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Food Network

Bobby Flay Shares His Grilling Tips and Recipes

by Joi on August 26, 2010

Planning on grilling out this Labor Day weekend? Many people wouldn’t think of having it any other way. I’ve always thought of Labor Day weekend as kind of a farewell to summer as we welcome autumn, so grilling out seems only fitting.

One of the best-known TV personalities, and one of the reasons we needed the phrase Celebrity Chef in the first place, Bobby Flay (who has opened his first steakhouse, Bobby Flay Steak, at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa) is eager to share his tips on how to become a grilling pro just in time for Labor Day.

Grilling tips from Bobby Flay – does it get any better than that?

Bobby Flay shares his nine best tips, tricks and techniques, in addition to his delicious Ribeye & Anaheim Chile Quesadilla that will wow guests and have everyone licking their fingers.

Here are Bobby Flay’s grilling tips and recipes. Enjoy!

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE GRILL

  • A grill is just a source of heat. Just like a stove, it is very user-friendly.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT GRILL FOR YOU

  • Charcoal or gas. Both give excellent results, so choose the one that best suits your style of cooking.

GIVE YOURSELF ROOM

  • Don’t underestimate the importance of having enough room to work. Grilling is much more relaxing when you are not trying to juggle a whole collection of plates and bowls as you do it. If your grill doesn’t have enough workspace – and they almost never do – set up a table right next to your grill.

ORGANIZE & PRIORITIZE

  • Organize your tasks: plan a menu, make lists, do the shopping. When it’s time to hit the grill, get everything out in front of you: food, spices and tools. Everything you are going to need should be within easy reach.

MAKE SURE IT’S HOT

  • Most of the time, I grill over high heat. I like things to move fast. I like the sound and smell of a very hot fire. I gravitate towards dishes that you can get on and off the grill as quickly as possible. After a while, you’ll know without thinking about it how hot the fire is – high, medium-high, etc. Until then, you can use the time-tested method of holding your hand 4 inches above the grate and seeing how long you can keep it there. It may sound a little dangerous, but you’ll pull your hand back at just the right moment.

◦ High: 2 counts

◦ Medium-high: 4 counts

◦ Medium: 6 counts

◦ Medium-low: 8 counts

◦ Low: 10 counts

KEEP THE LID CLOSED WHEN COOKING ITEMS THAT TAKE LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES

  • Items like ribs, whole chicken, bone-in chicken breasts, etc.

DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

  • The more you touch the food on the grill, the more it will stick and begin to fall apart. Brush your burgers, fish, vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper and place on a hot grill. Don’t touch it for at least 2 minutes! It needs to form a crust so that it can naturally pull away from the grill. If you begin to turn it before the crust has formed, it will stick.

DON’T FLATTEN BURGERS, STEAKS & CHOPS WITH THE SPATULA

  • It will only press out flavorful juices and cause flare-ups. Flip the food only once if possible.

GRILLING MEAT: WHEN IN DOUBT, IT’S BETTER TO UNDERCOOK THAN OVERCOOK

  • You can always put food back on the fire if you need to.

RIBEYE & ANAHEIM CHILE QUESADILLA RECIPE

Serves: 4

Marinated Ribeye:

8 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 Anaheim Chiles, stems removed and coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons Oregano, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 (1-1/4 inch thick) Boneless Ribeye (about 1 lb)
Salt and coarsely ground Black Pepper

1. Stir together the garlic, chiles, oregano and oil in a medium baking dish. Add the steaks and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

2. Heat grill to high. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to take the chill of it. Remove from the marinade and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the steak on both sides until golden brown and slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare (130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) – about 9 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch thick slices.

Anaheim Chile Vinaigrette:

3 Large Anaheim Chiles, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
4 Cloves of Roasted Garlic, peeled
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Honey, or more if needed
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
3/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/4 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro

1. Combine the Anaheim chiles, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, a few tablespoons of water, honey, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Add the cilantro, blend 5 seconds longer. There should be flecks of the cilantro in the vinaigrette.

