Foodies of the world, UNITE!

This bright, shiny, new thread is a place where we can now happily discuss our personal experiences with specific recipes after viewing them on one of the many Food Network programs.

Watch it. Make it. Discuss!

And we can discuss non-FN recipes too, right?

I'm trying two FN recipes this coming week, post-4th. RR's ginger flank steak with wasabi potatoes, and Ellie Krieger's mac and cheese with squash.

Thanks, ButterBeans! I know that sometimes we have a tendency to get off track when we start talking about recipes in show specific threads. To echo PlayItGeorge's question, is it ok to discuss PBS & Create channel recipes?
I am thinking about making a chocolate gooey butter cake from Paula's recipe this weekend. I have never tried a Paula recipe and if it comes out alright, I'll probably make one for my sister's July 4th bash.

I've made a few Paula recipes--the crab bisque, which I really liked the first time despite it's semi-homemadeness, and HATED the second time(hated it so much I threw out the entire thing). I've also made her Banana cake which is pretty good.

Oh and I'm thinking of trying this fish recipe I saw on ATK recently--looks terrible for you (pan fried fish in a butter and parsley sauce) but delicious.

Thanks ButterBeans! Quick question here......would this be the place to discuss recipes that are ours and not FN's? For example, we discuss Ina's chicken stew on her thread but if we have our own recipe for chicken stew then we come here? Or, if we discuss sauce versus gravy we come here?

Thanks, I'm a little slow..............

Great new thread!

I'll be here to sing the praises of Giada's recipes and (maybe) how to salvage RayRay's. On second thought, never mind that second part...

Hmmm. Rachael Ray can annoy the crap out of me sometimes, but I think her recipes are, for the most part, pretty good. I loved her Not-sagna, or No-sagna, or whatever it is. The sauce in and of itself was great, and had a really different flavor (calls for allspice, which gives you a hint of something unusual).

I love Giada's recipes, too, as well as Michael Chiarello's. His Zucchini Saltimbocca is sooooo good. Highly recommended.

Yay, I'm so glad this topic exists now!

So long as you saw them on some TV program or another. As we are a television site and all.

I've had great success making Alton's Brown Thanksgiving turkey. You brine it and it is extremely moist. We've also had success making his prime rib. Love Alton.

*Mods be praised!*

Thanks, guys! I'm happier than a foodie in Wegman's (or Zagara's!) too!



Oooh, janeybird go for it. I made a "Sweet Potato Gooey Cake" for Thanksgiving dessert last year, substituting mashed sweet potatoes for the Pumpkin in Paula's "Pumpkin Gooey Cake" recipe.

My son, my girlfriend, her sister and I nearly came to blows over the last piece.

janeybird, I make Paula's gooey pumpkin butter cake every Thanksgiving, and it is to die for. I use spice cake mix instead of vanilla because it works better with the pumpkin (and isn't so sweet). Let us know how the chocolate cake turns out!

I once made grilled lettuce (radicchio and two others that I can't recall. not regular old lettuce.) after seeing it on Everyday Italian. Gross. IMO anyway. The recipe is basically olive oil, salt and pepper. Then grill. I don't know if anyone else has tried it and liked it.

Ina Garten's gorgonzola sauce. Simple, simple, simple. Can't complain about complicated French technique cream sauces ever again with this workable recipe. It's basically just reducing heavy cream on the stove for 50 minutes (no need to tend to it every second, just check in and stir once in a while). You don't even have to flavor it with gorgonzola. Chipotle, thyme, mustard, horseradish, other cheeses. Or reuse the basic recipe the next day with an added flavor.

I've had grilled raddichio at a restaurant and they made a Caesar salad with it. I thought it was really good, but couldn't figure out how to recreate it at home.

Rachael Ray has a good stromboli recipe that I've made many times, just substituting the store bought dough for my own home-made pizza dough.

I will throw down over the last piece of Giada's Chicken Florentine, it is that good. Not exactly the healthiest thing ever, but the sauce is to die for.

I've always wanted to try one of Paula's Gooey Butter Cakes but I was so disappointed with her cheesecake bites recipe, that I'm a little hesitant now.

I've only done a couple recipes after seeing them on TV, but I have to toss out some love for a new holiday favorite: Good Eats eggnog. Generally I can't stand eggnog, but I sampled some when I was making it for friends and ended up finishing off a couple glasses.

