December 26th Round-Up!

I hope everyone is having wonderful holidays and maybe beginning to thaw a bit from all the cold and snow that has seemed to blanket so many places. It's the perfect time of year for lots of good, homey cooking and although as expected with the busy holiday week, we have a few less participants for TFF, we have some great comfort foods to share with you. These dishes are perfect for thawing even the coldest day so bring it on Snow Miser, you are no match for Tyler Florence and his band of merry bloggers!


First off is Susy of Everyday Gourmet, with a batch of warming Corn Chowder. Although rainy rather than snowy in her neck of the woods, this soup made the perfect meal. Susy modified Tyler's chowder recipe by adding some crab at the end of cooking and grated some aged white cheddar on the top and served it with Grandma's buns. A definite keeper recipe for her as it passed the husband test and he ate three bowls!

Next, with more yummy seafood is Megan of My Baking Adventures with some garlicky and yummy Shrimp Scampi made with love by her husband David for their Christmas Eve feast. Although Tyler's recipe called for it to be served with linguine, they had Megan's "Big Timballo" to serve with it (we will learn more about that on her site later on). They found it to be a great dish with lots of flavor and worth making again.


Craving the comfort of Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs, was Natashya of Living In the Kitchen With Puppies. This got somewhat mixed reviews from the household as Natatshya and her husband both loved the pasta, her husband and son loved the meatballs but Natashya found them to be a bit big and soft for her liking. OK, pull your minds up people--as tempting as it is to say things about the size of Tyler's meatballs, this is a PG-rated blog and I am not going any further there! Natahsya feels that meat lovers would really enjoy this dish.


Looking for a delicious, quick and easy appetizer for New Years? (a pupu if you are in Hawaii) Pam from Sidewalk Shoes has got you covered with Tyler's Olives with Rosemary and Orange. Pam found these to be super quick, easy and delicious and will be making them again for future parties and just to nosh on. Love those low-effort but big flavor recipes!


This week my need for comfort food took a sweeter path with Tyler's Coconut Bread with Sweet Pineapple Butter. I loved the tropical vibe of this recipe and although I got my bread a bit brown, the flavor and moistness were great. The pineapple butter was delicious on the bread and would be great on scones or muffins too. A keeper recipe for me.


Now that we are winding down for the holidays, we would love to have you join us for Tyler Florence Fridays; where you get to choose the recipes you want to make each week. We have some fun stuff planned. It's easy to participate, just send an email to tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com (Make sure you put TFF in the subject line and that you leave your name and your blog URL so we can get back to you and add you to the blogroll).

Announcements:

We still need an avatar! Think you can come up with a great Tyler Florence Fridays badge for participants to place on their blogsite? Submit your designs to us, the selected avatar will win one of Tyler's new cookbooks, supplied by Tyler's publicist. Don't forget to put TFF and "avatar" in the subject line.

Also coming soon - Megan's Challenge. In addition to the freedom of preparing the Tyler Florence recipe that you choose each week, Megan from My Baking Adventures will be selecting an optional monthly dish as a bonus challenge. More details to come in January.

Dec 19th Round-Up!

I would like to start this round-up with a poem from a very wise bear, in celebration of the winter storm some of us North Americans are experiencing.

(Tiddly Pom)

The more it goes

(Tiddly Pom)

The more it goes

(Tiddly Pom)

On snowing.

~

And nobody knows

(Tiddly Pom)

How cold my toes

(Tiddly Pom)

How cold my toes

(Tiddly Pom)

Are growing.

I think it is a great testament to the love of Tyler's recipes that more than half of our great cooks are participating this close to the holidays! The freedom to choose their own recipes and to post early if we wish makes TFF a stress-free cooking club for all of us.

We have some great recipes this week and a guest baker, Susy's daughter! Without further ado, here are the dishes...

I am going to start off with the cutest pic, Susy's little girl, helping mom make Banana Nut Muffins, sans nuts.

Susy, of Everyday Gourmet, was on a muffin baking spree for her sons' holiday party - what a great mom!

