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. :-)

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.

NFNS Webisodes up every week!

Hi All!

Well, my new buddy Adam Roberts of the FN Dish and Amateur Gourmet, has invited me along every week to watch and chat about Food Network's Next Food Network Star. Plenty of links for one sentence huh? teeheehee ... Okay, anyway every week he's invited me to his place and we watch the show together, then chat about it and comment on the contestants. We even talk about the person voted off. It was plenty of fun last week. Check it out below ...

So watch the show Sundays at 10PM/9C and then right after, click here and check for our commentary. This year is interesting so far ... I already have my faves and my not so faves ... feels weird because what if I meet one of them in the future and there I am talking about them on the webisode? Well, you've got my word I'll be honest and as constructive as possible, but I'm also gonna have fun with it. It's a fun show, plenty of different personalities and culinary points of view. I totally got the "Holmes" part of my Lisa Garza comment from a funny post on Jacob's blog here ... alright, hope you enjoy em and if you don't or do agree with my comments, it's cool to say it ... it's an open forum, just don't get too crazy I've seen some angry posts about contestants floating around. :-)  Btw ... the popcorn you catch a glimpse of was from my new 13 episodes ... fresh popped and drizzled with bad stuff, more details when the show runs. We had beers and popcorn while watching, Adam is my kinda guy! Next week, I'm bringing by a close friend to hang out and watch.

Be on Food Network with me!!!

Hey all!

I'm in Denver coming off a sugar rush-crash ... we were taping a segment for How'd That Get On My Plate? at LaMar's donuts in a suburb called  Broomfield and I do believe I ate some glaze and tore into just about every single donut they offered me!!! Oooowwweeee tasty! Ok, so back to the subject ...

  

How'd ya like to be on Food Network with me? I'm gonna be featured on a new Food Network show called Dear Food Network. Click there and read up, basically you send in a video or email with a food question or dilemma and if you get picked your video, question or even YOU may be on with me! This is exciting for me, I like meeting new people and even better if it's a conversation about something I love, food!! 

Check the website for ideas of what they are looking for and get on it!! You have to upload the video by July 14th. Include your age, where you live and get your friends and family involved if you want! Be creative or just be sincere, whatever feels right. The video can be uploaded to FoodNetwork.com/DearFN or e-mailed in to DearFoodNetwork@foodnetwork.com. Again ... Deadline is July 14.

More great news to share!!

Well, again I've kept a secret ... I promise it's only cuz I couldn't talk about it until the release came out and now it's out, so naturally I'm talkin' :-), plus I've been really tired due to taping the new episodes of Cooking for Real. Now that we've wrapped taping and I've slept some ... I'm back in biz ... ok, I'm really excited to share the news with you that beginning in July, Food Network debuts a new primetime show hosted by me!

It's called How'd That Get On My Plate? and I describe it like a cross between History Channel's Modern Marvels and Unwrapped. The crazy thing is I love both of those shows, so it's really neat that I feel I have a bit of a hybrid. Basically, on the show I follow food from it's rawest form to the various finished products that use it for an ingredient. Like saaaaaaaay peanuts. I'd visit a peanut farm, harvest, then visit a plant and show the various ways it is transformed into peanut butter, oil, brittle, etc. I've already taped one episode and just this week saw the rough cut. I really like it and hope you catch it when it begins. I'll check and see if I can run my mouth about the pilot and if I can I'll tell you what product we started with and some funny things I learned. That's what I actually love about the show, it allows me to share what I know about food and I also learn some stuff in the process. Really neat. Really neat. In addition to that I'll be a rollin' stone so I'll get to eat in new cities, see new places and meet new people. So keep the restaurant suggestions coming, I'm making a file for my travels. Next week Denver and San Jose ... any food tips? Here's the official release about the show from Food Network! I'll post the airdate and time soon and then read below it for a quick blog admin msg ...

FOOD NETWORK PRIMETIME IS IN FULL SWING THIS SPRING!

Production Begins on Three New Series, Debuting Later This Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Production begins this May on three new primetime series for Food Network, it was announced today by Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. Featuring both up-and-coming talent and a brand new addition to the Food Network family, the series tackle a variety of subjects from travel and behind-the-scenes info to personal food journeys that will change lives. The series include: 

ROAD TASTED WITH THE NEELYS 

Premieres: July, 2008

Food Network’s favorite new husband and wife team – Pat and Gina Neely – hit the road on a cross-country search for the best local, hand-crafted foods on Road Tasted with the Neelys. This next iteration of the popular show follows the fun-loving couple to cities including San Diego, Baltimore, Portland, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, and Kansas City where they’ll highlight specialty stores and family-run businesses that make one-of-a-kind edibles. Armed with the knowledge of what it takes to launch a successful family business and a passion for all things food, they'll even show viewers how to get all the fabulous food finds delivered right to their doors.

HOW’D THAT GET ON MY PLATE

Premieres: July, 2008

Sunny Anderson, host of Cooking For Real, begins a fact-finding food adventure in her new series, How’d That Get On My Plate? Each episode follows the fascinating journey of a single ingredient (such as eggs, garlic, honey or apples) as it moves from its raw state into the finished, iconic product. Watch Sunny as she travels the country from the farm, through the factory and to the market and showcases the technology and innovation it takes to get our favorite foods to the plate. Whether milking a cow, making a martini out of potato vodka, harvesting honey or driving a corn-harvesting combine, Sunny dives into the behind-the-scenes action and finds out how food gets on our plates! 

THE CHEF JEFF PROJECT

Premieres: October, 2008

Chef Jeff Henderson (author, "Cooked") had a rough life as a young adult, following a path that turned him into a drug dealer, which eventually led to his arrest. In prison, Henderson found his passion for cooking while serving nearly 10 years for drug trafficking, and through food turned his life around, becoming an award-winning chef, best-selling author and popular motivational speaker. As Executive Chef at Café Bellagio at the renowned Bellagio Hotel and Casino and holding top positions at other Las Vegas resorts including Caesar’s Palace, he has become one of the most influential African-American chefs in the country.  Now, Chef Jeff wants to give back to six young adults who are heading down a similar path but who have a strong desire to improve their lives. In The Chef Jeff Project, the young adults will work under his watchful eye at his new LA-based catering company, Posh Urban Cuisine. As they learn about food under Chef Jeff’s strong and inspiring hand, they will also be instructed in the life lessons necessary to remake themselves and succeed, including appearance, attitude, respect, motivation and behavior. 

FOOD NETWORK (HYPERLINK www.foodnetwork.com www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that strives to be way more than cooking.  The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food - through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel - while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 90 million U.S. households and averages more than seven million Web site users monthly. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), which also owns and operates HGTV (HYPERLINK www.hgtv.com www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (HYPERLINK www.diynetwork.com www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (HYPERLINK www.gactv.com www.gactv.com) and FINE LIVING (HYPERLINK www.fineliving.com www.fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner. 

# # #

Hey all! I'm also writing a blog about taking pretty food pics. This time around while taping episodes of Cooking for Real, I actually got time to smell the roses and take in the scene. One of them was a corner of the studio sectioned off for "beauty shots".  This is where they took my food after I cooked it so they could take pics of them for stills. Anyway, I found it pretty fascinating. What goes into making food stay pretty for a pic is pretty neat and I asked the food stylist to give my blog readers some tips cuz I know I have some food bloggers reading. I dunno about you guys, but my food pics could use some help sometimes :-) so check in for the food pic blog later tonight or over the weekend. It'll feature tips from the expert on my set with photos and food styling secrets included! 

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!!!

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) ...

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 ...

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.

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!

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!!

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 ...

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.

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.