks ago I promised a post about the brains behind many of the plates, bowls, spoons, etc you see me using on Cooking for Real .... it's still on the way. Also, real soon there's some stuff I'll be doing to promote the new episodes and as soon as I can Iet ya know where to catch me on the tube, stands, airwaves and blogs, I will. BTW Jacob, just a blog-public thanks for everything, you've been so honest and supportive. I had such a good time chatting in close quarters of my fave teeny bistro spot and glad we shared a sugar high in the heat/rain/heat of NYC. :-)
Anywhoo ... this week the crew and I are down south and chillin in the heat. lol ... yeah right, chillin'. I think I sweat off about 10 pounds in a tomato field somewhere west of Charleston, SC. Ok, lemme tell you the neat thing about the traveling ... I've lived so many places and been so many places that I'm getting to see people and places I don't normally get to see. So, the first stop this week as I mentioned was South Carolina. Well, my grand-daddy and actually one half of my fam is from there. At first I got really excited to know I'd be close to relatives and then I looked at the schedule and realized there would be no way I could squeeze time to trek out to the sticks to see them. So you ready for this??? Between locations we had to catch lunch on the go because the next part of the shoot, the tomato factory, was like a jillion miles away and we had only one day to do the farm and the factory. At first, we pulled into here ...
Now, I wanted to try this out cuz boy did it have the look of a place that knew how to make a bangin' meal. But one quick trip inside by one of the crew turned the almost "hit" into a miss ... it was more of a relaxing meal spot and not an on the go meal spot. I coulda said that right as we pulled into the parking lot, but really if there is new food available I almost never find a downside lol, so I kept my mouth shut and hoped it would fit in the schedule. It didn't.
So we got back on the road and no sooner did we start to scope for a new faster spot to eat at, did I see a logo I hadn't seen in years. Then, the craziest thing is, I was jusssst talking about this fast food place not 2 weeks ago when I was in Hawaii. I was chatting with the cocoa farm owners who were from South Carolina and all we talked about was what we missed. They moved down to Hawaii 12 years ago and didn't look back, a real cool husband and wife team that chose to spend the rest of their life making chocolate and having wine at sunset everyday. So, just 2 weeks ago we were talking about South Carolina hash, South of the Border, the people, the weather and BOJANGLES!!!! I brought it up to them and when I did their eyes lit up and the wife sez to me "that's just about the only thing he misses, Bojangles". I thought, these are my kind of people!!! I only got to see my grandparents in North and South Carolina a teeny bit growing up, so I tend to repeat the visits in my head alot and one thing I remember was Bojangles. Look, I remember much more poignant things, but we're talkin' food on this one. This place was always colorful growing up, with decorations n stuff and I think that was mostly the allure as a kid, check the pallette of colors and this is just the counter menu view.
Ok, so anyway back to Bojangles, really neat to be pining for it just 2 weeks ago and now I see a sign for it from the highway. We pulled off the highway and the sign at the off ramp said 7 miles to the little town my family is from. I instantly started to get a bit emotional. It has been forever since I've visited and mostly my fault as an adult, lemme tell ya I worked really hard for the last 15 years and barely made time for life. Things are different now and I'm making changes here n there to actually live and take time to enjoy it. Ok, so knowing a 7 mile detour so I can see some family is out of the question. I am really just happy to be in the vicinity and repeat it to myself as a mantra to try to not break down and completely cry. I get inside and order my lunch with the crew and begin to chat up the girl at the counter ... turns out she knows ALLLLLLL of my family!! We were just dropping names and stuff, talking about the church behind my grand dad's place she goes to that our family goes to as well, my aunt was married there. Crazy. I started to cry. Just felt so good to meet someone that had just seen my cousin last week at church. Small world and crazy coincidences. What makes me open my mouth and say to the farmers I missed Bojangles, then 2 weeks later to see a sign for my family hometown and know I can't go, but to pull into a Bojangles and meet someone that sits next to and with my family on a regular basis????? Man, was I a happy and teary eyed chick. I wear my heart on my sleeve proudly and cried a happy and sad cry at the same time. Well, there was just enough time to order, chat, exchange numbers, cry and jet. Here's my lap of a tabletop cradling a biiiiig biscuit, grilled chicken nuggets, and a container of mash n gravy.
Ahhh eatin on the run, some may complain about having to eat fast food on the run while pulling a long, hot day of work, but for me it returned me to my youth and visiting family we didn't get to see on a regular basis due to my dad being in the Army.
Ok, If you read my blog regularly, a coupla weeks ago I promised a post about the brains behind many of the plates, bowls, spoons, etc you see me using on Cooking for Real .... it's still on the way. Also, real soon there's some stuff I'll be doing to promote the new episodes and as soon as I can Iet ya know where to catch me on the tube, stands, airwaves and blogs, I will. BTW Jacob, just a blog-public thanks for everything, you've been so honest and supportive. I had such a good time chatting in close quarters of my fave teeny bistro spot and glad we shared a sugar high in the heat/rain/heat of NYC. :-)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
New NFNS vid up ...
Aloha from Hawai'i ... if you are a Next Food Network Star watcher, check on Food Network for the show page, there are interviews with the cast after they leave and everything. Pretty neat, plus there's a weekly webisode with me and Adam Roberts yakkin it up about the week's episode. This week, I brought along my "brother" Du. Now, I call him my brother, but really he isn't. Basically, we are so close, we don't need people thinking we are dating, so we call each other brother and sis ... His mom is not my mommy, but boy has she been there for me. Du has also been there for me just like a brother. He gives me advice about boys and career and life ... we hang out and just really act like family. I love him :-) .... ok, oh hey also, coincidentally if you ever go on my Cooking for Real page on Food Network's website, you'll see a video about my best kitchen moment and I tell a story about Du and my fried chicken .. check it out, but first check out what all 3 of us, Adam, me and Du had to say about this week's NFNS ...
Hip Hop heads may recognize Du as "do it all" from Lords of the Underground, he's also done plenty of television and film work, so he may look familiar to you ...keep an eye out.... he's got some things on the way.
Hip Hop heads may recognize Du as "do it all" from Lords of the Underground, he's also done plenty of television and film work, so he may look familiar to you ...keep an eye out.... he's got some things on the way.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Making Food Ready for It's Close Up
Ever take a pic of food for memories or snap a photo of something you cooked for bragging rights? Like really, a souffle has a few seconds before you take a pic and it's over. Well, I can't help ya with taking a fast pic, but over the last two weeks I did my best to get some behind-the-scenes tips on making beautiful food - look beautiful longer.
Ok, here's how it works. If you've caught Cooking for Real, I begin by welcoming you to the show, then I list what recipes we'll cook during the show. While I'm describing what I'll cook, on screen is a camera shot of each dish completely cooked and plated. Those are called the "beauty shots" and if say, I make a pie, the one slice used for the beauty shot is called "the hero". Look, I hate to sound like I know things I don't so just know all this info I'm giving is very new to me as well ... so we can learn together :-). Anyway, the studio for my kitchen is huge. In one corner is a camera set up with lighting and all kinds of technical stuff with a back drop and this is where they take the beauty shot of the heroes. We'd tape a show and then the funniest thing would happen, right after I said, "yummy, see ya next time on Cooking for Real!", someone would rush in and take my plate from me! The first time around taping, there were so many moving bells and whistles this process got lost in the sauce, so to speak. So, this time around I had in my head that I wanted to take a few things home to eat for dinner after I made them on set because taping just takes everything out of me and how neat would it be to not have to cook dinner when I get home from cooking all day?
So anyway, the first day in we did a breakfast show and I wanted to continue eating it because I was hungry lol ... next thing I know someone is like "Wait!!! hold on don't eat those, they are for beauties!!!" I was like huh? yes, they are beautiful and they are going in my mouth! ... that wasn't gonna work obviously and the plate of food got whisked away to a dark corner of the studio. Now, my first time taping I'm sure this happened and went right over my head, but this time I was like "beauties? what's up with a beauty?" and I got some knowledge! I'm ready to share too.
