My Big Cali Bite

Hey there! I got back late last night from the California stop on Guy Fieri's Roadshow and spent most of the day resting and preparing for the big snowstorm everyone keeps warning us about up here on the northeast side of the country. I was only there for 24 hours, but I did manage to pack in some fun.

First things first, how neat is it that you can finally wifi during a flight? I can never sleep for a long period of time on a flight and just loved surfing around while I was on the way there and back. Right when I landed at LAX all that I could think about was Pico and LaBrea, the corner I had many a meal at and from when I lived in Rancho Cucamonga, CA ... yeah, look that place up, it exists in more than just Next Friday. Ok, so I got to the corner and it was a choice between Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles or my fave Los Angeles taco stand. I decided to go with instant gratification and not wait to be seated or any of that mess, time was of the essence ... I made a run for the stand.
Lucy's, that's the name of it ... funny how I can go there about a jillion times and never think to check the name. I do that often, just like the cheesesteak place in Philadelphia (Max's). I accept my foodie faults, we all have em. Here's a look at Lucy's from across the street.
If you look close or click on the photo to enlarge you can see the ledges on the outside of the street windows, the best thing is to walk up and eat it right there! I just totally love street food. Started back in Germany, followed me through my time in South Korea and it's with me now in Brooklyn. Nice. Ok, here is the other place to eat there ... on the patio.
With only a little wiggle room in my schedule, I chose the drive-thru ...
Where to start ... so much to choose from. Well, here is where I went from memory. For the longest my favorite combination in a burrito is chorizo and bean. No more, no less. I don't even think it's on the menu in that manner, but I always make sure that when I say it the emphasis so on point, they know what I mean. No tomatoes, no cheese, no lettuce. So, just minutes later I had a bag full of goodies and If I weren't alone I would've torn through it in the car. We pulled out of the drive-thru and as we passed Roscoe's I just couldn't help it so I stopped in to see if my fave guy was there and he wasn't so I left a note that I'd stopped by. When I was eating there years ago between taping pilots and having meetings, he'd sit with me occasionally because I was by myself and probably looked lonely. I'd talk to him about my dreams and goals and how I really wanted a cooking show on Food Network. A few years later and here I am. Great to eat somewhere that feels like more than just a business, it has heart.

After thinking mostly about the burrito for the entire ride, I finally got to my hotel room and arranged my long awaited meal ...
That's my baby right there! It comes with chips, salsa and a pickled jalapeno ... just $5 and some change. I set everything up on the coffee table, turned the television to the news and I felt so happy! I forgot to tell you before, when I pulled up to the window to order, I teared up a bit. It took me back to a time when I was struggling in so many different ways and it just felt great to be back under different circumstances. Plus, food is just an emotional thing for me, I LOVE it. There are scents and flavors that take me back to some great places I've been, great memories. There are times I have to control my emotions when taping Cooking for Real because sometimes food and the story behind it is just so emotional. Ever feel like that? Wimpy over food? So anyway, I was happy to be back in my room alone to enjoy the burrito ... I massacred it!
That's halfway through. The chorizo they use has such a unique spice and flavor profile. See the onions? It's spicy, smokey and has a nice sweet note to it. The beans are creamy and not a touch dry, but they have substance too. Just really yummy. The tortilla has a nice chew to it and nothing is soggy, just perfect even after the 15 minute ride to the hotel in West Hollywood.

After I finished I had to get ready for the show so I cleaned up and headed over to the venue. I was excited to meet Robert Irvine because I knew he was going to be on the show, but I walked around to the backstage area to say hi to people prepping the stage for the show and ran into someone else I'd never 'met' ...
It's Jeffrey Saad from this past season of Next Food Network Star! I was a guest on the show twice so I've tasted his food, but we had minimal contact during the taping, because I judged and made comments along with the other guests. He was there to open up for Guy. That's something Guy did in every city, have a local chef come out before him and do a cooking demo. Very cool, he also hosted a pre-show cooking class for young chefs. BTW, did you know Jeffrey still works with Food Network?? He has a show called The Spice Smuggler and there are 4 webisodes available to view. After we chatted and I met his wife, I headed off to find Robert ...
Big guy huh? His muscles are huge!!! He's a really nice guy. Before we went on stage I went to go tell him my version of break a leg which is break a cream sauce and I found him on the floor doing push ups! I told him I was gonna tell, but I've seen guys do this before. It's the pre-shoot or pre-beach pump-up, but does it really work? I don't know, but it looked funny.

