We're not in Kansas anymore

Found this neat little article about Alton Brown visiting a restaurant in Wichita, Kan.

Stephan's Old Town Sabor is regularly a place to see and be seen, and not just for well-known Wichitans. It's a celebrity gathering spot as well.
Sunday, Harrison Ford, Neil Young and Food Network star Alton Brown were all dining there separately.
"I had all three of them," Stephan says.
Ford dines with him so much they're on a first-name basis.
Young, whom Stephan describes as "nice, but he's not very talkative," is a bigger fan of Stephan's Egg Cetera restaurant, where he usually eats breakfast while in town.
But it's Brown who, naturally, the chef in Stephan wanted to impress.
"I was at home, and the manager texted me," he says. "She said, 'Oh, ah, Alton Brown is here eating.'
"I said, 'I better come down there.' "
Stephan is a Brown fan.
And Brown was appreciative in return.
"He was very happy with the food," Stephan says, "and very complimentary."

It is always nice to read good things about people you admire. Everyone who has met him seems to have a great experience. I know from meeting him three times (soon to be four!) the encounters have been super. He is a genuinely nice man.

Oh, if Alton ever suddenly appeared at some place where I was, you all know I would faint. Come on, I knew I'd be meeting him in Nashville and completely blanked on my name! But I do wish he'd make a stop here in WV on a book tour someday. But no one I like every comes here. :(

I'm wondering if he's is filming something for Good Eats out in Kansas?

Alton Brown's oven roasted broccoli

I'd like to call this Alton Brown recipe one of my long time favorites, but it is not. Only because it is from a newer episode. Last February when "If it ain't broccoli, don't fix it" aired, I welcomed a better method to cook the veggie.

Like AB discussed in the show, I grew up faced with boiled to death nasty broccoli slathered in cheese. Ick. My preferred way to eat it was in stir fry or raw. Then I was introduced to oven roasting.

Alton's oven roasted broccoli is one of my favorite side dishes because I can now have the veggie cooked and hot but not mushy and nasty.

Transforming cooked broccoli to good eats it very simple. Take a pound of broccoli and coat in olive oil and add minced garlic. The best part of the recipe is the inclusion of panko bread crumbs. Pankos are one of the best foodstuffs I have been turned on to by Alton. They are now a staple in my pantry. And in this recipe, you lightly toast a 1/3 cup of them for two minutes then add to the oiled broccoli.

Roast the broccoli at 425 degrees until tender, AB's recipe says 10 minutes but sometimes I find it takes longer. The last few times I have made this recipe, I have cooked it in my cast iron skillet. I found it a great vessel.

I do add more cheese than the 1/4 cup listed. The past two times this dish has come from my kitchen, it was made with smoked cheddar. I didn't think this dish could get any better. I was wrong. The smokey addition from the cheese... one word... awesome. :)

Seeing stars for Alton Brown

Sometimes I wonder how my mind works. The other day I had a brilliant idea and I have no idea how it came to me, why or what even precipitated it. *Cue drum roll* Alton Brown needs a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

I thought this idea, perhaps my greatest, would be something I could try to do for him, you know, being his #1 fan and all. So I checked the Internet for the procedure.

The first website I found outlined the criteria for getting a star. Three simple things:

1. Have a record of professional achievement within the nominated field.
2. Have worked in the entertainment industry for a minimum of five years.
3. Have made contributions to the community, typically through charitable activities.

I thought great, this is going to so easy. Alton certain meets those requirements and then some. And I can rattle all of that info off quickly, so all I need to do is write up something for the nomination form. I'm pretty good at writing, another easy part. Yeah, I could just see AB's star!

Then it all came crashing down.

Along with the nomination form a $25,000 fee must be included. What? Twenty... twenty-five thousand dollar fee? That's almost my entire yearly salary!

I refrained from cursing until I saw the names of some of the names on the Walk of Fame:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Vince McMahon
Shakira
Britney Spears

WTF?

These crappy celebrities have stars and Alton doesn't? This proves, without a doubt, life sucks and isn't fair.

If I had a spare 25k lying around, it would go straight to getting AB a star in a heartbeat.

Maybe I could have a bake sale.

Sorry big guy, this is the best I could do for you. And it isn't even a star for the television industry :(

Oh bother.

