Party time again!

Happy weekend! Hope you have the weekend off or at least some "you" time carved out :-). Don't forget the second episode of Next Food Network Star: After Party on Cooking Channel airs Sunday night! Last week we talked to Brianna, she was the self-proclaimed "diva" that didn't make the cut. Bob got a chance to tell her what went wrong and she got a chance to explain herself a bit. We gave her a taste of Kelsey's family recipe for tuna casserole because she expressed such disdain for it on her final episode and guess what??? She loved it! I did too and actually ate the crumb topping off of mine before the show was over and took the rest back to the room to finish.

Here we are in the green room just after taping the show ...
So this week, one more will meet their fate and just after they are sent packing on NFNS on Food Network, tune into us over at NFNS: After Party on Cooking Channel @ 10PM. You'll never guess who get's the boot this weekend! All I can say is, it's very lively and interesting conversation and our guest again this time is Bob Tuschman. Bob gave up some good stuff last week when he said one of the deliberations lasted into the wee hours of the morning and ended in tears. Yes, tears! So, don't think these are flippant decisions here, they are truly looking for the Next Food Network Star, and it isn't easy. Over on our show, we have the easy job of picking up the pieces and finding the story behind the story. Hope you tune in this week!

Sunday night! 10PM on Cooking Channel! See you there!

Week-at-a-glance

Hey there! I looked up and realized halfway through the week, that it's almost over! Last time we chatted I was on the way to a secret taping for a show. Look who I shot the show with ...
Look familiar!? It's Kelsey Nixon and Adam Gertler, former finalists on Next Food Network Star, Season 4. That's at rehearsal last week. We are working on a new show for the Cooking Channel called Next Food Network Star: After Party. It debuts in just a couple of weeks on Sunday, July 18th. I am really excited about this show, basically each week after someone is sent packing on NFNS, they'll arrive on our show over on the Cooking Channel to talk about getting sent home and how the competition was for them. I cannot wait! Only thing not so fun is that I know who gets the boot before it airs, which as a television viewer takes out the fun, but rest assured, I won't tell you a thing! You'll have to catch the show and then hopefully ... :-) watch our After Party. A program note, it is designed to air right after NFNS, just switch over to the Cooking Channel and we'll be waiting at 10PM eastern ... except for July 18th, the night it debuts. That show airs at ... 11PM, 1 hour later. I know, pretty late for a school night, but totally worth it! One of the judges on NFNS stops by ... I won't say who, but they have a chat with the person they voted off, good stuff. I mean even if I weren't on the show, this is right up my alley of viewing, really happy to be a part of it. I hope I ask the questions of the finalists and judges you want to know as a viewer, if you have any along the way, feel free to post them here! Hope you catch it live, or on Memorex :-). (showin my age, 35) I'll surely give a reminder here before the show begins to air. If you want to check out a new blog, give a Happy Bday over at the Cooking Channel's blog, they're 1 month old!

Remember how I told you about taping The Best Thing I Ever Ate a couple of weeks ago? Well, yesterday was the follow-up taping here in Brooklyn at the actual restaurant that serves one of the best things everrrrr. I can't tell you what it is or where to get it ... but I can share this picture. They brought it out while I was eating a smaller version as a surprise ... I immediately whipped out my phone for a pic!
What a mammoth of a ... well, can't say can I? So many secrets today, huh? Sorry. Let's see what can I tell you ...

I'm wrapping up my menus for the next season of Cooking for Real! I tape in August and the shows begin to air in the autumn months, so I'm doing plenty of off-season eating at home while in the final recipe testing stages of the process. I like to make sure that when the shows first air, they are in season. Plenty of stews and roasts and ...
Meatballs!! Like my fine china? Teeheehee. I am soooo over dishes when in recipe testing mode, sorry for being a bit too real ;-). As soon as the website gets relaunched, I promise I'll try to class it up a bit. This is in an episode I'll call "First Date Spaghetti". I can't tell you how many times over the years I've heard about a friend or someone making spaghetti for someone on the first date at home. It's an easy sell to a date, easy to prep and not a wallet buster. My version has mega meatballs I flavor up and sear in a pan then finish off in the oven and the sauce is so easy and tasty, I hope you give it a try. If things go as planned, I'll tape this episode along with 12 others in just a couple of months. I can't talk about this without an emotional knee-jerk response to tell you thank you. You with those eyes reading this. Thank you so much for the support and for watching Cooking for Real if you have already or intend to do so. Because my parents raised me, I know I am capable of anything, but because I am always chasing dreams and sometimes landing them, I also know nothing is done alone. Thank you so much for being here. I wake up every day happy and thankful.