We'll start with Young Sun. This is her food-styling a piece of my citrus pie. She cut a slice, then made the sides pretty by removing crumb bits that came off the knife and attached to the custard part of the slice. She then evened the slice and made it flat vertically. Look, she basically deconstructed my pie to get the meringue she wanted on the slice she wanted ... very frankenstein-ish ... and neat.
Now, she's pretty shy so I couldn't get the typical person-standing-next-to-work-smiling photo, but I think the ones of her in action are great too. Young Sun attended the Institute of Culinary Education and upon graduating worked at Daniel and Tabla before becoming a freelance cook for Food Network Kitchens. Now, she's a part of the staff and in addition to working in the kitchens testing recipes and developing them as well, she has styled food for Guy's Big Bite and has worked on the Next Food Network Star as well as styling the food on my show :-).
Throughout the 10-day shoot, I peppered her with questions here and there and took notes. It's important to note, she doesn't take the pics, just makes the food as pretty as possible for it's close up. I do have a future meeting planned with the person that takes some of the pics for FoodNetwork.com and plan to give you some camera tricks, but for now all I have is food tips. Plenty of times, I'd make a dish while taping and because the picture wasn't going to be taken until maybe an hour or so later, there was plenty of preservation of color and that gloss and sheen food has when it's freshly prepared. There are also times, when I made a plate to eat and they'd recreate the plate for the picture because it wouldn't look yummy with a bite mark missing. For this, say maybe I'd make 4 cornish game hens, I'd plate one for myself at the end of the show and take a leg off it to bite, then Young Sun would use the remaining 3 hens to figure out which looked best for a close up. One day we had a very funny exchange where I wanted to eat some of my fried oysters for lunch and we stood in my kitchen set debating over which ones were pretty and which ones were not so pretty. I ate the not so cute ones and left Young Sun the 'pretty' ones ... your guess is as good as mine as to what differentiates the two, but she's a pro and knew just which oysters to hold on to. Takes some food lovers to really debate what makes a fried oyster ready for it's close up. Anyway, I thought it'd be neat if she could just sum up all my notes I took watching her over the weeks and give us a few tips on making food stay as pretty as it is the second it is made so you can take your time setting up the shot. So here they are ...
2. Don't pick the prettiest piece, try something with character that isn't too neat or symmetrical
3. Overlapping looks more natural and alive. (food hanging over edges of bowls, pieces of chicken stacked on each other)
4. Use vinegar and water solution to clean off fingerprints from dishes
AND THE TIP I HAD TO BEGGGG FOR ... turns out just a mere mention of this technique seemed taboo, but also effective and a secret among food stylists ...
5. SANITARY NAPKINS for fake steam!!! Ok, look this one blows my mind!!! I have long laboured over how to keep food hot and pretty at the same time so I can get a good steam shot. So, the food stylists were all in agreement when discussing this technique. Use either a tampon or pad, soak it with water and then microwave it ... the steam that comes out of those babies is thick and long lasting, so you can click and change angles and click and change plates and still have steam. Put them either in the stunt food (like say inside a baked potato) or hide them behind a plate or dish you have the food on. If you take the pic at the right angle the sanitary napkin is out of sight and your steam will be outta sight!!! teeheehee ... I know, a bit yucky to think about, but really. When I was asking for tips to put here someone chimed in and said hey tell her about the sanitary napkins! I was like whaaaat??!!! I thought what place do they have in pretty food pics ... and now we know. A group of food stylists standing by all shook their heads in agreement.
Ok, here's some pics of my food getting it's close up and first a pic of Young Sun's tray of tricks.
The plastic bowls have water and vinegar water for cleaning. The toothpicks are for precision movement of the smallest of things like saaaaay a fennel seed too close to another fennel seed on jerk chicken. The spray bottle is for the oil and brushes and such are pretty self explanatory.
Here's Young Sun and Hugh, one of the camera men. During taping he did plenty of the close ups of my hands and movements they made while cooking or cutting. So it makes sense he does the close ups of the food, right? Many days I'd come back from our lunch break and he was still in the studio filming beauties of my food, I thought to myself ... when does Hugh eat lunch???
That's some top secret flavored pancakes getting the close up treatment. Hugh is ready to shoot and Young Sun is adding some top secret syrup. Then a bowl of a pop corn getting a close up ...
Up next is a quick post about the person I called the "Head of the Prettification Board" while taping. I'll chat with her and her team. They find all the neat dishes, containers and utensils that give each show it's style. I get plenty of requests for stores or places where you can find stuff on set ... hopefully I'll be able to help with some answers.
Ok, here's how it works. If you've caught Cooking for Real, I begin by welcoming you to the show, then I list what recipes we'll cook during the show. While I'm describing what I'll cook, on screen is a camera shot of each dish completely cooked and plated. Those are called the "beauty shots" and if say, I make a pie, the one slice used for the beauty shot is called "the hero". Look, I hate to sound like I know things I don't so just know all this info I'm giving is very new to me as well ... so we can learn together :-). Anyway, the studio for my kitchen is huge. In one corner is a camera set up with lighting and all kinds of technical stuff with a back drop and this is where they take the beauty shot of the heroes. We'd tape a show and then the funniest thing would happen, right after I said, "yummy, see ya next time on Cooking for Real!", someone would rush in and take my plate from me! The first time around taping, there were so many moving bells and whistles this process got lost in the sauce, so to speak. So, this time around I had in my head that I wanted to take a few things home to eat for dinner after I made them on set because taping just takes everything out of me and how neat would it be to not have to cook dinner when I get home from cooking all day?
So anyway, the first day in we did a breakfast show and I wanted to continue eating it because I was hungry lol ... next thing I know someone is like "Wait!!! hold on don't eat those, they are for beauties!!!" I was like huh? yes, they are beautiful and they are going in my mouth! ... that wasn't gonna work obviously and the plate of food got whisked away to a dark corner of the studio. Now, my first time taping I'm sure this happened and went right over my head, but this time I was like "beauties? what's up with a beauty?" and I got some knowledge! I'm ready to share too.
We'll start with Young Sun. This is her food-styling a piece of my citrus pie. She cut a slice, then made the sides pretty by removing crumb bits that came off the knife and attached to the custard part of the slice. She then evened the slice and made it flat vertically. Look, she basically deconstructed my pie to get the meringue she wanted on the slice she wanted ... very frankenstein-ish ... and neat.
Now, she's pretty shy so I couldn't get the typical person-standing-next-to-work-smiling photo, but I think the ones of her in action are great too. Young Sun attended the Institute of Culinary Education and upon graduating worked at Daniel and Tabla before becoming a freelance cook for Food Network Kitchens. Now, she's a part of the staff and in addition to working in the kitchens testing recipes and developing them as well, she has styled food for Guy's Big Bite and has worked on the Next Food Network Star as well as styling the food on my show :-).
Throughout the 10-day shoot, I peppered her with questions here and there and took notes. It's important to note, she doesn't take the pics, just makes the food as pretty as possible for it's close up. I do have a future meeting planned with the person that takes some of the pics for FoodNetwork.com and plan to give you some camera tricks, but for now all I have is food tips. Plenty of times, I'd make a dish while taping and because the picture wasn't going to be taken until maybe an hour or so later, there was plenty of preservation of color and that gloss and sheen food has when it's freshly prepared. There are also times, when I made a plate to eat and they'd recreate the plate for the picture because it wouldn't look yummy with a bite mark missing. For this, say maybe I'd make 4 cornish game hens, I'd plate one for myself at the end of the show and take a leg off it to bite, then Young Sun would use the remaining 3 hens to figure out which looked best for a close up. One day we had a very funny exchange where I wanted to eat some of my fried oysters for lunch and we stood in my kitchen set debating over which ones were pretty and which ones were not so pretty. I ate the not so cute ones and left Young Sun the 'pretty' ones ... your guess is as good as mine as to what differentiates the two, but she's a pro and knew just which oysters to hold on to. Takes some food lovers to really debate what makes a fried oyster ready for it's close up. Anyway, I thought it'd be neat if she could just sum up all my notes I took watching her over the weeks and give us a few tips on making food stay as pretty as it is the second it is made so you can take your time setting up the shot. So here they are ...
