YouTube Sunday

Ummm... I guess this is supposed to be funny?


It's kind of like Ina on tranquilizers.

Giada's Home Featured in Architectural Digest

Thanks to everyone who emailed me about Giada's home being featured in Architectural Digest. I'm just getting around to taking a look at the spread, and it's quite good.

Giada and husband Todd Thompson transformed their 1,600 sq. foot home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles to a contemporary California pad with twice the space, according the Architectural Digest.


I know it's silly to point out celebs wearing the same shirt twice, but I can't help it! That black and white polka dot top is so memorable:


(I Love Trent!) Giada wore it back in April 2007 while at a book signing (and Madonna wore it circa 1991 during the Blonde Ambition tour). Times are tough, man.

The rest of the house looks beautiful. I'm jealous!




Look at the view out of their master bedroom! I know it's probably computer generated enhanced, but still. Pretty pretty.

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

I'm still full from yesterday. Tyler's sweet potatoes with banana and honey were good-- maybe a bit too banana-y. Turkey was good. Stuffing was good. Gravy is always good. Hope everyone's day was a blast. I loved reading all of the recipes you guys were trying. Lots of diversity out there.

Okay, off to nap again. Have a good weekend!

How Many Food Network Stars Are You Doing This Thanksgiving?

Perhaps that wasn't phrased correctly.

How many Food Network stars' recipes are you doing this Thanksgiving? Any?

I know for some, Thanksgiving is sacred ground with no experimentation going on in the menu. But for others, maybe a new dish is thrown in here and there, right?

Thanksgiving dinner was already had in full a few weeks ago when I was home with my family, but I'm still having some sort of toned down event today. Tradition and all. McDonald's just doesn't seem right on Thanksgiving.

I know I'm making Tyler Florence's whipped sweet potatoes with banana and honey, a combo of Ellie Krieger's and Ina Garten's recipes for herb roasted turkey breast, and maybe one of Ina's Thanksgivingey desserts if I have time... or the stomach.

So how many Food Network stars (recipes) are you doing this Thanksgiving?

Burn! Paula's Name Misspelled on Own Ham

(Well, it was the sign for her own ham.)

I hope the packaging on ole' Paula's ham at least has her name spelled right, because the sign I just saw didn't:


(Yes, I'm at the grocery store at almost 1 a.m. the night before Thanksgiving. And?)

A Sandra Lee "Steam N' Mash" Taste Test

Thanksgiving (in USA) is tomorrow. Everyone going crazy planning their menus?

Well, will cutting out the mashed potatoes save you some headaches? That's what Sandra Lee wants you to think now that she's endorsing Steam N' Mash potatoes by Ore-Ida, the microwaveable mashed potatoes.

So, being the dedicated blogger that I am, I just had to taste test them before Thanksgiving in case any of you are looking for any last-minute shortcuts tomorrow.

Take a look:



The verdict? They're not bad. As you saw, the bag gave me the most trouble. You could probably make them creamier by using real cream that was heated a little more than the milk I used. But if your family is bigger than like 2-3 people, you're gonna need more than one bag, which would end up taking just as long (or longer) than boiling real potatoes.

Something tells me it's taking Rachael Ray longer than 30 minutes to get ready

I'm not sure if it's just the bronzer being fine-tuned to a complementing shade or if she finally found some dresses that were flattering, but Rachael Ray is looking really good lately!




On the top left we have Rachael in a patterned dress (someone more fashion forward know the designer?) at the Michael J. Fox "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's" benefit. The other pics are from "Rosie's Gala," a benefit for Rosie O'Donnell's For All Kids Foundation, held last night in New York City. Looking good again!

She'll never go back to high waisted jeans and a tucked in long-sleeved tee again!

[Wireimage]

Cat Cora & Little Miss Sunshine

Cat Cora was the guest of honor at the Paley Center for Media's "Evening With Cat Cora" recently and took some time out to pose with Academy Award Nominee Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine").

Just look at Cat promoting her "lifestyle" of bronzed skin, makeup, and hair extension to the poor, innoncent child... just like nearly every woman in Hollywood. She's being influenced! We must put a stop to all "lifestyles"!




(Can you sense the sarcasm in my words?)

Plus, there's a video:


[Wireimage]

Is Food Network Getting PBS' Daisy Martinez?

I've never seen Daisy Martinez's show "Daisy Cooks" on PBS, but I assume some of you have. Not sure if it's the same Daisy, but who do you think could be the host of a show called "Viva Daisy," currently appearing on Food Network's 1Q 2009 schedule


Would seem to make sense. Daisy is an experiened Latina chef (something Food Network could use a few more of) and has TV experience. Here she is on Today.



