BTW and Didja Know ...

Hey there! Just a couple of things ... BTW ...

I'm heading down to the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival this year and have a special event I'd love for you to attend! I even have a discount code that only works for the next couple of days, so if you are planning to attend or know a fellow foodie that is, send them the link and details...

The festival is from July 29th - August 1st. I'll be there the whole weekend hanging out, but I have a rooftop pool party planned for that Saturday, July 31st. My party is at Caesars's - Atlantic City and originally it was called "Dinner Under the Stars", but then I checked the internet for the sunset time on that date and the event time is more along the lines of a sunset, which worked perfectly because I wanted to serve something fun and less formal, like sliders ... and of course spirits will pour, so I changed it to "Sunset, Spirits and Sliders". I plan on a menu of a few different types of sliders with different proteins and then some fun sides to go with them all and a dessert. No real details yet, but as soon as I have them, you know I'll share :-).

Ok, to the discount. Tickets for my event go on sale officially this Friday, April 9th, but if you click the link for the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival and then, click on the "Tickets and Events" tab, you can scroll down to "Sunset, Spirits and Sliders with Sunny Anderson". Click on "Purchase Tickets" beneath my picture and when it's time to buy the tickets enter promotional code "FOOD10". That'll save you $25!!! That's real money if you ask me, and special thanks to Jen, we all know her from comments ... she was nice enough to alert me of the savings, so I'm passing it on to you! Hope to see you there!! Not into all the clicking or the flash download? Go straight to Ticketmaster and start there, just know the old event name may pop up, but you are in the right place for the right tickets, enter the promotional code the same (FOOD10) and you'll get your discount! Hope to see you there and spread the word about the discount, it may work for other events that weekend and just about all the Food Network hosts are scheduled!

AND DIDJA KNOW??

I'm taping an episode of Dr. Oz tomorrow? Well, I am teeheehee. As is par for his course, it's about health and where I come in is I provide a couple of easy recipes that are a cinch to pull together and they also happen to be pretty good for ya. I don't want to give away the segment too much, but if you watch Dr. Oz you know he likes to have audience participation and there's usually some fun involved, so I can't wait! I don't know if it's live or only in NYC live and then syndicated to the rest of the country, but if I find out throughout the course of the day, I'll amend this post just in case you are interested. For now it's off to get my nails done just in case they get a close up tomorrow, because they've grown a bit gnarly and need to be tamed. Hope you are enjoying some of the same weather we have here in Brooklyn ... I've been on my stoop most of the morning handling work from here, such a nice breeze!

OK ... don't forget ... get those tickets and spread the word, I'd love to meet you if you are in the area and I'd say a rooftop pool party is a good setting!!!

Can You See Me Now?

Well, if you are in the Tri-State area and you have Cablevision ... you may not be able to... see Food Network, that is. Have you checked for Food Network on your box? Check HGTV as well. Both channels are now dark for Cablevision subscribers and just in case you wanted to know why ... I have some details.

Let me see if I can make it easy to understand. Basically cable providers pay a fee for distribution rights of cable television signals. These rates are based on so much, but one of the factors is ratings. These fees among others are what we the consumer end up paying for on our cable bill. Food Network has one of the lowest distribution rights fees, but out performs some of the networks with higher fees. So, a network say with less viewers than us, is charging more for access and all Food Network is looking for is an increase. This increase is pennies and from what I understand, it still doesn't bring the network equal with the pack. Just know that Food Network is asking for in an increase, just as Fox did in the previous weeks. Did you catch any of that press?

Well, the way it affects you if you have Cablevision is this ... you can't get Food Network or HGTV now. You are also now paying for channels that you don't get anymore and chances are you are paying for channels you don't even watch. If you are a foodie like me, when you signed up for cable ... Food Network was a must. I'm not just saying it because I work there.

If you happen to be affected by the negotiations you can have your voice heard in two ways ...

ILoveFoodNetwork.com or click the logo ...

(There are more in depth details there and helpful links)

or call

866-695-2378

(Ask for them to give you your Food Network back!) :-)

I actually called a similar number for Fox television last week as a consumer, who knew I'd be making another call just a few days later for my own stomping grounds? Spread the news to your fellow foodies about this. As it stands, it only affects Cablevision viewers in the Tri-State area, but if you are not in that area, you are still affected in so many ways. Check the website or place the quick call. It all counts.

Sunny's Summer Eats!

