Just Like Us: Ellie Krieger

Ellie Krieger was on Today this morning to help show Meredith Viera how to make a healthy salad when eating off a salad bar. Who knew those pesky bacon bits and ranch dressing added up to so many calories?!?

I know I'm nuts, but I must point out that—like Giada—Ellie is just like us!

They wear the same shirt twice!


Oh well. Ellie's great. I don't care if she wears that shirt every day.

Check out the clip:

More on GDL's New Show: Giada At Home

Giada De Laurentiis is back to work in New York on her other TV gig—guest-hosting the fourth hour of TODAY on NBC. But she'll be back in L.A. soon to begin taping her new Food Network show, Giada At Home. Food Network Addict was the first to report on the new show's name, with no public announcement having been made since.


MSNBC has the scoop:
"The new program, which starts airing in October, will offer a glimpse into De Laurentiis' personal life, and will have a broader lifestyle focus than Everyday Italian, which has wrapped. Episodes will also feature a certain tiny assistant from time to time."

How cute. A little mozzarella taster!

Giada also reveals that she hopes daughter Jade will share her passion for cooking, and if not "it would break [her] heart." Awwwww.

The new baby has Giada thinking green:
"Having a child makes you wonder what you're leaving behind for them," she says. "When you don't have kids, you live for yourself, saying, 'That's their problem, not mine.' When you have a kid, it becomes your problem."

The Next Food Network Star, Week 5

Cat Cora, confusing compound butters, a triumphant Shane, "Bon Ap," Adam's uncooked chicken, shattered bottles, and more. How'd you think it went down?

Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef: An excellent first episode

I was so impressed with this morning's premiere of Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef that I had to post about it right away.

As you know, Anne has served as Mario Batali's sous chef on Iron Chef America and is a renowned chef in her own right, so it's a fair guess that she's very comfortable in the kitchen. And while the experience on ICA surely helped Anne learn some of the TV ropes, I wouldn't say it instills the skills one needs to host her own cooking show.

So that was the test this morning.


Luckily, Anne's comfort in the kitchen was immediately apparent from the very beginning of this morning's premiere episode. She spoke enthusiastically and with ease, her somewhat over-the-top sayings ("Supastar!") and gestures never coming across as wooden or forced, but truly genuine and endearing. It really felt like Anne would refer to beef as a "supastar" in her restaurant kitchen... and wouldn't care if someone gave her an odd look in the process.

(A note on the set above: Anne has a lively, striking personality. There seems to be a disparity between Anne--with her spiky blonde locks and vibrant gestures--and her somewhat Granny-esque set, complete with old-fashioned lampshades and odd framed paintings. Was this the idea? If so, I don't get it.)

The choice to focus on bolognese--a sauce that Anne admittedly notes requires lots of steps, time and patience to achieve perfection--was smart. She explained each step and its importance, while keeping true to Food Network's mantra of "you can do this!"

Plus, Anne even came up with a new phrase to describe those awesome brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking a sauce like this: beautiful brown crud!


One of the reasons I so quickly responded to this show was that I truly wanted to make this sauce after watching Anne prepare it. That should be the goal of every dish that every Food Network host prepares!!! But it doesn't always come across that way.

I often feel like so many dishes are thrown at us with a "this might be good to make, or you could make it this way... or try it with this instead" kind of attitude that it ends up seeming like the host is just completely ambivalent as to what s/he's preparing. That was definitely not the case with Anne and her bolognese.

The fact that cooking the sauce for 4+ hours (a bit of a no-no in today's superfast Food Network world) didn't even phase me is a testament to just how successful Anne was in pulling off this important, opinion-forming premiere episode. It was definitely a bold choice, and one that I applaud Anne (and her producers) for choosing.


I'm sure the foodie-focused crew will appreciate Anne's culinary skill and knowledge, while the entertainment-liking peeps (the category I fit into more often) will be seriously engaged and want to continue watching.


