Archive for June, 2007
June 26th, 2007
Chef Gordon Ramsay does it again! He manages to yell out more expletives in an hour than I can count! It is hysterical to watch him torment the contestants.
The girls team managed to win the first challenge. They had to identify common foods with a blind fold and ear phones in order to test their palette. Vinnie lost the challenge for his team when failing to identify seared tuna. He said it was pancetta!?
The reward was a dinner with Chef Ramsay in a restaurant that served you in the dark. Kind of weird but a unique concept. Meanwhile, the boys had to taste some really gross food; the stomach lining, liver and tongue of various animals, among other things. It was really disgusting to watch. This is not Fear Factor, it is a cooking show! I actually felt bad for them.
Finally, at dinner service, both teams performed equally bad. The customers rated their performance and 65% said they would not return because the food took too long. Chef Ramsay told Melissa and Rock to each nominate a person from their team to go home. Then, he overruled their picks and chose Vinnie and Bonnie. After his usual debate, he chose Vinnie to leave. Vinnie could not cook the Beef Wellington properly and he had an attitude. I think this is why Chef Ramsay wanted him out. He does not like attitude from anyone in his kitchen! Even though Bonnie’s crying and whining can be annoying, she at least admits her errors and wants to learn from them. We will see what happens next week…..
June 25th, 2007
I am not going to recap last night’s entire episode. Michael was the contestant that was voted off, which is a decision I agree with. He definitely knew his way around the kitchen, but I guess the judges felt that his personality came off a bit fake at times.
What I would like to comment on is Giada De Laurentiis, who was the guest judge. I think she is extremely critical (and I realize that she is there to judge). However, has anyone ever seen her first episodes of Everyday Italian? She actually looks mad at the camera. It took her some to open up and tell stories about herself and her family. Don’t get me wrong, I like Giada, but give me a break. Enough with the personality lecture!
After watching this episode, I just wonder, how many current Food Network Stars would have actually made it through this competition when they first started?
Is it necessary for the judges to make almost every contestant cry?????
I am sorry to say, but this season The Next Food Network Star is disappointing. Too much drama for a food show!
June 13th, 2007
Tonight I made a great vegetarian recipe that I have to share. I am not a vegetarian, but my husband loves beef tacos and I make this veggie and bean quesadilla when I do not feel like eating meat.
I use a can of mixed sweet corn and bell pepper. I usually do not like canned veggies, but this blend is delicious. It is all natural and does not have a lot of sodium. I put this in a sauce pot and add a can of black beans. I heat this up over medium-low heat for about 10 mins. Then add the juice of ½ lime.
While this mixture is heating up, I pre-heat an indoor grill on the stovetop. Then I take 4 whole wheat tortillas (you can use white flour if you like.)
Put tortilla on a flat work surface and put about 2 tbs. of Monterrey Jack cheese, then 2-3 tbs. of the corn/bean mixture. On top of that, add 2 tbs. Colby cheese.
Then brush top with olive oil and put the oiled side on the grill. Remember to then oil the other side before flipping.
Do the same with the rest of the tortillas.
This is a great recipe for entertaining or for a quick and healthy lunch. I often make more of the corn/beam mixture and the next day put it over salad for lunch.
Garnish with sour cream, cilantro and guacamole. Enjoy!
June 13th, 2007
I know I am late commenting on the Next Food Network Star. It has been on for over 2 weeks now so I am going to back up a bit.
The first thing I just have to say is that the contestant’s bios on the foodnetwork are inconsistent. For example, Jag wants to do a show about Latin fusion cuisine, yet his favorite food is Chinese. ?? Amy can’t live without chocolate, cheese and steak, but her fav food? Eggplant. It does not make sense.
Ok, so after that, the first episode featured Booby Flay, Chef Duff from Ace of Cakes (who is one of my favorites) and Chef Robert Irvine (a little scary). I was happy to see that the food network included these two guest stars. They made the competition more interesting. (I was also glad to see Susie Fogelson lost the scarf around her neck from last season.)
The first episode Vivien and Patrick were eliminated. The second episode, where Giada De Laurentiis was the guest judge, Nikki was eliminated. I think all the eliminations made sense. Nikki was very strong the first week, but I do not think she was camera friendly (and I do not think Giada liked her cooking in heels.)
In the second episode, where the contestants were competing for the cover shot of Bon Appetit Magazine (quite a prestigious prize), I have to say that Michael really impressed me. He is very good at presenting his food and the herbs de provence in the grill was a great trick! That is what the judges want to see.
Coloumbe was extremely nervous and got the name of her steak wrong. Not good.
Paul, also very nervous. He flew through his presentation in front of the committee.
Amy was impressive again, but the judges did not feel the home cook could feasibly do her recipe. Again, her whole “Paris” vide is still there.
Adrien, unfortunately, was not that good. His personality did not come through at all. Maybe he was just nervous and will do better next time.
Tommy has the great personality but his food was not that good. It did not even look good which is certainly not going to win you the cover of Bon Appetit.
Jag was not at his best. He was nervous and forgot to feed the judges.
Lastly, Rory, who won the challenge, was the obviously the best. She knew she was on the chopping block and she really stepped up. Her barbeque ribs looked great and you could tell she really loved this dish. Not to mention the grilled cantaloupe, I can’t wait to try that.
So, that is it for now. Can’t wait to see what happens next week!
June 7th, 2007
I made this delicious pizza for dinner and I have to share the receipe. I created this by using the ingredients of one of my favorite appetizers at an Italian restuarant my husband and I frequent.
Pizza dough
1 ball fresh smoked mozzarella cheese
2 tbs heavy cream
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oilve oil
1/2 cup sliced and sauteed portobello mushrooms
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
handful of fresh basil
Preheat oven to 450 D. Start with a good home made pizza dough (or you can buy dough from a local pizzaria). This is a white pizza so spread about 2 tbs of heavy cream on the dough. Then add the fresh ground pepper and dried oregano to taste. On top of that place slices of the fresh smoked mozzarella cheese and then add the sundried tomatoes and sauteed portobello mushrooms. I like to add some fresh basil on top and then bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crust is nice and brown. You can use any mushrooms you like but make sure you use smoked mozzarella. The combination of the sundried tomatoes with the mushrooms with the smoky flavor of the cheese is absolutly delicious!
This is a great receipe that can turn a regular pizza into a gourmet meal. It is easy to make and looks elegant enough for a dinner party. Try it and enjoy!