Hey there! Months and months ago I set out across the country to find some cool places to hang out and eat during the summer. There's nothing I love more than eating outdoors. At first we had a tentative title of "Boardwalks, Fairs and Festivals" or something of that nature, but now it's simply called "Sunny's Summer Eats".

As usual I kept everyone in blog-land up to date on my whereabouts, so check the links below to get the lowdown on this Saturday's debut of Sunny's Summer Eats.

New Shows and Funnel Cake

and

Girl's Gone Wildwood

I taped some of this show during winter temps, so pardon the sweaters here and there lol. Hope you have time to catch the show, I had so much fun taping it and eating my way around the country. Every place I went, I found a reason to return and it was most certainly always about the food. Chocolate covered bacon, amazing hot dogs, cheesecake on a stick, wings galore and popcorn everything ... just to name a few.

Sunny's Summer Eats debuts tomorrow, Saturday July 11th at 9PM eastern and pacific. Hope you like it!

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.

I'm a Killa ... almost.

Hey all! Well, hope you had a great weekend. I didn't do much but cook. I have 13 new episodes to tape in December, so right now I'm developing the recipes I'll share. Looks like plenty of stews and soups, plus I'm throwing in some inexpensive meals and meals you can finish in no time. I just found out that the fruit/veggie stand I love is eclipsed by one 2 more blocks down the street, that's what happens when you go for a stroll in search of scallions on a Sunday night.

Anyway, to the blog title and me being a killa ... kinda. Really it was a killer ingredient. I read plenty of blogs including the Food Network Kitchens blog ... here I am catching up on my reading over the weekend and I see I made an appearance in the blog, here's an excerpt of The Accidental Poisoner :

"...Sunny and Santos gazed down at one that Santos had smashed with the side of a knife, as if waiting for it to speak. No, I had no idea what it was.

None of which stopped me when Santos broke off a piece and offered me a bite."

Read the rest of The Accidental Poisoner the Food Network Kitchen's blog and tool around and check out the new site, I'm still finding my way on it myself and have received a few emails looking for recipes. If you need help finding one, just comment and I'll shoot it over to you as soon as I can ...

P.S. Thanks to Jonathan and all the FN kitchen peeps ... killin' ain't my style, but I'm glad to work with foodies that'll eat first and ask questions later.

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!!!

What my lunch looks like ...

Hey all! Been workin' hard this week to keep everything running while I tape new episodes of Cooking for Real. Home, work, online, life, etc. :-) ... So, here's a flick I took yesterday to show ya what my lunch looks like.

I head straight from the set to my green room. This time, I had the spoils of the show I'd just finished. Some protein, something green, taters and dessert! Before that, there was a quick video interview with people from the press, so I didn't have a full lunch hour. That meant some double timing, I answered some blog comments, wrote yesterday's "buffering" post, checked email, made some calls and watched some TV.

Then, it was back to work! Here's a flick of us getting ready to start the show.

In the morning when I get in, I write the intro and email it from the green room computer to the producers and they feed it into the teleprompter. After I'm done with the intro, I'm on my own to cook and talk and just have a good time sharing recipes and the stories behind them. This show was a show where I handled some requested recipes from comments here and comments I get when I meet people. Hope you like the shows when they air! I'm goin' to sleep, tomorrow is a long day!

Playin' Ketchup ...

I'm a teeny bit behind on the behind the scenes ... Took a day off to chill, which was yesterday. So, I'm sure you're like, uhhh what was on Saturday then? I'll get to that, but first ... Friday in the Food Network kitchens I continued to cook away for the new episodes we begin to tape at the end of the month. One of the recipes I share this time around was developed years ago for a friend and he hasn't had it in years from me, so I took this pic and emailed it to him ... fastest and yummiest gumbo everrrr


Then, here's the arm of Santos scooping a sample of something I'll call dumplings, for now. Some bacon in there and to the right little packages of fire!


We took a half day and I went to run some errands in the rain! Made me feel alive! Until I got tired, then I bought an umbrella. That's another thing I love about NYC. If you get caught in the rain, on just about every corner is a place to buy a lil 4 or 5 buck umbrella. If the storm is severe, in it's wake you'll see dozens of these broken cheap umbrellas in trash cans and on the side walks. Very funny sight to me.

