Thanks to two of my favorite bloggers WhiteOnRice and Wandering Chopsticks, I learned a few secrets to some great recipes that I shared on TV last month…come take a look at the video:

(by the way, ABC7 upgraded their video application, now it plays on both PCs and Mac!)

When you get to ABC’s site, click on FEATURED VIDEO right below recipe name.

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from Steamy Kitchen column in Tampa Tribune 5/21/08

When I was little, my mom used to take a 2-quart pitcher, fill it with water, add a few tea bags and placed it in a sunny spot early in the day. My job was to chase the sun. As the sun moved throughout the day, I had to nudge that stupid pitcher.

Not a fun job, especially since back then as a kid, tea to me tasted like tree bark. What made the whole job worse was that our patio was covered with an open latticework canopy of two-by-fours. Great for playing a quick game of tic-tac-toe in the shade-produced lines, but you can imagine the frustration of making sun tea?

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Note: This post seems silly now - because

1) I’m not mad at Scott anymore - that was SO last week

2) Andrew had a brain MRI on Tuesday morning

However, this story was published in the Tampa Tribune (my deadlines for the paper are a week ahead of pub date), and I’m not quite ready to talk about Andrew quite yet. (Yes, he’s healthy, fine) So I’m posting this little story anyways.

Also, something happened on the way to Flickr…the colors on the photos flattened out and are a little mushy. ??? Can’t figure it out this morning and will work on it later. In the meantime, enjoy!

Uninhibited Rage of Energy

I’m mad at my husband and it sucks. 36 hours ago, he lashed out at me, totally uncalled for and ever since then, I’ve been waiting for that apology. Waiting…nothing. That’s the trouble with being married to one of the most stubborn individuals this side of the universe.

When I’m upset, I retreat to my kitchen and make something. Sometimes, the most brilliant concoctions arise from my uninhibited rage of energy. I tear, chop, slather, peel, whirl and blend. Pots clang on the stovetop, the KitchenAid spits out patches of stray flour, the cheap blender vibrates across the counter, and the whirring exhaust fan drowns out angry thoughts in my head. I chop loads of fresh mint because no matter how hard I run my chef’s knife across the leaves, it happily returns with a bright, refreshing, crisp fragrance that bathes my tear-streaked face and clears my breathing.

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Wow, I can’t believe how many of you made the  No Knead Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls! As promised, I’m not going to leave you hanging with extra dough in the refrigerator. Here’s your recipe for No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah from the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  By the way, if you haven’t entered the contest to win a copy of their book, make sure you do!

Ok, I love their basic Challah recipe, but thought I’d be a bit fancy and make a Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut version. Screw the diet - just for a day, ok? Hey, don’t look at me like that - I’ve been testing the book’s recipes all week long JUST FOR YOU and I took one 3 lbs for the team!

Damn. I need to review a diet book next. Anyone have a good diet book that needs reviewing?

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Do you know what I call smart? Taking something from “works awesome” (No-Knead Bread) to the level of “KICK-ASS.” Which is exactly what authors of the book  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois have done.

Oh yeah, and I hold them both directly responsible for the extra 3lbs I’ve just gained testing their recipes.

Keep reading for the recipe and a free cookbook drawing!

So, they’ve taken the basic No Knead Bread recipe and added 2 big concepts to it:

1) Make enough dough to store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Pinch off what you need and bake. Return the rest to refrig. This allows you to bake a loaf of artisan bread in as little as 20 minutes rest + 25 minute bake any day of the week. Perfect for spontaneous cooks like myself. Want dinner rolls for just 2 tonight? Pinch off a smaller chunk of dough. Plus, the “aging” of the dough produces the most amazing flavor, something that was lacking in the original No Knead bread.

