• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.
For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

taken from: The Food Network

BROADCAST/CABLE

Scripps Networks Interactive , owner and operator of the Food Network and HGTV lifestyle television networks, is to acquire a controlling interest of 65% in the Travel Channelat a $975 million valuation and enter into a joint venture with current owner Cox Communications (Techcrunch11/5)

U.S. regulators said they’re actively working on a request from Hollywood to use anti-piracy technology so studios can offer first-run movies over cable and satellite services. (Bloomberg11/5)

USA averaged 3.47 million prime-time viewers during the week that ended Nov. 1, making it the most-watched, ad-supported cable network during that period. While USA won the overall viewership crown, ESPN’s lineup of professional and college football won the day in the 25-to-54, 18-to-49 and 18-to-34 demographic groups. Mediaweek (11/3

Okay, so I went from sort of liking Greek yogurt, to giving it a second chance…to now absolutely LOVING it. I eat it every day, and I keep finding new ways to use it!! First, on her blog,  Naomi made a fantastic suggestion of using it to make tuna salad…which I’m so doing…and I think I’m going to try it with chicken salad, too! Who knows? — maybe try and make some creamy salad dressings with it, too. Also, I DVR a lot of Food Network shows…particularly Ina…because I love her. haha (I think it’s the obsession with everything French.)

Anyway, I was watching one of her episodes last night, and she made this yummy looking creamy cucumber salad, which she said kind of resembled tzatziki sauce, in it’s flavor (I looove tzatziki sauce!). Anyway, she make it with regular yogurt and sour cream — so I automatically thought to myself — OH! I can make that with NF Greek yogurt! and LF/NF sour cream! — yummy and healthier fewer calories (The yogurt and sour cream she used were definitely not unhealthy, but lower fat versions would just equal fewer calories — why not make the swaps where you can, right?)! I might experiment with it this weekend (if I can find some decent cukes).

Alright, on to my eats!
This morning I did not want to get out of bed. It was a cool 37 degrees (maybe even less) when I left my apartment at around 7am. On my way out the door, I grabbed a banana (got lucky, it was a perfect banana), and munched on it on my way to school.

I stopped at Starbucks on the way.  One of the older guys (he’s too cute, he kind of reminds me of an older Dustin Hoffman) who hangs out there in the morning, greeted me and said “I almost fuhgot what you looked like, it’s been so lohng since I’ve seen ya!!” He was also dancing some sort of Mexican dance at the time. haha Love it! However, I got my usual (tall, skinny hazelnut latte), and it kept my hands toasty for the rest of my walk.

Class was good, lab was okay — but I’m happy to be back in my apartment. 1. I want to relax a little and 2. I have a lot of work I have to get done. …However, I will relax a bit first. I made myself a big bowl of plain Greek Yogurt from Trader Joe’s, honey and sunflower seeds (1 cup yogurt, enough honey to make it just sweet enough & 1/4 c. (more or less) of sunflower seeds).

Now, all mixed up — haha I’m still eating this as I type — it’ll probably hold me over for quiiite a while. It’s amazing how some seeds can make something like yogurt so substantial.

Hope everyone’s Mondays go smoothly!

Come see us for cookies, milk and Kahlua all while helping fight hunger through once again is hosted by and benefits the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength next Saturday night, October 11th 9pm – midnight!  We are proud and excited to be a part of this second annual event.  Check out the event and buy your tickets now at http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com/2009/

For a preview of things check out Metromix http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/essay_photo_gallery/what-to-eat-at/1496935/content

See you Saturday!