The next day, Saturday, I got up early, got dressed, got my face put on and then headed to the city for a commercial shoot. This was with some of the new people on Food Network. I got to meet Aaron McCargo, winner of NFNS. He was funny and really nice. I told him I'd seen his blog and was impressed how fast he's pulled his online stuff together as I'm still working on getting my website up! Here he is shooting one of his parts.




Then I got in on it ... but first a touch up by the pros.


Anne Burrell and Aida were also there and from what I understand other people are doing their parts in other places. I'd have those flicks too, but I forgot to charge my phone and it died halfway through. Oh and just as I was leaving Danny Boome showed up. He is so funny and just as hyper as you can imagine, very animated! Everyone was chatting away and talking about how things have been for them. It was a really nice environment., except for the heat! It was hot in there!!! They had to turn off the air to get good sound, so we were all sweatin' to the oldies in there!

Here's some of the hard workin' crew that sweat more than we did and worked hard too ... they are deciding what I should do before I begin my segment.


Can't wait for you to see the commercial, I think there's two and they begin in October, so pretty fast turn around time. Funny thing to look for ... I'm a lefty so there's one part where they want us to all make a movement that is very left/right specific, so I did my best to do it the way the righty's did, but in the end ... my left took over. Funny thing is I do so many things better with my right, like cut and bowl, golf, bat etc., but I write lefty. Go figure. Alright, back in the kitchens today! Have a great Monday!

Day two in the FN kitchens!

Heyyyy!!! Day two in the kitchens working out menus and stuff ... what a day! I met Chef Jeff!!

uhh, sorry about the blur ... his friend took one really blurry one, so this one looked golden lol!

I first heard of him a few years back on the Oprah show and thought, he needs a show or something, some way to reach people because he has such a compelling story that can inspire people to want to cook as a career ... anyway, he has a new cookbook on the way and a show at Food Network! It's called the Chef Jeff Project and I look forward to watching it! Looks like there may be some real cool stories to watch with the kids involved in the project. He was really nice, he was I think just walking through having meetings and stuff, so when he walked into the kitchen I was like JEFFFFFF! Really nice dude and I hope the show does gangbusters.

Then I got back to cookin'. Today we tackled 3 more shows, some dishes inspired from my recent trip to Hawaii and some favorites I've cooked for years, teamed up with some great stuff I cooked when I was catering. Here's a top secret flick teeheehee ...

Uhhh anyone that loves pork knows what's in the cast iron ... :-), then a lil chutney-like dish reducing that I make with yummified ingredients and a container of whole red peppercorns, yum. When you cook 'em in liquid and they pop in your mouth???? Heaven.

When I finished up for the day I put my take-home food in the fridge and slinked into the background of the taping for the new Ultimate Recipe Showdown. Now alllll day, contestants were in the kitchen cooking and super nervous. It was great to see people working at their best to win and I told each of them good luck, I'm from a background of broadcasting and I still get nervous, imagine coming in from a non-broadcast career, a non-cooking career even - and cooking at Food Network? Nerves don't explain it, but they had beautiful dishes, the ones I saw at least and I can't wait to see the shows.

Guy Fieri saw me in the shadows and brought me out to meet the audience, he is a true class act. Not for that, just in general, he has been nothing but open, candid and helpful to me before I even taped my first Cooking for Real. Sometimes all you want is to know things from someone that has been through it. Like, how do I survive 6 episodes in 4 days and do well enough to get another chance? What are the days like? I searched the internet forever looking for some kind of journal, something, maybe an in-depth news article with a TV cook/chef, anything, I just searched for as much information as possible. What I really wanted was to talk to someone. A week after I said out loud that all I wanted was to talk to someone, I got the offer to visit his set while he taped Guy's Big Bite. Yesssss! So, I went, sat, watched and took it all in. Then he said if I ever needed anything -- to ask. I immediately said I'd like some advice on how to get through it. I'm never shy to ask questions. We exchanged info, and shortly after I got some very valuable advice. Words of wisdom and how to make sure to work hard and enjoy it at the same time. Mountains and mountains of advice I still think about as I work on my new 26. Thanks isn't the word. I gotta tell you, if you watch him and wonder if he's a good guy in person, he is. Like I said, a total class act.

Alright, I'm about to go reheat some of what I made today, some ground protein wrapped in beta carotene teeheehee ... I don't think I can give up recipe titles yet. Have a good one and TGIF! The weather is just great in NYC this time of year, I think it is finally cooling off. If it's doing the same where you are get out and enjoy the last bits of heat! If you are in the gulf region in Texas, please be safe, I know I've rcv'd a comment here from Galveston, so take care and remember your pets' stuff too when you evacuate :-)

Back in the Saddle Again ...