An expert restaurant chef, Anne's attention to detail in taste as well as presentation were fresh and actually informative. Those little things we look forward to in restaurants (the extra sprinkling of cheese or last second drizzle of olive oil) are the same things we often forget when cooking at home. I was impressed by these simple and very effective touches.

After watching today's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef I seriously want to spend four hours tonight making what I just saw. And even if I'm not as successful as Anne, I'm confident I'll still feel like a... supastar.

Someone pass me the peroxide. I'm off to bleach my hair. I'm a Burrell groupie!

*******************************************

So did you watch, yet? Am I right or completely off base?

Guess What Mary Nolan: I Like Rules!

Watching a rerun of Mary Nolan's Chic & Easy (on Redlasso once again, as I've repeatedly let it slip my mind to record it. Symbolic? Probably.), I was struck by something:

I like rules!

And the apparent lack of any on Mary's show is driving me crazy.



In the ideal Food Network world—one in which everything is easy, accessible, and fast—I'm confused when it comes to rules, because Mary (and lots of other hosts do it too) keeps acting like there aren't any!

Examples:

On tomatoes: "San Marzano are fabulous. If you can't find those, anything will work!"

On kettle corn: "... for this you can use anything you have. You can buy it in the store, you can pop it in the microwave."

I know the point of all this is to put the viewer at ease and let them know the dish will still be okay with a substitution. But to me, ingredients lose all importance when a host repeatedly tells the viewer that they can be changed, altered, eliminated, or added... repeatedly!

Modification suggestions can be useful, though—when they're unexpected or actually helpful. For example, if Ina uses a certain type of blue cheese (probably Stilton) she might also recommend some other kinds of blue cheese you could use if Stilton wasn't available (maybe Roquefort), but she doesn't get all crazy and say that using cheddar or string cheese would okay, too.

But with Mary Nolan, I imagine her making a lasagna and saying something along the lines of,

"For this, I use lasagna noodles since it's a lasagna, but you can really use whatever kind of noodles you have on hand. Or just leave 'em out completely. Or maybe just use bread if you have a few slices around."

Ummm... that's not a lasagna!

Like I said, Mary Nolan is not the only one guilty of this. I'm sure that while preparing to do her six episodes, suggesting substitutions is right up there on the list of things to talk about while cooking, right below "Who doesn't like [fill in name of ingredient]?!" and "What goes better with [any pastime related or unrelated] than [thing your cooking]?!"

***********

P.S.- I love this post's title because it reminds me of the infamous "Guess what: I like facts!" fight between Rosie and Elisabeth on The View. [2:17-2:24]

Duff, Geof & Mary Alice at Boston Premiere of Get Smart

Ace of Cakes' Duff, Mary Alice and Geof were invited to attend the Boston premiere of the new Steve Carrell movie Get Smart, writes Mary Alice on the Charm City Cakes blog. This premiere was extra special because it was a benefit for the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

But you know the Charm City Cakes crew can't show up without a cake...


I love it! The cake looks great. The movie? Not so much.

Get Smart was one of my favorite shows to watch (in reruns) when I was a kid, and I just didn't think the movie was able to reflect the original show's humor and timing.

And I don't have a problem with a remake taking a slightly different spin; I just prefer it when the spin is done well. This movie seemed confused--like it didn't know if it should be a farce, an action movie, or a love story, so they just threw bits of all three hoping it'd work.

But I'm not a movie blogger... soooo... here's another pic of the CCC crew. =)


Boston.com has a short video from the premiere featuring Steve Carrell and Duff.

Mary Alice tells us that the event raised $400,000. Good job!

I Won a Daytime Emmy and All I Got Was This Lousy KRZR

Rachael Ray was spotted shopping at L.A.'s Curve and Kitson boutiques this past Saturday, basking in her post-Emmy win.

She's a celebrity, y'all! When you gonna get rolled out of your apt. on a gurney like Britney, Rachael? Never? All right, fine.