Next we have Pam of Sidewalk Shoes with Sicilian-Style Spaghetti, from Tyler's Ultimate. Pam loved the flavours of this dish - even though she didn't love all the dishes in the sink! When she had the first bite though, all was forgiven.

Andrea from Nummy Kitchen made Fresh Fettuccine Alfredo with her Lello Pasta Maker 3000, a great toy if I ever saw one! Andrea was thrilled that this family friendly dish was a hit with both her and the kids.

Gabi from The Feast Within recreated Tyler's Easy San Marzano Quick Salsa from Dinner at My Place. She was impressed with the ease and flavour of the salsa and won't be resorting to jarred for the winter anymore.

Megan from My Baking Adventures made Tyler's Fish and Chips, complete with tartar sauce! A crowd pleaser to be sure, even dad was in on the fun, snapping photos. I hope he got rewarded with some delicious fish and chips! Megan and family are coping with snow in Nevada, I might still trade with her as we are pretty buried here in Ontario.

Deb from Kahakai Kitchen is living in paradise, with no chance of snow. I have emailed her a picture of my buried house, just to remind her. Deb made Veal Saltimbocca alla Romana from Eat This Book. Doesn't that just sound wonderful? I love the way the sage leaves are pinned on to the veal. Deb was impressed by how quick (under 1/2 hour) and delicious this was, it is going on the repeat list for sure.

Finally we have my own, Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. I made Tyler's Ultimate New York Strip Steak with Brandied Mushrooms and Fresh Thyme. Oh my goodness, this was delicious. The mushrooms were like candy, I could have eaten mine and everyone else's.

A great variety of dishes, this is what keeps the round-ups so exciting!

Some Announcements......

We are pleased to announce that the first random winner of a Tyler Florence cookbook is Andrea from Nummy Kitchen! Deb will be sending her one of Tyler's new books, Dinner at My Place, graciously supplied to us by Tyler's own publicist. Congratulations again Andrea!

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If you would like to join us for Tyler Florence Fridays, it is easy! Just send an email to tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com (Make sure you put TFF in the subject line and that you leave your name and your blog URL so we can get back to you and add you to the blogroll).

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We need an avatar! Think you can come up with a great Tyler Florence Fridays badge for participants to place on their blogsite? Submit your designs to us, the selected avatar will win one of Tyler's new cookbooks, supplied by Tyler's publicist. Don't forget to put TFF and "avatar" in the subject line.
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Also coming soon - Megan's Challenge. In addition to the freedom of preparing the Tyler Florence recipe that you choose each week, Megan from My Baking Adventures will be selecting an optional monthly dish as a bonus challenge. More details to come in January.

December 12th Round-Up!

Less than two weeks until Christmas--yikes!  Luckily we have Tyler Florence to get us through the busy holiday season with some delicious recipes.  Hopefully everyone is finding a little bit of time to enjoy this wonderful time of year.  

So let's see what terrific TFF recipes we have in the round up this week!

We will start with the most important meal of the day--breakfast.  Andrea from Nummy Kitchen has us deliciously covered with her pick of Tyler's Ricotta Pancakes with Roasted Apples.  Made with roasted golden delicious apples, this recipe wasn't a total win for Andrea and her family and won't replace their favorite pancakes but if you are looking for a more souffle-ish, adult friendly pancake, this one might be just right for you.   It certainly looks good! 

Next up and appropriate for breakfast or dinner was Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice with her selection of Yorkshire Popovers.  She made them for breakfast with fried egg on top.  They proved to be a bit doughy and were flatter and deflated faster than the popovers she is used to, so not her favorite recipe pick. (Uh oh Tyler, I am sensing a theme with the breakfast items this week!)  

Moving on to lunch and dinner choices we have Megan from My Baking Adventures with Tyler's Ultimate Beef Stew, which she "let" her husband prepare.  Although Megan is not a stew fan, her husband and kids really enjoyed this one and it made the kitchen smell incredible.  I think it looks and sounds delicious.  I like the idea of adding the horseradish cream and peasant bread to it before serving.

