Food TV

In my house Christmas has always meant one thing. Cookies. Cookies of every shape and size and flavor. Plain sugar cookies, decorated sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies … We love cookies!!! That is why I’m so excited to be getting the Food Network’s 12 days of cookies newsletter. Finally a chance to expand my cookies to things that I’ve never tried before. As you may remember I was disappointed with the All Star Holiday Christmas Cookie Special that was recently aired on FN, but I am not disappointed in the wide variety of cookies available from this newsletter. I am looking forward to trying a whole bunch of them. There is a recipe from years past for Mexican Wedding Cookies, which my mom LOVES, and we have never seen a recipe for. And some fabulous looking Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars. Which, strictly speaking, are not cookies, but are super yummy nonetheless!!!
But the ones that we are most looking forward to trying are these “S’more Rockin Reindeer Ravioli”

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You know the one I’m talking about. The commercial that has all of our favorite food network personalities portrayed as claymation caricatures. Am I the only one this commercial creeps out? Apparently not, because over and over since it first aired I have heard foodies here and there talking about “that” commercial. “That commercial is weird.” “That commercial is slightly scary.” “That commercial is like a bad acid trip.” And while I do agree that the commercial is creepy, I also find it cute and intriguing. I know, I am a woman of contradiction, sue me. It reminds me, a little bit, of those caricatures that we had drawn in 10 minutes at Knott’s Berry Farm when we were kids. Most of the personalities are portrayed pretty realistically though, and all are recognizable. But there is ONE, that everybody is talking about.
What’s up with Giada? One of the most notably beautiful woman on the food network she is shown with an enormous head, and feet that are just unreasonably large. Everybody knows that feet are not what Giada has a large pair of… I’m just sayin’…

Anyhow, wanted to give kudos to whoever thought of “that” commercial. Whether or not you like it, whether or not it scares the bejeezus out of small children. Or whether or not you can only focus on Giada’s “assets” or lack thereof, at least you are talking about it. “That” commercial accomplished it’s goal. We see it, we remember it, and we talk about it. And after all, that is the goal of any commercial, isn’t it?

With all of the different “All Star Holiday this and that” that the Food Network does, when I turned on All Star Holiday Cookies, I expected something different. Actually, to be clear, I expected exactly the same as all the other All Star Holiday Specials. All of the stars getting together, sharing their favorite recipes, and in the end, gathering and eating them. I must say I was disappointed, because instead, what we got was as mishmash of each of their respective shows, and the cookies they made on them. Reruns. Cookies I had seen before, year after year actually. Nothing new. And no interaction between the stars. What’s more, the average cookie dough is exactly the same. To me the show felt very repetetive, building a basic sugar cookie dough over and over again. Sure there were changes here and there, everyone has their own method, but all that really does is confuse people more. Which sugar cookie do I make? I think it would have been a lot more interesting to me if I had not already seen the recipes on the original shows on which they aired. It just seemed to me a very “cost cut”y kind of way to make a special. I look forward to new dessert recipes, and this just didn’t deliver.

Will I make the cookies? Sure, I have before. Was this a decent special for someone who wants a bunch of cookie recipes? If they are not too easily confused by too many options, absolutely. Will I watch it again? No. In my opinion a special should be, well, special.

Paula Deen. Tyler Florence. Cat Cora. Robert Irvine. Sugar. All together in kitchen stadium. Could we ask for a better episode of ICA? Sugar, of all colors and textures.