Couldn't you have at least punched a paparazzo or kicked a camera to the ground?

And, btw, just using a KRZR, Rach?

Not a Blackberry to be seen! Not even a limited edition, bright orange Rachael Ray-version of the iPhone?!? Guess that's set for a Fiscal '09 release.

[Images via Just Jared... a favorite site!]

Giada at the Daytime Emmys

Giada De Laurentiis has chosen a post-pregnancy dress silhouette and she's not changing it!

At least that's the opinion of this blogger (and peeps in the fashion industry), as Giada showed up to two events last week wearing basically the same dress in different colors.


Giada's signature cleavage seemed to be out (as in none, not out for display) at Friday's Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Sure the neckline on the black dress is a tad different, but the high cinched waist and cap sleeve getup is almost a carbon copy of the pink dress she wore to the Get Smart premiere last week.

Jezebel.com placed Giada and the Get Smart dress it its "The Bad" category (at least it wasn't the unthinkable "The Ugly.")


So why should we be caring what kind of dress Giada is wearing? Well--if you're walking the red carpet at movie premieres or awards shows, you're asking for it.

[Images via Wireimage and I'm Not Obsessed]

Anne Burrell Chats with Village Voice

Anne Burrell's new Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef premieres this Sunday, June 29 at 9:30am ET.

But this Iron Chef America sous for Mario Batali and Executive Chef at New York's Centro Vinoteca would probably not even see her first episode... if it weren't for TiVo.


"Most people who work nights aren’t up at that time. If it weren’t for Tivo I’d probably miss my own premiere," Anne tells the Village Voice.

I know a lot of people who are looking forward to this show. I'm hoping Anne is able to bring the cooking know-how (which we know she has) along with the personality one needs to host a good show.

And the show's concept is pretty cool.

"Every show is based around a menu. The show starts with me preparing the menu at Centro and then moves to the home kitchen, where I break it down and teach people the technique. It’s about how to successfully cook those restaurant dishes at home."

Anne will certainly raise the culinary level of Food Network's daytime programming if she sticks around beyond her six episode trial season. Here's the test to see if a "real" chef can get higher ratings than the home cooks of the network.

You excited about Anne's show?

Nipa Bhatt: Bye Bye

I really thought pouty-faced Nipa Bhatt might be able to squeeze through another week or so on The Next Food Network Star since I think she provides way more TV drama than Jennifer, but I guess that wasn't in the squid... errr, cards.

And so -- along with Cory, Kevin, and Jeffrey -- Nipa became the latest finalist to be eliminated this past Sunday.



I have a feeling Nipa's application for the show included a reference to "having no idea how to handle squid" or any seafood, for that matter.

Note to potential reality show contestants: Expect everything you list on your application in the "I hate the following...," "I know nothing about...," "I will instantly die if I come into contact with..." categories to show up in some way during the show.

I loved the look on a very nicely done-up Tyler Florence's face when Nipa said to "take the eye off" from the squid.



I kinda liked her Bollywood dance lesson, but the Coast Guard men weren't feeling it. It was a rare, almost happy looking moment for Nipa.

So Nipa's gone. Let's be honest: I don't think she could handle a show of her own. I'm not saying there couldn't be an Indian-focused cooking show on the network--there could. I just don't think Nipa could be its host.

New Emeril Live Eps Coming on Fine Living

From July 7-11 at 7pm ET, five new, never-before-seen episodes of Emeril Live will air on the Fine Living network to kick off the show's premiere week and migration from Food Network.

After that premiere week, a new Emeril Live episode will air every Monday at 7pm ET, with episodes from the Food Network library airing every other night of the week at the same time.

Lotsa Emeril for yah.

Fine Living set up a pretty nice web space for Emeril, too--complete with embeddable videos.


Food Network's website has gotten a bit better at building out mini-sites (the ones with video, recent episode info, links, and more) for its lineup of shows. Pretty much all of the news shows have one, even though some of the more "classic" shows like Barefoot Contessa continue to stagnate in the land of Web simplicity.

