Dr. Oz tomorrow, Bushman today!

Hey there! Just a couple of weeks ago, I got up at the crack of dawn to hang out with Dr. Oz and now it's set to air tomorrow! I gave some details in a blog I called "My trip to the Dr., Oz that is" ... check it out if you want some behind the scenes stuff. Here's the doc and I just after we taped our segment. He was sooo nice and I'm happy he thought my corny medical joke was funny.
I don't know when the segment airs during the show, but check his local listings page for your local show time and channel. It airs in NYC on FOX 5 @ 3PM. Set the TiVo/DVR and get ready to learn about some healthy stuff you can make in a cinch! Hope you like the show!

I'm in Detroit today visiting some friends and places I've missed since I left in 2001. If you are a Detroiter, I'll be on with Bushman @ WJLB today around 3pm. He's a buddy from my radio days here and even though at the time we worked at competitors, we didn't care and were the best of buds. Radio can be a weird land where the employees of one station actually dislike employees of other stations. I've seen it get nasty and it's not like that everywhere, but I'd say it's the prevailing sentiment from each market I worked in. I never understood it, because if I worked at Mc Donald's and you worked at Burger King, I'd still be your buddy :-). Let the suits not like each other, I don't own the company. So, anyway Bushman, a DJ here in Detroit was just the opposite of every other radio jock I'd met from the "competition". In a word ... NICE. So, we've kept in touch and I can't wait to see him today! Catch us catchin' up around 3pm. If you aren't a Detroiter and you still want to tune in, they stream on the internet! Just check out WJLB's Website and click on the listen live tab!

Chefs Vs. City This Sunday!

Hope you are enjoying your week so far, I'm in Chicago for "up fronts", which is an industry name for basically a big sales meeting. The networks present shows and talent to advertisers. I've seen actors do it for network shows and had no idea I'd ever be involved in one. Par for the course, eh? I love new stuff and with this new leg of my career, I am really enjoying the change of pace. I don't mind swapping hosting concerts with 60,000 screaming hip hop fans for a business meeting in a hotel conference room. Only difference is the clothes I'm wearing. Can't really do jeans and a t-shirt at the up fronts. So, I'll share some behind the scenes stuff if it isn't too stuffy for pictures. Ok, on the subject at hand ... the new season of Chefs Vs. City!!

A few weeks back I shared some behind the scenes deets in my Weakened Warriors blog post about a Chefs Vs. City episode I taped with Claire Robinson, Chef Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino. Check the post if you have time because there are plenty of pictures and a decent preview of the show this weekend.

Claire was fun to work with, but lemme tell you ... we chatted before we shot the show and I found out she'd had no less than 3 cars totalled while she was at the wheel in her native Tennessee. Unfortunately, I let my NJ driver's license expire and never renewed because I live in New York now and love the train and how green it makes me feel to take it. I also have a car-sickness thing when I'm not driving. That being said, I went into this taping knowing for a person that gets car sick, I had a day ahead of me as a passenger riding with the car crusher! So tune in this weekend to see if we survive the streets of Miami victoriously.

Here she is from my vantage point driving us to victory or defeat ... no spoilers here :-). You can find out which team won this weekend!
Catch the All Star Miami episode of Chefs Vs. City at 10PM. TiVo or DVR if you can't stay up on a school night ... I still call them that even though I don't go to school anymore :-). Then, check back here Monday and I'll have some behind the scenes flicks that I can't show now, plus some stories about the day. It's hard not telling!

My trip to the Doctor, Oz that is

Hey there! Well, I told you yesterday about my plans to visit the set of Dr. Oz today and I took a few pics to show you what the day was like. I got up at 6AM this morning to get into the 7AM car they sent for me. I actually snoozed until 620 and got in the car a tad late, but that's because I live much closer to Manhattan than most think. Some people think Brooklyn is far and some parts of it are, but where I live is pretty close. I can get from home to midtown in about 25 minutes. Pretty fast, so I always know I can get in extra snooze button hits when I work in the city and someone sends a car.