From Giada De Laurentiis, FoodNetwork.com

Overall Rating: 4 stars
Tasty Factor: 4 stars
Ease Factor: 5 stars
Food Value Factor: 4 (depending on how you make it)
Husband Factor: 4

The ravioli you choose will make or break this dish! I unfortunately chose a spinach & herb cheese ravioli that wasn’t great with this recipe. But generally this is a great way to make ravioli more nutritious (the arugula not the pancetta!), and more interesting than just the pasta & sauce. I plan to try this again with better ravioli.  It’s also really, really easy for  week night meal which I appreciate. This is what I learned:
1) Use a home-made (if possible from a small gourmet store) 4-cheese ravioli. The quality matters!
2) Make this lighter! I subbed bacon for pancetta and used 1/2 of the requested amount and it still added a lot of flavor without getting too fatty. If you generally don’t eat bacon, the recipe will still hold without it just fine. I also skimped on the butter and it was still good.
3) Remember the arugula melts into the dish so don’t skimp on the amount!

Ingredients

Overall Rating: 3 stars
Tasty Factor: 4 stars
Ease Factor: 2 stars
Food Value Factor: 2
Husband Factor: 3

I’ve made cheddar dill biscuits from the First & Forever Cookbook (reviewed on its own page on my blog) and they are 5 stars!! So I was disappointed that the cornbread wasn’t more delicious. Also, I don’t normally make such an unhealthy side so I’m really disappointed when it doesn’t work out!
1) Note she suggests letting the cornbread sit before baking … so that takes awhile
2) Put only 2 cups of the cheddar in the bread and reserve the rest to sprinkle on the top.

Ingredients

Preparation

Yep it looks like the fashion diva himself will have a new show on QVC.  Looks like the station has had a dip in sales (but then again who hasn’t), so they tapped Isaac Mizrahi to help boost their sales.  If you’ve seen The Fashion Show, you know that Isaac is without a doubt entertaining.  Lets see how it works on QVC.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/07/isaac_mizrahi.html

Last week – as I indulged in my daily dose of blog stalking - I made my way over to Confessions of a Young Married Couple.  For those of you who have not checked out this blog, I recommend you make it a part of your daily ritual ( Yes people – add it to your google reader.  IT"S THAT GOOD!).  Anyways, recently she did a post which highlighted Paula Dean's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies.  Since I am a sucker for butter, cream cheese and chocolate…I just HAD to give these babies a try.

If I had to describe this recipe in two words they would be: SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!  I was able to mix up the batter in less then 4 minutes and rolling them into balls probably took an additional 5 minutes.  So, if you are looking for some SIMPLE, DELICIOUS cookies to make family or friends this weekend - give this a try! 

I'll be adding my pictures of this recipe in a couple of days (they are on my mom's computer), but for know, I am going to borrow a picture from foodnetwork.com and pray they won't mind.

Paula Dean’s Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies (which I have deemed "Paula's PMS Cure")

1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese, room temperature (I used low fat cream cheese)

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 box chocolate cake mix of your choosing

1 box powdered sugar

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Beat in the egg. Beat in the vanilla extract.  Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up. (I refrigerated for 1 hour and they were fine)  Roll chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in powdered sugar.  Place on an un-greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  The cookies will remain soft and gooey.  Cool completely and then sprinkle again with powdered sugar, if desired. (Recipe can be found here and here)

SUGGESTIONS:  Serve warm over vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Camberley

…I’d pay $950 dollars for this package deal to the NYC Wine & Food Festival. I could eat and drink the best of the best for four days straight–including one night of free-flowing desserts and Champagne! No job means no food festival for me this year, but one day…one day.

Okay everyone, It’s promotion time. My friend and local Brooklyn  girl Daisy Martinez has a nuevo season starting THIS SATURDAY, at 9:30am on Food Network. Don’t wanna get up that early? Set the Tivo!

FOOD NETWORK’S NEW LEADING LADY HEATS UP “IN THE KITCHEN”

Season Two Premieres: Saturday, July 11th at 9:30am ET/PT

This summer, Viva Daisy!, the newest addition to Food Network’s “In the Kitchen” line-up, returns for a second seasons. Popular TV personality Daisy Martinez shares her secrets for quick, simple Latin cuisine in Viva Daisy! premiering Saturday, July 11th at 9:30am.

