Emeril

The Emerilware Stainless 10 Piece Set, (above) includes: 8″ Fry Pan, 10″ Fry Pan, 1.5 qt. Sauce Pan with Lid, 3 qt. Casserole with Lid, 3 qt. Saute Pan with Lid, and a 6 qt. Stock Pot with Lid. Love this set times 6.

If you’ve never shopped at Metro Kitchen.com, you should definitely fix that little oversight right now. I honestly couldn’t love them any more. Okay, maybe if they sent me Starbucks gift cards on the regular… Then, I supposed I’d love them more.

Check out a really great offer Metro Kitchen.com has going on right now:

When you buy certain sets of Emerilware Stainless with Copper or Hard Anodized Emerilware (such as the Emerilware Hard Anodized Non-Stick 10 Piece Cookware Set below) Metro Kitchen will round out your collection with the two great pieces you see in the picture above: Apparently they send you one and you send away for the other. Either way, you get two incredible pans you didn’t even have to pay for!

Emerilware Hard Anodized Non-Stick 10 Piece Cookware Set

Oh, yeah, football season is back in full swing! And since football fans love food like nobody else loves food, tailgating and gametime snacks are on everyone’s minds. Apparently, including Emeril’s. We all know that when food’s on Emeril’s mind, something astonishing is going to happen!

The Emerilware Stainless Tailgate Barbeque Set can help anyone get their Emeril on.

From Metro Kitchen.com:
This set includes the following items: 6 qt. Stainless Steel Stockpot, Black and Yellow Insulated Food Carrier, Stainless Barbeque Tongs, 2 Barbeque Sauces, Grilling Mitt, 4 Recipe Cards

I’ve been looking at Emerilware all morning (there’ll be more featured in the next few posts), so I can’t remember the exact price of this Emerilware Stainless Tailgate Barbeque Set, but I think it’s just under $100.

Below are some of Emeril’s best Tailgating recipes Ev-er:

Emeril’s Tailgating Crawfish Boil Recipe

Oyster Stew Over Spinach Potato Cakes Recipe

Sour Cream Apple Cake

Click here for more Tailgating Recipes from Food Network (Over 10 pages of recipes!)

A few nights ago, I made the DELICIOUS Avocado Tacos (a few posts below). I had just seen an Emeril Live rerun where he made some fantastic looking Pico de Gallo, so I made it to serve alongside the tacos.

Great, splendid, inspired idea. Emeril always makes a great dinner companion! His Pico de Gallo is below. Zip over to Food Network.com to see the other recipes he made on this episode.

EMERIL’s PICO DE GALLO:
3 ripe plum tomatoes (about 3/4 pound) or 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped red or yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon Emeril’s Hot Sauce or other red hot sauce

Combine all the ingredients and pulse in a food processor (or chop fiercely) until it’s all slightly chunky.

Transfer to a great-looking bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you’re ready to serve alongside tacos or nachos.

* I actually wanted the cilantro and last remaining fresh tomatoes to be the stars of the Pico De Gallo, so I left out the hot sauce completely. I’ve never left the fire out of Pico de Gallo before and was, frankly, surprised that we didn’t miss it. I normally chop up and add colorful, hot little peppers. You know, the kind that send you running for refills on your drinks.

Clever am I.  Clever I am. Okay, well maybe just this once. 

For the first time I can recall I actually “called” the final four on a realtiy show - right from the start.  On the Food Network’s delectable show, The Next Food Network Star, I picked what I thought would be the final four on the first episode.  As the season went along, I grew even more sure of my picks.  The thing was, until  last night, I couldn’t figure out who the top three would be after that.  

Lovely Lisa and Adam been my favorites since day 1.  They have a cool kind of chemistry. I could see them going head to head in some sort of a Food TV series. I wouldn’t miss an episode. Love them.

I like that Adam’s kind of in his own little world. As someone who, long ago, bought similar real estate, I know where he’s coming from. When the judges commented that he didn’t even look at the reporter during the Throwdown challenge, I thought it was all over but the crying. I told my cat, “He’s cooking!” But as she pointed out, to be a Food Network Star, you have to cook and socialize.

She’s always right.