The good works starts immediately with elf outfits, and a lemon chiffon that promises to be a Bouche De Noel. (Othewise known as a Yule Log Cake.) And a whole lot of trash talk. Soon we see some beautiful fudge balls rolling right out of Paula’s loving hands, but mad with “processed cheese”? There’s not enough chocolate and sugar in the world to make Velveeta edible, in my opinion… But if anyone can pull it off, it’s Paula. There is a whole lot going on in Kitchen Stadium, but I’m not sure a whole lot of it is cooking. It’s fun to watch though. The Sous chefs seem to be the only one’s really doing much work. There are cookies baking and syrups simmering… The hour works down and the men-folk seem to be falling behind. While the ladies are putting out dish after dish, most of them laced with alcohol of one kind or another. That’s the way to do it Ladies!!! Both teams made an attempt at an Eggnog Ice Cream. On the ladies side it came out lovely, but for some reason, the men’s attempt came out looking a bit like scrambled eggs and NOTHING like ice cream. Their Bouche De Noel, as well, is a disaster. Chef Florence cooled the cake while it was still lying flat. Even I know (from my thanksgiving Pumpking Roll Cake) that if you are going to roll a cake you must first roll it while it’s warm, and then let it cool. After it has cooled you unroll it, fill it, and roll it again. Instead, his, cracked into thirds and he ended with a Yule Plank rather than a log. Still I’m sure it was really tasty.

So on the ladies side there were seven dishes in the end, with an enormous Tart Tropezian, that looked like a big ol’ strawberry shortcake. There was a candy cane cocktail, spiked milk, with cookies for Santa, Chocolate Pudding Cake, that Cheese Fudge, which Paula covered in caramel and white chocolate, and so much more sugary goodness. Robert and Tyler had their Bouche De Noel-ish … Cranberry Clofoutie (basically cranberries and egg custard), a spiced ginger cake with sugared cranberries and something else that they put sugared cranberries on. You would think that cranberries were the secret ingredient with these guys. They did have to total of five dishes, and while it all looked really good, I do have to say that it came as no surprise to me when the winners were announced, and it should come as no surprise to you, when I tell you that the winners were…

Cat Cora and Paula Deen. Proving once again that at the holiday time, you cannot beat a grandma making desserts.

Now, go check outthe project going on over at the Hogwarts Herald. I think it’s really cool…

I know, it’s taken me forever to get these out to you. I promise I’m not just trying to build suspense. I am still trying to find a routine. I swear these will be coming out more quickly in the future. So, on to the sweet stuff huh?

Tyler’s Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie. What can I say? I bought a mandolin, and I actually used it. The pie itself? Well I’m sure if I had actually thoroughly read the directions, rather than skimmed them, I would have realized that I skipped two very important steps. I forgot to put the butter under the top crust, and I forgot to cover the pie with foil before I baked it. And so what I served up so proudly on Thanksgiving evening was a beautiful pie, with very undercooked apples in it. No worries though. I just covered the pie in foil after all, popped it back in the oven for about 45 additional minutes. After that it was awesome. What I made, in the end, was a pie that was good to be baked a couple days in advance and reheated really well on the day of serving. What did the family think? Well they just cut into the pumpkin pie that I HAAAAD to buy “just in case”… yesterday. And only because the Apple was all gone. So I guess, even after a couple pretty major mistakes, I did good.

Paula’s Pumpkin Roll Cake? Even better. That was quick, super easy to make, and contained rum in the whipped cream. It doesn’t really get much better than that. My guests and family all loved it, and it was actually completely gone before the end of the evening. It had everything we were looking for, the traditional tastes of pumpkin pie, a different texture with the cake and crunched up toffee. And the caramel sauce on top completed it perfectly. Tonight food Network showed their Holiday party, and Paula and Rachael Ray made the same Pumpkin Roll Cake. And if I do say so myself, mine looked better. Although maybe that’s because I topped it with Autumn Cupcake Sprinkles in addition to the caramel sauce.

What can I say folks? My desserts turned out as good as the rest of the meal. I was never a “recipe maker” in the past, but I guarantee you this. For all of my special events in the future, it is going to be my friends from the food network, and foodnetwork.com that inspire and instruct me on what my friends and family eat.