Alton Brown's Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

Since weekends at home sans Internet means I have to find alternate forms of entertainment, I finished the recipe of the week early this time. I was taken by AB's molasses coffee marinated pork chops from the most recent episode of Good Eats. So, it was a perfect time to attempt them.

First, let me state up front, I'm not a huge pork chop fan. My mom loves them and use to cook them often when I was a kid. She fried them. And some times do the Shake 'N Bake thing. I preferred baked to fried, but still pretty blah. Then one day while watching Good Eats, AB did show on pork chops. And, of course, I learned why the chops are so bland. Modern pigs are bred to be lean not for lard and that effects the meat making it less fatty and flavorful.

Okay, knowing this I had planned to brine some chops and see if that helped. I still have done that.

In fact, mom the pork chop lover turned hater after years of blah chops. So the molasses coffee marinade grabbed my attention and I figured it would be worth giving a whirl... for the sake of the Recipe of the Week post if nothing else. But I wanted to reclaim the pig as a dining option.

What luck, Kroger was running a sale on pork chops. It was a sign.

First of all, I'm not a big coffee drinker so having old coffee hanging around wasn't an option. Instead, I brewed some fresh in my French press then parked it in the freezer to chill. While the coffee cooled down, the mise en place was assembled.

It was also destined I make this recipe because everything was on hand--well, not Dijon mustard. I subbed it with spicy brown mustard. I also decided against making the glaze from the leftover marinade. There's just something I don't like about using a liquid that soaked raw meat. It's probably just something in my brain that I need to make peace with since AB used it and he's okay with it.

Another change was using my cast iron griddle instead of the outside grill. It is still winter here after all, in fact Sunday brought an inch or so of snow! But I got the all important diamond pattern marks from the grill side of the griddle. :)

The chops stayed in the marinade for about 12 hours.


From this admitted non-pork chop fan, these are fantastic! As I was chomping down on them, thoughts about how they would taste on the grill ran through my head. So they are in the rotation for future dinner plans. The molasses added sweetness, obviously, I'm not certain what the coffee did because there wasn't a coffee taste. The garlic provided a nice punch rounded out with some spice from the ginger and pepper (and maybe that spicy brown mustard).

Overall, an excellent recipe. Juicy chops and a little sweet, little garlicky and little spice. Very nice and a keeper in the rotation.

The recipe:
Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

Another item Alton Brown caused me to buy

I was watching the episode "Spice Capades" the other night and was reminded of yet another item Alton Brown has influenced me to buy.

A coffee grinder to grind spices!

That's my little spice grinder. :) I must say, grinding whole spices is much better. Current smell of my grinder... cumin. Ah, a lovely scent.

Be grateful for Alton Brown

I know Thanksgiving has come and gone and won't be around for several more months but after reading article about another FN host, I thought it was time to give thanks for Alton Brown and Good Eats.

The article in question, from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentintel, the one sending me to write this post was about "culinary diva" Sandra Lee and her new semi-horrific magazine. At first, the article gave me a chuckle. But as I reread it, looking for places to seize upon, I noticed how diametrically apposed my kitchen philosophy is to ol' Aunt Sandy's.

Here's the particular quote that bought on this post:

Q. Let's focus on the food part of it. What is it about your magazine that stands out?

A. Not only are my recipes time-conscious, they're also cost-conscious. I think it's an equal conundrum, money and time, when you're in the kitchen.

Other food magazines want to introduce you to new things to do - which is great, and occasionally I do that as well. But my job is to really do the research. I will be on the phone with SuperValu (grocery stores), and I will find out what Cub Foods' top 50 sell-through products are, so I know what's in your pantry.

So when I put together a recipe, it's with stuff that you already love, it's already in your pantry so you don't have to spend extra money. My job is to tell you four different ways to use it, and my job is to name it by brand. There's a ton of recipes, but what there's not out there is a ton of end success for the users. I do the brands within the recipe so you know to get this picture, you follow this recipe. It's Kraft this, it's McCormick seasoning that. Different products have different ingredient bases.

Dumbfounded. Me, not her. Besides, we all know she's dumb... wait... in an alcohol induced stupor. All I have to say is... WTF?

So, her job is to tell me "four different ways" to use things from the pantry? Would that be stirred, shaken, on the rock and straight up? Why four? I can name at least six dishes from my repertoire using canned tomatoes. Did she arbitrarily pick the number to match her IQ?

