June 26th Round-Up!

What a crazy week it has been, actually a crazy couple of weeks...OK, let's face it, we just live in a crazy world right now with so much going on everywhere. 

Peace be with those the world has lost and peace be with the world.

What keeps me (mostly) sane in times like these is the time spent with family and good friends and that so often that ends up being set over wonderful food. I had a chance to hang out with some old friends last night and to enjoy some incredible tapas, made by my friend Natalie. It was relaxing to sit on her deck with Spanish music playing softly and fill our bellies and souls with delicious food and good conversation; a break from the real world. That's also why I like Tyler Florence Fridays, as I love getting virtually together and sharing our food and thoughts with each other. It is something to look forward to at the end of each week. Since there are a lot of amazing dishes, photos and posts for this week, let's get to sharing. 

Kim from Stirring the Pot found a new favorite Tyler recipe to add to her list, his Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese.  Kim says, "This recipe gets the five-star rating from me. It will be added to my dinner rotation AND I will recommend it to everyone!! My husband, who is never quick to dole out compliments, declared this recipe one of the top ten best things that I have ever cooked!!"

With dinner and dessert this week is Beth from The Seventh Level Boredom who made Tyler's Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes and Peas. Beth comments, "What a great, EASY weeknight dinner this one was!" And her husband cleared his plate! 

As if that wasn't enough, hot weather and a need to celebrating finishing the deck on their house had her making Tyler's refreshing Baked Lime Pudding Cakes. Improvising a bit by using the red grapefruit she had on hand, Beth says, "These would be the perfect finish to a barbecue....a refreshing little bite, in individual portions."

Heather from Heatherisathome liked her TFF experience so much last week she came back and says, "For my second submission to TFF, I made Tyler's Chicken with Mushrooms & Marsala from Stirring the Pot. I thought this was a good dish, but was missing some color (not really a complaint though). Again, another great weeknight meal... I followed the recipe pretty much to a "t"."

Finding a way to get some nutritious Brussels sprouts into her family is Megan from My Baking Adventures with Tyler's Bacon and Brussels Sprout Hash. Megan declares, "All I can tell you is that if you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, try this recipe, and get back to me. You’ll never feel the same way about those little cabbages again." She says this has even become her kids favorite side dish!

Speaking of Megan's kids, let's welcome her daughter Sabrina from Sabrina's Sweet Treats to TFF! Sabrina loved her Mom's second recipe for TFF so much, she decided to make Tyler's Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri Sauce. Sabrina had a good time making this, (you can see all the great prep shots on her blog), and says. "I want to try his Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon next." (BTW: Sabrina, if you want to make that mac-n-cheese in Hawaii, you are welcome to cook in my kitchen any time!)

Let's also welcome Debby from A Feast for the Eyes who is joining us this week. Debby made a hearty Tyler dinner with his Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard and his Caramelized Onion Potato Tart. Debby says, "We loved it! This meal has so many flavors going on-- the texture of the panko crumbs, the creaminess of the Swiss chard and the tender cut of rib eye."

Although she isn't blaming Tyler for the death of her barbecue grill when she set it on fire last month, Jenny from All Things Edible is finally revealing what she was cooking on it; Tyler's Ultimate BBQ Chicken! Jenny says, "Was the chicken worth killing my bbq over? Sorry, no. NOTHING would taste so good it would be worth the death of my summer kitchen. And despite that tragedy, this was still some very tasty chicken."

Jessica from My Baking Heart is overcoming her normal dislike of the heat of summer by chowing down on plenty of the season's bounty of berries. With her berry leftovers, Tyler's Lemon Pudding Cake with Fresh Mixed Berries was an obvious choice to make for TFF this week. Jessica says, "They were delicious! This is a perfect little dessert to serve at a dinner party. Just double the recipe and you’ve got enough for 8!"

Since the berries at her local orchard are so beautiful right now, Karen at Something Sweet By Karen, just had to make Tyler's Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup. Karen comments, "I really loved this panna cotta. It was smooth, creamy, and a little tangy. The vanilla was very present and the touch of lemon was nice. The balsamic strawberries were the perfect topping."

To delay the inevitable advancement on her house by her renegade, "bully" mint plants, Natashya at Living in the Kitchen With Puppies, tries to use it often. What better way to utilize fresh mint than in Tyler's cool, refreshing Cuban Mojitos?! Natashya says, "These cocktails are cool and sweet and pack a nice punch. Two or three and your troubles will just melt away. Take the afternoon off, the phone off the hook, and share a toast to summer."

Finding the recipe for Tyler Florence's Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples in Real Simple magazine, Kristen at Sogkonnite Living kept trying to make it but her kids kept eating the croissants. Finally, for Father's Day she got it made. Kristen says it was "very good. Super sweet though. A half of this plus something like hash browns to balance out the sweetness would probably be a good idea."

