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).

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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.