Baking Tips from Ace of Cakes' Adam Goldstein

Duff may have lost to Chicago's Cake Girls on yesterday's Oprah Show cake-off (think there may have been a home team advantage, there), but at least his head baker at Charm City Cakes, Adam Goldstein, gets to tell Oprah.com some of his baking tips... one of which is:

"Do not leave cake unattended around vultures, jackals, or underpaid art students."

There are also some practical ones:

"To restrain hair without the stigma of a hairnet, wear a beanie."

And ones I'm sure Ina Garten would disagree with:

"For perfect, easy-to-spread ganache, use slightly more (by weight) cream than chocolate. So if you have 1 1/2 pounds of chocolate, use about 1 3/4 pounds of cream. And make sure to allow for ample time for the ganache to set up."

(Ina would want significantly more (by weight) cream than chocolate in her ganache... and a few sticks of butter for good measure.)

Check out the full list on Oprah.com.

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Anyone doing any Halloween stuff tonight? Since it's on a Saturday this year everyone feels the need to have parties on both Friday and Saturday! I still need a costume! Somebody make me a Paula Deen wig, stat!

From Semi-Homemade to... Laxatives?

The same marketing agency that worked with Sandra Lee's company "Semi-Homemade" is now "working with pharmaceutical company Purdue Products on an effort promoting the Colace line of laxative products to a younger audience," according to DMNews.

The campaign is called "Best Seats in the House" and involves giving away Ticketmaster giftcards. What that has to do with laxatives and young people, I'm not sure.

I think this marketing agency really missed the boat on this one. Instead of moving on from Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade, make her the spokesperson of this new campaign for Colace!

You know, have a little of Sandra Lee's "mexajita chicken," then take a few tablets of Colace. Doesn't that taste good, young people?!

Monday Links: Angelina Jolie Hearts Sandra Lee Edition

Lots of Food Network things going on lately... I can hardly keep up!

• Notice that Angelina hasn't confirmed this! Sandra Lee tells People mag that Angelina Jolie "made" her no-bake cake recipe for son Maddox's birthday.
• Duff Goldman and other Charm City Cakes staffers will autograph their new book tomorrow at Atomic Books.
• Ellie Krieger makes "good for you" meatloaf and potatoes on the Today show.
• Rachael Ray now a lunchlady AND petitioner for Hall & Oates. She is a saint!
• Giada De Laurentiis visits Peru to mark World Food Day.
• Not sure why, but Tyler Florence presented the National Design Museum's "People’s Design Award" to the Trek Lime bicycle this past Thursday. Since it has "Lime" in the title does that make it food-related?
  
• "If you eat, you're a foodie" says Sandra Lee--and then goes off on the haters. (Eat Me Daily)

Cook Your Dinner...And Never Leave the Couch!

I think Food Network's new Wii game, "Cook or Be Cooked" (in stores Tuesday, Nov. 3rd), may be one of the smartest products the cable channel's released in years.

Why? Because despite the name and general message to (at times) inspire people to cook for themselves, Food Network would probably prefer you just sat on your ass and never moved away from the TV enjoyed the wide variety of programming and interesting advertisements for the longest possible stretch. You can always eat later... there's another TRIPLE D episode on! Followed by an interesting cake competition! Don't stand up!

Still, unfortunately, people do get up and stop watching the cable channel from time to time... even me.

So that's why the idea of reaching out to gamers, some of whom spend hours and hours of uninterrupted periods of their day engrossed in gaming, is pretty genius.



Makers say that the game aims to "teach players real, practical cooking skills using their Wii Remote and Nunchuk."

Plus, one half of TUSCHELSON even appears!
"Throughout the game, players receive tips, feedback and reviews from Food Network’s Vice President of Marketing and The Next Food Network Star judge, Susie Fogelson, and Food Network Kitchens chef Mory Thomas."

I don't have a Wii system, but have tested them out at friends' places before. I would probably get addicted to them, just like everybody else. Does the idea of "cracking an egg, to oiling a pan, to seasoning the perfect steak" excite all you Wii users out there?!

Check Out Duff's Man Cave

Actually, the phrase "man cave" kind of freaks me out... but I guess if all it means is that you get a new, decked-out room filled with gadgets and toys, then I'm all for it.

Duff had his "man cave" done by the DIY guys Tony Siragusa and Jason Cameron. Check it out!

I Think I know What Alex Does On Her Day Off

I caught the first episode of Alex Guarnaschelli's new show Alex's Day Off this morning and was very inspired to cook some breakfast foods in loads and loads of bacon fat. (If you didn't catch the ep, Alex cut some ridiculously large bacon slabs for her special breakfast meal and then used the grease to not only cook the eggs but also as a topping that she ladled over the tops.)

