Category Archives: Food

Food

Hell’s Kitchen 6/17/8

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So here we are for a gripping episode of Hell’s Kitchen. We have an amazing amount of women this close to the end. So will a woman win it all? Could we have an all female finale? I think the idea of having messy Petroza in one of Ramsay’s kitchen would kill him. So I don’t think he has a chance of winning but will he hold out a little longer? Let’s see!

Today’s challenge is to come up with a dish and cook is for 80 customers. They had 1 hour to make a lunch special. Prep was interesting. Christina was light hearted and confident. Petrozza was actually pretty organized. Corey looked like she wasn’t going to get anything out and is worried about running out. I don’t think Jen made enough food because she is talking about getting 20 servings out of one piece of fish.

Their customers were 80 very pregnant women. Jen was pretty confident because women “will eat anything”. Corey wasn’t done makeing food and she said she would be doing better if it was men and not “b****” pregnant women. Christina stopped by Corey’s table while carring her food to her table and went ahead and served there.

Christina- Island Turkey Sandwich with Curry and Avacodo (Winner by 2 votes)
Corey- Grilled Salmon BLT with Vegetable Chips (4th Place)
Petrozza- Monte Cristo with Ham and Turkey with a spicy sauce (2nd Place)
Jen- Grilled Grouper with Rum Butter Sauce and a Mango Salsa (3rd Place)

Christina’s reward was shopping in a boutique in Beverly Hills. Losers got to clean up after lunch, shine silver, over all cleaning the dining room and then prep. Corey and Jen are bitter because Corey isn’t big into clothes. Ramsay took Christina to Lisa Kline. So when Christina gets back Corey asks to see the clothes and when she went to change the girls were bitter. Then when she came in to prep no one would talk to her at first. Ramsay cautions them all to unite as a team before service begins.

Service starts out well. 25 minutes in the appetizers were flying out and then Jen messes up the risotto. Ramsay slammed Jen for inconsistancy because she pulled it out. Then we start with entrees. Then Christina put down the garnish pot and the handle burned him. He warned her to say something if the handle is over the fire and not to burn him again. Then she did. As entrees start to go out, Jen wouldn’t drop eggs for Corey’s scallop dish (and it was her job). She said she didn’t have time so Christina did and Ramsay said something about team work and Jen started to help in. To get Ramsay to not yell as her she put up John Dory that wasn’t done. Ramsay didn’t catch it but it got sent back. Petrozza is doing great except his station was a huge mess. Ramsay said he was doing the best of anyone in that station. I think Petrozza has to have gotten himself a ticket to go on.

Ramsay said the team needed to come to a consensus to who should go up for elimination. I think it should be Corey and Jen because they screwed up food. They all decide that they are going to each write down 2 different names to see. Jen cheats. So they end up putting Jen and Corey. Petrozza volunteered to go against Jen to try to assure Jen getting bounced. But they did go with Corey because it was more justifiable. Corey says she should stay because she did bounce back and she is team oriented. Jen said she should stay because of her passion and this would change her life and is a dream. In the end Jen got tossed. So the final 3, let’s see what will happen.

Technorati Tags: Hell’s Kitchen, Fox

Food

The Next Food Network Star: 6/15

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I found this great well rounded recap. This is a Spoiler Alert, if you wanted to watch the whole episode before hearing the ending just keep moving;). I will add my 2 cents (well, maybe a whole nickels worth) after the recap.

So I am just going to flow through the episode with a few inputs from my 5 year old NerdPie! First, how did Jeffrey make bland home fries (fried potatoes is what we call it here)? You just add spice, it ain’t rocket science.

I agree that Kelsey seems really rehearsed. She might be able to work around that if she just relaxed her eyebrows when she is “presenting”.

Aaron’s Bacon Wrapped Potatoes is something we will definitely be trying over here in the Nerd House. I am just afraid that the Honey Scallion Sauce would be really sweet.

Jennifer has many grating habits on camera. She makes this sound repeatedly in the beginning and I am not sure how to type it. It is kind of drawing air while rubbing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and sounds kind of like ts-uh. Stop it! She also sounded a bit valley girl.

Lisa just annoys me. NerdPie was inquiring about her eyebrows. I told her to hush and be nice but I agree.