Thanksgiving was a success. Bewteen Alton Brown’s brined turkey, and stuffing (granted with a few modifications)and Garlic Mashers, Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Roll Cake, Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Apple Pie, Broccoli, Cauliflower Carrots, with Parmesan Bread crumbs, and a plain old fashioned Turkey Pan Gravy, we had more than enough to eat. Especially adding in the frozen pumpkin & Pecan pies, brown & serve rolls, and of course, Ocean Spray Cranberry Jelly… Oh yeah, and the ham and yams that the Hubby made. Wow, that’s a lot of food. I know that I said all of the recipes would be from Good Eats, but as it turns out, the show didn’t provide the full variety of dishes that I wanted to serve, but the Food Network Website has an amazing selection of dishes, and a wonderful recipe box feature. Each of the recipes were put together in one place, easy to find, and follow…

So, how easy were the recipes to prepare? And how did they turn out? And most importantly, what did the family think? Well, here’s a recipe by recipe review, of all of the savory dishes, and the review or the desserts is next!!!

Of course, we’ll start with the brined Turkey. The brine itself was really easy to prepare, although I’m sure I didn’t use enough salt. The recipe called for a callon of vegetable stock, but I used water instead and forgot to compensate for the sodium in the stock. Nonetheless, the turkey came out really moist and delicious, and here even 2 days later is still tender and flavorful. Once I got it out of the brine and rinsed, I got to put in the stuffing.

The stuffing that Alton made on Good Eats, when he finally conceded that stuffing, perhaps, is not evil, looked pretty good, so I used that as the base for my recipe. I did make a couple adjustments though. Mushrooms creep me out, and nobody in my house is a fan of bell peppers, so I replaced them. The mushrooms were easily replaced by the heart, liver, and neck meat of the turkey. And instead of a traditional “trinity” with the bell peppers, I switched it up to a mirepoix, using carrots instead. As for the bread, the recipe called for Challah bread, but I couldn’t find that, and my whole family loves sourdough, so I used that instead. For stuffing, I have to sat it turned out pretty darn good. Although I am not a super huge fan of stuffing, the whole soggy bread thing grosses me out. But those in my family that are fans of stuffing loved it. They said it was the best stufing they had ever had, and that’s saying a lot…

The roasting of the turkey couldn’t have been easier. Although I did place the probe of my new, fantastic, probe thermometer a bit too close to the surface and it claimed it was done after only an hour and a half. I proclaimed it a liar, and put it in deeper into the breast meat. A more reasonable couple hours later and it was really done. And while it was resting I put in the veggies.

The broccoli/cauliflower/carrots with parmesan bread crumbs was really easy to make. It only took a couple minutes to brown up the bread crumbs and cheese, and put it all on the veggies that were all nice and steamed. Even better, I forgot about them in the oven and left them in for at least 10 minutes longer than I should have, and they didn’t burn or overcook or anything. It’s almost like the crumbs worked as a protectant for the veggies. Hooray!!!

The Garlic Mashers were AWESOME!!! Although, next time I make them I am going to crush the garlic first. Whilst I really enjoyed munching on whloe cloves of garlic, I can’t say the same was true of the rest of my family. Plus the act of crushing the garlic will release a lot of it’s flavor. The gravy, on the other hand didn’t turn out really well at all. Well, the flavor was awesome, but I didn’t follow through on the directions. Turns out it REALLY IS necessary to seperate out the grease from the drippings. So instead of gravy, I got a really tasty turkey oil soup… It still went well on the potatoes, as I said the flavor was fantastic, but it was by no means gravy. Heehee, live and learn, I suppose.

So, how did the family like it? My mom has crowned me the Queen of Thanksgiving. My dad said the turkey was better than any he had ever made. I was showered in compliments all evening long. I couldn’t have wished for it to turn out better. Next year though, Dad and I will be working together. Now that my family has the confidence that I can do more than peel potatoes, Dad and I can put out a feast to end all feasts next year!!!

