[NOTE]
San Francisco viewers can catch the show on KQED at 12 noon. For Southern California viewers, the premiere date is different. Joanne’s show will be on KCET, Channel 28, starting on Monday, February 6 at 3:00pm.

Joanne has had three successful runs of previous shows Joanne Weir’s Cooking Class, Weir Cooking in the City and Weir Cooking in Country.

Joanne has a very simple approach to teaching. She doesn’t just teach to you, she teaches with you.

She has over 8 cookbook titles and even more under the Williams-Sonoma brand.

Tune in this Saturday and enjoy! The first episode is called Spain On My Mind

Joanne shares with us her emotional connection to Spain. She begins by preparing Salmorejo, a cold tomato and bread soup she first discovered in Southern Spain, and then works with her student Joan to overcome his fear of cooking lamb by preparing a hearty lamb, white bean, and chorizo stew with a spicy infused olive oil drizzled over the top.

Recipes: Salmorejo and Spanish Lamb Stew.
Student: Joan Boada, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet.

You can find more info on Joanne, her culinary tours, books and DVDs on her website at www.joanneweir.com.

Photo credit: www.joanneweir.com

For those not familiar, Schwan’s Home Service has been delivering restaurant quality foods to homes since 1952. Starting in Minnesota with one truck, the Schwan’s business has grown to over 6,000 Schwan’s Customer Service Managers delivering to homes all across the U.S.

I first met Chef Jet when I was a chef’s assistant at The New School of Cooking in Culver City. It was there that I get to see his charisma and culinary mastery at work as he taught scores of students Asian Cuisine and mastering the Wok. Chef Jet is the Executive Chef of the Wazuzu Restaurant in the Encore Resort in Las Vegas and has been named the Best Asian Restaurant. You can read more about Chef Jet on his website at www.chefjet.com.

So in addition to Ed Cotton’s win tonight on Bravo’s Top Chef for his Gnocchi dish, check out Chef Jet’s Asian dishes!

www.schwans.com/chefjet

www.schwans.com/topchef

Some of the best Food Trucks in Southern California will be gathering in The OC for the OC Foodie Fest which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The event takes place on Saturday, August 28 from 11:30am until 7:00pm. Advance tickets are available online for $12 a person and $6 for kids under 12. You can also purchase a family 4 pack (2 adult and 2 children under 12) for $30. If tickets haven’t sold out, tickets will be available at the event for $15. There are VIP tickets available, but get them fast as they will max at 350 tickets. VIP get’s you in a half hour earlier, separate dedicated entrance, access to a fully tented area with a great view of the entertainment stage, free tasting samples, free snack bar and more! VIP tickets are $50 pre-sale and $60 at the door, but I doubt they will have any at that point.

50 Food Trucks will be there and its a great list:

Here’s the official 50  food truck line-up:

AhnJooLA
Barbie’s Q
Barcelona on the Go
Buttermilk Truck
Calbi BBQ
Cart for a Cause
Chunk-N-Chip
Cool Haus
Crepes Bonaparte
Dim Sum Truck
Dogzilla Hot Dogs || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
Don Chow Tacos
Dos Chinos
Dumpling Station
Fishlips Sushi
Flying Pig Truck
Fresh Fries LA
Frysmith
Get Shaved || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Great Balls on Tires
Green Truck
India Jones
Komodo || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
Kona Ice Beach Cities
KrazyBBQ
Longboard’s Ice Cream
Louk’s To Go
LudoTruck
Maui Wowie
Morsels Baking Company
My Kabob Express
NaNa Queens
Nom Nom Truck
Oh For Sweet’s Sake
Piaggio on Wheels || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Seabirds
Ta Bom
Taco Dawg || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Tasty Meat!
The Gastrobus
The Lime Truck
The Manila Machine
The Place LA
The Shrimp Guys
The Sweets Truck || VIP Area - Food Truck Sponsor||
Tropical Shave Ice
Uncle Lau’s BBQ
Vizzi Truck
White Rabbit Truck || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
World Fare

The event not only gives you a chance to experience some of the best food on wheels that Southern California has to offer, but we’ll be raising money to benefit Child SHARE, Cart for a Cause and the Pretend City Children’s Museum.