AND another part of her job is to specify what to use by brand name. Will the food police arrest someone for using a generic brand in one of her dishes?

My favorite line from the article, however, was this: "There's a ton of recipes, but what there's not out there is a ton of end success for the users. [Whew, that's an awkwardly phrased sentence.] I do the brands within the recipe so you know to get this picture, you follow this recipe." Ah, so when a recipe doesn't turn out its because of not using the right brand. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Sandra. I understand it so much now.

Barf.

Funny, I've tried a boatload of Alton's recipes from the show and his cookbooks over the years with excellent results. Many of them I have changed from the original version But... but how is it possible they turn out fine? AB doesn't say, "You must purchase brand X in order to get the proper results." His recipes don't look like the fender of a NASCAR. Are we all doomed to failure?

Poor Alton has it all wrong, apparently, cooking is not about understanding techniques or food science it is about buying the right brand name product. That nasty crack in your cheesecake isn't because you forgot to bake it in a water bath but because you used off-brand cream cream.

So, if you use AB's homemade mayo instead of Kraft's will Aunt Sandy's recipe fail? Like someone who'd take the time to make homemade mayo would use it in on of her recipes. Just trying to wrap my head around her thinking, here.

Sheesh, Sandy, stop spending your time with the tablescapes a get a clue.

This brings me to being grateful and thankful for Alton. The biggest appeal of Good Eats, for me, is the teaching element of the show. Watching AB has improved my cooking so much. I understand what happens in the cooking process and when I do mess up, how to fix it. Why? The brands I use? Hell no. Because Alton has explained a technique or has given me the scientific reason for the cause. I've been informed about cooking rather than given a recipe to follow.

Francis Bacon said, "knowledge is power." Good Eats would be an excellent example. Alton gives me knowledge and, in turn, I reap the benefits with confidence in the kitchen and lots of good eats. I know so much more than the one recipe from his show or cookbook. I'm not mindlessly following the directions and buying only the brand name products listed. No, I understand chemical reactions, the hows and whys, what heat does to food and proper technique. Maybe that's too brainy for some to understand.

I can only hope thinking that brought us the likes of Semi-Homemade doesn't filter further into the Food Network's programming. Shows of high caliber like AB makes are few and far between on the network these days. That's sad.

So, I'm grateful and thankful AB is here to teach us and entertain at the same time. Thank you Alton for everything you do! :D

Alton Brown's shrimp cocktail

A great episode, "Crustacean Nation" airs Thursday, February 19 at 8 p,m, (EST). This a super episode because Alton showed me how to make a tasty cocktail sauce. Not only that, but his method for oven roasting shrimp is outstanding.

I keep frozen uncooked shrimp on hand so this can be whipped up at a moment's notice. Usually the shrimp get the brine as they are thawing. Then into the oven for a few minutes. I love it for a quick meal after work.

The best thing from the episode, as I said earlier, is the cocktail sauce. I have to agree with AB's statement that bottled cocktail sauce is retched. Not one bottled sauce I've had was worth eating. But Alton's recipe changed my opinion. This is the best cocktail sauce ever.

The cocktail sauce is awesome because it can be customized. Add more chili sauce and less horseradish. Or lots of horseradish and lots chili sauce. Whatever you like. I've made so much now that I don't even measure it.

AB's shrimp cocktail recipe

More peas, please!

This week's Alton Brown recipe attempt comes from Good Eats "Give Peas a Chance." Curried split pea soup! This is an interesting episode for another reason, too. AB's real kitchen appears in the episode. Although, he and his family no longer live in the house, at the time of filming, it was his residence.

Ok, enough with the GE trivia and on with the food.

I choose the split pea soup for a couple of reasons. First, it was very quick and simple. Second, I had only eaten split pea once before. It was good but didn't include curry powder, which I love by the way. And third, it was one of those recipes I wanted to try from watching the show.

The split peas were a regular 12 ounce bag from Kroger. I'm not that wise to the dried pea scene to know if there are better types or brands. After washing the peas and checking for forgien matter, I readied the rest of the ingredients.

