Happy Halloween folks! This week has been more ominous than anyone would have expected with plenty of scares. We have been incredibly fortunate and weathered the storm well. Hurricane Sandy was no joke, but we are some of the lucky ones that didn’t lose power and are also extremely grateful for our internet connection and hot water. Although, I had grand plans during the day to clean out closets and organize files if we lost power. Instead I’ve watched 48 hours of consistent CNN while reading friends’ status updates on Facebook. It makes me sick to think of all of the people stuck in the dark tonight with no power or heat. Sending lots of love to those to all those who are still weathering the effects of the storm. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for the city I love so much and its neighbors who have been hit just as hard, if not harder.

Sandy has officially stolen Halloween’s thunder this week. In fact, at one point I saw a message scrolling on the bottom of my tv that read, “HALLOWEEN IS CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE SANDY.” Well, I refuse to let Sandy push us around any more and I’m determined to make this holiday as celebratory as possible- which means I will dress my son up in multiple silly costumes just to take pictures of him while eating fun size kit kat bars and playing Monster Mash on repeat. The other thing I’ll be doing is making a big ole’ pot of chili. Chili and Halloween go together like peanut butter and jelly. It just works. This is the perfect holiday to kick off a season full of comfort foods. I have two chili recipes on Cooking Channel’s website that I love, and asking me to pick my favorite one would be like asking me to pick my favorite sibling- impossible. Both are great, yet totally different with a few similarities. The Bison Chili has a bit more flare with the bonus of being healthy, while my Game Day Chili is as classic as chili comes. Let’s put it this way, if I were entering a chili cook-off, I’d make the Bison Chili, but if I was after ease and looking to pull together a quick weeknight meal, I’d make my Game Day Chili. Both are delicious and a perfect fit for kicking off the cold weather holidays.

Here is our sweet Oliver dressed up for his first Halloween. Mom wanted him to be a bee and dad wanted him to be Superman. I think it’s obvious who won the first costume battle. Poor kid has already been through no less than 5 wardrobe changes today. Happy Halloween and keep your fingers crossed for all of the victims of Hurricane Sandy this week!

Permalink | Posted in: holidays, Recipes | Comments (6)

When looking for one of my recipes the other day on cookingchanneltv.com, I had to do a double take when I noticed that I have 262 recipes that live on Cooking Channel’s website. Wowzers…that’s a lot. I also noticed that they had compiled my top 25 most popular recipes and had a blast clicking through them and thinking back to where I was when I developed and tested each of them. Some are family recipes, some came together in my home kitchen, and others were created while working in the Food Network/Cooking Channel test kitchen. (one of my favorite places to be!) It’s a great list and visual representation of a lot of work over the years. A few favorites that stood out to me were Lemon Basil Orzotto, my Oven Baked Ribs, Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon, and Carmelitas.

Click HERE to see the full list. Have you made any of these recipes? Which ones are your favorite?

Permalink | Posted in: Recipes, Uncategorized | Comments (6)

Peaches are in season…and you should be looking for every reason to celebrate and work them into your dinner routine! I absolutely love this peach salad that I made on the show last season. If there is anytime to be making this salad, it is now because it utilizes both peaches and heirloom tomatoes which are currently in their prime. The basil vinaigrette is a perfect compliment to the sweetness in this salad and the feta cheese adds just a hint of saltiness. It looks as good as it tastes and would be a great addition to grilled chicken for a late summer dinner. I made it for us to take to the Diner en Blanc last year and we devoured it then and have continued to make it. It’s also a whole heck of a lot healthier than the peach cobbler recipe that’s been tempting me lately!

Find the full recipe here.

Permalink | Posted in: Recipes | Comments (3)

Growing up one of my favorite food traditions was that my mom always made cookies for the first day of school. It’s something we would look forward to every year whether she was making a new recipe or one of our family classics. She even sent them to me in college! I think late August sounds like a perfect time for cookie baking and eating. It’s like a precursor to all of the upcoming holidays where cookies get all sorts of attention. For some reason I’ve been in a chocolate chip cookie state of mind recently. I’ve been eating plenty of them on my daily walks to the hospital saving half for my walk back to the subway. I think they make me feel better. This recipe is my favorite for its slight crispiness  on the outside and softness on the inside.

We are getting so close to finally walking out of the hospital with our sweet baby boy in our arms. Someone told us in the beginning that the end would be the hardest part, and we are quickly realizing that it is. It’s brutal, but we’re learning all sorts of patience. Hurry home Ollie boy! Your mom will even have chocolate chip cookies (and milk) waiting for you!

How about you and your back to school traditions? Any I’m missing out on?

Permalink | Posted in: Recipes | Comments (8)

It should be no surprise that Robby and I have eaten more take out in the last two months than anyone should ever eat in a lifetime. Cooking has been all but non-existent since I had Oliver and I can now identify the best Chinese, Thai, Mexican, and Pizza in our new neighborhood. Right after I had the baby my Food Network/Cooking Channel family along with the amazing people at my production company made our family a bunch of freezer meals that lasted us weeks. It was the most generous and thoughtful gift we’ve ever received and I’ll never forget it. The food was ridiculously good as well. Heck, I would have been thrilled if they sent boxes of cold cereal and gallons of milk, but we enjoyed everything from enchiladas to bolognese. From now on I’m gifting meals to all of my friends that have babies. Best gift ever. I digress…

After enjoying the last of our freezer meals, take out became our nightly routine. Should I be embarrassed to admit that I’ve actually enjoyed it? It has been kind of fun identifying where our new go-to takeout places are. As easy and convenient as take out is, I still swear by this sesame ginger chicken recipe that I did on Kelsey’s Essentials. The episode was dedicated to building an essential Asian pantry so that you always have the ingredients on hand to make some of your take out favorites. Because some of my pantry items are still in boxes from the move (yes, this is true) I’v been relying on actual take out, but if you’re looking for an amazing dish that will out do any Chinese restaurant in town…give this one a go.

Permalink | Posted in: Recipes | Comments (0)