###############################################################
5 Tips For Beautiful Food in Pics
1. Spray oil on burgers or meat to keep it looking juicy or moist2. Don't pick the prettiest piece, try something with character that isn't too neat or symmetrical
3. Overlapping looks more natural and alive. (food hanging over edges of bowls, pieces of chicken stacked on each other)
4. Use vinegar and water solution to clean off fingerprints from dishes
AND THE TIP I HAD TO BEGGGG FOR ... turns out just a mere mention of this technique seemed taboo, but also effective and a secret among food stylists ...
5. SANITARY NAPKINS for fake steam!!! Ok, look this one blows my mind!!! I have long laboured over how to keep food hot and pretty at the same time so I can get a good steam shot. So, the food stylists were all in agreement when discussing this technique. Use either a tampon or pad, soak it with water and then microwave it ... the steam that comes out of those babies is thick and long lasting, so you can click and change angles and click and change plates and still have steam. Put them either in the stunt food (like say inside a baked potato) or hide them behind a plate or dish you have the food on. If you take the pic at the right angle the sanitary napkin is out of sight and your steam will be outta sight!!! teeheehee ... I know, a bit yucky to think about, but really. When I was asking for tips to put here someone chimed in and said hey tell her about the sanitary napkins! I was like whaaaat??!!! I thought what place do they have in pretty food pics ... and now we know. A group of food stylists standing by all shook their heads in agreement.
##########################################################
The plastic bowls have water and vinegar water for cleaning. The toothpicks are for precision movement of the smallest of things like saaaaay a fennel seed too close to another fennel seed on jerk chicken. The spray bottle is for the oil and brushes and such are pretty self explanatory.
Here's Young Sun and Hugh, one of the camera men. During taping he did plenty of the close ups of my hands and movements they made while cooking or cutting. So it makes sense he does the close ups of the food, right? Many days I'd come back from our lunch break and he was still in the studio filming beauties of my food, I thought to myself ... when does Hugh eat lunch???
That's some top secret flavored pancakes getting the close up treatment. Hugh is ready to shoot and Young Sun is adding some top secret syrup. Then a bowl of a pop corn getting a close up ...
Up next is a quick post about the person I called the "Head of the Prettification Board" while taping. I'll chat with her and her team. They find all the neat dishes, containers and utensils that give each show it's style. I get plenty of requests for stores or places where you can find stuff on set ... hopefully I'll be able to help with some answers.
Monday, May 19, 2008
I lost count! teeheehee
ok, it's true ... i've lost count of how many days it is that i've been shooting the new episodes of Cooking for Real. This is also going to be the shortest post everrrrrr... I have some great stuff to post later though ... gonna do a behind the scenes look at how they make the food look so perfect here and who does all the "perfect making" lol ... and then for all the set design junkies that have asked me where things come from, i'll also be posting an inside look at the design team ... let everyone know who gets it done ova here! ok, until then ...thanks for all the support! new episodes in July!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
3.5!!!
Happy Tuesday!
I decided I'd do a lunch post instead of an end of the day, cuz ooooowwweeeee ... I was tired yesterday. Could be the "Mondays" lol ... but now I'm back at it today! Remember how I told ya I ran into some bottles of beer in the kitchens on day two?? Well, I knew they were outta place, turns out they were for one of my shows! Actually the show I taped today. For some reason it didn't click, but it did today when I realized we were gonna do my battered fish tacos. YEAAAAAAAH!!!!! Fish tacos!!! The menu on this show we are taping today is super easy and the payoff of flavor is crazy, so I can't wait for you to catch it. I do a lil pickling and throw together a salad, trifle-style. These dishes remind me of San Antonio, I went to high school there and a crazy thing happened yesterday. Here I was checking my emails at lunch and I got one from my German teacher in High School!
Turns out she caught the "Germany is Wonderveal!" episode of Cooking for Real this past Sunday and thought to herself, hey that Sunny chick looks familiar. So, she emailed my website and asked if it was really me. Long story short, I've called over the years and left messages at the high school I went to that she still teaches at just to thank her for being such a cool teacher and stuff. So when I wrote her back I was like, yeaaah this is Sunny, you never got my messages over the years? Turns out she did, I just never left a number or email to be reached at. Duhhhhh ... why am I so stupid sometimes?? Leavin' messages with no forwarding info ... what can I say. The calls were always on a whim, just to say thanks for great guidance in my formative years. So, I guess an absent minded message is okay every once in awhile teeheehee. Anyway, she gave my German-themed show a thumbs up and that makes me feel so good, her being German and my former teacher. It was almost like I scored well on a final exam! Teachers are always your teachers just like parents are always your parents. Teachers need more money man. I can thank several of them for helping me find myself in a sea of new people, new city, new everything. A moving military brat has plenty of assimilating to do growing up. So, Frau Richter now has my info and we can keep in touch!!!
That is one of the personal benefits of this job. All of a sudden I'm getting my childhood friends back! Imagine moving almost every year--sometimes within a year, until you reach high school??? Crazy hard to keep in touch with friends, and that was back before the internet! I was a snail mail sendin' chick. That's what you did, you wrote letters, put a stamp on it and waited for weeks to get a reply, then wrote another ... I mean over the span of a year, you'd maybe get in saaaaaay 6-7 letters. Really. These days I can send 6-7 emails in 6-7 minutes lol ... and a call to a 3rd grade friend in Virginia as a 4th grader in Germany, ain't happenin' unless we were the Huxtables teeheehee. I feel so old ... 33 ain't old, but when you remember using a typewriter for reports in school ... ooooooowwwweeeee ...
Ok, I'ma tear into my turkey and avocado sandwich and get back to taping the show! Thanks for checking in and I appreciate all the comments!!!
I decided I'd do a lunch post instead of an end of the day, cuz ooooowwweeeee ... I was tired yesterday. Could be the "Mondays" lol ... but now I'm back at it today! Remember how I told ya I ran into some bottles of beer in the kitchens on day two?? Well, I knew they were outta place, turns out they were for one of my shows! Actually the show I taped today. For some reason it didn't click, but it did today when I realized we were gonna do my battered fish tacos. YEAAAAAAAH!!!!! Fish tacos!!! The menu on this show we are taping today is super easy and the payoff of flavor is crazy, so I can't wait for you to catch it. I do a lil pickling and throw together a salad, trifle-style. These dishes remind me of San Antonio, I went to high school there and a crazy thing happened yesterday. Here I was checking my emails at lunch and I got one from my German teacher in High School!
Turns out she caught the "Germany is Wonderveal!" episode of Cooking for Real this past Sunday and thought to herself, hey that Sunny chick looks familiar. So, she emailed my website and asked if it was really me. Long story short, I've called over the years and left messages at the high school I went to that she still teaches at just to thank her for being such a cool teacher and stuff. So when I wrote her back I was like, yeaaah this is Sunny, you never got my messages over the years? Turns out she did, I just never left a number or email to be reached at. Duhhhhh ... why am I so stupid sometimes?? Leavin' messages with no forwarding info ... what can I say. The calls were always on a whim, just to say thanks for great guidance in my formative years. So, I guess an absent minded message is okay every once in awhile teeheehee. Anyway, she gave my German-themed show a thumbs up and that makes me feel so good, her being German and my former teacher. It was almost like I scored well on a final exam! Teachers are always your teachers just like parents are always your parents. Teachers need more money man. I can thank several of them for helping me find myself in a sea of new people, new city, new everything. A moving military brat has plenty of assimilating to do growing up. So, Frau Richter now has my info and we can keep in touch!!!
That is one of the personal benefits of this job. All of a sudden I'm getting my childhood friends back! Imagine moving almost every year--sometimes within a year, until you reach high school??? Crazy hard to keep in touch with friends, and that was back before the internet! I was a snail mail sendin' chick. That's what you did, you wrote letters, put a stamp on it and waited for weeks to get a reply, then wrote another ... I mean over the span of a year, you'd maybe get in saaaaaay 6-7 letters. Really. These days I can send 6-7 emails in 6-7 minutes lol ... and a call to a 3rd grade friend in Virginia as a 4th grader in Germany, ain't happenin' unless we were the Huxtables teeheehee. I feel so old ... 33 ain't old, but when you remember using a typewriter for reports in school ... ooooooowwwweeeee ...
