‘Guy Fieri’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Sesame Glazed Cauliflower

November 17, 2014 · Narrative

A unique twist on cauliflower, this Sesame Glazed Cauliflower makes for a simple and tasty side dish.

Can I still call this Sesame Glazed Cauliflower if I didn’t add the sesame seeds?

I think so.

And so it was.

I am on an endless journey to find a cauliflower recipe that my kids will like. I have come close, but so far, no cigar.

So it’s a darn good thing that I eat cauliflower.

And you do too.

I hope?

Did you know the going rate for a reasonably-sized head of cauliflower is $4.99?

Crazytown.

But in the grand scheme of things, you will likely have all the other ingredients on hand, so $5 for a side dish that can feed a small nation is not a bad thing.

#rationalizing

But it’s true.

And, in theory, it’s cheaper because the recipe only calls for half a head of cauliflower, so now the side dish is down to $2.50.

Even better.

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Review: Beyond Pita, Montclair, New Jersey

February 28, 2012 · Narrative

Over the weekend, we were watching an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. One of the restaurants profiled were serving up falafel. And all of the sudden, it was all I could think about. I suggested to Mystic that our Sunday outing includes a stop at a falafel place.

I can’t say he was completely on board for a first taste of falafel, since chick peas are on his weird and wonderful little list of things he doesn’t like, but he was more than willing to help me satisfy my own absurd needs for it.

A few early morning text messages with friends to find the best place to go, and we were on our way to Montclair to get my falafel fix. Beyond Pita is a little blink-and-you-miss-it place on Church Street; small doesn’t begin to describe it, but isn’t that how some of the very best places are? There is a little one-person-wide counter where you can place your order, and a tiny spot for about four people to wait comfortably for their food. No place to eat there, so this is a grab and go type of joint. Or grab and sit in your car across the street, which is what we did.

Not knowing if he was going to like falafel, Mystic went with their beef kebabs to play it safe. These are not your traditional kebabs on a stick, though. The meat is stuffed into a pita, along with a dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. In fact, as we were opening up the packages, I actually thought his was mine, because aside from the main component, they look pretty much the same. The beef was pretty tender (even though he gets his meat super well done, nothankyou), but although the meat was not high-flavored, it had a slight hint of something sweet. The most ridiculously messy sandwich to eat, it was one of those that once you pick it up and start, you’re not setting it down until you’re done. The pitas are soft and fluffy, but really do fall apart too quickly.

My falafel was stuffed into a pita with the same dressing/veg combination that Mystic’s kebab was, as well as the addition of crisp pickle pieces. The fritter was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. So.very.good. I could have definitely gone back for a plate of the chick pea fritters on their own after that.

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Eat.Live.Be. and Waka Waka Salad

December 28, 2011 · Narrative

When I saw that this week’s Eat.Live.Be. inspiration was to come from the tv, I knew it was the perfect time to revisit Guy Fieri’s Waka Waka Salad, with my modifications.

Guy Fieri is one of the more exuberant and rebellious stars of Food Network, and made this Waka Waka Salad when he was competing on The Next Food Network Star in 2006. He subsequently won that show and has gone on to firmly implant himself onto Food Network’s line-up, with hosting duties for several shows under his big shiny belt buckle. I’ve made this recipe several times before, and was originally drawn to it because of its fun name. Really, who doesn’t like saying Waka Waka Salad? It just makes you smile.

The original salad is largely cabbage-based, and that was a bit of a turn-off to me. I like cabbage, but in small doses, and it’s an even tougher sell for the kids. But by mixing in some greens, it lessens the cabbage impact a bit and everyone is happy. I love the homemade dressing, and the crunch of the noodles and the peanuts. It’s a great salad for when you want to get out of your basic greens and toppings rut and do something a little fresh. No pun intended.

And your quotation inspiration for today? It really is this simple.