At 745 I arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and was greeted curbside and hustled inside where I showed my I.D. to get a badge and then we caught an elevator to Dr. Oz's Studio, which I found out is Conan O'Brien's old studio. I dropped my bag in my little green room and headed to the studio for the show rehearsal.
That's my view of the stage as I wait in an empty audience for my turn to go up and run through my segment. That's the floor director, the director and Allie, my segment producer. Again, I just think television is such a happy place because everyone on the Dr. Oz staff was so nice and pleasant. Really cool for an early morning call. I wake up pretty happy and it can be boring if I'm the only one pumped up at 8AM. Almost right after I took the above picture, it was my turn to go on stage and rehearse the segment.
That's my point of view from the stage. We basically just went through where we'd stand, who would do what when and how much time we had to get the segment done. It all took about 5 minutes and then I was escorted back to my room where I was greeted by an hour or so of hair and make up and a plate of green room food ... Dr. Oz style ...
Yes, you are looking at a plate of healthy mini bran muffins! When I realized what they were I giggled to myself a bit and then thought, well did I expect him to have bagels and cream cheese and bacon and eggs or something? It's Dr. Oz! So, anyway, I give him a big thumbs up for the healthy start. I had one and it was so moist and something about a bran muffin always makes me drink plenty of water, so of course, the drink of choice back stage at Dr. Oz was water. Perfect. I guzzled a few mini water bottles, brushed off the crumbs and sat still to get some professional work done and then snapped a pic ...
I waited in my room and went over notes for about 30 more minutes and then it was go time! I headed to the stage and got set up where we planned and next thing you know we were live ... to tape. Jill was the name of the audience member that joined us on stage and she was really cool under pressure and plenty of fun to do the segment with. Hope you catch the show when it airs. Here's Dr. Oz and me after we taped the segment.
That's me hunching and giggling, a habit I need to drop in pictures, but it does catch a moment in time, so hey. We'd both just finished laughing about something. He's such a nice guy, I guess in his language you'd say he has great bedside manner. I grew up with a daddy that is a doctor, so I think it's great that he is having a national conversation about the things we often discussed at home growing up, but I knew other households weren't so much judging from my friends. Medicine and personal health are so personal to some that it seldom gets discussed. Anyway, I had a chance to tell him thanks and he was so gracious and we even giggled a bit. Nice guy and I can't wait for you guys to see the show!! It airs April 28th! So please set your TiVos and DVRs!!! I'll put up a reminder closer to the date, but just so you know.

Instead of running back home right after taping the show I ran errands and then right as I was about to head underground for the ride home, I ran into the perfect way to book end my Dr. Oz visit ...
The cupcake truck!! I know, I know ... I had such a good start, but I've heard and even read about this truck in the paper and it's a traveling truck. That means you gotta catch it when you see it, or follow it on Twitter or something, I'm sure. Anyway, no matter how I rationalized it ... I was going to stop! Take a look at the menu ...
I decided on the mini 5-pack. It struck me as pretty neat I could get the same package size as the bran muffins from Dr. Oz, plus the 12 pack would mean that I'd have to eat them all. I can do that, but why? Summer is on the way! Time to drop a quick 10 and fit into a cover up! Lol ... and OMG I just realized typing this that it means I payed a buck each for a teeny MINI cupcake!?!?!? Sugar will make you do crazy things, huh? Ok, well, just wanted to share a bit. Here's my mini cupcakes, minus a bite. :-)
And after eating 2 more, I can firmly say they are each worth $1 and for their size, they are extremely moist! Which is sometimes hard to do in a tiny tin. Glad I ran into them and got a chance to poetically end my business day kinda the way it started, save for a few extra calories on the end.

Don't forget the Dr. Oz segment airs on his April 28th show! Hope you tune in!!!

Catch Best Thing I Ever Ate Tonight!

Hey there, just a quick program note. Tonight's episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate is all about totally unexpected food finds. It features selections from me, Michael Symon, Chris Cosentino and Alton Brown as well!! My find is sweet and a total guilty pleasure. It's an unexpected find because well ... I guess you have to catch the show for that or someone at the production company will call foul because I gave up the goods. I actually tape more episodes of the show next week and I'll do my best to get some behind the scenes deets ... ok ...

TONIGHT @ 10PM Eastern ... Best Thing I Ever Ate - Totally Unexpected

My Stop @ LXTV

Happy Friday!! I stopped by NBC's LXTV studios the other day to share some smiles and recipes. I got to there early to go over the recipe with their staff culinary stylist and then went to the green room area to hang out and chat with people. There I was just chatting away and waiting for my time to go on when something special happened ... a blast from my happy past.

This is Wendy McSwain, head of talent relations at LXTV-NBC.
Why is it special I ran into her? Well, years ago when I was on HOT 97 here in NYC, she worked at MTV. Her title was similar, but basically she did the talent searching and hiring for the network. I was called into her office sometime around 2002 or 2003 and was asked to audition to host a show on MTV2. I went in a few times for call backs and each time, I enjoyed chatting with her more than trying to get the job. Imagine that, lol. So anyway, I did get to fill-in and I hosted a special and some countdown shows for her and MTV2. You may ask, why then did I not pursue television? Well, the answer to that is, MTV2 didn't make me catch the bug. I was already a radio host doing pretty much the same thing and MTV2 was scripted even in the interview portions, I really enjoyed the freedom of expression radio gave me. Anyway, back to Wendy. We kept in touch long after my stint on MTV2, but a few years back she up and left corporate life and decided to see the world and do some good at the same time. Last I knew, she was in Costa Rica teaching kids with an outreach. So, imagine how excited I was to see her in the LXTV green room! She totally gave me my first paying television gig and always told me she thought I had a future in this field. I guess it just took the right thing and timing to make me want it. Anyway, so she's back in the corporate world and while she was away working her dream, I was working mine. What a neat reunion and I'm so happy we reconnected. I really thought I may never hear from her again as she headed out on a different path in life. Incidentally, she also gave LXTV's host Sara Gore, her first gig in television as well.