Hopefully these new episodes will help to calm the angry few who continue to lament the state of Food Network and its demise ever since Emeril's so-called "departure."

Or not.

********************************

Sidebar to "real" journalists out there:

See? I wrote an entire post about Emeril Lagasse without using the word "BAM!" or referring to anything as being "kicked up a notch." It can, in fact, be done. Thank youuuuuuuu.

When You Wish Upon A Star: Bobby Deen MAY Start Blogging

Someone must be listening to our collective prayers because Jamie Deen revealed on his new blog that brother Bobby may be starting a blog of his own!


"I’ll be out next monday so check back in 2 weeks for an update... Rumor has it Bobby may start one of these up so keep your fingers crossed."

For real, Jamie. Two weeks with no updates is way too long. You gotta get Bobby in there to pick up the pace. Maybe have Paula and hubby Captain whats-his-name post, too?

I checked Jamie Deen's new blog last night around 11 p.m. to see if he'd kept his promise and posted his weekly update. He hadn't.

He must have slipped it in right before midnight, though. In addition to the revelation about Bobby, there's a sweet story about a "Make a Wish" child who wanted to meet Jamie and Bobby and eat at the Lady & Sons.

Someone Pass the Cheese Biscuits

Kelsey Nixon's winning dish, White Chocolate Macadamia Crusted Tilapia with Buerre Blanc, won the challenge on last night's episode of The Next Food Network Star and will be featured in Red Lobster restaurants nationwide.

And who knew -- Red Lobster has a blog!

Red Lobster actually sits on the list of restaurants Jared and I casually refer to as the "N.A. List," which translates to: NEVER AGAIN.

Restaurants usually get added after horrible dining experiences. It's probably not fair to discount a giant chain such as Red Lobster after a bad experience of two, but I only see myself eating there again if/when I'm stuck in some middle-America town and all the Chili's are closed (which, not surprisingly, is also on the N.A. List).

Sigh. I'm tempted to do another taste test after the, umm... eventful one we did for Ultimate Recipe Showdown at Friday's back in March.

Who wants to make Kelsey's choco-fish for me?

Those Definitely Look Like Heels To Me, Lisa

Despite some comments saying otherwise, I'm pretty sure Lisa Garza's Pucci shoes were indeed high heels, which may or may not have contributed to her much-publicized stumble in the kitchen on last night's episode of The Next Food Network Star.

Take a look:




Not being a stiletto wearer myself, I choose not to comment either way on their appropriateness in the kitchen. I think there are much worse things to be wearing... or not wearing, for that matter (naked cooking doesn't really work, for instance).

I do, however, give Lisa some credit for picking herself up, literally, and doing a good presentation. She coulda been a big baby about it and slapped herself in the head, yelling "IDIOT" for example.

(And Jennifer still somehow made it through?)

UPDATE:

Here's the clip of Lisa slipping:

The Next Food Network Star, Week 4

I actually missed the episode tonight, but I know it involves squid, Michael Symon, and Red Lobster. Interestinggggggggg.


What did you think?

Next Food Network Star, Ep. 3 in 60 Seconds

Well, I'm a week late with my 60-second recap of The Next Food Network Star. That darn power outage really threw me off.

Last Sunday's episode was really hard to edit down to 60 seconds. Martha Stewart said so many funny things, and I wanted to keep them all. Hence, I barely speak in this one.

So take it away Martha!


Episode 4 is on tonight. I think Jenny Lynn is the next to gooooooooooooo.

Rachael Ray Wins Oustanding Talk Show Emmy

In what the AP is calling a "surprising win," Rachael Ray's syndicated talk show just picked up the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show.



Watch the clip of Rachael's show winning:



Congratulations to Rachael and her show's staff.

Rachael Ray Closes on Hamptons Home

Well, it took a while, but Rachael Ray has finally closed on the $2.9 million home in Southampton that I first posted about back in July '07.

