You’ve probably seen the Food Network’s show The Great Food Truck Race. But, what you probably didn’t know is that the Mini Burger Truck is a possible contender for the next season. I’ll tell you what, they deserve to be on that show!

Their menu is simple, but perfect. They have four regular burgers that they serve plus a special. The four regulars are the OG (what the name implies, original gangster, or maybe goodness in this case), Da’ Philly (grilled mushrooms and onions, provolone cheese, and roasted red pepper aioli), Cowbell (bacon, pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, and BBQ sauce), and my favorite, The Ninja (Asian slaw, pea shoots, lotus chip, and sriracha aioli). They also offer fries, sweet potato tots, a great selection of refreshments, and organic cotton candy for your sweet tooth. A 2 pack of burgers is $6 and a 3 pack is $8, mix and match.

How do you know where the Mini Burger Truck is going to be serving up tastiness? Check their twitter! They’re all over social media, making them very easy to locate. So give them a follow, find out where they’re going to be posted up, and try it out for yourself. No disappointments here!

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Photos courtesy of Mini Burger Truck

Truck Vitals

Website: www.miniburgertruck.com

Twitter: @MiniBurgerTruck

Facebook: Mini Burger

Vote Here!

The Great Food Truck Race, season premiere at 10pm on Food Network

- Hosted by Tyler Florence, The Great Food Truck Race returns for season 2 and features eight gourmet food trucks as they embark on an epic coast-to-coast culinary road trip through cities including Santa Monica, Calif.; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; Denver; Manhattan, Kan.; Memphis, Tenn., Atlanta, and Miami. Each week, the trucks roll into a new city and compete in dynamic challenges – often battling tough conditions including weather problems, location mishaps, food sourcing issues, and ever-changing customer taste buds. In the end, it’s all about which truck can sell the most food and race to the next episode while the losing team is sent home. Guest judges join host Tyler Florence in each episode and the last truck standing wins $100,000.

Monday, August 15^th

Most Eligible Dallas, series premiere at 10pm on Bravo

- They’re young, they’re hot, they’re single – they’re Dallas’ Most Eligible. From beauty queens to pro-football players, this group of Texas socialites proves that everything’s bigger in Texas – including the drama. Some are looking for true love while others have perfected the art of the one-night stand, and somehow their love lives have all crossed paths at one time or another. Dallas serves as the sexy backdrop for this jaw-dropping series that follows a group of successful friends living it up in the lone star state.

The Lying Game, series premiere at 9pm on ABC Family

- The new series, based on the novel, follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother.  After Sutton inexplicably fails to return to the girls’ designated meeting place, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her twin sister’s whereabouts, along with the truth about why they were separated in the first place.

Tuesday, August 16^th

Family Restaurant, series premiere at 10pm on WEtv

- This new reality series gives a hilarious glimpse into one family’s life in the high-pressure restaurant biz. The series serves up an unforgettably eccentric cast of characters, a steady diet of colorful, behind-the-scenes stories, and platter after mouthwatering platter of amazing food. Cooking frenzies, communication breakdowns and front-of-house antics abound. The daily trials and triumphs of running a busy restaurant ignite family friction, often with hilarious results. But the Quon family’s bond runs as deep as their passion for the Lingnan, and the result is a fast and funny series.

What Not To Wear, season premiere at 9pm on TLC

- TLC’s fashion reality series returns with more life-changing makeovers in the show’s 9th season. Each week, TLC resident fashion experts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly face an assortment of fashionably challenged contributors, providing them with invaluable fashion advice and life-changing transformations, inside and out. Hair stylist Ted Gibson and makeup artist Carmindy add the finishing touches that complete the change.

