Hahahaha! Michelle Obama is going to be a guest on Paula Deen’s Food Network show, Paula’s Party, on Saturday Sept 20 at 7pm. If you’ve EVER seen this program, you know that it’s chock full of butter, sugar, and sexual innuendos. How many times do you think Paula’s going to be inappropriate about our future husband and his wife? Let’s play a drinking game.
I have a confession: I watch HGTV’s Design Star. I don’t remember how or why I happened upon this show, but I did… and ever since it has been a staple on my DVR and it’s one my favorite things to watch on slow Sunday nights. Last night was the big finale episode, and the two remaining designers had to do a kitchen, dining room, and living room for two families whose houses were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Usually, I love Matt (one of the two contestants who has a really simple, clean design aesthetic). But I just LOVE this kitchen that Jennifer did—the red cabinets mixed with the stainless steal appliances have just the right combo of functionality, crispness, and sass. I think my kitchen would be an amazing design challenge—or really any super-small NYC apartment where the kitchen is part of the “living space.” So Design Star, bring it on!
I’m onboard with most people in that I really like Richard and Stephanie from Top Chef. But this interview made me love Antonia just a little bit more. It’s something about her—the way she talks and acts—it’s her food that I want to eat most.
UPDATE: To add more fuel to the I-Hate-Lisa fire, check out this quote from the Daily News: “Oh, no, I don’t read the blogs — you couldn’t pay me to read the blogs. I don’t want to know what people who can’t even afford to eat in my restaurant, let alone know how to cook, have to say about me.” - Lisa
A nice little Q&A with recent Top Chef reject, Valerie. Some insight into why she got the ax… and the truth about Andrew’s ADD.
Season premier last night—what did you think? It was good… I love when Bourdain is a judge. He spices things up a bit. And I kinda love Rocco as well, somewhat against my will. It’s hard to tell at this point who is talented and who is not, but I definitely think the chick they sent packing deserved it. Not only did she seem to make yucky food, her whole, “I’m not here to make friends” speech sounded a little too America’s Next Top Model-ish. Maybe she should go on that show next? If you want to read more about the episode, every single food blog is writing about it:
Surprised? Neither am I. Mostly, I really couldn’t believe that 2 different chefs could come up with 5 different plates in under an hour without ever hashing it out with their sous-chefs. Seriously, the show makes it seem like the components of the dish come out of thin air and the sous-chefs are master mind-readers. But now we have proof. Check out this article in the Village Voice all about the sham that is Iron Chef. As the writer says:
“Iron Chef America is more bogus than even I had imagined.”
I still think I love the show, but I have to say, reading the cold, hard truth takes some of the magic out of the spectacle 
(Photo by Staci Shwartz)
NBC is combining 2 of my favorite things tonight: The Biggest Loser and Rocco DiSpirito. They’re having a cook-off! You know where I’ll be at 8pm.
I just saw this clip of Amy Sedaris on the Martha Stewart show—she’s making her famous Cheese Balls. BUT… I saw Amy Sedaris about a week ago at an IKEA event (where I consumed PB&Js, burgers, BLTs, apple pies with ice cream, popcorn, a rice crispy treat, and beer… and proceeded to get sick), and she was wearing the exact same outfit! Is this her shtick now? Anyway, she’s really funny and I love her book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. Jo the MasterBaker owns it. So, I won’t hate on her. Or her cheese balls.
Here’s the recipe for the Lil’ Smoky Cheese Balls:
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese, room temperature
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons steak sauce
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans
Crackers, for servingPlace Gouda, cream cheese, butter, milk and steak sauce in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until well combined. Transfer mixture to refrigerator. Let chill overnight. Roll cheese mixture into a ball. Place nuts in a shallow dish. Roll cheese in nuts to fully coat. Serve with crackers.
I watched Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares last night, and I could barely keep my food down. Rat traps, cockroaches everywhere, green meat, and rotten veggies… blech. I seriously thought I was going to throw up. But it got me thinking: How does a restaurant in midtown Manhattan get away with this? I know that NY’s a big place and there are too many restaurants to keep tabs on, but this was an egregious mistake on the part of the NY Health Department. And I think more than anyone, they should be embarrassed and ashamed. I’ve actually considered calling the Health Dept lately—there’s a teeny, tiny restaurant at the end of my block that is disgusting. They are infested with rats. I can’t walk by without seeing at least 6 of them scatter across my path. And they basically throw their garbage down into the cellar for the rats to feast on—no bags, no cleaning, no nothing. So, should I do it? I’m morally conflicted. I don’t want to be a tattle-tale, but it’s food and it could seriously make someone sick. What’s the right call?
PS—there’s some talk over on the YumSugar boards about the hottie, Vikas Khanna, that Ramsay brought in to turn the Purnima Restaurant around. They’ve also put up a poll about whether you’d consider eating at Purnima now. Tough question. It’d be hard to turn down Vikas’ food, but even harder to get the image of those cockroaches out of my head.
I am! And I have proof! I just took this quiz over at yumsugar that tested my Top Chef skillz… no I didn’t break down a chicken in under 2 minutes or finely dice a bunch of onions. I simply played a quick, Who Said This? And I scored 4/5, or 80%. Ok, so maybe I’m a B student. But it’s not bad. Take the quiz and tell me if you need to get out of the house and away from your TV as much as I do.
And since I brought up Top Chef, let me announce for the first time on this blog how much I love Harold (and the silly Bravo blog they make him do) and his restaurant Perilla, and that I will always consider him the one, and only, Top Chef. Eat it, Ilan.
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