RecipeMuncher

Happy St. George’s Day!!And to celebrate, I made something totally English and very wonderful. Gingerbread - a copy of "Grasmere Gingerbread" - recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver.I do love ginger, in the right quantities! When I clapped eyes on this article from Apartment Therapy The Kitchen, I knew that the recipe would queue jump all others in the ever growing pile. I’ve not eaten the "original"

It’s time for my big news! Finally, after many long months, I’m able to tell you my surprise….

I’m pregnant!

No, just kidding.

Remember when I visited New York City a couple of months ago? I said I was on vacation, but I was actually there filming for a Food Network show called Ultimate Recipe Showdown. Some of you have probably seen it before; it’s a cooking competition hosted by Guy Fieri. I watched every single episode of the first season, so I knew that I wanted to be on the second season of the show.

I entered about a dozen recipes into the contest, but didn’t really expect to hear anything back. I was blown away when Food Network contacted me a couple of months ago, and told me I had made the first cut. Several cuts later, I was selected as one of the four finalists to compete on the Comfort Foods show. Out of 12,000 entries.

There were six shows filmed, with four competitors each, and each show has a different theme. My Comfort Foods show is the premiere episode, and it airs Sunday, January 4th at 9pm/8c. On the show I cook against three other people for a prize of ,000. There are two rounds in the show: the signature round where we make our signature recipe, and the speed round, where we have to cook a dish in thirty minutes.

You’ll have to tune in THIS SUNDAY to see if I win the ,000 to go to culinary school in New York City. On the show you’ll get to see me cook, hear my story and learn more about my life. The Food Network even came to my hometown to film! Here’s a video of me on the Food Network website, by the way.

Being on the show was an experience of a lifetime. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d get to do something like this. I started cooking and watching Food Network as a teenager, so this was a dream come true! To be flown to New York City and get to visit the Food Network test kitchens…. wow!
All of the Food Network people were as nice as can be, and made me feel comfortable the whole time. Thank you so much for all your hard work.

Happy New Year everyone! I’ll be back to blogging after the show airs.