Wednesday, August 17^th

The Hour, series premiere at 10pm on BBC America

- Dominic West (The Wire), Romola Garai (Emma) and Ben Whishaw (Bright Star) lead an all-star cast on The Hour, an original, edge-of-your-seat spy thriller set in the world of television journalism in 1956 that The New York Times raves has “a style and intelligence all its own.” BBC reporters Bel Rowley (Romola Garai) and Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw) are given the opportunity to escape their jobs producing dull newsreels and work on a new, weekly investigative news program. The interplay and intense ambitions between the rising news team plays out against the backdrop of a rivalry between Freddie and lead anchorman Hector Madden (Dominic West) for Bel’s affections. But it’s only when Freddie has a chance encounter with a childhood friend, Ruth Elms, that he is thrust into the middle of a mysterious murder along with a controversial and dangerous investigation.

Thursday, August 18^th

The Millionaire Matchmaker, season premiere at 9pm on Bravo

- Newly single Patti Stanger takes reign over her clients’ love lives, but is love in store for the matchmaker herself? Patti calls on celebrity friends Tori Spelling and Jenny McCarthy to provide expert advice for her hapless millionaires. From a former NFL player to Million Dollar Listing’s Madison Hildebrand, Patti will be challenged to find love for a very diverse roster of rich singles. In each episode, two wealthy clients are set up with dates hand-picked by Patti. With a brutally blunt approach and a big heart, Patti and her staff — Chief Operating Officer, Destin Pfaff and VP of Matching, Rachel Federoff – give their millionaire clients complete transformations with the help of personal shoppers, date coaches and therapists.

Do Something Awards, awards show at 9pm on VH1

- DoSomething.org and VH1 have once again partnered to present The Do Something Awards to honor young people’s commitment to social change. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch (Glee’s fabulous Sue Sylvester) will return to host the star-studded Do Something Awards telecast for a second year. The show will feature performances by Demi Lovato, one of my favorites OneRepublic featuring B.O.B, and Foster The People. The all-star lineup of presenters includes Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon, Jon Cryer, Victoria Justice, Adam Lambert, Mario Lopez, Rose McGowan, Olivia Munn, Keke Palmer and Lauren Potter.

Friday, August 19^th

Tanked, series premiere at 9pm on Animal Planet

- Following the antics of two brothers-in-law as they run the largest aquarium manufacturing company in the nation, Tanked dunks viewers into the high-decibel, family-owned business of Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM). Led by business partners, best friends and constant rivals Wayde King and Brett Raymer, this 13,000 square foot facility, located in Las Vegas, produces some of the most outrageous, larger-than-life and one-of-a-kind tanks for some of the most striking fish and clients around. No job is too big, too far, or too outlandish as Wayde and Brett travel the world to make fellow fish enthusiast’s dreams of having their own little piece of the ocean a reality. They’ve created tanks to look like pyramids, spheres, phone booths, cars, kegs, the female anatomy and much more. Their work is customized to fit intricate and interesting locations including restaurants, casinos, banks, hotels, churches, corporate offices, mansions, museums and zoos. Working with opinionated and outrageous family and staff, including Wayde’s wife, Heather, and Brett and Heather’s father, “The General”, the show reveals the stress, success, and sometimes dysfunction, of a family business that has been running strong for 14 years.

Saturday, August 20^th

Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, season premiere at 10pm on VH1 Classic

- This five episode series documents the real life dream inside every music fan — becoming a rock star! Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp will follow 12 musicians ready to step out of their lives as 9 to 5′ers, truck drivers, teachers, dads and husbands and onto the stage. Over one week, our campers will form bands and rehearse…culminating in a live performance at an iconic venue their own rock idols have conquered. With a few hiccups along the way, the journey will be anything but dull…fights will erupt and stage fright will ensue, ensuring that only those with rock n’ roll in their blood will make it!

On Thursday, my dad and I ventured to Union City together with dinner as our mission. When we got there, we were surprised at the size of the event (ten trucks!), including a dj playing music and tables and chairs.

Union City Street Eats, August 11th

My dad was instantly overwhelmed, never having been to a food truck before, let alone ten. I, however, set out on my mission and called my mom to read her menu options so I could grab food for the two of us while Dad figured out what he was going to do. (My only complaint about how the festival was set up was that the music was so loud I could barely hear my mom on the phone.) My mom decided on a lemongrass pork bowl from The Whole Bowl Truck.