One cup of chopped onion, a big pinch of salt and two tablespoons of unsalted butter began the sweat in a large sauce pan or small stock pot. The onion sweat for about three minutes then 0ne tablespoon of garlic is added. I used two cloves of garlic instead of measuring out a tablespoon.

Once the onions and garlic sweat for 1-2 more minutes, bring together the peas, 5 cups of chicken broth and one tablespoon of curry powder in the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 45-50 minutes. I had to cook mine a little longer, the peas were still gritty after 45 minutes.

When the peas are tender and sort of mushy, time to buzz them up. Carefully puree with a stick blender until smooth.

The soup was a little thick. I don't know if that was from cooking the peas longer than the recommended or if it is supposed to be thick... guess I'll have to rewatch the episode to see AB's. Terrible, I know, but the answer must be found!

The soup was very smooth and creamy dispite having no dairy in it. When I reheated a bowl, in the microwave at work, it almost reminded me of mashed potatoes. It didn't taste like peas at all and had a light curry flavor. I know yummy tells you nothing about the dish, I'll never make it as a judge on Iron Chef America, but it was very yummy!

Alton's Curried Split Pea soup recipe.

Dark, brown and delicious

If I weren't already convinced this episode cemented it, Alton Brown is a genius. Truthfully, I mean, a major league genius. Who else would show viewers how to make their own brown sugar? Come on... who?

AB! I rest my case. Genius.

The latest installment of the best show on TV, Good Eats, discussed the thick, dark goo known far and wide as molasses. In typical fashion, AB expanded beyond the kitchen by visiting sugarcane fields and a sugar factory to educate us. From field to factory, the little rundown of how molasses comes to be was a welcome return to classic GE teaching.

This had to be one of the more fun episodes in awhile. For entertainment value alone, the show was excellent. Journeying into the depths of pantry as a food archeologist made me think Indiana Jones. Wow, does AB's pantry go on and on. LOL. The Founding Fathers skit was excellent and jabbing at the iconic nature of our county's starters. The reference to The Fly was so funny. And it was nice to see our old friend the disaccharide molecule.

Of course, the most excellent recipe in the show was the brown sugar. So simple, why haven't I been making it before now? The pork chops looked interesting, I'm always trying to find a good pork chop recipe. I'm not a pork chop fan because usually they are dry and flavorless, this marinade looked promising. The shoofly pie was a curious item. I've heard about them but wasn't certain about their make up. My interest is piqued.

Awesome episode, overall. There was entertainment, education, a field trip and good recipes. A super show, five molasses bottles. Thanks AB! :)


Get all of the gooey goodness here. AB's molasses recipes from the episode.

New Good Eats, Molasses

Catch Alton Brown discussing the dark side of cane, aka molasses, on Monday, February 16 at 8 p.m. (EST). It was so nice of AB to give me a new episode for my birthday! :) Thanks! I know, I know, it is just a happy accident the two coincide. But I'm telling myself the new episode is for Alton's favorite fangirl. :)

Looks like AB will be packing tons of things in this episode, there are four recipes including making your own dark brown sugar! Check them out here. I hope the influence and knowledge gained from his trip to the Caribbean last year will crop up in this episode.

I just know this episode is going to have lots of information and opportunities for AB to teach us about molasses and sugar cane.

Don't forget to tune in!

Watch Alton Brown on ICA Sunday

Short note to watch Alton on a new ICA Sunday, February 15th.

I can't wait to see the ICA episode. :)

Meat Pie ala Alton Brown

I've been itching to make Alton Brown's shepherd's pie from "Oh My, Meat Pie" since finding the recipe online a few days before the episode aired. I enjoy shepherd's pie but rarely ever make it. After rewatching the episode a couple of times, I think the show is a lot better than I initially thought.

The recipe from the episode looked very tasty. Really, doesn't all of AB's food look tasty? Anyway, I thought this would a great recipe to try for my recipe of the week.

First problem I knew to expect coming out of the gate was locating ground lamb. I've been on this search before when attempting to make AB's gyros. Instead of heading to every mega-mart in the valley, I opted to make the shepherd's pie with beef. I guess, that would make it a cowboy pie? Maybe?

Oh well, it's going to be tasty! I know that because in all of the years of making recipes from Good Eats and Alton's cookbooks, they always turn out great and are so yummy.

