Tasty TV

I could watch cooking shows all day. Seriously, I could and, actually, I probably have. Thankfully, there are two channels devoted exclusively to all things yummy - the Food Network, who shaped my interest in cooking from a young age, and their sister station The Cooking Channel, which features less-commercial programming, and more literal cooking shows than FN (it's the way FN used to be). But, building on the success of these two channels, many other networks have jumped on the food-show trend and I couldn't be happier!

There are all kinds of food programs to watch from the basic how-to's, the first of which that I remember watching was literally called How to Boil Water that introduced the world to Tyler Florence; competitions like Cupcake Wars or The Taste; did-you-know shows like Unwrapped, that explain where our favorite foods come from; foodie talk shows such as The Kitchen; and the ever-popular tour shows, like Diners, Drive-ins & Dives or Bizarre Foods, that show you where to find the best (or weirdest) grub (sometimes literally, in the case of Bizarre). And I love all of them! I love to learn new things about food - not just how to prepare it, but how it's made and where to find it, and I find great joy in watching people excel as chefs.

I want to share some of my favorite shows with you and encourage you to watch an episode or two.

We recently "cut the cord" and only subscribe to online streaming services for TV, so I've included a variety of shows that are available either online, on cable or both. Unfortunately, a lot of shows from The Cooking Channel and Food Network are slow to join the streaming world, but it's happening. The Netflix acquisition of Chopped and a few other FN titles has happened within the last two months. I've listed each show's viewing options and if they are currently showing new episodes, I've listed their airing day/time; most shows are also now available on YouTube for a fee.

Grab a snack and sit back from some tasty TV!



My Grandmother's Ravioli, Cooking Channel (a new season should be starting soon, I hope!)

Ravioli  is such a fun show. The premise is that Mo Rocca, comedian and pundit often on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, used to love the ravioli his grandmother made. But he wasn't able to capture all her cooking lessons before she passed away. So now, as an adult, seeking to learn more about how to cook and the history of other families' favorite dishes, he visits other people's nanas, grandpoppas, mamaws and abuelos. He cooks a few dishes with the grandparent (or grandparents) and then their families and friends gather for a feast. The show never fails to bring laughter and some of the most poignant moments on TV - like the Italian man who was going to show Mo how to make mozzerella with his father who made it by hand for 50+ years, but the father died a few weeks before taping and they continued on, with a picture of Pops taped to the kitchen cabinet. If you're looking to learn something new, but truly appreciate the feelings that make a good dish, tune in to this show.

Master Chef Junior, Fox (Tuesday, 8 p.m.) and HuluPlus and MasterChef

Gordon Ramsey has to be one of the most feared chefs in the world, not just from his intimidating career, but from the absolute tyrant he is on shows like Hell's Kitchen, where he whips chefs into shape to compete for jobs at his restaurants. His language is beyond rude and he's absolutely hateful to the contestants. On MasterChef he's a little kinder; he's dealing with untrained home cooks who are looking for success and to win a cookbook deal and major money. But the newest of his competition shows, MasterChef Junior, takes the cake. He and his fellow chef judges, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich are downright adorable, nurturing, even, of their contestants ages 8 to 13. The gruff, tense Ramsey is softer, sweeter and quite dreamy as he cuddles the kids, jokes with them and leads them to grow. And as a former teacher, I truly enjoy seeing shows where kids shine. These children are remarkable - making creme anglaise and chiffon cakes before they even hit puberty! I didn't even know what those things were at that time; my all-star dish at 10 was cornflake-coated chicken breasts. These children are unbelievably talented, but also so adorable, quirky and fun!

The Mind of a Chef  PBS and streaming on PBS' website, now on Netflix streaming!

This show, produced by fierce foodie Anthony Bourdain, takes you literally into the minds of chefs around the world. The episodes go into the stories of chefs that weave colorful explainations of their culinary points of view and how they operate their kitchens. So it's part bio-pic, part learning channel (this is PBS, after all) and part travel show. I've learned a lot about chefs I'd never heard of, such as Southern food "activist" Sean Brock, and their unique perspectives on food. For example, in Brock's episodes he explains his mission to protect and reinvigorate Southern recipes by saving our agriculture. In his kitchens (Husk restaurants in Nashville, TN and in Charleston, SC) NO non-Southern ingredients are used - so no olive oil, no herbs de provence; and the ingredients that are used are sourced from farms as close to home as possible, or in the restaurant itself - they make their own lard and cured meats. These episodes taught me more about where my traditions (and ingredients) come from and what they mean to me beyond flavor and better informed me on restaurant menu choices. It's a very thought-provoking show.