Lemongrass pork bowl from The Whole Bowl

The bowl looked super yummy, and my mom confirmed later on that it definitely was. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen any vegetarian options on the Whole Bowl’s menu. For some reason they’re marked as vegetarian on Roaming Hunger, but I don’t know why. I wish they had a tofu option or something because their food looks good!

Next I headed over to MoBowl, a truck I’ve written about previously. I’ve tried many of the options on their menu but somehow had never had their umami tofu bowl (probably because of my slight fear of mushrooms). I’m sad to say that I failed to take a photo of my food before consuming it. What can I say? I was super excited, and it was devoured pretty quickly. Luckily I did manage to snap a photo of the truck though.

The MoBowl Truck

My final stop was That’s Sweet! Dessert Truck. My mom had requested a chocolate maple cupcake, and I went ahead and got myself one as well. Once again, I was impressed by the gentleman who works the truck remembering that he had served me before when I’ve only been there three times!

That's Sweet! Truck

Chocolate maple cupcakes from That's Sweet!

On Saturday, I made my return to Moveable Feast. It felt good to be back and hang out with people like Food Truck Nerd.

Moveable Feast, August 13th

I decided to join the longest line in the place, the one for Little Green Cyclo. It had been a good three or four months since I last had their vermicelli, and I hadn’t had it with tofu yet. It was tasty, although I apparently made the mistake of using the fish sauce that came with it not realizing it was fish sauce. Oops. I’m still learning when it comes to being a good vegetarian!

Little Green Cyclo Truck

Tofu vermicelli from Little Green Cyclo

After enjoying my meal I craved dessert, and Treatbot was serving a special strawberry and raspberry shortcake. I jumped at the opportunity, especially since it was premade and didn’t require waiting in line as a result. It was some of the best strawberry shortcake I’ve tasted.

Strawberry and raspberry shortcake from Treatbot

I know it was a special, but I still hope Treatbot serves it again!

Tonight was the season premiere of The Great Food Truck Race. I was super excited about it; this show reminds me of when I first started going to food trucks in LA last August. The first season aired just as I was discovering the food truck phenomenon, and this season seems bigger and better! Naturally, I’m already siding with the vegan truck, but I have a few other favorites as well. I can’t wait to see how they deal with the challenge that involves sausage next week, eek!

Chef broke the yolk! Can you sense my jealousy of the back-of-the-house breakfasts that happen in secret while I'm slaving away in the office each morning!

The evil calendar of tricks is at it again. Thank goodness Michael has help to harness the beast — although he would say we feed it too much!  Tune into NBC’s TODAY Show next Thursday during the 9:00 a.m. hour to watch Chef make Pan Fried Onion Dip with Thick Cut Potato Chips and then some from his cookbook.  There’s plenty more MGFD TV in the pipeline over the next couple of months, including Michael’s appearances on The Great Food Truck Race with Tyler Florence (Food Network) and Pat La Frieda’s Meat Men (History Channel,) bar manager Ryan on Drinking Made Easy with host Zane Lamprey (HDNet,) and Hedy’s Food (ography) and Unique Sweets cameos (Cooking Channel)!  The list goes on… Stay tuned to the current events page for air dates and times, as well as new items in the upcoming schedule.

Roland Samimy with about 10 pounds of fruit, making a special run to his grove for us yesterday.

It’s a special time of year for us in South Florida. With the main growing season out on tippy toes, nature gives us a parting gift that somehow makes it all ok.  The lychee fruit.

It happens each year, but never seems to get old.  We have our two months of juicy goodness, peeling and slurping them from their bumpy prehistoric wrapping by the handful, and then they’re gone for another 10.

Michael has been getting his lychee for years, since his Nemo days, from Roland Samimy.  Friend Jen Karetnick wrote an excellent piece for New Times back in 2001 about Roland and his family’s operation. Read it (really, please do) here.  The first story I wrote on Michael, before working for him, also happened to be concerning the seasonal grand entrance of this perfumed milky white gem onto the Michael’s Genuine menu.

