Showing posts with label you. Show all posts
Showing posts with label you. Show all posts

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Ornament Photo (c) Elin Bs Flickr Photostream
Michele and I are heading up to Bodega Bay today for Christmas with the family, but before we do, we wanted to wish all of you who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas!

I hope youll also be surrounded by loved ones, and of course, lots of great food. The holiday table is the perfect reminder of what an amazing effect home cooking can have on the people around you.

Well be taking a little break from the blog until Monday (I may actually try to go a whole day without looking at email, but well see about that one). Have fun, play nice, travel safe, and as always, enjoy!!
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If You Can Make It Here…Well You Know the Rest

Monday, April 7, 2014

Its too late to go into much detail, but my meeting with the Food Network executives went very well. While no job was offered, I got lots of great feedback, and was strongly encouraged to take their notes and film another reel to submit to the Next Food Network Star show.

I was interviewed by the shows main judges, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, both of whom could not have been nicer, or more supportive for
what Im doing. Not only wasnt I nervous, but for some strange reason it felt like I was talking to dear old friends. I was completely at ease, and enjoyed every moment of what many would describe as an unsuccessful meeting.

I passionately pitche
d the idea for a foodwishes-style show (where the food is the star, and the chef not so much), after which they thoughtfully articulated why such a show isn’t commercially viable. Deep down I knew that would be their reaction, but it was still fun hearing it from these two major star makers. I will think carefully about what they had to say, and maybe give getting on the show a real shot, or Ill simply go back to being one of the most watched and influential (not to mention happiest) chefs on YouTube.

After the meeting I was gifted a sweet swag bag, and given a tour of the operation. I had decided not to show up with a camera hanging from my neck, so I just snapped a few quick pictures with the iPhone, which you can see here (including a shot of Kitchen Stadium below).

As I left the Chelsea Market, I felt strangely contented, like I had truly accomplished something. I saw in their eyes, and heard in their voices, that they understood just how much I love food, and teaching people to cook.

So, thank you Food Network. Thank you for the opportunity, for the trip to New York, and for reminding me that while there are a million ways to make it, you only need to choose one. You havent seen, or rather heard, the last of me.
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Tzatziki Sauce – Can You Say Delicious

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Whenever I do ethnic recipes like this Greek tzatziki sauce, I’ll usually go online and listen to an audio dictionary or some YouTube videos to verify the pronunciation. Of course, just listening to it doesn’t mean I’ll actually be able to pronounce it that way. A western New York accent is a strange and unpredictable thing, but at least I know how far off I am.

This time things were a little different.  I must have listened to a half-dozen examples, and they all were fairly unique. Everything from how I say it, TA-ZEE-KEY, to something that sounded a lot like CHA-CHEE-KEE, which, by the way, is my new favorite way to say it. Just for fun, maybe you all can leave your best phonetic spelling of “Tzatziki” in the comments section, and we’ll see what the consensus is.

Unlike the pronunciation, one thing that everyone will agree on is that this garlicky yogurt sauce is truly of one of the world’s great condiments. This is quite literally delicious on anything savory, and with grilling season upon us, you’ll want this one in your regular rotation. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!


Make about 3 cups of Tzatziki:
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, grated, tossed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 cloves garlic, very finely minced
juice of half a lemon or vinegar to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill and/or mint
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

View the complete recipe

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Follow the Sourdough Day 1 Can you say Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis

Monday, February 17, 2014

Im making sourdough bread, and I thought that some of you would like to follow along in real time. So, I will be doing a multiple-day, multiple-post sourdough bread recipe. Im in the process of filming a sourdough video recipe for About, which will be covered in one 3 minute clip, but for you food wishers (thats what I call you behind your backs), I thought a clip-by-clip presentation would be more fun and informative.

Here is day ones step; starting the "starter." As youll see, it is very basic, and requires only bread flour and water. The magic of sourdough is this "starter," with is basically a living, fermented batter that is made possible from the reaction between wild yeast in the air and Lactobacillus bacteria. These two live in symbiotic bliss and prevent any other microorganisms from growing in the starter. Good luck and stay tuned for the next video. Enjoy!

Tip: Use an unbleached bread flour for best results



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From the Pantry Dinner What can YOU come up with

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Its been a long week and Im truly exhausted. In fact, I have no idea how Im awake and typing up this entry. Anyway, today is Friday...in our house that means pizza night. Growing up Friday was always my Mothers day off since she cooked dinner the other 6 days of the week. We usually ordered a pizza, brought home some Chinese food or in the wintertime we made our own pizza. Sorry to disappoint you but this is not a blog about pizza. I just wasnt in the mood for pizza tonight so I threw together a few things I had in the fridge and pantry and we had a delicious pasta dish. So delicious in fact, that I ate enough for two people...two very large people that is. :-)

So here is what I made. This isnt an exact recipe since things were just thrown together. I hope this will inspire you to come up with something new out of your pantry staples!

Saute 1 sliced onion in extra virgin olive oil. Add 3-4 cloves of sliced garlic. Let garlic lightly toast being careful not to burn it. Add crushed red pepper and italian seasoning. Add two chopped tomatoes that have been seeded. Let them soften. Add 1 can of tomato paste (I used some that I had in the fridge, about 3/4 of a can)and a handful of chopped mushrooms (use as much as you like. I had about 4 shitakes) deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup of white wine. Stir to combine. Add 1 can chicken broth a little at a time to create sauce. Add in one can of drained artichoke hearts (in water not oil) and some sliced kalamata olives. Throw in some torn basil, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Let cook while spaghetti is cooking. Dont bother to drain pasta, just pick it up with tongs and add to saucepan. Any water left on the pasta will help make a nice sauce.

Thats it. Simple and delicious!

Something tells me that Nanny would definitely approve. Wish she was able to taste it!

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