Fall Foods

September marks many important changes for us all:

1. Saying good-bye to your white shoes and purses. (do women still do this??)
2. The start of a new school year, whether it be preschool or college.
3. Shorter days and cooler nights.
4. Halloween candy, decorations, and costumes in every store. (Yes, we are now expected to celebrate a full 2 months before the actual holiday.)
5. And if you’re really lucky, Thanksgiving is set up across the aisle. (I’m all about one-stop shopping anyways.)
6. Finally, new produce in your garden, at the farmer’s market, and in the supermarket. Think apples, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, broccoli, figs, peppers, tomatoes, and squash.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on making a new recipe for some of the best Fall Foods, and I look forward to sharing them all with you!

Happy Friday!

Hurricane Irene is trying to win over everyone with her forceful nature, charming direction, and may even sweep you off your feet, but I will try to compete with her this weekend for your attention with these yummmmmmy Salted Caramel Brownies!!!

A bakery at my local farmer’s market has a version of these, and THEY ARE TO DIE FOR! While on my weekly trip to the library yesterday, I browsed the pages of “Cooking Light” magazine and they had this recipe. I am SO excited to try them out… tomorrow! Tonight we are off to a BBQ so I hope Irene doesn’t charm you away before then. I have a feeling these brownies could rouse up a storm inside of your mouth – a storm of sensual pleasure for all your itty-bitty taste buds!

Stay tuned….

Inspiring Chefs: Bobby Flay

Bobby Flay has recently made an impression on me. It wasn’t his barbecue tips or his competitive spirit to “throw” chefs “down” under the table. It was the fact that he found what inspired him and made a life out of it, thereby inspiring others. Nothing like creating a life that comes full circle.

He is a high school dropout that has built an empire around food. I think his success comes from how he commands the attention & authority of a room through his steady tone and strict expectations of behavior from others.  Oh, and he really knows how to cook, and it’s a lot more than just BBQ meats. Iron Chef anyone? And have you watched him on the Next Food Network Star? The way he calmly looks at the contestant while ripping them and their food into so many pieces that it makes pulled pork look like chunky squares. Okay, maybe that’s a little exaggerated, but I think you get the idea. He’s one tough cookie!

I’m not the only one that has found a lot of respect for this guy either. This morning he was co-hosting Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda (Hoda was off for the day). In his best Don Drapper attire, this kitchen king found his way into a whole new realm. He pulled off the gig with flying colors, which says a lot considering he was sidekick to Kathie Lee. The moral of the story? It’s somewhere in between “The kitchen and food can inspire people who may have been lost to create a new life filled with success”.

In honor of Bobby Flay, tonight I’m grilling up some rib-eye steak. Recipe to follow.