So after only 3 episodes NBC’s The Chopping Block is getting the axe. For any poor soul who actually sat through a full 45 minute episode of this complete tragedy of a TV show, this comes as no surprise. Because I love TV shows that involve food (or anything that involves food, really), I actually watched all three in the hopes that perhaps this would improve over time and hit its stride. But no, it just continued to be pretty much some of the worst reality TV I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot.
So how exactly did a reality cooking show fail? First of all, there was the set-up. Pairs of 2 friends or family members formed two larger teams that each had a restaurant. Across the street from one another, these restaurants would compete every week in a challenge, be judged by a secret critic who would dine at each, and then one of the pairs on the losing team would get the axe by Marco Pierre White. Not only could I have cooked anything better than a lot of the “chefs” on the show, but no one was even interesting to watch. Usually a few people emerge in a reality TV show who just add entertainment value. But no Stephen or Marcel (both of Top Chef fame) existed; the contestants were untalented and uninteresting. Furthermore, most of them were complete wimps. They would complain that cooking with fresh produce picked out of Central Park was too hard, and a lame excuse for a “harsh judging” would have people leaving in tears. I honestly wanted to smack them.
But the worst part of this show was the host, Marco Pierre White. Hailed as a world-renowned chef who once made Gordon Ramsay cry, I was expecting him to be mean, loud and massively entertaining. Instead he was conceited and annoying, and by the end of each episode I wanted to take an axe to the screen just to make him go away. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Meghan Brett 
When it comes to spending money I’ve never been one to turn down an incredible dinner at one of my favorite restaurants because it’s too expensive. I’d rather splurge on a perfectly cooked steak or a delicious new dish than on a dress or electronics. But as I get ready to leave college and face the grim prospect of finding a job in the seriously railroaded architecture industry, I am faced an unavoidable fact: I will very soon be flat broke. Needless to say this has completely demolished my tendency toward fine dining.
I am swamped with work at the moment and stress-eating like mad, so when I was craving something spicy today I threw together one of my favorite recipes: spicy guilt-free popcorn. I air-popped the kernels in the microwave, threw some spicy goodness on top and indulged without feeling a single trace of remorse because these babies are packed with flavor and not with calories! I highly encourage messing around with the spices; this is just one that I happened to throw together today. I really like to use 
For anyone who’s ever had Jacques Torres super-thick, super-incredible Hot Chocolate or his highly addictive chocolate chip cookies, something may be on the books for you: Jacques Torres ice cream! The ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5d484a79-7f12-4446-a0da-0359543cb768)
In honor of National Poultry Day, I am reviewing a way to use one of my easiest, tastiest, fastest ways to cook America’s staple meat: chicken. Some time ago I impulsively found Soy Vay’s Marinades and Sauces at the grocery store. Initially I just like the design of the bottles: little boats and fun looking writing on a larger-than-usual bottle. I was further intrigued when I discovered that not only are all the sauces completely organic and preservative-free, but they’re also completely kosher because, in their cute little story, “Jewish Boy Meets Chinese Girl and SOY VAY! A Sauce is Born!”. Nutritionally, they’re relatively low-calorie, although the sodium content is very high (although expected in soy-based sauces). My personal favorite in the line is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki. In fact, this stuff is so good it’s not only the only teriyaki marinade I use now, it’s also the only teriyaki sauce that Trader Joe’s even sells.