Hey all! Well, today was the first day of kitchen testing for my new episodes of Cooking for Real. This run of shows will most likely air during the winter months, so I'm adding plenty of stews and dutch oven action! Add to that some cool stuff like a Super Bowl themed show and I am too excited. In my last run of shows, I taped 2 holiday-themed shows for this season, but Super Bowl is another great eating day, I hope my new recipes will greet you at a party or you'll prep 'em for your guests. Here's some random flicks from today ... First .... chunky mirapoix (fancy word for celery, onions n carrots), apple wedges and thyme all tied up.

This is the beginning to one of the above mentioned stews ... just recently I was on Wendy Williams' radio show and someone called in and asked for oxtail, I was excited to say I'd already taped it and it was to air that week ... then the caller asked, "Well, what about stewed chicken??" and I fell silent lol ... So now ... on the way is a stewed chicken recipe. It was yummy and I took it home and plan to eat it as soon as I finish this post. I also made some greens real quick cuz they were crowding my fridge. Bought them last week when I felt like them and then didn't make them, argh ... so, it's like money burnin' a hole in my pocket, food in the fridge makes me wanna cook it. Here's a long shot of a sandwich without the special sauce I made ...

I decided on a different cheese to work with the flavors of the episode and the additions to the sauce, so as everyone in the Food Network kitchens tried it, I was like ... just imagine cheese sauce with x, x, and x in it lol. Gotta leave something for the show :-). I'm into cross-sections of things, so check this out ... and low n behold ... I was just talking about it yesterday, in the absence of cheese sauce, check the flick to see what liquid I used to give it a lil love ...


Well, that's it for day one. I made a few other things, actually 3 full shows worth almost. They are also taping Ultimate Recipe Showdown's second season in the building so I met some contestants and their family. Pretty cool ... Alright, greens, stewed chicken and rice are callin' my name!

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!

"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!)

Sowwy ... enter the recipes ...

Hey all! So, the Wendy Williams Show was such fun yesterday!!! I didn't even think to take pictures, so I'm waiting on a copy and then I'll upload the segment, may take a week or so, but I'll get it up. I got there at like 8AM and we went through a rehearsal to make sure the camera and director knew where we'd be during the live segment. They call it a "run-through" or "walk through" and the coordination of the cameras and stuff is "blocking". So, midway through my blocking Wendy came on set and she was just sooooooo sweet! We'd never met, but I'd been singing her praises for years and recently someone here on this blog told me in a comment that she said something sweet about me on her radio show. So, to say thanks, I sent her a little something and viola, here we are. Her husband was there as well and he was just as friendly as she was. I'd heard so many good things about him from a former co-worker that introduced the now married team years ago. So, we did the walk through and went back upstairs to finish hair and make up.

Antonio Sabato Jr. was on before me and our dressing rooms were right across from each other ... he is very handsome in person! I heard a producer tell him I was next door and he was like "who?" lol!!! omg, I totally had to laugh inside, cuz of course he doesn't know who I am ... he is Mr. play on the beach with Janet Jackson! :-) what a memorable video. So, up next was me and Wendy ... she asked if I was fired from my last job in radio, I answered something like "my contract was up and it was time to go", which is the truth, but not getting renewed does sound like a firing huh? We actually came to a mutual agreement that I wanted to do something different the way things were going at the station weren't for me. There was new management and plennnnnty of in-fighting. The funny thing is I don't think my former radio boss believed I was serious about a new endeavor and he kind of joked about me trying "this cooking TV stuff I was looking into" ... and here we are 3 years later. I worked hard and boy am I happy I didn't give up. So, I'm going to continue to work hard because there are actually people that think you can't do anything better than the radio station Wendy Williams and I both worked at ... but they can, and we did. So, I am more than proud of Wendy Williams, I admire her. The rest of the interview went off without a hitch and she asked a jillion rapid fire questions, all while we made Caribbean Chicken Wings, Mango and Avocado Salad and Refrigerator-Brewed Iced Tea. I've received several requests here, and my website email for the recipes because they aren't all on FoodNetwork.com yet, sowwy. The only reason for that is because they haven't aired yet, but GMA's website has them up, so I'll post them here too. Wendy Williams' website is basic now so it doesn't have recipes up from guests yet, but I am pretty sure she is getting picked up, the buzz, the shows and the staff are all that of an established show and she really fills the gap we are missing in midday talk television. If you can catch her, give her a try.... ok, here are the recipes, have fun with them and stick around for a few pics from last week's road trip ... 