I'm grateful for this thread because I'm a total recipe slut. I try maybe 10-15 new ones a week, mostly from tv cooking shows.

Recent TV recipes I've liked:

I am not an Emeril fan but these pancakes are the Best. Pancakes. Ever.

This vegetarian soup with the dumb name from Chef At Home (Discovery Home channel) is now in my regular soup rotation. I like how he tells you to make sure not to overcook the frozen peas and corn and just add them right before serving.

This simple blueberry pie is also from Emeril. You mix the easy pie crust in the pie pan (using oil instead of butter), then you remove some of the crust mixture and use it for crumbling on top. Great for when you're too lazy to make a regular pie crust.


The last few TV recipes I've made but didn't like:

The Bloody Mary mix from Ina is just a pain to do and the pureed celery concoction did nothing for me. I mean it wasn't bad but it didn't do anything spectacular to tomato juice and vodka and then I had to spend time cleaning up the kitchen. Sorry no link - it has expired from the FN web site.

The vegetarian lentil loaf from Giada's vegetarian episode is amazing because it manages to have no flavor and an awful texture despite using 20,000 ingredients. The checca sauce is decent but it would be better used in the other recipe she had already used it for. The liquid amounts for cooking the lentils and rice are WAY OFF. I tasted it and tossed the whole thing. Fortunately I had some tamales (Rick Bayless' killer tamale recipe made with fresh masa dough) in the freezer for dinner.


I'll post more as I try them.

Ming Tsai's brined turkey, on the other hand... I made it and it was so bad I had to throw it all out - on Thanksgiving. Luckily there was plenty o' stuffing to eat. The turkey was overly salty and a strange flavor but I followed the recipe exactly. Anyone else have poultry-brining disasters or just me?

I have to second Bungalow Joy's recommendation for Ina's gorgonzola sauce. Heavenly and so easy. I make a yummy crab/artichoke/spinach dip by chef John Folse (http://www.jfolse.com) that's based on the same principle: cook heavy cream for a long time and it changes consistency *and* flavor. Who knew?

ETA sandia, Emeril's got a good Bloody Mary mix recipe on his website. I make it with Knudsen's no-sugar-added tomato juice. Very tasty.

I am so happy that we have a recipe thread! Not that I cook so much during the week, but most of the recipes I have tried are Giada's and they are wonderful. Chicken florentine, chicken marinated in balsamic vinegar are both keepers for me. I tried her zucchini al forno two times and I think it is just too rich. It's not bad, but the flavor is definitely not worth the calories. I don't bake much, but many of your comments have encouraged me to try Paula's gooey butter cake. We have something going on this weekend, so I may make it for that. I'll let you all know.

I tried one of Paula's meatloaf recipes--for cheeseburger meatloaf--and it was to. Die. FOR. I had never made a meatloaf before, and the cheese-loving Mr. Nutjob had been begging me to try making one, so I thought this recipe would be perfect. I subbed fat free sour cream and low fat cheese to drop the fat content a bit, and it was AWESOME. I also skipped making the sauce and made homemade mushroom gravy instead.

One of my favorite FN recipes is one of Emeril's, for "ooey gooey stuffed cupcakes". Every time I make them people just go nuts, they are so good. I made a white version once, and they turned out well, but I greatly prefer the chocolate ones.

My sister-in-law does the AB brine but doesn't use his roasting method (500F for the first 30 min, 350F till it reaches temp), and her turkey is edible but nothing special. I skip the brining entirely but use the high/med heat method and have amazing results -- the turkey gets a crispy skin, almost like deep fried, is incredibly moist, and cooks in under 3 hours. I firmly believe the brine doesn't do much.

I like AB's turkey as well.

Other FN favorites:
RR's Swiss and Bacon dip; sausage, beans, and broccoli rabe soup (I like it better w/escarole though)

Dave Lieberman's Pesto and prociutto sandwiches

Ina's Lemon Cakes and roast chicken with croutons

Also I've been getting into ATK and Lidia's Italian kitchen or whatever the hell that show's called, as well as Everyday Food, but I've yet to really make anything from those shows other than ATK's chicken paillaird (yummy). They did an Indian episode that looked really good too that I'm thinking of trying, as well as their quesadillas. (I use a lot of the Cook's Illustrated recipes, but they're not always on TV so no talky).

