Lapse into Laziness

Well I guess you could say I fell off the blogging bandwagon there for awhile. It happens. Don't get me wrong. I've still been cooking and eating well these past two months. I suppose I was just too distracted by, well, all of life's little distractions to blog about it. Or perhaps all of the cooking was really more of a distraction from the distractions... There's something to think about!

Either way, I've been meaning to get back on track, and finally this weekend presented the perfect opportunity: My Next Food Network Star premier party. When I was home in Buffalo a few weeks ago and first saw the promo, I couldn't believe that it was time yet again for the show that brought us Guy Fieri, Aaron McCargo Jr and Melissa d'Arabian. So I sent out all my invites and started the menu planning.

I'm big on themes for this sort of occasion. Recall, the Next Iron Chef premier where everyone had a secret ingredient to cook with. I thought better this time of imposing any restrictions on my guests, so figured I'd just come up with my own guidelines. And then the perfect idea hit me. I would make a recipe from some of the former winners.

Anyway, here we go again! Without further ado, here's what I came up with.

Melissa d'Arabian's Salmon Cakes: The recipe does not include a dip, but I whipped up a simple mayo one with the ingredients that go in the salmon cakes (mayo, dijon, onions, bacon grease and lemon).

Aaron McCargo Jr.'s Molasses Marinated Flank Steak with Roasted Red Peppers

Guy Fieri's Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle BBQ Sauce

As it turns out, Guy's got some pretty tempting recipes, so I rounded out the menu with these two little quickies.

Ginger Carrot Soup Shooters: I put my soup in little plastic shot glasses so guests could easily eat them. I have to say I wasn't a huge fan. A little too overpowering in its pine nutiness. I tried to give it another layer of flavor with some roasted red bell and jalapeno peppers. And as a garnish, I did a little swirl of honey on top.

Artichoke Spinach Dip with Roasted Red Bell Peppers

p.s. ... on my letter to Guy Fieri

p.s. - Now that I've actually seen the show in Buffalo, I found it incredibly amusing that you introduced a segment of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" from East Amherst, NY. This place has got to have one of the highest property tax bases in upstate NY, and it seems kind of a juxtaposition that there would be anything divish here.

Second, next time you're anywhere near Buffalo, PLEASE consult with me. I didn't think any of the items at Grover's looked appealing. There's probably a reason I've never been there. And to think you were probably within a mile of the suburban location of Jim's Steakout, one of my favorite places to go for late night take out when I'm home. The steak hoagie pairs greatly with Spanish vino.

Anyway, let me help you out next time. That's what friends are for!

p.p.s. - There's a reason it's the people who are "this big" (meaning skinny and little) who eat two of the giant cheeseburgers. It's called bulimia.

Dear Guy Fieri ...

... I wanted to take the time to thank you for visiting Buffalo and bringing some attention to this often neglected city.

I have to say, I was not a big fan of Tailgate Warriors. But I hate football so maybe that's not really fair of me. I do appreciate that you did not, like, pretend to be in a blizzard like Anthony Bourdain did, right before claiming that featuring a chicken wing on the show would be cliche.

Either way, I am hopeful that the episodes for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives that start tonight at 10 p.m. on Food Network will be much better. It's rumored that tonight you will be in my old hood, at Grover's on Transit.