There will be lots of entertainment, arts and crafts and more. Visit www.ocfoodiefest.com for more information and to purchase tickets

GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will be hosting their annual Hancock Park Summer event with another Top Chef Invasion. This year, sponsors Bravo TV and ROKK Vodka bring three Top Chef Masters to the gorgeous home of Tim Corrigan in Hancock Park as they battle it out on July 25, 2010.

Our Top Chef Masters competing at the event are:

Susan Feniger, Executive Chef/Owner of The Border Grill & Street here in Los Angeles

Elizabeth Faulkner, Chef/Partner of Citizen Cake and Orson in San Francisco

Mark Peel, Executive Chef/Owner of The Tar Pit and The Point also here in Los Angeles.

Chairing the event will be Chef Paul McCollough of Paul’s Kitchen who was also a contestant on Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star and Edison Briones. They have a great lineup of Tasting Stations that will be serving dishes and drinks from:

• Barefoot Wines
• Bastide
• Cream by Crystal
• Dominick’s/Little Dom’s
• Edison Fields
• The Farm of Beverly Hills and LA Live
• The Foundry on Melrose
• Paul’s Kitchen
• POM Wonderful
• Zico Pure Coconut Water

Of course, event sponsor ROKK will probably be serving Vodka.

Judging this year’s event are Darryl Stephens and Jensen Atwood from Noah’s Arc and Gretchen Rossi from The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The event takes place this Sunday, July 25 from 4pm to 7pm and will be held at the home of Tim Corrigan. Ticket’s for the event are available from GLAAD. VIP Ticket’s are $150 which also allows a vote in the judging round while general admission tickets are $100. More information on the event can be found at www.glaad.org/2010/hancock

Help support GLAAD and enjoy a summer afternoon with good food and wine.

Iron Chef Cat Cora and celebrated Lifestyle TV Host Lloyd Boston will share their secrets for making your next dinner party a huge success. Cat Cora will also be highlighting her newest book, Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist. Here you will learn Cat’s secrets for taking classic dishes and give them a faster, fresher and lighter twist. Cat has also authored Cat Cora’s Kitchen and Cooking from the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals.

Lloyd Boston will join Cat to dish out great advice on everything from what to wear to talk-of-the-town table-setting ideas for any occasion – they will give you the tools to ensure your next dinner party is a smashing success!

So join Cat and Lloyd on Monday, June 21 at 6:30pm for a couple of hours of fun recipes and style tips.

Macy’s Signature Kitchen
South Coast Plaza West (formerly the Crystal Court)
1st Floor
3333 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

To RSVP for this event, please call 877.884.3751

Carol Cotner Thompson

It was Carol and Anne (the owner of the school) who gave me the drive and enthusiasm to take a sabbatical from my IT career and take a leap of faith. An amazing opportunity presented itself to me in August of 2002. I took off three years to run a cooking school.

The year that I spent in the kitchens of The New School of Cooking with Carol was probably one of the most exciting years in my life. Learning, practicing, chopping, mincing, julienning, making stock and eventually becoming a chef’s assistant at the school. After completing my Professional courses I went on to run one of Sur La Table’s most successful cooking schools in Arlington, VA. It was amazing – seeing students experience the same joy I had when I was taking classes.

I’m back in IT now, but those were the best three years ever and I have Carol to thank for it.

Thanks Carol and congratulations on your blog – I’m going to make snickerdoodles tonight ya know!

P.S. g is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year! Congrats on a fab 10 years!

Learn to cook a 3 course meal, right alongside Gordon Ramsay, as he shows you how to create meals in under an hour. That’s right, FOX is taking a cue from the BBC once again and hosting a new show called Gordon Ramsay’s Cookalong LIVE.

