Food TV

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!!!

If you’re looking for a delicious, quick pizza, check out this Carbonara Deep-Dish Pan Pizza by Rachael Ray. Featured on 30 minute meals, this dish is a quick, yummy meal for anyone in the family to enjoy.

Salt
2 packages fresh linguini, 9 ounces each
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, cut as thick as bacon, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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This is a guest post by Dominick Evans.

I decided to write two posts on Ashtyn’s Food Network Blog. This one is based on who can cook as opposed to who is hot. I’m sure you will find this list a bit different because I am actually including all chefs on the Network, not just the women! Essentially, these are the people I would let cook for me based on their skill and what they like to make.

So, without further ado, here is my top five chefs list. Let me know if you agree or disagree by making your own list in the comment section of this blog post.

5. Emeril

I think Emeril is an amazing chef. I would have placed him higher except for one little thing. Emeril likes to cook exotic food, a lot of which is fish. I am not overly fond of fish or fois gras or anything I can barely pronounce. That is the only downside to Emeril’s cooking. However, when he’s making steak, potatoes, and that famous Emeril cheesecake, he’s welcome to send me some any time.

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This is a guest post by Dominick Evans.

I brought up the idea of guest posting on Ashtyn’s Food Network Blog after reading her article on the Top Ten “Hottest” women on Food Network. Whoever chose that list was obviously smoking something because their choices were absolutely wrong. Do the vast majority of warm-blooded males agree with them or will they agree with my choices? Feel free to leave a comment letting me know whether you agree or disagree.

I chose the top five rather than the top ten because I cannot imagine naming ten hosts that I actually find hot on Food Network! I mean, I could name multiple chefs and hosts (both male and female) whose food I would eat, but when it comes to looks, I find that the amount of hot women on the Network seems to be lacking. Granted, you don’t have to be hot to cook, but it certainly does make a good show even more enjoyable.

That being said, lets get to the list.

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Last week I wrote an article on my blog, Literary Illusions, about my thoughts on the Next Food Network Star. I had my favorite in the bottom three. I think this week only ended up reminding me why my favorite was who he is. For me, the show had some serious ups and downs, but before I get into those immediate thoughts that are rolling around in my brain, why don’t we go over what happened during the show.

Tonight’s show was all about the possible stars learning about the media. As the media presence is a big part of being on Food TV, the three contenders got to go through a day of media training/excursions. The day started with the Ron and Fez show, which airs on XM Radio. Each contestant went into the show, was asked some questions, and got to make a quick and easy snack out of some incredibly random foods that just happened to be in the studio (If anyone has ever seen a craft services table then you know what I’m talking about). The rules were pretty simple. The contestants needed to go in, market themselves and the show, respect their fellow contestants, and offer a good taste of who they were.

Amy went in first. She was quick on her feet when she made a bagel with bologna and cheese sandwich. She managed to be both professional and personable. While she has that sense of gourmet-Paris snobbery about her, she did well on the radio, as more of the mom and less of the gourmet shined through. The judges felt she was confident and personable, as well. (more…)