So, we chatted, then I went on to prepare my Baked Salmon with Blackberry Ginger Glaze & Wild Style Grains n Thangs. I said quinoa before, but we switched it to one of my wheat bulgar recipes. Equally healthy and yummy as well.

Here's Sara, myself and Megan after our segment.
Sara has a stacked resume of hard work and we chatted some before we went on, really love that we have the Wendy link. The other host, Megan, works from like 4AM until 6PM or something, with a nap in the middle, but that's a long day!! And she's a mommy!!! Mom power is fierce! Ok, I have some recipes to work on and some calls to make, just wanted to share. If I get a video link, I'll post it here. Looks like Monday I'll have it.

Speaking of sharing ... if you Tweet, well tweet on over to @VivaTowels and follow em! Retweet, tweet and all of that :-). They just started the page yesterday and there should be some fun tweets and stuff up. Plus, I have some appearances coming up with Viva Towels that they'll update and tweet about over there .. ok, have a great weekend!!!

Catch me on LXTV Today!

Hey there! I just wanted to stop by and invite you to watch LXTV today at 5PM on NBC in NYC. I'll be on around 5:30 to share a salmon recipe great for anyone trying to keep it lean and healthy in these first months of the year. This airs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other markets as well. I've looked at the website and maybe this is a sign of me getting old, but it's hard for me to find the schedule page to give you a link to find your local listings and times.

Hope you catch it, I'll also have a quinoa recipe on set and I'll post the links here after the show airs. Other than that ... look at the dissection of a chicken chorizo sandwich I made yesterday. The toast is garlic crazy and I made a slaw to go on the sandwich, there's oozy cheese ... hard to see with my bad photography, but it was yummy and I hope to share the recipe with you soon!

Catch Me On Good Day NY on Fox 5 in NYC!

Hey there! I'll be cooking and chatting away on Good Day NY tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I'd tell you what I'm making, but I don't know yet. I made suggestions and now all of the planning people are mulling it over. Hopefully it's a big bowl of chili, I have two official recipes available and the weather up here calls for it. I can't wait to meet the Good Day NY team, they are hilarious and informative. It's my first stop in the morning for news because it's local and the 9A.M. hour is fun to watch.

If you are in the Tri-State area, hope you catch it. If not, you can still catch it on the Good Day NY Live Stream. Speaking of, I'm sure our issues with Cablevision will come up while I'm cooking, so that will be nice to chat about. How neat is it that I was just calling Time Warner Cable to make sure they kept Fox 5 last week and now this week, I'll be on to chat with them about Food Network and Cablevision? Irony is never lost on me. I know some of you are feeling the pinch of not seeing your regular faves, I met a woman yesterday and it was the first thing she talked to me about ... how she missed Food Network on her cable. She actually had the ILoveFoodNetwork website information, but I gave her the number to call as well. It's listed in the blog post below if you'd like to call. I've learned so much more since the debate began. Like, did you know these contracts are for 10 years? That means the rate we were given is 10 years old and to negotiate for a higher rate and lock it in for another 10 years, would cause anyone to pause and make sure it's a deal you can live with.

Ok, I'm off to the dentist and hopefully sometime today I'll learn what I'm cooking tomorrow morning for the team and I'll post the recipe links when I get them.

UPDATE ... so not 10 minutes after I post this I see Good Day NY hosts Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly announce that not only will I be on in the morning, but I'll have a chicken recipe to share. So, I guess someone knows what I'm making tomorrow. Teeheehee ... hope you catch it!

Today on Today

Hey there! Well, in the middle of last week I got a call to return to The Today Show. Although I'm not taping, most of my days are filled with a bit of work. So right in the middle of preparing something for Food Network Magazine, I got the email from my p.r. rep at Food Network about appearing on the show today. The segment was to be about online holiday gifts for the host and I was asked to submit 6 companies. Seems easy, but when they are restricted to just one region, it's hard to brainstorm companies I've ordered from or tasted products from in some other way. With not all my initial pitches making the first cut, I chatted about it instead of emailing and all of a sudden many others came to mind, don't you like it when that happens? So it took a couple of days to settle on the list, but good ol' conversation trumps email when brainstorming. By Thursday all of the companies I wanted to feature were approved and calls were made to get product ordered overnight.

I thought that was it, but if you remember last time I told you about the guys n gals at The Today Show, they like to play it safe and rehearse. Wanna know how serious they are about it? Rehearsal was set for a Sunday! Yep! So, yesterday at 330PM I got in the car they sent with my index cards for notes and headed to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I headed into familiar territory and checked out the table with all the products lined up and ready to go.