The Chew - ABC (weekdays at 1:00 p.m.) and on HuluPlus

This is daytime TV at its finest. They aren't talking about who cheated on who in Hollywood or pleading "help! My son is a _______" but rather talking about the food issues we all deal with; like what to bring to a potluck, what's a good hostess gift, how can I decorate the Thanksgiving table for under $20 and how do I convince my kids to eat their veggies. The hosts include Iron Chefs Mario Batali and Michael Symon; health-food diva (and daughter of Dr.Oz) Daphne Oz; Top Chef contestant Carla Hall and What Not to Wear star Clinton Kelly. Each of these hosts offers a unique perspective into eating well - Symon's all about the pork, Batali loves all things Italian, Daphne has the best healthy tips, Carla is the baked goods queen and Clinton pulls everything together into a tasteful, entertaining package. Out of all the talk-show format food shows, this one is my favorite with the best hosts and guests, most relevant themes and easiest and most delicious recipes.

Top Chef - Bravo and on HuluPlus

Top Chef began when there were few, if any, food competition shows on the air. Its pits well-established professional chefs against each other to win a huge check and the title of Top Chef. This competition has had the power to accelerate careers on a drastic scale. What I loved most about Top Chef in the beginning (they've got 12+ seasons now) was how elegant everything was. When they started, there wasn't a lot of fine dining represented on tv shows, it was still more about how-to spots than showcasing some truly talented people. One of my favorite episodes (see below) was promoting the film Snow White and the Huntsman and each contestant had to make a wicked dish for Charlize Theron who played the evil queen. The creativity on this show is limitless, they combine amazing techniques with unmatched imagination. Plus the judges are terrific - other shows have lost me because of their permanent cast, but Padma Lakshimi, Tom Colicchio and Gale Simmons are perfectly matched with sass, calm and brilliant critiques.

Weekly Food Network competitions - including Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen and Iron Chef America  - Food Network and some compilations are now available on Netflix

I don't know how you can't enjoy sabotage cooking - where chefs, who are daily dealt a new hand at their restaurants, are practically tortured with obscure ingredients, impossible deadlines and bizarre punishments. That may sound dramatic, but imagine trying to cook a meal only using the bottom side of pots and pans or where you have to make 100 year-old eggs appealing. Good luck! My imagination is tested with these challenges and it's even inspired our own Chopped cook-offs. I find these absurd competitions entertaining but also inspiring; if they can do impossible-seeming task x, I can certainly do y.

Season-long Food Network competitions - including Next Food Network Star, Worst Cooks in America (Sunday 9:00 p.m), and The Great Food Truck Race

Now, as much as I enjoy the hour-long Food Network games I listed above, I also love the season-long games where contestants are whittled down slowly to one supreme winner. Next Food Network Star determines who will be the next person to develop their own FN show; Guy Fiere was their first winner. Worst Cooks in America rehabilitates those people we all know.. the dreadful cooks. We all have one in our family; that person whose food is never touched at a potluck and whose dinner invitations are always refused... those people compete to improve with the tutelage of two FN superstars. And one of our favorites, The Great Food Truck Race, sends teams with dreams of owning a food truck clear across the country, competing in challenges and learning about the business. The winning team gets to keep their tricked out truck to go home and start their businesses; we take notes during this show!

Real Girl's Kitchen Cooking Channel, Saturday 1:30 p.m.

This show resonates with me for so many reasons: the host Haylie Duff, is the older sister to my teen idol Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff; we're relatively the same age with the same priorities of being able to cook like an adult without being too formal or frumpy, and we have a similar culinary perspective. The recipes are simple and informative and she tries to add a trendy element to it too, like going to a hip burger joint or infusing fun flavors like bourbon into her dishes. If you're looking for a relaxing cooking show that won't make you feel overwhelmed, this one is for you.