About an hour before he goes on Guy does a walk through with everyone in his dressing room. He discusses the order of events, who does what, when we enter the show ... everything. Here he is getting down to business ...
That guy to his left is "Panini", after I met him I told Guy that I want a Knuckle Sandwich nickname, there are so many. Anyway, his whole crew is just the best. Nice, hard working guys. After the pre-show run through we all just broke off into segments to get ready and then when the time was right, we headed on stage for the fun. I came out with a bottle of tequila for the margarita machine and treated it like a baby and cradled it. Then I sang a lil lullaby to it and poured it into the big machine I showed you from the last time I joined Guy. Then Robert headed out with two more bottles to pour in. The ladies really roared for him! Then we all got behind the counter for some cooking ...
Robert and I helped out a bit and left the stage ... but fell before we completely got off stage. It was pretty funny and he fell on top of me, all I could think was for such a big guy, he wasn't that heavy. Anyway, it was such a fun experience and the last show is tonight in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel. The guys worked so hard and to see them in the beginning and see how the show progressed and they all stayed happy and vibrant, put a smile on my face. Guy announced at the show that he has a game show on the the way with NBC and it's something for the whole family, so look for that in the future!

Ok, time to look out the window and see if there's more snow! Have a great weekend and I'll leave you on a sweet note ...
If you are a cookie monster like me, it's worth clicking this picture and getting some detail. It is THE BEST bakery cookie I've had in years. Can't even tell you the last time I had a non-homemade cookie that was worth talking about. I got this last week at The City Bakery just outside of Union Square in NYC and was a bit upset I had to share it with my guy when I got it home with me. I know it's good when I'm selfish. :-)

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm Goin Back to Cali ...

Hey there! If you are in the Los Angeles area, I'm headed your way! Tomorrow night Guy Fieri's Roadshow is making a stop on the West Coast and I'll be along for the ride! Robert Irvine will be there too and I haven't met him yet, so that will be nice. I can't wait to have fun on stage with Guy again, the last time was a blast and I'm excited about the second time! We always manage to have a great time. Check here for tickets and Kleetus' Blog is a good place to start if you want to see behind the scenes stuff from the tour.

As usual, I'll take some flicks and share them. If you have tickets already ... I can't wait to meet you!!! I'm gonna try to squeeze in Roscoe's and my favorite taco stand, wish me foodie luck! If you don't have tickets, it's the perfect early-Christmas present for the Triple D or Guy's Big Bite fanatic! See you there!

What I Had for Linner: Cookies!!!!!

Hey there! Well, it was 2 holiday parties in two nights for me this week and last night I headed over to Frost, a dual party thrown by Food Network and FLN at a hotel in NYC. It was just a gathering of people in marketing and sales and I was there to meet co-workers and hang out. The event was called Frost because that's all most people did the whole night, frost up some holiday cookies. What a neat idea, as soon as I walked in I got a choice of cookies to decorate and then after mingling for a bit I sat down to play with my food. Here are my creations ...
I frosted them under plenty of scrutiny ... people at the table kept watching me and it made me nervous lol. I'm thinking, they know I'm not Martha right? After concentrating on the girl's outfit, I decided the guy just needed some flair, not clothes. I actually started putting together a narrative in my head for the cookie couple, that's when I knew I was having fun. I'd totally reverted to childhood thoughts while sprinkling on sugar and stuff. After I put mine safely in their boxes is when the dance floor started to get packed. Soon after, this guy kept trying to get me over there ... he kept yelling and making faces towards me like "c'mon" and then finally got a punch line everyone laughed at ... he said "Hey Sunny you're Cooking for Real, well I'm dancin' for real!!" ... here he is trying to convince me from across the table with the dance floor right behind him ...
Didn't get his name, but I did head to the dance floor for a few minutes. After a quick dance I went to check on my cookies (I'm a protective mommy) and took a couple more pictures of other's creations ...
That's Wendy, she styles many sets for Food Network and you've totally gotta check this video to see more of what she does, it was taped while I was taping, so I'm honored to be a part of the video. Wendy is truly a value at work. I called her cookies 'stained glass'. Take a look at Jamie's cookies ... she works with Wendy and styled my set for the Viva Towels commercials.
They got to the party a bit late because they are working on a show so I had to inform them about the boxes for the cookies. I went off to get them some boxes to pack up and was asked by someone if I'd seen the "Tiger Woods" cookies. I thought, is this a joke? And surely it was ... I was walked over to a table where some people decorated a gingerbread man like Tiger, complete with a bloody lip and then another cookie that was to be Elin, with a golf club in her hand. We all had a laugh at it and then I said, it was missing the car scene. So someone got me a marker and I scribbled out the artwork ...
What an end of the year story, huh? Funny how these things can permeate all of society to where we are decorating holiday cookies in reference to the news.