Caribbean Chicken Wings

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

1 habanero, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup orange juice
7 lbs chicken wings

In a food processor, blend together all the ingredients but the chicken until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of marinade. Place chicken wings into a large resealable plastic bag and pour remaining marinade over them. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two sheet trays with parchment. Remove chicken from bag and place on the baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring reserved marinade to a boil. Reduce by 1/3 until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove chicken from oven. Brush chicken with the glaze. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and cook chicken until cooked through, another 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Inactive time: 4 to 6 hours

Mango and Avocado Salad

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 mangos, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
1/2 small red onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large serving bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Toss in mangoes, avocado and red onion to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Refrigerator-brewed Sweet Iced Tea

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

1 orange
2 to 3 plums
8 tea bags (recommended: Lipton)
½ cup sugar
1 lemon

Fill a large pitcher with 2 quarts of cold water. Quarter orange, squeeze juice into pitcher as well as add the peels. Pit and cut plums into wedges and add to liquid. Cut the strings off the tea bags and mix the bags into the liquid. Let tea steep in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

When ready, remove orange peel and tea bags from pitcher. To the tea, stir in sugar until it dissolves. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the tea. Slice the other half into rounds and add to the tea. Serve over ice.

Yield: 2 quarts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:
Inactive time: 8 hours

Can you hear me now? How bout now?

Real quick ... tomorrow morning catch me on Good Morning America!!! now for the post ...


Here I am at work inside a sound booth almost ready to give some sound! The engineer is making sure the mic stand is angled just right for my 5'5" frame, then it's time to turn me up and let me loose!

This was on Tuesday, just 2 days after my move. So, amidst the dust, boxes and construction of my new kitchen ... I got myself together somehow and headed into the city for a voice over, this time, for my very own commercial! Remember I told you a coupla weeks ago about Aida and me shooting a commercial together? Well, things are shaping up nicely and the ad agency and network needed me to go in and do some work. Here's the team I met with ...


The engineer behind the board, the director/producer, and the ladies from the ad agency. These are the people needed in the room to okay all of the voice work I was about to do, plus a Food Network exec on the phone from her office! What a production, huh? Closest I've had to that was when I did the voice over work for the final Destiny's Child release ... I sat in the studio for hours, I mean hours after I was done working. I just waited and waited on approval of my voice and the words I read and how I read them. This was after I got the gig, so it was more like I stayed in the studio to make sure the cut we did worked, if not ... back in the booth. I loved the campaign, it was a countdown to the release date series, so each day was a new commercial ... very befitting of the record-breaking group! Anyway, never since then have I done such an important and "signed-off on" voice over, cuz every one needs to sign off on it.

What did I do this time around do you ask??? Well, basically when the commercial was shot there were things we said just kinda off the cuff and not planned. This was nice because they wanted it in our own words. So, at one point I said "blah blah BLAH BLAH" and they needed me to turn those last two "BLAH's" down a bit lol. Yeah, that's a good way to say it ... I have a big mouth and sometimes things come out loud. This wasn't really loud it was more about the inflection just being too much. At the same time there was a word they needed me to add at the beginning. So, my job was to lessen the volume/inflection, add a word and make sure it allll matched and synced up with my lips. It's tricky cuz saying something loud or fast and matching is easy, but making it look like it came from those lips the first time in that moment and syncing up is hard. Kinda like you can tell when someone is yelling whether you hear them or not ... the face and lips and mandible all look different and are in different angles. So, anyway ... for the difficulty, we didn't take too long.

Here's what it looks like to me from the sound booth ... I'm in here, they are out there and they are all waiting to see what my vocal chords can do!