In Viva Daisy!, viewers come home with Daisy Martinez and learn tips and tricks for creating quick, simple, mouth-watering meals inspired by her love of Latin cuisines. Daisy dishes for friends and family with recipes like savory Barbecued Short Ribs of Beef perfect for a “Family Night,” Avocado Stuffed with Crab-Mango Salad for a refreshing “Ladies Brunch,” and creamy, corn-filled Humitas (Empanadas) with Cilantro Pesto for “TV Night.”

For more information, videos, and recipes, visit:

www.foodnetwork.com/daisy and www.daisymartinez.com

Konnie made us dinner last night. She’s really working on those homemaking skills of hers. She made these wonderful pita sandwiches with toasted almonds. That got me to thinking how far would you travel for a good meal? This Minnesota couple are eating their way across America via the FoodNetwork Channel. I don’t know how they have time to watch it, given the amount of time they spend eating and driving.

Asked why they chose to spend their retirement this way, Jane said it was because they’ve lost so many friends over the past few years.

Now that’s my idea of heaven — eat your way there.

Photos and text by Rachel Nash Perlow

OTB’s friend, Christine Nunn of Picnic Caterers, isn’t just a fabulous chef — she’s also a member of the Junior League! Christine was recently in charge of a social event for the Junior League of Bergen County. The ladies thought they were going to have an evening of cocktails and a cooking demonstration. But Christine had a little trick up her sleeve. The ladies (and a few gentlemen) arrived at Maverick Cuisine, a kitchen design firm to the stars with a fabulous demonstration kitchen,  to find that they were actually going to be doing the cooking!

What a turn out!

Fans of Food Network’s “Chopped!” will recognize the concept. Present the competitors with a market basket of ingredients which they must use in their dish, and be ready to present it to the judges in an hour. However, along with some mundane ingredients, like chicken breast, cheese, eggs, and various fruits and vegetables, each team was also thrown a curve ball. One had a bottle of Bosco chocolate syrup, another had Kraft Dinner. One unfortunate team was given canned kippers. I think this was Christine’s private joke on me, as I had denigrated them to her just the week before. My apologies, Team Kippers, you didn’t stand a chance!

What are we supposed to do with this stuff?

Several pots simmer away, while the ladies contemplate Campbell’s Cheese Soup

One group was given Bosco chocolate syrup and flour tortillas

Chef Christine Nunn’s husband and sous chef, Javier Ordonez, advises the Bosco team to make their sausage mole tostada extra spicy. Don’t listen to him!

Maverick’s Brick Oven was put to good use, baking pizza and portabello mushrooms

Chef Nunn advises another team, to drink a little more wine!

Two of my fellow judges, Chef Claude Ballas and Bill Pitcher

Jason was invited to judge the competition, along with Bill Pitcher of the Bergen Record, Chef Claude Ballas of The Chef’s Table, and Ted Axelrod of 201 Magazine. Jason was out of town, but I happily filled in. We did not take this responsibility lightly. However, when we saw some of the secret ingredients, I must admit we approached the tasting with some trepidation. There were several surprises, not the least of which was the sausage mole tostada created by the team with Bosco syrup. When we heard Bosco and tortillas, we figured we’d get a dessert. The mole was by far the most creative use of the market baskets, but for the fact that it was almost inedibly spicy, it might have been a contender.

Sausage Mole Poblano Tostada, featuring Bosco chocolate syrup

Another group made a beautiful presentation of their vegetable, bacon and blue cheese frittata. If only they hadn’t left the bacon and blue cheese out of the judge’s portions!

Somehow, the judges were served the vegan version of this beautifully plated frittata

The winning dish was a lovely entree Steak Salad. The team was given orange marmalade and salad greens in their basket. The steak they pulled from the common pantry. With the orange marmalade, they candied some walnuts, also from the pantry. They went beyond the obvious, so they also got high marks for creativity. It was the unanimous first choice dish of the judges, who were all left wanting more of those candied walnuts. The fact that the team was flabbergasted that they won made the announcement all the sweeter.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a decent picture of the winning dish, but here’s the team, celebrating with us judges.

