The summer is almost over folks. :(
The thought of not having Jersey Beefsteak Tomatoes, summer corn and melons is making me sad.
I try to visit as many farmers markets each weekend to savor as much of what Jersey has to offer because I know soon it will be over.
I also want to mention that my first tomato plant has graced me with a ripe tomato. Yes, my single tomato is perfect. It has no insect marks, it is a perfect shape. And yes, I love it so much that I will hold on to it for as long as I can. I will even take pictures of it. It is a great feeling when something that you planted and watered and watched over, protected and talked to, finally produce such a beautiful tomato.
I am so proud.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Hell's Kitchen
The kitchen is really heating up on Hell's Kitchen. Chef Gordon gave Josh the boot before service was over. So that left four chefs to finish kitchen duty.
In the end, Bonnie had to choose between Jen, Rock and Julia as to who would go home.
With Rock and Julia on the chopping block, C.G. asked Julia to take off her chef coat.
I had to hand it to Julia, she is a true chef in the making. She doesn't have all of the skills that it takes to run a kitchen of her own, but you can tell she loves her job. And believe me, if you don't love what it takes to be in the kitchen, you don't need to be there.
I was really happy that Chef Gordon decided to send her to culinary school. She may be able to work in his kitchen when she is done.
Now that leaves Rock, Jen and Bonnie to fight for the chance of winning the competition. Who do you think will win?
By the way: Congrats to Tyler Florence on your marriage to Tolan, the birth of your new baby boy and the upcoming restaurant.
In the end, Bonnie had to choose between Jen, Rock and Julia as to who would go home.
With Rock and Julia on the chopping block, C.G. asked Julia to take off her chef coat.
I had to hand it to Julia, she is a true chef in the making. She doesn't have all of the skills that it takes to run a kitchen of her own, but you can tell she loves her job. And believe me, if you don't love what it takes to be in the kitchen, you don't need to be there.
I was really happy that Chef Gordon decided to send her to culinary school. She may be able to work in his kitchen when she is done.
Now that leaves Rock, Jen and Bonnie to fight for the chance of winning the competition. Who do you think will win?
By the way: Congrats to Tyler Florence on your marriage to Tolan, the birth of your new baby boy and the upcoming restaurant.
The People Have Spoken
The audience has selected Courtney Cox look-a-like, Amy Finley to be the next Food Network Star. (Yawn).
Poor Rory didn't even get a hug after Amy was announced to be the winner. What happened to the love, Amy?
I wish Amy well. And hopefully she will be able to handle the new job that the audience choose her to do.
Don't worry Alton, the year will go fast.
Poor Rory didn't even get a hug after Amy was announced to be the winner. What happened to the love, Amy?
I wish Amy well. And hopefully she will be able to handle the new job that the audience choose her to do.
Don't worry Alton, the year will go fast.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Fancy Food Show
I am a little late posting this item on the Fancy Food Show that I attended two weeks ago. But one thing I must say, it's too bad that this trade show is not open to the general public. If you, the readers knew what I knew about the foods that will hopefully soon be at a gourmet store near you or if you tasted the samples that I tasted, you would be amazed at what's in store for us.
To start, two sisters from Paterson, Betty and Kathy Dixon who own and operate a restaurant called Kingdom's Sea and Soul Restaurant, has a product that they were promoting called "Soul Rolls." I sampled the swiss cheese and spinach roll and believe me, that was the best thing I have ever tasted. The roll was made from filo dough and the swiss cheese and spinach was nicely seasoned. It was served with a sauce that they called Neo Soul Sauce.
They also have Latin-Style Chicken, Carne Asada Steak, Sun-Dried Tomato and Swiss, Jerk Chicken-Ja Roll, Sage Sausage and Smoked Turkey Soul Rolls.
I was told that this will be on the market soon, so look for it. These ladies have a real winner on their hands. And with the holiday season soon upon us, I know this product will be number one on everyone's shopping list.
For chocolate lovers, look for Heavenly Souffle. The all natural, kosher souffle goes from freezer to table in 20 minutes. And the souffle was heavenly.
Other samples worth mentioning are halloumi cheese. This is a Greek cheese that you can fry. Loved it. As a matter of fact, I am a cheese lover and I tried to learn more about the cheeses that's on the market these days. The Italians have a lot of great cheeses on the market and it is well worth your time to sample some at any store that sells them. I tasted a lot of goat cheese too and was amazed at how good goat cheese is.
The Fancy Food Show features three floors of food, wines, cheese and cookware. Two floors is devoted to international vendors and one floor devoted to the "mom and pop" vendors. Celebrity chefs that have new products on the market make an appearance at these shows. So far I've met Ina Gardner the Barefoot Contessa, Michael Chiarello, NapeStyle, Rick Bayless, just to name a few.
This is the fifth time I've attended the Fancy Food Show. And every time it gets better and better. And I look forward to attending many more.
To start, two sisters from Paterson, Betty and Kathy Dixon who own and operate a restaurant called Kingdom's Sea and Soul Restaurant, has a product that they were promoting called "Soul Rolls." I sampled the swiss cheese and spinach roll and believe me, that was the best thing I have ever tasted. The roll was made from filo dough and the swiss cheese and spinach was nicely seasoned. It was served with a sauce that they called Neo Soul Sauce.
They also have Latin-Style Chicken, Carne Asada Steak, Sun-Dried Tomato and Swiss, Jerk Chicken-Ja Roll, Sage Sausage and Smoked Turkey Soul Rolls.
I was told that this will be on the market soon, so look for it. These ladies have a real winner on their hands. And with the holiday season soon upon us, I know this product will be number one on everyone's shopping list.