Well, after the party I headed home with my two cookies, one for me and one for my guy. Sitting here typing this morning, this is all that's left of mine ...
I had so much fun decorating the cookies, I thought I'd share. At parties like this they always have a gift bag with goodies when you leave and I always take one, but they usually pile up in my closet. Would you like the one from last night, plus some other stuff thrown in? I only have one and I'm only me, so let's make this simple ... In comments the first person to answer these questions correctly first wins:
1. What Food Network chef gave me my start with a guest spot on their show? What did we make?

2. What building in NYC houses the main studio for Food Network?

3. How many Bobby Flay series have the word or stem word "grill" in the title? Name them.

4. Who won season 4 of NFNS?

5. Where does Guy Fieri's Roadshow end? City and venue.

Here's what you'll win ...
It's the tote (perfect for Earth-friendly shopping), the apron, the cookie cutter, recipe, a Food Network magazine and I'll throw in some other gift bag stuff from other parties. (sorry, I ate my cookie lol, I'll send crumbs though teeheehee) Ok, good luck if you want it. I'll put it in the mail over the weekend! Remember, the first one with all of them correct wins!

What I Had for Linner: Electric Artists

Well, it's the holiday season, so there are many parties to attend and just last week I got an invitation to join some co-workers at a casual foodie affair, my kinda stuff. I love a holiday party because it means eating among friends, but even better when it's a relaxed event. This was thrown by Electric Artists and they had several food purveyors there with plenty of good stuff to eat. After I got something to drink I headed across the room towards the food. When the food is good, everyone is standing around it, that was the case here and on the way through the crowd guarding the food, I stopped to talk to some people and ran into Howie. Here we are ...
He came by to welcome me to the event and make an introduction. Howie is the SVP of Electric Artists and he's a foodie that watches Food Network. I told him about my blog and we snapped away, sorry it's blurry. Seconds after we took this picture some of my co-workers came by on the way to the food and I was reminded what I was there to do ... eat! I'd already done a bit of research on the way in and everyone was talking about the lobster roll from Bklyn Larder and it looked yummy ...
Can you see it? A side note, you know sometimes I take pictures at corny times in the hopes of sharing them here, tonight I wasn't going to take any and then I saw a press photog there and thought, well one more flash won't hurt :-). Anyway, I am also sharing because as I took that picture above, over my shoulder is what I would eventually have for Linner. It would also remind me to update you on one of my foodie journeys ...
I had a little something from Bark Hot Dogs. I got a Bark Dog, with sweet peppers, relish, mustard and onion. Here's Clarissa serving it up ...
She was working hard, and if you'll notice I said a little something, because like before ... the serving size was only part of a hot dog :-( . That's the thing. I guess you can't really stand there and eat a whole one in a cocktail setting, but boy did I want to. It was yummy! Really good pop when I bit into it, for the hot dog lovers out there. As soon as I polished it off, I was reminded of my last great hot dog and remembered that I forgot to share that here and intended to. I took a poll about hot dogs and shortly after that I took a trip to one of the cities I had yet to sample a local dog from and had a great experience. Stick around and I'll share some flicks from that trip ... and if you live close to this place, I'm jealous.

