Owner: Food Network Musings URL:http://www.foodnetworkmusings.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:15:18 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Join me in my obsession with the Food Network. It combines the best of many worlds - food, warm hosts, hot chefs and unrealistically gorgeous kitchens. I comment on all of that, plus give cooking tips, recipes. AND I want Ina to adopt me. Site statistics:Click here
Leaning Towards Lentil Soup 2007-04-10 22:04:00 This is a wonderfully hearty soup that gets so thick that you can stretch it by adding more stock. It's a good soup to have on hand for the weekend or when the numbers of guests keep shifting.Lentil
Soup (serves 8, at least)4 onions, chopped3 carrots, chopped2 stalks celery, chopped (I didn't add celery, but you go ahead) 2 tbls. olive oil1 lb. lentils, rinsed and picked over.8 cups vegetable stock (I use Swanson)2 red potatoes, cut into small pieces, with skin left on1 tsp. kosher salt freshly ground black pepperSoften onions and carrots in olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Cook, covered, on low heat until completely translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir in lentils, stock and potatoes. Bring to gentle simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Season to taste. Serve as is, or blend 2 cups or so until smooth and add back to the pot.
New Opportunity for Giada 2007-04-12 18:45:00 Buzz has been growing over the prospect of Tiki Barber (who has already signed on) being paired with Giada
for the new fourth hour of Today. It's slated to begin airing in September. That's great for us Giada fans, but I feel sort of sorry for Natalie Morales. She will have a role, but, once again, it seems she has been passed over for the big job. BTW, did you know that Meredith Vieira is contractually prevented from appearing after 9 a.m. ET/PT ? I wondered why she always RAN off at 8:59am. Read more:Opportunity
, New Opportunity
I'm Not Bragging, But I Did Get A 100% 2007-04-12 16:11:00 Go on over to AOL and take this quiz about the Food Network. Luckily, they didn't ask any questions about tablescapes or how many pounds of beef, pork and veal you can cram into one meatball, so I was ok. How well did you do?
Giada, What's For Lunch, Oh, And, Is It Too Much Trouble To Provide ALL The Recipes?? 2007-04-14 23:35:00 Everyday Italian with Giada
De LaurentiisEveryday Lunch
esRotini with Salsa di LimoneTaleggio and Pear PaniniChicken and Orzo FrittataTo get the recipes:Click hereI love the idea of adding orzo to a frittata, but frankly, I'm not sure I would make it JUST for this. Instead, I would probably wait until I had leftover orzo and then make it.Giada mixes 1/3 cup whole milk ricotta...Sorry, I have to interrupt again. Honestly, give your arteries a rest and go for low or even no-fat here. This is going to get mixed with plenty of eggs, which will pick the slack in the creaminess department, so it's really ok. Now she's adding creme fraiche. I'm beginning to think we're watching Ina. Again, if you want to take it down a notch or two, use sour cream of any fat content (even no-fat.) If these were the only sources of richness in the dish, then you might have a problem, but you already have 6 eggs, so you'll be fine. All kinds of other wonderful things are being added - roasted red peppers, Read more:Trouble
Sticky Icky Sandra Lee 2007-04-14 01:10:00 Sem-Eye Homemade with Sandra
LeeSimply Awful... I mean, Simply GreekSpinach Souffle-Phyllo CupsPork Kebobs with Red Grape SauceHot and Sticky WingsWarm Greek Garden OlivesSantor-tiniTo get the recipes:Click hereWhy did I do this to myself? I guess I just needed some lightheartedness after all the Imus ugliness. I thought a visit to the Greek Isles through Sandra's rose-colored Sem-Eye Homemade glasses would do the trick. Boy, was I wrong.We begin with Sandra grabbing a few things from the pantry, i.e. the den of horrors. She wanted to remember the wonderful time she had in Greece with her sister Cindy. She decided she would make a Greek menu, which would have been fine...if she had. But to call this dreck "Greek" is an insult to a fine and ancient people. She's starting with "Hot and Sticky Wings with Fruity Apricot, Pineapple and Jalapeno Sauce". Is all of that really necessary in the description of the dish? Aren't apricots and pineapples FRUIT? Then why say "Fruity"? The supposed
The Flavors of Your Life 2007-03-17 20:48:00 Barefoot Contessa - Ina GartenFlavors