I also sweated when Paula called out Lisa’s Mac and Cheese. If there’s something we southerners know, it’s Mac and Cheese - so if Paula didn’t like it, my girl Lisa must’ve made some crummy stuff. Sigh. Lisa rebounded nicely, though, and I’m sure the next time she meets Macaroni and Cheese in the kitchen, she’ll whip it into shape.

She’s just so fresh, unique, and fun to watch She also has a wealth of knowledge about food and cooking.  I honestly could never get tired of watching her.  The only thing is, right down to the Dora the Explorer haircut and mischievous eyebrows, she reminds me of a little girl I used to babysit years ago.  Unlike Lisa, though, I quickly got tired of watching her!  M-E-A-N.  Adorable, beautiful little girl - looked like an angel.  But… M-E-A-N. One time her grandmother (who I loved) brought her over and she had her in the cutest little yellow raincoat. She had on little orange duck boots and was carrying a little brown teddy bear. I thought, “She’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Awwww.” Then when the grandmother left, down went the bear, off came the raincoat and out came the mean. The awwww gave way to auggghhh. M-E-A-N.

I think Bobby Flay is perfect for this type of show.  He’s better with the contestants and in front of the camera than most reality show hosts on network television.  Also, how great is Susie Fogelson?! She should spend a lot more time in front of cameras than behind them or off to the side. She’s brilliant and has a fantastic personality and camera presence. The same can be said for Bob Tuschman. The three of them are what make this series so addictive.

Anyway, this has been an especially great season.  It helps when you have a couple of favorites.  Like Season 2 with Guy - My pick went all the way and look at him now.  Mr. Big Shot on Food TV with two shows.  He’s proven to be as big a spark as we all knew he would be.  When you combine a great personality with a big ol’ dose of individuality and good old fashioned know how, you usually come up a winner.

Speaking of winners, there are other chefs I never tire of watching.  A few of them are serving up great shows, themselves, today.  Check your local listings for the times, of course… just don’t miss the episodes below.

Emeril Live (remember, he’s doing his thing, via reruns, in the afternoon now): On an episode titled Southern Comfort, Emeril will be making - Pan-Fried Catfish Fingers with Lemony Tartar Sauce and Hushpuppies, Sweet Potato Pie, Country Fried Steak with White Gravy, and Sylvia’s Red Velvet Cake. I’m dying a little, here.

Tyler’s Ultimate - On “Ultimate Meatloaf,” Tyler’s making Meatloaf with Tomato Relish, Velvety Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds. How extra incredible does Meatloaf with Tomato Relish sound?

Good Eats - Alton has two shows that can’t be missed tonight. Overachiever, much? The first one is all about meatballs and features Swedish Meatballs. The second one is all about dips (Guacamole, Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip, and an Onion Dip from Scratch). I only listed three of the dips he’ll make because the fourth one’s, brace yourself, Chicken Liver Mousse. I didn’t want to list it amongst the other three because, frankly, they didn’t do anything to deserve that.

Never. That’s when I’ll eat something with liver in the title. The fourth of Never. That’s when I’ll make something that would involve me looking at, smelling, or getting anywhere near liver.

We’ve got to end this on a good note, and since liver doesn’t know any good notes, I’d better tell you about one of the other “Can’t Miss” episodes today/tonight. I saved this one for last because of the whole “Joi’s obsessed with Buttermilk” thing.  On today’s Barefoot Contessa (the episode’s titled “Lunch for the Boys”) , she’ll make Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. As if that wouldn’t justify a stand alone episode, she’s also making a Brownie Tart, Brussels Sprouts Lardons, and Individual Meatloaves. Make no mistake about it, though the star of the show’s the Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

Listen up, boys and girls, this is important stuff here.  Our boy, Emeril Lagasse, is coming back into our living rooms, dining rooms, dens, and wherever else we have televisions to transport his smiling face into our world.

The Fine Living Network (which I was a huge fan of before, but now….off the charts) will begin showing the Emeril Live show 7 days a week @ 7pm starting July 7th.

FLN has set up a page for Emeril Live which includes Emeril’s own recipes, a blog by his culinary crew, a show schedule and some great facts about Emeril, including the origin of the “BAM!”  See http://www.fineliving.com/emerillive

The page also has some videos that’ll slap a smile on your face.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again:  Emeril is to thank for the explosion of food celebrities, the excitement of cooking shows, and the vast number of young people who think it’s totally “cool” to watch cooking shows.  I always marvel at the number of my daughter’s friends (male and female - which I love to see) who know the television chefs by name.  Emeril is always one of their favorites.