2) Create over 100 different bread/pastry recipes, all no-knead. Um. Let me see if I can whet your appetite (I love the ones in red)

PEASANT LOAVES: Baguette, Batard, Pain d’Epi, Ciabatta, Crusty White Sandwich Loaf, Olive Bread, Caraway Swirl Rye, Limpa (Scandinavian bread wit honey and orange zest), Portuguese Corn Bread, English Granary Style, Oatmeal-Pumpkin, Raisin Walnut Oatmeal, Vermont Cheddar Bread, Caramelized Onion & Herb Dinner Rolls, Spinach Feta, Sun-Dried Tomato & Parmesan, Granola Bread, Roasted Garlic Potato Bread, Eastern European Potato Rye, Bagels, Bialys, Soft Pretzels, Montreal Bagels

FLATBREADS/PIZZAS: Pizza, Spinach & Cheese Calzone, Philadelphia Stromboli with Sausage, Prosciutto & Olive Oil Flatbread, Pissaladiere, Focaccia with Onion & Rosemary, Olive Fougasse, Fougasse Stuffed with Roasted Red Pepper, Sweet Provencal Flatbread with Anise Seeds, Pine-Nut Studded Polenta Flatbread, Arabic Za’atar Flatbread, Pita, Amenian Lavash, Moroccan Anise and Barley Flatbread, Naan, Scandinavian Rye Crisp bread

ENRICHED: Challah, Turban Shaped Challah with Raisins, Onion Pletzel, Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls, Brioche, Brioche a Tete, Almond Brioche “Bostock”, Brioche Filled with Chocolate Ganache, Beignets, Chocolate or Jam Filled Beignets, Panettone, Soft-Style American White, Buttermilk Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Chocolate Bread, Swiss Muesli Breakfast Bread, Sunflower Seed Breakfast Loaf, Chocolate Prune, Chocolate Raisin Babka, Apple & Pear Coffee Cake, Sunny Side up Apricot Pastry, Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring, Braided Raspberry Almond Cream Pastry, Cinnamon Twists

Wipe that drool off the keyboard!

The first recipe I tried was to satisfy my sweet tooth. I love the No-Knead Bread from Lahey, but after an entire year of spoiling myself with crusty, homemade round loaves, I yearned for a sweet bread. This Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Roll truly is a no-knead, no-brainer!  Read the recipe first, then the free cookbook contest!

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With a photo like that, do I really need any words?! 

I firmly believe that in order to start off the New Year properly, one must have chocolate. And lots of it.

Janet, wonderful customer of my husband’s company brought these Chocolate & Toffee Barks into the office a few months ago. While totally intended for Russ, one of Digital Doctor’s helpful techs, I snuck a piece.

Crunchy. Chocolatey, Nutty. Toffeeeey.

And then snagged another.

And shhhhh….another.

Crap. I was addicted, and had to email Janet for her recipe, partly because I needed to feed my new addiction…but mostly because I had to replenish the stash that I snuck. Surprisingly, it was no more than a handful of ingredients that I already had on hand and the only skill needed was stirring, spreading, chilling and eating.

Steamy Secrets to Becoming an Internet Food Stupidstar

Christmas Eve, as I was spreading the melted dark chocolate for these treats, I had an epiphany. As defined by Websters with my edit in red:

“a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience or SPREADING CHOCOLATE.”

Suddenly, the motion of spreading gooey heavenly chocolate was much more than just Step 3 of a recipe. IT WAS THE ANSWER.

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When I married my husband, I knew I was also marrying into generations of family holiday traditions. In fact, I think it was written in the marriage contract, squeezed right between not touching his BBQ grill and promising to love him even when he’s 80 years old and I still look 35. The first Christmas together was a little stressful, but I kept notes of all the little things I needed to remember – like what kind of candles to buy for the German pyramids (skinny, small), the placement of hand blown glass ornaments on the tree (big ones on bottom), and what kind of cookies are served Xmas morning (shortbread).

I did ok when both kids were too young to really understand the holidays, so I mostly winged my way through it. I mean, would they really remember that I spaced out opening their chocolate Avent calendar the first 2 weeks of December? Oh, and that I ate all their chocolate for them because pediatric dental visits are expensive?

Last year though, both kids were of speaking age, meaning that they could rat me out if I forgot something or did something wrong. There’s nothing more embarrassing than a 2 year old shrieking to Grandma, “SANTA DOESN’T LIKE US!” …continued…
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The moment my toes met carpet this morning, I could feel 12,035 pounds of heavy clouds whoosh towards my home, settling just above my tangled mess of hair. I should have just made myself a bloody mary, grabbed a bag of peanut M&M’s and surrendered back to bed, as there was no way that I would come out ahead at the end of this day. I knew it was over. I had an out of control problem and needed to address it head-on.