That's a first-person look at the table with my products on it. When I got to the studio, none of them were lined up and as each was put on the table I discussed with the food stylist what I would say and which products I would highlight from each company. I was told I would be in my segment with Meredith Vieira. I thought, pretty cool since I'd never met or worked with her. Once we had the order down and I had my index cards all covered with my lefty scribbles, it was over. I got back in the car and headed home to figure out what to wear. I tried on two options, emailed my bff and got the go ahead ... I'm not one for style so many times like an illness, I seek a second opinion. I studied my cards a bit more, watched Dexter and went to sleep.

At 5AM I popped up and because I had everything sitting out like the first day of school, I got ready and was in the car by my expected 530 and arrived at the studio by 615. After chilling in the green room getting to know the other guests for the morning, an NBC Page showed me to a different make-room from the last time and I got hair and make up started at 710. We were done around 730 ... really fast, then I went to sit in a studio to tape the video you see of all the people in the segment just smiling. We all sat and smiled silently for about 30 seconds and then headed to the green room to wait for our part of the show. BTW, I'm not the only one in the segment. It's just like the last time, it's a segment they call internally "The Whip" ... they whip around the studio from one host to the next in rapid fire ... I guess that's the origin. After all of the back and forth with companies, I ended up getting my section of the country changed to not just the South, but other areas as well. What it really boiled down to is, there were some great companies that deserved attention, no matter the region and I'm happy they allowed me to stretch the boundaries a bit. While chatting with the segment producer before the show I found out I'd be with Ann Curry for my segment after all. That was cool because I felt I knew her timing more from the first experience.

Just before 8AM I was hustled from the green room up two flights of stairs to the kitchen studio for my segment. One day I want to actually cook there :-) ... until then chatting about my recipes on one show and then products on the other, is fine with me! Ann arrived to the set a few minutes before the segment and we chatted a bit about the products and then she asked where I was from. I told her I was a military brat and we found we have that in common. In the middle of us small talking ... we were cut short for the real biz at hand ...



Like a wedding, it was over before you know it. Ann said some really nice stuff when we were done and then In the interest of not hanging around, I put on my coat and was about to leave when I thought ... lemme ask Ann for a picture to put on my blog. She said it would be cool and I threw my coat off and smiled away ...
If you are interested in any of the products, check their website for the product list with links. And if you have 7 minutes, by all means check out the entire video to see the rest of the products on the list. Question, does anyone look familiar in the video to you foodies?

Catch Me On Giada's Family Therapy-2nite@9pm!

Hey there, I posted this headline today as I was on the set shooting some stuff for the NFL. Neat thing is, in small-talk with the producer he reminded me that a show we worked on previously would air tonight! I knew I had the 17th in my head for a reason. Ok, here are some links ... If you want to see some behind the scenes of the show check my blog post titled TGIF: ThanksGiving It's Friday . Wanna see the Food Network page with show info and recipe links? Then check the Dear Food Network page. Want to see some behind the scenes video with Giada and the crew? Check Giada's Family Therapy mini-video. Have time for more than one Thanksgiving-themed video from Food Network? Check the Food Network Thanksgiving Video Page and see some tips, behind the scenes ... everything. If you miss it tonight, don't worry ... it reruns.

Catch it ...

Nov 17th TONIGHT :-) @9PM

Nov 18th Wednesday @ 12AM and

Nov 21st Saturday @ 3PM

Stick around, I got back in the kitchens and had some fun with food, and as mentioned above, I just wrapped shooting some fun game day foods for the NFL. I'll post up some stuff as soon as I get some time in the next couple of days. Take care and thanks so much for the continued support!

Rachael Ray, Cubed

Hi there! Well, just last week I got the chance to make another appearance on The Rachael Ray Show! So that's 3 times, and at the infancy of my food television life, I'm totally counting. :-) Before the show airs tomorrow, I thought I'd give you some behind the scenes stuff like this ....
That's Jeanette, she works in Rachael Ray's in-studio kitchen and greeted me with a smile and early morning calories. She asked if I Tweeted, I said no (while feeling very wack) and then told her I do the snail-mail equivalent ... blogging. Anyway, she says I should give you the link to the kitchens, I agree .... Rachael Ray's Show Cooks Tweet! Please, if you do this thing called tweeting, let Jeanette know in 140 characters or less that I loved the mushroom soup! Here's a better view ...
From the left, pea soup with ham chunks, my fave- the mushroom soup, pumpkin soup, then beneath them are lil focacia paninis. That's my coffee over there and ... i used all the sugar packets. I remember having a chat about my muddy coffee practices, here's proof. Did I really need 4 sugars? Nope, did I use them? Yep. Anyway, I've blogged about RR Show food for the green rooms, it is hands down the best guest food I've ever had.

