Throwdown!

Bobby Flay's Throwdown! is one of my favorite Food Network programs. (Chopped is my favorite) Here's the premise in a nutshell: A regional chef/cook who is the best of the best at a particular dish is approached by FN with the offer of appearing on a show which will feature their particular dish. While filming the episode Bobby Flay shows up and challenges them to a "throwdown" between their dish and his own version that's he's created specifically for the event. Usually the opponent wins, but even when they don't they're still a winner in that they've received national recognition.

Flay put out a Throwdown! cookbook this month which includes an episode guide for the seven seasons of the show along with recipes from 51 of those episodes. Obviously they couldn't include all the episodes because many of the participants had closely guarded recipes whose secrets they wouldn't reveal.

I like the layout of the book. Each featured episode begins with Flay describing the dish in question and his approach to it in the test kitchen. His recipe and the contestant's are both included, with a notation as to which was the "winner". There are quotes from the contestants, photos from the show, and contact information for the participants (name, establishment, hometown, website, phone).

I'm looking forward to slowly making my way through the cookbook and trying some of the recipes.

Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom

Back during the winter I confessed to you my obsession with The Food Network.

This summer, Quid and I sat in front of our respective TVs each Sunday evening, texting back and forth as the Next Food Network Star was decided. We both were pleased with the results and agreed to watch Aarti Sequeira's new show "Aarti Party" and to try some of her recipes. You can click here to find Quid's first review, for "Sloppy Bombay Joes".

Tonight I tried the "I Ain't Chicken Chicken: Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom". While searching the Food Network site for the recipe, I was surprised to find a slightly different version of the recipe as well as the one linked above. If you are interested, you can compare the two before deciding which to try.

The things I liked about the recipe were the way the skin crisped up, how moist the chicken was, and the delicious flavor.

What I didn't like was the high temperature at which the recipe cooked causing the oven to smoke.

Will I make this again? Probably not, but it was certainly enjoyable this one time.

PB & J Cookies

Our younger daughter just left for the long drive back to school. True to form for her visits home, she got the urge to bake last night and found a recipe at allrecipes.com for peanut butter cookies. You can click on the link for the exact recipe, but basically they were just peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, and jelly.

Hers might not look quite as pretty or perfect as those illustrated in the recipe, but they sure did taste good! In our photo, the lighter jelly is mayhaw and the darker jelly is huckleberry. Both were equally delicious!

A new obsession

I usually claim that I'm not much for watching TV, preferring to read, work puzzles, or spend time on my computer. November, December and January afford more opportunity for television. In years past I've mostly stuck with GSN (Game Show Network) or channels where I can catch old sit-coms, all in limited amounts.

This year I discovered something new: The Food Network!

Obviously from my mention of the original Iron Chef in my Reality Show post, I've visited the channel some in the past. This year a new laptop with decent battery life allowed me to spend more time in the room with the TV (tuned to Food Network), discovering all sorts of wonderful shows and chefs! I was already familiar with many of the names, but had never seen them in action. What a treat! My favorite is Bobby Flay.

I've always considered myself a fairly decent cook. Now I'm not so sure. Depending on which show I'm watching, I'm either inspired to put on my apron and head to the kitchen or just shake my head in disbelief that I ever attempt to cook anything! Regardless, my mouth is watering.