Kelsey asked who doesn’t like Sloppy Joes. Well, I use a knife and fork. It is kind of scary to have something in common with Martha Stewart. I still think that Martha showed bad form and was a bit rude to Kelsey.

Shane has to change the name of his sauce. Just drop the “g”.

Jeffrey what is up with the idea that you want a lingering taste that will last through tasting 5 other things? I find that a bit unappetizing.

I was embarrassed for Adam and his singing to Martha. But NerdPie liked it and thought he was silly. I think my kids would totally watch his show with me.

I do not find it shocking that Martha like pretentious Lisa and her “depth of knowledge”. The reality is that I think Lisa has a lot of information that I want but I want it in a different wrapper.

I think sending Jeffrey home was the right call. He just never seemed to really stand out in presentation or food. At least Jennifer’s food was good.

So those are my thoughts on this week’s episode. I will see you back next week.

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Next Food Network Star

Food

Freezer Friday: Garlic Herb Butter

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. We are back! The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!


Garlic Herb Butter:

With is being BBQ season it is always great to have garlic herb butter ready to go! I also use this in my Chicken Kiev. This is also a grat alternative to all those pricey spreads for French bread that you can get in the supermarket (and who knows what is in them;). I make it in bunches and then keep it wrapped in either wax paper or parchment and in a plastic bag in the freezer.

These proportions are based on my preferences for strong flavors. If it is to strong just adjust but use the same procedure. I have also used a dried Italian herb mix instead of Parsley before.

Ingredients:
1 stick Unsalted Butter
2 tsp Chopped Garlic (I use a jar)
2 tsp Dried Parsley

Procedure:

Put your butter in the microwave until smushy (yes, that would be a technical term;). Do not liquefy or your seasonings will not be suspended and just sink. Then add your seasonings and mix with a spoon until they are even distributed as it is in the first picture.

Then place a couple of spoonfuls on a sheet of wax paper or parchment. Fold over the paper and use a cutting board to push against the butter to form a log (as in the second picture). Then twist the

ends, put them all in a freezer bag (to prevent funky odor taste) and place in the freezer). Then to use you just take out a roll and cut your desired amount. I find it is easier and cleaner to just cut through the paper and peel it off after. That is how you get that restuarant quality flavored butters on hand! Put them on top of a well cooked steak, a cob of corn or just on a great loaf of French bread!

Technorati Tags: Garlic Butter, Freezer Friday, Make Ahead

Food

Top Chef Finale-Live Blogging!

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So I can’t believe that this season is coming to an end. Going in I really like Richard and Stephanie. But the idea of the first female Top Chef sounds exciting! I don’t know how Lisa stuck it out this long but…

As the finalists walk up to Padma and Tom we see 3 expert chefs. The final challenge is a 4 course meal with a traditional progression (Fish, poultry, red meat and dessert). Each expert chef has a selection of protein. Since Stephanie and Richard have a tie on elimination challenge win they draw to see who will pick an expert chef (and their protein) first. The chef will be the finalist’s sous chef. Dinner will be a black tie affair, head to head, for 9 diners. They have 3 hours on the first day and 4 hours day of in prep time.

Lisa: Sous Chef: April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig
Proteins:Oysters, Prawns, Crab, Mahi-Mahi, Chicken, Squab, Pancetta, Sweetbreads, Beef Tongue, Wagyu Strip Steak, Ostrich Steak

Stephanie: Sous Chef: Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin
Proteins: Snapper, Hamachi, Caviar, Clams, Lobster, Veal Tenderloin, Chorizo, Rack of Lamb, Quail, Quail Eggs, Bacon

Richard: Sous Chef: Dan Barber of Blue Hill
Proteins: Scallops, Halibut, Calamari, Abalone, Duck, Foie Gras, Guinea Hen, Prosciutto, Pork Belly, Venison, Rabbit

Lisa is of course going with an Asian theme and her sous chef is not familiar with that. Richard’s theme is his journey so there will be classical and cutting edge techniques. Stephanie is trying to show off her style with balanced flavor combinations. Each finalist was allowed one special ingredient. Richard’s was liquid nitrogen. He was making a Tabasco ice cream and it was cool. As a science dork, I love anything done with liquid Nitrogen. The expert chefs were all thinking it was cool and new to them. As day one prep comes to an end Richard still isn’t sure what he is doing. He is just trying to prep what he thinks he needs.