Quesadilla:

12 Flour Tortillas, 6-inch in diameter
1-1/2 Cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
Marinated Ribeye slices, from above
6 Ounces Soft Goat Cheese, crumbled
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
Canola Oil
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
Cilantro Leaves, for garnish

1. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place 8 tortillas on a flat surface and divide the Monterey Jack, some of the beef, goat cheese and green onion among the tortillas (in that order); season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Stack the tortillas to make four 2-layer tortillas and top each with the remaining tortillas. Brush the tops of the tortillas with canola oil and sprinkle with some of the ancho powder. Carefully place on the grill, ancho-side down and grill until lightly golden brown – about 2 minutes. Flip the quesadillas over, close the lid of the grill until the bottom of the tortillas are lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill, cut into quarters and top each quarter with some of the Anaheim vinaigrette and garnish with cilantro leaves.

ABOUT BOBBY FLAY STEAK:

Bobby Flay puts his avant-garde touch on the quintessential American entrée with his first ever steakhouse, Bobby Flay Steak at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Showcasing a variety of regional steaks prepared with zesty rubs and seasonal ingredients and a special Lobster Bar that features fresh lobster creations, Bobby Flay Steak was designed by David Rockwell to present a chic, comfortable steakhouse that complements the exciting backdrop of Borgata.

ABOUT BORGATA HOTEL CASINO & SPA:

Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, Borgata features 2,000 guest rooms and suites; 161,000 square feet of gaming; 182 gaming tables; 4,100 slot machines; an 85-table poker room; 11 retail boutiques; 6 acclaimed fine dining restaurants by renowned chefs; 6 casual dining options; a 54,000 square foot spa; 70,000 square feet of event space; 4 signature nightlife experiences; and parking for 7,100 cars. The resort also features Atlantic City’s first cosmopolitan hotel experience, The Water Club at Borgata, with 800 guest rooms and suites; a 36,000 square foot spa; 18,000 square feet of meeting space; 6 designer retail boutiques; and 5 heated indoor and outdoor pools.

Cooking for Isaiah Has Recipes That’ll Astonish PLUS a Tailgating Recipe for Proof

by Joi on August 23, 2010

I was recently sent a new cookbook to review that I’m very excited about. Excited to tell you about and excited to cook each and every recipe in the 223 page book! You know how, sometimes, as you’re thumbing through a cookbook you’ll go, “I might make that… I’ll try that one… nah… nah… There’s one I might try…. nah…” With this cookbook, I thumbed through the entire book and each recipe was met with a, “I can’t wait to make that one!”

Not a single nah.

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals was written by Silvana Nardone, founding editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. Rachael Ray, herself, wrote the foreword. Silvana is also a columnist for Every Day with Rachael Ray with the “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columns.

However, in this particular interest, I’m certain she carries a much simpler name – one worn closer to the heart. When you get down to it, this cookbook was written by “Isaiah’s Mom.”

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals is a labor of love. Silvana Nardone was challenged to create delicious meals for her young son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Description:
“The cornbread was flavorful, moist and light with a deliciously tender crumb. My only hope with this recipe was that Isaiah would love it… And then Isaiah took a bite. The look on his face was pure heaven.”
Cooking for Isaiah is a love story of Silvana Nardone’s journey to develop great-tasting meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food intolerances to gluten and dairy. The results of her efforts are found in the pages of this book, through 135 recipes that are not only easy to make, but taste and look delicious.
From “S’mores Pancakes with Marshmallow Sauce” to “Double-Decker Toasted Cornbread and Spicy Greens Stack,” and “Chicken and Waffles with Maple Bacon Gravy” to “Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting,” all of the recipes in Cooking for Isaiah are entirely free of gluten and dairy. Crafted with a variety of cooks in mind, an ingredient substitution chart shows you what to swap if, for example, you need to cook without gluten, but dairy is okay. You’ll also find Silvana’s tried-and-tested all-purpose flour and pancake mix recipes, sure to make gluten-free cooking and baking accessible to all. Written by Silvana Nardone, Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, this charming, personal cookbook belongs on every cook’s shelf.