Many times at a voice over for television, there's no video playback. By that I mean, you are working more to fit things into a certain amount of time and there's no need to see the video. Now, there are times when I've done voice overs that I feel would have been better If I could see the material my voice is to match. For the aforementioned Destiny's Child voice over, there was video playback. There were other groups or artist's I did voice over work for and I'd walk into the studio and see no video set-up and know that either budget was low, or they didn't care or understand what a voice over can do for a project. Like sometimes I think people think it's the last thing to think about, but the voice that is selling a product is sometimes just as important as the product. Like, how am I reading a commercial for a ballad or a cologne and I don't even have the vibe or sound of it? Train wreck ... I can do either voice loud or soft ... just gotta know when. Anyway, I'm such a digresser ... I was super hype when I walked in and asked if we had video playback and we did ... thing is, with the matching lips it was needed, but I gotta tell ya I think it's needed across the board. The little monitor on the right is what I watched and there was a bigger one in the main studio where people that sign-off on everything sat.

Ok, here's a pic of my view in the booth, what I see when I read ... zoom away and get a sneak peak of what I'm saying :-)...

The commercial should begin to run in the next week or so, on other networks like VH1, E! and BET. Can't wait for you to see it, it's kinda funny to me and I hope you like it! Don't forget Aida's show, Ask Aida, begins this Saturday, she's a cool chick and I hope you like her show!!

Dear FN Shoot

Happy Monday!!

So, I'm on the road again to tape How'd That Get On My Plate? and began my day by waiting for 2+ hours on a tarmac in a plane with no A/C ... very funny. Now look, I know it isn't really funny, but watching how heat can really turn a good thing bad, is a bit funny. Like alllllll the pleasantries were over as soon as the people on the plane realized they were gonna sweat. Now, I've been in the land of sweat (hot factories, hot farm fields) plenty lately, so my resistance is built up n stuff. I just sat there in my seat with the sweat trickling down my face and watched as people complained. Honeymooners mad that they'd miss their connection. Another woman mad she'd have to add a day onto her vacation. And then there was the crazy man that got so bad, we had to pull back up to the gate after 2 hours of being pushed back just to let him off ... via escort. Now, that ... was funny. Ever see the Spike Lee flick Do The Right Thing? Kinda like that ... heat can make people go crazy! Anyway ... real quick, I wanna tell you about the Dear FN shoot I had this past Thursday with Brian from North Carolina.

He saw the posts and press about Dear FN and sent in his own video request for us/me ... I can't tell you what he wanted cuz that would give the segment away, but I can tell ya a bit about the day ...

So, I had some stuff to do before he arrived to set. We flew him in to be on camera with me and wanted him to be rested so I began the day early and he joined us after lunch.

That morning I got in and my task was to tape these little segments that will run in every show, I think there are 8 total. My segments are short n sweet with little ideas for holiday guests and parties. The afternoon shoot with Brian, our viewer, is more of a cooking segment. I was actually so busy in the days leading up to the Thursday shoot that I didn't know where the shoot was until that morning when I got in the car headed towards the city. The driver (I know, a driver lol) says to me "seventy-five 9th?" and I was like ... "I guess, if that's what you have!" teeheehee. I got excited immediately because that's the familiar address of Chelsea Market and Food Network! I dunno where I thought I'd be taping, on location or in another studio, so I was really happy to be going to a familiar place. Even better, I'd get to see some familiar faces -- as in almost everyone I worked with on Cooking for Real! The whole crew is like a set staff with only a few rotating parts. So, the guy that does camera on Iron Chef, chances are he does camera work on various other shows, like mine. Anyway, after spending a coupla weeks of long days with the entire crew, you get to really miss them when you are gone and done taping. I just sat in the car from Brooklyn to Manny Hatty thinking how seeing them during my Dear FN shoot was gonna be great. Now, you may say duh, Sunny, of course you were gonna tape at Food Network's studios ... and to that I say well, even though the show is on the network, it isn't produced by it ... so, that's why I guess I thought we'd tape elsewhere ... again, I'm a rookie.
:-)

Ok, so I get there and find out I'm shooting in the Food Network test kitchens. You've seen this kitchen if you watch NFNS or Throwdown and it's very familiar to me because it's where I did my recipe testing for both runs of Cooking for Real. It's actually where Aida and I did our commercial shoot as well. Everything was really fast and almost every 20 minutes or so I'd see a familiar face pop in from the Cooking for Real crew, so the morning whizzed by.