For chocolate lovers, look for Heavenly Souffle. The all natural, kosher souffle goes from freezer to table in 20 minutes. And the souffle was heavenly.
Other samples worth mentioning are halloumi cheese. This is a Greek cheese that you can fry. Loved it. As a matter of fact, I am a cheese lover and I tried to learn more about the cheeses that's on the market these days. The Italians have a lot of great cheeses on the market and it is well worth your time to sample some at any store that sells them. I tasted a lot of goat cheese too and was amazed at how good goat cheese is.
The Fancy Food Show features three floors of food, wines, cheese and cookware. Two floors is devoted to international vendors and one floor devoted to the "mom and pop" vendors. Celebrity chefs that have new products on the market make an appearance at these shows. So far I've met Ina Gardner the Barefoot Contessa, Michael Chiarello, NapeStyle, Rick Bayless, just to name a few.
This is the fifth time I've attended the Fancy Food Show. And every time it gets better and better. And I look forward to attending many more.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Who Will be the Next Food Network Star?
Alton Brown said it best, "Let's get rid of all of them and start all over." Will it be Rory or Courtney Cox's look-a-like, Amy?
To me, neither Amy nor Rory fit the Food Network profile. It's too bad that Jag lied about himself, he would have made a good choice, but then again, he was a little too cocky or should I say, conceited.
Anyway, I think Rory will win this contest, mainly because Amy has doubts that she can do the job right. And remember, she lost to Jag and so therefore, she wasn't the judges choice to be the Next Food Network Star.
To me, neither Amy nor Rory fit the Food Network profile. It's too bad that Jag lied about himself, he would have made a good choice, but then again, he was a little too cocky or should I say, conceited.
Anyway, I think Rory will win this contest, mainly because Amy has doubts that she can do the job right. And remember, she lost to Jag and so therefore, she wasn't the judges choice to be the Next Food Network Star.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Reality Cooking Shows
Ok, I will admit I watch the Next Food Network Star on Sundays; Hell's Kitchen on Mondays; and Top Chef on Wednesdays. That's what I do, I am a hard-core foodie.
But really, how real are these shows?
Alton Brown of the Food Network said it best when he said "Can we get rid of all of them and start all over" when he referred to the choices trying to become the Next Food Network Star. In my opinion, none of the contestants are qualified for the job.
On Hell's Kitchen, there is a woman who picked pasta out of the garbage, ready to serve to diners. They got rid of a guy because he wasn't fast enough, but they kept the woman that would serve you pasta from the trash.
On Top Chef, I am sure everyone is more focused on what Padma is wearing than what any one is cooking.
And by the way, is it just me or is anyone else wondering if Padma's sudden divorce has anything to do with a sexy "Crafty" chef?
The bottom line is, how serious is this reality cooking? And for future chefs, what are you learning from this?
But really, how real are these shows?
Alton Brown of the Food Network said it best when he said "Can we get rid of all of them and start all over" when he referred to the choices trying to become the Next Food Network Star. In my opinion, none of the contestants are qualified for the job.
On Hell's Kitchen, there is a woman who picked pasta out of the garbage, ready to serve to diners. They got rid of a guy because he wasn't fast enough, but they kept the woman that would serve you pasta from the trash.
On Top Chef, I am sure everyone is more focused on what Padma is wearing than what any one is cooking.
And by the way, is it just me or is anyone else wondering if Padma's sudden divorce has anything to do with a sexy "Crafty" chef?
The bottom line is, how serious is this reality cooking? And for future chefs, what are you learning from this?
Help! I'm Starving
I've been a vegetarian since 1995. But every now and then, I will have fish or sometimes shrimp. One of my favorite pieces of fish is "Basa" fillets. At least that was what it was called when it first came out. "Basa" filet or "Swai" fillets is a mild favored fish that is part of the catfish family. It reminds me of flounder, that is why I like it so much.
Swordfish was one of my other favorites, but now I don't eat it because of the Mercury. I am tired of salmon, and tuna, well that is getting close to my least favorite fish as well.
Anyway, I was so happy to find the "Basa" fillets . A while back, there was a shortage of the mild fish, due to some kind of problem with shipping the fish from overseas. That problem was soon fixed and again I was enjoying fried, baked, and sauted fish.
It just so happen that I was reading an article in a newspaper that mentioned my favorite fish is now about to be banned from coming into the U.S. because of a harmful drug that can hurt humans.
I am so sad about that. I gave up spinach because I don't want to eat something that will make me sick. I gave up meat because, I just got tired of it.
And I can't drink milk because it upsets my stomach. What is a human to do?
I know there are a lot of starving people all over the world, so my little drama is not so important. But thinking about how dangerous our food supply is becoming, makes me stop and think and worry about the food sources for your future children and their children. It is very important for us to do something now, so that we can ensure safe food and water for our future to survive.
Swordfish was one of my other favorites, but now I don't eat it because of the Mercury. I am tired of salmon, and tuna, well that is getting close to my least favorite fish as well.
Anyway, I was so happy to find the "Basa" fillets . A while back, there was a shortage of the mild fish, due to some kind of problem with shipping the fish from overseas. That problem was soon fixed and again I was enjoying fried, baked, and sauted fish.
It just so happen that I was reading an article in a newspaper that mentioned my favorite fish is now about to be banned from coming into the U.S. because of a harmful drug that can hurt humans.
I am so sad about that. I gave up spinach because I don't want to eat something that will make me sick. I gave up meat because, I just got tired of it.
And I can't drink milk because it upsets my stomach. What is a human to do?
I know there are a lot of starving people all over the world, so my little drama is not so important. But thinking about how dangerous our food supply is becoming, makes me stop and think and worry about the food sources for your future children and their children. It is very important for us to do something now, so that we can ensure safe food and water for our future to survive.
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