Maybe possibly?

"Everybody Says I have a Force Field Around Me" -- Sandra Lee

Sandra Lee is magical!



When I first started this blog, the idea of meeting Ina Garten seemed like the biggest, most out-of-reach thing I could ever dream of happening. Well, it happened.

So just like Oprah says, you dream one dream, and once you reach that dream you dream a bigger dream!

So my next dream is: I want to have a cocktail with Sandra Lee!

You'd think this wouldn't be that hard to accomplish. We know she likes the drink, so it should require little effort on my part. She lives (at least some of the year) in New York, and I'm there often enough to make it happen.

The ongoing problem is that Sandra Lee hasn't been showing up at these food festivals. She wasn't scheduled to present at the NYC Wine and Food Festival this past Oct. and somehow didn't end up showing at the other festival in South Beach, despite being originally scheduled.

I want this to be an organic thing--don't wanna pull some strings and have it all set up by others. Ideally, I'd just walk into a bar and see Sandra Lee there and we'd chat, perhaps while discussing the best paper to use for placecards and how she has time to tie all those ribbons around the napkins.

Not that crazy, right? I'll make it my 2009 goal.

Cat Cora Speaks Out on Prop 8

Cat Cora, who's lived with her partner of 10 years Jen Cora in California, spoke out against the disappointing results of Prop. 8, calling its passing "shocking and stunning" in a recent interview:


A lot has been said about this recent historic election that with the passage of Prop. 2 (protection for farm animals) and of Prop. 8 (amending the state constitution to restrict marriage to a union between a man and a woman) that Californians care more about chickens than human beings. What do you think?
We’re all disappointed. On a good note, it was close. But it’s shocking and stunning to think this happened, given how progressive we think Californians are. It’s sad this issue is even on the ballot in this day and age.

Did you and Jen walk down the aisle before the election?
No. We’re domestic partners. We were legally advised not to rush to the altar, because once you get married, your domestic partnership goes out the window. With another child on the way, a health-care proxy is absolutely necessary to have. But I support everyone who has gotten married.

Did you ever fear that some of your adoring public might view you differently?
Jen and I have never hidden the fact that we’re together. Our kids are important to us, and we want them to know we’re proud to be their mothers. You have to stand up for who you are, because you are basically standing up for them. We’re just an all-American family living the all-American dream.


While she's upset over Prop. 8, Cat still has other reasons to be happy. She's opening her first restaurant CCQ (Cat's take on global BBQ) soon in Costa Mesa, Calif. and is expecting another son (Jen's and Cat's 3rd together) in April 2009.

Michael Symon Knew Robert Irvine Was Coming Back

A lot of you seem pretty happy that Robert Irvine is returning to Dinner: Impossible. But did you know it was the plan to have Robert return all along? That's what replacement host Michael Symon indicates in a new interview:


"Right from the get-go, we knew Robert was probably going to come back and do the show - but we couldn't say that. There was a lot going on with [Irvine] that he needed to clear up. They [Food Network] told me, 'You're the only one who can do it, keep up that level," says Symon.

Ughhhh... what? You accepted to host a show, knowing that the disgraced original host would still inevitably return just because they said you "were the only one" to keep the show going? That sounds like a pretty flimsy reason. I have a hard time believing someone would be willing to take over a popular show, knowing he would only be on for a short time before the original host made his triumphant return.

That would be like Rosie O'Donnell agreeing to come on The View, knowing from the get-go that Star Jones would be coming back in a few months after things cleared up.

That would be like Sammy Hagar agreeing to front Van Halen, knowing that David Lee Roth was slated return after 10 concerts.

That would be like Barack Obama taking the oath of office with the condition that George W. Bush was somehow going to be reinstated. unelected, after only one term.

If Food Network (or Marc Summers' production company behind DI) truly intended on bringing Robert back, they could have just ran reruns for a while until things died down. I don't think they'd take the extra effort to get a new host and make a statement to the media about Robert's dismissal if they knew Robert would just be coming right back.

"We didn't 'lose' [the show]. I knew going in that there was a 95 percent chance that he'd be coming back. We really want to keep this brand alive. So we came in, rocked out the 10 shows, and moved on," added Symon.

Again, I don't think it would have been that hard to "keep the brand alive," even without new episodes. It's not like Food Network EVER stopped airing the Robert Irvine eps. In fact, they almost always aired back-to-back with the new Symon episodes, probably as an attempt to gauge which episodes scored higher ratings.