I'm thinking that we could, maybe, compare our own recipe to one we saw on a show recently that was similar. Or, talk all about how we improved on one of the recipes that we saw.

For example--
I made Ina's Spaghetti & Meatballs last weekend, but I used Hot Italian Sausage in place of the plain ground pork, and added a few herbs to the sauce and went straight to food coma heaven.

Hey PlayItGeorge, I keep hearing about Ina's Roast Chicken with Croutons. I'm so hooked on her Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables & Gravy (from a 2004 ep, so the recipe is expired on the site), that I haven't tried the one with the croutons...Wanna share?

I actually use Ina's turkey roasting recipe for roasting chickens and it is divine. I never realized what chopping up a little garlic, butter, lemon juice, and thyme and then mooshing it up under the skin of the bird would do. So, SO good.

I've wanted to try Ina's spaghetti and meatballs recipe, ButterBeans, it looked really yummy. I love Giada's simple sauce and actually had success with one of RayRay's sauce, but I'm always on the lookout for new Italian sauce recipes. I'll have to try it now!

Most of the FN recipes I've had the best success with come from Ina and Paula. With Paula you just have to be able to weed out the crazy-fatty ones. My husband is totally enamored of Paula's short ribs over buttered rice that she made recently; it's very easy and very flavorful, considering how few ingredients it has. He doesn't like chicken much but based on the rave reviews, I'm going to have make Ina's roast chicken over croutons and he'll just have to deal with it.

Some of Ina's recipes I love: roasted vegetable/orzo salad; meatloaf (for Dick in the windmill!); broccoli bow tie pasta; chicken-parmesan fingers, the ones she made for the kids; shrimp with linguine; pasta pesto salad (but even full-fat mayonnaise lovers like me have to cut down on that particular ingredient); and avocado endive salad. Oh, and the banana crunch muffins.

Giada's recipes--I know lots of people love her but I'm rarely moved to try any of her recipes. I made her chicken tetrazini (sp?) and it was ok but nothing to write home about. I also tried her cupcakes (from a mix) with the whipped cream and raspberries, thinking my husband might like them because they would be somewhat similar to strawberry shortcake, which he loves. But, well, they tasted like cake mix. I assumed that because she is a trained chef, that if she was recommending this recipe, somehow the mix would turn out non mix-y with what she added, which I think was just some extracts--maybe vanilla and almond. But that just wasn't true. I ended up throwing them away.

Rachael Ray has some decent recipes, at least for people like me who cook for non-adventurous eaters. I've never tried to do any of her menus in 30 minutes. I'm not too proud to admit her Sloppy Joe and French dip sandwich recipes are pretty good.

I've tried Ina's maple scones. They are delicious. Although I do double the recipe for the glaze. It always seems to run out.

I would like to make them more often, but I'm the only one that likes them. My husband says they taste "Interesting". Which usually means "Thanks, but no thanks."

Sure thing, m'dear!

How to get Ina's recipes that have expired from the FN page

1. Find the recipe you want and click on it. It will of course say it's expired. Now look at the URL. Here is an example.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_28195,00.html

See that 5 digit code before the comma? Highlight and copy those numbers.

2. Go to a recipe on FN.com you know works and click on it.

3. Click on print 4x6 card

4. Take the new URL, and find where you see the 5 digits before "_PRINT". Delete those and replace w/ the 5 digit code you copied and hit enter.

5. Tada! An Ina recipe.

Thankee, PlayItGeorge! Mmmmm. that DOES sound good. You know what I bet would be INSANELY good with it? Nigella's Lemon Risotto. She made it on Nigella Bites oh so long ago. I cannot WAIT until she gets to the FN.

Mmmmmmm, Nigella. I mean the Lemon Risotto. *Bad ButterBeans!*


Hey nicepebbles, I tried that too after seeing Giada do it -- I didn't really want it by itself, but I made a nice salad out of the grilled romaine and pieces of grilled salmon. Just dressed it with a little lemon juice (once you grill the lettuce, it can't take a heavy dressing). Plan on making this a quick weeknight staple this summer.

Great thread! Thanks ButterBeans.

emma675, I'm curious as to what you didn't like about Paula's cheesecake bites. I was thinking of trying those, but was a bit leary after my attempt at pumpkin gooey butter cake. Silly me should have realized from reading the ingredient list it was super duper extra rich, and so really something not to my taste.