The cookbook is a labor of love.  Silvana Nardone was challenged to develop delicious (so delicious even a child would love them, without feeling like he was being robbed of a normal childhood filled with the kinds of foods kids love) meals for her son, Isaiah, after he was diagnosed with food-intolerances to gluten and dairy.

Remarkably, symptoms that had been plaguing young Isaiah cleared up almost immediately after his mom removed gluten and dairy from his diet.

While this cookbook would seem like a gift straight from Heaven for people of all ages who avoid gluten and/or dairy, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals is an outstanding cookbook for anyone – even those of us who are bedfellows with gluten and dairy.

There are two groups of people who will want to RUSH over to Amazon and buy this cookbook the very minute they finish reading this cookbook review:

  1. Anyone who is gluten and/or dairy-intolerant – or loves someone who is.  These highly-original and creative recipes and meal ideas will knock your socks off.  The recipes will open up a whole new culinary world in which you’ll delight in exploring.  It’ll make eating fun and exciting again.
  2. Everyone else!  Even those of us who aren’t the least bit intolerant of gluten or dairy will fall instantly in love with this cookbook.  There is a wonderful chart on the inside back cover (as well as on page 17) that gives you substitutions to use if you want to… well… gluten-ize and dairy-ize the recipes.   Basically, it’s as simple as using your everyday flour, cow’s milk, pancake mix, and cornbread where the author has used her own gluten-free recipe for flour and pancake mix, or where she has substituted with Rice Milk (although I’m such a fanatic for Rice Milk, I wouldn’t dream of substituting for it… LOVE the stuff!).

The creativity the mom-author shows in these recipes boggles the mind while it leaves you drooling over the pictures (the ones in the book as well as the ones in your own mind).

About the Author, Silvana Nardone
Silvana Nardone is the founding Editor in Chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray, where she has been honored with the magazine industry’s top awards since its launch in 2005. She is the magazine’s “No-Recipe Zone” and “Sweet Spot” columnist. A writer, editor, cooking instructor, and food consultant, she is the coauthor of Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, has been featured in many publications including the New York Times, and has appeared on NBC Weekend Today, WCBS News This Morning, WABC Eyewitness News This Morning, E! Entertainment True Hollywood Story, Fox News Fox & Friends, and the Food Network’s Roker on the Road. She was profiled by Big Apple Parent and About.com for her focus on gluten-free and dairy- free cooking. Silvana owned an Italian bakery, Fanciulla, when Rachael Ray hired her to launch her magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Stephen and two children, Isaiah and Chiara. Visit her blog at DishTowelDiaries.com.

The first recipe I made from this outstanding cookbook was the Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise.  I simply used my favorite Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe instead of the “Double Corn Cornbread” called for.  The Double Corn Cornbread recipe is found in the book on page 75 and sounds awesome.  In fact, I plan to give it a try – but I simply had the ingredients on hand for Buttermilk Cornbread, so I went with it.

Besides, I adore buttermilk cornbread and I knew there’d be enough left over for breakfast the next morning.  I love to split cornbread in half, butter it, and toast it lightly on the griddle, right beside eggs as they fry.  Then I top off the cornbread with a layer of Pepper Jelly and place the fried egg right up on top.  SO GOOD.  Then again, the cornbread with pepper jelly is a special experience, with or without the egg.

Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves (I used cilantro)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt
4 (4-inch) squares Double Corn Cornbread (page 75) or store-bought cornbread – split and toasted
shredded lettuce (about 2 cups) for topping
1 pound deli-sliced smoked ham
4 tomato slices, for topping

1. In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, honey, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. (This jalapeno mayonnaise is so good you’ll want to eat it straight from the food processor bowl – trust me on this one. Your’s truly spread some on a Ritz cracker and had a fine time.)
2. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread bottom; top each with shredded lettuce, ham, and a tomato slice. Spread the remaining jalapeno mayonnaise on each cornbread top and set in place. To serve, cut diagonally.

I actually cooked my cornbread in a large round pan, so my sandwiches were triangular. They were all kinds of cute and even more delicious than I can tell you – however, next time (and there will be many, many next times) I’ll go the square route because it’d be easier to maneuver the tomatoes and lettuce on a wider playing field.

