The Reality of Putting Yourself Out There

One week with no blogging makes a food writer crazy! I had every intention of sitting down and composing a bunch of different pieces but the world outside of food blogging wasn't having it. First it was preparation for and the running of an arbitration for my paid profession. Then my car suddenly dies one morning, was thankfully jumped and started, but then needed $7000 in repairs. Yep, that was my week.

But life is funny...and the world often seems to sometimes equal itself out. When I came home Wednesday from my ill-fated trip to the car repair place I realized I had missed a call on my cell phone. It was from a young lady named Katie calling from Master Chef. Yes you read that right. They are taking applications for Master Chef Season 3 and I one night in a whirlwind of inspiration decided to apply. So my application had made it through and here she was inviting me to the Open Call casting in Washington DC on Saturday.

Then I had a decision to make. I have had an experience with a reality cooking show and although a local based competition, once you cook under the pressure of 1 hour or 45 minutes there is nothing like it....and you find yourself wanting to do it again but on the other hand, the competition was Saturday and I had an unreliable car and what was I going to make, and when would I drive up for a 10am start, and where would I stay and what would it be like..and...and....

And my friends. My fabulous friends who are my family. My friends told me I would be crazy not to go. My dear friend Kandice offered to drive. My friends Jim and Jennifer offered up a place to stay the night before at Bigglesworth Manor (their home which deserves the name by the way). Other friends offered up places to stay and ideas and someone to watch my son and there was so much support that even if I tried to talk myself out of it, they wouldn't have let me.

So Friday afternoon Kandice and I drove up to Northern Virginia and stayed the night with our good friends of Bigglesworth Manor and I made a dish that I thought represented me: meatloaf with a basil and roasted tomato sauce and a side cauliflower smash with roasted garlic. The sauce was Kandice's idea... remember that roasted tomato and basil spread? Well Kandice said I had to find a way to use it so I did. And it made a fabulous sauce when thinned out with Fresca...I kid you not.

This dish was made and tasted and then remade at 7:00am the next morning. The components were packed up and stored in a newly acquired  Rachel Ray "casserole keeper" and we headed to the venue. While I can't give a lot of details, I can tell you I got there a little before 9am and was number 275. I got to shake Chef Gordon Ramsey's hand and he told me, "Good luck". I go to meet some home cooks just like me, one who was really cool and I hope gets on the show and others who scared me with the food they brought.I also got to stand in line for 6 hours until it was my turn to present my dish and make an impression on a show producer in less than a minute but I also got to spend that entire time with my dear friend Kandice...and at the end we were still friends!

It was a great experience and even if I am not called on to compete to be the next Master Chef I am glad I put myself out there. My good friend Zack often says that when you put yourself out there, the Universe has no choice but to respond. I think he's definitely right. This may not be the opportunity meant for me, but there is one out there. In the meantime I will continue to write this blog that I love and cook for my friends and family and eat at great places and share those experiences with you.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams - Eleanor Roosevelt

Inspired by the Grocery Store Circular

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It’s Wednesday! Often referred to as hump day since the weekend is that much closer on the other side of it. It’s also my favorite day of the week for other reasons. On Twitter it’s Wine Wednesday, Bravo is currently airing Top Chef AND it’s grocery store circular day. I get really excited about the circular for a few reasons. One, in recent years, I have become a little obsessed with coupons and I play a little game with myself matching products on sale to coupons. ( I am NOT a coupon expert by any means visit http://www.afrugalchick.com/ for help with that!) Two, I have mentioned using it to help with meal planning and ultimately cost-saving through it. So really, I use the grocery circular for inspiration!Well, I am half way planned for March this time around, so how about I give a demo on how I get inspired by the grocery circular.

Harris Teeter (afterwards referred to as HT) is right around the corner from my house but proximity alone is not what makes me a frequent shopper there. There sales are sound, the produce fresh and I can find most of what I need for the type of cooking and entertaining I do. (Trader Joe’s carries the Organic snacks, specialty cheese and hard to find items I need).

The front page of the circular is just like the front page of a paper: It has the headlines and pictures that they place to grab your attention and continue reading. This week, HT is focused on its Buy 1 Get 1 specials. I immediately notice frozen mixed vegetables are a part of that promotion. If you don’t keep a bag of mixed vegetables handy, you are missing on a handy staple for some great meals. I use these for pot pies, soups and stews and Shepherd’s pie among other things. Looking over my monthly menu I noticed I am preparing roast chicken Friday and had originally planned for enchiladas with leftovers. Now I am thinking a Mexican pot pie-like casserole may be the perfect use of the leftovers, and a chance to try something new.

A big feature is Pillsbury Grand Biscuits are 10 for $10. I don’t need 10 but this is another item I like having on hand. In fact, a blog reader had shared with me via Facebook an empanada recipe using refrigerated biscuits so that gets added as a weekend meal so I have time to work with a new recipe.

Cool Whip is 99 cents this week. This is something I ALWAYS have on hand. It freezes well and thaws quickly for recipes. I have a South Beach dessert recipe that I swear by and got from Food.com that uses Cool Whip and it’s great for making easy desserts for non-bakers like me.

Now for fresh meat, a great price on Boneless skinless chicken catches my eye but I am also excited about the Center Cut Pork Chops. Their size and thickness when I get to the store will determine their use but I am already thinking the weather is making grilling more and more realistic!

What’s this? Oscar Mayer bacon BOGO? Count me in! My family eats turkey bacon for breakfast but I cook with real bacon when it’s used in a recipe. A new thing I have been doing is cooking some ahead of time and keeping crumbled bacon on hand. Cooking Light gave a fantastic refresher on bacon cooking here. I also cut up some raw bacon to use for MacGyver moments. If itdoesn’t get used for a meal within its useful life, it can easily be cooked in the morning and thrown into an omelet for me or used on top of something like mashed cauliflower or a salad.

Finally, I review the produce. I search for staples like onions, mushrooms, celery and peppers and then look to see what vegetables are priced as seasonal. This week the broccoli  and Bartlett pears look like good options. I see a broccoli stir-fry being added and I am going to try this recipe for the pears!

So that’s my Wednesday ritual! If you have a favorite grocery store take a few minutes to look through its weekly specials and see what catches your eye not only as a good price but also a good item to build a dish around. If you don’t get the paper, go online to see the latest specials or sign-up to have specials e-mailed to you. HT lets you build an online shopping list that you can print or e-mail. And if you find something in the ad that sounds good, but don’t know what to do with it…ask me. I am sure I can steal a good idea from somewhere for you.