Ok, I'ma tear into my turkey and avocado sandwich and get back to taping the show! Thanks for checking in and I appreciate all the comments!!!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Dos ... (equis)
Well, day two of taping was fun! I ran into a bin of Dos Equis bottles in the FN kitchens, very out of place, but just as I was wrapping up for the day I saw it and thought it was a cute thing to see at the end of day two, dos down, I think 8 more to go? Anyway, day two was Friday, but I'm just now getting to post because I had a lazy weekend. Friday morning I caught what I thought was the beginnings of a cold. The whole day while taping I was fighting it with meds and tissue paper and funny thing is I didn't feel sick, just really wack congestion and the usual. I got home Friday and commited to knocking out early to let my body rest. The next morning I went to the local pharmacy and the pharm dude says he thinks it sounds more like allergies ... I got some allergy meds and I am good as new!!!! Never ever had an allergy problem before and now, my eyes are watery, nose a mess, you know? So, as promised ... a pic of something I can show from taping ... the "green room"
This is my sanctuary while taping. I get in early before everyone and just kinda chill. I eat my breakfast, oatmeal every day while taping, then check my email. Then, I sit at the table and go over the days' notes. What show I'll be taping and which recipes go in that show. See, nothing too big. I also think about talking points and what I'd like to say about the ingredients and the recipes. Usually right about then it's been an hour and I go into hair and make up ... then on with the day. Here's a pic of today's snack while my dude and I played Warriors on PS2 ...
And remember I told ya about Upstairs on the Square in Baahhston? Well, we are still talking about how good the meal was and the atmosphere to match. Here's another pic, I almost lost words when I saw the 2 finger dishes of salt and pepper ... I was in heaven ... that's my bellini on the left ;-)
This is my sanctuary while taping. I get in early before everyone and just kinda chill. I eat my breakfast, oatmeal every day while taping, then check my email. Then, I sit at the table and go over the days' notes. What show I'll be taping and which recipes go in that show. See, nothing too big. I also think about talking points and what I'd like to say about the ingredients and the recipes. Usually right about then it's been an hour and I go into hair and make up ... then on with the day. Here's a pic of today's snack while my dude and I played Warriors on PS2 ...
And remember I told ya about Upstairs on the Square in Baahhston? Well, we are still talking about how good the meal was and the atmosphere to match. Here's another pic, I almost lost words when I saw the 2 finger dishes of salt and pepper ... I was in heaven ... that's my bellini on the left ;-)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Bubble, bubble, boils and no trouble ...
Today was the first day of taping of our new episodes of Cooking for Real for Food Network and I had a grrreat time!!! Ok, lemme tell ya .... I was anxious. Last time around, I had just 4 days to get my act together and knew that if I got a chance to do more episodes I wanted to be able to speed up my side of the deal. Cuz lemme tell ya, first time around I had more false starts than that chick that was on American Idol. I feel her pain ... I'd begin talking and cooking and just lose my train of thought totally it's as if my brain blew a gasket with all the information input. Every night I unplugged and hit ctrl-alt-dlt on myself teeheehee. I progressed, but wish I had more time and wondered if my teeny progression was enough, you know? Like, am I behind the curve or right with it? My goal this time around is to focus a bit better and I think I did a bit better at that and was able to add some other tasks for my brain to work out while I try to cook and talk on auto pilot lol ... so today instead of waiting on me to focus ... we waited on water to boil. Really ... about 20-30 people ... all focused on a pot of water waiting on the bubbles so we could begin a recipe coming back from break. It boiled, I cooked and really had a good time. I took some chicken home from work that I'm about to work right now (uhhh, i actually typed the letter "n" in "now", then began to work 'em teeheehee). Take care and I'll try to snap some pics tomorrow of things I can actually show without getting in "trouble ... trrrrouble" (Think Bernie Mac, The Players Club) ...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
On your mark, Get a new set, GO!
Heyyyyy!!! Tomorrow is the day I start taping my new episodes of Cooking for Real!!! About two weeks ago I went in for a lighting test ... seems they wanted to change some things around color and lighting wise ....I've never done a lighting test, but basically I just stood there while everyone worked. There were various different colors of backdrops and different shades of each of the colors. They'd move the color behind my head then all look at the monitor and comment on what colors they liked at what setting ... it was all very above me ... I couldn't tell you what looks good on me, much less behind or around me teeheehee ... so, I just stood there socializing. Then came this really pretty blue tile they put behind me to look at on camera. Now, I hadn't seen most of the crew since we taped, so there were plenty of hellos and I'm a talker so most of the time while I stood on my mark, I'm sayin' hi and yellin' across the room ... just happy to see everyone, seeing the shades of green and such behind me, but not getting too invested. Then they put about a foot-long sample of tiny blue tiles behind me to check it for color and I continued to yap, but made a big mental note "i like it, i like it, i like it". I'd talk, then look back at the tile and think "i like it, i like it alot". So, I get in today for the final lighting test now that all the colors have been changed and other things on set as well and what do I seeeeee??? MY BLUE TILE :-) Yaaaaaaaay!!!! Along with this really pretty royal blue backsplash that goes higher than norm behind the sink, I have a fridge with a see through door and a new range and oven. Plus, a dishwasher!? Ok, now I'm jealous ... I don't even have a dishwasher in my own apartment!!! teeheehee ... most of the set stayed the same though ... Just newer colors and appliances, plus new cabinets and pantry ... lol I know I keep saying nothing changed and then I tell ya about something new, but really plenty of the things remain from before. I took pics, then was told it may not be a good idea to post them now, but I got the go ahead for a description ... I felt like a paparazzi teeheehee ... so there ya have it ... beautiful blue tile, new fridge, wood cabinets and pantry ... it's just a cleaner look and the lighting is nice too.
I can't wait to start taping and cooking tomorrow and hope to share some stuff about the journey here. I remember the long days from the first 6 shows (it wasn't long ago) so, I know it'll be tough to post, but I think I'll be able to handle it, there are plenty of stories to tell during taping, so check in and I'll let ya know how the shows are coming along .... here's a pic I didn't post last week of a tart recipe I worked on for these new shows .... It has 4 ingredients and has the most simple preparation with the maximum flavor output ... can't wait to share the recipe ...
I can't wait to start taping and cooking tomorrow and hope to share some stuff about the journey here. I remember the long days from the first 6 shows (it wasn't long ago) so, I know it'll be tough to post, but I think I'll be able to handle it, there are plenty of stories to tell during taping, so check in and I'll let ya know how the shows are coming along .... here's a pic I didn't post last week of a tart recipe I worked on for these new shows .... It has 4 ingredients and has the most simple preparation with the maximum flavor output ... can't wait to share the recipe ...
Sunday, May 4, 2008
BAAHHHSTON ... the haaahdway...
Teeheehee ... yeah, I was in Boston with my dude and the whole time we were there we murdered the accent. So, the title makes me giggle. BAAAHHHSTON. I decided after a long week of cooking almost all of the recipes from my next run of episodes that I'd take a long weekend. So me and my dude got on a train to Baaahhston! I did this trip a few years back when I got a hankering for a lobster roll. I initially made reservations back then for only 2 nights I think, then ended up having such a good meal and time at the hotel that I stayed longer than expected and continued to eat until I had to get back to work. It helped the hotel was attached to two malls :-). This trip had it's interesting moments. The train ride was great, but after a week of cooking homemade stuff ... I settled in for some train food and got this ...
It doesn't look good, and if it got zapped about 10 seconds less in the train microwave, it would've been as perfect as a cheeseburger in plastic wrap can get. :-) The bun was chewy, but really ... I was so hungry it was gone after two gulps of Corona. The cheese was yummy. lol. You'd think I'd be full from all the cooking, but the load of recipes was so high, it was like I had two seconds to taste for accuracy before we moved on to the next recipe. So I had tapas all week teeheehee ... the train cheese burger was my saviour. Then next to us on the train was a lady talking about some really crazy stuff. Ever hear a conversation that is exhausting? That was it, but the funny thing is my dude and I had our own internal jokes about it ... is that wrong? We were making the best of an interesting situation. So... we get to Boston and we are staying in the hotel I stayed in before because I remembered such a good stay ... but lemme tell ya, something happened the night we got here that we probably won't forget for some time. Let's just say it felt like we were in pre-civil rights times at most or dealing with a classist jerk at the least. And the jerk works at the hotel. After the encounter we go grab a late night bite and the meal was bangin'! It was this place called News. I ordered the French Toast with Vermont Maple and two eggs sunny side up with bacon and an English Muffin. I know, again ... I was hungry. My dude got the Roast Beef sandwich with the best fries I've had in a long time. He didn't have to offer once after I heard the crunch for me to try them. They were fat and still crunchy because they were battered and I think twice fried ... really really winner fries. We kept saying to ourselves ... and this is a lounge? It was more of a club than a restaurant feel, probably because it was about 1:30AM and most people were chillin' on the couches than at the dining tables, but really the food was great. As we were leaving people were coming in that were surely coming for a bite to eat after the club, so If you are in Baahhhston late night and you are hungry, this is a place to add to your possible list.