I've done a nutella version of the gooey butter cake (someone else recommended it in the Paula Deen thread). I won grand champion of a brownie contest at my work with it. And I took the recipe to a SuperBowl and one guy ate 1/2 of it. People who like it, really like it.

But seriously you do not need all that confectioner's sugar. I used 3/4 of a box, not the whole thing.

That would be good--especially if you're making the chicken for 4 or so where you'll need extra food. I'm in a household of two and the chicken and croutons alone is plenty filling for just us. I will have to try that other roast chicken sometime too. BoyGeorge needs to eat more veggies.

I was fortunate enough to eat at one of Mario's restaurants in NYC, as well as Morimoto's in Philadelphia. Both experiences were wonderful.

Has anyone ever attempted anything seen made on Iron Chef, either the original show or America?

I'm jealous. I don't have a desire to go to most celebrity owned restaurants, but I love Mario.

They seem too fussy for me and , more important, way above my skill level. And, assuming that the recipes are concocted on the spot and it's not staged and planned ahead of time, can the chefs even reproduce them to the point where they would make them available? Are the recipes available?

I've never seen the recipes available, just curious what other folks thought.

I do have a Mario cookbook and have made some really good recipes for a pork that is brined and some ricotta gnocchi made with a sausage/fennel ragu.

roseyrose, I've heard that the secret ingredient isn't so secret. The chefs are given a list of potential secret ingredients well in advance of the show. I seem to remember one of the challengers talking about doing practice runs to get the timing down, as well.

That said, most of Iron Chef's recipes look too complicated or exotic for my kitchen skills. I watch mostly for the AB commentary, and to see the final products.

Also, public service announcement here: If you own Mastercook software, go toMad's Recipe Emporium where you can download many of the FN recipes (old and new!). Also, if you do not have Mastercook software, that site also has a free basic recipe reader so you can still download the recipes.

Cheekee Monkee: I have one of Mario's cookbooks also. I've tried his biscotti. I like them, but they're not as crunchy as I would like. I'm sure it's something I'm doing. I've tried a couple others, but a fair amount of his recipes call for obscure ingredients that I either can't identify (and neither does he) or I can't find down here in the (New) South. Even so, Mario was one of my first finds on FN, right after Emeril, and I quickly abandoned Emeril for Mario. He's the real thing.

Kojac97: I suspected as much. Mr. Rosey and I have have numerous discussions about whether the chefs know what the secret ingredient is. ("This week's secret ingredient: Water!") Although if they have even a clue, then it's not really a secret, is it? Oh, well. It's still fun, and any chance to see Alton in all his glorious dorkiness is good.

One of our first FN finds was David Rosengarten, who I don't think has a show anymore. I learned a lot about cooking and wine from that man.

Mario is awesome. You'll have to elaborate on the fancy ingredients. I live in the North East and Mr. Monkee is from a Sicilian family. So some things that other folks aren't familiar with are normal to us.

Gel, the cheesecake bites were just sort of bland to me. I like cheesecake with a little bit of a "tart" taste to it--I think the recipe had too much sugar or something and just made the overall taste kind of boring. They were just meh. Nothing special, IMO.

Despite all the Rachael hate, I've had good luck with some of her recipes. I love the chicken and chorizo soup, the loosemeat sandwiches, and I second Paxton's recommendation of her recipe for sloppy joes.

I've made Giada's Espresso Brownies (the ones from a mix) and they were really nothing special at all.

For those who've made Paula's Butter Cakes--which is the best? I love desserts, the richer the better, and have been thinking about trying one.

Cheekee Monkee: A few examples of obscure ingredients:
Squid ink: I know what it is, but I doubt I'll find it here.
What the hell are ramps? A root vegetable, maybe?
Pomegranate molasses. What the what?

My mother is Sicilian, and she's never mentioned any of those things to me. You're lucky Mr. Monkee is versed in some of this stuff.
But, as I said, I do love Mario. I have learned a lot from him.

Emma675: I too like cheesecake a little tart. That's authentic New York cheesecake, which my mother swears is the only cheesecake to eat. In fact, she says it's the only thing that is cheesecake. The rest are mere imposters. (No wonder I'm a food snob.) And no toppings either. Although I'm not averse to a great blueberry topping.
Anyway, I doubt Paula (those are Paula's cheesecake bites you're talking it?) would make New York style cheesecake. Not a diss on her, just a statement.