So here we are on the final day and Tom comes in to say that the sous chefs will not be in to work today. Tom says that they wanted to make sure the chefs live or die by their own hand. The girls don’t seem real happy about dessert and aren’t happy about being judged about it. I think that it is only reasonable, it is a major component of food and cooking. Stephanie is not happy with how her cake came out. Lisa is shockingly chilled. And then we serve….

Menus:

Lisa: Grilled Prawns, Tom Kha Gai Soup and Dumplings, Wagyu Beed, Thai Rice Pudding
Stephanie: Red Snapper, Quail with Lobster Ravioli & Quail Eggs, Lamb Medallions, Ricotta Pouncake
Richard:Scallops, Guinea Hen and Foie Gras and Eggs, Pork Belly, Banana Scallop & Bacon Ice Cream

Service:

Out comes the first course. One of the chefs said that Richard should simplify to be perfect. Another chef said Lisa was to spicy. Stephanie’s was a big hit and someone said the best of the 3. Eric Pipert said that Richard’s flavors got muddled. Many liked Lisa’s soup and Ted thought Stephanie needed more lobster. Gail and Tom hated Stephanie’s leeks and thought they were irrelevant and under-cooked. Then we got to 3rd course. Richard’s was a bit of a disappointment to all. They thought the sauce on Lisa’s was to sweet and April thought her beef was tough. Eric said that Stephanie’s flavor combo was completely new with the olive and pistachio. Everyone loved Stephanie’s. Tom said that Richard’s needed work and Lisa’s was pedestrian. Then comes the dreaded dessert. Lisa’s dessert seemed to go over all well but it had to grow on some. Stephanie’s was fine but nothing special. Richard’s was whimsical.

Judging:

Tom thought that Richard’s 1st course was bland. Everyone loved Lisa’s soup. Richard said he was afraid of losing the integrity of the pork belly if he had got it crispy. Ted and Tom liked the new way to do pistachios. Tom thought Stephanie’s cake was ok but that the banana creme was a miss. Each chef gave a bid for them winning except Richard. He said he choked by over thinking and it wasn’t his top performance. Then the judges deliberate and you get to hear what they really think. It seemed really tortured for them to actually come up with an overall preference.

Stephanie won!!! She seemed completely shocked and blown away!! Now have I missed the reunion show? It usually happens before the finale but I haven’t seen a commercial and my Tivo hasn’t picked it up. Does anyone know?

Technorati Tags: Bravo, Top Chef

Food

Hell’s Kitchen 6/10/8

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So here we meet again for another gripping episode of Hell’s Kitchen. Now that we are rid of Matt I think it is going to be much more competitive. But will Jen’s attitude be her own undoing? Let’s go!

Ramsay demos the new dish for the menu which is Lobster Spaghetti. Then Ramsay announces that Hell’s Kitchen is opening a cooking school. They will each get a student and have to teach them how to make the Lobster Spaghetti. They are descibed to be society wives and they are all dressed up in heels. Petrozza is a little distracted by his partners beauty. I was a little surprised to see Corey having her student toss instead of using something to turn. Jen kept trying to cook for her student. Ramsay liked Christina’s student and Corey’s. The others all had things that went wrong. The winner was Christina. The losers got to scrub out Hell’s Kitchen including the fryers. Christina got to go to lunch with Ramsay and some of LA’s best restaurantuers. The students all got Ramsay’s new cookware. It looks as if Christina is having the lunch in the blue kitchen. Everyone was already annoyed that they lost and then they got more annoyed when Christina was talking during prep. She has definitely pushed all their buttons and needs to watch herself.

Ramsay warns the chefs before service that there will be a party of 12. Over all the restuarant is booked to its full 120. Christina started off service by only delivering 1 of 2 spaghettis. Christina and Corey has apps flying out. Bobby started off the meat entrees really bad. Jen started messing up the fish. Then JP heard and was having all the wait staff push the meat instead of fish. But Bobby’s meat wasn’t looking up so then JP was trying to have everyone push the chicken. Jen and Ramsay got into it a little. An hour and a half nothing is moving between Bobby’s meat and Jen’s fish. Things started moving and then the party of 12 came in. Corey and Christina go all the apps out together. Then the moved onto working on dessert. Jen couldn’t get the fish done and so Ramsay kicked her off her table and cooked the fish himself. Petrozza’s timing was off and Bobby had a flaming skillet.