After seeing blood oranges at her grocery store, Pam of Sidewalk Shoes found Tyler's recipe for Citrus-Glazed Quail with Roasted Peaches, Polenta, and Bitter Greens. Unfortunately when she went back to get them there were none to be found. Even missing the blood oranges and the bitter greens, Pam says it was still "wonderful", and comments, "The combination of the citrus flavored quail, the sweet grilled peaches and the rich cheesy polenta was outstanding."

Showing her love for her Dad on Father's Day, Joanne from Eats Well with Others, whipped him up a great dinner which included Tyler's Cornbread. Since her Dad isn't into spicy things, Joanne made this recipe which includes bacon. She says that it "turned out really well. My dad ate 1/4 of the loaf! I will definitely make it again WITH the chiles for myself."

Made as a side dish with last week's prime rib dinner, Glennis from Can'tbelieveweate is back this week with Tyler's recipe for Yorkshire Popovers. Glennis says that they "came out fabulously! We had them with the prime rib initially, but they were good enough to eat out of hand by themselves! The next day we used them as a cup for steak and and a poached egg...what a great brunch! Thanks Tyler!! This is a keeper!!"

Finally at Kahakai Kitchen, if you can't actually eat dinner with Tyler, you can at least have a great dinner with all Tyler recipes. I made his Grilled Chicken Breast with Ginger, Soy Cold Sesame Noodles and Sweet Chili Cucumbers for one easy and delicious summer dinner. I really liked all three dishes on their own and combined, you get a great combination of Asian flavors. 

Great job as usual everyone--a diverse collection of Tyler's recipes this week. 

There are still a few days left to make our "Megan's Challenge" recipe for this month, Tyler's Summer Rolls. They have gotten rave reviews, and you can find the details on them here. 

You don't know how hard all of you are making selecting just one post and blog to be featured on Tyler's site each week! We are so proud of all you and your cooking skills and passion. Please keep it up--we love a challenge! ;-)

This Week's Tyler's Blog Pick Winner 

The dish and post selected to be profiled on Tyler's site is the gorgeous and perfect for summer, Cuban Mojitos from our own Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Using fresh mint from her garden and the lovely outdoor photos with all that calming green, make this one a winner. 

Congratulations Natashya, the post should be on Tyler's Blog on Monday and we'll do a separate announcement when the post is up on Tyler's site. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Congratulations Pam!

As you know, this week's dish selected to be profiled on Tyler Florence's own blog is the California Cobb with Poached Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing by the talented Pam of Sidewalk Shoes. 

Tyler and his peeps have the post up now so you can see Pam's gorgeous salad on Tyler's blog, here and of course you can go here to see Pam's original post on her own blog. If you haven't already, take a minute to stop by and congratulate Pam! 

We are so proud of all of you and your wonderful recreations of Tyler's recipes, keep up the awesome work and keep making it so difficult to select a winner! ;-)

June 19th Round-Up!

Ah summer... 

Hopefully you are able to get outside and enjoy some beautiful flowers and plants,

Find a place to cool off,

Or a pretty spot to sun yourself in.

Thought I would share a few pictures from a recent trip and short hike at Waimea Falls Park on the North Shore. Hope you are enjoying a bit of summer wherever you are.

We have a pretty full house for Tyler Florence Fridays this week so let's get started.

Since the pros are testing their holiday recipes about this time, Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs sees nothing wrong in having "Thanksgiving in June". With some leftover Tyler cooked turkey in the freezer and collards, kale and root vegetables still making an appearance in her CSA box, Nancy decided it was the perfect time to try Tyler's Savory Mashed Root Vegetables saying, "I loved the way the savory herbs, the garlic, and seasoning transformed these simple roots into a delicious dish."

Glennis from Can'tbelieveweate and her husband were to busy to go out and celebrate their Anniversary (#27!) so she was looking for a special meal to make at home and turned to Tyler and his Horseradish and Garlic Prime Rib. They both liked the "crunch and nip of the horseradish and garlic" and Glennis says, "What a great recipe! It was easy to follow, easy to reduce, and it made a wonderful anniversary dinner!"

Although her husband thought it was  "crazy" to have hot soup in the really hot weather they have been having, he quickly changed his mind when Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina served him a bowl of Tyler's Hot and Sour Soup. She says "as soon as he tasted it his doubts disappeared" and he and their friends even fought over the remains of the pot of this delicious soup!

Beth from the Seventh Level of Boredom is happy with the way Tyler Florence Fridays gets her to try new recipes and get out of her cooking rut. A passion for lobster and then seeing Tyler's Garlic and Herb Roasted Lobster recipe in Stirring the Pot and on his site, she decided to cook some for the first time. Driving an hour to get "Friedrich" the lobster, she worked through any qualms, then cooked and served him with some prime rib. Beth says she would definitely do it again--"Why? Because it was SO. DAMNED. GOOD."