From FOX’s website:

Have you ever wanted to make a delicious three-course meal for your family? Want to invite your friends over for a unforgettable dinner? Or would you just like to treat your taste buds to something special? For the first time ever, Chef Gordon Ramsay is going to show you how to do just that, as he invites viewers all over America to cook along with him from the comfort of their very own kitchens.

Prior to each show, you can go to the Cookalong webpage on FOX and download a list of ingredients, a shopping list, equipment list and you will actually be cooking alongside Gordon for the one hour! Isn’t that crazy??

The first episdoe is a three course meal comprising of:

• Starter Course: Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp, Chili and Tomatoes
• Main Course: Steak Diane with Sautéed Potatoes and Peas
• Dessert: Quick Tiramisu

It will be interesting to see if America is ready for a real, teaching, cooking show in Prime Time. I think it will such a departure from normal that it just may get an audience. Just think if it goes well, it just may boost ratings for all my favorite Saturday morning cooking shows on PBS!

Maybe we’ll even see a different side of Gordon that we have yet to see and that’s the passionate chef who enjoys sharing his gift of cooking.

Tune in on Tuesday, December 15 and look for me in the audience (if they even show the audience)! I will be attending the LIVE show for our East Coast friends and taped for the West Coast at 9pm on FOX.

Katie Lee

Katie is the food and lifestyle contributor for The Early Show and has appeared on Oprah, Today, Extra, The Martha Stewart Show, Paula’s Best Dishes, and Iron Chef America. She has been featured in publications such asPeople, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, and InStyle, and writes a regular column for Cosmopolitan. For those that remember, Katie was also the first host of Bravo’s Top Chef.

Katie will share her expertise and tips on throwing a great dinner party. Her delicious Chrismukkah menu was created for a group of friends who celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah.

She’ll teach this hands-on class using recipes from her latest book THE COMFORT TABLE: Recipes for Everyday Occasions (Simon Spotlight Entertainment; October 2009; Hardcover; $26.00). The class fee is $79.00 (book sold separately). Lee will autograph books after the class.  Space is limited to 16 students.

The Menu for this class includes: Mini Potato-Leek Latkes with  Spicy Apple Chutney; Wild Mushroom Soup “Cappuccino”; Herb-Roasted Salmon; Stewed French Lentils; Spinach and Three-Cheese Phyllo Pie; Mexican Wedding Cookies; Triple Chocolate Brownies and Campari and Blood Orange Sparklers Mocktails

Newport Beach, CA – Corona Del Mar 832 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660 Register online http://cookingclasses.surlatable.com or call 949.640.0200

Los Angeles, CA – Farmers’ Market 6333 W. Third Street, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Register online http://cookingclasses.surlatable.com or call 323.954.9190

You can purchase a copy of The Comfort Table from the FoodieInDisguise Online store. We will also be doing a giveaway of Katie Lee’s book, look for a blog post on that this weekend!

Even after 12 weeks of Pro Baking at school, a teaspoon that and a tablespoon this along with a 1/4 cup of this and 3/4 cup of another thing, I can’t bake.

So…I dove into my library of recipes and pulled out a recipe from a chef acquaintance of mine from Washington DC. He did a couple of classes for me at Sur La Table in Arlington and was pastry chef of one of my favorite restaurants at the time, Ten Penh and DC Coast.

David Guas who is now the owner of DamGoodSweet Consulting in Washington DC. He recently released his new book, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style. It’s a great book and I’ll get into a full review later today.

So I decided to try my hand at Red Velvet Cake. More accurately, cupcakes. It’s a pretty straight-forward recipe. I’ll followup with Part II of this entry after the bake sale.

Below is my batch of cupcakes heading into my pre-heated oven…

Photo credit of David Guas: DamGoodSweet.com and Simone Rathlé

This is a free event and will be held at 5:00pm at the Sur La Table in SCP. Bob will also be signing copies of Knives Cooks Love – written by Sarah Jay and Sur La Table. Copies of the book will be on sale prior to the book signing.