If I'm not mistaken, ramps are similar to scallions.....and they grow somewhere in the South. I think there are places that even have ramp festivals! You could probably substitute scallions and/or shallots for those. Squid ink I've never had, and don't think I care to, and I've never heard of pomengranate molasses either.

Then I guess I had better get myself more educated about what they have down here. Thanks, Cheekee Monkee. It's always good to learn something new.

Maybe Giada just doesn't like to bake, or isn't that good at it. I don't watch her much, because her smile bugs me, but it sounds like she takes lots of short cuts with her desserts. Good brownies aren't that hard to make, and, although it takes a little longer to make them from scratch, there is a world of difference, and good brownies are worth the time.

Sherry Cherry Tomatoes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_28561,00.html

Autumn Potato Gratin:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_29100,00.html

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_29088,00.html

These are 3 fabulously delicious RR recipes. She's not my favorite to WATCH, but some of her recipes are amazing.

We've made this meal for friends twice now...neither of whom can stop talking about it! It's not all THAT difficult a meal to prepare, but very impressive.

How could I forget my very favorite Food Network recipe? Dan and Steve's recipe for Truffle Brownies really is as amazing as they claim. I've made them with both butter and margarine and never noticed a difference (I don't usually keep marg. in the house). I've also switched up the topping a bit, using butterscotch chips or coconut, and every time they're awesome.

I love EggNog. When I say love, I mean love. I can't get through the holiday season without it. If I have to, I'm not happy. I say all to say, I'm going to the website to get the recipe.


Mr. Nice and I just had the lettuce. IIRC, GdL didn't put anything with it, so we ate like she did. I didn't think to put anything with it. Now I'm gun shy to try it again.

My mom and I are RR fans. My mom used to get free cookbooks thru her jobs so I have 2-3 RR books. I've tried at least 3 recipes. I can't remember what they were off hand. I remember liking the ones I tried.

Ramps are wild leeks. We get them in the spring in my neck o' the woods (Minnesota). They're delicious.

If any of you enjoy baking bread (MrBee bakes nearly all our bread), Alton's biscuit recipe is excellent.

You're lucky. If you saw the amount of food in my house on a normal night, you'd never believe it was only for two (or sometimes three) people. My regular grocery bill makes me weep.

Why? Because ButterBoy is 12, 5'6", and eats like 4 grown men--constantly. Which is why I don't mind that most of the recipes are for (at least) 4 people.

Thankfully, he eats everything as far as meat, fish, beans, veggies, etc. but it's why I'm ALWAYS looking for new recipes to make.


Mmmmm, biscuits. I'm a biscuit-baking somebody in the winter. Paula's recipe has been my favorite, and I made the Sweet Potato Biscuits for the first time last year (DIVINE with the Honey Butter!!!), but I'll definitely check out Alton's recipe!

Or for the truly brave, has anyone ever made one of Sandra Lee's recipes without multiple substitutions and had edible results?

Then here's a tip you might like: thanks to Alton, I add a little vodka to every tomato sauce I make, about 3 tablespoons to a large can (~28 oz.) of tomatoes. I add it right near the end of sauteing any garlic or onion or other veg. for the sauce, and right before the tomatoes go in. The alcohol burns off as the sauce simmers for awhile, but before it does it really does bring out other flavor compounds in the tomatoes. I put it in every tomato sauce I make now - but you do have to simmer the sauce for at least 20-30 minutes to get rid of the alcohol taste. (I always have vodka in the house; my husband works with Ukrainians and they keep giving him bottles as gifts.)

kimmako, in your version of Paula's Gooey Butter Cake, did you just substitute Nutella for the same amount of peanut butter? Did you make any other changes (other than cut down on the confec. sugar)?

Oh dear, another reason to hate Rachel. In that herbed turkey breast recipe, she equates bay leaves with laurel: "bay leaves (laurel)". Bay leaves are bay laurel - not laurel, which is very different, and grows all over parts of the US but sure isn't bay laurel. I hope someone isn't pulling leaves off the laurel tree in the backyard and using those.

Re brined turkey, I guess I just don't like the taste or texture of it. Just my own taste buds.