Congratulations to the winners!

You may have the wrong impression of the Jr. League, as I did. Without going into the stereotype, what I found was a great group of gals who enjoy getting together for both social and charitable events. Their next charitable event is this coming Sunday, June 7, 2009, in the parking lot of Garden State Plaza mall, near Nordstrom’s department store. It is called “Touch a Truck” and for only $20 per family, it is an opportunity for children to touch and learn about various large trucks, like fire engines and ambulances. Refreshments, in the form of hot dogs grilled by Chef Nunn, will be provided.

these are super good and incredibly simple.  the dough/batter is made in the food processor and then rolled into a log and refrigerated. you are left only to slice the log into little cookies and bake them! i used really good schmancy tea and i believe that resulted in the incredibly bergamonty goodness. 

i started with a recipe from food network’s claire robinson:

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Recipe credit: Claire Robinson

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Directions

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and butter. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on size of sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

****

next time i will add a bit of lemon or orange zest, i think that would be ridiculous! 

i made this for a day in prospect park so i took them as is, but that night…

the after dark version was a bit messier and crazy good! i was going to do a little chocolate drizzle but decided to half dip the cookies in chocolate and was very happy with the results. incredibly though, they don’t NEED the chocolate!

but it sure didn’t hurt either  

and p.s. i used spelt flour and you  would never know! 

This weeks CEimB was chosen by Anne of Rainforest Recipes.  Her blog is a must see for sure. 

Crispy Fish Fingers from Ellie Krieger’s Foodnetwork selection of recipes. 

The recipe met with some challenges because when I removed the frozen flounder to defrost, Ted tried to sabotage dinner by leaving it on the counter. Ted doesn’t like flounder.  He’s not crazy about frozen fish when he doesn’t know how long it’s been frozen. However, I think I saved the fish, but if you come back to visit Apple Crumbles and there has been no activity, assume the worst and ….well, please send flowers.

Recipe Changes:

I let the fish sit in lemon for about 20 minutes.

Instead of 4 slices of whole wheat bread, I used 1/2 a cup of oatmeal, ground with an immersion blender.  *Learning the hard way: Remember to wrap a paper towel around the top of the cup/bowl before using the immersion blender on dry ingredients.  The kitchen suffered an “oatmeal shower”.  No photo – camera was missing. Most likely buried under oatmeal.

I coated my baking tray with olive oil instead of spraying it with non-stick. 

Almond flour by NOW natural foods was used instead of whole wheat flour. It is a low carb alternative, an excellent source of essential fatty acids (EFA’s), and it is Gluten-Free.  Although this recipe is not completely gluten free, I have used the almond flour as a substitute in many tasty GF meals and desserts. 

I added 1 TBS of sweet and hot mustard to the eggs and beat to mix.

In with the oatmeal, 1/4 tsp of Old Bay seasoning was added.  Should have used more.

I did not make the sauce, instead we used cocktail sauce and salsa.

The results:  I enjoyed it but not as much as other fish varieties and I prefer my fish unbreaded. As for Ted, he said it was okay, had seconds, and enjoyed it more when he dipped the fish in cocktail sauce. 

As Ted was cleaning up, he said “why don’t we have pizza anymore?”  Was that his TRUE feelings regarding tonight’s meal? He is just too considerate to tell me the truth.  I think I’ll mention to him the way Sara and Nick of imafoodblog deal with a not so popular meal selection…person who made the selection buys the pizza!

We had this meal with petite minted peas and carrot bowls  which held the salsa and cocktail sauce for dipping.

To Anne of Rainforest Recipes, not a bad choice at all. I would try this again when entertaining guests because it was very easy and when cooking for guests, sometimes there are very few meatless options for me.  I would  use a different fish (must confess…I’m not a real flounder fan either), follow the recipe using the wheat bread and flour.  I expect it would be a hit.  Good job, Anne.

Trivia:  On this day in 2030 BC, cucumbers were first preserved and eaten as pickles.