Earlier in the day, Bob will be hosting a hands-on Master Knife Skills class at the Newport Beach Sur La Table. Reserve your spot for a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn knife skills from the foremost kitchen knife-maker. Bob Kramer is the only former chef in the United States to have been certified as a Master Bladesmith by the American Bladesmith Society. He belongs to an elite society of master culinary knifemakers and is the only one who specializes in kitchen cutlery. Cooks Illustrated once wrote “The Kramer knife outperformed every knife we’ve ever rated.” Put simply — Mr. Kramer is king of the kitchen knife. The class is hands-on and costs $100.00.

Connoisseurs wait years for one of Bob Kramer’s originals, but Sur La Table has partnered with him to create an exquisite line of artisan knives only available at Sur La Table. Don’t miss your chance to join the master himself as he shares his methods of using cutlery through demonstrating cuts, sharpening techniques and explaining why the new Shun Bob Kramer line will make kitchen prep a joy.

“Chefs Lose For Good is a perfect example of how participating Festival talent is taking their commitment to the Festival’s beneficiaries to the next level,” says Schrager. “We are grateful for their dedication and participation in this initiative, and thank Weight Watchers for providing us with an additional opportunity to work with Share Our Strength(R) to end childhood hunger in America.”

Festival chefs who have confirmed their participation in the “Chefs Lose For Good” initiative include among others: Michael Lomonaco (Porter House New York), Philippe Massoud (ilili), Anita Lo (Annisa), Elizabeth Karmel (Hill Country), Jacques Torres (Jacques Torres Chocolate), and the Festival’s own Lee Schrager. Beginning the first week in September and ending on October 8th, 2009, the start of the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, these chefs have committed to dropping the pounds to help Weight Watchers inspire people to get healthy and give back to their communities. The chef’s weight-loss will help Weight Watchers support hunger relief organizations like Share Our Strength(R).

The national Lose For Good(TM) campaign from Weight Watchers recently kicked off its second year. As Members and online subscribers lose weight from August 30th to October 17th, 2009, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million to two hunger fighting organizations — Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Members can also participate in local food drives at Weight Watchers meeting locations. Jenny McCarthy, a passionate activist and actress, has also joined the campaign to generate awareness about this important cause.

As a campaign ambassador, McCarthy will participate in media appearances and appear in a public service announcement encouraging Americans to get healthier while also helping to end hunger. Last year’s campaign participants donated 1.5 million pounds of food and lost 4 millions pounds to help fight childhood hunger. More information on the campaign can be found at www.weightwatchers.com/loseforgood.

The 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival takes place October 8-11th, 2009! Ticket information and the full line-up of new and returning events can be found at www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com, or by calling 866.969.2933. For more Festival updates follow founder and director Lee Schrager on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Lee_Schrager.

For more information on Weight Watchers Lose For Good campaign, click here…

Photo credits: Torres/Ben Muessig; Schrager/Miami Art Zine; Lomonaco/Reuters; Moussad/NYTimes; Lo/Jaimie Trueblood

For those of you who recall, Richard and Jamie were 2/3 of Team Rainbow - the gays and lesbians of Top Chef 5. Patrick packed his knives in the first episode. Emceeing the event today was Paul McCollough. Some of you may remember Paul as a contestant on The Next Food Network Star. He owns and manages a catering company here in Los Angeles.

Richard and Jamie started the event with a Quickfire Challenge; dice 4 onions, chiffonade basil and slice 2 oranges Imperial style. The Quickfire was neck and neck but Richard prevailed. Next was the real challenge. They both had 25 minutes to create their dishes. Richard was making a Watermelon/Cucumber Gazpacho and Jamie presented a Tomato Salad with Feta and Watermelon. The judges for the event were Robert Gant, Elizabeth Keener, Wilson Cruz and Edison Briones. After the judges did their tastings, the VIPs at the event also got to taste the dishes and vote.