Roland grows two varieties of lychee, which Michael proudly corrected me on yesterday as we handed off the batch pictured above to the producers of The Great Food Truck Race who shoot their final scene of Season 2 today.

“It’s the Bristol and the Marucious!” I proclaimed.  Actually it’s the Brewster and the Mauritius, the latter maturing first, followed the the former a few weeks later in the season. We’ll be harvesting Brewsters this coming Saturday when we visit Roland’s grove. The Mauritius right now are bigger and sweeter, with reddish green skin, smoother than the Brewsters.  Those are a deep, bright shade of red, with more tiny textured peaks.  Brewsters eat like a big, wet Sweet Tart.

Lychee is cultivated in China, Thailand, northern Vietnam, and northern India, South Africa, and the United States (Hawaii and Florida.)  The Caribbean does not grow Lychee, so for now, it’s just our Miami restaurant where you will enjoy the likes of lychee soda, local shrimp ceviche with lychee, avocado, citrus, & cilantro, and crispy soft shelled crab with lychee & avocado salad.

This morning, an email transmission from another one of our farmers, Margie at Bee Heaven, signaled good news for customers who want a share of the summer season goodies at home.  She writes “The start of Lychees and mangoes are harvesting now. (Avocados are looking good, and should be ready in about 3-4 weeks.)”  Pick up at her farm or at Joanna’s Marketplace near Dadeland, beginning  Saturday, June 11, along with eggs, honey, Hani’s cheese, hummus and baba ghanoush, assorted herbs, and even a couple of veggies. Margie will also launch an online store, through which summer orders can be placed.  For more information visit the Bee Heaven Farm ~ Redland Organics website.

Sounds exciting! Seems fair enough right?……WRONG!

Since the moment I found out about this event all I keep hearing about from our local Miami food trucks is Hodge Podge this and Hodge Podge that…Hodge Podge EVERYTHING! I had to go on a major Twitter Mission to find out where the Lime truck was yesterday, and when I finally got to the location (in Midtown Miami) the truck was being towed away!

I find it really unfair and somewhat heartbreaking that sooooo many Miami food trucks promote and support Hodge Podge, but don’t utter a word about Lime. They even had Hodge Podge take part in the Miami Lakes Auto Mall gathering last night which was HUGE and you KNOW they made a ton of sales out there and what did Lime get? I little corner in Midtown? Come on! That is BEYOND unfair!

I know that the Podge has friends here in Miami, but try playing fair. Both trucks have to be great if they’ve made it this far in the game. I believe BOTH should be promoted and supported equally. And if Hodge Podge was invited to the big event last night, Lime should have been too. And apparently they are going to be taking part in the big event over at Tobacco Road tonight as well, but Lime has once again been left out.

I LOVE my Miami food trucks, I really really do. It’s something I like to do with my family and friend and always have a great time. I love how they all support each other and work as a team as well as how friendly and appreciative they are with all of their followers. But seriously, this just isn’t cool.

I finally caught up with Lime today, outside of the Melting Pot on 157th and Biscayne. My mother and I shared 3 of the 4 items on their menu as well as their berry limeaide and I have to say that their food is phenomenal! Their blue crab and scallop ceviche was the best ceviche I’ve ever had! And tonight, I’m going to gather up a big group and go out to find them again because their food is more than worth it.

Bottom line, I don’t want to bash the Miami food truck scene, but this kind of favoritism is ridiculous. This battle should be about who has the best food, not the best connections.

Sincerely,
A disappointed food truck follower

**UPDATE** The Lime Truck will be in Coconut Grove tonight starting at 7pm! Stop by and show them some love and I will see you all there!

Originally posted on Blogspot: http://emilysixx.blogspot.com/2011/06/great-unfair-food-truck-race.html

British chef Andy Bates has sourced the finest ingredients in the world to create the incredible snack.