For lunch we all walked in a single file line like hungry little kids to another floor of the building where there's a break room, but forget the break room ... I WALKED PAST THE EDIT BAYS!!!! Yeah, here I am walking by these little edit booths and I hear something familiar ... me. I stopped in my tracks and looked right, there it was ... a frame of Cooking for Real, on a big screen being edited to life! Ok, call me stupid, but I kept walking while looking ... a bit caught off guard and slower like in a trance. Then not a few steps later, my continual right-facing slow walk paid off ... I heard me and saw me again, this time in another edit bay. So, finally I was like forget lunch, what is going on here?!!?!!? I'm all loud and noisy, so I back tracked to the first room said "hey!" and met the people that take all my stuff and piece it together into a show. That was super cool. I've wanted to meet everyone in the process, but sometimes I think we are kept out of the real stuff so the real work can get done ... no editor needs me sitting in his/her booth saying which angle I like better, you know? But how neat is it to meet the very people that "make" the shows!!! As a voice over person I also wanna meet the chick that voices some stuff on the network, what a velvety voice. Great pipes! And you'd think after watching hours and hours of unedited me, they'd be sick ... but they actually were really nice, welcoming to their office and even said they'd taken some of my recipes home. That's a huge compliment, especially from the people that see it up close and unedited. Thennnnnnnn I learned something I find quite crazy, but they said it's true ... I'm the first person they'd met at the network, that they edit. As much as it seemed a huge treat for me, I think we were all kinda excited by the Twilight Zone I'd walked into. I even got to dub a voice over for the promo in the next room they were putting together. All because I happened to walk by, doors were open and I could see them working on me. Lemme tell ya, I can't say enough how much hard work the editor's go through. I don't think they see daylight much because just imagine the workload ... and when you watch a show produced by the network, you don't get credits, so lemme give em some credit! Take a look at us ... we took this twice to juxtapose the screen in the back over us, so you could see what I walked in on ... ha, I'm wearing orange, twice!!


Ok, then after lunch I finished up some segment stuff and the whole time I saw this guy off to the side of the set just smilin' away ... I'm thinkin', must be an exec I haven't met yet. He was just watchin' and smilin' and then I'd smile ... it was a smile-fest. Turns out it was Brian!!! The man of the day!!! Just months ago he'd sent in a video about a holiday food issue and here he was now in the Food Network test kitchens about to get his food problem solved ... or so we hoped!! Teeheehee ... anyway, he was great!!! I think I was more nervous than him ... I'm like I hope I don't make a mistake! Then he's like me too! LOL ... I'm so wack right? I'm supposed to reassure him it'll be ok and here I am worried. Well, we go our nerves out and in just one take, got all the stuff done!!! Then we had to do close-ups and inserts ... those are almost self-explanatory. The close-up is of course a zoomed shot of a hand or a spoon stirring, a can being picked up ... sometimes they are caught live during taping, then sometimes they are done right after the wide shot. In this case they can also be categorized as "inserts" ... I'm the blind leading the blind here if you don't know TV terms ... I'm learnin' and lovin'. We did those and then moved on to the next segment ... I can't say what it was, but it ended with a drink!! A rum drink!! What a way to end the shoot huh??

So, Brian and I went into to the big studio that was being used by Guy Fieri for his Big Bite and I introduced him to Guy and the rest of the crew that also worked on Cooking for Real. Guy is such a class act, took time to say hi and all while he was in the middle of acts and taping his show. We watched for a bit, I showed Brian the layout of the studio, the mini kitchen and all the stuff that happens behind the scenes and then we parted ways ... me off to do some voice-over work and Brian off to tour the big city! I can't wait to see him on the show! He had such a funny story and really took well to the process. Hi Brian!!!! (he says he reads the blog)!!! I'll post a pic of us in the Food Network test kitchens as soon as I get it!!

I'm in Gilroy, CA a coupla days for GAHHHHHHHLIC!!!!

See Spot Run!

Hey all!!
Well, the term "spot" is used in the biz as a word for a commercial. I'm sure you knew that, but just in case you thought I was talkin' about a dog :-).

This past weekend I got up and headed in to the city from Brooklyn for my first national commercial shoot! Ok, well, I've been on a few national commercials, but not me per say, my voice. I did voice overs for musical artists and their promotional campaigns while I was in radio. This time around the spot is to promote not only me and my shows, but a new chick I'm luvin' and I hope you love too ... Aida Mollenkamp. Go check her show info out on FoodNetwork.com ... she is a crazy cool! We found out that we'd be shooting a commercial together a while back and kept trying to reach each other to chat on the phone. She lives on the left coast and was flying in for the shoot, so finally last week we both found time in our schedule to "meet" over the phone. I was in Oregon fresh from picking cherries, and she was in San Francisco making candied apples. Anyway, turns out she used to live in the tri-state area and listened to HOT 97, she was like "I think I listened to you, your voice is familiar". Small world huh? I was just happy we had something in common, food and music! So, needless to say we hit it off and both got off the phone excited to shoot our first spot. This is different for the network because it will air on other channels as well, so it'll hopefully give us some new viewers, cooooool with me.