You know what that means: Rachael and Ina are gonna be Hamptons buddies!


Gregory's comment from my 1st post was funny: "Ina: Yes, I'm going to visit my dear friend Rachael Ray and am bringing lunch. But this time, I'm not using the good mayonnaise. In fact, I left the mayonnaise out in the hot sun for 8 hours..."

The 6.2 acres of property features a 3 bedroom / 3 bath main house that opens out to a heated gunite pool surrounded by a bluestone patio with pergola. There's also a separate 2 bedroom / 2 bath house with its own kitchen and sauna for guests, plus a third cottage with its own bath. And a private pond.

*************************

So Ina might not be stopping by, but maybe Martha Stewart will. Kelly Ripa? Her hubby Mark Consuelos sure doesn't have a lot going on these days. Maybe he could show Rachael around the neighborhood.

Sunny Anderson Photo Hunt

It's been almost a year since my Giada Photo Hunt post, so I thought I'd bring back everyone's favorite bar game with my own special Food Network twist--sans the half-nekkid people the real game usually has. Sorry!

Find the 10 differences between the original photo of Sunny Anderson, top, and the altered photo, bottom.





Click on the photo above to see the answers.

Lisa Garza Speaks! Ep. 3

What's this? A controlled, adequate length, mostly spelling error-free blog post by Lisa Garza? Someone's been listening! =)



"Meeting Martha was such an overwhelming moment. Its not that I’m her biggest fan, but that I respect her unprecedented success as a female entrepreneur in a very male dominated industry. I have studied every aspect of her career over the years as a case study model for my own business aspirations. She is a pioneer and clearly deserves her props as one of the most successful woman ever. So yes, a bad ass, millionaire, business woman turns this 'rigid Diva' into a spirit finger flailing teen idol."

I'm beginning to think that first episode was staged a bit. Lisa was made to look soooooooo posh spice the first time we saw her (sunglasses indoors, heels in the kitchen, the 3 Cs, etc.), but the next two episodes showed a much more toned-down, dare I saw vulnerable, Lisa. She's still trying to be glam, but I'm getting a lot more Dallas and a lot less Diva these days.

Tim Russert Had Food Network Connection

We've had a chance to reflect these past few days on of all the contributions Tim Russert made to journalism and politics. Numerous stories have also focused on what kind of man Tim was personally and the causes to which he gave so much of his time and money.


In addition to supporting his church, The Boys and Girls Club, and other charities, Tim Russert participated in Food Network's Let's Make Sure Everybody Eats, the channel's national telethon to raise money for the hungry, writes Reese Schonfeld on The Huffington Post. Schonfeld was the co-founder of Food Network and CNN.

"He earns a second cheer for being such a good guy. When I was running the Food Network he participated in 'Let's Make Sure Everybody Eats', our national telethon to raise money for the hungry. (As an aside, that's something the Food Network should think of reviving, given the current price of food.) From everything I heard from my friends at NBC Washington, from his appearances on television and from the encomium heaped upon him for three days by the 24 hour cable networks, he seems to have been one of God's great gentlemen." (Emphasis mine)

Just thought I'd share another reason to honor and remember Tim Russert.

Food Network Addict Chat: Sunny Anderson

I had a great time in New York over the weekend. It was a quick trip, but I managed to grab a quick bite with Food Network's Sunny Anderson.

Check out the video:


(Sorry about the New York street noise, but it is New York.)

* Cooking for Real's second season begins in July.

* How'd That Get On My Plate? premieres July 7 at 9:30pm/8:30c.

* Visit the website for Out of the Kitchen

[Special thanks to AMR for her expert videography!]

Martha is Not Swayed by Begging

I might have given Kelsey a bit of a hard time, but that doesn't mean I wasn't put off by things other contestants did on the third episode of The Next Food Network Star. There are only so many hours in the day, though:-)

I found the moment when Adam Gertler decided to sing an impromptu harmonica ditty to Martha Stewart particularly painful.