Symon doesn't seem that upset about it, though. He apparently has other things in the works, and speaks highly of Food Network and its treatment of Robert:
"Food Network has been so good with me, I have no doubts about their words. And the way they've dealt with Robert's situation says a ton about the network, and the people who run it. He got into some hot water, they gave him some time clear it up, and didn't hang him out to dry. They've always treated me the same way."

Q&A - Dear Food Network: Barefoot Contessa

Thanks so much to those of you who watched the Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Desserts special that I got to be a part of. If you missed the first airirng, it looks like it's on again next Tuesday at 7pm EST and Thanksgiving Day at 12pm. The schedule page has some info.


Were you nervous?
Well, despite how the pic above may look, I really wasn't nervous about doing the interviews or the helicopter ride. All of the producers and tech people working for Pacific Productions were so nice throughout the entire process and made us feel totally comfortable. It was cool to finally meet some of the people we'd been conversing back and forth with about our videos, our travel arrangements, etc.



The most nerve-racking moment was meeting Ina for the first time. We did all of the beach and helicoper stuff early in the day, went to lunch, and even stopped by the former location of Barefoot Contessa, which is now a clothing store.


The oustside still looks the same, but that's about it. Upstairs, Ina has an office (which has been seen on the show) where she and her staff fulfill cookbook orders and do the business side of "Ina Garten LLC."




Pretty basic, huh? Betcha thought Ina would be working out of a place that looked just like her house, but look at that. Window A/C units! Oscillating fans! She's like a regular person, I tell you.
ANYway... after all that excitement, we still had a lot of wating to do before we were allowed inside Ina's kitchen. We went to Starbucks and sat for about half and hour, drove around, and eventually got the call that we could come over. They had been shooting all of the other stuff from the special that day, too.

We got to Ina's house and waited some more. A LONG time. At least it seemed like a long time. We were literally standing in her driveway, knowing Ina and some of her friends were inside, but we couldn't go in! I think the nervousness started to set in there.

The director finally came outside and told us how we'd be entering, but left it all very mysterious. "There will be a few people at the door. Say hello to them. Then walk inside the room and you'll be greeted by someone," was basically what he said.

So we did the walk up, the greeting of the people outside, turned the corner to start entering the room, caught of GLIPSE (like a half-second) of Ina, and then were told to STOP. We needed to go back out and do it again.

We did it again. And again. I think we did it like 5 times. I only did my actual "greeting" of Ina twice, and the one that made it in seems to be the first time, so what you saw was my true, first reaction to meeting Ina. Pretty cool!

I think we all calmed down after that big parade. Ina was very intersted in talking to us and finding out where we were from, what we did, how long it took us to get there, etc. Some people would think that a "TV star" would only be on when the cameras were rolling, but oftentimes Ina would actually have to be told to stop talking to us because they needed to move on to some other scene. She was so nice!

How did the cheesecake and the other desserts taste?
All of the desserts were out on the table when we first walked in. When we finally got around to the "serving" segment, the director shot Ina cutting the cheesecake and putting it on a plate for me. She handed it to me and then--surprise--it got taken away! They had to go back, bring out a brand new cheesecake and shoot it again. This time, I got to take a bite. It was really good, of course.

Shooting a TV show involves lots of waiting, especially when you're working with something that gets consumed... like food. We had literally waited so long to try these desserts (and hadn't eaten dinner yet), that I think anything would have tasted delicious. That's not a slam on Ina, it's just the truth. We were also so amped up that I don't think we were even tasting the food fully.

Here's something you probably don't want to hear: I didn't try every dessert!

It wasn't entirely my fault, though. I had my cheesecake first, then tried the coconut cake, and then had a piece of the pumpkin roulade. This also wasn't a real party, remember. It's not like we had a lot of time to just sit around and chit chat, while orgasming over these delicous desserts. It was more like the director saying, "Okay, Jacob, take a bite. Now, move over so we can shoot the next part."

Not too long after trying a few desserts, the culinary staff came in and took them all away. I think the director originally envisioned having some time-lapse video of all the food on the table getting taken away. Don't think that ever made it in, though. Anyhow, I didn't get to try the gingerbread or the creme brulee. Curses me!

How was Jeffrey?
Jeffrey was just like he is on TV. I was really impressed by his on-camera abilities. He just walks rights in and throws out these one-liners and witty remarks without any writers to help, and always with a time crunch looming overhead. He was very kind, just like Ina.

All of the other attendees were great, too. Many of them were used to the TV taping process and seemed very at ease, even when they were getting microphone wires hooked up through their shirts or being told to "say a line" at a moment's notice.