Next we have Natashya from Living In the Kitchen with Puppies who has an incredible looking Wonton of Salmon with Green Curry and Coconut.  For this dish, you make your own wontons and Natashya, Queen of All Things Pasta, turned out some perfect looking ones.  She says it is well worth the time and effort involved.  She also made it just like I would--extra ginger and garlic!

In the appetizers (pupus here in Hawaii) and snacks category, we have Pam from Sidewalk Shoes with a pick of Toasted Almonds in Chile Oil.  Pam wanted an easy pick for a hectic week (great minds think alike!) and because she is not feeling her best from a cold.  She thought the almonds were good but that they could have been a bit spicier and also plans on using the leftover chile-almond oil on fish which sounds delicious. 

And finally, I needed something easy and low effort this week but wanted something delicious and Tyler's Sauteed Feta Cheese with Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce seemed like it would meet both needs.  The feta is dredged in flour and fried and topped with the slightly sweet, slightly savory sauce.  I liked the combo but especially loved the sauce which I would eat on fish or veggies.  A good appetizer (or you could just eat it for dinner like I did!)

A slightly smaller round up than last weeks but lots of interesting picks and recipes to try.  

If you would like to join us for Tyler Florence Fridays, it is easy! Just send an email to tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com  (Make sure you put TFF in the subject line and that you leave your name and your blog URL so we can get back to you and add you to the blogroll).

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Also coming soon - Megan's Challenge. In addition to the freedom of preparing the Tyler Florence recipe that you choose each week, Megan from My Baking Adventures will be selecting an optional monthly dish as a bonus challenge. More details to come in January.

December 5th Round-Up!

Can you believe it is December already? It starts getting dark here in Ontario by 4:30pm now and nobody wants to go outside. What can we do to add a little sunshine to these dreary days? Some wonderful food from a good looking chef ought to do it!

Tyler Florence Fridays is proud to welcome two new participants - Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice and Nancy from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. We are so happy to be cooking with these fine bloggers, you can find them on the blogroll on the side and through their TFF entry for this week.

Speaking of this week's entries... let's get that ball rolling, shall we?

First we have Gabi from The Feast Within with Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cheese Tortellini. Have you ever heard such wonderful words? A perfect vegetarian fall/winter dish that will satisfy even the carnivores at the table.

Next we have Andrea from Nummy Kitchen with Tyler's Szechwan Eggplant Stir-Fry. Andrea is building on her Asian theme from the sesame noodles she made two weeks ago. I bet they'd be awesome together!


Next we have our lady who lives in paradise, Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, who made Chickpeas Marinated in Olive Oil, Whole Cumin and Chile. Tyler's riff on Spanish pub fare. Elegant and simple, what more could you ask for?

Gloria from Cookbook Cuisine made a Mediterranean Chicken Pasta that she was quite pleased with. Gloria added her own touches to the recipe and will definitely enjoy it again.


Pam from Sidewalk Shoes made Hunter's Minestrone that she found warm and comforting. Pam was also smart enough to figure out how to get around using so many pots for her soup! A girl after my own heart, I always look to economize on the dish doing as well.


Megan from My Baking Adventures made Tyler's Texas Chili - on fries! This was a big hit with Megan's family and one that I am eager to try soon.

Nancy from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs made Oven Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter that was a hit for Thanksgiving dinner. In Nancy's own words "I must say that this turkey stole the show, and relegated all of the side dishes to, well, the side. In fact, all three of us agreed that the turkey was the single best thing on the Thanksgiving menu". I am definitely trying this at Christmas.



Susy from Everyday Gourmet made Tyler's Ultimate Chicken Salad Sandwich. At present it is still in the salad stage as she is waiting for one hungry hubby to come home for this awesome meal.

Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice baked up this superlative Dulche de Leche Cheesecake. Um, I think I am in love. Run, don't walk, to Reeni's site to feast your eyes on this creation.

And lastly we have my own Tyler re-creation, Tyler's Ligurian Lasagna. A tasty free-form lasagna with fresh pasta and a pesto ricotta filling. Oh yes, it was good, very good.