Then the next day we had lunch at a seafood spot I probably shouldn't name because ... although my oysters on the half shell and king crab legs were yummy, something my dude ate (clam chowder, shrimp) gave him food poisoning ...3 hours after eating we hopped into a car service to get to Faneuil Hall to go see the Red Auerbach bench sculpture. We got out, passed a fake Cheers bar and just around the corner there he was ... sitting for eternity. 5 minutes after this picture, my dude threw up lunch in a trashcan, then took a 10 minute break and threw up some more. Food poisoning is no joke ... but it's pretty cool to know your stomach can actually reject food. Check out Red ...
And an added tourist attraction bonus to his left (our right) was this ...
Good ol' Larry Bird!! Very cool.
So that was Saturday .... the sickness pretty much kept us in the hotel. Did dinner in the lobby restaurant. Then, on Sunday we went to two restaurants on the opposite ends of the spectrum and had two baaaaaangin' meals. Our hotel concierge Jerry, was a pit of information. You know when they say that about people? He was that and so much more. Just really a nice guy. So, he set us up for brunch at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge's Harvard Square. This is a place he described as "Alice in Wonderland on acid" and immediately we agreed to make a reservation. We were not disappointed. Eager to get there we hopped into a cab and the driver took us over the bridge that separates Baaahhston from Cambridge and then decided to tell us he had no idea where the restaurant was. He was like, I can't know where everything is lol ... I was like, maybe next time tell your passengers when they get in, not when they get across a bridge lol. We got out and hopped into another cab and pulled up to the street and spotted it because it was the only spot on the block with bright pink and purple chairs outside ... just a little hint at what we'd see inside. The decor was aptly described as Alice in Wonderland on acid ... there were animal prints, pinks, purples, greens, gold painted chairs. There was a bridal shower going on with some partying ladies, a few locals and Harvard students, Take a look ....
The light bulbs had wings
Now look at the fooood.
All was very yummy and just when we were about to leave, our waitress told us that a neat show was about to happen, little did we know our table was front row, stage center. A few seconds later in runs the Harvard Krokodiloes, according to them they are the oldest acappella singing group at the university and they did a short, but very entertaining show, one dude sang Summertime and my eyes got a bit watery, I'm a wimp for music .... here's most of them, mid-song....
We took a break, walked some and then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner!!! Now this place was recommended to me by someone at Food Network last week when we were chatting about our weekend plans. The chef just won battle coffee on Iron Chef America and I was told it may be hard to get in. Jerry hooked us up and at around 9pm Sunday night we were at Clio in foodie heaven!
Couldn't tell ya the title of this one ... i'm gonna have to call, i know, i'm wack i really was counting on it being on the website, but it isn't. i'm really not doing it justice because this meal deserves more respect teeheehee.... really does. ok, well the orange dots were mango sweet, the white was a lil scoop of ice cream, the blocks were butterscotch and the orange curls tasted like orange life savers, little crunchy bits ... it was all verry yummy!
It doesn't look good, and if it got zapped about 10 seconds less in the train microwave, it would've been as perfect as a cheeseburger in plastic wrap can get. :-) The bun was chewy, but really ... I was so hungry it was gone after two gulps of Corona. The cheese was yummy. lol. You'd think I'd be full from all the cooking, but the load of recipes was so high, it was like I had two seconds to taste for accuracy before we moved on to the next recipe. So I had tapas all week teeheehee ... the train cheese burger was my saviour. Then next to us on the train was a lady talking about some really crazy stuff. Ever hear a conversation that is exhausting? That was it, but the funny thing is my dude and I had our own internal jokes about it ... is that wrong? We were making the best of an interesting situation. So... we get to Boston and we are staying in the hotel I stayed in before because I remembered such a good stay ... but lemme tell ya, something happened the night we got here that we probably won't forget for some time. Let's just say it felt like we were in pre-civil rights times at most or dealing with a classist jerk at the least. And the jerk works at the hotel. After the encounter we go grab a late night bite and the meal was bangin'! It was this place called News. I ordered the French Toast with Vermont Maple and two eggs sunny side up with bacon and an English Muffin. I know, again ... I was hungry. My dude got the Roast Beef sandwich with the best fries I've had in a long time. He didn't have to offer once after I heard the crunch for me to try them. They were fat and still crunchy because they were battered and I think twice fried ... really really winner fries. We kept saying to ourselves ... and this is a lounge? It was more of a club than a restaurant feel, probably because it was about 1:30AM and most people were chillin' on the couches than at the dining tables, but really the food was great. As we were leaving people were coming in that were surely coming for a bite to eat after the club, so If you are in Baahhhston late night and you are hungry, this is a place to add to your possible list.
Then the next day we had lunch at a seafood spot I probably shouldn't name because ... although my oysters on the half shell and king crab legs were yummy, something my dude ate (clam chowder, shrimp) gave him food poisoning ...3 hours after eating we hopped into a car service to get to Faneuil Hall to go see the Red Auerbach bench sculpture. We got out, passed a fake Cheers bar and just around the corner there he was ... sitting for eternity. 5 minutes after this picture, my dude threw up lunch in a trashcan, then took a 10 minute break and threw up some more. Food poisoning is no joke ... but it's pretty cool to know your stomach can actually reject food. Check out Red ...
And an added tourist attraction bonus to his left (our right) was this ...
Good ol' Larry Bird!! Very cool.
So that was Saturday .... the sickness pretty much kept us in the hotel. Did dinner in the lobby restaurant. Then, on Sunday we went to two restaurants on the opposite ends of the spectrum and had two baaaaaangin' meals. Our hotel concierge Jerry, was a pit of information. You know when they say that about people? He was that and so much more. Just really a nice guy. So, he set us up for brunch at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge's Harvard Square. This is a place he described as "Alice in Wonderland on acid" and immediately we agreed to make a reservation. We were not disappointed. Eager to get there we hopped into a cab and the driver took us over the bridge that separates Baaahhston from Cambridge and then decided to tell us he had no idea where the restaurant was. He was like, I can't know where everything is lol ... I was like, maybe next time tell your passengers when they get in, not when they get across a bridge lol. We got out and hopped into another cab and pulled up to the street and spotted it because it was the only spot on the block with bright pink and purple chairs outside ... just a little hint at what we'd see inside. The decor was aptly described as Alice in Wonderland on acid ... there were animal prints, pinks, purples, greens, gold painted chairs. There was a bridal shower going on with some partying ladies, a few locals and Harvard students, Take a look ....
The light bulbs had wings
Now look at the fooood.
Selection of Artisan Cheeses
(figs were yummy)
Tuscan Style Melon & Prosciutto de Parma
(pesto was sooo good)
Eggs Benedict
Two Poached Eggs, Pancetta & Tarragon Hollandaise
Served on an English Muffin
(h.sauce was so good, I asked for a side of it and it came in 2 secs, perfect balance of lemon and butter)
Lobster Omelette
Sautéed Mushrooms, Brie & Petite Salade
Signature Milk Chocolate Pecan Turtles (plate of 3)
(ok, theeeese .... theeeeese?? were ... i mean .... omg and so sweeeeet and sugary ... and the chocolate melted ... just .... theeese were ... we should've bought some to bring back) Our waitress brought us these complimentary when we ordered this ...