So who won? Who was presented with the big GOLDEN WHISK??

It was an audience tie, but the judge’s vote but Richard ahead and he wins the Top Chef Invasion Challenge! Congrats to Richard. The Watermelon/Cucumber Gazpacho was wonderful. Lite and sooo tasty! The winning recipe can be found at WannaBChef.com.

[Show as slideshow]

More pictures to come!

Special guests Jamie Lauren and Richard Sweeney from Bravo Television’s Top Chef, as well as incredible food from Los Angeles area restaurants will be on hand. They are also hosting a silent auction as well as hosted cocktails. Special Emcee for the event with be Paul McCollough who was a contestant on Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star.

DJ Joe Gathreaux, Bailey featuring Boom Kitty and Dangerous Muse are scheduled entertainment for the event.

Our judges for this Top Chef challenge are actors Robert Gant, Elizabeth Keener and Wilson Cruz along with Event Chair, Edison Briones.

The event is to celebrate GLAAD’s work and accomplishments. For more information on this event, visit http://www.glaad.org/hancockpark

You can purchase tickets for this event at: http://www.glaad.org

GLAAD does some of the most important work in the entertainment and media industries in regards to representation of the GLBTQ community in the media whether it be on TV, Radio, Film or the Internet.

GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Join us in a few weeks when we giveaway another cookbook!

Scott Mindeaux, Editor
FoodeInDisguise.com

—————————-

It’s that time of the month! We have another cookbook giveaway. This month we are featuring Memorable Recipes by Renée Behnke.

Renée has been throwing dinner parties for years and she has learned that whether it’s an intimate party of a few guests to two hundred guests, the most important thing to remember is that it’s about creating an experience for your guests, creating a memory for all to share. Memorable Recipes gives you help in throwing a great dinner party with tips and tricks, do-ahead methods and allowing you to enjoy the party instead of being in the kitchen.

This exciting collection of delicious recipes, ingredients, tools, and preparations is inspired by the memorable gatherings hosted and celebrated by Renee Behnke.

Renée is the president emeritus of the culinary mecca Sur La Table, and she brings a bounty of tastes from around the world to her new work. The 140 unique recipes Renée has created from her home and discovered in her worldly travels, will keep family and friends connected. By sharing her experiences of many different cuisines and how they translate back to the American table, Memorable Recipes makes everyone feel at ease and happy to share time in the kitchen. Memorable Recipes is published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

To qualify for this cookbook giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comment section of this post. You need to make sure you enter your email address in the address field otherwise I’ll have no way to reach you. In addition, tell me and our readers about your most recent dinner party – either as a host or guest and why it was memorable to you.

We’ll pick a random winner from the qualified comments* at the end of the day on June 15, 2009.

Good luck!!

* Qualified comments must have a valid email address and you need to tell us about your most recent dinner party, either as a host or a guest, and what made it memorable for you.

[NOTE] Email addresses will not be used for any other purpose than for this contest. Your email address will not be shared, nor will be visible on the website.

Broadcast & Cable

A town has already been selected and shooting will begin in August. The town’s name has not been released.

Jamie Oliver had a series in the UK called  Jamie’s School Dinners, that followed Jamie and his fight to get unhealthy food removed from school cafeterias. In the ABC program, Oliver will work in tandem with town officials to offer its residents better food options.

While the focus of the ABC show won’t solely be on lunch programs, Jamie want’s to help those in the town figure out where local produce can be found and what resources the town has for better, healthy living.

Photo Credit: JamieOliver.com

I just saw a trailer for a movie I’m sure I will want to watch over and over again. A new movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams is scheduled for release on Friday, August 7, 2009

The film follows Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a government office worker, who decides to cook her way through legendary cook Julia Child’s classic cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in one year’s time. Thru the support of her husband she goes on this cooking spree from her small kitchen in Queens, NY. She blogs about her daily experiences, gaining a loyal following along the way.