Watch the clip here:



Notice how Martha doesn't even respond to Adam's request to sing to her. After he gets down on his knees, literally, and basically begs not to be forgotten, Martha only says, "Who woulda guessed?"

Such an unweighted, zero opinion statement that is. I love it! That just goes to show you Martha ain't gonna say she likes something she doesn't. And if she doesn't outright tell you you suck, she'll say something like "Who woulda guessed" or "That definitely was something that just happened."

Martha should be a real judge on the show. She'd put Simon Cowell to shame.

(Truth be told, Martha did say later to the judges that she "loved" Adam's performing, but I think she was just being nice.)

Jamie Deen on the Close Call at Lady & Sons

Check out this video of Jamie Deen:



Jamie also updated his new blog (one day late) after the fire (which we now know was just smoke) that caused minor damage at the family restaurant The Lady & Sons.

"A bag of terrycloth hand towels and cotton aprons, the tools of the front house staff, had self combusted! He said it is a freak thing but it happens. some time after closing around 6 o’clock or so as the staff was finishing up, a towel used to clean the flat-top grill where hoecakes are fixed, was dropped in the bag hot....and covered with towels with bleach from cleaning tables. 5 hours later smoke, lots and lots of smoke. We have had ten hundred thousand linen bags of the same makeup for 20 years and this bag, this night....smoke. no fire though. Thank you Lord.

About this time here comes momma. sweet little momma rolls out of bed and rolls into downtown with a hat on....in her gown. housecoat. slippers. Thats it. 'momma ease around this truck there’s a news camera across the street' her first born son advises. Hah. momma strolls into the street and then across the street right up to the knot of fireman waiting for the air to clear before we can get inside for a look around. In her gown. and slippers. Of course this is breaking news, what a 61 year old women was wearing at 11:45 on a Sunday night was reported. You gotta shake your head sometimes."

Glad that was cleared up. The buffet is back in business!

Giada at Get Smart Premiere in LA

Giada De Laurentiis has certainly whipped her body back into shape (not that it ever really looked that "out") since the March 29 birth of her baby Jade.

Here she is at last night's premiere of Get Smart in LA.

   

   

That didn't take long.

Guess she's been off the pancetta and back on the treadmill.

[Photos via Wireimage]

When the Lights Go Out

I was planning on attempting another 60-second recap of the third episode of of The Next Food Network Star and posting about Jeffrey Vaden's departure, BUT I had no power when I arrived home last night. There had been a storm in the area, but it was nothing too severe. I thought it would come back on within an hour. It didn't.

Growing up, it was always kind of fun when we were without power. Being the Midwest, we always had SEVERE THUNDERSTORM warnings and tornadoes swirling around, so we spent a good deal of time in our basement eating popcorn and listening to the battery-operated radio.

Well, it's not so much fun when you're an adult--or pretending to be one. After a few hours of reading, I took a nap. Then I woke up and went to the gym. I came home to find the power still off and the apt. pitch black.

So, I did what any normal person would do in the same situation: I got drunk by candlelight.

(Well, not really. I had 2 glasses of wine and didn't feel like stumbling downstairs in the dark for more, but for the sake of drama I'll say I got drunk.)

The power was still off this morning when I woke up. (sigh) I'll hopefully get back up to speed shortly.

Congrats "Everyday Italian" -- Winner of 3 Emmys

Giada De Laurentiis' show Everday Italian picked up three Daytime Emmys Friday night at the Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards at Manhattan's Time Warner Center.


Everyday Italian won in the Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle Show and Outstanding Lifestyle Program categories, while Giada herself won Outstanding Lifestyle Host!

Congrats to G. and the entire staff of Everday Italian! All three were much-deserved wins, as EI is one of the most beautiful shows--visually--on the network. The time and attention paid to making each episode look almost "movie-like" is not easy.

Here's hoping Giada's new show is just as good... or even better.