Good Eats Cooking Channel and Netflix

Good Eats is the go-to show if you want to learn anything about cooking. One of the earliest successes of Food Network, Eats is approachable and beyond informative. Host Alton Brown discusses how to make good food better and the science behind why you need to store, cook and eat it a certain way. He breaks down the chemistry of ingredients, the physics of heat and more, in a way that is easy to understand and perhaps more importantly, replicate. I remember watching this show a lot as a child to learn the basics of cooking. His tips, if followed, can set you up to be a stellar cook without having formal training, frou frou ingredients or a panic attack. Whether you're just learning to cook or wanting to understand the craft better, Good Eats is an invaluable resource.

The only caveat of having an appetite for cooking shows, is the literal hunger they cause! I can't sit down to watch an episode of a tasty show without an equally delicious snack. So be sure your binge watching doesn't turn into binge eating! So grab something yummy (and reasonably sized) and relax for some delicious television!

Thanksgiving Side Dish Showdown

The holiday season is nothing short of chaotic in our family with a minimum of three, and often upwards of five, gatherings to attend per holiday. They're also nothing short of interesting and lively; what with so many personalities, people we love, joyful moods and great food - lots and lots of food.

Our first Thanksgiving together - 2012

And this year, to capitalize on those quirky personalities, love of food and a desire to have a unique experience, my dad, J and I have created our own "game" for our Thanksgiving Weekend Meal.

It's a little bit like our Grocery Outlet Chopped Challenge; because we will be at the mercy of each other for our star ingredient but will still have lots of flexibility and thankfully (no pun intended), planning time.

We drew names and were each granted the power to declare an ingredient for our chosen chef to use to create a side dish. I picked Dad, J got me and Dad chose J.

Here are the rules we're using:

Ingredient:

1. Will be announced on the Friday before Thanksgiving (November 21). 
2. Can be a "category" (like pasta) or a specific item (like carrots)
3. Should be reasonably priced (no caviar or black truffles) and limited in freakiness (Sorry, Mom; no root beer-flavored Magic Shell)
4. Should be featured but not required to be the predominant ingredient
5. May be a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient, but the dish should be non-traditional (like sweet potato gnocchi) OR the dish can be a twist on a classic T-giving dish (like a savory sweet potato "hot dish" instead of candied sweet potato casserole).

We have a few dietary restrictions (no caffeine or chocolate) and we know each others' palates and preferences well enough to not choose a total sabotage ingredient that the person won't enjoy cooking or eating (ex: Dad DESPISES tuna).

My inner Martha Stewart has been buzzing for weeks with the ever-growing list of items I want to cook for Thanksgiving, so I'm excited to have a more focused mission than "COOK ALL THE THINGS," with which to make something creative and delicious.

Dad proposed this idea less than 24 hours ago, but I'm already brainstorming - I'm thinking of the ingredient I want, and resisting the urge to pressure Honey Dearest into choosing it; how to handle the ingredient I do get and what to assign Dad.

And don't you worry dear readers; I'll keep you updated on the progress of this event AND on the recipes we're making for the 3+ other gatherings next week. There's plenty to come!

J's Strong Finish to the Chopped Challenge

Tonight was the last evening of our family Chopped-style cooking challenge, with J cooking a great spread with his$16 budget.

Here's the basic guidelines of our competition:

1. We must make three courses for four people. 
2. There can only be 60 minutes between courses. Pre-prep is allowed. 
3. We can only spend $16 at Grocery Outlet for all of our main ingredients (tax not included).
4. Cannot use coffee/caffeinated items (including chocolate) for dietary restriction reasons. 
5. We must include mom's sabotage item - course and item chosen sight unseen. 
6. The following pantry staples are allowed free of charge:

• Up to 2 c. flour
• Sugars/honey
• "Basic"spices - not things like zatar or Chinese five spice
• Onions
• Up to 4 eggs
• Milk
• Oils/butter
• "Basic" condiments - ketchup, mayo, mustard

I cooked Saturday and Dad played chef last night. 

And I'm not saying it because he's my husband and the light of my life, but J really got screwed with the sabotage ingredient - root beer-flavored Magic Shell. He'd bought an interesting set of groceries to begin with (with which I wouldn't have known what to make), but this ingredient was downright gross, even in the dessert round. Mom and I are the only ones who even enjoy root beer and certainly not outside of a glass or a float, but J was very creative! 

