barstools

I've swapped out a few things in our apartment this summer to freshen things up and I'm most excited about the new barstools that now fit nicely under our bar. While visiting some friends in Utah I spotted Tolix-like barstools in their house and immediately asked where they came from. Much to my surprise they came from Overstock.com and for a fraction of the cost. They come in both 24" and 30" stools and are a great space saver when stacked. There wasn't a bad review in over 100 reviews and I've jumped on the band wagon. We are really happy with them.

Granted they aren't the true Tolix stools that I long for one day, but they are the perfect touch that I was looking for. They are a little bit contemporary, yet still comfortable and were within my bite size budget. It was my first time ordering from Overstock and the experience was great. Everything ships for just over $2.00 and things arrive quickly.

Greek Pita

There's nothing like taking full advantage of the summer months and packing in as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. Let's be honest, I have my fair share of pizza and milkshakes throughout the summer months as well, but every time I make an extra effort to have a meal chock full of veggies, I feel that I deserve a pat on the back.

These Greek Pita's came together in no time and the meal was so refreshing. I'm a huge believer that you eat with your eyes first and that it should always look as good as it tastes- this recipe is a looker. I made a huge batch of this essentially using up all of the veggies in my refrigerator. Next time I think I would slather the inside of that pita with tzatziki sauce. Regardless, this was great to have on hand for a quick lunch or midday snack. Especially when those midday snacks have regularly been consisting of frozen concretes from Shake Shack.

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Greek Pita

Yield: 4-6 servings

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 cup cucumber, diced

1/4 cup radishes, chopped

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

4-6 whole wheat pitas

In a large bowl, whisk vinegar into olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, radishes, and Italian parsley. Lastly stir in feta cheese and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

p.s. I made my own pita bread! Are you impressed? It was much easier than I had anticipated.

it's me again

Well "hello" my long lost food blog. I've stepped away from the blogosphere this summer to tackle a few time-consuming projects, but I'm back on the bandwagon. There is so much that I would like to document and catch up on, so bear with me.

Hopefully everyone has heard of The Cooking Channel by now and has given it a bit of a chance. It's a new sister network to Food Network and there are some really great shows in the lineup. You will notice that it has a slightly different vibe than Food Network but in a very good way. This summer I had a fantastic opportunity to host a show with Adam Gertler and Sunny Anderson. After every NFNS Star episode we would dish about what happened on the "NFNS After Party." We had a blast getting to know the finalists a bit better and what really happened during each episode. I loved chatting with people who had been through the same thing that I went through on the show. It brought back a lot of memories (both good and bad!) and once again made me appreciate the experience that I had on the show.

Throughout the After Party experience I made a delicious (no, I'm serious it's actually amazing) Tuna Casserole for Brianna to try after her disastrous run in with the dish on the show, I enjoyed Bacon Doughnuts made by Aria which were borderline sinful, and I had a fantastic Seafood Couscous that Serena made. Yum. I really enjoyed working with Sunny and Adam. Sunny's show Cooking for Real continues to be a huge success and she's also a great blogger. Adam's new show Kid in a Candy Shop is also awesome and my fingers are crossed that there will be many more episodes. Lastly, although it hasn't been officially announced I guess I can say what was said on After Party, I am indeed hosting my own show this upcoming October on Cooking Channel. I can't wait to share details about the incredible experience I had filming the show, but for now I'll keep my lips zipped.

I hope you were able to catch an episode or two. If not, there a few clips on Food Network's YouTube page.

Last two photos courtesy of Ms. Sunny Anderson

cooking channel

I hope that by now you have heard the fantastic news about Cooking Channel. This sister channel to the Food Network will offer a fantastic lineup of cooking shows that actually teach you how to cook. This channel will be bringing back the classics like Julia Child and Graham Kerr in addition to new talented chefs/hosts from all over the world. Check out the full lineup here. I will definitely be watching and I'm most looking forward to Laura Calder's French Food Made Easy and Rachel Allen's Bake!

The channel launches at 7am on Memorial Day and it's replacing FLN (Fine Living Network). Check your listings and have a lovely holiday weekend!

Vanilla Bean Paste

Sorry for the M.I.A status the past month or so. I've been busy, busy, busy working on exciting projects and usually I'm lucky if I can get through my email let alone, brainstorm and execute a great blog post!

Candace over at The Cook Next Door asked me to write a little bit about why I love Vanilla Bean Paste. If you know me, it should be no surprise to you that I consider this a secret weapon in the kitchen. I'm a big fan and love to gift this vanilla goodness to those that I love.

It didn't take me long to come up with my favorite use for vanilla paste...fresh whipped cream. It literally gives those lovely white peaks and extra boost of flavor and I can't seem to get over the black speckled pods that dot the whipped cream.

I'll be launching a new website & blog shortly and can't wait to start sharing more of my favorite foodie thoughts with everyone. Hang in there with me...we are close!

vanilla paste photo: here

A La Cuisine!

Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to participate as a judge on an Iron Chef America battle in the infamous Kitchen Stadium. I definitely checked something off my bucket list that day. I wish I could put into words how incredible the food and the overall experience was. It's the type of experience I'll tell my kids about one day.If you're interested in tuning in, the episode airs this Sunday evening, April 4th. Check here for more air dates. I'm actually terrified to see myself...my hair desperately needed to be colored, the dress was purchased literally 2 hours before I left, and I think I overused the word "exquisite." Fingers crossed that I contributed a few intelligent comments and that I didn't smack my lips on camera. (yes, the food was that good)

pretty placemats

While perusing through the sale section at Anthropologie last week, I came across these lovelies. If I had room to own a kitchen table, I would have snatched them up in a second! They come from the charming English shop Solitaire that features the work of a husband and wife team. You can order directly from their site using paypal or find their products at Anthropologie.