Feeling Kinda Sunday

Yeah, I'm feeling better....

Belgian Beef and Beer Stew


Herbed Asiago Rolls

Regular old chocolate chip cookies

My Own Top Chef Experience

When Bryan Voltaggio was first introduced on this season of Top Chef, my first thought was "WTF!? He works in Frederick, Maryland!?" Having lived more than 10 years in Maryland, "Fredneck" isn't exactly what I would consider the poshest place for a world class dining experience. Luckily, I was wrong, as I got to experience VOLT last Saturday.

Though we didn't have the 21-course table IN the kitchen (due to a "restaurant error"), we had the next best thing - the 6-course meal with a view of the kitchen.

I have posted the food porn on my little food website if you're interested in seeing it - link here.

B&C Food Review

Coconut M&M's.

Epically. Goddamn. Awesome.

B&C Food Review

They taste like Mango Nectarines!

God bless science.

B&C Food Review

They're gross.

And I had about 10 to be sure.

They're gross.

B&C Food Review

Keep in mind, I eat Doritos like it's my job.

Very spicy, but they do taste like jalapeno poppers.


This deserves more than my usual 2-6 word review. HOLY CRAP THEY ARE AWESOME! You can really taste the beef, cheese, and LETTUCE! Seriously, I taste lettuce. It was like that scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Violet Beauregarde tries that gum that tastes like a full meal. I was freaking out. Get them.

B&C Food Review

Tastes like Pepsi to me!

B&C Food Review

They're awesome.

Balls Balls BALLS

Apart from loudly mocking the golfers when they screw up, I have a new tradition unlike any other. It's a Motherlovin' Masters Ball Party!!

Two salads - one tomato and mozzarella, one Poppyseed Fruit Salad.



Then we have Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs, Sausage and Cheese Balls, and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. If you turn the mushroom upside down it almost looks like a golf ball.



Finally, what Ball Party would be complete without chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla ice cream ball and toasted coconut?


Mmmmm... balls.

COMING SOON

It's Ball Party day. Ball-themed foods in honor of the last day of the Masters golf tournament.

Everything's prepped and I have "Circus" playing on my iPod (tucked safely away in my apron's convenient pocket).

I'm ready... are you?

Birthday FAIL

I went to Chick-Fil-A for my birthday lunch (birthday's tomorrow, but they're closed on Sundays) so I could have some waffle fries and a peppermint chocolate milkshake.

No peppermint chocolate milkshakes.

Dagger.

Thankfully, the No. 2 Seed, Arby's, had a mint chocolate shake. Which was good, even if it was an unnatural shade of green.

F. U. Chick-Fil-A. F. U.

(Also, since where is there that second "c" in the name? I had no idea.)

My Thanksgiving

It's official. I married a saint. Not only did Mike make the entire Thanksgiving dinner himself, he did it while I micro-managed and nagged from the couch. And it was really good.

Lucky for him, I was mostly distracted while he cooked - I video-chatted with the family in PA for over 2 1/2 hours. That was a lot of fun. While we were chatting, I got to witness The Apple Pie From Hell - Mary made it. It looked hella good, I'm sorry I missed it.

Here's the complete dinner, along with a close-up of the awesome Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere.



What better way to digest your food than by watching Top Chef? My cast felt tighter - I guess the food went straight to my legs.


And because Mike finds it hysterical, here is the picture he took of me all Valiumed up in the ER Tuesday night.



And this is what we call my "old lady stool" - for showering.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Oh. My. God.

We're gonna have a problem here. I don't eat KFC because I don't like to eat anything with bones.

And now it's boneless.

Oh NO!

(This is yet another reason I'm glad football is back -- commercials.)

Eating My Way Through Pennsylvania

So of course most of the activities on my Pennsylvania vacation have revolved around drinking and food. Food I can't get in Florida.

Like Five Guys - I think it might be better than In N Out. Their fries definitely are - that picture is pure 100% food porn.




OK, so I just found out there is a Five Guys in Florida. Still, I haven't had it for over TWO YEARS!

And then Wegman's! I got to shop at Wegman's again! And buy a pound of cookies.





Greatest Foodcation Ever.

Inappropriate Candy of the Week

First person to send me this candy gets my undying love and affection. It's all about the apostrophe placement, people.

Eight-year NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver and former winner of the Daytona 500 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. introduced his new candy bar, Big Mo'.

The name Big Mo' is a play off of Earnhardt Jr.'s hometown of Mooresville, N.C., and the longtime moniker used for he and his closest friends, the Dirty Mo' Posse.

The milk chocolate candy bar will come in two flavors, creamy caramel and peanut butter. It is scheduled to hit stores nationwide in January 2008.

I fully support a Dirty Mo Posse.

B&C Beverage of the Week

Good lord in sweet heaven, Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai Tea with Soy Protein is the Greatest Drink in the History of the World. If you ever want to get me a present, just send me 50 cases of this.

There's no reason to go to Starbucks anymore when I can just get this at the grocery store. No, wait, there is a reason to go to Starbucks - I overheard the following conversation between Starbucks employees this past weekend:

"So, Rob, what's the new flavor going to be?"
"Honey Latte."

Oh hells yes. Can't wait to try a honey latte, but once that novelty wears off I'll go back to my Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Soy Chai. You just microwave it up and it's money!

Baloney & Cereal Alert: Code Red

Don't ever say I don't go the extra mile for my readership. Due to overwhelming requests, I tried Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper. Or, as I will be calling it, Swill.

This is the worst soda I have tried in my life. And I have tried many. It tastes like cough medicine. My discerning palate picks up no hints of chocolate. There is a hint in the bouquet, but not on my tastebuds. It really just tastes like watered-down Diet Dr. Pepper.

Stay away. Instead try this product that I found online while searching for an image of Swill. Diet Coke with Bacon sounds good right about now, as I'm stuck trying to finish a 2-liter bottle of Swill.

1000th Post!

I couldn't decide which of my three favorite things - other peoples' procreation, food, or failed relationships - should be put into my 1000th post. Let's do all of them!

HOLY CRAP! Rachel from Real World San Francisco and Sean from Real World Boston, my second-favorite reality show couple ever (Judd and Pam are first - are they still together?) are having their 5th kid. Their 5th! I think I kind of slept on the fact that they even had one. The new baby girl will join older siblings Evita Pilar, 8, Xavier Jack, 6, Lucia-Belen, 3 ½, and John-Paul, 1. And I can't say anything bad about these kids, cuz they're freaking adorable.

Two idiots are getting
not-really-divorced-because-their-wedding-wasn't-legal-but-still-it-was-only-2-weeks-ago.

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds have called it quits just two weeks after their intimate wedding, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.
"After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," Murphy and Edmonds tell PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love, friendship and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level, we have decided to remain friends.”

The new flavor of Twix, Java, is pretty good. It's coffee-flavored caramel and a chocolate cookie. No way does it beat the original Caramel Twix, but it's worth trying.

30 Years Later

I had my annual Holiday Baking Day this past Sunday - and this time my friends Ashley and Natalie joined me. I've been making these cookie recipes for almost 30 years. And here's the photographic evidence!

Because the Suspense Is Killing You

The Bourbon-Pecan Tart was un-effing-believable. Like, one-of-the-best-things-I've-ever-made-or-eaten good. Here's a link to the recipe if you're interested.