(sigh) “I’m sorry, Emeril. I’ve got to give you up, sweetie….continued…

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This is my quick-fix snack, Rolo Pretzel Turtles. In a matter of 10 minutes, I can satisfy my sweet tooth, my salty tongue and my fat ass. Can you imagine anything more heavenly than glorious chocolate hugging a salty pretzel, topped with a crunchy toasted nut and oozing with warm caramel? All in one bite.

Life does not get any better than this.

If you aren’t interested in my recipe, still read on…as I have a funny video to share with you!!! It involves live on-air webcast, Chinese beer “snacks” and unsuspecting hosts. I was a bad, bad girl. Story after the recipe…

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I from my food column in Creative Loafing

Co-Co Fro-Yo, Baby

About once every few months, I get an undeniable compulsion to fill my lungs with thick, gritty smog, sit in a three-hour traffic bottleneck and stuff my face with an In-N-Out Double-Double burger. Fifteen years of living in Los Angeles and I just can’t let go! I hate it so much that I love it — like flossing my teeth, the aftertaste of Tequila or certain family members. L.A. is my drug, and I must return to get my fix.

A few months ago I flew back to the City of Angels and immediately noticed that every third person had a blissful, dreamy look while moving a plastic spoon rhythmically from Styrofoam cup to Botox’d lips. It was as if someone had staged a hostile takeover of caffeinated beverages and replaced them with … fro-yo. Huh?! I hated the stuff the first time it came around in the ’80s, so WTF, was frozen yogurt coming back? It was only last week that I saw a Geico commercial featuring Cabbage Patch Kids and a YouTube clip showing Philippine prisoners performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller as part of their rehabilitation program. But fro-yo? Like, gag me with a spoon. For the first time, I felt the umbilical cord of L.A. snag, as if the city was finally getting back at me for choosing to live in the Sunshine State.

Despite all this, I asked my brother to take me to a Pinkberry, the company that started the Frozen Yogurt 2.0 craze a couple of years ago. What was behind the phenomenon that had copycats such as Red Mango, Iceberry and Kiwiberry popping up like prairie weasels? What kind of frozen concoction could start a war so heated chilled that cameras were banned in the shops for fear of corporate espionage?

I had to find out.

A half-hour wait in line and one parking ticket later, I had a $7 cup-o’-fro-yo in hand. It was tart and tangy with a clean, crisp sensation — nothing at all like its airy, tasteless predecessor. Crackberry describes itself as “soft swirls of chilly bliss with a distinct pouty peak.” They forget to mention the free spoon-pipe you get with every purchase. The craze hasn’t wound its way down to us in Florida yet — it’s currently blanketing Chicago, Las Vegas and New York — but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered: Here’s a recipe that tastes just like Pinkberry’s famous frozen yogurt. Try it for yourself and you might just get smitten by fro-yo, all over again.

Recipe is adapted from Perfect Scoop <–which by the way is written by fellow food blogger David. If you’ve never visited his website before..then…. STOP. Collaborate and Listen. Go visit D’s blog for a brand new sensation… Ice Ice Fro-Yo Baby. Fro-Yo Baby…. sorry. I couldn’t help it. I’m still stuck on the 80’s thing….

Coconut Frozen Yogurt with Tropical Fruit

6 cups of low-fat/whole plain flavored yogurt to yield 3 cups, strained (see below) or 3 cups Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
mixed tropical fruit (mango, kiwi, papaya, etc.)
Ice cream maker (remember to freeze your insert if you have one)

1. Strain the yogurt: If you are using regular yogurt, you’ll need to strain out the water. Line your mesh strainer with a double-layer of cheesecloth. Spoon the yogurt in, and let it sit propped over a deep bowl in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Discard the water. If you are using Greek-style yogurt (like Fage — found at Whole Foods), you don’t need to strain.

2. Mix and rest: Mix the strained yogurt with the sugar and coconut extract. Let it chill in the refrigerator for one hour to let the sugar dissolve.

3. Churn, baby, churn: Following instructions that came with your ice cream maker, churn until the mixture is the consistency of soft ice cream. 4. Toast coconut and dice fruit: While the fro-yo is churning, toast coconut. Take a dry skillet. Set on medium heat and add the coconut flakes. Stir constantly until flakes toast to a golden brown. Remove from heat immediately, and set aside. To serve, sprinkle the toasted coconut and spoon the diced tropical fruit on top of your frozen concoction.