Today on Today

Hey there! Well, in the middle of last week I got a call to return to The Today Show. Although I'm not taping, most of my days are filled with a bit of work. So right in the middle of preparing something for Food Network Magazine, I got the email from my p.r. rep at Food Network about appearing on the show today. The segment was to be about online holiday gifts for the host and I was asked to submit 6 companies. Seems easy, but when they are restricted to just one region, it's hard to brainstorm companies I've ordered from or tasted products from in some other way. With not all my initial pitches making the first cut, I chatted about it instead of emailing and all of a sudden many others came to mind, don't you like it when that happens? So it took a couple of days to settle on the list, but good ol' conversation trumps email when brainstorming. By Thursday all of the companies I wanted to feature were approved and calls were made to get product ordered overnight.

I thought that was it, but if you remember last time I told you about the guys n gals at The Today Show, they like to play it safe and rehearse. Wanna know how serious they are about it? Rehearsal was set for a Sunday! Yep! So, yesterday at 330PM I got in the car they sent with my index cards for notes and headed to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I headed into familiar territory and checked out the table with all the products lined up and ready to go.

That's a first-person look at the table with my products on it. When I got to the studio, none of them were lined up and as each was put on the table I discussed with the food stylist what I would say and which products I would highlight from each company. I was told I would be in my segment with Meredith Vieira. I thought, pretty cool since I'd never met or worked with her. Once we had the order down and I had my index cards all covered with my lefty scribbles, it was over. I got back in the car and headed home to figure out what to wear. I tried on two options, emailed my bff and got the go ahead ... I'm not one for style so many times like an illness, I seek a second opinion. I studied my cards a bit more, watched Dexter and went to sleep.

At 5AM I popped up and because I had everything sitting out like the first day of school, I got ready and was in the car by my expected 530 and arrived at the studio by 615. After chilling in the green room getting to know the other guests for the morning, an NBC Page showed me to a different make-room from the last time and I got hair and make up started at 710. We were done around 730 ... really fast, then I went to sit in a studio to tape the video you see of all the people in the segment just smiling. We all sat and smiled silently for about 30 seconds and then headed to the green room to wait for our part of the show. BTW, I'm not the only one in the segment. It's just like the last time, it's a segment they call internally "The Whip" ... they whip around the studio from one host to the next in rapid fire ... I guess that's the origin. After all of the back and forth with companies, I ended up getting my section of the country changed to not just the South, but other areas as well. What it really boiled down to is, there were some great companies that deserved attention, no matter the region and I'm happy they allowed me to stretch the boundaries a bit. While chatting with the segment producer before the show I found out I'd be with Ann Curry for my segment after all. That was cool because I felt I knew her timing more from the first experience.

Just before 8AM I was hustled from the green room up two flights of stairs to the kitchen studio for my segment. One day I want to actually cook there :-) ... until then chatting about my recipes on one show and then products on the other, is fine with me! Ann arrived to the set a few minutes before the segment and we chatted a bit about the products and then she asked where I was from. I told her I was a military brat and we found we have that in common. In the middle of us small talking ... we were cut short for the real biz at hand ...



Like a wedding, it was over before you know it. Ann said some really nice stuff when we were done and then In the interest of not hanging around, I put on my coat and was about to leave when I thought ... lemme ask Ann for a picture to put on my blog. She said it would be cool and I threw my coat off and smiled away ...
If you are interested in any of the products, check their website for the product list with links. And if you have 7 minutes, by all means check out the entire video to see the rest of the products on the list. Question, does anyone look familiar in the video to you foodies?

Catch Me Tomorrow on The Today Show! @ 8ish

Thanksgiving Day Rewind!

Hey there! So, hopefully by now you are out of your tryptophan coma. I spent all of yesterday working on a cook book proposal. I just sat and typed, the next thing I knew it was midnight. Because of all that work, I have some time to put up some pictures today. A special thanks to Clark Vincent for working on Thanksgiving. Sure, I was on the float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but he got up and arrived at my house at 530AM on Thanksgiving to give me a face and do my hair. I can't say thanks enough because I as told you, I found out just 2 days before that I would participate in the parade. Short notice to change holiday plans. Thanks Clark.

Ok, so after he got me camera ready and helped me figure out "red hat or black hat", I left the house and to my surprise just like the itinerary said, a Macy's employee was waiting on my curb to escort me to the parade. His name was Alex and together he and the driver tried to figure out why I was so happy that early in the morning. I just was and always seem to be, I made it through the night and get to take place in some Americana ... what's not to smile about? Well, that and in a few hours I'd be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner!