It all started with making the mashed potato topping. Simply cook one and half pounds of russet potatoes until folk tender, about 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes are done, add 1/4 cup of half-and-half, two ounces of butter and one egg yolk and mash until smooth.

The filling, which in AB's recipe calls for one and a half pounds of lamb, was equally simple to construct. Mine started in the trusty 10-inch cast iron skillet by cooking two diced carrots and one cup of onions. The carrots and onion only need to cook for a few minutes to get some color, then include two cloves of garlic to the mix.

Add the meat and cook it thoroughly. When the meat is cooked, sprinkle on two tablespoons of AP flour and mix it into the meat and cook for about a minute. Add two teaspoons of tomato paste, a cup of chicken broth, one teaspoon of Worcestershire, two teaspoons of fresh rosemary and one teaspoon of fresh thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until it is thickened a bit.

Now add 1/2 cup each of frozen corn and peas. I decided to keep the meat mixture in the cast iron skillet instead of transferring to a baking dish as the recipe says to do. Next, place dollops of the mashed potatoes on top if the meat and smooth with a rubber spatula and seal the edges to prevent spillage.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Then wait 15 minutes before serving.


The meat pie is excellent. For certain, a make again recipe! I will seek out some ground lamb and if it can be found, I will compare the two versions. As it stands now, the beef adapted is mighty fine. Thanks, Alton for another great recipe and good eats! :)

AB's Shepherd's pie recipe

Alton Brown's Big Idea

In 2007, Alton Brown appeared on the CNBC show The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. And in this interview AB discussed his road to success and the idea behind creating Good Eats. The other day I went back to rewatch the interview because currently I find myself searching for something that is my life's calling.

When I first saw this interview, it struck me as so inspiring and motivating. Maybe he could become a motivational speaker too. :)

Everything Alton talked about in his own life before becoming a television star, is much like my life now. While I'm not looking for fame and fortune, I know there is something out there for me but finding it has been difficult.

Looking at the interview again, especially now that I am trying to capture my own dreams, I need to take Alton's advice and "roll the big dice." Some days, however, I feel like it will never happen. I know those thoughts must not be in my head and that's why I revisited AB's interview.

What he said in the interview are the positive notes I need right now since I'm stalled in my search. It gives me some hope that big dreams do come true and I have just as good a chance as anyone else for that to happen. I've read countless tomes saying the same thing about finding your dream job, all say many of the same things AB did in that interview. However, coming from Alton the words are more meaningful to me than those books' authors because I know he's telling the truth and it does happen. I have to believe that.


PS: If you haven't seen the interview or would like to rewatch it, look no further. ;) Ah, the wonders of You Tube :)

This Alton Brown fangirl needs...

Some thing occurred to me recently, I'm wondering if I'll ever bump into Alton Brown at the mega-mart. What I mean is, will I ever run into a store display for his Welch's grape juice promos? I'm hoping to see one and refrain from squealing and embarrassing myself in public. When I find one, I'll have to convince the store manager how much I need that display so it will come home with me. I just see myself, pleading for it, whining if need be, declaring my self-proclaimed #1 fan status, doing just about anything to get my mitts on a store display.

Alas, nary one in sight. Periodically, I stroll down the fruit juice aisle at various mega-marts hoping to spot one.

Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.

Unfortunately my luck is running into store displays for my non-favorite Food Network hosts. I still recall the horror of running into Rachel Ray. Minding my own business purchasing some food for my beloved hound dog, I was shocked and traumatized upon turning an end cap and coming into view of a three foot poster of Rach and her pooch. And this wasn't the first time such luck came my way. A few years ago while perusing Linen N Things, I moved to the cookware aisle only to be greeted with Rach's smiling mug, at least five feet tall, for her fabulous cookware. I'm shivering from recalling the trauma.

Yep, that's how it goes with me sometimes. Could I possibly run into a store ad for someone I admire... nooooo! :-P

I had big, big plans for scoring a large store display, preferable a life size cardboard cutout of AB. I could just imagine myself lugging the thing to the Smithsonian event next month. Yes I would... silly fangirl, remember?

My favorite of all the print ads is this one:


But, as far as I can tell there are no in-store promos for the campaign. Or none where I live.

Bummer.