I'm not sure whose choice it was to get rid of Alex's "Cooking Loft" format, where she was surrounded by a small group of supposed students (I know someone who misses the "hot, tattooed guy," so that's a tragedy), but I find Alex by herself in the kitchen just as good.

Alex is sooooooo descriptive about what she's cooking, what she thinks about what she's cooking, and what she's thinking about what she's cooking. She appears so into the process that sometimes I forget she's talking about food and think she's moved onto something else entirely. Something strangely... erotic? Take a look and see if you see the same thing:



People may talk about the Neelys being a bit sexual on their shows, but I think Alex's delivery might contain the most sexual metaphors on Food Network! I'm all hot and bothered after hearing Alex talk about heat and oil and something called "total goo". ;-)

Yum! Overall, a great first episode. I look forward to more, Alex!

Looking Forward to Alex Guarnaschelli's New Show - Oct. 18

I'm bummed I didn't run into Alex Guarnaschelli at all this past weekend in New York, but I'm slightly consoled by the fact that her new show Alex's Day Off premieres this Sunday, Oct. 18 at 9:30am ET.

Watching Alex on TV won't be as great as eating at her restaurant and meeting her like I did last year on my birthday, but it's a close second!


The first episode's description includes this line: [i]n an act of ridiculousness, Alex melts a wheel of cheese on a bed of crispy hash browns -- so we know that's gotta be good.

Looking forward to it, Alex!

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Obviously, Alex is posing in the pic above with Aida Mollenkamp and Aaron McCargo Jr. I actually ran into Aida right when I got to New York and went to The Standard hotel where the festival's homebase was. We had chatted once by phone last year, but it was nice to say hi in person. And, let me say, she looks even more model-y in person. Almost didn't recognize her!

I saw Aaron later in the day working on his computer by himself, so I didn't speak with him. Later, on Saturday night, I saw him at the Duff Goldman-hosted "Sweet" event and saw an Aaron fan trip right over a giant lamp on the floor in an attempt to get a hug from Big Daddy himself. Aaron was nice and didn't laugh in the poor girl's face, but it was pretty funny.

Is it the weekend yet?

Don't Tell Sunny! Sandra Lee Disses Viva Towels?

I managed to catch Sandra Lee's excuse to make a bunch of cocktails and joke about "hot Italian sausages" culinary demonstration on Saturday at the New York City Wine & Food Festival... and let me tell you, the lady might wanna try stand up comedy if this whole 70/30 cooking thing doesn't work out.

She really is pretty funny (definitely better than the why-are-you-back Jay Leno who we now get to see another five nights a week) when she's not "watered down" (her words) on Food Network.

I snapped this little video of Sandra kind of dissing the paper towel brand/major sponsor Viva, who we know Sunny Anderson has a major endorsement deal with right now.



I'm not really sure what the point of that was, but I did find it funny she felt the need to point out the big logo emblazoned on the front of the roll. What's the deal, Auntie S? They paid their money.

Who knows. Maybe Viva turned down an opportunity to advertise in Sandra's mag?

Grand Tasting @ 2009 NYC Wine & Food Festival

As you probably inferred from my recent tweets, I was able to attend the 2nd-annual New York City Wine & Food Festival this past weekend. These festivals are usually a bit overwhelming for me since there is always so much going on and multiple places I want to be. But it's not like Food Network stars go on tour throughout the year (oh wait... they do), so I usually try to see as much as I can while I'm there.

As I typically do at both the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and its sister version in New York, I make my way to the big event--the Grand Tasting--first thing.


Although not quite as warm as last year, the weather this weekend still ending up being beautiful down on Pier 54 in the Chelsea area of New York City, where the Grand Tasting tents were set up.

I had heard that The Chairman/Dancing with the Stars contestant Mark Dacascos was hanging out at the Next Iron Chef booth, located in the very back of the tent, on Saturday... but before I could even get close I ran right into The Next Food Network Star winner Melissa d'Arabian!


I had chatted with Melissa once on the phone briefly after she won, but this was my first time meeting her in-person. It's always crazy for me to hear that people on Food Network read this blog (Melissa said she's been reading since before she even applied for the show), and Melissa had nothing but nice things to say. She's looking forward to season 2 of her show Ten Dollar Dinners, set to premiere in January, and seemed to be having fun at her first big food festival.






The food and drink was plentiful and intoxicatingly good at times--the short ribs with bone marrow (above) being one of the biggest draws.