With sunny and warmer days cooking is even more appealing, isn’t it? I love cooking myself and it seems to be that I feel a little more motivated these days. Dinning “al fresco” seems to be the right choice either you live in a house or an apartment. I really like the Foodnetwork. It’s so much fun watching their cooking “Stars” in action! And I have to say that I highly respect people who can cook, I really do. I enjoy preparing meals, healthy meals, hearty meals and one of the chefs I like to watch is Gordon Ramsey. Gordon is a very accomplished chef and well known for his TV shows like Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen or The F Word.  My favorite show is Kitchen Nightmares as I love watching  Gordon’s challenge to put a restaurant back in business with new recipes and marketing advice.

Gordon also owns fabulous restaurants and writes great cooking books. And this is the reason I am posting today. He was here in Toronto at Indigo signing his  Healthy Apetite book. This was my chance to see him and get a copy of his book at the same time! Unfortunately due to a huge line up {he has many, many fans!} and time restrictions {I really had to leave} I never made it to get my book signed…but took a few paparazzi photos instead. And here they are.

I am now waiting for Jamie Oliver to come back, he is another favorite of mine! Who are your favorite chefs? Do you watch the Foodnetwork as well? What do you love to cook? Here are some of my recipes….and I know I need to add a few more…hopefully soon…

My nose can always tell whenever my Mom makes these colourful Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies. The sweet and slightly buttery aroma fills the whole house as the marshmallows slowly started to melt on the stove. Biting into the Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies meant everything to me as a little girl who simply loved all types of foods. I love the way it filled my mouth completely with its sweet and juicy flavour. Sweet marshmallows and just crunchy cornflakes coming together was unbelievably good.

“Mom, what are you making?”, I ask even if I know what she is making. I want to make sure that the tasty Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies would soon be in my mouth.

A bright smile appears on my face as my Mom answers, “Your favourite, Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies, sweetie.”

I remember running into the kitchen to observe every move my Mom made just to see what kinds of food she added to the tasty treat. She would add a bowl full of colourful marshmallows and a bowl full of cereal. I used to snack on the ingredients that were prepared while my Mom wasn’t watching. Once the marshmallows go on to the stove, I’d just stare at it until it melts completely and the cereal is added. My Mom would mix the two together and scoop them up in the end. Eating the slightly warm and chewy chunks of Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies off the spoon would always make my day.

Now that I come to think of it, seeing my Mom in the kitchen often as a child led me to have an interest in food. It’s definitely a strong possibility because I still remember standing up on a chair near my Mom whenever she used to cook for the family. I also helped her out frequently in the kitchen while she tried new recipes and prepared meals.

When I started school, I used to prepare simple snacks for myself and spend a lot of time at the kitchen. Of course, I needed help from my Mom or even my Dad with lots of things, but when I became a 6th grader, my passion for food truly opened up. I not only made snacks, but also prepared meals and desserts and all sorts of things. I spent time watching the Foodnetwork Channel all day long and tried suggested recipes and created some of my own. But, this is a story for another day…

Here’s the recipe for the delicious Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies!!!

Recipe

Cornflake Marshmallow Krispies is another variation of Rice Krispies, but better!

Yield: 15 pieces

Ingredients:

200g of Colourful Marshmallow (any types of marshmallows will work)

2 tbsp of Cooking Oil & 2 tbsp of Margarine (can replace Margarine with Butter)

5 cups of Not-Sweet Cornflake (can replace Cornflake with Rice Crispy Cereal)

Optional:

1 tbsp of Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1/4 cup of Chopped Walnuts

How to Make It:

1. In a large pot, melt cooking oil and margarine over low heat

2. Prepare a large baking sheet and cover it with a parchment paper

3. Stir in the marshmallows until they melt completely (stir the marshmallows constantly so that they don’t get stuck on the pot)

»

4. Add cornflakes (and the optional ingredients) into the pot and fold the mixture until the cornflakes are fully coated with marshmallows

»

5. Turn off the heat

6. Scoop the warm mixture with an ice cream scoop and place them on the prepared baking sheet

7. Let it cool completely (can put it in the freezer for some time to make the process faster)

8. Enjoy!

Or, did you know Hurley has a blog?