The jalapeno mayonnaise would be incredible on…

  • BLTs
  • Homemade Vegetarian Subway Sandwiches
  • Turkey Paninis
  • Chicken Paninis,
  • Egg sandwiches
  • Ritz Crackers…

The Toasted Ham-and-Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayonnaise would be an excellent recipe for tailgating.  You’d surely rack up points for creativity AND taste.

Recipes such as this one keep your family on their toes.  The reason I love creative, original recipes is this:  They show your family that you love them enough to make their meals extra-special.  Who wants to come home to the same meal every night?  Keep things interesting and unexpected!

Other Recipes in Cooking for Isaiah:

  • Penne with Walnut Cream Sauce
  • Tomato Live Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cream
  • Chicken Potpie Soup
  • Hash Brown Belgian Waffles with Apple Sausage and Fried Eggs (You should see the picture!)
  • Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Doughnuts
  • Bacon-Apple Cornbread Stuffing
  • Creamed Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
  • Grilled BBQ Onion-Smothered Double Bacon Burgers (I don’t think a teenager would even breath between bites.)
  • Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Layer Cake
  • Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
  • Super Fudge Brownies
  • Rocky Road Rice Crispy Treats
  • Grilled Vegetable Pesto Pizza
  • Chocolate Chip-Banana Split Belgian Waffles with Wet Walnuts and Hot Fudge Sauce
  • Grilled Corn Cakes with Strawberry Syrup
  • Isaiah’s Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping
  • Asparagus Risotto Casserole
  • Creamy Corn Chowder
  • Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino (I’m enjoying one right this minute!!!  This is so delicious – it calls for rice milk, which I always have on hand.  Amazing – you’d know how amazing if you could see me licking my lips like crazy.)

Do yourself a huge favor and order a copy of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals right now. You will not find recipes like these anywhere else.

As for me, my oldest daughter will be home on her lunch break in a few minutes, and I plan on meeting her in the kitchen with a mug of Isaiah’s Whipped Hot Cocoaccino. She’s kind of under the weather and I KNOW this will set her world right again.

Giada de Laurentiis Products from Target: Must Haves!

by Joi on August 16, 2010

Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon

Okay. I normally don’t make broad, sweeping statements (unless it plays something like, “Drink coffee, it makes you sexier,” which doesn’t really count because that’s been proven). However, the time has come to make a doozie: If you ever see a cookbook, food item, kitchen gadget, pot, pan, dish, coffee mug, spoon, small appliance, large appliance, apron, salt shaker, or bulldog puppy (???) with the name Giada de Laurentiis on it, buy it and prepare to be amazed. The woman does not attach her name or beautiful face to anything less than a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

Apparently it’s against her code.

Good code.

The Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon, pictured at the top of the post?  Ridiculously excellent.  Like all of Giada’s food products, you get so much more than you pay for or even hope for.

Product Description:
An incredibly tasty Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon Zest. The hand-harvested, all-natural sea salt with lemon zest comes from a combination of the pure Sicilian sea water and the freshest lemons grown under the Sicilian sun. Giada’s Sicilian sea salt presents a delicate and intense aroma, with distinct hints of sweet, fresh lemons. Its fresh and delicate taste is characterized by intense notes of lemon, making this gourmet product a perfect ingredient to be coupled with light dishes, ideal for cooked or raw fish and shellfish, poultry, vegetables and desserts. Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis present a piece of Italy to Italian food lovers and food connoisseurs, to taste, enjoy and share. Together, Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis have launched the much anticipated range of high quality, authentic Italian gourmet products.

I regularly buy Giada’s pasta, sauces, and other food products at my local Target…. a store I have nothing but love for. Her spaghetti sauces are amazing – my favorite one is a creamy pasta sauce that boggles the brain.

A recent gift from my husband (for a birthday I acknowledged but didn’t count) is the gorgeous ceramic lasagna pan pictured above. Naturally, like a kid with a toy, I had to use it right away. I normally would have whipped up my favorite vegetarian lasagna but we’d recently had spaghetti — I’m nothing if not anal — so I made a cheesy potato au gratin. Outstanding. The pan refused to allow the potatoes or the cheese to stick, which made serving, eating, and cleaning joyful, delicious, and simple.