He hand-picked succulent milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees, seasoned and primed with the best peppers, olive oil, barrel aged feta cheese, purple violet potatoes and Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes. But no ordinary pitta would do for this mouth-watering meal, so the chef made a saffron infused flatbread to host the fabulous meat dish. His tangy chilli sauce uses Scotch Bonnet chillies and the cooling mint and cucumber yoghurt is infused with Krug Grande Cuvee champagne. The expensive flatbread is stuffed with an exquisite micro-cress and bib lettuce salad and a delicate oregano concasse.

Priced at £750 ($1,225) a piece, the kebab is made using “gold leaf for a finishing flourish and champagne-infused mint and cucumber yoghurt” that justifies its cost. The ingredients include Shoulder of milk-fed lamb (£84), Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes ( £20), Micro Cress and Bibb Salad ( £11.95), Chili Peppers ( £35), Barrel Aged Feta Cheese (£54.20), Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( £26.95), Purple violet potatoes ( £15), Edible gold leaf and platinum ( £130), Saffron ( £138), Krug Champagne ( £195), Other ingredients (garlic, lemon, salsa, mint, cucumber, yoghurt) ( £40) which totals up to £750.10.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

We came. We saw. We ate us some banh mi sandwiches. And. It. Was. Frickin. Incredible.

Some of you might know these folks…from Food Network show - The Great Food Truck Race (They were our pick for winners – the Nomnom truck!)

DTLA for the famous Nomnomtruck

Got a chance to talk to the crews for a LONG while and they were SO nice! Super friendly and totally cool.

Our order? Honey grilled pork  banh mi and lemongrass chicken banh mi washed down with a basil lemonade.

PERFECT Honey grilled pork banh mi sandwich (@nomnomtruck)

Perfect LA-Monday food exploration!

The perfect bite into our banh mi sandwich

Thanks again to all of the crews today who had a chance to chat for a while.

We will have a more in-depth review (and a ton of pictures too) of the Nomnomtruck, crews, and award winning banh mi sandwiches at a later date…but we were off to explore Las Vegas.

Oh yes, Vegas.

QuarryLaneFarms reporting live from VEGA$$$$$$….

Like I’ve seriously had all sorts of pizza all over NY from the plethora of Rays Pizza, the 1 “Not Rays Pizza” near my high school Brooklyn Tech

to the Cold Cheese Pizza from upstate, specifically those late nights in Oneonta NY (for those not in the know, Cold cheese pizza is just a fresh hot slice of cheese pizza with mounds of uncooked shredded mozzarella cheese thrown on top. It soaks up the “joose” with great effectiveness.

and honestly, I’ve slung with the best and ate thru the worst (I see you Dominos)

but yo. seriously. get yo GAME UPZ with Eddie’s Pizza Truck, which was on The Great Food Truck Race and deserves it rightly so. Luckily twas around my work area walking with Ratiba (Dutch Princess #02) to Food Emporium for some milk for some mid-day cake (that’s just how we roll. SON.) and yeah, lo and behold

and the pizza?

wow. crust was millimeter thin, crunchy, cheese was just succulent and moist, sauce was not too oily, greasy, right amount of tomato and spice. No need for that extra stuff you put on pizzas, just so great. It was a symphony of moist and crunch to deliver a taste unforgotten. And you see that upper part of the slice? thats not crust (NO USELESS CRUST) but extra burnt cheese that just makes EVERYTHING a-happy.

Find it. Eat it. Get it DONE.

OUTSKI.

Voting began Sunday, August 29 and continues through Friday, September 10. Please vote for us by either: (1) texting FN190 to 66789 or (2) clicking here then searching for “Kona Ice.” You have 10 votes to give per day, so please vote early and often.

If you are so inclined, we also would appreciate it if you would spread the word to your family and friends.

Thanks in advance for your support.

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If you haven’t heard of the Dessert Truck, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Amazing idea, right? In my opinion, the truck’s founders, Jerome Chang (formerly the pastry sous chef at Le Cirque), and Columbia business school student Chris Chen, are scholars and gentlemen for making gourmet desserts mobile. Remember the warm fuzzy feeling you felt as a kid on Christmas Eve, knowing that Santa was out there somewhere in his sleigh, beginning to make his deliveries? That’s sort of how I think of the Dessert Truck, somewhere out there in New York City, bringing delicious $6 desserts to those lucky girls and boys who happen to be walking by.