Trust Alton Brown's kitchen gear recommendations

Last night I was making another batch of Alton Brown's leek soup (as per my mom's request on Sunday) and I pulled out my veggie peeler to prep the potatoes. After ranting the other day about poor products with other Food Network personalities names on them, I was thinking about the items that AB recommends but does not specifically endorse.

After using Alton's specs for a veggie peeler from the eggplant episode, I purchased a new one. AB recommended a peeler with a comfortable handle, a swivel head and serrated blade. On other Good Eats episodes, he has mentioned the serrated blade for veggie peelers. While Alton didn't outright name a brand of peeler to buy, from looking at the one he uses on the show and his specs it was very similar to an OXO brand peeler.

That was the type I tracked down. In fact, when I saw at the kitchenware store, I almost squealed (I've really gotta stop doing that) because it looked so much like the type recommended by Alton.

I love this peeler. I mean l-o-v-e! It is the best veggie peeler ever. The handle is big and soft, nothing like those el cheapo metal peelers. The blade is so sharp and the serrations grab the veggies making peeling quick.

When Alton makes recommendations for kitchen equipment, you can see the thought he has put into it. He isn't going for a product because they pay him. He isn't going to select the most expensive because the priciest is perceived to be the best. No, he looks for important elements that help make the item perform properly. And that is the most important part, if the item works well then it makes cooking easier, better and more enjoyable.

Over the years of watching AB, I have attempted to "Altonize" my kitchen equipment. The Gear for Your Kitchen is my reference book for items. I use it and his recommendations from GE. Alton has yet to make a bad recommendation for the items I need. And in most cases, what he has suggested to purchase turns out to be 100 times better than the item I had before. This peeler is one of those.

Thank you so much for those great recommendations, Alton! :D

Alton Brown's perfect potstickers

I seriously believe that Alton Brown is some type of Svengali. Okay, he's not evil so he would have to be the good equivalent but does he ever hold some kind of spell on me. This spell will convince me to try things I would never, ever attempt without AB's recommendation.

The potstickers from Good Eats episode "Wonton Ways" are a perfect example of how Alton can convince me to try my hand at just about anything. Before that episode, I would have told you there is no way in a million years I could ever make such an item in my kitchen. Moreover I would have told you if I did attempt them, the final product would be no where near as good as a Chinese restaurant version.

The day after "Wonton Ways" originally aired I had an unknown reason to seek out wonton wrappers at the mega-mart. Yep, I was going to try to make the potstickers because AB make them look so easy. What was I thinking?

Lucky for me, I wasn't thinking and plunged headlong into making my very own potstickers--at home!

Despite the moniker Alton gave his potstickers, "Perfect Potstickers," I decided to play around with some of the ingredients. The first change was the ground pork. I substituted ground chicken. And because I wanted a little more Asian feel to mine, I replaced the ketchup and mustard for hoisen sauce and soy souce. When I first attempted the recipe, I looked at both the Perfect Potstickers and the vegetarian version from the same episode to make my creation.

So with my modifications, I was ready to start. The main thing learned from the episode was technique. Like with a vast majority of GE episodes, Alton explained, very well, the method to cook the item. Before watching the episode, I had not a clue how to prepare potstickers. And, of course, after the show I was completely knowledgeable in the method.

To my surprise, but really I shouldn't have been surprised after all AB taught me well, the method was simple and most importantly the potstickers rocked. They were the best ones I have ever eaten. Before learning how to make my own, I had sampled some frozen ones from Sam's Warehouse (can't recall the brand) and various ones at local Chinese restaurants. I was impressed that my adaptation of Alton's recipe was so good. In fact, now, I do not like any other potstickers but mine and ones that follow AB's original recipe. Wow!

AB's Perfect Potstickers
Original recipe from Food Network, click here
My modifications are in bold, blue

• 1/2 pound ground pork (ground chicken)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper (omitted)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (omitted)
• 2 teaspoons ketchup (Hoisen sauce)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (Soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Who is Alton Brown?

The clever and witty host of the best cooking show ever. :) I hope everyone had the chance to see Alton on Jeopardy! He had his very own category... yay! But I was hoping for a return in the second round.

While the segment was way, way too short, it was so cool. AB did what he does best while presenting the answers, making it fun and creative. I loved the flambe question complete with pyrotechnics! The fridge cam was great too. In fact, the whole category was great and presented in the way only Alton can.

