May 15th Round-Up!

Happy May 2-4 weekend! Not the twenty-fourth you say? Doesn't matter, the 2-4 weekend is celebrated on the weekend of the last Monday on or before the 24th of May. Officially called Victoria Day, it is in celebration of Queen Victoria as well as the reigning monarch's birthday, regardless of when their birthday actually is.
The long weekend is punctuated with fireworks and generally signals the end of overnight frost and the safe planting date for tender annuals.
The 2-4 is a double entendre, also signifying the case of 24 beers that many will be toting to the cottage, bbq, or back deck for immediate consumption. Yes, we have named this holiday after beer, Canadians are cool like that.

Before we get to the delicious round-up, we have...
A Message from Megan to our awesome Tyler Florence Fridays participants:

* Tyler on Facebook *
"Did you know Tyler is on Facebook? Well, neither did I - but I became a fan, and YOU can too! Here’s the link to his site .
Now before you go, here’s a little question for you to ponder this weekend:
If you could ask Tyler a question, any question at all, what would you ask him? Seriously - I want to know. Send them to me at tylerflorencefridays@hotmail.com (Don't forget to add the TFF to the subject line of all emails, to avoid spam. Emails without the TFF in the subject line won't be opened)
You never know, you just might get the answer - from Tyler, that is, not me."
Megan.

Don't forget to write in with your questions... we with-hold the right to edit for content.. I'm talking to you Donna! Now, Let's eat!

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made a Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini for Tyler Florence Fridays. Deb already loves this tried and true dish and was happy to play around with the cheese a little bit. Dotted with chevre and fresh herbs and chilled before serving, this make a wonderful hot-weather appetizer. Or whole meal even, just give me a baguette and a bottle of Pinot Grigio with this dish and I'm all set!
Deb does advise using a mandolin to get the super thin slices, so if you were on the fence about getting one - consider this your push!

Arlene of The Food of Love submitted The Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara this week. She declared it a success and was thrilled that Tyler didn't let her down. She does recommend eating it all in one sitting though.. can do! Arlene has her wine in the shots, a gal after my own heart.

Andrea of Nummy Kitchen made these delicious looking Chocolate Banana Empanadas with the kids. She found them easy to put together and a fun family project. Andrea couldn't convince her husband to try one though, oh well, all the more for her and the kids!

Amanda of Oddball Oven Mitt made Tyler's Chicken Fried Steak from the Food Network website and unfortunately had no luck with it. The meal was tossed, hot dogs were eaten, we are hoping next week will redeem poor Tyler. Tyler, if you need a hug after this review, I am sure that there will be plenty of volunteers!

Glennis of Can'tbelieveweate made Tyler's Potato Latkes and just loved them. She served them with grilled steak smothered in mushrooms and I think I am in love. They were a definite success and were great with brunch the next day as well. She imagines that they would freeze well.. if only she could stop eating them first!

Heather of Girlichef made Tyler's Dad's Chili Cheese Dogs and was so excited to eat them that she almost forgot to take a picture! She adapted the recipe a little bit and declares it a real winner. What we want to know, Heather, is - did you eat the chili cheese dogs at the same time as the tuna salad? Just wondering. :)

Jenny from All Things Edible made Tyler's Steamed Asparagus in a Paper Bag. She loved the concept of it and found it pretty tasty, but thought there was a little too much oil for her taste. The kids did enjoy watching mom cook in a paper bag though!

Karen of Something Sweet by Karen made this delicious Peach Couscous when she discovered that dried peaches were on sale at her local market. She was happy that it came together so easily and had really interesting flavour combinations. She chose a milder version, but links to an amped up version of the dish online.

Kim of Stirring the Pot made a Chicken Spiedini served with Caesar salad and couscous. The dinner was marred only by the death of her indoor grill, one of those moments that wine was invented for. Hopefully Kim gets a nice, shiny new grill this summer - Father's day perhaps? And can grill in peace again.