and FlowersBeatty's Chocolate CakeBruschetta with Sauteed Sweet Peppers and Creamy GorgonzolaChicken Salad VeroniqueHerb Potato Salad To get the recipes: Click hereIna starts this episode with "I use any excuse to have a party." INVITE ME, INA. I like parties. She's particularly excited about this one, because it involves after-hours partying in a flower shop, and really, what could be more fun than that? Her menu is just delicious. She starts with Chicken Salad Veronique. By the way, you could do worse than spend an afternoon with Larousse Gastronomique, studying culinary suffixes so that when someone says "Veronique" you know she's talking about grapes. Sauce Aurore, anyone? How about Chicken Diablo? She roasts her chicken breasts on the bone. Olive oil, salt and pepper. they look good - not dry at all. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE BONELESS BREASTS - any of you. And Ina warns us not to poach them either. Roasting gives us so much more flavor. Her fav - H
All About The Food Network Awards 2007-04-16 15:43:00 There's a bit of red carpet footage, before the 9 o'clock hour. I'm going to be really mad, if they started early and I missed something. No, it seems ok. Various Food Network celebs are arriving. Oh, there's Giada being interviewed by Unwrapped's Marc Summers. Dave Lieberman looking very under dressed. All these folks look like they're coming out of the very same limo. They just switched the numbers to make it look like they're in different cars. Oh, there's Nigella's chest followed by the rest of her. My MY! She is getting quite prosperous, isn't she? The show is starting. Emeril comes out. Good choice for host. He's very warm. He tells us that a select panel from the Food Network Kitchens chose the nominees...and presumably the winners. Doesn't that make this whole thing bogus? Aren't they just picking the companies or products that partner with the Food Network on a regular basis? Isn't it kind of odd to have an awards show where you don't who the judge or jury is... Read more:Awards
Countdown To The Food Network Awards 2007-04-15 22:06:00 Ok, admit it, when you first heard about the Food Network Awards
, you thought it would be something like Best Male Host Of A Cooking Show with MC against Bobby and Emeril, for example. I certainly did, and so I was a bit disappointed to learn that it WASN'T Food Network stars pitted against each other in a vigorous battle of cooking demonstration supremacy. But, rather, categories of things, such as The Best Burger or The Best Cooking Invention Of The Year. These are of note, certainly, but worth an entire evening of viewing?....That remains to be seen. I was hoping for something like Best Cleavage In A Female Cooking Host... Nigella is definitely a contender, but the winner would have to be Giada. That was made no clearer than when I was trying to watch her weekend show about Newport. Honestly, I couldn't concentrate on the clam chowder, because I was so worried that it would drip down her formidable bosom. The Food Network Awards was prerecorded during February's Food Network Sout Read more:Countdown
Giada Redux 2007-04-15 21:50:00 I rewatched, super carefully this time, Giada
's Everyday Lunches. This is the recipe they left out on the website. I reconstructed it for you. Giada's Pear and Gorgonzola Tart3 pears, cored and thinly sliced2 tbls. unsalted butter4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature2 oz. Gorgonzola, at room temperature1 tbl. fresh thyme, finely shoppedFreshly ground black pepper and saltprebaked pastry shell3 slices prosciutto, juliennedSauté the pears for 5 minutes in butter until slightly softened and warm.In a small bowl, mix together the 2 cheeses and thyme. Season with freshly ground black pepper and a tiny amount of salt. Spread mixture in bottom of pastry shell. Cover with pears. Sprinkle over julienned prosciutto. Cut into wedges to serve.Note:I would prefer this in little individual phyllo cups, which are available frozen. Just cut the pears in a small dice, before you sauté them. Read more:Redux
It's Not That I Want You To Read Anthony's Bourdain's Blog INSTEAD Of Mine, But He Is So Darn Funny 2007-04-17 06:06:00 If anyone can raise our spirits, it's the spirited AnthonyBourdain