When Jeanette came to greet me with the tray of food, I was sitting in the hair and make up room ready to get presentable. This is the before photo ...
Look at all that make up!!! That's Robin Watson, if you watch the show, you may have caught one of her make-over segments. In the background is equally talented Randall Tang. We had such a good time chatting and gossiping. They should also get credit for calming jitters. The small talk really helps take your mind off the task at hand. Totally like going to the hair salon. Then it was time for me to get to work. Here we are when Robin is done with her magic ...
Oh wait, did I tell you what the show is about? It's the Daily News' 5-Alarm Cook-Off finale. The finals were held right in her studio kitchens, but it began a while back with the preliminary contests. I was asked to participate and judge a few months back, but then Rachael Ray's team decided they wanted to put the firefighters on a national stage instead of just the local judging. Our time came to judge and we were summoned to her set to tape a show. Who is we?? Well that ends the post, it's the last picture I have ...
That's fellow judge Iron Chef Michael Symon and another chef, whose name totally escapes me and I hate myself for it. EDIT! :-) ... I'm so sorry I forgot his name, but upon watching my DVR, I have it ... It's Stanton Social owner and chef, Chris Santos. He was really funny and guess what? He is allergic to shellfish, but still took bites of everything, it seems most of us really thought we'd have 5 bowls of chili to judge that day. Tough guy, but a nice one. This is a shot of us mid-deliberation. Each borough of NYC was represented by one fire fighter and the competition was pretty stiff. Those guys eat pretty good stuff, I'd say if you are a single, non-cooking type, find yourself a firefighter. They are brave and can cook!

The Rachael Ray Show airs tomorrow. Check here to find your local listings. In NYC it's on ABC at 10AM. Congrats to all the firemen, what a brave profession and I am more than thankful for your service! May the best cook win!!!

Today ... Tomorrow, TODAY!!! :-)

Hey there! I just wanted to drop a quick post before I go to bed ... so I can be nice and bright and sunny for the Today Show tomorrow morning! Yaaaaay! I found out last week while taping shows that they wanted me to join them for a back to school segment. As I've shared with you before, Like other morning shows I had to pitch or submit ideas and then wait for the response. While that was going on I was taping Cooking for Real and something I don't share much here, but I had a few days that were full with radio and other media interviews. When the dust settled yesterday, I found out what portions of my pitch made the segment. So after I tweaked the recipes a bit and resubmitted them, all I had to do was find something to wear and get ready for rehearsals for Today, today. Yeah ... rehearsals! Now that's what I call running a tight ship and I was excited to see things more than just a few minutes before I go on live. Either way is fine with me, but I really like the variety and learning different styles. Here are a few pics I took just a few hours ago to share ...

Here's the Culinary team led by, Bianca ... she's the smiling happy face that's waving. :-)

In rehearsal we basically went over the segment and I worked with the culinary team as we placed each segment of each recipe in the order in which I'd discuss them with Ann Curry!!! Yaaaaaay! I like the whole team and like Ann as well, isn't her voice so silky?! Here is a picture of another chef's set-up for tomorrow's show ...
Mark Bittman! Check his blog, it's pretty flavorlicious and he has a new cookbook out. His set up looks nice!

Okay, well it's off to sleep, but real quick a teeny story. I found out I was booked on the show because the segment producer was on a flight and caught my show on the in-flight television ... nothing like a captive audience. :-) Anyway, you never know who's watching and where they are watching. I told her I felt like I was going to the prom lol. I'm totally excited and very appreciative of the opportunity! Which reminds me, if you've caught Cooking for Real or intend to, thank you so much, this is a continuation of a dream and a goal for me and I really can't do it solo! Ok, look at my prom dress (teeheehee) for tomorrow ... I just got it yesterday ...
I had to get bff approval via email lol, I'm a jeans and t-shirt girl mostly, so I always bring in another opinion, but c'mon jeans? ... I can't do that on The Today Show! Just seems disrespectful. I can't tell you what my tips and recipes are for tomorrow, but as soon as I get a link from The Today Show website, I'll post it here. Catch me tomorrow, Friday, August 21st during the 8AM hour of The Today Show! Tell a friend ... especially if they have kids, it's a full-on back to school segment with more than just food!

Movie, Makeover & Mangia

Hey there! Just last week I took a quick trip to Atlanta with Anne Burrell to tape segments for TBS' Movie and a Makeover. Even though the trip was for work, you'd think it was all about eating! We got word of the trip a while back, but just recently got all the logistics. Ever watch it? Most people I talk to say it's just like Dinner and a Movie, but it seems to be more geared to women with the movie choices and segments. I'd never been able to catch the show before, but the funny thing is on vacation, I actually caught a few segments and watched to get an idea of what would be expected of me when I made the trip down south ... so vacation was a bit of work. Can I write off vacation on my taxes now? Teeheehee