Sadly, our own Sandra Lee lost the Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling award to the staff at The View. Better luck next time Aunt Sandy!

[Thanks Mary!]

You're the expert at what, Kelsey?

I'm a little put off by Kelsey's assertion that she is the "expert at fast, fun, and affordable" food, seeing how approx. 90% of Food Network's cooking programs are already dedicated to that basic concept. And, to me, the hosts of those programs all seem like more of an "expert" than Kelsey.

Rachael Ray built her multi-million dollar empire around the concept of fast, fun, and affordable. Perhaps this is an editing issue, but for Kelsey to say she's the expert -- without even recognizing Rachael's initial contribution -- is incredibly brazen.

I'm shocked the judges haven't even brought this up, yet. They thought Kevin's POV was generic?

I wouldn't go on The Next Food Network Star and say my culinary POV is that I'm the expert at high-end, butter and cream-laden, decadent dinners and desserts you eat with your rich friends in the Hamptons, would I?

And even if I was an expert at that, I could not get away with that concept without acknowledging Ina Garten in some way. In fact, TUSCHELSON and Flay would probably tell me to not even TRY that POV-- it's taken!

Paula Deen's Restaurant Suffers Fire Damage

Paula Deen is so hot right now she's setting her own property on fire! Well, not really. But the Queen of Butter's popular Savannah, Ga. restaurant, The Lady & Sons, was the scene of a fire last night.


"Firefighters responded to The Lady & Sons eatery at about 11 p.m. According to Savannah Fire Captain Matt Stanley, the blaze appeared to have started in a 2nd floor stairwell that was used for storage. He said the fire generated heavy smoke and minor damage was reported to a first-floor dining room or kitchen areas."

Being that late, I assume/hope no one was in the building at the time and that there were no injuries.

Keep your eyes open for an update on Jamie's blog about this.

[Original image source USA Today/AP]

The Next Food Network Star, Week 3

Wow... I really thought the other one in the bottom two would get kicked off!

I loved Martha Stewart's response when asked if she would watch a show hosted by Kelsey: "I don't know how long."

Yikes! Never one to sugarcoat, Martha really put a lot of them in their place this week. What did you think?!?!

Jamie Deen Gets Blogging

Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons has debuted a new website, and with it a new blog... written by Paula's son Jamie.


Here's Jamie's first post:

I’m a blogger now.

Welcome to our new site and my new blog.

It was bound to happen… I’m a blogger, what ever that is.

So, here goes - welcome to our new web site. After a lot of work by a lot of talented people we are excited to offer a new look to The Lady & Sons restaurant web site. As part of the new experience we are including this blog. I will be checking in every Monday with a new post. If you have anything to share or any questions, leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to talk about them here.

Thanks y’all and enjoy.

Jamie

********************************************

I think FASCINATING sums that up nicely. Hopefully Jamie will be better than the countless Food Network stars who start and abandon their blogs. Buuuuuuuut, with just a promise to post once a week, I feel like we'll be on the slow train to nothingville before we know it.

Prove me wrong, Jamie!

And if you can't, let Bobby Deen blog!


[Thanks Janine!]

Dinner in Bed

Check out this very cute pic of Tyler Florence eating dinner in bed with his wife Tolan and son Hayden.


Hayden, who'll be getting a new brother or sister to play with soon, looks so enthralled with the food. Must be daddy's boy.

Tyler is releasing books, opening a kitchen store, and getting a restaurant up and running all this year. Bizzy Bizzy.

Check out his website and blog to stay updated.

What I've Been Making

Sometimes the Food Network Addict actually has to get up and eat, but oftentimes I have no idea what to make. It's somewhat counter-intuitive that a person who watches the network this much would have a hard time deciding on a recipe... but I do.

That's why I must thank my friend Amanda for suggesting Giada De Laurentiis' Orzo Salad. I was visiting her at her home in the great state of Illinois a few weeks ago and saw the recipe printed out.

"It's just orzo and vegetables? Is it really filling?"