.He has a hilarious crude and sometimes cruel take (warning bad language found at this link) on anything involving the Food Network. Sometimes I think he's just mad that he wasn't invited to the table of a lot of the current witless Food Network programming. But he is right on the money about the Food Network awards. I wish I could quote him here, but his language is REALLY dirty, so I won't.My problem with the awards was that the entire concept was ill-conceived. And it was a shame, because it could have been so great to have had so many Food Network favorites under one roof. Why couldn't they have done a mass cooking demonstration, each person responsible for one dish, or divide them into teams and do an Iron Chef thing? Or have a round table discussion talking about their cooking philosophies...Of course, Sandra Lee would have to be uninvited and after Rachael said BEEF, PORK and VEAL, she'd have nothing to say Read more:Funny
As Bechamel is Mother Sauce To Mornay: Ina Is Mother Cook To Us All 2007-04-19 19:04:00 Barefoot Contessa - Ina GartenComforting and Elegant DinnerMac and CheesePeach Raspberry ShortcakesRadishes with Butter and Salt To get the recipes:Click here Ina's making a casual informal meal for Greg who's moving. I hope he got his exercise hauling furniture around, before he eats what she has planned for him. The menu comprises everyday dishes "with the volume turned up". In the Contessa's case, that usually means so much butter and cheese that the Southampton cows are thinking of going on strike.She teaches us how to make a bechamel sauce. I'm reminded of when I instructed (or thought I had) my then youngish daughter and her friend to finish the bechamel I was making. It was for a deluxe version of Macaroni and Cheese (sort of like Ina's recipe in this show). I had cooked the flour and butter (always 3 minutes on the lowest heat possible - no matter what any recipe tells you) and I had added the milk. I just needed the girls to bring it to the boil and cook it until thick an
"Honey Me Up"...Anything You Say, Chef 2007-04-18 19:04:00 Easy Entertaining with Michael ChiarelloAmericana Goes Gourmet"PLT" SaladSpiced and Honey Glazed Ham with Savory Bread PuddingPineapple-Mango Upside-Down CakeConey Island Iced TeaTo get the recipes:Click hereMichael is revamping American classic recipes, with his very own "chefly" touches that make them even more delicious than the originals. He starts with Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. He does something that I admit I never thought of, but it's very clever. He makes INDIVIDUAL ones. And not only that, he ramps up the flavor by adding mango. How perfect to add another tropical fruit which will complement the pineapple. He uses a cutter to make each pineapple round perfect. Then he makes an "agrodolce" syrup by browning the butter (go ahead and try it, it really enhances the flavor), and adding red wine vinegar and brown sugar. If the sugar doesn't quite melt, put it back on the heat. He pours that into the bottoms of buttered and sugared ramekins - a few tablespoons in each. The pineap
Three Out Of Four Ain't Bad 2007-03-25 06:05:00 Giada De Laurentiis - Everyday Italian Rustic Italian Cooking Chicken CacciatoreSmashed Parmesan PotatoesLemon Parsley BruschettaChocolate Anise CookiesFor recipes:Click hereGiada has barely introduced her cleavage, oops, I mean the first recipe, to the audience, when I have my first substitution.* Anise. Don't tell her, but I will not be putting anise in these biscotti. I may put cinnamon in or perhaps lemon zest, but anise is a definite nonstarter. Now she's saying that it's a bit of a workout to make the cookie batter with a hand mixer. Then why, for heaven's sake, are you not using the sturdy Kitchen Aid that I can see in the corner? Oh, she's adding chocolate chips. I don't know why, but this combination of chocolate chips and anise completely DO NOT APPEAL to me. By the way, I prefer the ah-NIECE pronunciation.Giada takes out the silpat to bake the dough on. I hate silpat. This recipe is really rubbing me the wrong way. However, she says to use parchment paper in the actual Read more:Three
Lidia - The Italian Ina 2007-04-20 23:40:00 The other day, I got an email from Borders as part of their "reward program"*. I usually delete them, unless I know I'm buying a book in the near future and I need a coupon. For some reason, I opened this one and I am glad I did. In it was a brand new feature that they've launched called Borders Kitchen. The first one is a spectacularly wonderful series of videos with Lidia Bastianich, demonstrating recipes from her new book, Lidia's Kitchen. Click on videos to watch.Whether you know her from her Public Television series or her books or her restaurants, you know what an excellent teacher she is. Now, why is this video so good? It's as if we're visiting with Lidia ourselves in her very own kitchen. She's tells us family stories and takes us for a tour of the market, as well as shows us several recipes from the book. Each video lesson lasts 10 minutes or longer.There are 2 other folks in the kitchen with her - Mark Palmucci and Nicole Sims. I'm not entirely sure who they are (from Read more:Italian