How was her house?
As you know, Barefoot Contessa now shoots in Ina's barn, which sits a few hundred feet away from her real home in East Hampton. We didn't actually go into her house, which I was fine with. After seeing all the people that had to trudge through the barn just to shoot that special, I too would be glad to have my house back to being a house and not a working TV studio.

That's about it. It was such a great experience. Everyone from the production company to Ina herself really helped make the experience fun and memorable. Glad you all enjoyed watching it!

P.S.- I liked this "nighttime" Ina, didn't you?! She seemed more upbeat and zesty! Even the music was amped up. She ought to consider more primetime specials. Move over Paula's Party, Ina's on the loose!

Robert Irvine Coming BACK to Dinner: Impossible... What?!

I NEVER thought this would happen, but it did!

Production of six new episodes starring Robert Irvine will begin this month, reports the AP.

"Our audience has continued to demonstrate its interest in and support for Robert. He has taken responsibility and made a conscious effort to clear the air, rebuild the relationship with Food Network and apologize for the earlier inaccuracies," said Food Network spokeswoman Carrie Welch said in a written statement.


Guess this really means: Michael Symon was a ratings loser. Sorry Mike!

I personally didn't watch the show that much--didn't matter if it was a Robert of Symon episode. But from what you fans tell me, Michael Symon just wasn't cutting it.

New episodes starring Irvine will begin airing March 2009.

Thoughts!?!?!?!?

Behind the Scenes at Ina's - Part 2

I got to meet Jeffrey!








This pic at the bottom was actually shot the next morning. We all had to put on the same clothes we wore the day before to do reshoots of the tour in her garden and by the house, since they thought it was too dark the night before. There was a big time crunch and we were worried we'd miss our flights going back, so it's kind of funny that they ended up just using the night footage after all. None of the stuff we shot the next morning made it in!

Thanks for watching, if you did. I only sounded like a dork for 90.5% of it!

Behind the Scenes at Ina's - Part 1

Here are a few behind-the-scnes pics to get you excited about tonight's Thanksgiving special, airing at 9pm EST.

Here you see Lena, another special guest of Ina's who you'll meet in tonight's episode. One of the first things we did was go to Main Beach, where Ina has filmed before, and shoot personal interviews. It was very pretty, but still kinda chilly.


(Lena actually has a story somewhat similar to Ina's. After working in the corporate world for a few years, Lena decided to open her own bakery in San Francico called Sweet Face, even though she had limited experience in the field. From what she told me, the business is starting to be pretty successful. I'll have to give it a try next time I'm out there!)


Here is Ina's kitchen that you see on TV... just a little more cluttered. On the right in the white shirt was one of the cameramen. He was very Jamie Oliver-esque (a lot of the people working on Ina's show are from the UK).

The woman in the blue shirt in the middle is Ina's assistant, Barbara Libath. We had the pleasure of spending the day with her. She's truly one of the nicest people I've met. She gets to work on recipes every day with Ina and seems to have a ball doing it. She's been on the show before and will be in the episode tonight.


You can see some of the decorations they had up for this Thanksgiving-themed episode in this pic. We filmed the party scene at night, so you might be seeing the barn in a whole new way. Exciting exciting.

Caught Yah, Nigella!

I love the gossip headlines in British papers; they're much more playful and jolly than ours here in the U.S. For example, after Nigella Lawson hit up a London party wearing a revealing red dress, one paper writes "Nigella's Pair Look Dishy" while another claims "Slimmed down Nigella serves it up on a plate... but it's not her cooking skills on show."

The first line of that story is: "Nigella Lawson served up a spectacular dish last night - herself - as she poured her voluptuous curves into a dazzling LRD - Little Red Dress." Ha!

Voluptuous she did look in her LRD, however I don't think this was the first time Nigella debuted the dress. Is the domestic goddess trying to pinch pennies (or would that be pounds?) during this tough economic time? Take a look...

London, 2008



The 2007 Food Network Awards, Miami


Caught yah! Maybe Nigie thought no one would remember the Food Network Awards? Oh well... Nigella would proably look good wearing a potato sack. Keep up the voluptuosity, Nigella!

[Source]

Giada Attends Oxfam Party in LA

Italian-American Food Network host and promoter of proscuitto Giada De Laurentiis recently joined Oxfam International as an ambassador for the hungry. I'm not exactly sure of her duties, but she did attend last week's Oxfam party at the Esquire House in Hollywood.




I'd kind of like to see Giada in a dress that didn't look like this, for once... but she looks good. It always seems like Giada's chatting and laughing with people she knows while posing on the red carpet. Whether that's true or not, I guess it's better than being a bad sport.

[Source]

Just a Friendly Reminder...

(I really do look in awe there, don't I?)

