Adam Cho’s Five Spice French Toast Recipe

Chef Adam Cho of Rick’s Cafe at Loews Lake Las Vegas was kind enough to share this recipe for his Chinese Five Spice French Toast which I had the sheer joy of trying when I attended Spice Skool. Chef Cho serves his French Toast with thick-cut,chocolate covered bacon and ginger ice cream. This breakfast treat was served as ourdessert course at Spice Skool, but not surprisingly, it tastes great at any time. For more information on Spice Skool, read my story and get more info Loews Lake Las Vegas.

Pickled Grilled Vegetables

This pickled grilled vegetables technique was my favorite new discovery on the Kingsford University trip. It's quite a simple, and seemingly obvious trick, yet it never occurred to me. It's times like these when I'm faced with the tragic realization that I'm not as smart and creative as I think I am.

Basically, small pickling cucumbers (which I've always called, "pickles," even if they aren’t pickled yet, just to be confusing), as well as other firm vegetables, are seared briefly over very hot charcoal, before being packed in the sweet and sour pickling liquid.

The Ravenous Couple's Bánh Cam – Starring Mom and Dad

This video recipe for bánh cam (or bánh rán) comes to us from Kim and Hong, the very talented duo who publish The Ravenous Couple. They were at my Foodbuzz Festival panel discussion on video blogging, and as some of you may remember, I promised to share any videos those participants sent my way. 

Kim and Hong posted this as a special Mothers Day tribute, and I think it's a great way to celebrate how these heirloom recipes are handed down from one generation to another. I hope you enjoy watching how to make this popular Vietnamese dessert, and I encourage you to visit their blog to read the full post. Enjoy!

White-Balanced Brie with Ripe Pear and Black Pepper

It only took me like a year to realize there was a way to adjust the white balance on the video settings for my camera. Not bad. I knew about this adjustment for still photos, but until recently never figured it out for video.

I was testing my new found skills on a recent late night snack, and when I was done I realized I had a halfway decent video recipe to post. The color still isn’t great, and I'll continue to practice and adjust, but it's much better than the yellow-orange cast I used to suffer with.

This simple and delicious ripe brie and pear appetizer is inspired by one of my favorite meatless sandwiches. A couple times a year, I like to take a warm piece of crusty French baguette (now that's redundant!), spread it with a little butter, add some soft, very ripe brie cheese, and a few slices of juicy, equally ripe pear.

My Snackpicks' White Bean Dip

This super easy white bean dip is perfect for those occasions when you have a few friends coming over and want to make a tasty snack or appetizer that's not going to take a lot of time, or break the bank.

I also like this recipe because it's not hummus. Don't get me wrong, I love hummus, but you have to admit, it's a little overused. If you took a picture of 100 snack tables at 100 random parties, I bet 75 of them would show a bowl of hummus.

Maple Pork Belly Bean Salad Recipe Video

This video is a creation of kooktocook. You can visit kooktocook for complete recipes, and more videos.

Broccoli & Chicken Quesadilla Recipe Video

Ingredients:

2 ounces of pre-cooked shredded chicken
½ cup of steamed broccoli, chopped up
1/3 cup of part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 whole grain tortilla (I like Ezekiel)
2 tbsp plain, no fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp red pepper sauce

Crispy Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Latkes are a classic part of a traditional Hanukkah meal, but these potato pancakes are a terrific treat any time of year. Even though they’re delicious on their own, enjoy them at their finest by adding a dollop of sour cream and our Fresh Cardamom Spiced Applesauce as accompaniments. Latkes reheat well, too, so if you want to make them ahead of time, you don’t need to worry that you’ll be compromising taste and quality.

Praline Crumb Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Prize-Winning Recipe 2010! Enjoy cheesecake as an easy bar wtih gooey caramel, rich toffee and crunchy nuts.

PREP TIME

25 Min

TOTAL TIME

3 Hr 35 Min

SERVINGS

36

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Base and Topping

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2	cup cold butter or margarine
1/2	cup chopped pecans
1/2	cup toffee bits

Filling

2	packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2	cup sugar
2	tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2	cup caramel topping
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg

Philly Cheese and Ground Beef Casserole

Bring the fabulous flavor of Philly cheese steak sandwiches to a comforting casserole!

PREP TIME

20 Min

TOTAL TIME

1 Hr

SERVINGS

8

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2	lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1	package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1	teaspoon salt
1/2	teaspoon pepper
8	slices (1 oz each) provolone cheese
2	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	large onions, halved and thinly sliced into wedges
2	medium red bell peppers, cut into strips
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle original biscuits

Barcelona Style Pork Tenderloin With Sherry & Peppers

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces pork tenderloins, trimmed of any fat, cut into 1/2 thick rounds
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika, to taste

Crumble cake with berries

Cap off a relaxed lunch with this week's food fight winner - crumble cake with berries! Serve with chilled cinnamon custard for complete indulgence.

Soul Daddy Review - Mall Of America - Winner Of America’s Next Great Restaurant

AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT - ABOUT THE SHOW

If you haven’t seen the show, here is a quick rundown. The producers of the show Top Chef along with the NBC network created a reality show where people from all walks of life vied for the chance to have their restaurant concept come to life. There was a nationwide search and 21 finalists were chosen. Each week judges eliminated contestants based on their performance working on and running their concept restaurants. The judges were: Chipotle Mexican Grill founder Steve Ells, Australian chef Curtis Stone, Food Network celebrity chef Bobby Flay, and Miami restaurateur Lorena Garcia. The judges served as mentors to the contestants throughout the competition. Also, all of the judges personally invested their own money into the winning restaurant concept. The winning concept then went on to become a chain of 3 restaurants, with locations in Hollywood, Minneapolis, and New York City.