If you don't have room in your tummy when you happen upon the Dessert Truck, you can get it to-go, like I did!

Tonight, that lucky girl was ME! I ordered DT’s famous chocolate bread pudding topped with bacon crème anglaise (if you don’t like bacon, you can get it with vanilla crème anglaise).

Mmmmmmm

I thought that the bacon crème anglaise was pretty subtly flavored–it didn’t taste like pork, per say, just extra salty. It made me wish the chocolate flavor of the bread pudding was a little more intense–sweeter, maybe even a bit on the bitter side–in order to adequately play off the salty crème anglaise.

For presentation purposes, I flipped my pudding upside on a plate.

The pudding was extremely smooth and custardy. I know from watching the Dessert Truck’s Throwdown episode that they soak their bread pudding overnight to make the bread extra rich and creamy–when you take a bite, you can definitely taste and feel this–the pudding truly has a soft, pudding-y mouth feel.

I actually wish that the texture was a little more bready–I couldn’t tell the difference between the egg custard and the pieces of bread, and I actually like being able to distinguish between the two. Speaking of the pudding’s egg custard, there was a lot of it–too much. Check out this side view of the bread pudding–you can see that the Dessert Truck doesn’t use much bread–most of it (the entire top layer) was actually only egg custard, without any pieces of bread.  Bread pudding is supposed to be just that–bread pudding–so I have to say that I enjoyed the inside center best, where there was the best bread + custard ratio.

I hope that the Dessert Truck isn't skimping on bread to save some dough.

So, what’s my final review? I have to say I was a little disappointed with my Dessert Truck experience. But, you can’t ever give up on Santa, and I won’t give up my faith in the Dessert Truck. That said, if you feel the way I do about bread pudding I’d definitely recommend trying something else–maybe their molten chocolate cake with sea salted pistachios. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Until next time, Dessert Truck. Until next time.

Just because I was a tad disappointed doesn't mean my bread pudding didn't disappear...

]]> http://iwatchanythingontv.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/new-premieres-this-week-in-tv-august-15th-%e2%80%93-21st/ Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:23:49 +0000 I Will Watch Anything On TV http://iwatchanythingontv.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/new-premieres-this-week-in-tv-august-15th-%e2%80%93-21st/ Sunday August 15^th

The Great Food Truck Race, series premiere at 10pm on Food Network

- Food Network Chef Tyler Florence hosts this new series in which seven real teams representing the country’s best food trucks hit the road to cook their way across America. Each week, the teams that sell the most food with the limited budget they are given race on to the next episode. The losing team drives home. In the end, one food truck remains, and the team behind the wheel and the grill wins the $50,000 grand prize. These are great characters with fascinating existing relationships: They’re husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, best friends. And they’re already running the most successful, outrageous food trucks in the country — but never quite like this.

Monday August 16^th

Baggage, season premiere at 6:30pm on GSN

- Everyone brings baggage into a relationship—but only on this dating game show do three contestants and one “dater” bring it all to the very first date! On each half-hour episode, host Jerry Springer guides the fun as one dater chooses among three contestants who reveal the intimate secrets and hidden flaw that are typically kept under wraps to impress a first date.

Weeds, season premiere at 10pm on Showtime

- The hit Showtime original dramedy stars Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, a pot-dealing suburban housewife. It’s been a wild ride from desperate pot-selling suburban widow to cartel concubine and politician’s wife. Now Nancy is put to the ultimate test of motherhood: protecting her family. Nancy Botwin’s real adventures have just begun in this upcoming 6^th season. She and her family are hitting the road with blood on their hands and the Mexican Mafia hot on their tail — and they’re not looking back! But how long can this cat-and-mouse-game continue?

