HAPPY LABOR DAY

rain, wind, Irene, chipmunks, squirrels, ground hogs, deer, and lack of sunshine have made it a challenge this summer..... but on labor day i have my first harvest of tomatoes .... better late than never  ..

Michael Psilakis- Regis and Kelly- and GIANT SCALLOPS

 

 

 

a few weeks ago i was styling for Regis and Kelly ..... Michael was on the grill.... and of coarse the segment was on the sidewalk..... and it just feels so New York City when you are grilling next to a parked car

the guys at Peters Fish Market got me these amazing U10 scallops that were sooo fresh ...and with  some good quality ingredients Michael created this simple but delicious late summer meal ... the recipe is on the Regis and Kelly site...  when purchasing scallops, making sure you purchase DRY scallops from a reputable seafood dealer.... these scallops are fresh and wild caught ... once you have tasted the difference you will never go back ... grab some and get grilling

 

 

SAY IT ISN'T SO... SUMMER, BACK TO SCHOOL AND HALLOWEEN

i was shopping for a job, sliding down the aisles in my flip flops.... trying to get my work done so i could enjoy the rest of this beautiful day....when I spun into the aisle that displays assorted things..... and it hit me like a cold slap in the face......whine....whine...back to school supplies, halloween candy and sand buckets all on one shelf .... all i could think was that my favorite season was drawing to an end ... this made me very sad .... whine ....whine......  usually the change of season hits me  on  the dairy  aisle when you pick up butter and the expiration  date is in october..... but this year it was the mix of back to school, halloween candy and sand buckets all on one shelf that totally sent me in to a tail spin .....say it isn't soooooooo

GOOD BYE IRENE- WHO KNEW I HAD AN ICEBOX

well life is getting back to semi normal .... Irene hit this area hard and no power for days and days and what seemed for ever  .....I am not good at living Amish .... they are a strong people and i can say i am very glad to be back into the modern world ... and yes that is ice in the refrigerator ... hence the icebox... today is clean up ... hope all your families are safe and sound and lets hope for clear sky 

RUDEE'S ON THE INLET

i ran away from work for a short trip to the beach and went to one of my favorite places for drinks and oyster shooters....  met some friends in the business to talk a little business and have a lot of just plain fun..... but the exciting thing about the deck is the glider tables... yes i said moving tables.... and the more you drink the better it gets.... notice the cup holders and the feet on the deck where people are trying to steady themselves ..... food, friends and drink are fun ......  but getting in and out of the table takes good timing....

NICK STELLINO AND POMPEIAN SMT

one very early morning i woke up to a SMT ( satellite media tour) on a roof top in china town... the talent was a true delight.... the product was great ..... the location and the crew were amazing .....but it came with smell-o-vision.... on the ground floor of the building was a Chinese restaurant ( i was in Chinatown after all.... i should have known) ....and even though i am a fan of Chinese food.... and the food in NYC's Chinatown is some of the best in the world  ... after 6 hours of frying egg roll smell  in 100 degree heat in the shade    ..... well need i say more ....... some days it may look glamorous on TV but it can try my patience and i am sure i can be trying as well.... even so.... i still love my job and let's just say we are having pizza for dinner

TOP CHEF - THE REGIS AND KELLY SHOW - AND FLOYD CARDOZ

Floyd was on the Regis and Kelly show several weeks ago and his shrimp dish was proof of his Top Chef Masters title .....  he sent me to a great store for supplies and i just wanted to pass on the source... Foods of India  121 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10016 .. they were very helpful and knew what they were talking about .... always love a good source 

TARGET MANGO SMOOTHIE

i had to shop for tabletop props for an upcoming shoot and one of my stops was Target ...and no i do not hate children.... as a matter of fact i am fond of most all i meet.... but sadly it was crying child day at Target... do they send out an email blast and ask for crying children??? .. i am peacefully trying to shop for drink glasses and all i hear is crying and screaming yet i do not see any children ....is this a new canned music craze and i again missed the memo ....so after checking out i treated myself to a mango smoothie and all my cares melted away.... may i suggest one they are yummy  ... ps if the child was enjoying  a mango smoothie the crying may stop... just a thought   