Here's the commercial you spot me in:



And just for laughs, please enjoy my first-ever attempt at an animated gif!


It's NOTHING compared to Rich over at four four, who's the undisputed king of animated gifs. Check out his Top Model recaps and you'll see why. Rich is a big blog inspiration to me, so I can only hope that my pathetic gif-making skills will one day come close to his. Enjoy!

Ted Allen Will Host FN's Chopped

So maybe this is another reason why Ted Allen won't be returning to Top Chef?

Ted Allen was announced as the host of Food Network's new competition-style show Chopped, which I talked about back in August.


Chopped
Premieres: Tuesday, January 13th at 10pm ET/PT
Passion and expertise rule the kitchen on the fast-paced new series, Chopped. Hosted by Ted Allen (Food Detectives), the series challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets "chopped" until the last man or woman left standing claims victory. Each week, a rotating panel of culinary elite judges including Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron Sanchez, and Geoffrey Zakarian will decide whose dishes shine the brightest and award the winner $10,000.

This sounds like a much better fit for Ted. We already know how he is on a food competition show, so this should be no sweat. And I know I'm making the Top Chef comparison above, but it's really not all that surprising that a cable network would create a "copycat" show. Anyone following the Project Runway scandal between Bravo and Lifetime? Bravo already has several "copycat" shows in the bag if PR really does leave for the other network.

People may complain, but the fact is people watch and get much more into these types of shows than traditional, instruction-based cooking shows. Sorry peeps, but it's true.

Still... the $100,000 prize on that other show just sounds a bit more tempting that the $10K Chopped is apparently offering. Oh well... looking forward to Ted, at least!

TV Alert: Sunny and Aaron on Rachael Ray This Week

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. Get those turkeys ready!

Set the TiVos -- Food Net’s Sunny Anderson and Aaron McCargo Jr. will be appearing on Rachael Ray’s talk show this Wednesday, Nov. 19, offering their tips on creating a holiday feast.


Sunny has a great rundown of the taping over on her blog. Love the story about her almost eating all the fried goat cheese balls in the green room—something I’d probably do.

Also appearing will be former Food Network peeps Ming Tsai and Rocco DiSpirito.

*****

Something else is airing that Wednesday night on Food Network that I’m excited about. More info and behind-the-scenes pics to come!

Guy Fieri "Just Does Commercials" for Friday's

TMZ caught up with Guy Fieri outside Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills recently (must not have been a big celebrity night) and knew enough about him to ask why he wasn't dining at Friday's. Ha!

It's not as bad as what TMZ writes in its headline ("Food Network Chef Bites Hand That Feeds"), but Guy isn't all that praiseful of the casual dining chain he endorses.


"I thought we'd see you at Friday's," says the cameraman.

"No, I'm a Food Network chef. I just do commercials for Friday's. You know how it works."

Hoping to get more out of him, the cameraman asks, "Do you like Friday's" upon which Guy replies, "It's a good gig."

I believe he was wondering how you felt about the restaurant, Guy. Soooo, since you're getting lots of money from them and subjecting us to more and more commercials ... why don't you let us know your real feelings, 'kay?

If Jordan Baker and I can subject ourselves to Friday's, Guy should too.

Kelsey Nixon Getting Food Network Show

Shocker!

Kelsey Nixon, season 4 contestant on The Next Food Network Star, is getting her own Food Network show on a new Food Network Web site called F2, set to launch in January. The Provo Utah native is on the cover of Utah Valley magazine this month and talks all about the new show.



"I've been approached by so many production companies, but I think Food Network is the route I should go. It's the brand that most matches who I am. I'm working on a project with them right now—a web show about teaching cooking basics. They're launching a Web site called F2, targeted to 20-somethings for food and drink."

Ah ha! So that's what you've been up to, Kelsey! I'll have you dear FNAddict readers know that I heard a rumor about her getting a show on this new website a long time ago, but I was a good boy and kept my mouth shut until I saw something definite. Hmm... would anyone have cared if I had said something earlier?

Here's something I didn't know about the show, certain to delight (or anger) Top Chef fans:
"My co-host on the show is Spike Mendelsohn from "Top Chef" and we have a great time. I'm the one to do by-the-book classic methods, and he uses crazy ingredients from all over the world."

Veeerrrry interesting. So Aaron McCargo got a show. Adam Gertler supposedly has a show (we'll see about that), and now Kelsey. Guess Lisa Garza's will be announced next week? Maybe a Christmas special starring her and Sandra Lee?

One can hope.