Sorry friends, I wrote this on Wednesday, but was unable to post it, because my computer crashed out… So it is a day late, but here it is…

Last night I spent several hours preparing everything for the recipes I am going to make today. I measured out all of the flours, spices, sugars, bread crumbs, and I cut the veggies and bread pieces. I am quite proud of myself actually. Since I began watching the Food Network I realized that everything the did looked so darn easy, since everything was already measured. Today I am making two deserts, and then this evening I will be putting the Turkey in the brine so that it can be made easily tomorrow. I just finished baking Paula’s Pumpkin Roll Cake. I know, I know, pumpkin pie is traditional, and we have one of those too (frozen :o| ) but this cake just looked so darn good, that I just had to have it. So far it’s been really easy, as I said, I had pre-measured everything, and now I’m just waiting for it to cool, and then I will fill it, wrap it in some plastic wrap, and I will garnish it tomorrow. Later this afternoon I am making Tyler’s Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie. Yummy!!!! Hubby LOOOOOOVES apple pie of any kind, so this will be a special treat for him. I am cheating a bit though, since I am usingper-made crust. I have a 2 year old, and making homemade pie crust is a bit too much like work… heehee. Here are the recipes for the desserts that I am making…

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So a couple days ago I told you I was going to make the Sweet Potato Waffles for my Hubby. And make them I did, and they turned out fantastic…eventually. This is the first recipe from the food network that I have acutally followed; and the lesson I learned? Always make sure that you have all of the ingredients BEFORE you start cooking. Here I am, egg whites warming to room temperature, waffle iron heating, sweet potatoes mashed, and searching frantically for flour. We always have flour. Why don’t we have flour!?!? And brown sugar, and baking powder, who knew you needed baking powder. Well I would have if I would have read the recipe again, and more carefully… So I ran off to the store and thankfully found everything and got back in time to make a lovely breakfast.

As I said the waffles were wonderful, after a little trial and error that is. While the recipe calls for the waffles to cook for 5-7 minutes or so, I found that with my cheap plastic waffle iron, they really needed a bit more cooking time. And at least a couple minutes between waffles to heat up the iron again. Those that were only cooked for 7 minutes came out very heavy and … sweet-potato-ish. Not the best tasting things in the world. But once I got the hang of it, well the Little Dude ate 2, and he doesn’t eat 2 of anything healthy… So yay!!! All in all this is definately a recipe I will be doing again, hopefully after I’ve gotten a better waffle iron.

Last night was the season finale of Next Iron Chef. Now I know I didn’t update y’all on parts 4 and 5, I just couldn’t find it in me to re-cap it all. So in short… In part 4 the Chefs were asked to prepare a first class meal for a new airline in Munich. Chef’s Besh and Symon both fared pretty well, with chef Besh’s only criticism being that his Watermelon Consomme should have been crystal clear, rather than just clarified… Chef Symon was declared the winner of the challenge, leaving Chef’s Sanchez and Cosentino out in the cold. In the end Chef Sanchez was sent packing, and can I just say HOORAY!!!
Part 5 brought the top three Chef’s to Paris where they had to use the ingredients they could find in Paris, to create and All-American Feast. They were to feed 20 people at the American Embassy, including Host Alton Brown, all three judges, and the American Ambassador to France, along with several top Chefs and culinary type people. All three impressed, although in the end Chef Cosentino didn’t impress quite enough and he too, was sent on his way … looks like my early prediction was wrong indeed…

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The beautiful and feisty housewife of most men’s dreams, has just released a new book. Rather than a cookbook like her past releases were, however, it is an autobiography detailing the struggles that Sandra faced growing up. With an unabashed eye looking at everything from abuse and neglect as a child, to the fame and fortune she currently enjoys. This the 13th of Sandra Lee’s books, and I, for one, am really looking forward to reading it.