The Big C, series premiere at 10:30pm on Showtime

- This new dark comedy series features acclaimed actress Laura Linney in the role of Cathy Jamison, a reserved, stifled, Minneapolis schoolteacher who receives life changing news and decides, from that moment on, to make drastic, long-overdue adjustments to the way she is living her life. Cathy has always been conservative and structured – the perfect suburban wife and mother. Receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis becomes not only a challenge, but a catalyst for change. Cathy is tired of being “the sensible one” — now she wants to let her freak flag fly. For the first time in her life, she is going to make choices that suit her needs. Who says you can’t eat dessert as an appetizer? Time is precious, and Cathy is grabbing life by the balls… “Precious” breakout star Gabourey Sidibe plays Cathy’s saucy student Andrea, with whom she forms a bond after receiving her diagnosis.

Hardcore Pawn, series premiere at 10pm on truTV

- Meet the Gold family starring in this new reality series about the hardcore world of pawning. As owners of Detroit’s biggest pawn shop, they’ve bought and sold things you can’t begin to imagine. Every day brings new danger as the Golds operate in the heart of one of America’s most troubled cities. With 50,000 sq ft of cash and goods surrounding them, there are millions to be made, but their profits come with huge risk.

Tuesday August 17^th

Melissa & Joey, series premiere at 8pm on ABC Family

- ABC Family is now officially the network where former teen stars go in a failed attempt to regain the glory of their once-successful acting careers. This new cheesy half-hour comedy stars Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, who also executive produce. Hart plays Mel, the grown-up former wild child of a political family who is now a local politician herself. When her sister ends up in prison and her brother-in-law flees after a scandal hits, Mel must take responsibility for her teenaged niece, Lennox, and pre-adolescent nephew, Ryder. With Mel spread too thin to manage by herself, help comes in the unlikely form of Joey who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes the family’s “manny.”

Big Lake, series premiere at 10pm on Comedy Central

- From the powerhouse comedy duo of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay comes Big Lake, a hilarious new sitcom that proves you can go home again, you just have to sleep on the couch. Josh loses his big city banking job and has to move back home to his parents’ house in Big Lake, PA. He reunites with Glenn, his childhood best friend who’s fresh out of minimum security prison, and their favorite high school teacher Mr. Chris Henkel, all the while dealing with a Dad who’s trying to kick him out of the house, a Mom who may be taking too many diet pills and a seemingly dorky 13-year-old brother who’s secretly running a small criminal empire. Josh needs to find a new job and move off his parents’ couch. But right now he and his friends are too busy with iguanas, fighting bears, Serbian death metal enthusiasts, the Hooded Beast and, of course, Lee Harvey Osworld.

Thursday August 19^th

Extreme Cuisine With Jeff Corwin, season premiere at 8pm on Food Network

- Renowned for his expertise in wildlife and conservation, Jeff Corwin sets his sights on exploring human culture through regional cuisine in his first Food Network endeavor. With an open mind (and mouth), this thrilling primetime series follows the passionate foodie and anthropologist as he tears through countries like Thailand, Mexico, Greece, and Peru on radical culinary adventures. Learning from the natives, he samples the exotic foods and local customs that mold each community. Jeff enjoys countless surprises and unforgettable flavors during this fun-filled culinary quest – all in a day’s work!

You’re Wearing That?!?, series premiere at 10pm on WE tv

- WE tv’s new original series showcases mothers and daughters transforming each other and reconnecting inside and out. As a New York-based fashion consultant and host to the series, Luciene Salomone will give input and inspire women to re-style each other’s wardrobe and feel confident in what they wear. The title could stand to be a little less critical though, after all it isn’t like Tyra is judging.

Nightline Prime: Secrets of Your Mind, series premiere at 10pm on ABC

- In this new series, Nightline’s anchors and producers explore the mystery and the science of the brain through a range of extraordinary case studies. The series also features the work of world renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Julian Bailes, of West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, and his patients. Nightline Prime’s Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do is a four-part limited series—each installment will focus on a different research area, including love’s impact on the brain, medical emergencies involving the brain, violence and the brain, and food and the brain.