I haven't always been all that optimistic about Kelsey, but I wish her the best. She got what she wanted... kind of (it is still a Web show). Let's see if this "innate passion" really shines through!
[Thanks Jacqueline for sending!]

Which Food Network Star Has the #1 Book?

Well, isn't it obvious who would have the #1 book in Amazon's Cooking, Food & Wine category?


In addition to having the #1 book in this category, Ina Garten's Back to Basics is #16 overall! She's right above The Story of Edgar Sawtelle-- an Oprah Book Club pick! If you're beating Oprah, that says a lot. She'll have to go Kry in her Kindle, now.

Guy F'deddy, Jamie Oliver, Giada De Laurentiis, and Ellie Krieger also have bestselling books in the Cooking, Food & Wine category. Why isn't my boy Tyler Florence up in there? He's got two books out right now!

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

I'm happy it's Friday, but it's been rainy and gray here in DC ever since I got back from Chicago on Tuesday. True, it was rainier and grayer (and MUCH colder) there... but still. At least it's Friday.

Alton Brown New Face of Welch's, Can't Compete with Cute Kids

Cuteness only gets you so far in life. Sorry Welch's kiddies, you're fired!

Guess who's taking over?


Alton Brown is the new face of Welch's grape juice and its 100% Grape Juice ad campaign.

Remember when these were running:



Well, no more!

"We talk a lot about the importance of knowing where your food comes from and with Welch's it's easy because the people who grow the grapes actually own the company," said Alton.

Where you'll see Alton's cute little face:
"Airing from November 2008 to March 2009, the television advertisement will run on cable and network shows including Dancing with the Stars, Rachael Rays' 30 Minute Meals and family and movie specials on the ABC family channel. The new print campaign will appear in magazines such as People, Parenting, Women's Health and Cooking Light, as well as online at WebMD and the FoodNetwork.com."

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

So whaddya think? With the cute kids gone and Alton in, will you be buying more grape juice?

[Yumsugar via Yahoo]

FoodNetwork.com #1 in Category for the 28th Consecutive Month

Well, all the complaints about auto-play videos, slow-loading pages, hard-to-find TV schedule info, and the like aren't making any dents in FoodNetwork.com's traffic numbers. In fact, the website had 8.6 million unique users this past October--good enough to earn it the No. 1 position in Food & Cooking Websites, a spot it's held for 28 consecutive months. [Source]

You win some, you lose some.


After a mighty effort, Bob Tuschman's official blog on Food Network has closed. Debuting in September 2008, Bob's Blog will reportedly be merged into the FN Dish web presence. As of today, Bob has not posted.

Bring Bob back!

Ted Allen Won't Return to Top Chef

... at least not this season!

Tom Colicchio, head judge of Bravo's Top Chef, recently let it slip that Ted Allen would not be returning to Top Chef this season since Ted's Food Network show Food Detectives was renewed.

"Okay, maybe he's busy shooting new episodes," I said outloud to myself, as I normally do when reading newspaper articles online.


But Tom doesn't say it's a scheduling conflict preventing Ted from returning.

Instead, he says: "They [the Food Network] have a policy that they can't do our show."

This would appear to contradict what Ted has said in previous interviews about his unique relationship working with both Food Network (on Iron Chef) and Bravo (with Top Chef). He had indicated that both networks were okay with the arrangement.

Perhaps FN was fine having him work for the competition while he was just judging Iron Chef... but apparently not any longer.

****

That's sad. I liked Ted on Top Chef. He's being replaced by Toby Young, a British food critic and author. [Delaware Online]

Think You Can Do Better? Grilling Fans Needed for 'Dear FN'

Yikes! After all the harsh feelings over yesterday's post about Next Food Network Star, maybe all you out there thinking you would be so much better will be interested in this:

Casting: Grilling Fans can be on Dear Food Network!

Love to watch the Food Network but can't cook as well as your favorite star? Now's your chance to have your Grilling question answered, possibly even in-person! Inspired by letters from fans, Dear Food Network features top chefs answering your cooking concerns, problems and challenges.

(I'm thinking this probably means Bobby Flay, but Giada's been known to bring out the grill pan from time to time. Maybe she'll show up?)


Have a question about global grilling (tandoori, Italian, Korean), improving an All-American dishes (hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken), seafood, or how to make a tasty dessert on the grill? Our Food Network stars are here to help improve your recipes and grilling skills!

We're looking for fun, creative 20-second videos (DVD or MiniDV) to incorporate into the show. BUT FIRST-For video guidelines please send and email to foodnetworkseries@gmail.com with your stats (name, age, city/state, living situation, contact info) plus a recent photo, a little about yourself, and your cooking questions.