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Eat. Live. Be. REBOOT

December 8, 2011 · Eat. Live. Be., Narrative

Regular readers may remember an Eat. Live. Be. movement that me and Sarah came up with and ran last year. At the time, it was perfect because it partnered nicely with my whole Cate Version 2.0 movement. You know, the one wherein I got addicted to Zumba, clean eating, and a weight loss of over sixty pounds. But then, I sprained my ankle in May, and that put the brakes on a lot of what I was doing. I haven’t been back to Zumba since, and you have know idea how much that pains me. The good news is that while I haven’t been going as full force as I was before, I have managed to maintain my weight loss.

But that isn’t enough.

Or wasn’t for me.

I missed the mental zone that all that dedication afforded me. When people prattle on about the endorphin rush you get from exercising, it’s not just meaningless drivel. It’s the truth. And when I say that your body responds differently to how and what you feed it, again, it’s the truth.

And when you’re treating your body right, everything else just magically falls into place.

You’re able to handle stress better.

Relationships.

Work.

Kids.

You have more energy.

And you want to do better.

It’s not just lip service.

So the fact that I wasn’t in the exact same spot as I was in the spring? Killed me. Like, seriously. Thought about it day in and out.

And in the grand scheme of things, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Which, of course, frustrated me even more.

Zumba and clean eating is what started me back on the straight and narrow.

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Eat. Live. Be. Week #2: Finding Your Support Group

January 10, 2011 · Narrative

For our second week of Eat. Live. Be. we are all tackling the topic of finding a support network. Remember when you were in high school and your parents cautioned you against hanging out with certain crowds? Oh. That was just me? Ok then, let’s pretend it wasn’t. Having a support group to help you meet your goals is kind of like that. Hang out with negative influences and they might entice you to behave negatively. Positive peeps bring out the positive. Yes, it really can be that simple.

One of the parts of our lives that I have worked on over the past few years is paying closer attention to the people that we interact with on a regular basis. Not like any of our besties are like Danny Zuko pushing us to smoke cigarettes and drag race until the wee hours, but I’m sure you get my drift. I want to be around people that are good. That make us feel good. That want more. That strive for more. That treat their bodies well. Because good begets good. And that makes me a) want to be even better and b) want to stay on the straight and narrow and stay away from detractors. You know, like Diet Coke and potato chips. Hello, salt, thy name is Cate.

Having a support network is absolutely 100% paramount to meeting a goal successfully. And it’s not just about losing weight. It can be about anything really. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who get you. Who get what you’re working to achieve. Who will cheer you on as you work towards it. Who will pick you back up and bolster you if need be. Who are like-minded folks with like-minded goals.

So now that you know you need a support network, how do you go about getting one? For me, it happens rather organically.

This little grassroots Eat. Live. Be. challenge (and accompanying facebook page) has become a great source of support. We are all working towards some sort of goal … together. Becoming each other’s cheerleaders. Getting new ideas. Sharing tips and tricks. Hey, there’s even a giveaway going on today, if you need a new exercise dvd to kick-start your own routine.
The gym. I take classes at a variety of places, and the people that assemble have slowly become a little bit like an adjunct family. One of my Zumba classes I’ve been going to for a year, and there are maybe 7 or 8 of us that chat before and after class. They notice if I’m not there. And I ask where they’ve been when they miss a class or two. Last week, I spent the whole hour of Thursday’s class beating myself up about a specific body part. Just one of those days. Afterwards, one of the women came up to me. “I bet you’ve lost 15 pounds since the holidays,” she said. I smiled. “A few pounds, not quite 15.” “Well you look great!” She didn’t know the mind battles I was going through during the hour-long sweatfest, and her unsolicited pat on the back reminded me how far I’d come.
Exercise buddies. Seek out those in your posse that like to work out. And it doesn’t have to be a regimented class. Maybe you have a group that likes to go hiking. Or bicycle riding. Or chase your kids at the playground with other moms. Seek out people that like to move. And schedule time to move with them.
Friends that hold you accountable. I have a few friends that are total hardcore when it comes to working out. Two especially come to mind. One will text me … “I’m going by your house to pick you up in 30. Be ready. No excuses.” On a day that I wasn’t going. I do work out 5-6 days a week! She said Saturday that I’ve come too far and she will drag me out of the house if need be. This is also coming from someone who takes three back-to-back hour-long classes on the weekend. The word “hardcore” might not even be strong enough to describe her. Another friend works out Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and if I’m feeling ambivalent about a specific day (weather, work, homework, fill in the blank), I know if I just shoot him an IM he will guilt me into the fact that HE is going and if I don’t, he will be one up on me. And I can’t have that. So I engage. This type of guilt works in my favor every time.
Make Standing Appointments. In a roundabout way, this is part of creating your support network. Because it’s about making your support network work in the best way possible. When I was getting in shape for my wedding, I bartered services with a local personal trainer. After we made our arrangements, he said he’d meet me the next day at 12 noon for a one-hour work-out. And he did. Every weekday for three months. Because we had a standing appointment, and this goes back a bit to last week’s Putting YOU on the List, there was no putting it off for a better time. Everything gets worked around it. I have set classes with a few of the people I work out with too, just like the standing appointment with my old personal trainer. They are counting on me to show up, and I them. There is no “it’s a crazy day, I can’t make it” or “Thursday’s not good, what about Friday?” It just is. Period. End of story.