Sunny Anderson was at the Viva towels booth giving out samples of her ribs (which were messy and yummy) on Sunday. Always so great to see her.

By the time I made it to the very back of the tent, Mark Dacascos was already gone (I'd run into him later), so I just took one more trip back through the tents and took a little digestion-time break in one of the chairs set up at the front of the Grand Testing tents. Such a lovely, sunny weekend in October.


If you get a chance to come next year (maybe NYC is closer or South Beach isn't your thing), definitely try to make it to at least one #NYCWFF event.

Now, off to the treadmill for me. Calories eaten out of state don't count, do they?

FLN Changing to 'The Cooking Channel', Food Network Haters Rejoice?

Wow! Prepare for less instructional cooking on Food Network and, perhaps maybe, a series like 'The Culinary Surreal Life' (shot inside Ina Garten's Hamptons estate, of course) to land on Food Network.

Basically, it's goodbye FLN, hello The Cooking Channel!


Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., building on its category dominance in the home and food television programming genres, is rebranding Fine Living Network (FLN) as the Cooking Channel. With FLN’s distribution base of 55 million households, the decision provides the new Cooking Channel with the potential for significant reach when it launches in the third quarter of 2010.

The new channel promises to be a 24-hour network catering to "avid food lovers by focusing on food information and instructional cooking programming" and will operate out of the same Chelsea Market headquarters that Food Network is located.

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While I'm a bit surprised about this sudden change in format, I think it'll be interesting to see--once and for all--if these instructional cooking programs really can be the basis of a 24-hour cable channel. The Food Network haters constantly bemoan the loss (or lessening of them) on air, so this should hopefully satisfy them.

Now, will they/you watch?

Hi, I'm Sandra Lee... the Actress!

Unless you count an early 90's infomercial about tying bedsheets together to create window treatments acting, then I'm not really sure what WireImage was thinking when they put this caption below Sandra Lee's arrival pics at the recent Daytime Emmys:


"Actress Sandra Lee arrives at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards"

Oh really?! You mean to tell me that all this semi-homemade nonsense has been acting all along?!?!

Sandra, who hosted the sold out NYC Wine & Food Fest's "Chelsea Market After Dark" party along with Guy Fieri last night, will have a lot of explaining to do if I run into her this weekend! ;-)

[Photos]

Giada Doesn't Dig Airplane Food

TMZ sent this video around a while ago, but I'm just getting around to checking it out. Per usual, it's another video of a paparazzo trying to chat up a celebrity while walking through the airport.

Giada does her best to keep her cool, but does seem to be a bit annoyed.



All alone, G?! Where's that darling baby?

I'm really only posting this 'cause I'm getting excited for the New York City Wine & Food Festival that kicks off tomorrow. I met Giada last year at the event, and she and her husband Todd were really nice and didn't seem to mind the blog's coverage of Giada over the years.

As I mentioned last year, I really like the New York version of this festival and love that more events are ticketed separately. Unfortunately, Ina Gaten's "Times Talk" is sold out!

Let me know if you any of you are coming to NYC this weekend... should be fun.

Food Network Heading to Europe, Africa, & Middle East

Perhaps a few stoups by Rachael Ray (or Giada's cleavage) will bring peace to the Middle East?


It was announced today that Food Network will launch in Europe, Africa and the Middle East through a joint venture with Chello Zone, "the leading international thematic channel arm of Chellomedia" — duh.

"Food Network will launch in the UK with popular and well-known faces such as Duff Goldman, Ina Garten and Rachael Ray. Original programming on the network will include the international hit series Iron Chef America which features world-class chefs such as Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto. Also included in the launch lineup will be a new series -- The Best Thing I Ever Ate -- featuring famous chefs including Danny Boome, Giada De Laurentiis, Robert Irvine and Rocco DiSpirito."


If there's one thing the people of Africa need, it's 346 recipes for different burgers. What a world we live in! ;-)

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Hey, Food Network! How about getting on the TVs in American hotels? Sometimes I need to "work" from the road and you're rarely there!

Mary Alice Is Looking Good!

My buddy Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes has always been a fine lookin' lady (just check out this darling account of my visit to meet her almost THREE YEARS AGO!), but I am now officially shocked and amazed by this little skinny minnie appearing before me in this MedifastMaryland ad!


Mary Alice lost 42 lbs the ad proclaims. Wow!

I don't know what you have to fast on to lose 42 lbs, but I'm sure it's not all the leftover cake they have sitting around the bakery.

Looking good, MAlice!