Salad Days 2007-04-23 00:50:00 It's getting to be salad weather, although we should be eating it all the time anyway. It is a lot easier - no matter WHAT time of year - if you have the dressing ready to go. But I'm not suggesting BOTTLED dressing. The only one I ever thought that was acceptable was the Silver Palate's Raspberry Splash. THAT IS SO GOOD. I could eat it by the cupful.Now that I mention it, I'm not sure if I love the Raspberry Sun Salad
Splash, which is a light dressing with 80 calories for 2 tablespoons or REALLY Raspberry Salad Splash, which has no oil and only 25 calories for 2 tablespoons. It DOES have corn syrup, though, which isn't good for anything, so I guess I'd take the Raspberry Sun Salad Splash and use only 1 tablespoon.But we don't have to worry about that because I'm going to give you a fantastic salad dressing recipe - one of my favorites. Make a batch of it on Sunday and you'll have it for the entire week. You can also use it as a marinade on chicken that you're grilling. Of co
Back To Basics, But Shouldn't They At Least Be Good, Giada? 2007-04-21 22:07:00 Everyday Italian with Giada
De LaurentiisGiada's Kitchen Basics
Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon OilQuick and Spicy Tomato SoupArugula Endive Salad with White Wine VinaigretteBerry StrataTo get the recipes:Click hereWe see Giada shopping at Wild Oats. Too bad they've been bought out by Whole Foods and we'll have fewer choices of great places to shop. (Whole Foods is great, but Wild Oats has some great stuff too.)Today, she's going to show us meals that can be cooked from our pantries. Now, just for a moment, let's analyse the difference between what her recipes will be like and what Sandra Lee's (who prides herself on her den of iniquity called a pantry) would be like. First of all, Giada's food won't have any unholy overly neon colors, and the only fizz will come from Prosecco, not a powdery substance. On second thought, let's NOT do that. We know what Giada produces will be worthy of being eaten, while with Sandy's, we have no such assurance.Giada tell us to keep our pantry st
Arugula - The New Pomegranite 2007-04-27 15:50:00 If you don't like arugula, you really ARE out of the loop as far as the Food Network chefs go. I think someone sent out a memo, because EVERYONE is using arugula. At last look, 443 recipes came up on the Food Network website for Arugula. You know what the first one was? Illinois Rabbit with Wilted Arugula, Goat Cheese, Nuts, and Arugula Puree. That's just silly. (I must say their recipe index is one of the worst. They list ridiculous recipes first and they give no misspelling help). Epicurious listed 380 recipes, and while the first one WAS Arugula and Goat Cheese Ravioli - probably not what 99% of people are looking for when they type in Arugula - 7 out of 10 recipes on the first page of the search WERE for some type of Arugula Salad.But back to the Food Network, even if the recipe doesn't list it, they're adding arugula. Remember last week? Michael Chiarello's peach salad called for spinach, but, on the show, he added arugula instead? It's being thrown around with complete aban
Rachael, Ground Turkey Does Not (Necessarily) A Healthy Diet Make 2007-04-26 20:20:00 Well, I HAD to see Bill on Rachael
. I do love him and he looked fabulous. But before he came out, she talked about how lucky she is to have a family that gave her such a wonderful relationship with food. She wants to use that as a vehicle to give back to the world. Even SHE sounded sheepish about the name of her foundation - The Yum-O! Organization - as she announced plans for it. I get that that's one of her trademark expressions, but it's kind of dumb, even if the goals are lofty.The three goals for the Yum-O! Organization* are:Get People CookingGet Rid of Hunger in AmericaGive Culinary ScholarshipsThen she introduced a family she's working with who eats junk food three times a day. I think it's great that she's their cheerleader, but the recipes she suggested for them will not change their lives. I'm sorry, but ground turkey is not the answer to the obesity problem in America. (And she did a similar horrible thing that Giada did. But, at least, Rachael MADE hers from scratch). Read more:Turkey