Personally, I think Emeril built the whole Food Network empire.  He was the one that the rest were built around.  Of course, to be sure - it was a two-way street, each made the other huge! 

Check out the page and be sure to invite Emeril back into your home.  Nightly.

Long live the Bam!

Okay, so Paula’s Home Cooking is a Can’t Miss everyday - I know, I know. But today, it’s especially so. The recipes she’ll be making are “Country Food Side Dishes” and the lineup sounds way beyond delicious. One of the things she’ll make is a sweetening syrup she uses for Iced Tea. If you aren’t from the South, you may not be that familiar with sweet tea. Being a Kentuckian, I was never familiar with any other. When I got married, my husband was in the Air Force, so we moved around quite a bit. We lived in the beautiful city of Wichita, Kansas for a while and I was convinced they made the worst tea on earth until I realized they just didn’t sweeten it.

My response, of course, was “Why on earth not?!?!” (They also didn’t fry green tomatoes, make red eye gravy, or have a clear understanding of okra. But I loved them anyway.)

Here’s Paula Deen’s Recipe for Simple Syrup for Sweetening Tea:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, bringing to a boil. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add to your pitcher of tea and soon you’ll be wondering “Why on earth..” everyone doesn’t drink sweet tea too.

Here are the other recipes Paula Deen will be cooking up today:

Corn Casserole

Turnip Mashed Potatoes

Indian Succotash

Hoppin’ John

If you’re a big fan of casseroles, don’t miss Emeril tonight. The show’s centered around casseroles and they sound amazing. Afterwards, we’ll be ready for dessert and those of us who are Alton Brown fanatics will be in Food Network Heaven, there’ll be back to back Good Eats. The first one focuses on cakes and the second one will “top things off” with icings. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

For the recipes that will be featured on Emeril, Alton, and the rest of the shows on today’s Food Network, see the scrolling lineup to the left. I like what’s up Giada’s Italian sleeves today, too.

Did you happen to catch Emeril Live last night - everything the man made looked delicious! I’m just not 100 percent sold on the homemade cola - I’m pretty sure I’ll be buying Coke for my floats.

When he was grilling the chicken it made me incredibly anxious for summer to get here. I love all the seasons - they each have their own special magic and charm - but there’s just something about Spring and Summer. Baseball on the television, flowers in bloom throughout the yard, our cats stretched out soaking up the sun, and my husband hard at work at grill.

Bring it on, Baby!

I always make up huge, awesome salads to go with whatever we eat during the warm months. So the Emeril from Wedgwood 3-pc. Emeril’s Professional Series Wood Bowl Set is just what I need. It’ll look so handsome and chic celebrating the warm weather, glads, St. Louis Cardinals, and grilled chicken with me!

My daughter and I were watching Emeril last night - talk about your regular, most beloved family traditions. At least one of my girls and I watch the food network every night. Stephany loves Emeril, Rachael, Paula’s Party, and Jamie Oliver. Brittany loves Alton, Ace of Cakes, and the Food Network Challenge episodes. Me? Love ‘em all!

The episode was centered around Soul Food, which is about as good as it gets. I think of Soul Fool as Southern Cooking with Zest….. So, how can it NOT be perfection waiting to be devoured? The food in this episode was called “Elegant Soul Food,” so I guess it was Soul Food in a tux. I’m so there! Emeril and his guest made a Sweet Potato Pecan Tart with Cream Anglaise and Chocolate Sauce. One of my husband’s favorite pies is the Sweet Potato pie, so when they were plating the heavenly-looking dessert, I told Steph, “Your father would die if he saw that…” Since her response was, “I’m dying enough for both of us…” I get the impression I’ll be making this pretty soon!

Click the link above to check out the recipe. After you’ve printed it out, scroll down for the other foods featured on that episode: Chef Bernard’s Crawfish and Jalapeno Cornbread (!!!), Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Sauteed Cabbage and a Shrimp, Crabmeat and Mirliton Dressing, and Pan-Fried Cornmeal Crusted Trout with Succotash and Mixed Baby Greens with a Buttermilk and Lemon Dressing.