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If you have been thinking of joining us for Tyler Florence Fridays, it is easy! Just send an email to tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com. (Make sure you put TFF in the subject line and that you leave your name and your blog URL so we can get back to you and add you to the blogroll).

~

Coming soon - Megan's Challenge. In addition to the freedom of preparing the Tyler Florence recipe that you choose each week, Megan from My Baking Adventures will be selecting an optional monthly dish as a bonus challenge. More details to come in January.

November 28th Round-up!

To be honest we were not sure how many TFF members would post today as it is the day after Thanksgiving in the states. We thought everyone might have been too busy stuffing their turkeys and making their plans for early morning "Black Friday" shopping trips to choose their Tyler recipes and get it posted. But the siren call of our man Tyler proved to be a formidable match for the hustle bustle of the holidays and I am happy to report we have several great recipes to round up today.

First up is Andrea from Nummy Kitchen who took a gamble and switched out a traditional family favorite recipe for sweet potato casserole with Tyler's Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey Butter. She found it to be a delicious and lighter option, especially since the recipe belied it's "Honey Butter" title and there was actually no butter in it. Big points for trying something new on Thanksgiving Day Andrea!

Next up with another great side dish is Natashya from Living In the Kitchen With Puppies who whipped up Tyler Florence's Wife's Mom's Potato Salad. With a house full of rich foods, breads, desserts and odds and ends in her fridge, Natashya was looking for a simple side salad for dinner or lunches. I think she hit it out of the park with this recipe but I am a sucker for anything with dill pickles and my beloved capers--Yum!

Megan from My Baking Adventures picked an incredible looking Spaghetti Carbonara to add to her culinary repertoire. I love this creamy, decadent pasta dish but have never tried making it at home and this recipe just inspired me. Megan says it tastes much richer than it actually is and she also added some peppery arugula to balance out the flavors which is a brilliant addition.

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes bravely selected Pan-Fried Tofu with Spinach, Pear and Star Anise. I say bravely because she doesn't really like tofu but was looking for a recipe that could get her there and was also light enough to counter-act all the holiday indulgences. With such a spectacular combo of flavors, I can see why she chose this one. I'll let you check out her post to see if she is now converted to a tofu lover!

For my pick, I was in the mood for some decadent hot chocolate to combat the rainy, windy weather last week and I found Tyler's recipe for The Ultimate Hot Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows. Since homemade marshmallows were on the list of things I wanted to attempt, this seemed like the perfect recipe. The cocoa was easy and delicious, the marshmallows took me two attempts but I got em! This is a great, indulgent recipe.

Another great collection of Tyler recipes and successes this week! I think Tyler would be proud of all of us. Let's hope he pops by soon and takes a look. (Hint, Hint Tyler!)

If you have been thinking of joining us for Tyler Florence Fridays it is easy! Just send an email to tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com. (Make sure you put TFF in the subject line and that you leave your name and your blog URL so we can get back to you and add you to the blogroll).

November 21st Round-Up!

Welcome to the second round-up of Tyler Florence Fridays!

Let me start by welcoming our two newest participants - Gabi from The Feast Within and Susy from Everyday Gourmet. This brings us up to eight in just a over week, it is so great to have some awesome new cooking friends!

We had a wonderful assortment of dishes prepared this week for Tyler Florence Fridays, let's kick it off with a little breakie, shall we?

Andrea from Nummy Kitchen made these Ricotta and Orange Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce for her mother and children. All I can say is - what a lucky family! They look absolutely divine and I am also envying her electric crepe maker. I might have to put that on my Christmas list!

Megan from My Baking Adventures made Pork Tenderloin in Chimichurri Sauce and was thrilled with the results. A dish that is easy to prepare, pleases the whole family, and makes for great leftovers? What could be better than that?

Next we have one of our new members, Pam from Sidewalk Shoes, who made Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken with Smashed Broccoli and Garlic. Well, the name just says it all, doesn't it? Pam was pleased that she could plan the minimal prep around her schedule and prepare this dinner easily on a weeknight. The results? Pam was very pleased with the flavour and happy to have discovered a whole new way to enjoy broccoli.

From Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, we have a trifecta of flavour: Grilled Tuna with White Bean Puree, Olive Tapenade and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Deb says that this is a great dish to share with a friend, and I would have to agree! The platter looks wonderful, the friend must have been thrilled. As with Pam's dish, the components can be prepared ahead of time, making entertaining easier in the moment.

Lastly we have my own submission, Parker House Rolls. I am a bread loving girl at heart and had always wanted to try these rolls. I was so very pleased with how light and buttery they were. These will definitely be my go-to rolls for the holidays.

What a great round-up of flavours, everyone did such a great job re-creating Tyler's recipes at home.

We have had a few hints that Mr. Florence himself will be checking out the round-ups from time to time too! Stay tuned for upcoming cookbook give-aways for random TFF participants - supplied by you-know-who!

Want to join us in cooking from the recipes of Food Network's Hottest Chef? Drop us a line at tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com. Please put TFF in the subject line.

And Then There Were Six!

We started off with three friends, Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, Megan from My Baking Adventures, and Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Soon we were joined by Gloria from Cookbook Cuisine and Andrea from Nummy Kitchen. Our first round-up was fun and fabulous, can't wait for week two!
Let's welcome our newest member - Pam from Sidewalk Shoes! Welcome Pam, we look forward to cooking with you.
All of these fabulous members can be found on the TFF blogroll on the side bar.
Want to join in on the fun? Just drop us a line at tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com. Please put TFF in the subject line. We will send you all the info, and look forward to your participation.
Cheers!

TFF Debut - The Round-Up!

Welcome to the inaugural round-up of Tyler Florence Fridays. This marks the first exciting week of Tyler's recipes, as tried, tested and tasted by us! We are happy to report that we have had a fun week of finding recipes and playing with them at home. As with the weeks to come, we all got to choose which TF recipe we would like to cook. Without further ado, here are the results:

Megan, of My Baking Adventures made a beautiful Chicken Cacciatore that she found on the Food Network website. She was intrigued by the novel ingredients and method, and happy to try an old favourite in a new style. The results? A very happy family and an invitation to dinner for Tyler by the children. Well, he is a family man!

Next we have Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, who made a Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pancetta and Cranberries from one of Tyler's new books, Stirring the Pot. Deb went outside of her comfort zone with this vegetable but was lured in with the pancetta. Deb's results? Converted! She would definitely make this again. Deb decided they needed no accompaniment and had the salad as a light dinner. Max the cat refrained.

Another Brussels sprouts recipe was chosen by Gloria of Cookbook Cuisine. Unfortunately Gloria didn't care for the Bacon Braised Brussels Spouts and Crunchy Roasted Rosemary Potatoes that she found on the Food Network website. We all applaud the fact that she chose to do two recipes, and hope that next week Gloria finds something she loves.

Next we have Andrea from Nummy Kitchen who made (not so) Cold Sesame Noodles, a dish she found on the Food Network Website. Andrea is a noodle lover, like me, and couldn't resist adding these adorable children's chopsticks for the photo. She enjoyed the noodles and is already thinking of new variations for them!

Lastly we have my own submission. On my site, Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I posted the results of a recipe from one of Tyler's new cookbooks, Dinner at My Place. I made Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes, and Peas and it was a big hit with the family. We have had early darkness, rain and high winds lately and this hearty, delicious dish was perfect for them to come home to.

Want to join us for Tyler Florence Fridays? We would be thrilled to have you. Just drop us a line at tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com for details. Please put TFF in the subject line. See you next Friday!

Get Ready to Cook With Tyler!

Start picking out a recipe - Tyler Florence Fridays starts this Friday.
That's right, you choose what Tyler Florence recipe you want to cook. Freedom, baby!
Want to join us? Drop us a line at tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com be sure to put TFF in the subject line.
The TFF round-up will be here on Friday evening. See you there!

Search for an Avatar!

Ok, now that we have a group, the next logical step is to create an avatar. Any creative folk out there? Please submit your Tyler Florence Fridays avatar ideas to tylerflorencefridays AT hotmail DOT com. Make sure you use the word avatar in the subject line.
We look forward to your submissions, thanks!

TFF

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