Of course, all of the clues were so easy and I got them right. Basic stuff if you're a cook or a loyal Good Eats viewer. Just shows how much I've learned from AB!

I think Alton could replace Alex Trebek, easily. But for some reason, those Saturday Night Live Celebrity Jeopardy! skits where running through my head. Ok, it is official... I am so beyond weird! LOL.

If you missed the show, or like me just want to watch again, check out the show's website. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find Alton's category!

More Valentine's Day recipes from Alton

I was perusing the FN site and found they are promoting 5 ways to transform Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe into treats for your sweet.

Here's the link if you are so inclined to make them: Sugar cookies 5 ways.

PS although Alton is on a Valentine's Day recipe spree lately... the "holiday" still sucks!

Alton Brown on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet

Here's a video link to Alton's appearance this morning on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Watch AB talk about salt here! I'm so glad they posted online because it will not air where I live until 3 am Saturday morning!

AB was so funny and did a great job explaining salt (of course) ;)

Remember to catch Alton on Jeopardy!

Tale of Tapioca

With all of the new TV appearances and other Alton Brown news going on this week, I neglected to post this week's recipe attempt.

On a trip to a local Amish market last weekend, I was drawn to aisle with rice, barley and the like. Then I spied a bag of tapioca pearls. They called to me. I needed to try AB's pudding recipe. Yes, this would be the coming week's new recipe attempt!

Much to my surprise, I had everything on hand at home already. Well... ok, I didn't have a lemon. I'll deal with that later. As the snow fell outside, I decided my treat would be some homemade pudding. The first thing was soaking the tapioca pearls overnight. 3 1/2 ounces of the little balls and a pinch of salt went into a container and sat awaiting their fate.

The next day I had to locate my slow cooker. My goodness, I can't remember the last time this thing was used. Once I located it, dusted it off from years of non-use it was time to make some pudding.

In the slow cooker (actually, I can say Crock Pot since mine is made by the original company, Rival) went the drained pearls, 2 1/2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. This mixture then cooks on high for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, mix 1/3 cup of sugar and an egg together. I did use Splenda here. Slowly add some of the milk/cream/tapioca to the egg mixture--about a cup. Once the egg mixture is tempered, then put that mixture back into the slow cooker with the rest and resume cooking for 15 minutes.

This is where I varied from Alton's recipe. Remember that I didn't have a lemon? Well instead of added the called for lemon zest, I used some vanilla extract. I added the extract after the pudding was finished cooking for the 15 minutes.

I might lose a few points for presentation since I have a patchwork of different service pieces. I couldn't find all of my sundae dishes. But the final pudding was put into some glasses and cooled for one hour before being sent to the chill chest.


This is an excellent pudding. Very easy to make and simple. The taste is creamy and in my case vanilla-y ;) I have a whole bag of tapioca pearls, I can't imagining them lasting much longer.

AB's Tapioca Pudding recipe

More on Alton's Valentine's Day recipes

A video from Alton on a morning show in Rochester, NY

Click here!

This is an awesome video. AB in classic form!

He says he gets emails from people... I wonder where these "people" get that email. I'd love to know. Hey AB, that would make a nice Valentine's Day present for me ;)

Alton Brown's Valentine's Day recipes

Alton shares some Valentine's Day recipes with us. Check out the recipes here from a Kentucky newspaper. The writer claims the recipes will "help you celebrate the day of love whether you are in a relationship or not." Right! Valentine's Day sucks when you're sans someone special!

Breaking news, Alton Brown edition

More news! According to my TIVO, Alton Brown will be appearing on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet on Friday February 6. Check your local listings for the show, the local station here that carries the show will air it on early Saturday morning.

There is nothing on the show's website, yet. But here's the link.

Alton Brown, may I have a word with you?

Something funny happened on the way to Alton Brown's website on Tuesday. I like to check it from time to time, seeing if any news or events are posted. But most of the time, there's not a lot of news on there. Although, it is a wonderful source for finding his personal appearances.

OK, back to what happened when I stopped by AB's site. On the homepage there is now a link to some of the "Ask Alton" questions from the Atlanta magazine. Ok, great... right?

Sure. But this made me think about something. Didn't I have this very thing linked on my site months ago? Yep, since December I have been linking the "Ask Alton" from the magazine. Ok, maybe that's a coincidence.