Here's the lowdown on J's menu:

Appetizer: Vegetarian taquitos made with flour tortillas, homemade refried beans (from a can of baked beans), Queso Suave canned "cheese," Zatarain's rice and onions, and topped with a crumble of spicy Cheez-It snack mix. I loved this! You all know I'm a sucker for Mexican-style dishes and this was no exception. Using the baked beans lent the taquito a very smoky flavor, almost like barbeque, which made it feel more hearty. The only thing that could've made it better would be guacamole, but we're guac snobs and only eat Wholly Guacamole's Organic guac anymore. 

Entree: A pork chop filled with an apricot preserve and onion stuffing, J's signature sweet carrots and steamed broccoli with "cheese." This was a great meal and is something we would easily cook, and eat, any day of the week. And I think that gets to the heart of this challenge. It's a lot of fun to goof off and cook with crazy ingredients, but it shows us how resourceful we can be to make $16 go a long way. Feeding your family can be made easier with creativity and making wise choices. (Note: this is not to say that there isn't still food insecurity, food deserts and hunger issues nationwide; or that it can be solved with a trip to GO). 

Dessert: J used hamburger buns and canned strawberries to make bread pudding dressed with a homemade caramel made from the Magic Shell and a berry meal replacement shake. It was a beautiful caramel, with perfect consistency and a terrific coloring, but it tasted like licorice, or maybe Nyquil. I liked the bread pudding itself, it was warm and gooey and the strawberries added great flavor. But that Shell -- one hell of a blow. 

This has been so much fun for all of us - the cooking and the eating! And it's so do-able for any family. Consider doing one round a month, a Chopped progressive dinner or making your own creative twists; we've already thought of other sneaky games like doing our own shopping, then flipping a coin to see if we switch carts. I encourage you and your families or friends to give it a go; you may just surprise yourself with your own ingenuity and skill!

And yes, I did apologize to the boys for whipping them so badly. And no, I don't think it was beginner's luck. 

Dad's (Also Delicious) Chopped Menu

Tonight is Night Two of our Chopped-style competition, wherein each of us (me, Dad and J) cooked a three course meal for our family of four using only $16 worth of GO Grocery Outlet goodies.

Here are our basic rules:

1. We must make three courses for four people. 
2. There can only be 60 minutes between courses. Pre-prep is allowed. 
3. We can only spend $16 at Grocery Outlet for all of our main ingredients (tax not included). 
4. Cannot use coffee/caffeinated items (including chocolate) for dietary restriction reasons. 
5. We must include Mom's sabotage item - course and item chosen sight unseen. 
6. The following pantry staples are allowed free of charge:

• Up to 2 c. flour
• Sugars/honey
• "Basic" spices - not things like zatar or Chinese five spice
• Onions
• Up to 4 eggs
• Milk
• Oils/butter
• "Basic" condiments - ketchup, mayo, mustard

I cooked last night, and set a damn fine example. Tonight, it was Dad's turn. 

He did a very technique-savvy menu that was pretty impressive using this $16 set of ingredients. 

Including Mom's diabolical mystery ingredient - Little Debbie Starfish Cookies - in the appetizer round! 

Appetizer: A chorizo-style Scotch egg with deep fried pickles and honey vinaigrette. Normally, a Scotch egg is made with a boiled egg cased in sausage breading. Dad took the time to scrape the blue icing off of the starfish and crumbled them with oyster crackers and mixed it with pre-cooked, frozen chorizo breakfast sausage - now that's working through adversity! And, I have to hand it to him because I despise pickles but actually enjoyed the thin, not overly sour fried pickles. 

Entree: Italian sausage stuffed cabbage and zucchini boats with smoked oysters and habenero cheese. The cabbage reminded me a lot of our Russian favorite, golubtsi. It was filled with sausage, spices and rice (another pre-cooked, frozen ingredient!) and was so hearty. Instead of individual rolls, dad was really creative and stuffed the entire cabbage, wrapped it in cheese cloth and served it like big slices of cake! The zucchini boats were refreshing and full of flavor - that cheese was SPICY! This was such a filling course for so little cost; I couldn't even finish my plate.