Does your chicken always come out burnt, maybe you're a baker who wants to take it to the backyard or perhaps you want to learn how to make ribs that will wow your whole family?

The best questions/videos will be used on the show and some people will get to have their question answered in person by his or her favorite chef! Please send your DVD or MiniDV to:

Embassy Row
Att: Dear Food Network
110 Leroy Street
7th Fl.
New York, NY 10014
646-747-4754

All entries must be received no later than Monday December 8th.

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

Please Note: the email address above is NOT a direct contact for anyone at Food Network. Embassy Row is a private production company. Please do not send your general complaints or questions about the network to that address, as they will be deleted.

Next Food Network Star Apps. Deadline Extended

Over the weekend I saw the commercial with Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson promoting the extended deadline for season five of Next Food Network Star. 

You know what that means...


Bring on the crazies!

I'm not saying crazy people make the best Food Network stars (although some might think otherwise) but they DO make the best contestants on a reality competition show. 

So, if you think you've got it... or totally lost it, apply online for season 5. You have until November 14. We wanna be watching you!

Hearst Greenlights Food Network Mag For More Issues

Food Network Magazine is getting the go-ahead. The first test-issue, released in mid-October, will be followed up by a second test in January 2009. The first official issue will be the June/July 2009 edition.

"We have had a great initial response to the first test issue, and feel confident that this magazine will resonate with consumers," said Alec Casey, VP and group consumer marketing director for Hearst.

"As a result, we greenlighted six issues (including the second test) for 2009. At Hearst, we are always looking at how we can introduce new products that fill a need in the marketplace, and we think Food Network Magazine fits that bill."

In other words, when the teen market fails, move on to food! (Is that kind of like the publishing equivalent to emotional eating?)

[Source]

Food Detectives Gets Second Season

Food Network's Food Detectives, hosted by Ted Allen, is getting a second season.


"[Food Detectives] launched in July to very good ratings and we’ll be shooting our second season in December," Ted tells the Gay & Lesbian Times.

I HATE to say this, but I'm kind of surprised it's getting renewed. I had the pleasure of meeting Ted this past February in Miami and, later, interviewing him over the summer; he's a great guy and wonderful TV talent. I just don't think this show is the best fit for him.

Not sure if it's a personal choice, but Ted's delivery style sounds strangely robotic. I know he doesn't really speak all choppy like that, sooooooo... why do it on the show?

Food Network's Got a Pretty Respectable YouTube Page... Finally!

Short, easy-to-digest Food Network vids seem like they'd be a natural on YouTube. People wanna eat. People wanna look at funny videos on YouTube. People wanna see what to eat while at work, away from the TV, while watching funny videos on YouTube.

But it was only in the last few months that the cable channel really started populating its YouTube page with good content. Even more recently, the page started allowing users to embed the videos (Deep breath, Scripps! Trust the bloggers. It's gonna be okay!)

You get this little Anne Burrell gem that kinda looks like one of her screen tests.


You get Alton Brown showing us how to truss a turkey:



You even get my girl Sunny Anderson giving us a quick tip on holiday cookies:




That's not to say everyone is loving Food Network's YouTube page. Apparently, the videos are only viewable here in the U.S., which has riled up our neighbors to the north and around the world:

"Why cant this channel be accessed from England? :( I love watching Ace of Cakes but its only on late at night in the UK, I always miss it!The Food Network website does not load up fully so I can't watch the videos on there either!"

"This is ridiculous that it's not allowed in Canada, umm that makes sense... "

"Can't watch the videos either... what's the use of having a YouTube acct. that will limit the viewers to USA only??"

"hi why wont it let me watch the videos? im in canada and i get the food network here. whats the problem then?"

I'm not entirely sure of the answer to their question, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the ad sales agreement YouTube has with Scripps and Food Network. Could be wrong, though.

Lisa Garza (Remember Her?) Now Single?

Someone's checking their Facebook news feed more than I am!



Wonder how this will affect their working relationship. Don't they run a restaurant together?!

What Alex Guarnaschelli Ate Last Week

Alex Guarnaschelli was recently featured in an awesome New York Mag/Grub Street piece in which she describes some of the yummy things she ate all week. I love the way she describes food: "I ate chicken-liver crostini, a roasted chicken with fennel, and a huge — like ridiculously, embarrassingly huge — homemade apple tart, which was just shy of pornographic."


You can really tell she knows food and understands flavors' intricacies.

But she's not afraid to talk about her imperfections:
"I make a really crappy omelet. I shouldn’t say crappy. I always start out with the intention of making a beautiful omelet and it always tastes good but it doesn’t always look so pretty. Nine times out of ten I will turn an omelet into a scramble at the last minute and pretend like that’s what I always set out to make."