It’s such a gorgeous ceramic pan I kind of hated to use it. You really have to see it to appreciate it. It’s worth a special trip to Target to see Giada’s collection of pans, gadgets, and more. She even has a line of sexy aprons as well as her own coffee.

Somebody tell me why I haven’t tried that yet.

By the way, when you click through to the ceramic lasagna pan, if you scroll down you’ll see what appears to be a great recipe for Baked Gnocchi, calling for spinach, nutmeg, gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream… is your mouth watering yet?

Another gift the wonderful husband bought me was the Giada De Laurentiis for Target 12″ Stainless Steel Nonstick Sauté Pan (Click through this link for details as well as a recipe for Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes!). This gorgeous pan was initiated into the family with salmon patties and is currently simmering a little pasta sauce for my oldest daughter’s lunch.

It’s quite possibly the best pan I’ve ever owned.

Features:
Pan-Pot Material: Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Stainless Steel
Features: Riveted Handle
Care and Cleaning: Hand-wash Only

Click through any of the links (except for the Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon – it has a mind of its own) to browse Target’s outstanding line of Giada de Laurentiis products.

Ingenious Brownie Pan from The Food Network Store

by Joi on July 29, 2010

My husband is a pretty great hinter. And apparently, said husband is craving brownies. He e-mailed me a link to the Edge Brownie Pan from Baker’s Edge, available from the Food Network’s OUTSTANDING store.

Product Description:
For corner brownie fans and chewy edge lovers, it’s a dream come true — a gourmet brownie pan that adds two chewy edges to every serving! It’s the Edge Brownie Pan from Baker’s Edge, and it’s the first (and only) brownie pan specifically designed for chewy edge lovers. The pan’s patented sidewalls also improve baking performance by circulating heat evenly to the pan’s middle, where food typically takes longer to bake. Its 9” x 12” x 2” size is a perfect fit for box mixes, as well as most recipes sized for 9” x 9” and 9” x 13” conventional pans. The pan also has a quality nonstick coating and smooth, round corners so it’s always easy to clean. Hefty cast aluminum construction ensures superior durability, and the unique recessed handles make the pan easy to grab when it’s turned upside down.

This food blog LOVES the Food Network and is obsessed with brownies, so this Baker’s Edge Brownie pan has sent us over the proverbial edge… get it, edge.  Sorry, I get kind of goofy when my thoughts are centered around kitchen gadgets or chocolate.

Seriously, the only drawback to making brownies is the tedious cutting – and trying like the devil to make sure they’re evenly cooked – from the innermost brownies to the outermost brownies.  This brilliant brownie pan seems to have that all taken care of.  And, according to the reviews left on the Food Network Store’s site, this pan is every bit as great as it appears to be.

Read more about the Edge Brownie Pan from Baker’s Edge by clicking the link.

Why Your Kitchen Needs the Neelys!

by Joi on July 5, 2010

Food Network Down Home with the Neelys: Season 1

One of my favorite series on The Food Network is Down Home with the Neelys. They’re a warm, lovely, hilarious, and charming couple who happen to cook up a storm. Or two or twelve or twenty.

If you’ve never caught the show, do yourself (and your culinary skills) a favor: Check your local listings and make the Neelys daily guests in your home. You’ll fall instantly in love with them – trust me.

If, like me, you’re already a true blue fan, you understand why I’m singing their praises. Their food is right up my southern alley.

New fans and old fans, alike, will want Pat and Gina on DVD. In Food Network Down Home with the Neelys: Season 1, the Neelys teach you their favorite family recipes, foolproof dishes for entertaining, and delicious tricks of the trade. With more than fifty recipes on the entire first season’s thirteen mouth-watering episodes, nobody will leave the table hungry!

If cookbooks are more your thing, you’ll want to add Down Home with the Neelys: A Southern Family Cookbook to your collection as soon as possible.