Dessert: Now this is exactly why I was terrified to compete against J and Dad. They've both worked in a variety of food service jobs and are stellar cooks with great technical skill. So, I wasn't surprised that Dad made a pear and mini cinnamon donut gallete (homemade pie crust of course). We actually started a movie while he finished up his dish and the smell of cinnamon, roasting fruit and toasty crust filled the house. It was an intoxicating scent and the flavor didn't disappoint, either. We added a spoonful of vanilla ice cream (not from his items) to each plate, just to finish off the quart - had he included a whipped cream or ice cream this would have been sheer perfection (or that's what I tell myself to feel better). 

I was thoroughly impressed with this meal; especially the creativity and technical skill. 

J is our final chef-testant tomorrow night and we're all excited to see what he makes. Because of the sheer awfulness of the sabotage item, he was given it early and has been frantically rearranging his groceries and scouring the web for recipes. We shall see! 

Tune in tomorrow for another installment of good family-food-fun! 

Amanda's (Super Successful) Chopped Menu

I gave you the down-low on our Chopped challenge already, and you can click here for more information. But here's the gist of competition:

1. We must make three courses for four people.
2. There can only be 60 minutes between courses. Pre-prep is allowed. 
3. We can only spend $16 at Grocery Outlet for all of our main ingredients (tax not included). 
4. Cannot use coffee/caffeinated items (including chocolate) for dietary restriction reasons. 
5. We must include Mom's GO sabotage item - course and item chosen sight unseen.
6. The following pantry staples are allowed free of charge:

• Up to 2 c. flour
• Sugar
• "Basic" spices - not things like zatar or Chinese five spice
• Onions
• Up to 4 eggs
• Milk
• Oils/butter
• "Basic" condiments - ketchup, mayo, mustard

I was the first chef-testant and here's what I was working with. 

And yes, I got all of this for less than $16! Seriously, GO is full of great deals. Each box of loaded mashed potatoes was only 33 cents. My most expensive ingredient was the 1.27 lb Butterball turkey breast for $3.39. 

But let us not forget my demented mother's mystery item. 

The only beets I've ever eaten are some of my dad's pickled beets. He loves to eat them with cornbread and pinto beans; I was always disgusted by the tart orbs that dyed everything pink. So, let's just say I was less than thrilled to get this ingredient. I much prefer the "Killer Tofu" type of Beets (90's kids, you feel me). 

But, luckily, I drew "entree," so I didn't have to reconfigure my dessert; which would undoubtedly be a disaster. 

And let me say - mom let me look at the other goodies after I blindly picked mine and I may have gotten the best ingredient. The other two, depending on their course, could make for a nightmare. 

With beets in tow, here's my menu:

Appetizer: Italian stuffed mushrooms made with Italian sausage, button mushrooms, onions, herbs and oyster crackers. Two of the four shrooms had a garnish of julienned beet. This was my quickest, easiest recipe and it was a delicious start. I used my Ninja to crush the crackers and then did a quick pulse to break up the cooked sausage, which made for a fine crumbly filling that absorbed the butter and drizzled olive oil nicely.

Entree: A take on chicken and waffles with cheesy, green onion potato cake waffle and fried turkey breast sliders dressed with honey and hot sauce and tempura onion rings and beets. I also marinated the turkey in milk, which is traditional, but this was laced with beet juice. I was so pleased with this dish, the flavors worked as perfectly as I'd hoped. Spicy, sweet, savory with crispy and tender notes. I was even more excited because I'd only ever made one of these components before - this was my first go at fried "chicken," onion rings and certainly beet fritters. The only things I'd change would be putting the chicken on a rack after searing it, so that the bottom got crunchier than putting it straight on a baking sheet, and I'd have made some ritzy sauce for the onion rings.

Dessert: Fried carrot cake ice cream with chantilly cream. This was the real awe-inspiring dish. I was petrified it would explode in our deep fryer (which I've never used) and be an utter disaster. I pre-prepped two portions per person just in case of disaster, but it was so successful and delicious! The animal cracker coating, which I feared might be bland, browned nicely and complimented the very flavorful ice cream - it tasted just like funnel cake! Also, I learned an amazing new technique for making whipped cream; I used my immersion blender (the Kitchen Aid doesn't work well with such small quantities, the beaters don't quite reach) and it took less than one minute!