SORRY TOO HOT TO BLOG

i left the studio yesterday and this was the temp in NYC ... i will catch up on posts ....but i think my brains have been on a slow boil for days ...more posts soon 

REDI WHIP AND NO AIR IN JULY

Ok.... what do you do when you are shooting whip cream in july, in a studio with a broken air conditioner  ?????  sweat from the heat and the sweat from the pressure... not everyday is glamorous but the redi whip was the only cold thing in the room ... some days you have to suffer for the greater good .... thanks to the crew that made this happen it is always a group effort. 

WALL STREET , NBC , ADAM RAPOPORT , BON APPETIT, HOME DEPOT AND A FOOD STYLIST

some days my job is good, some days my job is interesting ... but i was not ready for this location...... i knew we where shooting near wall street and i knew i was permitted to drive into the location to unload ...but i had no idea ... security is very tight there and everyone was so wonderful and helpful ( 4 checkpoints )  ......the NBC crew was sooo amazing.....NBC -Wall Street Journal Report With Maria Bartiromo ... but the parking place was just to much for words  .. even this jaded girl who works national TV every week was excited .... a day i will never forget... Adam Rapoport cooked burgers and steaks on the Home Depot grill and the yummy smells drew a huge crowd... the crew feasted on everything after the shoot and even asked for recipes ... a huge compliment because these guys see it all.... check out the recipes on the website

THERE ARE FEET IN MY SET

Somebody call the prop department .... there are feet in my set.. this is cooking not fashion

FOOD STYLING IS NOT ALWAYS A WALK IN THE PARK

Some days there are sidewalk shoots and yes in Manhattan

and sprinkle in some paparazzi... it is a recipe for "if nothing else my job is never dull" ...so the best i can do is to stay out of the way ...and...oh ...by the way.... my work station is on the other side of the mayhem ...let me thru ...food stylist coming thru 

FOURTH OF JULY IN MAY PART 2

happy fourth to everyone... and these are the final shoots

CBS THE EARLY SHOW AND MATT AND TED LEE

Not only are the Lee brothers talented chefs and cookbook authors ..... they are the some of the nicest people you could meet... congrat to them .... the International Association of Culinary Professionals named "Simple, Fresh, Southern" best American cookbook of the year.....

and their menu for chef on a shoestring was a summer favorite for me  ... but when they told me they were going to serve blackened potato salad ... bells went off in my head   OMG..... any chef that lived during the 1980's ( boy that dates me ) .....the fashion was awful, the hair styles were ridiculous and every restaurant patron wanted everything blackened .....so smoking cast iron skillets choked many a chef until the word "blackened " made your skin crawl........ BUT i am now a convert the blackened potato salad was the bomb.... look it up on the CBS site and give it a try ... and if you can... cook it in the skillet or flat top on the grill but do not let the skillet overheat it  could cause a grease fire .... blackened -good... on fire -very bad... but that will keep the smoke outside.....  and can i just say    YUMMY 

FOURTH OF JULY IN MAY

I shot a july 4th theme with a photog i love in may..... ( i know this should have been posted ages ago but life got in the way ) ... the most interesting thing was the custom background..... we were able to shoot in the studio yet  the picture looked like we were on location . ....   Avics produced the image and then output the background for the shoot.. ...as soon as i get finished photos i will post them .. but check out http://avicsblog.com/   for more information on the background..