Two of my favorite shows, including two of my favorite CHARACTERS, overlapped this week when Ace of Cakes did a cake for LOST’s 100th episode!  I won’t repost the pics, but check out Jorge Garcia’s post about it, including lots of pictures.  My favorite bit is the polar bear comic book!  I need more closeups of those awesome character figurines, though, they look awesome!  I hope this ends up on an ep of Ace of Cakes, too!

Who watches the food network? I do! I do!

Well I only watch two shows, but most of the other shows I find boring (though if you’re a guy and you want to cook I would recommend watching any food show on food network)

I’m going to talk about the two shows I watch.

I watch food network competition. Pretty much when I was younger I wanted to become a baker and all the competitions are pretty much cakes. Some episodes are other competitions like fruit decorations or breaking world records. But the cake ones are really really fun to watch. There’s so much tention in the kitchens. The cakes they make in about 6 hours are just amazing. Some cakes could be taken as miniature models of houses or characters made of wood.

I love the chefs from the first season like Mike from Mike’s Amazing Cakes and Duff from Charm City Cakes (he has his own show. Maybe I’ll talk about that show later). Then I think the chefs went downhill. Once the winner won 2 or 3 awards they aren’t invited back. Which can sucks.

one of the other shows that I watch is Dinner: Impossible. I’m so glad Mr. Irvine got to continue in his show. Last spring Irvie got in trouble for lying on his resume. Then they got an Iron Chef to take Irvine’s place and it was just horrible.

Irvine has this fast pace, uptight way of doing things. Sometimes it is annoying, but making food for a few hundred people in about 5 hours is stressful. Making one dinner is stressful enough.

The Iron Chef tried to have Irvine’s thing, but it seemed fake. And the show was moving at a slower pace, wanting to you to yawn.

New episodes start in March. Yay!

Notes:

• Twilight premires on the east coast in .5 hours. 3.5 hours on the east coast.
• Celebrate Harry Potter tomorrow even though Twilight will be the talk of the town. 

haha another days will lead to another night, another end, and another beginning.

See you another night.

I can’t wait to try some of the exciting recipes in Bobby Flay’s cookbook.  Flay’s book “Bold American Cooking”, was his first cookbook and the recipes in it make my mouth water.  His style of cooking, Spicy South Western, with a splash of his own style and techniques is exactly how I love to cook.  Pinapple Tomatillo salsa, corn relish,chipotle sauce,,,,,,,,,,hmmm can’t wait to try some.  Bobby Flay is one of the chefs on the Food Network Channel and you can find him competing on the Iron chef program.

I watch the most pointless TV ever.  And, you know what, I like it.  I don’t have to get involved in plots or characters.  I don’t have to DVR episodes to keep up (because they typically repeat pointless TV episodes ad nauseum).  I can just watch, and my mind goes numb.  It’s pretty neat.  Here’s what I’ve been watching lately:

10.  Kathy Griffin My Life on the D-List
9.  Flippin Out – when you need a little OCD
8.  Shear Genius -  See more horrific hair than your own
7.  Project Runway – creative and catty
(Jeez, I wonder if cable has a package with just Bravo)
6.  I Love Money - or any type of Rock of Love, I Love “So and So” - Reassurance that while your day-in-day out may be a little boring, at least it’s not pathetic
5.  Best Week Ever – weekly news without the panic
4.  Most shows on Foodnetwork EXCEPT: anything with Racheal Ray flailing, or Guy Fietti shoving his huge pie hole full of grease.  I also tend to keep it ‘notch-free’.
3.  The Golden Girls – yep, that’s right
2.  Everybody Loves Raymond repeats
1.  Wipeout!  A new show for the summer, and it’s perfectly mindless.  Complete idiots getting themselves tossed and thrown  on an insane obstacle course, while being totally ridiculed by the commentators.  Score!!!