Are you interested in the process? See, here's the rub, I have info and I dunno what's interesting to you lol. I know I'm blogging cuz boy, did I wish I had a peak inside as a viewer, so now that I'm on ... I'm just doin a lil stuff to fill the void for people like me out there, people that like information ... no matter how superfluous it is. So, I ask myself when I blog, "who cares?" ... here's a who cares paragraph ahead, if you don't care ... you can skip, but it's just some background on how things came together.

So, to backtrack, maybe like a month or so ago we got wind of the commercial. Then, there was the lunch meeting. I gotta tell ya, I love the lunch meeting. Biz gets done and tummy gets full ... what could be better for work? So the marketing people from the network, the advertising company people the network hired and lil ol me piled into Morimoto's restaurant to chat. The whole idea was for everyone to meet and then for the ad company to get to know me a bit before they went off to brainstorming land for the spot concept. I gotta tell ya, sometimes I can just babble for hours and that day I think I did ... it was a table of about 10 women and they all had questions and I had long-winded answers lol. The food was yummy and service was cool too. No complaints about the Iron Chef's spot. Well, after the lunch they said they had enough information to move forward and after that I didn't hear much about the concept until last week. Boy, those chicks at the ad agency, I say chicks with respect, really did get enough information! I got an email last Thursday from the marketing department and with it was an attachment of the story board for the commercial we'd shoot just 3 day later. It was simple and easy to understand with no words and it was hilarious and cute even at this stage. I'm sure I can't post it now, but I will when the commercial begins to air, so you can laugh along with me ... there's one frame where the ad company put both Aida's and my head on someone else's body, just to illustrate our placement in the scene and it looks hilarious!!!!

Ok, now that the details are over ... the fun. So, without giving away the concept, there are two little girls that play the younger version of us in the spot and this is little me, Kabrina.


Her mom found my blog and we've since emailed some, she says Kabrina woke up that Sunday morning and watched Cooking for Real so she could study my mannerisms more ... how cute is that? Such dedication from a young actor is probably why everyone on the set said she has a huge future ahead of her. They said at casting she walked in and they just knew it was her from her smile, but then wondered if she could act ... they found out in 2 seconds that she could and she got the gig!!! I don't wanna say it and have you think I'm biased cuz she plays me, but I think she is just such a pretty girl and the smile is a melter! Thanks to her mommy for the photos, you got a winner girl!

Here's me and Aida chillin between takes...


Lemme tell ya, every single thing in view is there down to the centimeter! They kept making teeny nudges to the left or right of the stuff on the counter behind us. All really to frame things up properly, so we did many takes and when the still photographer came in for the print ads that will accompany the campaign, boy did we take a jillion flicks. I dunno how models do it. Really ... definitely one of those gigs that looks like fun, but isn't 100%. I used to get that in radio plenty, people would say "oh it must be so much fun!" and I'd think, well most of the time, but some of the behind the scenes admin. stuff is a bore. This shoot wasn't a bore, but it surely wasn't cooking food or talking for hours, which is really fun lol!

Here's a long shot of the set and the monitor... the two dudes are standing in, blocking the shot to see where they want us to be in it.


and here's another shot of us workin'...


And here's all the execs and crew looking at one of the monitors ... there were monitors galore so everyone that needed to could check and make sure things looked right in the manner they were framed.


The shoot didn't take long, but it was in two locations. Aida and I shot in the Food Network test kitchens and the girrrrrrls aka "Young Sunny" and "Young Aida" filmed elsewhere (see me tryin' to be all secretive?) teeheehee. So, I never got to meet miss Kabrina, who played a younger me. By the time we wrapped, they'd wrapped as well ... what a production!!!

Anyway, I think today the network got the rough draft and stuff, but I have no idea when they will begin to run. As soon as I know, you'll know! Alright, stay tuned for a post about my Dear FN shoot yesterday in NYC with a Food Network fan from North Carolina!!!

UPDATE: TAKE A LOOK AT THE COMMERCIALS

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.