When we got to the beginning of the parade route there were rows of buses and I was shuttled onto a bus and offered a danish. I took a mini muffin and declined on the coffee, I was already awake. Two seconds later Katherine McPhee hopped on the bus, she was in the parade and looked great with her new blond hair. I'd have a picture, but as soon as she arrived, she had to leave for an interview with US Weekly. There were two soap stars on the bus (one very handsome man from across the pond) and another that worked with him on their show. I'm not into stories too much, so unfortunately I forgot the names and everything. Then Anne Burrell and Claire Robinson arrived on the bus. Finally, some one to chat with that I knew! Here we are at the table chillin' ...

Two seconds after we took this, Gloria Gaynor (I will Survive) stepped on the bus and from behind thought Anne was Cyndi Lauper. That was hilarious. Minutes later we were hustled off the bus and taken to our float.
That's my point of view as we walked the short distance to Tom Turkey, our float.

That's about 20 minutes before the parade began. Everyone else was outfitted like pilgrims and many were family members, so it was nice that they could spend the holiday together.

This is a look ahead of us before we got moving and the balloons fell into line. If you look close off to the right you can see Kermit the Frog waiting to file into place from a perpendicular street.
There he is! I have to admit, I turned into a big kid when I saw him start to move. My heart started beating fast and I thought of all the times I sat and sang songs from my Kermit the Frog CD growing up. He was such a friend in my head. I know, a frog. Too funny.
Below is a look at Tom Turkey's backside. I was taking a tiny tour of the float and saw the door open. Elizabeth and Tracey popped their heads out to say hi and I discovered they are the ones that flap his wings throughout the parade. Cool job ladies!
Take a look down one of the side streets. It was packed and everyone was waving and yelling "Happy Thanksgiving!" or "Happy Holidays!"
Then, something cool happened ... we turned the corner at Columbus Circle and headed down to Times Square.

I was just telling you how neat it felt to move to NYC and host my first event in Times Square, on some level at the age of 25, working at the country's top Hip Hop station, I just really felt accomplished in my goals. Here I was again, in Times Square marveling at how goals can come true if you only work towards them. No, my goal wasn't to be in the parade, but to work hard enough to be invited, just made me feel like I was 25 again. We made it down to the end of the parade and if you caught it, that's when you saw us for about 30 seconds just waving and smiling. The funny thing is, not two seconds after we passed the television cameras, the parade was over. We got off the float and the same guy that picked me up that morning was waiting to take me to my car to go home. I got in my car and got to Brooklyn so fast, the parade was still on television. I was telling everyone that if they saw me texting on television it was me telling my guy to take the pork roast out of the fridge so it could lose the chill. Happily he did and took this flick of me just as I walked in to inspect the kitchen.

That's my pork on the left there.
That's a top view. A lil orange juice and some of those sausage links I showed you the other day. I'll feature the easy recipe on a future show. After the overnight rest and little rest on the counter, it takes just 4 hours to turn into some yummy pernil ... oooohhhhweeee I love some crunchy skin!!!
And I know you are thinking it, yes ... I decided there would be as little to clean as possible on this day, so I made the roast in an aluminum pan. Look at the chopped garlic on the meat!

Here's the teeny mac and cheese I prepped the day before.
A lil 8X8 for two and then I also made another one for Clark along with some yams ...

In all I made, pernil, mac and cheese, yams, mofongo, seasoned rice, red bean gravy for the rice and mofongo, pumpkin cheesecake pie, tiramisu and salad. Yes, salad was the only green thing lol. He took pictures of everything, but many are fuzzy, and actually we thought about taking a picture of the mofongo only after we inhaled it. It was a good laugh. We ate it as an appetizer because we couldn't wait for the pork to get to temperature and eat it all together. We were so full by the end of the day. I think we fell asleep at 7ish. Before you wonder about the menu, it was mostly suggestions from my guy, so no turkey. Instead he requested the pernil, rice, mofongo and gravy. Then I said what about dessert? He said pie or tiramisu. Specifically the spiked tiramisu I made for Pat and Gina on Down Home with The Neely's. I said why not both because I knew I had everything in the pantry. As for my requests ... all I really wanted was the mac and the yams, without those it just isn't a holiday to me. Hope you had your definition of holiday fun and food. Thanks to everyone that caught us in the parade!! What fun!!!