Every now and then the Food Network has such a great day of shows lined up that I have to post them up. Today’s a pretty good one…so, here we are!

Maybe it’s because I’ve been chilly since I woke up this morning, but I’m expecially turned on by the soups, stews, and chilis on today’s shows.

First up, there’s the Meatball Soup that Emeril will serve up on Essence of Emeril. With ingredients like onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, Essence, ground beef, ground pork, grated Parmesan, ditalini or other small pasta, baby spinach leaves, and chopped fresh basil leaves - I’ve printed the recipe out before I’ve even seen the show! I’ll watch, of course, because you HAVE to see the chef’s prepare their recipes - you learn a lot more by watching them do it than by just reading about it in a recipe.

On the same episode, Emeril will make something that, I think, sounds even better: Chuck Wagon Chili. Served with cheese, green onions, cilantro, and some out-of-this-world cornbread, this one has special written all over it!

Speaking of cornbread, check out what our girl Paula Deen’s making today: Vidalia Onion Cornbread! You can, according to the recipe, substitute another sweet onion for the Vidalia. Remarkably enough, the recipe actually starts with a cornbread/muffin mix. A few of the other ingredients are sharp cheddar, butter, milk, sour cream, and dill weed! Sounds delish.

On this same episode (the episode titled “Pot Luck”), you’ll want to see what chocolate wonders she works on store-bought doughnuts. I’m gaining weight just thinking about that one.

On a How to Boil Water episode titled “Comforting Delights,” I’m flipping over a Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe they put together. It calls for country-style sourdough bread, Monterey jack, farmhouse Cheddar, Gruyere, or imported Swiss cheese, butter, and suggests one of the following as an add-in: smoked bacon, cooked and broken into 1-inch pieces, OR 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced, and drained on paper towels for 5 minutes, OR 8 slices baked ham.

They all sound amazing, but I think I’ll try the bacon first - I can’t even tell you how much I love bacon. Mmmmm.

The same episode showed a Creamy Tomato Soup recipe that’d go with one of these grilled cheese sandwiches as well as Brad goes with Angelina.

Finally, a couple of recipes that I’m still making my mind up about. On today’s Barefoot Contessa, she’ll make a Fresh Pea Soup and Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. Usually, when I see recipes on the Food Network, I instantly know if I’ll love them or hate them - so they’re either printed out with the promise of being made very soon or they’re ignored (more are printed and tried than ignored). However, these two recipes have me bumfuzzled. I’m intrigued by them and figure they’ll either be amazingly delicious or hideously icky. They remind me of the individual that you can’t make your mind up about - “Is he ugly or handsome?” “Is she gorgeous or fugly?” So, I haven’t printed these recipes out, yet, BUT I also haven’t tossed them aside. I’ve saved them under my favorites in a “Recipes” folder. They’e in culinary purgatory until I decide if they’re Heaven or hell.
They’re pictured below and they actually look pretty good. Make no mistake about it, I’d try them - and probably clean the bowl and plate. But would they be worth the trouble to make. That’s one of the questions. The other one is, would my husband and three daughters even touch them? I can hear my youngest daughter now, “Liquid Shrek…I’m not touching it.”

Even the most open-minded 2 of my bunch hate peas, so it’s not looking too good for a soup that only I would eat. But isn’t it pretty?

Credit: Images and Recipes are from the FoodNetwork.com - a cook’s best bet for finding anything he or she could ever need!

Tonight the Food Network is showing Part 2 of The Next Iron Chef: “Simplicity and Innovation.” Even though I normally catch every single thing the Food Network throws, I actually missed Part 1. Fortunately, FoodNetwork.com has a Program Guidethat allows you to watch episodes online - so, I’ll catch it sometime today before the next one airs.

The website also has an elaborate section devoted to The Next Iron Chef - click HERE to see for yourself. It’s pretty amazing.

Something else you might want to check out in the tv lineup tonight is the Emeril Live episode: New Orleans Classics. The recipes featured will be: Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole
Classic Fried Shrimp Po’boys, and New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.

I’d ride a shark for a Shrimp Po’boy right about now.