Either way you go about it, getting to know the Neelys will add a lot of style, fun, flavor, and southern sass to your cooking. Now tell me that’s not a good thing.

Rachael Ray’s Red White Beans Recipe: Outstanding!

by Joi on July 4, 2010

My husband and I saw Rachael Ray make these beans on a recent episode of 30 Minute Meals and I knew I’d have to take them for a test run.  I’m always on the lookout for new bean recipes as well as recipes that utilize the herbs in our herb garden.  This one uses a personal favorite herb, rosemary.

Add the fact that I absolutely, positively love myself some Rachael Ray and I knew it’d be a can’t miss.

My husband didn’t know quite what to make of the rosemary in these beans – but I think it’s the best part.  He liked them but he said he’d like to try them sometime without the rosemary.

If you have the ingredients on hand, these would make an exceptional side dish for your Fourth of July meal – or any meal, for that matter.

Rachael Ray’s Red White Beans Recipe

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, rosemary and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute. Add the stock, then stir in the beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Recipe Credit:  Food Network!

Win a Chance to Cook With Paula Deen

by Joi on May 18, 2010

Fellow cooks, grab your flip cam because there’s only 6 days left to create the perfect Philadelphia cream cheese dish!  The last day to submit a recipe to be considered is May 23, 2010 (6 PM PT).

Don’t have time to make a dish but want to join in the fun?  In addition to 16 finalists, Paula Deen is on the hunt for one super-fan from the community to also come to Savannah to be a part of this project!  The winning lady will act as the “Voice” of the community for the cook-off.  She will receive an all expense paid trip to Savannah to spend time with Paula and the finalists and act as the behind-the-scenes ambassador for the entire four days!

Here’s how the super-fan can get involved, and get herself noticed!

  • Facebook Shares and Facebook posts about the site, Paula’s videos, and the videos in the recipe gallery – make sure that when you post to Facebook you put an “@” sign before the word “Philadelphia’ so we can see it on our Facebook – Facebook.com/LoveMyPhilly
  • Tweets you send out on Twitter about Real Women of Philadelphia – for those that use Twitter, use the hash tag #RWOP at the end of your tweets.  Philly is on Twitter at Twitter.com/LoveMyPhilly
  • Retweets of Paula’s videos and videos from all the girls in the Recipes gallery
  • Comments on videos on Real Women of Philadelphia (quality, not quantity!)

To read the official rules of this Voices of RWoP contest, click HERE.

Visit www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen to find out more about the Real Women of Philadelphia cooking competition, and share recipes and tips with other real-life cooks.

Bobby Flay and Hellman’s Make a Killer Potato Salad Recipe

by Joi on April 23, 2010

Our food blog has nothing but big love for Bobby Flay, nothing but mad love for Hellman’s, and nothing but wicked love for Potato Salad – so, yeah, this recipe falls under can’t miss as far as we’re concerned.

Be sure to click the link following the recipe for a video of Bobby Flay making the potato salad, himself.

Bobby Flay’s Green Onion Potato Salad

2 lbs. red potatoes
1 Tbsp. PLUS 2 tsp. Kosher salt, divided
1-1/4 cups Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
6 green onions (green and pale green part), thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley

Instructions:

  1. Cover potatoes with water in 4-quart saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain and cool slightly. Slice into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  2. Combine Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise, vinegar, jalapeno peppers, salt and black pepper in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and toss gently. Season, if desired, with additional salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Check out the Bobby Flay Video for this Green Onion Potato Salad!

While in Hellman’s neighborhood, be sure to check out their special Sweepstakes – with instant prizes! You can play daily for a chance to win great stuff.  There is also a printable coupon to save $1.00 on two jars of mayo.

Food Network’s Sunny Anderson and Anne Burrell: I Loves You Both

by Joi on April 20, 2010

Great Food Network – lay claim to my afternoons completely, why don’t you? I’ve gone and gotten myself completely hooked on not one, but two fairly new Food Network programs – to the tune of back to back. Add these “can’t miss” shows to my long-standing Food Network addictions (Paula Deen, Guy, Rachael, Bobby Flay, Giada, Ace of Cakes, the Neely’s, and Alton Brown) – I need a television in my kitchen so I can actually cook, myself as well as watch all of these extremely entertaining and talented people cook.