Butterscotch Pudding
Pecan Caramel Shortbread Cookie
(the spoon is covering the first scoop taken out surreptitiously by my dude before I could snag a pic, he had the hand-in-the-cookie-jar face teeheehee)
All was very yummy and just when we were about to leave, our waitress told us that a neat show was about to happen, little did we know our table was front row, stage center. A few seconds later in runs the Harvard Krokodiloes, according to them they are the oldest acappella singing group at the university and they did a short, but very entertaining show, one dude sang Summertime and my eyes got a bit watery, I'm a wimp for music .... here's most of them, mid-song....
We took a break, walked some and then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner!!! Now this place was recommended to me by someone at Food Network last week when we were chatting about our weekend plans. The chef just won battle coffee on Iron Chef America and I was told it may be hard to get in. Jerry hooked us up and at around 9pm Sunday night we were at Clio in foodie heaven!
It was a total departure from the funky decor that worked so well at brunch ... this place was more refined and conservative in decor and atmosphere. People speaking in hushed tones and white linen on the tables. I had ...
Frozen Hot Chocolate
(liquid nitro and it was smooth and velvety)
White Asparagus with Maple
(I love white asparagus and this was so good, sorry i didn't take notes, i just ate and ate and then now i see it isn't on the online menu, but lemme tell ya it was divine.)
Sweet Butter Basted Maine Lobster with chanterelle mushrooms, fava beans and vin jaune d'Arbois
(ok, i've never had a lobster more tender and buttery, the vin d'youknow was out of this world creamy and silky, and yes ... the foam was good too teeheehee)
Couldn't tell ya the title of this one ... i'm gonna have to call, i know, i'm wack i really was counting on it being on the website, but it isn't. i'm really not doing it justice because this meal deserves more respect teeheehee.... really does. ok, well the orange dots were mango sweet, the white was a lil scoop of ice cream, the blocks were butterscotch and the orange curls tasted like orange life savers, little crunchy bits ... it was all verry yummy!Every bite garnered a remark of how good it was, me and my dude just kept saying how our food tasted. It truly was the perfect meal. I wish I could've been a judge or something on that Iron Chef to taste more of Chef Oringer's creations! Crazy good.
we walked back to the hotel because the weather was nice and omg, how much did I eat this weekend?? I took no prisoners ... I'm on my "water is my only drink right now" diet, no more beer, soda or sweet tea for a minute ... gotta get some good fluids in me teeheehee ... ok, hope you had a great weekend. Check back soon, I have some behind the scenes news about my Cooking for Real set, if you are in to that type of stuff :-) ... Happy Tuesday!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
More FN Kitchen Time!
Hey there! I just wanted to throw up some more pics from today's journey in the kitchen. To bring ya up to speed, my show Cooking for Real got picked up for more episodes so we're compiling and testing my recipes before we shoot. I couldn't tell you how many things I've cooked this week, but to say it'll all spread out over 13 episodes can kinda give you the idea of the cooking load. I ain't alone though :-), I have my trusty team on hand. Here's a pick of us getting loopy yesterday between roasting and frying...
That's me on the left with a 10-inch wide by my side :-), Santos holdin' the tray and Sarah. Sarah is one of the producers and Santos is a Culinary Gangsta of all Cuisine or a C.G.C. ... (i told him i'd come up with somethin' ... but the official title does have the word culinary in it, so can a chick get some points? teeheehee) I said "hey everyone pick up something for the pic!" I grab my knife, Santos the food and Sarah the pen! Too funny!!
Alright, also yesterday remember I put up some pics of two cakes? I almost toldya the name of the one I ate and then decided I should check ... glad I did ... top secret cake title and it isn't done yet ... still a work in progress. Let me tell you though ... the dude in the kitchen that made it ... he's my new best friend. I want another slice. Or two. Or three teeheehee. It's such a great scene to look up and see people happily cooking. No chef barking on the line or a manager yelling orders. Everyone cooks and works pleasantly and the different kinds of food that go down in one day spans the globe. Today, I got a taste of some Thai food and got another slice of cake ... this time chocolate! That was from someone else's cooking station.
The Peaches n Cream cookies I did yesterday are still getting good reviews in the building, so I cannot wait to share the recipe with you on a future show. Today we started with breakfast ... hmmmmm I seasoned some pork and made sausage yesterday, so I browned it up and we ate it alongside some breakfast recipes I'll share soon. This is my empty plate ... excuse my need to pour more syrup on than needed, it was so good I overdosed.
Then some more bfast...
And omg ... at first this was going to just be a sweet and tangy custard pie, then when I took it out, I said let's use those egg whites we had left over and voila! A better pie without waste! Gonna change it to a smaller spring form to get the custard to meringue ratio better, but it was so yummy. Can you tell which slice I called out? Ok, hope ya like the pics ... I am beat. Thanks again for all the support and hope you catch this week's show!!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Yaaaaaaaaay! Thanks for watching!!!!
Well, I have some amazing news I can finally share! A couple of weeks ago I found out I get to continue taping Cooking for Real for Food Network! I can't believe it, I am so HAPPY! This is a result of early support and viewership, I can't tell you how thankful I am. I've met so many great people here on my blog and myspace. I've even reconnected with friends I thought I'd lost because I moved around so much growing up. Then, the cool thing is exchanging food ideas and stories with people. I really enjoy it. So, if you've watched Cooking for Real, taped it to watch later or told someone about the show, I truly appreciate it. It means so much to me. I've only heard good reports from my bosses and it's a direct result of support. It gives me a chance to continue living in this crazy dream. Life is pretty amazing when you just live it and make deliberate choices. I still can't believe it! When I got the call I was totally caught off guard and couldn't say much. It's one of the few times in my life I've searched for the next word and I used to be called motormouth growing up teeheehee ... I'm sure somewhere in there though I said Thank You, cuz wowwwwww, am I thankful for this opportunity. It feels crazy! Thanks to you too, just reading this blog means if you haven't watched the show, you may catch in the future. If that is the case, I hope you do get a chance to see the show and I hope you enjoy it.
So, with the news of more shows I was just super happy and then all of a sudden my mind went in a jillion directions ... I have work to do!! I found out there's no delay and I begin taping verrrrry soon! I wanted to say something when I got the word, but just got the green light so I can give you some behind the scenes stuff. This week, I'm in the Food Network kitchens working with my producer and the culinary staff. We're testing my recipes so when we post them up on FoodNetwork.com they are written in a uniform way. It's also a major help when we tape the shows, it helps the producers see what the cooking process looks like for my recipes. This helps them map out segments in each episode. We began cooking yesterday and so far I think we've got some great shows planned with some really yummy recipes. Yesterday we started with Chicken Sausage in Vodka Sauce for breakfast and ended the day with Grilled Fish Tacos, I have a belly of steel lol ... the list of recipes between the two was quite varied and all great things I can't wait to share with ya! Today, I cut cabbage, smashed garlic, fried fries, cut mangos, sliced onions, cut cucumbers, seasoned pork, reduced liquids ... and the fun goes on! I think the best part of the day was the end, and not because it was over, but because we baked up my Peaches n Cream cookies and killed a few while cleaning up for the day. Take a look at a shot I took last night when I tested them in my home kitchen.
And then a long shot of the kitchen ...
and two lonely cakes that the kitchen staff cooked up...
I had a piece of the one on the right. They cook all day in the kitchens for various projects and the amount of tasting and passing around of food is just like heaven for me!! Everyone is cooking and sharing, really a cool environment. Lemme check and see if I can give out the cake names below cuz they aren't mine, the slice I had was dense, moist, creamy and a bit light at the same time. I saved most of it and took it home so I could massacre it in private and give it the time and attention a good slice of cake deserves. Yes, that's how good it was. Verrrrrrrry, I mean verrrrrrrrrrrry good. Check in here and there if you are in to pics, I'll take more to post now that I have the go ahead to blog away about the new episodes! :-) Speaking of blogs, head on over to The Amateur Gourmet and check in on Adam Roberts ... I ran into him today at work and I'm really enjoying his webisodes, he's taller than I remembered, but just as nice! The FN Dish updates weekly on FoodNetwork.com Here's my webisode with him ...