We flew in last week Tuesday and were out by Thursday morning! In that time we checked out dinner at Eugene's and Bacchanalia. Eugene's was a blur of plates and food because everyone wanted to order several things and share ... as a greedy person, this is not my particular preference for eating with people. What if I try something and want it all? This is the dilemma of a woman with thighs she'd like to keep. Plus, there's so much work with all the passing of plates and making sure you get a bite of it all. The flip side of the coin is, it's a great way to order everything on the menu without looking like a heathen, so I was a heathen in a sharer's clothing at Eugene's the night we got there. In the blur, I remember yummy liver and the best thing on the table ... we all commented, it was the fried kale. Boy, was it good. Salty, crispy ... just good. Then at Bacchanalia, I couldn't really tell you the best thing, because everything was memorable. I've taken a look at both menus online and they are different from the updated versions being served in each so it's hard to guide you if you are curious. I just know I did some sweetbreads, a great aged steak and I skipped the cheese course and passed it to someone else. Between all of that, the chef sent out several treats that weren't on the menu and they were all pretty amazing. They also had a neat general store attached to the restaurant and a beautiful aging room for the meat. What a spot. I am totally happy with my eating experience every time I visit Atlanta and I've never dined at the same place twice. I think after Bacchanalia, I'll break the record and do a repeat next time I'm in town.

Ok, on to the work ... The idea of Movie and a Makeover is you watch a movie on TBS and during the commercial breaks are segments with the host Mia Butler. These segments usually wrap around the theme of the movie showing and our movie is Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. So, to a reunion we'd go, kinda. Jen is the guest of this show and her friend Jamie is along for the fun. Basically they are planning a get together for their friends and want to not only learn how to decorate for the party, but how to cook for it too. That's where Anne and I come in. I brought recipes for a signature drink and two great cocktail party bites. They should have the recipes online when the show airs, but they are all from Cooking for Real and I'll post them here after the show runs so you can find them easily, if needed. Here are some flicks ....

Hair and Makeup come first. Here's the show's guest, Jen and one of our hair and makeup artists, Jamillah (hat). Then next to them in the reflection is Jamie, Jen's friend and Mequillah, the other artisan of beauty.
These were taken in Jen's bathroom of her apartment which had been totally invaded by the production. Warning, if you ever daydream about shooting a show at your place, make sure you then also daydream about the cleanup and intrusion. Jen was such a great sport about it all. I've also seen the Neely's endure this as well. The key is a cool crew that understands they are in your home and a homeowner that gets it. Stuff is stuff, living is way better than worrying about the stuff. Everyone on the TBS team were really nice and kept things neat. Here's a fellow military vet that was also on the crew, chillin' in Jen's kitchen.
He's holding some eggs for Anne's recipe and in the background is one of my dishes waiting for its closeup. In the deep background you can see the crew rehearsing our walk-in with stand-ins. So the camera is at the door, a stand-in for Jen opening and two guys standing in for Anne and I entering the apartment. This is so the director, lighting and everyone really, can see what things look like and where people are expected to move within the segment. Before we started shooting the segments though, we both got a binder with the breakdown for each part of the show and headed to the patio to study.

That's Anne and the back of my head lol ... I took the pic without even setting it up. Just stuck my hand in the air ... but lookey what I caught ... Chick-fil-a!!!!!!! For breakfast!!!!! How fitting that it appears above my head, because the whole time I was on the patio, it was on my mind, talking to me and telling me to eat it. Lol. I must admit, I held off and just stuck to my cereal and fruit that I ate at the hotel that morning. Partly because I knew I had a day of eating ahead of me ... but boy, do I like some fast food breakfast. After studying we got to work ...

That's Anne showing Jen her recipe for the party and then I stepped in and showed Jen and Jamie my drink and recipes for the event. We also gave some party tips, then left Jen and Jamie on their own to finish up the prep for the party. Here we are before we left the ladies with the task of finishing up our recipes.
I think this is where the design expert came in and did her part, because when we got back later that night for the actual soiree it looked like this ...

Nice, eh? I can't wait to see the show! Hope you catch it too. It airs Saturday June 20th at 10:40AM est on TBS.

Put up a Post it Note on the fridge to remember! (gotta know the movie for that joke)

Hittin' the links!

No golfin', just some links from my Memorial Day appearance on Good Morning America. Again, I had plenty of fun while working with them and every time I go back, it's nice to reacquaint myself with the crew. This time we were outside the studios in Times Square with loads of onlookers and some special ones here for Fleet Week! A big hug to all the Navy and Marine personnel I connected with that morning! I left my phone, so no pics :-( ... I think I may get a few from our pr staff, but until then, here are the links!

The Video is here ...
Sunny Anderson's Fajitas and Corn

aaaaaand the recipes are over here ....

Sunny Anderson's Flank Steak Fajitas

Sunny Anderson's Mexican Street Corn

Sunny Anderson's Berry Berry Fizz

Memorial Day with GMA!

Hey all! Just some quick news ... 1st, stay tuned for my blog about what I learned on vacation ... yes, I just got back from vacation! 