Cooking Video: Sunny Anderson, From Cooking For Real, Makes French Toast:

My newest addictions are Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell. 5 Minutes into each show, I knew each lady would soon be spending almost as much time in our home as I do. These beautiful ladies are on top of the cooking game and, just as important, they’re full of spirit, wit, and personality.   There just aren’t enough words to describe how perfectly these girls fit into the Food Network lineup.

Sometimes networks move shows around, but I’m supremely hoping that these shows stay on weekday afternoons. They’re in the perfect spot for me – right between the time I call it a day (from working online, from home) to the time I begin cooking supper. This is one of the times I love Food Network the most. Cooking shows are a wonderful, relaxing period of time to unwind and learn new recipes.

Some days, when things are kind of whacko, it helps just knowing that the Food Network is waiting to help me unwind before getting supper.

With Anne Burrelle and Sunny Anderson, the unwinding just became more entertaining. They’re breathing fresh life back into the Food Network and I’m just all kinds of excited about it.

Could you tell?

Personally, I think they’re doing for the Food Network what Lady Gaga did for music – giving it a dose of “Ain’t it good to be alive?!?!?”

About Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, From The Food Network.com:

Like your own private window into the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef reveals the concise, easy-to-master techniques of a top-level chef. By showcasing professional secrets to preparing food that is creative and full of flavor, – yet never frou-frou or scary, Anne Burrell translates your favorite restaurant foods into amazing at-home meals. With years of restaurant experience mixed with a pumped-up passion, Anne helps to take the mystery out of the professional kitchen and gets you making meals that are special enough for guests, but easy enough for a rushed weekday evening.

Tomorrow, on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Anne Burrell will make Wild Mushroom Risotto, Frisee Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon and Hazelnuts, and Basic Chicken Stock. She made a Strawberry Tart today that my mouth has been watering for since.

About Cooking For Real, From The Food Network.com:

With an understanding of everyday life and the belief that real people deserve down-to-earth, delicious meals, Sunny Anderson offers real food for real life. Cooking for Real serves up solutions for easy-to-prepare, fantastic tasting menus. Sunny elevates the everyday meal by taking affordable, easy-to-find, easy-to-use ingredients and infusing them with diverse influences and rich, rewarding flavor. Sunny’s fresh, uncomplicated approach to classic comfort foods, along with her passion for interpreting the flavors of her unique travels, bring a bright style to delectable, down-home dishes.

Head over to Food Network.com for Cooking videos, recipes, and more. Whatever you do, check your local television listings for these two shows – then grab a cup of coffee and sit down for fun, relaxation, inspiration, and a whooping good time.

Cooking Video: Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell: Anne Grills Pizzas topped with cheese, prosciutto and vegetables. Have mercy.

Sign Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Petition, Please!

by Joi on April 16, 2010

The food our kids eat are doing them far more harm than most of us realize. What sort of future are they being served each day?  Platefuls of diabetes, glasses filled with heart disease, and obesity on a bun?

This is a serious matter and we all need to treat it as such.

I just signed Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution petition and I’m urging (for the sake of children, I’m even begging) you to do the same.

If we saw a 6 year old playing with a match, we’d march right up to her and take it away from her, right?  Essentially, kids are playing with matches all over our country – matches that we’re giving them!  It honestly has to stop.

I think Jamie Oliver has flipped a switch that needed to be flipped long, long ago.  As a parent and as someone who loves kids more than my next breath, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone involved in the Food Revolution.  I also want to thank those of you who will leave this blog immediately and go sign the petition as well.  You’re helping to save kid’s lives.

To those who snarl and say, “We don’t want nobody telling us or our kids how to eat!” – Your’e a disgrace and the majority of Americans are ashamed of your attitude.  I’ll tell you what WE don’t want.  We don’t want ignorance harming another child, first and foremost.  Secondly, we don’t want you giving the rest of us a bad name.

Please sign the petition, watch Jamie’s show, and read and hear what he has to say.

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