So, with the news of more shows I was just super happy and then all of a sudden my mind went in a jillion directions ... I have work to do!! I found out there's no delay and I begin taping verrrrry soon! I wanted to say something when I got the word, but just got the green light so I can give you some behind the scenes stuff. This week, I'm in the Food Network kitchens working with my producer and the culinary staff. We're testing my recipes so when we post them up on FoodNetwork.com they are written in a uniform way. It's also a major help when we tape the shows, it helps the producers see what the cooking process looks like for my recipes. This helps them map out segments in each episode. We began cooking yesterday and so far I think we've got some great shows planned with some really yummy recipes. Yesterday we started with Chicken Sausage in Vodka Sauce for breakfast and ended the day with Grilled Fish Tacos, I have a belly of steel lol ... the list of recipes between the two was quite varied and all great things I can't wait to share with ya! Today, I cut cabbage, smashed garlic, fried fries, cut mangos, sliced onions, cut cucumbers, seasoned pork, reduced liquids ... and the fun goes on! I think the best part of the day was the end, and not because it was over, but because we baked up my Peaches n Cream cookies and killed a few while cleaning up for the day. Take a look at a shot I took last night when I tested them in my home kitchen.
And then a long shot of the kitchen ...
and two lonely cakes that the kitchen staff cooked up...
I had a piece of the one on the right. They cook all day in the kitchens for various projects and the amount of tasting and passing around of food is just like heaven for me!! Everyone is cooking and sharing, really a cool environment. Lemme check and see if I can give out the cake names below cuz they aren't mine, the slice I had was dense, moist, creamy and a bit light at the same time. I saved most of it and took it home so I could massacre it in private and give it the time and attention a good slice of cake deserves. Yes, that's how good it was. Verrrrrrrry, I mean verrrrrrrrrrrry good. Check in here and there if you are in to pics, I'll take more to post now that I have the go ahead to blog away about the new episodes! :-) Speaking of blogs, head on over to The Amateur Gourmet and check in on Adam Roberts ... I ran into him today at work and I'm really enjoying his webisodes, he's taller than I remembered, but just as nice! The FN Dish updates weekly on FoodNetwork.com Here's my webisode with him ...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Cooking for Real: Week 3 preview ...
Hi all! I've spent most of the day recovering from a late night - early rise thing. Got up this morning to go hang out with DJ Whoo Kid and Coach PR over at G-Unit radio on Sirius' Shade 45 channel. People called in from all over the country and we had plenty of fun. Thanks to the guys from Dallas, Virginia, New York and the especially the two guys from Miami that called in to chat and hit me off with some great real places to get a meal when I go down there for the first time. Yeah, been all over the world, but I've missed Miami, so it's on my short list, I want some Cuban food and a hot beach! So, when I go down, now I have Janet's and Tom Jenkins to look into for a meal. Can't wait! This morning we had food from the 1st show that aired, which was a New Orlean's theme. Tomorrow's show is all about Tex-Mex flavors.
I went to high school and basic training for the Air Force in San Antonio and after being stationed in South Korea for a year, I was sent back to San Antonio to finish my enlistment. It's such a great city a with all the military bases in town, there's a chance to really get some world cuisine in San Antonio if you know where to look. Something you never have to look for in Texas though is Tex-Mex. It's alllll over the place, from the street stand to the super expensive restaurants. I think my favorite recipe from tomorrow's show is the Huevos Rancheros. This is a dish you can find many ways in the southwest. It's usually plated though, so I thought I'd make it more compact. It just happened one day in the kitchen, how to make it without it looking like just an over easy egg with some beans, cheese, tortillas and salsa. After I got the recipe down, it was about making each component really work and have personality. So, why buy a salsa when you can make a fresh pico de gallo? Why use just refried beans in the can when you can hook em up a bit and make a spread? The black bean puree I make on the show is so good on so many things, try corn chips to start and it'd be a better layer in 7-layer dip than just beans from a can as well too. Have fun with the puree and the pico de gallo recipe because they are good for so many other things alone without the company of everything that makes them work for the Huevos Rancheros. I only came up with the puree part of the recipe just this year and wish I'd had it in my life longer. I sometimes add way more cumin than I listed in the recipe, but any recipe is just a good starting point, so find your blend if you use it.
Ok, now the Churros aren't something I fell in love with in San Antonio, I fell in love with them on a train in NYC. Every once in a while, you'll catch a lady selling churros out of a grocery cart in the subway system, not the same lady of course, they are all over the city. Anyway, I had one and loved it, but wanted it fresh and not from a cart that was sitting in the subway for hours waiting on me to buy it. So, I came up with a way to make a version of the sugary doughnut-like dessert at home. The hint of lime really takes the flavor over the edge! Mouth is watering as I type, these were hard to keep on set for the beauty photos we had to get after I prepared each menu item. A sure crowd pleaser, try 'em for kids parties and for adults as well :-).
Then the corn comes from Texas and Red Hook, Brooklyn. I'll talk about the eating scene in Red Hook in the near future here because the season for eating there is on the way with the good weather and more people should make the trek even though it is now getting super crowded due to all the press. The good with the bad :-). Ok, hope you can catch Cooking for Real tomorrow! here's the official show descrip...
RE0103: MEXIN-IT UP
Premieres: Sunday, April 20that 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
Some of the best Tex-Mex street food happens right in your own kitchen when Sunny Anderson whips up her Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Black Bean Puree, Mexican Street Corn, and Homemade Churros with a hint of lime.
I went to high school and basic training for the Air Force in San Antonio and after being stationed in South Korea for a year, I was sent back to San Antonio to finish my enlistment. It's such a great city a with all the military bases in town, there's a chance to really get some world cuisine in San Antonio if you know where to look. Something you never have to look for in Texas though is Tex-Mex. It's alllll over the place, from the street stand to the super expensive restaurants. I think my favorite recipe from tomorrow's show is the Huevos Rancheros. This is a dish you can find many ways in the southwest. It's usually plated though, so I thought I'd make it more compact. It just happened one day in the kitchen, how to make it without it looking like just an over easy egg with some beans, cheese, tortillas and salsa. After I got the recipe down, it was about making each component really work and have personality. So, why buy a salsa when you can make a fresh pico de gallo? Why use just refried beans in the can when you can hook em up a bit and make a spread? The black bean puree I make on the show is so good on so many things, try corn chips to start and it'd be a better layer in 7-layer dip than just beans from a can as well too. Have fun with the puree and the pico de gallo recipe because they are good for so many other things alone without the company of everything that makes them work for the Huevos Rancheros. I only came up with the puree part of the recipe just this year and wish I'd had it in my life longer. I sometimes add way more cumin than I listed in the recipe, but any recipe is just a good starting point, so find your blend if you use it.
Ok, now the Churros aren't something I fell in love with in San Antonio, I fell in love with them on a train in NYC. Every once in a while, you'll catch a lady selling churros out of a grocery cart in the subway system, not the same lady of course, they are all over the city. Anyway, I had one and loved it, but wanted it fresh and not from a cart that was sitting in the subway for hours waiting on me to buy it. So, I came up with a way to make a version of the sugary doughnut-like dessert at home. The hint of lime really takes the flavor over the edge! Mouth is watering as I type, these were hard to keep on set for the beauty photos we had to get after I prepared each menu item. A sure crowd pleaser, try 'em for kids parties and for adults as well :-).
Then the corn comes from Texas and Red Hook, Brooklyn. I'll talk about the eating scene in Red Hook in the near future here because the season for eating there is on the way with the good weather and more people should make the trek even though it is now getting super crowded due to all the press. The good with the bad :-). Ok, hope you can catch Cooking for Real tomorrow! here's the official show descrip...
RE0103: MEXIN-IT UP
Premieres: Sunday, April 20that 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
Some of the best Tex-Mex street food happens right in your own kitchen when Sunny Anderson whips up her Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Black Bean Puree, Mexican Street Corn, and Homemade Churros with a hint of lime.
Paul Mooney kept me up and I liked it ...