Meanwhile, while we watch Julie make her way thru Julia’s book, we get to see Julia Child’s experiences in going to cooking school and her culinary journey. Meryl Streep plays Julia Child masterfully and is a bit uncanny.

The movie is an adaptation of two books: Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homm.

The movie is directed by Nora Ephron. A Columbia Pictures film.

Photo credit: imdb.com

Has anyone noticed how huge Rachael Ray’s Empire has grown? In a short amount of time, she has built several successful shows on the Food Network, has her own daytime talk show, has a cutlery line, then she debuted her orange handle cookware. Next she comes out with table and serving ware. Oh, and let’s not forget all of her cookbooks.

Well several months ago I was at the market and in the cooking oils section, specifically Olive Oils. Lo and behold, there it was: EVOO as she lovingly refers Extra Virgin Olive Oil as. But that wasn’t all, she also has Modena Balsamic Vinegar! But it doesn’t stop there when it comes to pantry items. Rachael also has her own beef and chicken stocks. Made to her specification by the folks at Colavita, she doesn’t want to sacrifice flavor for the convenience of a prepared stock.

But it doesn’t stop there…I’m sure you have all seen the commercials on TV for her new line of dog food, Nutrish. High quality pet food made to exacting specifications by Rachael. Proceeds from the sale of Nutrish also benefit her charity Rachael Rescues which helps distribute funds to pet charities and organizations that help animals in need.

Oh! One more thing, Rachael also has a line of bed linens and towels for your home as well. Just think, your home can be a Rachael Ray home. Martha, move over!

It’s probably safe to say that her start on the Food Network propelled her to where she is today. If she were to leave the Food Network, that would send a blow to the Food Network that in my opinion has shows that aren’t up to par with other cooking shows of the past.

So here is my personal take on Rachael Ray. When she first came onto the scene on the Food Network I watched her shows. The whole “30 minutes” idea was kinda kewl and we all need ideas for fast, easy meals. Well Rachael came to the rescue. The fact was the food was real. No fancy this or that, just easy to cook meals that anyone would enjoy eating. Yes the episodes really take like 7-9 hours to produce, but all in all, those meals can be cooked in 30 minutes or less.

Her little quirks like the “EVOO” and her “mmmmm” where kinda catchy and I never had a “garbage bowl” until Rachael came along. Then Rachael started doing more “lifestyle” shows like here $40 a day. Interesting concept. I thought to myself, could I really do that in real life? While a good idea, I know that while on vacation, spending only $40 a day was pushing it. But it was nice seeing her travel from place to place, around the world, showing us that you can eat on less than $40 a day. It was kinda inspiring, but I know my eating habits! :)

When her daytime TV talkshow came to CBS, I have probably only watched it like one or two times. If I remember correctly, the two times I watched was when the contestants from “The Next Food Network Star” would come to her show. Rachael is very involved with the community and does alot of charity work.

I have never purchased any of her products, though I do own two pieces of cookware that my sister got for me one Christmas – yep, orange handles and all! Maybe I will try out some of her EVOO or her chicken stock just to see what the quality is like.

Have you used any of Rachael’s pantry items? What’s it like?

Photo Credits: rachaelray.com and foodnetwork.com

While I was there I had the pleasure of working with Carla Hall, one of the Top 3 in Season 5 of Top Chef. I have been trying to get in touch of Carla since I found out she was going to be on the show before Season 5 aired. We have run into each other on Twitter after the show ended and she briefly said hello.

I really want to get to DC to congratulate her for her accomplishment on Top Chef. I want to share a glass of wine and a meal with her and catch up with her and see hear from her myself what being on the show was like and where she is going next in her food life. Carla was one of my favorite chefs to work with. If memory serves, I was introduced to Carla by another great DC area chef, Janis McLean.