"Yes!"

"But do I have to include the mint leaves? I'm kind of grossed out by mint after eating too many wild mint leaves growing in my neighbors' backyard when I was five and getting sick."

"You ate your neighbors' mint leaves?"

"Well, yes, and those little berries in the trees."

"Did your mother not feed you?"

(And the conversation went on from there. It's probably too embarrassing to post any more.)

Anyhow, I've already made this orzo salad THREE times since returning home, and Jared and I have devoured it every time in about one day.

Giada says it makes SIX servings, so there you go. Six of her little bites she puts on dollhouse plates, perhaps.

I just love that you can eat it cold... and it tastes like summer.

(Sorry, no pic of me taking a bite. It seriously disappeared after the pic at the top was taken.)

Bobby Flay and Kim Cattrall Do the James Beard Awards

Bobby Flay and Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall hosted the "Oscars of the food world," The James Beard Foundation Awards, this past Sunday at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Fresh off the non-stop, red carpet premiere train for Sex and the City, Kim Cattrall managed to whip on yet another new gown and pose for pictures at the foodie-focused event.







Check out the complete list of this year's winners.

[Wireimage]

2 Dudes Get New Gig

I gave Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo a bad rap for their pretty awful Food Network show 2 Dudes Catering. And you readers seemed to agree.


It wasn't even the hair that bothered me, although that did get quite a few viewers up in a tizzy. You viewers apt to get in tizzies know who you are!

But now "The Food Dudes," as they're called, are doing some actually good cooking videos for Eat, Drink or Die with a webshow, aptly named Wake and Bake.

Check out this one for an egg white wrapped brat. There's even a little video from their Giant Brat Drop publicity stunt in Chicago.

(BTW-- turn the poor, innocent children away from the computer screen if you think they might be offended by the occasional "bad" word or the sight of a stoner getting his mouth burned on a fresh-from-the-pan bratwurst.)


I kind of like the idea of two (possibly) stoned chefs hosting a cooking show. It has latenight written all over it, and would have done MUCH better than the bad docu-dramedy thing that 2 Dudes ended up being.

Every show would be them getting the munchies and starting up some dish, only to forget what they were cooking halfway through and ditching the kitchen to go back to their Xbox.

Guess Who?

Guess which prominent Food Network personality told the organizer of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival that she needed a balcony to smoke on if she was to return next year?


Click on this Rocky Horror-like photo to find out the answer



**



**



**



**

Please quit smoking, Paula! Pretty soon no matter how much butter you put in your morning coffee you still won't be able to taste it!

********************************************

You should definitely read this New York Times article on Lee Schrager--the man behind the South Beach festival and, now, the New York City Wine & Food Festival coming in October. (Alton will be there)

The Times also prints the email Lee wrote that was able to woo Giada De Laurentiis to the NYC festival:

"Tiffany’s will buy your newest book for each of the 100 guests and also present you with a very special gift, along the lines of a watch — I noted your Rose Gold Rolex is your casual day watch."


So kids, if you want Paula or Giada to show up to your event, just make sure you have 1) A balcony and 2) A present from Tiffany.

Ted Allen Joins Food Network in "Food Detectives"

Yay! I just got word that culinary expert and food television superstar Ted Allen will be hosting a new primetime Food Network show called Food Detectives. It premieres Tue., July 29 at 9/8c.


Food Detectives mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from the leading science and technology magazine Popular Science, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer questions like: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an “apple a day” really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments.

"We’ve wanted to work with Ted for years on a series of his own and we’ve found a great fit in Food Detectives," said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. "Not only will this show provide a wealth of interesting information for our viewers, it also gives Ted an opportunity to show off his wit and culinary knowledge."

******************************
I was very fortunate to meet and talk to Ted while attending the Amex After Party last Feb. in Miami. If you've followed his career on shows like Queer Eye, Top Chef, and Iron Chef, you know he's a very smart, funny, and adept talent. I look forward to the show muchooooo.