Ramsay said dinner service was too painful but Christina stood out as doing well. She got to nominate 2. Of course, Jen doesn’t think she needs to go up. Christina puts up Jen and Bobby. Jen says she should stay because she will give it her all and Ramsay said he didn’t know if he could work with attitude. Bobby thanked Ramsay for stopping the bad food from going out. Ramsay asked Bobby if he is a better cook than Jen and he said yes because he handles pressure better. Jen said she is more organized and comes up with ideas Ramsay likes. Then Ramsay asked who she thought should go and she said Jen. But in the end Ramsay sent home Bobby.

I can’t imagine Ramsay actually hiring any of these people. I think it might be better to cash them out on the first year salary and look else where.

Technorati Tags: Hell’s Kitchen, Fox

Food, Uncategorized

Other Things on the Blogosphere

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Just want to let you guys know about a couple of things out there in the blogosphere. First is the Carnival of Recipes. There are a lot of great recipes all dealing with the yummy summer produce. The second thing is a new feature of at Making Money Keeping Money call Contesting Mondays. It is a great list of blog giveaways with easy entries and great prizes! Tight now there are 20 different giveaways!

Food

Next Food Network Star 6/8/08

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So, let me start off by saying that I love the fact I can watch this with all my kids (versus the other food reality shows I watch).

I am not going to be doing a deep review but just sharing my observations. Like who would have ever thought that Lisa would be ready to leave before Nipa. Lisa did earn some props from me for that.

In our 3 teams going out for ingredients, if just shows that degrees doesn’t always mean the most wisdom. The Grey team made up of Adam, Jennifer, and Aaron seemed to kick the other teams butts. Now when the Grey team went to the cooking, I think they fell apart. No one seemed to agree to what they were making or how. Individually, I think that Adam made almost raw eggs. I think the idea of a gooey egg was good but not done well.

I think that Nipa was careless on planning for her lamb to be so spicy that the diners had to be warned. I think that Lisa did a good job with redirecting her culinary perspective. Unfortunately Shane flopped a bit with his presentation.

Duck salad? Kelsey could really be getting herself into trouble. Kevin screwed up his team members by not only not bringing the oil but taking out the oil Kelsey put in the box. I think this could spell the end for him. I also don’t see how the crostini is romantic. That team came up with really uneven plates and I think that will bite them in the tush.

The judges really are going to hold Kevin’s feet to the fire on the romance aspect and how it doesn’t fit. Lisa made it clear that the lack of cohesion was due to Nipa’s refusal to do any kind of fusion. When Nipa was asked if she was enthusiastic about this competition by Bobby Flay and she said she wasn’t sure. She started to tear up and walked off. She said she left so she wouldn’t be crying and because she had to think and make a decision. She came back and said that she wanted to be there to bring her heritage.

In the end Lisa and Aaron won the spread in USA Weekend and Kevin was out. On one hand I think that Nipa should have been bounced but she seems to have a little potential but they have seen Kevin’s potential and it just isn’t that impressive. Now I don’t think that Nipa is going to make it to the end but we will see.

Food

Freezer Friday: Baby Squash

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. We are back! The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!


We all know that baby food really starts to add up. But do you realize just how easy it is? The easiest of all baby food might indeed be acorn squash. The first thing you need to do is cook the squash itself.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you prep the squash.
2. Cut the squash in half from top to bottom.
3. Scoop out the seeds and goop.
4. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper, add a little oil (can omit if you choose)
5. Cook for 1 hour or until you can gently insert a knife and it penetrates.
6. Let cool until you can handle it.
7. Peel the squash or scoop out the center meat.
8. Put all the squash in a bowl and mash with a potato masher (leave a little lumpier than you will use if you are going to freeze it.
9. Use a cookie scoop and dish out onto a cookie sheet.
10. Allow to cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and place cookie sheet in the freezer.
11. Once frozen just place in zip top bags.

To use, just take out as many pieces as you need and either microwave or thaw in the frig or on the counter. You can always add a little liquid if you need to then it out.