Another reason to get to DC is to visit Teddy Folkman at Granville Moore’s in NE. As the Executive Chef of Granville Moore’s, Folkman has gotten the reputation for the best Moules on the East Coast! Well, ok…maybe in the Mid-Atlantic. What are Moules you ask? Mussels. But not just any mussels, these are mussels prepared in Belgian fashion. Granville Moore’s is all about supporting their Belgian fetish, whether it be the food, the drink (oh the beers!) and even the patrons.

Teddy’s moules made its way up the East Coast and the Food Network decided they were going to have Bobby Flay challenge Teddy to a Throwdown! Well that challenge was won by Teddy himself – a testament to his genius.

Teddy Folkman has just found out that he is one of the contestants on this year’s season of The Next Food Network Star! Can you believe it! Look forward to seeing Teddy and the other contestants as they battle it out for a show of their own on the popular Food Network. The Next Food Network Start premieres on June 7, 2009.

Oh, did I mention that Teddy is just to darn cute! :)

So there you have it. I need to get to DC. Carla, let’s have lunch. Teddy, your West Coast fan is coming to talk about mussels!

A few years ago Joanne started a group called Agave Girls, women who appreciate tequila. 100% agave tequila – not the aspirin-inducing kind we remember from college days. It wasn’t long before the buzz about Agave Girls gained national attention (and tequila became the fastest growing spirit in the U.S.), and pretty soon Joanne’s agent called to say her book proposal for TEQUILA: A Guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails and Bites was accepted!

TEQUILA is an aficionados guide with 60+ recipes for both cocktails and food! One of the cocktails she created is the Surly Temple, which the media is going crazy over and other recipes were contributed by top tequila bartenders around the country.

Joanne recommends the heavenly Prado cocktail developed by Kacy Fitch at the Zig Zag Café in Seattle, WA – it pairs perfectly with my tequila-infused recipes including savory Chorizo Hand Pies and incredibly delicious Coco Loco Tequila Cupcakes.

Prado
Serves 1

A prado is a grassy “meadow” or “field” in Spanish. This aptly named drink is the loveliest green. Airy and light, with a generous dose of agave, this cocktail is sure to impress. Its heavenly foam crown is most easily made by employing an interesting technique: remove the spring from your cocktail strainer and use it in the shaker as a whisk!

2 ounces blanco tequila
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce maraschino liqueur
1 egg white
1 flamed lime peel (see below), for garnish

Combine all of the ingredients except the garnish in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake vigorously for 5 seconds. Using a whisk or the spring from the cocktail shaker, whisk the drink to create a little bit of foam. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the flamed lime peel.

Flamed Citrus Peel
Remove a 2-to-3-inch long piece of citrus peel using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler. To flame the peel, light the end of a toothpick or bamboo skewer with a lighter. Hold the burning toothpick or skewer about 2 fingers above the rim of the glass and warm the outside of the peel. Then, holding the peel just above the flame, sharply squeeze it, propelling the oil from the peel through the flame and into the glass. Drop the flamed peel into the cocktail.

Reprinted from TEQUILA: A Guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails, and Bites by Joanne Weir. Photography by Lara Hata. Copyright © 2009. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.

Joanne will be doing a book tour and will also be doing a few cooking classes highlighting some of the food and drinks from Tequila. Visit www.joanneweir.com for more information on where she will be and for lots of recipe ideas!

Joanne has had several shows on PBS, most recently she is in her newest season of Joanne Weir’s Cooking Class. Prior to that she had two successful series “Weir Cooking in the Wine Country” and “Weir Cooking in the City”. In addition she has had several cookbooks such as From Tapas to Meze, companion books to her PBS series, most notably “Weir Cooking in the City” which won the 2005 James Beard Award. Other titles include: Joanne Weir’s More Cooking in the Wine Country; Weir Cooking : Recipes from the Wine Country; and You Say Tomato as well as several titles for Williams-Sonoma. Joanne also conducts several culinary tours to France and Italy each year.