Rachael Ray: "Hello Mr. President" 2007-04-25 20:04:00 I caught a 3 minute snippet of Rachael
Ray's show this morning and I was thinking that my opinion of her was really right on the money. I can't stand her food, it's all a lot of the same thing, just using different combinations of ground meat and as much cheese as necessary to camouflage the lack of inventiveness. Oh wait, she did REINVENT a Caesar Salad the other day, by making a substitution for the croutons. You know what she put in instead? FRIED CHEESE RAVIOLI! That's as awful an idea as I've ever heard. Why didn't she just add Fritos and dispense with the frying? BUT that's my opinion of her cooking. My opinion of her daytime talk show hosting abilities is quite different. I think she's a very solid, stalwart, capable leader of her own show. I just wish she would get a real chef (I know, I know she never calls herself a chef) to do the cooking segments. Anyway, this part that I saw today was entertaining, although the pay-off was a bit lame. She had 3 television judges - Read more:Hello
, President
, Rachael Ray
Michael Chiarello - Master Of Salads And My Heart 2007-04-24 21:05:00 Easy Entertaining with Michael
ChiarelloSalad For Dinner Raw Corn, Arugula, and Pecorino Salad with Grilled Chicken BreastWarm Peach and Prosciutto SaladOld World Italian Fruit Bowl on IcePecorino with Honey and HazelnutsProsecco DigestifTo get the recipes:Click hereThis was a really interesting show where MC used many different techniques and showed us some great ways of doing things, as well as producing his usual topflight recipes.Michael loves salads so much that he wanted to do an entire show about them and use them as an excuse for a party. He's going to host a salad supper (I hate that word, because I think it implies an diminution of an incredibly important part of the day - dinner) right in the middle of the garden.He starts with a robust spice blend for chicken that's going to be grilled. He loves to toast his own whole spices and then make a powder. That does result in an amazing flavor and is well worth the effort. Fennel seeds aren't my favorite, but I'm willing to giv Read more:Master
, Heart
Ina, Slow Down A Minute And Smell The Lemongrass 2007-04-23 23:30:00 Barefoot Contessa - Ina GartenLunch in a BoxLobster Cobb Salad RollsBrown Rice, Tomatoes and BasilMini Orange Chocolate Chunk CakeTo get the recipes:Click hereIna's friend, Edwina, is bringing her a big box with herbs, so Ina thought she'd whip up a little dinner in a box as a thank you. She's including Lobster Cobb Salad. LOBSTER COBB SALAD!!! Ina, here's a pot of parsley, what can I have? What would happen if Edwina brought you some marigolds? Would that be dinner for 20? I guess for tulips, you would cook all summer for her. You are nothing, if not incredibly generous.Ina likes to take recipes that she knows really well and play with them. Today she's adding orange zest and chocolate chunks to a favorite cake. She creams the butter and sugar until light. It can take up to 5 minutes. Then she adds the eggs one at a time. She readies the dry and wet ingredients separately. Flour, baking powder, baking soda. Whoa, slow down Contessa! She knows this recipe so well that she's rushi Read more:Minute
, Smell
, Lemongrass
The Barefoot Quandary of Extra-Large Eggs and Bleu Cheese 2007-04-29 22:15:00 Barefoot Contessa - Ina GartenBarefoot Reunion Barbecued RibsBlue Cheese
Cole SlawChocolate Ganache CupcakesNew Potato SaladTo get the recipes:Click here Ina tells us about her store, Barefoot Contessa, which she sold in 1996. It almost sounds like another icon...this time on the big screen: "I had a farm in Africa". Anyway, Ina has invited 6 of her longtime co-workers from "the early years'" to dinner and she's making several of their famous dishes. And she can't wait to see how they're all doing.She starts with barbecued ribs. Apparently, this recipe was a long time in development. They had several recipes they were working with and she decided to put them all together - Asian, Tex-Mex, traditional - to come up with what became the signature Barefoot Contessa Barbecued Ribs. She cooks the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Then she adds chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, ginger, lime zest and juice. Goodness, there's more! She's adding vinegar, mustard and orange ju Read more:Barefoot