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How to Get Your Husband to Eat Cabbage in One Easy Step

April 2, 2009 · Narrative

It’s simple. Make Guy Fieri’s Waka Waka Salad, with my modifications. For all my bemoaning the fact that The Husband and Nick eat very few green vegetables, I will give them credit where credit is due. They will eat them if I hide them.

Guy Fieri, one of the more exuberant and rebellious stars of Food Network (and currently the host of four different shows: Guy’s Big Bite, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Guy Off the Hook and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) made this Waka Waka Salad when he was competing on The Next Food Network Star in 2006. He subsequently won that show and has gone on to firmly implant himself onto Food Network’s line-up. His bright bleached blonde hair and biker dude persona have certainly shaken up the all-star roster over there a bit. I’ve made this recipe a few times before, and was originally drawn to it because of its fun name. Really, who doesn’t like saying Waka Waka Salad? It just makes you smile.

The salad is largely cabbage-based and there is no way I could get my boys to eat that, so to fool them into liking it, I mix in some spring greens, and they are none the wiser. When we had it over the weekend, they both had second helpings and The Husband was looking for leftovers the next day. See? Green vegetables can be their friend. It’s all in how you sell it. ;)

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Recipe: Cook All Night BBQ Brisket

February 26, 2009 · Narrative

Growing up, I loved diners. I gravitated towards the old school jukebox stainless steel kind (and still do), and for many years, I dreamed of opening my own place up. Now the dream has shifted, but I still live out my diner love when I watch Food Network‘s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Hosted by Guy Fieri, his constant road trips introduce viewers to little hole-in-the-wall type places that serve fabulous food. Even though he put out a cookbook late last year with some of the recipes featured from restaurants that he’s visited, it’s not enough. I literally watch the show with a notebook and pen, jotting down ingredients of the dishes they’re highlighting on each episode.

Brisket is one of those things that has been on my to-try list forever and a day, yet I hadn’t gotten around to it, but after catching a recent episode with brisket that looked so good, my mouth was watering, I was done for. This is one of those recipes that you’ll thank me for later, and it’s barely a recipe at all. You can commit it to memory in about 30 seconds, and you really only need one ingredient past a few pantry basics. It cooks for 12 hours in the oven, but trust me when I tell you … it’s worth it to figure out your schedule so you can make this.

The recipe? Buy brisket. Put garlic powder, salt and pepper all over it. Put it in a baking dish and bake at 225 for 12 hours. See? That’s it. I ended up putting it into the oven after dinner, and then The Husband took it out in the morning when he left for work. Within only two hours of cooking, it smelled amazing, and my mouth is watering again now, just thinking about the leftovers (hello lunch!).