And 2nd ...

This Monday catch me on Good Morning America for some Memorial Day eats! Looks like it should be in the last hour of the show, so somewhere between 8AM est and 9AM est. I'm making some good grillin' food and refreshments as well! 

As an Army Brat and Air Force veteran from a huuuuge military family, I hope everyone takes some time to think about the people that work hard to protect our freedom. Memorial Day isn't all about sales and picnics. Have a great weekend with your family and hope to see ya this Monday!

Catch Me On Rachael Ray!

Hey there! Well, I have the airdate for the recent episode of Rachael Ray I taped and blogged about. I'm not alone on the set ... Bobby Flay, Adam Perry Lang and Rocco Dispirito also hung out the entire hour and we all had plenty of laughs. It's called Rachael Ray's All-Star Summer Entertaining Guide. It's a full-hour roundtable of summer food discussion dotted by recipes, tips and Q&A. I was too excited to return, so I hope you catch it!
DVR or watch it 'live' :-)! 

It airs this Wednesday, May 20th at 10AM est in NYC. Or click here for other listings.

Holiday Extravaganza!

Hey all!

As I was watching one of my fave local cake spots go mano-a-mano with Bobby Flay on Throwdown lastnight, I caught a commercial for the holiday show I told you about a couple of months ago. It reminded me to give you a heads up about the show again! Check the Holiday Extravaganza page for some of the behind the scenes videos and recipes as well as extended air dates.

The show premieres this Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! at 9PM EST ...

Hope you catch all the fun. I cooked with Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay on the show and had a great time. The recipes are great, I sat at the table long after wrap eating a bite of each dish. I was thinkin' when do you get to eat such great recipes all at once??? So ... I ate. Looks like long walks and lots of water are in my future, Thanksgiving was unbelievable as far as the eating goes. New Year's resolution anyone?? Back on subject, hope you like the show and the recipes.

It Was All Good Just A Week Ago ...

A Jay-Z lyric is the title reference, but it was just a week ago that I got up, runny nose, stuffy head and all just to head into the city to tape another holiday special for Food Network. This was in the middle of my haze, but I was sooooooo excited to be a part of the show! The premise is like many of the holiday specials in the past with various hosts cooking with each other for a holiday dinner to be enjoyed by all. A couple of months ago I got the invitation to be a part of it. That's something I don't think I thought about in the pursuit of a cooking show, the additional shows that come with the territory. I gotta tell you, this is all still pretty neat for me and I think it will be for a long time. I only dreamt of getting to New York and working at a top radio station, so when I made it, the brand-new feeling never left me and was there until the day I left. So, this feels quite similar. like some actors say, I'm just happy to be nominated. What great company to be in. On deck was Alton Brown, The Neelys, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay and me. It was my second time meeting Alton, but I'm sure it's one of those I remember, but he didn't things ... So, I treated it like a first meeting. A couple of years ago, Bone Crusher taped a judge run on Iron Chef America and I went to watch the taping and met him then. He was very kind, funny and welcoming then and this time I thought he was cool and quiet. Very like I think you may guess, he's very observant. I watched his segment and totally enjoyed it. Good Eats is one of my fave on the network. Here he is workin' with the Neely's...


Gina and Pat are exxxxactly like they are on their shows and Pat is so sweet, he sent Gina flowers to the set. So cute. Gina is hilarious and really made the 6a.m. call-time work for me, if every one was dead I would've been dead. She was the life of the early morning hair and make-up room. The network filmed behind the scenes video, so hopefully you'll get to see that soon either on the web or during the show. You can truly see how the network is built on such unique people all with a common love of food. We all were on different schedules throughout the day and at one point we all headed to another floor in the same building to shoot a promotional commercial. My part was to grab apples or cupcakes, put them in a gift box and pass it along ... here's my perspective of the set before we begin ...


And the cupcakes allll looked good, I wanted one, but was told the sprinkles were stuck on with adhesive spray because the frosting was put on the day before .... ahhhhh nice trick. Now whether the trick is to save me from eating a poisonous cupcake or to save me from eating a perfectly fine prop ... I'll never know :-).

Speakin' of eatin', when I got in the kitchen to cook with Guy, he had something sitting on set for me to nibble on, what a nice dude ... You'll see us munchin' on it while we make 2 of his dishes. I acted as his assistant, measuring, chopping, grabbing, etc. and I can't tell you what we made, but it was yummy and smelled good from the first sizzle. Here's us chillin' in the kitchen. BTW, these are stills that were being produced while we filmed ...