Now, I know that there are a lot of you out there who don’t really care for Sandra Lee. I on the other hand am a big fan of hers, because she does exactly what I do. She makes wonderful food in a really easy way. Time is a factor in most of our lives, and she helps make things fun and friendly for the busy mom. People make fun of the tablescapes, and “cocktail time”, but here’s a fact for you. The food she is making is not for everyday meals, it is almost always for a dinner party or something. And always themed. Frankly speaking, the exact right time for a fun tablescape and a cocktail that accentuates the rest of the meal. If I’m looking for a meal to serve my family on a Tuesday night after a long day at work I probably won’t turn to Sandra Lee, but for my next party you can guarantee that it’s going to be Semi-Homemade

Ok, here’s a little backstory about me. My mom was a cook, when she was still able to work, and a darn good one at that. Dad, a mechanic, and also a darn good one. Anyhow, most nights at home mom would cook. Except the holidays. You see my dad really enjoys cooking, but most nights didn’t have the energy, and so on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, Dad got to cook. And the food is always good, really good to me as it is what I grew up knowing. The turkey is beautiful, but perhaps not the glory of flavor and moistness that my family always raves about. In truth, I’ve had better. The potatoes, well they’re mashed potatoes, but made from real potatoes, which is really uncommon in our house. Well, my point is, everythign is good, but not great, and after 28 years, getting a little boring. So this year I talked my dad into letting me do Thanksgiving dinner. *Squeeeeee*

OK, so as you all know, I have a mild obsession with *ahem* fondness for Alton Brown and his show Good Eats. Watching this show last year I was fascinated with the concept of brining a turkey. I had never heard of anyone brining a meat before, although AB does it with quite a few of them. Everything he made on the show looked so stinking yummy that I just knew I had to make it. So, this year all of the food I make on Thanksgiving will be from Good Eats … probably, (some of those other shows have really good looking stuff too, I’m still working on my menu…)

So today I will give you AB’s brining solution and directions for a perfect roasted Turkey. Keep an eye out for the other recipes I will be featuring in my house on Thanksgiving. OOH, and let me know if you’re doing anything you’ve never done before for Thanksgiving. Or tell me about the first one you cooked all by yourself!!!

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Tonight Food Network Challenge is showcasing pies. They are also rerunning the Haunted Gingerbread Houses today. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t care for the challenges that are just food, and not artistry. The chicken cookoffs, the burgers, pies… they really bore me. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the people that are competing are super excited for it and all, but the entertainment just isn’t there. Honestly, if I wanted to watch a bunch of people putting strange stuff together, barbequeing it and calling it a gourmet burger, I’d go to a really fancy restaraunt, pay $25 and at least be able to eat it. The pastry challenges though, well that’s a different story all together! Those people are artists. They are literally making sculptures and paintings and well, art… out of chocolate, sugar, cake, etc… While watchign the show we are right there with them, feeling the excitement and drama. Screaming at the television, (why didn’t you practice this in a humid room BEFORE you came to Florida in JULY?!?!?!) Holding our collective breath while they are moving their masterpieces to the judging table. It is joy and tragedy, and drama and bold entertainment. Join me in begging the food network, no more Pies, no more burgers, no more chicken, give me art, give me suspense, give me a Challenge!!!

And for crying out loud, go read about the ultimate contest reality show!!!

With the holiday season fast approaching our hearts and minds turn to those less fortunate than ourselves. Sounds cliche, I know, but in the best of worlds it is true. Fans of the Food Network are probably aware of their current work with Share Our Strength. Share Our Strength is an organization dedicated to prevention of childhood hunger in America. Food Network is proud to be the national television sponsor of Share Our Strength. Look for your favorite Food Network Stars doing commercials and events for Share Our Strength.

Having said that, our favorite stars also have charities that they love and donate to on their own. I’d like to tell you a little about those too.