Don't mind the little bit of cream - this is J's SECOND portion and I ran out! 

I am so utterly proud of myself. I am confident in my baking skills and ability to follow a recipe, but I was really afraid of grasping at straws at GO to create a menu and even more terrified of going up against the big dogs of improvisation and technique. But I did it! And damn well, if I do say so myself.

I know they're afraid of the mystery ingredients they're going to be saddled with, but now, I think they're scared of reaching my high standard, too. Bring it on, boys!

I'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the rest of the challenge tomorrow (Dad) and Monday (J). 

Family "Chopped" Challenge

I've mentioned before that we're big Food Network watchers and we especially love the variety of challenge shows like Cutthroat Kitchen,  Guy's Grocery Games and our old favorite, Chopped.

On Chopped,  four chef-testants are given "mystery boxes" containing 3-4 ingredients which they must use in a corresponding course (appetizer, entree and dessert); one contestant is eliminated after each course with the winner taking home $10,000. The mystery boxes are complicated at best and disturbing at worst with ingredients that don't fit the course like Parmesan cheese for dessert or are weird (bull testicles), foreign (piloncillo) or gross (canned whole chicken).

This show resonates so well with our family since my dad and I used to play very similar make-believe kitchen games. One, which started when I was very little, involved making up random, gross ice cream flavors that only Oscar the Grouch could enjoy, like saw dust ice cream with a motor oil swirl or pork and bean frozen yogurt. My parent also have an open pantry in their kitchen packed with all sorts of random goodies, and while we ate in the kitchen we'd pick an ingredient from each shelf and try to figure out how to make a meal from ingredients like sweetened condensed milk, Spaghetti-O's, kosher dills and butterscotch chips.

Now that all of our cooking skills (and palates) have improved and we have a chef in the family, we've started taking these childhood games and TV shows into our own kitchens.

About a year ago, J and Dad did a Chopped-style challenge where they had to feed all four of us three courses by spending only $15 at our local discount grocery store, GO Grocery Outlet. GO fits the Chopped bill perfectly because while their chefs never know what will be in their baskets, GO shoppers never know what they'll find.

GO stocks a variety of products that were surplus at big box stores; have appearance flaws (crooked labels etc.); non-perishable seasonal goods (Christmas cupcake mix available in February); new and/or weird products that are too risky or flopped in traditional stores (like Sunmaid's barbeque flavored raisins); and items close to their expiration date at deep discounts. We love shopping here regularly for the exact reason that you never know what they'll have. You can try new products that you're unsure of at little cost or stock up on your favorite products without breaking the bank (I bought 10 boxes of Oat Revolution! instant oatmeal for 50 cents apiece).

One of those "weird' items...

Last night we went shopping and tonight, we start our new round of Chopped competition. I'm cooking tonight, Dad has tomorrow and J's doing Monday night.

Here are our rules:

1. We must make three courses for four people.
2. There can only be 60 minutes between courses. Pre-prep is allowed. 
3. We can only spend $16 at GO for all of our main ingredients. 
4. Cannot use coffee/caffeinated items (including chocolate) for dietary restriction reasons
5. The following pantry staples are allowed free of charge

• Up to 2 c. flour
• sugar
• "basic" spices - not things like zatar or Chinese five spice
• onions
• Up to 4 eggs
• milk
• oils/butter
• "basic" condiments - ketchup, mustard, mayo 

And, our family saboteur added in a Cutthroat Kitchen-style twist. Mom purchased three items at GO; we each draw a course from a hat in which we must use the ingredient (options are re-entered, so we may all get dessert etc.), then we choose a colored bag and must use the item within. She is evil.

J and Dad do have the advantage of doing this before (minus mom's curveball) and they did a great job last time. They both came up with good meals that were filling and delicious and really creative! J actually made the coolest dessert ever - he blended Little Debbie Nutty Bars into powder, made them into balls with chocolate syrup, chilled  then dipped them in pancake batter and deep fried them to make delicious peanut butter fritters. Quite a high standard to live up to.

I'm starting some of my prep now, and praying a lot, for tonight's meal. I'll keep you all posted on our exciting meals and feel free to let us know who YOU think the clear winner is!