Megan of My Baking Adventures made Tyler's Mexican Pot Roast Tacos for her family in her brand new 7 quart slow cooker. She loved how easy the pot roast was to make and how flavourful it turned out. Not to mention being able to christen her new machine, nice! Megan deems the dish fabulous and, if you don't like cilantro - just don't look!

Michelle of Big Black Dog made Tyler's Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder and found it absolutely delicious. She includes a definition of the brining process and a recipe for her very own Strawberry BBQ Sauce, delicious!

Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs made Tyler's Roasted Broccoli with Chile, Parmesan and Lemon and found it a delicious way to eat broccoli. She loved the sweetness that roasting the vegetable brought out and found it only needed a little lemon juice to accent it. Wonderful! I would eat them with my fingers.. just saying.

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina made Tyler's Ratatouille with Feta and Black Olives which looks delicious. She saw the dish on a previous round-up and just had to make it. Natalia used black olives instead of the traditional green and the family just can't stop munching on that delicious topping!

Over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Green Curry Chicken from Real Kitchen and thought it was out of this world. We each had two servings and ate the rest for lunch. This definitely goes down as one of hubby's favourite dishes, his only regret is that I don't repeat what I make very often!

Pam of Sidewalk Shoes made these colourful Quick Pickled Radishes, in a kick-off of canning season. Pam is looking forward to the end of the school year and all the summer produce, sounds great! I am hoping to learn a few things about canning from Pam this year, as I am a canning newbie.

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Announcements!

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We're all a-twitter!

We have learned that we have more that a few Twits in TFF (heeheehee), and we would like to offer a side list of twitter addresses. Look for the new #TFFridays, and send in your Twitter address for our new TFF Twitter list.

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Tyler on Rachel Ray

Kim of Stirring the Pot has let us know that Tyler will be on the Rachel Ray show on Monday. He will be the judge on the finale of Hey Can you Cook. Tune in!

If you have anything to report on the show, let us know and we'll add it to next week's post.

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From the Press Release for Tyler's participation in MyCokeRewards.com:

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Chef Tyler Florence is known for the simple – yet brilliant – food he creates on the Food Network and in his best-selling cookbooks. Now, just in time for summer grilling season, he’s bringing the best of his mouthwatering summer recipes to www.MyCokeRewards.com/summer. Chef Florence also is joining Coca-Cola to ignite the summer BBQ season Memorial Day weekend in a BIG way by firing up the nation's largest grill at the site of NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll oversee a team of 100 chefs cooking free lunch for racegoers on a specially built, 1,320-foot oval shaped grill.

Chef Florence’s free recipes include: Grilled Skirt Steak topped with Salsa Verde -- a lightly seasoned skirt steak, seared to perfection and finished off with a savory salsa that adds depth to the meat’s natural flavor
Grilled Potato Salad – textures from the crispy grilled potatoes and celery meld with creamy dressing highlighted by fresh herbs and grainy mustard.
Also included on MyCokeRewards are summer party planning tips, shopping lists, suggestions for fun backyard games and much more.

Whether you're hosting a summer gathering on the beach or just grilling out in the backyard, this summer’s hottest party accessory will fit in the palm of your hand. For the first time ever, summer's iconic refreshment - Coca-Cola - will feature five different designs synonymous with summertime, including BBQ grills, sunglasses, stars & stripes, surfboards and beach balls. Not only will the stylish cans look cool, they promise to quench your thirst on a hot day - allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy summer. The first can in the series will hit store shelves nationwide in time for Memorial Day, with additional designs arriving in-store every few weeks through Labor Day. Available in single cans and multi-packs, the limited-edition collector series will be supported through point-of-sale displays and merchandising in supermarkets and convenience stores across the U.S.

To directly view Chef Florence’s recipes on MyCokeRewards.com/summer, visit http://www.mycokerewards.com/en_US/experience/pillar/8/Summer_Recipes_en_US.pdf