First of all, Alton Brown. In case you all haven’t figured it out by now, Alton is my favorite Food Network Star. It doesn’t hurt that he’s adorable and geeky in a super funny and smart kind of way. Add to that, his pet charity is one of my favorites too, and he is very nearly the perfect man… (Second to Hubby of course…) The charity of which I speak is Heifer International. Heifer International is working to rid the world of hunger following the old adage, give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. When you donate to Heifer international you buy a hungry or needy family a piece of livestock, a cow, a pig, a sheep, and not only does the organization give that animal to them, it teaches them to breed, care for, and recieve nourishment from, these animals… They also have programs that teach about agriculture, planting food, and getting those that live in cities to become closer to their food sources. Also, they acknowledge the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is spreading across the world and have included AIDS Prevention and Awareness Programs… All around an amazing charity!!!

Rachael Ray, has currently been working with City Harvest, and has recently donated two tickets to her daytime tv show to City Harvest’s 25th anniversary bid against hunger auction night. The tickets were won for an astounding $18,000 each!!! However Rachael also has here own charity, called Yum-o! In this day and age of fast food and meals on the go, Yum-O works to help families lears to cook together, building relationships over mealtimes. They also work to prevent childhod hunger (do we see a theme here yet?) On top of all of that they fund cooking education and scholarships.

Emeril also has his own charitable foundation, called, shockingly enough, the Emeril Legasse Foundation. Established in 2002 Emeril’s foundation is dedicated to “inspire, mentor, and enable our future.” The funds raised by his organization are in turn granted to other charities, childrens organizations that have something to do with food or hunger prevention…

If you would care to donate or help with any of the above charities, just click on the links and they will direct you to the site!!!

Also, to all of you lurkers out there, I am extending an invitation. Please, comment here what you would like to read about. Whether it be a specific show, or a particular personality… Any recipes that you’re just dying to have… Anything that you would like to see me write about. Once each week, I promise to take one of your suggestions and blog it, but I can’t do it if I do’t get your suggestions!!!

Remember this week, no mater how bad your life is, somebody has it worse. Donate time or money to the charity of YOUR choice today, whether it be one of the above or something totally different. I’m sure it will make you feel better!!!

I always seem to forget how much I enjoy watching Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. The show is well made and informative, but for some reason every time I see it on the guide on my TV is skip over it. I have set my DVR to remember it for me. Watching his Halloween episode, I remembered why I liked watching the show so much. He gives information not only on what food to make for parties, but the format is one of, 5 days in advance do this, 4 days in advance do that, etc… This is really helpful to those folks that watch the show with the intention of actually entertaining. I very often make everything for a party the day before of the day of, because I’m just not sure what is going to stay tasty and fresh, or for how long…

For his Halloween episode he made peanut butter cups, that looked fantastic, except for the slice of dried banana on top. I’m all for peanut butter and bananas, but dried banana slices are a bit much in my opinion… The textures don’t seem as though they would mesh well for me. He also made a poached Garlic Soup that looked so yummy that I think I’m going to be making it in the next couple weeks sometime… mmmm soooouuuupppp… Of course before I do that I’ll still have to buy an immersion blender. heehee… There were some awesome tips in the show, including how to cut graham crackers with a cookie cutter without breaking the crackers. (The secret is to microwave to crackers for a few seconds to soften them up first…) I think my favorite little trick though was the Vampire Punch with Body Part ice cubes. I’ve seen folks use latek gloves to make hands in the past, but the plastic Halloween mask to make the face was a nice touch… oooh, and the Slimedoo Fondue was very gooey and yummy looking too!!! All in all, it was a fun show. One of the main reasons I love the Food Network in the Holiday Season…

That’s right, I was so frustrated that I couldn’t find a single photo of AB’s new tattoo, that he got on the season finale of Feasting on Asphalt, that I wrote to the artist. And he wrote me back… With his permission I have his photo of that tattoo. As far as I can tell, this is the first copy of this photo anywhere on the internet!!! And isn’t it an awesome tattoo? I told you, didn’t I? I believe that the artistry and detail work on this tattoo is amazing and beautiful.