The meat is fall apart good and is juicy and tender, and everything it should be after cooking for 12 hours. And for a 30-second recipe, what better reward?…

Recipe: Chicken and Waffles

February 23, 2009 · Narrative

I tend to get total tunnel vision sometimes when it comes to food. All I need to do is hear about a dish or type of food, whether it be on tv, in a magazine article or online, and all the sudden, it’s all I can think about. I’ll hear a commercial for a local restaurant, and it’s all I want for dinner. I hear about a new Indian dish, and all the sudden a craving sets in and previous menu plans get scrapped. Such was the case recently with Chicken and Waffles.

I knew Chicken and Waffles was a Southern thing, and didn’t know much past that. Then I saw a mention of it (and ensuing conversation) on Chow’s website. Then I became obsessed. I wanted to have Chicken and Waffles, and it’s all I could think about. Through pure planet alignment, on a recent episode of Ultimate Recipe Showdown on Food Network, one of the competing recipes happened to be Hotlanta Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches with Spicy Maple Mayonnaise. It seemed rather fortuitous to me.

When the woman (Julie Ohnstad) was competing, she lost track of time, and thought that she had 15 minutes left, instead of the reality of only 5 minutes to go in the timed round. She threw together her plating in such a rush that she forgot to add the sauce, a really key component to the recipe. Once the judges found out about the issue, they asked for some sauce so that they could try the dish the way she intended it (although that couldn’t count towards her score, in fairness to the other three contestants who completed their dishes on time). She didn’t win, no surprise there, but in some after-show filming with the judges, they were asked if she would have won had she served the dish properly. They said she probably would have. Can you imagine? She lost out on $25,000 and the opportunity to have her recipe appear on T.G.I. Fridays menus nationwide just because she lost track of time. Ouch.

Nonetheless, it was perfect timing for me (small consolation, I’m sure), and I used her recipe when I made the Chicken and Waffles on Friday night. Our grocery store has small packages of fresh Belgian waffles, and I ended up going that route, which saved me the time of making my own waffles; perfect since I don’t have (and wasn’t going to buy) a waffle maker.

Loved, loved, loved these. I’m not sure what sauce, if any, traditionally goes with Chicken and Waffles (anyone?), but I have seen some that included a gravy. I loved the sweetness of this one. The sharpness of the Cheddar, the crispiness of the bacon and the creamy sweet tang of the sauce … and then the tenderness of the chicken and waffles … made for a perfect introduction to the world of Chicken and Waffles. Look, it may sound a little odd … waffles with cheese, chicken, bacon and a maple sauce … but trust me, this is just one of those things that works. And works it does. Even The Husband who kind of looked at it funny and raised an eyebrow when I told him what this was, raved about it the next day. And that Chicken and Waffles obsession? Well, now I think I need to hunt down more recipes for it…

P.S. The recipe looks long, but I promise it goes really quickly. I managed to do it in about 45 minutes (taking that waffle shortcut route) with two kids and a dog underfoot.

P.P.S. For my BBQ peeps, I have cook-all-night brisket in the oven – what are typical sides to serve with brisket? Help!…

Rhode Island Style Weiners

December 30, 2008 · Narrative

I have had this strange obsession with hot dogs for the last couple of months. I can’t explain it really. I am just totally craving them, and as soon as I start thinking about them, I want them. Obsession aside, I have actually only indulged two or three times since this situation started, but it hasn’t been easy to practice restraint.

On a recent episode of Guy Fieri’s show, Guy’s Big Bite on Food Network, he made Rhode Island Style Weiners, so you know I was all over that. The recipe was inspired from visits to his father-in-law’s house in Rhode Island. He said that there they eat hot dogs with a ground beef concoction on top of them. Throw in the steamed buns and I was done for.

The day after Christmas we celebrated the holiday with The Neighbors and since I wanted to do a bar-food type menu, this was perfect. Okay, it might be a bit of a stretch since you likely don’t belly up to the bar and order hot dogs, but cut me a little slack here. The ground beef mixture takes just minutes to prepare and totally takes the hot dog to a whole ‘nother experience. Alright, stop laughing. Just so, so good. I steamed the buns (another small nuance I will have to remember for the future), and once the meat was on top, I added the suggested chopped raw onions and yellow mustard.

Food snobs be darned, this was one good eat….