Top Chef: All Stars" winner Richard Blais and LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY

Richard hard at work ... and let me tell you not only is he a very talented chef but soooo very nice...

and doing live TV on the streets of new york is never easy ... if you missed it check it out on line

VEGAS UNCORKED -Julian Serrano at Bellagio Masters’ Series Luncheon

OH MY OH MY .... one of the best meals i have had in a very long time....the company at the table of six and the vast interesting information we were giving by the host , chef , and sommelier were exceptional .... and the visuals in the restaurant were a feast to the eyes as much as the food was a feast of extraordinary tastes....  need i gush more .... i would definitely put this restaurant on my list of must do's while in las vegas 

the wine selection was amazing

and the place setting was a feast for the eyes 

                                      love the eye watching me enjoy every mouthful

                     and yes i took a bite before i took the picture.... i could not help myself

VEGAS The Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge

a few years ago my friend introduce me to the Peppermill and Fireside..... a very strange combo on Las Vegas blvd. down by the wedding chapels ... and not only is it open 24/7 the food is as good as any diner food....... even by  NJ diner standards...the diner has round booths and plastic flora everywhere .... but the gem is the fire pit ....it is a lounge left over from the 1970's  and it is not to be missed ...including a dancing waters in 1970's fire pit ..... if you go during the daylight hours venture back to the very dark windowless lounge ( and lounge is the perfect word to describe the room ) and have one of the best and largest bloody marys i have ever seen and put your stylish feet up in the fire pit and see if you can hear Elvis singing "Viva Las Vegas"

VEGAS UNCORKED -GARDEN OF THE GODS- PATRON

last year this event was a mess..... hot and overcrowded... but this year was amazing ...lots of space, good weather and every kind of food and drink you could want... a few too many sliders, but no one went home hungry and if you did , shame on you..... then we settled in at the pool bar for some patron cocktails.... mine was with cucumbers and it was amazing ... each chef out did themselves this year and the presentations were beautiful with flavors to match.....a great time was had by all i spoke to ... cheers to  Patron and Uncorked

Vegas Uncorked and After Hours at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak

what can i say the drinks were good  and service was ?? (see picture)  but the Rappahannock River Oysters were the best ( just like me the oysters were from Virginia) and just like me a little sweet and a little salty......the rest of the event i did not find very stylish but a blast just the same .... a lot of really nice people and we all enjoyed the bad piano music ... all in all a score ...

PAYARD.... PAYARD .....PAYARD!!!!!!!- VEGAS UNCORKED

please excuse the picture focus ... i could blame it on champagne but really i am the worst photog ever.... anyway the dinner ...


Masters’ Series Dinner Payard Patisserie & Bistro... was amazing........ the meat course was paired with the perfect wine and made carnivores out of even the girly est girl.... and the presentation was a stylish as it comes .... i love a pretty plate that has flavors that far exceed the look...the dessert came with gold flake and was beautiful, flirty and fun and i ate almost every bite....for food lovers the masters dinners are amazing ...next year think about a trip ....it is a way to experience dining at it's best

BON APPETIT - VEGAS UNCORKED

vegas uncorked started this year out ....with a bang or should i say a POP .... champagne toast at the fountains in front of the Bellagio ... but we had our own "start your engines" poolside at Ceasar's with MOJITOS ... the sun was warm and the drinks were delicious...... and they were made with Patron tequila... giving them an extra yummy factor... now that is stylish even for me ...oops they are empty do you see our waitress????

Guy Fieri and CWK- check it out

my friend Kate just finished this series and for those Guy Fieri fans, there is a tour of his kitchen at home, but watch all of them , they are great
http://www.foodnetwork.com/cooking-with-kids/package/index.html

EASTER DINNER WITH SOUTHERN AND GREEK HERITAGES

whether you celebrate Easter or Passover...it is one of my favorite holiday dinners ... it marks many significant things for so many people ..... but most of all it is SPRING ... and after the winter we have this year .... i soooo need spring ... this year Greek Easter landed on the same Sunday as traditional Easter so the table was awash with southern favorites - the ham, the deviled eggs- the asparagus, red skin potato salad - and carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting... and with Greek favorites- the tiropitas, the Greek salad, leg of lamb, and the yemici .... and all the dishes were served in a fun and family style manner, because no matter the reason or religion we should all get together and celebrate the arrival of SPRING !!!!!! and in a causal manner so everyone feels welcome ....

and as always i lost the egg bumping game ... a greek tradition