, Extra
Weeknights...And The Eating Is Easy 2007-04-29 00:30:00 Everyday Italian with Giada De LaurentiisWeeknight WondersRoasted Cod with Lima BeansWilted Greens with Ricotta SalataArtichoke GratinataFusilli with Spinach and Asiago CheeseTo get the recipes:Click hereGiada has a busy week. The show starts with her picking up her cleaning. (Who here believes that Giada actually picks her own cleaning?) Anyway, she doesn't want to, or want us, to get take-out for dinner. She wants to show us how a quick meal can be made, even on a busy night. Thank goodness, she didn't use the word "strategy", which never portends a good meal, OR the expression "30 Minute", which I guess would be stepping on a certain someone's toes. Pasta with a few other ingredients can become a full dinner. Show us Giada, please. She starts by very well salting the pasta water. (If you are in a hurry, the second you walk into the house, you should put that water on the stove and get it boiling. You want the water to wait for you, not the other way around.) She adds the fusilli
My Greens Are Bigger, Oops, I Mean Better, Than Giada's 2007-05-02 15:59:00 Giada did Wilted Greens
last week, and it got me thinking about different ways to cook these Great Greens. They seem to benefit considerably from Asian style seasonings, as well as Italian style sautéeing with plenty of garlic and garnished with cheese.The list of nutritional benefits of kale and Swiss chard and other greens is long, but don't let that stop you from enjoying them. Blanching or steaming them before sautéeing makes them more tender and easier for first timers to appreciate. They cook down substantially, so allow 1 big bunch for 2 people.Kale with Garlic and Ginger (serves 4)There are 2 methods for this recipe. The first is to cook the kale first and THEN sauté. The second is to skip to precooking. This gives you a stronger, heartier flavor. 2 tsps. olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 inch piece fresh ginger 2 bunches kale, washed, large stems removed water as needed 1 tbl. soy sauce or tamari 1 tbl. sesame seeds 1 tsp. sesame oil Method 1: Cook kale in boiling salted Read more:Giada
Let's Es-Cape From Sandra Lee 2007-05-01 22:29:00 Sem-Eye Homemade with Sandra
LeeBaseball TailgateCheesesteak SubsDrunken FloatsGrilled Shrimp Skewers Marinated in an Orange-Champagne VinaigretteVery Berry Cream CupsTo get the recipes:Click hereDid you know that Sandra Lee gets THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS a speech? I was flabbergasted, so I thought maybe her show deserved a closer look and I decided to watch the "Baseball Tailgate" episode.Sandy starts the show off in cute (or vomitrocious, depending on your perspective) braids. She's rooting for her nephews at the baseball field, one of whom is in contention for the Most Home Runs for the state of Washington, so she's making lunch for the kids and I guess whomever else is around.She starts with the shrimp, which are going to be marinated in a Vinegar-Ette. Actually, Sandy, it's Vin-Ah-Grette. She opens the Italian seasoning, her miracle seasoning...why, because it's a miracle that you're still alive after ingesting so much artificial-ness in one lifetime? She's using 1 tables
Hot Dog, It's Michael Chiarello Hitting A Home Run With His Lunch For The Little Leaguers 2007-04-30 22:55:00 Easy Entertaining with Michael
ChiarelloLittle League Tailgate Best Hot DogsHome Made Quick Pickle RelishHot Sweet MustardHomemade BBQ Potato Chips with Smoked PaprikaWarm Potato-Tomato Salad with Dijon VinaigretteApple and Blueberry Hand PiesLemon-Grape CoolersTo get the recipes:Click here Who would have thought there was a gourmet way to cook hot dogs? Well, there is, as Michael Chiarello shows us in this episode. He's having the Little Leaguers over for lunch after the game. He's putting out a particularly nice spread for them. He starts with “Hand Pies”, which are homemade versions of those little pies, which I think you can still find in the back of a supermarket shelf. Gosh, weren’t those good? Cherry was my favorite and I loved the overly thickened cornstarchy artificially flavored super sweet filling. Those were the days!Anyway, Michael is making his own, higher quality version with frozen puff pastry.He starts the filling by coring and cutting up peeled apples and toss Read more:Hitting
, Lunch
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