Then, remember how I told ya I'd just briefly met Bobby Flay? Who knew I'd be in the kitchen with him just a few weeks later??? Even crazier ... this time around it was my 2 recipes and he was my assistant in the kitchen. When I first heard of this I was like, HUH?! WHUHH?! Like for real, first my grandma is cooking one of my recipes and then months later Bobby Flay is helping me prep two of them???? For real, this is my bizzarro life. I have to tell you, none of this is lost on me. I am constantly thankful for the work and constantly thankful for the support. I've lived a life of goals and running towards them, so this is all truly neat. I often pride myself on having the right words to say, but in my head I know I haven't figured out the right ones to tell you or anyone just how this feels. The support is much appreciated and if you're a dreamer, we have plenty in common. All I can ever say is "can you believe it?". So, can you believe I was in the kitchen with Bobby Flay? Me neither, take a look see ....


I did two side dishes, get it, Sunny's Sides? Alliteration makes some people happy teeheehee. Hope you like the recipes when it airs, they are easy, crowd pleasin', vegetarian and verrrrrry economical. Bobby liked them and I saw Giada givin' one of them "tha bizness" (eating enthusiastically) when we sat down to eat at the end.

I gotta tell ya, it was a lonnnng day. Even Gina and I laughed saying we had the earliest call times because we were the rookies, but boy was the day rewarding and busy. If I wasn't on camera, someone was shooting behind the scenes, so I really can't wait to see how all the footage is used. Here's me and Bobby after we wrapped out shoot. I said, "let's take one for my blog." and he was on board!



Take it easy and have a great Friday!!!

Super Tuesday!

Hey all!
Well, it's Wednesday now, but I had such a super Tuesday, I thought I'd share how I topped it off after having a great time with Wendy Williams at her radio show. My dude met me in the city for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Negril. My favorite waiter Eddie was there and I met the new manager. My fave spot is doing new things!! They have a convention watching party this Thursday night for any New Yorkers that love Caribbean food and politics. I've been going there since I moved here in 2001 and they have always had such a cool vibe, I actually talk about them in an upcoming episode of Cooking for Real. This isn't an ad, just one of those places you tell a friend about. :-) I had the herbed coconut salmon and my dude killed the seafood creole, then we hopped in the car in search of my billboard. Easy to find ... it's right next to work! So, I hopped out and after figuring out how to get both myself and the billboard in the frame, my dude took the camera from me and I went and took his place in the street to get the shot, I got so excited and threw my hands up, and he snapped mid-thrust! A truly candid moment, at a really happy time! Take a look ...

leave it up to my dude to crop the flick like that ... sorry, not intentional. :-)

Then today I finished up the Dear Food Network shoot I started last month. Today, I answered 4 different questions from viewers, so if you sent in a video or an email ... it could've been you! I probably can give too much info because this is going to run in the holiday months which is huge for the network, but I'll tell ya I made some cookies, some protein, some pie and a few great recipes that will be grrrreat for your holiday leftovers. Here's a pic of one of the top-secret desserts. I tested it in my kitchen at home after I wrote the recipe ... this is 5 minutes from done ...

and me just smiling between acts ... the cookies, yummy, thin and still chewy ... recipe in the show to come!

BTW and Didja Know ...

BTW
There's a joint commercial running for my and Aida's shows on Food Network! I toldja about it as we were shooting it and during the post-production and now it's done! Take a look ....


I haven't caught it on TV yet, but a friend saw it on MTV last week and texted me about it. Then, I get on a flight today and while I'm sitting on the tarmac for about an hour, I check my email and my former co-worker Fatman Scoop hits me and says congrats cuz he saw the billboard!!! I immediately responded like where?? lol ... I think New Yorkers will run into it next to Chelsea Market somewhere according to my official email, I gotta go check it myself when I get back to town next week. Pretty neat. The radio station I used to work at had an annual ad campaign for years in the NYC subway system, so I'd take the train and get off looking at a huge pic of me riding a motorcycle with a rapper, crazy .. especially since the picture didn't look quiiiiiite like me ... turns out the photog took some creative license and changed my skin tone and hair color to 'match' the rapper I was in the ad with. lol ... I was like huh? "To Match"??? "How about just letting me be me??" For a year, people would come to events and tell me I looked nothing like my picture, which they had made into little 4X6's to sign ... I just had to laugh ... lol, never worked with that photog again although he was a total sweetheart. Lemme tell ya, there's no shortage of people in the biz that think they know what you should look like. Here's the current billboard ....


and Didja Know ...

Remember how I said Fatman Scoop told me he saw the billboard? I told him in the email that I was just thinking about him this weekend because watching the Olympics, I heard his voice like a jillion times in songs played in the arenas ... I told him he should deem himself the "#1 voice in arena's", and then he replied and told me he actually just inked the deal to be the voice of the NY Rangers!!! Ha! I'm a talent scout! Congrats Scoopy!

"Week or so" ... Shmeek or so

Well, here we go earlier than I promised this morning. I was on the way to run some errands when I got this ... so, I got my biz handled and then uploaded this so you can check it out if you missed it or don't have her show in your market yet. :-) ... Thanks Wendy! (check my tan courtesy of farm work over the last coupla months!)