So, ok, look ... I cannot begin another Friday post with the "where's my week gone mantra", but omg WMWG??? I'll start by saying a post about my fave cupcake spot is on the way. On Thursday, I had a breakfast meeting with someone from work, so I was in the city early, which almost never happens. It's usually an afternoon trip. Thursday was one of those days we feel we deserve in NYC after having wack winters. lol. I spent 6 months in Cali and must admit, got a bit sick of the same sunshine everyday ... it was real cool when it hailed and even nicer to drive to the top of Mount Baldy and see some snow where the foot of the mountain is like 90 degrees. Ok, so Thursday was lovely in NYC. Everybody was out and about so after bfast, I thought, I don't wanna go home yet! I was so close to my old job that it reminded me of one of my favorite restaurants in the area that I used to go to all the time. I thought it'd be a great lunch, but I totally needed to walk a bit, then it hit me ... I missed a friend's birthday and they were just blocks away at my old job! So, I texted her and minutes later we were eating at Petit Abielle on Hudson. I had the Bangers and Mash, she had a sandwich. I will surely talk about Petit Abielle at some point at length, but I'll start by saying not only is the food amazing, the owner, the staff, everyone there are great humans. Smiley faces every time you go there. We had fun talkin about the good ol' days and what we were currently up to and on the walk back to her job is my fave cupcake joint I posted about just this week!!! Out of the Kitchen! ***ok, remember I said I'd post at length about how good the cupcakes are??? well, things have changed, they moved locations for one!! just down the same street though and added menu items, I was so overwhelmed. That ode to the cupcake there is on the way, but right now I am tiiiiiiiiiired!!!
My dude and I just got back from seeing Paul Mooney at Caroline's on Broadway. It is 4:19AM! He started his set at 1AM and didn't end until 3:47 and it was allllll hilarious. I wish I could pull a specific joke, but there were so many, plenty of his humor is observational as well. Totally wouldn't translate if I typed it. It was the perfect ending to a long week, plenty of laughs and 2 cervezas.
If you are up in the morning (Sat) and have Sirius Radio, I'll be on Eminem's Shade 45 channel at 1030AM with DJ Whoo Kid and Coach PR, tune in and join in the fun. I know the guys from my radio days and for them to ask me to the show to promote Cooking for Real is the ultimate in support and friendship. Hope ya catch it, until then ... nighty night.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Cupcakes and show notes ...
How's that for a purrrty cupcake?? Yummy! I bought it last week from Chelsea Market's Ruthy's Bakery. I'm in to cupcakes. The cake, the frosting, the whole thing. Back in early 2006, I did a pilot for a food show and filmed a segment at Sprinkles in Los Angeles. They were on the cusp of national acclaim, but I'd already read about them in a few magazines, so I was psyched to get a free cross-country trip to eat cupcakes for free lol! I even got to make them with one of the owners, there's a tiny kitchen back there that cranks out a jillion cupcakes a day. I had about 6 cupcakes at the shoot and then after the day was complete at another great spot in L.A., Cafe De Artistes (amazing mac n cheese btw), I went back to Sprinkles for like 4 more. Then I went just a few doors down and got some of those homemade tortilla chips I saw frying in the window earlier. I had to do the intro to the show walking down the street and talking and every time I passed the window with chips deep frying in oil, I'd silently think to myself "chiiiiips" lol. I wanted to house those chips so baaad! I also wanted to eat some cupcakes too, and I'd already researched the next stop on the route and knew I wanted to eat that too. What a mess, only in town for a 2 day shoot, how do you fit all the eating in??? Anyway, Sprinkles' cupcakes were pretty darn good. If you go, skip the tiny wooden fork, I know it's in a classy area, but really ... a fork??? I can kill it in 2 bites, 5 with people watching, so ... c'mon teeny forks are for oysters, not cupcakes. teeheehee. I loved the chocolate-peppermint one. I don't know the name of it, but it is the one I remember and went back for later. Sat in my hotel room like a cupcake bandit, eating em on the bed with a plastic container of over priced milk in on hand and the booty in the other. The memory is quite funny and pathetic at the same time, but at that moment I was in heaven. I'd just filmed my first pilot and at the end of the day I had a lap full of cupcakes to celebrate. Well, the pilot didn't get picked up, but I eventually got a show on the network :-) and have great memories of a free cross country trip for a cupcake! I remember the chocolate being really good as well at Sprinkles. The red-velvet was yummy too, but I think my grandma takes the cake on that, pun intended :-). And I'll get to grandma a bit later in this post, but real quick. My fave spot so far in NYC for cupcakes is Out of the Kitchen! on Hudson Street in the W.Village. I think, I'd have to use an entire post explain how they taste, so I'll just say my mouth is watering now as I type and I haven't had one of their cupcakes in about a year!
So, hope you caught the second episode of Cooking for Real , It was all about taking you a bit into the south with pork chops, greens and cobbler. I mentioned my grandma during the show and didn't tell her before it aired. I wanted it to be a surprise. She is such an amazing cook and I always remember eating cakes and pies and the biggest breakfasts and heart warming dinners when we visited. So, she gives me reviews when I'm on and is always candid and never sugar coats things, but this week when we chatted after the show she said she sat with my aunt and cried while watching the show. Now, I gotta say that's an amazing feeling to know I touched her that way and she even said they were gonna make the stuffed pork chops! Now, what bizarro world am I in when my grandma is doing one of my recipes?? Totally crazy. I love her so much, she is hilarious and I know every time we talk I'm going to laugh. So, I'm glad episode two got the thumbs up from grandma. I watch and then when it's over I think to myself what I could've done differently or said and I hope I get a chance to share more stories and recipes and things and get better. Hindsight is crazy when you do television, I just can't wait to see how next week's episode turns out. I'm happy to get messages from people that are trying the recipes or parts of them. It's all about sharing! I'm really happy with my shows so far for being a rookie :-), hopefully I get a chance to get better like a fine wine or aged steak lol. Ok, Hope you guys catch the next one. It's a Tex-Mex theme with Churros, Huevos Rancheros and Mexican Corn. I did most of my living in San Antonio, about 6 years total split up by S. Korea. I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuv Tex-Mex! Chorizo is king!! lol I used to plot my living situation based on what Tex-Mex restaurants were in the area. For those nights that I don't feel like cooking, having good spots to eat close by is a life saver. It's really one of the main things I think about when moving, grocery stores, fish/meat market and restaurant locations. I'm getting back there very soon to visit some high school friends, but until then ....
RE0103: MEXIN-IT UP
Premieres: Sunday, April 20that 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
Some of the best Tex-Mex street food happens right in your own kitchen when Sunny Anderson whips up her Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Black Bean Puree, Mexican Street Corn, and Homemade Churros with a hint of lime.
And here's the rest of the episode descriptions ... TiVo or DVR is you can't catch 'em live ... and as always ... tell a stranger!!
RE0102: BISTRO NIGHT-IN
Premieres: Sunday, April 27th at 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
When you're craving a great bistro meal, don't rely on your corner spot, do it yourself! With a ‘Bistro Night-In’ Sunny Anderson cooks up Grilled Chicken with White Wine Mushroom Sauce, Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream and Wilted Green Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
RE0105: REAL COMFORT, REAL GOOD
Premieres: Sunday, May 4th at 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
Ever crave some comfort food only to find yourself not so comforted? Sunny Anderson helps out when she brings it home with a belly-warming menu of Meatloaf in Tri-Color Pepper Molds, off-the-charts Macaroni and Cheese, and Shake Shots to cap it off.
RE0106: GERMANY IS WONDER-VEAL
Premieres: Sunday, May 11th at 10:30AM ET/PT, Food Network
Lederhosen beware! Sunny Anderson fills you up with her delicious, German inspired meal. She starts things off with a traditional hunter's dish of veal Jaegerschnitzel served over Southern Cheese Grits, Honey-Glazed Carrots and finishes it all of with a mouth-watering Baked Apple with Crisp Topping. Guten appetit!!
And now ... another shot of my cupcake, it was between this and one topped with a Sesame Street character. I bought it for myself last week Thursday and rescued it from my fridge Sunday night! They really know how to pack a cupcake at Ruthy's! It was all snug in it's little plastic cradle that fit perfectly inside a shorter and wider than usual Chinese take out box. I'm saving the brown bag so I can re-use it and decrease my human footprint. Every teeny thing helps! p.s. cupcake lovers, feel free to share the best spot to get 'em in your 'hood in the comments ... i'm a traveler and ya never know when you'll need to celebrate on the road! :-)