Friday August 20^th

The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town, mini-series premiere at 10pm on IFC

- Groundbreaking comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall reunite for an 8-part miniseries. Shortly after the arrival of the Grim Reaper to Shuckton, Ontario on a Greyhound bus, everyone in the small town is implicated when one of its most distinguished citizens is found murdered. “Death Comes to Town,” an original scripted series of eight 30-minute episodes, marks the return of the audacious comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall to U.S. television for the first time since their cult series ended in the mid-1990s. Famous for their distinctive and surreal sketch comedy, all five original members of The Kids in the Hall—Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson—star in IFC’s new scripted comedy series and play almost all of the characters in their trademark gender-bending style.

Saturday August 21^st

Garbage Moguls, series premiere at 8pm on NatGeo

This new docu-reality series follows an ingenious group of eco-capitalists at TerraCycle, Inc., a green business that creates and sells products made from non-recyclable waste materials. In the first episode of a three-hour marathon, Pedigree challenges the TerraCycle crew to develop a line of pet products. With a strict two-week deadline, the participants quickly get to work, collecting hundreds of old dog-food bags and using them to make a variety of products, from leashes and collars to dog toys and rain gear. The other episodes’ tasks: create a garbage can from potato chip wrappers and make a suit jacket out of Target shopping bags.

Both Matt and Ryan, Rocky River natives who own and operate the Los Angeles based food truck, Grill ‘Em All, were as nice as can be. Our 20-minute chat was more Cleveland nostalgia and less The Great Food Truck Race, but it was still a blast. (And quite a coup, I might add, lil’ ol’ me getting to interview people who are on the Food Network! THE FOOD NETWORK!) I might not sleep for a week, I’m still so excited.

However, I did get enough info for a long Examiner article, and hopefully, if they progress far in the competition, I can score a follow-up interview.

Anyway, enough blabbering, here is the link to my article: Cleveland natives Grill ‘Em All hope to make roadkill out of competition on new Food Network show.

The only food trucks I knew of in NC were the F150′s with trailers attached to the back,  parked at construction sites. The thought of eating anything from them made me itch.

Then we moved to Jersey.  Every evening, a few brightly painted trucks line up at the train stop, greeting hungry  commuters  headed home. One  evening Mr. Spicy Lens suggested we try out The Krave. With lots of reservations, we drove up the street and stood in line. To my surprise lots of people were waiting for their dinner outside of an old delivery truck.

After an extra long prayer, I looked down at my styrofoam tray filled with a Kimchidilla. I took a small bite and was pleasantly surprised.  Kimchidillas are a soft flour tortilla served with choice of meat, sour cream, shredded kimchi and monterrey jack cheese.

Before I ordered, I asked the same thing, What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish, made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi, made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onion or cucumber. – wikipedia.org

Mr. Spicy Lens had the BBQ Rice Platter which he quickly goobled up.

A few days ago we were in the mood for the Krave truck, so we headed down to the train stop where it’s normally parked. While we waited on our food, I noticed this sticker.

The Food Network is starting a new series. The Great Food Truck Race!  Set your TIVO’s for August 15th. This would be way cooler if our favorite local food truck @TheKrave was featured.

Now the tricky part about Food Trucks is finding them. Kitchens on wheels don’t stay in one spot for long. Where  would we be without technology? Most folks follow their favorite food trucks using Twitter. The trucks tweet their locations and how long they will be parked.

I have been known to check for  the Cupcake Truck if I’m in the city. I normally find it in Soho on Broadway.

The Red Velvet Cupcake is scrumptious. Follow that Truck @CupcakeStop !

Looking for Food Trucks in your Favorite City? Check out the site MobileCravings. If you find anything tasty snap a photo of the truck and your meal.

This post is for your enjoyment and taste buds. The Food Network and the good folks who ride inside trucks delivering goodies all day don’t know I exist. They probably only know me as the strange woman who takes photos of the truck and the food I order. Please pardon the poor quality  iPhone photos.