Well, Nic, being a wonderful (and might I add, patient) man, not only sent me this amazing picture to use, he also agreed to an interview with me. So, this being my very first interview ever, I made a few mistakes. Most notably of which was trying to set it up on IM, and then realizing that my IM doesn’t really work at home. Thank you very much $40 Wal-Mart wireless router… So rather than the lively conversation I was hoping for, I sent him some questions, and he sent me his responses. Here they are now, along with some of my thoughts after reading his answers…

Tell me a little about you… How long have you been tattooing? Are you married? Any Kids?

I have been tattooing for 16 and a half years, as long as I have been with my wife, we have been married for 15 years. We are both 36, we have 2 children a boy and a girl. This answer seems kind of dry, sorry, I cant think of anything to spice it up, I am kind of a white picket fence guy. I work, and go home and I coach soccer and volunteer at my daughters school, and I own a tattoo shop.

Actually, I don’t think this to be dry at all. As a matter of fact, I think it’s a great way to show the general public that tattoo artists are people too. They are husbands and wives, and soccer coaches. Really just like the rest of us, making a living, and hopefully having fun while they’re doing it…

What is your favorite of all of the tattoos that you have done?

That is a hard question, as I am fortunate to do lots of REALLY fun tattoos, so it would be hard to have a favorite, as the new fav’s supplant the old ones, but are still favorites one and all… does that make any sense? I realistically do a true favorite every couple months.

It seems like you truly love your job. If only everyone in this world could be that happy!!!

What are your hobbies?
I work out (which is what I am gonna do right after I am done with this!), I run (marathons!), I play video games, I paint and draw, I hang out with my kids and wife, and go scuba diving.

Wow! You’re a busy guy…

Are you a Food Network fan?
Yes, though not as big of a fan as my wife and son are! They love Iron Chef.

Well, who doesn’t?

What is your favorite show on the network?

Probably the original Iron Chef, I saw it in San Francisco like 11 years ago and loved the concept and program ever since.

I was a fan of the original Iron Chef as well, although I must say I like the American version much better. The secret ingredient in the original almost always grossed me out, and the dialogue of the judges seemed a bit cheesy. Mostly due to the dubbing of the voices, the overlays were always a little over the top for my taste…

Have you seen Feasting on Asphalt, before Alton Brown came to your shop?

No, but my wife and son love his other shows and were stoked when I told them he was at our shop. I had seen him a couple other times on Good Eats and Iron Chef America.

Of all of his shows I think Good Eats is my favorite…

Did you recognize him right away?

Yes, he is unmistakable

What was he like?

He was super nice and respectful, it was amazing considering they had been on the road for like a month at that point (I think it was that long, maybe just a couple weeks). His personality was pretty much the same or similar to the guy you see on TV.

That is so fantastic to hear. So often these days we hear that our favorite stars are jerks in real life. I’m glad that he really is what he seems to be…

His coming up to the shop was very spur of the moment in the show, was it actually? Or did he have an appointment?

It was totally spur of the moment and had us scrambling to open up space to get him in! They called a couple hours before they were coming down, but I am usually booked 5 months ahead of time so it was a little stressful, but worth it, for sure!

Who thought of the design, him or you?

He thought of the design, I drew it up.

Is there anything else you would like me to include?

Not that I can think of. It was a great experience and has been really fun running into people I know who have seen the show on TV. I wish I have been able to engage him more during the tattoo with cooking talk, but I am not much of a cook (though I can grill with the best of them!)

Thanks so much for your time Nic, I really appreciate it, hopefully I will be able to get a better wireless router before my next interview… heehee… You are awesome, and I really appreciate you sharing your art with us.

And to my readers in the Twin Cities area, when you want your next, (or first…) tattoo, be sure to get in touch with Nic, and the folks over at Uptown Tattoo. From the looks of what he’s done to our favorite food geek, it’s totally worth the wait for his next appointment!!!