On to today in my week-at-a-glance ...

Ever learn a new word or hear about something and the next thing you know it keeps popping up? Well, just after doing my first ever SMTea a few weeks back, I got up at 5am this morning and headed to the city for my second SMT. It was at a completely different studio and this time I was there to talk about cool recipes for the 4th of July weekend. Look who I ran into!
That's Jack, he was at my very first SMTea and if you caught the blog he's also in one if the pictures I shared, hooking me up with some audio. Today he was running the camera behind us. When I walked in and saw him I was too excited! Nothing better than a familiar face from my first go at it. Look at what time it is! 107PM. We started around 8AM and just after we took this picture I did one more interview and we wrapped. Then I headed out to another meeting about my website. I can't wait to launch it! Looks like a few months at the most and I'll have new bells and whistles.

Hey speaking of new ... I learned a new trick from Kersti Bowser and her Gourmet Butterfly crew today ...
That's my Blackberry Gin Fizz Float with blackberry sorbet ... or is it, take a closer look ...
All morning the drink sat on set and that 'sorbet' never melted. I guessed and it was right, it's vegetable shortening, lard really, blended with black berries. Smart, eh? Reminds me of one of my favorite posts here on the blog; Making food ready for it's close up. Give a read if you are in to food photography or just interested in how food is made to look so yummy on camera. Here are the ladies that pulled off the lard trick today! Chef Kersti is on the left ...
What a day! I have tomorrow off and plan to spend it in the kitchen! Then I get up early on Friday to hang out with Good Morning America in Central Park for their Summer Concert Series!! I have a great 4th of July spread ready to go and I'll post the recipes from the show on Friday. Now all I have to do is find something festive to wear! If you are in NYC, it's a FREE concert with Mary J. Blige!! Come on out and have some fun in the park! If you are elsewhere, I hope you tune in. Click the link above for all the details. Here is a map to Rumsey Field if you plan to join. I'll try to take pics and post them as well! See you Friday!

New Network, New Show!!

Hey there, well as it is sometimes, things happens so fast I don't have time to tell you about them as they happen. Back in February, right before I left for the SoBe Food and Wine Festival and the Monday after I wrapped taping the new season of Cooking for Real, I stepped back on to my set in Chelsea Market to tape a new show for a new network.

The network is called The Cooking Channel and it debuts later this year. It's owned by the same company that owns Food Network and I liken it to what other successful networks go through as they grow, they annex and expand. Quite like MTV2 or the many ESPNs, the Cooking Channel is going to be a neat new way to see food and I'm really excited about it. There's news out there if you Google or Bing, but I just wanted to give you my spin on it.

Anyway, the show I taped is called Decadent Delights and it's all about the sweet things we eat and how they are made ... sound familiar? :-) Here are some behind the scenes pics ...
That's my set, but what's different here is the focal point. None of my kitchen was used in this show, so they packed it away when I wrapped shooting just a few days prior, but my foyer area is the back drop for Decadent Delights, so Wendy Waxman styled it and placed some flowers and sweets in the background to fit the show.

That's me opening my front door to nowhere. One day if I'm lucky, I'll get to do a Mr. Roger's Neighborhood tribute show or something complete with the walking in, removal of coat and the changing of the shoes. Call me corny, but it's a thought. Ok, now a look at my view from the set ...
That's Jay, he's not only an excellent camera guy, but he's good for a smile or laugh whenever I see him and he's seen it all when it comes to the biz. One of those people that you look forward to seeing when you go to work. If you enlarge the photo by clicking you can see the script I'm reading in the teleprompter.

And that's me sitting and waiting to read the script. It only took about an hour or so to tape and I have a follow up voice over to finish up the show. BTW, when the shoot was over, everyone on the crew made a dash to the set to scoop up the cupcakes!

Decadent Delights airs on the new Cooking Channel sometime later this year. When I get more details, I'll let you know!