But wait there's more.

A couple months ago, AB's site started linking to the video interviews from Serious Eats website. Great for us fans... but I had been posting the newest video each week starting with the very first one. Coincidence?

One more thing, right after FOW completed airing a list of places Alton visited in the show appeared on his website. Apparently, people were clamoring for this information. Shortly before this popped onto AB's site, I had completed the listing of sites visited for the FOW page for the fansite. Coincidence?

Uh, maybe.

But its seems little odd these things appear some time after they are posted on this blog or the fansite. I'm probably reading more into this that it deserves, but it is strange, odd and weird these things have happened. Is this blog that cutting-edge and I can scoop his own webmaster--someone who has direct connection to this information and the person I should be copying not vice versa? Hmmm? Or are there spies among us? LOL ;)

Orange you glad Alton Brown is on TV

Last time I use that lame line, promise. But really, wasn't it great Alton Brown covered oranges in the latest episode of Good Eats? The tasty citrus fruit finally got to shine in the spotlight and given the treatment only AB can do for a food.

The opening segment, shot on location in Florida, has Alton strolling through orange orchards. Kinda reminiscent of the some commercial for grape juice that is currently airing, dontcha think? Anyway, the beginning was nice since AB covered lots important topics.

First, the requisite GE teaching of orange history and anatomy. Then proper zesting technique using both a Microplane grater and a veggie peeler. Nice tip about scraping the pith off the back of the larger piece of zest.

I especially loved the segment on segmenting an orange. I've seen lots of chefs do this and am amazed by it. Now, I might give it a try because AB made it look very easy. ;)

I was a little disappointed AB went with that large juicer. Unless you make a lot of juice it seems like a space waster and a bit pricey.

The sherbet did look great, I might be trying that when the weather is warmer. It seems to be a nice simple and straightforward method. And my ice cream maker does need to get more use. The "orange delicious" look equally yummy. But, again, something for a warmer day. For goodness sake, there's still snow and ice on the ground here and more flying from the sky how can I think about ice in my drink?!

But the best part of this episode, by far, was when AB explained the hygroscopic nature of sugar using a clip from an old episode of GE. I laughed my butt off watching Alton "changing" the graphics and going from side to side in the scene. Classic Alton goofiness!

I admit to not being a fan of marmalade. At least not store bought. I wonder if this would be worth making since I don't care for it much?

This was a great episode. Lots of information and history about oranges, interesting recipes and fun. Four oranges for AB's outstanding effort!


Check out the recipes for all of AB's orangy goodness here.

Alton Brown made me do it

My post on Alton Brown's chocolate chip cookies made me think about sharing what was the first recipe you tried? A little tell (show, if you have photos) session!

I've been a Good Eats/AB fan since 2001 when I first got Directv and had access to FN.

I can't say exactly which was my first recipe, but I know pizza dough and the chewy chocolate chip cookies were around the first GE recipes I tried. By Thanksgiving, I tried the brined turkey. Earlier on, I know watching the show was more important to me than the recipes because I wanted to soak up the techniques and knowledge first. Then I felt confident enough to try some things. Alton helped my realize I loved to cook but I didn't know a lot about what was happening in the process.

Although I've made many dishes from the show, over 80 at last count, there are tons of recipes from the early shows I still want to try. The other day, watching the dip show, Alton mentioned the chocolate mousse from the first show on chocolate. I still need to make that! So there are many, many more recipes to try!

Ok, so its the show and tell portion of the program! Instead of reading me yak on and on, tell me what was the first recipe of AB's you attempted. :)

Orange you glad there's a new episode?

Sunny and bright oranges will be the next topic Alton Brown explores on Good Eats. "Orange Aid" looks into the world of this citrus fruit on Monday, February 2 at 8 p.m. (EST).

The recipes are finally online over at FN's website. They are so slow about posting these new episodes and recipes, I wonder what the problem is with them?!?

Anyway, AB will be making orange marmalade, orange sherbet and orange delicious. I'm excited about the sherbet, something I might try. I don't know what that orange delicious thing is but I'm interested in learning about it. And I very, very curious about the marmalade since Alton said in the toast episode he doesn't like marmalade. Hmm?

I love oranges!

Here are the recipes from "Orange Aid"