Addicted to the Food Network!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is my Favorite.Day.of.the.Year. Food, Football, Family...perfection!
This year I did not make the whole dinner, but decided to do one fabulous dish.
I knew as soon as I saw the recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding in the new Bobby Flay Cookbook, Bar American that it would be the one I would make. For those not in the know, I love all things pumpkin: pies, cupcakes, whoopee pies, risotto, ravioli, you name it, I'll try it! Combine anything pumpkin with Bobby Flay and you know I'm in! Of course, Bobby did not disappoint!

{Pumpkin deliciousness}

The spicy caramel sauce was a little too "spicy" for me (and by spicy I mean cloves, ginger, etc.) but the bread pudding itself was to die for. If you love pumpkin pie, you will adore this recipe. It was a complete hit all around, and I was told that I must make this every year now. My pleasure!

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for all of you.
xoxo,
H

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Buffalo Soldier

Tailgate #7
Theme: Buffalo Bills

This one was a no-brainer:




This was was a gimme. Up next: Oakland. Need tips from my Cali peeps please!
Thanks!
xoxo,
H

Monday, November 14, 2011

Here's the SKINny

Tailgate #6
Theme: Washington Redskins

What comes to  mind when I think of Washington, DC? The White House, The President...Spike Mendelsohn?! If you're a foodie, then yes, that's exactly what comes to mind. Spike, his Good Stuff Eatery, and his mouth watering burgers. Spike, best known for being a Top Chef contestant, created  his Prez Obama Burger for then presidential candidate, Barack Obama. That burger too, beat out the McCain Burger 4-1. With melted blue cheese, crispy bacon, sweet red onion marmalade and spicy horseradish mayo...it sure gets my vote!

{Now that's a mouthful!}


Add to it some Tex-Mex Potato Skins, made with Redskin potatoes, of course, and you have a mouth watering tailgate!


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Sunday Funday

What could be better than a Sunday filled with football, family and food? Except a winning game...not much! And when the food is finger-licking good, then all the better!

{BBQ Chicken nachos}

Taken from the Food Network Magazine 50 Nachos, this one will be made again, repeatedly!

{White Chocolate raspberry squares}

Best Quote of the Day: "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven until I realized I was face down in White Chocolate Raspberry square." That about sums it up!


Bar Americain

Remember last week when I told how excited I was to dig into Bobby Flay's new cookbook Bar Americain? Well, I did. First up on my list to try was the Grilled Cheese with Aged Cheddar, Goat cheese and Green Tomato.  I thought for sure I was out of luck, since we are not really in green tomato season...but imagine my surprise when my local supermarket had them ready for me! I immediately snatched up all the other ingredients and got to grilling!

Super simple, not a lot of ingredients and the epitome of delicious!

{ooey, gooey deliciousness}

The mixture of the sharp cheddar, creamy goat cheese, tart green tomatoes and crispy bacon = Heaven between two slices of buttered bread! This will be in my repertoire for a long time, I can tell already!


Friday, November 4, 2011

Robin Miller Book Signing

Did you know that the #1 searched word on Foodnetwork.com is Healthy? Well, it is. And that is just one of the many things I learned from nutritionist, best-selling author and Food Network star Robin Miller. I had the pleasure of catching her book signing for her latest & greatest book: Robin Takes 5. 500 recipes, 5 ingredients, 500 calories or less 5 nights a week at 5:00 PM.


This is truly one of the biggest cookbooks I have ever bought! Packed full of recipes; all with 5 ingredients or less, 500 calories or less, easy to make and with accessible ingredients. It's gonna take me a while to tab my way through this one!

Robin herself was very sweet, approachable, knowledgeable and funny. It was just like sitting around with a glass of wine talking to one of your girlfriends.

 I asked her the same question I ask all of the chefs:
Q: What is your favorite Food Network Show?
A: Chopped

Some other questions from the group:

Q: What is the Best Thing You Ever Ate?
A: a seafood/rice dish after running the NYC Marathon about 5 years ago.

Q: What is your favorite thing to cook?
A: Anything with her family.

See, a down to earth mom that just happens to have a lot of nutritional knowledge and cooking ideas!
I have also never met such a gracious FN Chef. Staying to sign books and take photos.

{I heart how she pulled me in to her for the photo}

Thanks for a lovely evening, Robin! Can't wait to dig into the book.

xoxo,
Heather


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Confessions of a Cookbook Addict

It's always exciting when you come home to find a package in your mailbox, isn't it? Well, for a food geek, a package from Amazon containing two new cookbooks turns me into a kid on Christmas morning! I immediately ripped open the box and began to devour them, flagging all the recipes I want to try.



A culinary road trip across America, with stops in New Mexico, Kentucky, South Carolina, and everywhere in between. Reading this book is like looking at an in-depth look at the menu of Bar Americain restaurant. Plenty of classics, comfort foods, and new interpretations, with full color pictures of every recipe. First up on my list to try: Grilled Cheese with Aged Cheddar, Goat Cheese Bacon and Green Tomato; Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Gratin; and Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce. Yum!




A collection of recipes, all with 5 ingredients or less, written with the undertone of Claire's southern charm. In comparison to Bobby's recipes, these are what I would call "easy". None of them require much skill or technique. Perfect for weeknight meals, quick entertaining or a beginner cook. Although a lot of the recipes sound delicious, there are not photos with every recipe, which I missed. I also missed a little background on each recipe (as with Bobby's book) about how she came up with that idea or where the inspiration came from. I did find a good amount of recipes I will make, starting with Breakfast Croque Madame and Roasted Jalapeno Egg Rolls.


Now, if I only had the time, resources and audience to prepare all of these recipes...Now accepting volunteers in all departments! :)

XOXO,
The Food Network Cookbook Addict