Showing posts with label Anne Thornton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anne Thornton. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

... And we're back!

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

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

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

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My Foodie Holiday @ Barneys!!

Hey there! A couple of months ago I got an email from Lee Schrager asking if I'd like to be a part of his cookbook launch party and partnership with Barneys New York. Lee is the beautiful mind behind the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the one here in New York as well. He always donates the proceeds to charitable causes and his events are like an all-out celebration of food, wine and the city. I just love that the one in New York has the Burger Bash in Brooklyn!!! Anyway, Lee's new book The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook is now on sale and filled with recipes from the events and behind the scenes stories as well. Funny thing, I don't think I'm in the book, but I was way too excited to be invited to join some major names in the windows at Barneys, so I of course said yes.

Ok, so fast forward a couple of months and the Simon Doonan designed windows are up! Here I am outside the big event ...
That's Rachael Ray on the left and Martha Stewart on the right. My picture is actually above and between them ...
Can you see it? It's a total click-and-enlarge, but I'm in good, sweet and delectable company next to cake maven Sylvia Weinstock and Top Chef Just Desserts host Gail Simmons. Pretty cool! Here are some more pics of the windows ...
I took these pictures and then did a few interviews on the red carpet. With the breaking news of the royal engagement of Prince William, everyone wanted to know what I would make for the wedding. I opted for the groom's cake, red velvet all the way! Here I am talkin' cocoa ...
Right when I was about to head into the party, I ran into my girl, Alex Guarneschelli ...
Alex is a hard working chef and every time I see her she is all smiles. Doing the restaurant, her television shows, she's a mommy ... so much and she's always such a joy to see. We said our hellos and I headed inside to enjoy the launch party for Lee's book.
That's Marcus Samuelsson, he has a new show starting on Martha Stewart's Sirius channel and Russell Simmons was his first guest.
Super packed right? Look who I ran into ...
It's Anne Thornton, the host of Food Network's newest show, Dessert First. I watched her drizzle maple glaze on a pie last week and silently cursed the woman lol. I told her I can't watch if I'm close to my pantry. Her show makes you want to cook ... and cook something baaaaaaad :-). My bestie Natina came from Chicago to celebrate the night with me ...
I actually had her on Cooking for Real with me. It's an episode called "Girls that Grill" and I blogged about it on a post I called "Really, where did January go?". It was nice to have her here to celebrate! The party was actually plenty of fun and not the stuffy affair you might expect, most of it owed to the DJ ...
That's my long lost text-buddy Beverly Bond! Back when I was in radio we kept in touch here and there with just basic hellos and kindness among two women in the biz. We lost touch, but we've both been busy. She founded Black Girls Rock and just a week ago a show she produced for her movement aired on BET to record-breaking ratings. Check the Black Girls Rock page on BET (Warning before you click link:music plays automatically on homepage). Pretty cool to run into her again and say hi. So happy for her!!! Ok, I'm off to lunch! Enjoy the day!