Advice on acting domestic:
"I have a friend in from out of town and I wanted to pretend to be domestic. The best way to do that is to turn the oven on and put something with cinnamon in it in the oven."

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I'm still debating whether I should go out and get my free Starbucks for voting this morning. I might need the caffeine if this things goes on all night. Hope everyone's holding out all right!

It's Election Day! Which Food Net Stars Donated?

It's Tuesday, November 4, so if you live in the United States you know it's election day. Get out and vote if you haven't done so already! The line really isn't that long... at least not as long as the line to exit the country will be if McCain gets elected. Ha!


And while I know some of you come here with the idea that a blog about Food Network would be the last place you'd find people arguing about politics, politics have -- like it or not -- entered into virtually every facet of our lives, including Food Network.

Rachael Ray had the presidential candidates on her talkshow, Michelle Obama paid a visit to Paula Deen's primetime show Paula's Party, and Giada De Laurentiis is telling us how to throw an election night party on Food Network's Website.

Some Food Network stars didn't feature politicians on their shows, but that doesn't mean they weren't politically involved.

Let's take a look at recent and past donations:

- Rachael Ray gave $2,300 to the Hillary Clinton campaign (her husband John gave the same amount to Hill, too.)

- Sandra Lee, CEO of Semi-Homemade gave $2,300 to the Hillary Clinton campaign and $2,000 to John Kerry.

- Ina Garten gave $2,000 to John Kerry.

- Mario Batali gave $1,000 to John Edwards.

- Martha Stewart gave $4,600 to Hillary Clinton.

- I can't find anything on Giada, but her grand-daddy Dino De Laurentiis gave $2,000 to George W. in 2004.

Did anyone donate to one of the presidential candidates actually on the ballot today? Yes!

Ace of Cakes' Mary Alice gave $714 to Barack Obama! Go MALICE!

Mary Alice for Prez!

[Source: Fundrace]

Spelling is Fun!

I guess the people of Savannah are on a first-name basis with Paula Deen's sons "Jaime" and Bobby... at least that's what I think after reading this WTOC (a CBS affiliate in Savannah) article advertising a Paula Deen Gooey Butter Cake contest.



Let's count the mistakes:
WTOC wants to know who can put the most creative spin on Paula's Gooey Butter Cake and come up with the yummiest concoction.

We want you to jot down what you would add to Paula's recipe and send it to us, and at the end of the contest we will select 5 random entries, and those will become finalist in our contest.

Once you are notified you are a finalist, your cake will be brought to life and taste tested by Jaime and Bobby, who will then select a winner.

The winner will be notified by email and phone and the taste testing will be aired on Mid-Morning the following day.

The winner will recieve dinner for 6 from The Lady and Sons', which must be picked up by the winner from The Lady and Sons' between 10:00 and 10:30am and be prepared to be on Mid-Morning Live while you recieve your prize from the Deens.

Remember, we want to know what you would add to Paula's recipe. For Example, in Paula's Sweet Potato Gooey Butter Cake, Paula adds one baked sweet potato to the top. Its that simple.

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Notice how the TV station never even mentions who "Jaime and Bobby" are. Everyone must know those boys down in Savannah, right?

And while this isn't as good as my favorite article written about the Deens, it still gave me a bit of a chuckle.

Giada: "Spagheetee Just Comes Out Naturally"

FIT-eh-CHEE-nie and mohtz-ah-RELL-a are here to stay.

Giada De Laurentiis recently told the Mel's Diner blog that her Italian pronunciations aren't going anywhere!


While at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills last month, Giada claims she tried, at first, to say Italian ingredients on her show without her trademark pronunciation but they just started coming out naturally as she got more into cooking.

Long live proscuitto!

Ina Brings 'Back to Basics' to Borders

Ina Garten is the latest guest on Borders Kitchen, a web show I didn't even know about until now... but I'm glad I found it! She demonstrates four recipes from her new book Back to Basics plus talks about how she finds inspiration, tips for keeping things simple, how she cooks for Jeffrey, and even shows off her gorgeous barn kitchen (with a few new views that you don't normally get to see on Barefoot Contessa).


While I love the look and style of Barefoot Contessa, it's great to see Ina without the background music and quick camera movements every once in a while. She's a great teacher and you can really tell she's tested and tested and tested these recipes until she got them right.

And even though you can't embed the videos, I like what Borders did with the format of these webisodes. Each chapter is listed out on the side and loads quickly, and the whole episode can be downloaded. Yay for technology!

[Thanks to Phil for sending me the info!]