We have four new faces at Tyler Florence Fridays this week! Please join us in giving them a warm welcome!

I am happy to introduce Thomas, (our first male participant-yay!) from The GFCF Experience: Adventures in Gluten-Free/Casein Free Living. Thomas adapted Tyler's popular Amaretto Chocolate Brownies, to make them GFCF. The brownies were the pick for Tyler's "Twiterlicious" cooking class last week and Thomas knew he wanted to add them to his GFCF recipe list. He says it was easy to adapt them and the finished result? Thomas says, "all I can say is two words - chocolate heaven."

Welcome Jessica of My Baking Heart who wanted a simple recipe she could take to work for their Friday morning snack selection, so she chose Tyler's Parmesan Honey Crisps as her first TFF recipe. Jessica says that replacing the walnuts with the pecans she had on hand made these crispy treats "Southern" and "What a sub it was, too… these were really yummy and it literally took 5 minutes to put together! Always a plus in my book!"

Heather from Heatherisathome has been following TFF for a couple of months and we are happy she is joining us this week with Tyler's Shrimp Scampi with Linguine as her first pick. Heather made a couple adaptations to the recipe, using dried basil on hand to garnish and reducing the amount of pasta to get a higher shrimp/pasta ratio. She says "I thought this was very, very good. I really liked that it was an easy weeknight meal. Can't wait to try another one of his recipes."  

We also have Tammy from Sassafras Cafe this week with a bright and beautiful version of Tyler's Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries. In this dish she says "lemon curd and fresh berries are paired with lemon cake to create a refreshing and delightful summer dessert." Tammy also notes that, "Fresh berries were the trifle's crowning glory. The simplest component of the trifle, the trio of sweet berries played beautifully against the tartness of lemon and created a dessert worthy of note." Welcome Tammy!

Looking for an easy recipe that could fit into her healthy eating plan, Amanda from Oddball Oven Mitt found that with some whole wheat pasta, Tyler's Cold Sesame Noodles would work just fine. Although she tends to be more of a warm noodle fan and may try it that way next time, Amanda's husband seemed to really like the noodles. She says along with some chicken and veggies, "it would make a great dinner."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes loved Tyler's California Cobb Salad with Poached Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing, but she ADORED the dressing. Pam is wondering, "How can something so creamy and so full of herby goodness have not crossed my plate before?" After her dressing raves, Pam also says, "Back to the salad. It was wonderful. The poached shrimp were fabulous. This is how I am going to cook them for any recipe that calls for poached shrimp. Everything wonderful, as usual. Would you expect anything less from Tyler??"

Arlene at The Food of Love has served up a Tyler Florence "Double Header" this week with both his Saltimbocca alla Romana and Crispy Creamy Potato Cake.

Both recipes are available at the Food Network TV site, but Arlene has done some editing and simplifying (Tyler, take note, she'll work cheap) to tempt even the most novice of cooks to try these flavorful dishes with their contrasting textures and sophisticated look.

Missing the great Mexican food she ate while living in Southern California, Megan at My Baking Adventures is constantly on the look-out for good Mexican recipes to try. This week, pressed for time, she adapted her standby Tyler's Chicken Enchiladas into a quick and tasty Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Did it work as a casserole and was it good? Well, Megan says this..."Leftovers? Yeah, right." So you be the judge!

Making the most of the wonderful bounty at the farmer's market lately, Kim from Stirring the Pot, found all the fresh vegetables and the whole wheat baguette she need to make Tyler's Garden Puree Bruschetta. Kim says, "I have been eyeing this recipe for bruschetta ever since I first received this cookbook. I was awed by the color of the puree and knew instantly that I would love this recipe. It was fresh and delicious."

Taking advantage of a cooler day, Michelle from Big Black Dog read the recipe for Tyler's Chicken Parmigiana and knew it would hit the spot. She says, "Even though the recipe seems quite long and involved it was very simple." Michelle also notes, "Tyler's Chicken Parmigiana was a delicious dish. Mr. Tastebuds loved it and said to make sure that I made it again! This is the best compliment I've heard yet!"

Megan picked a great dish for her optional challenge this month and four of us selected it as our choice this week!

Jenny of All Things Edible found Tyler's Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce to be "a beautifully cool and healthy Asian wrap with a sweet chili sauce." Although she normally adds shrimp to her summer rolls, she stuck with the veggies as Tyler does in his recipe. Jenny also liked the dipping sauce saying "The sauce was nice and spicy, but not too spicy, and matched well with the mildness of the wraps. Plus it was a pretty color, which you'll have to take my word for as I did not take a picture of the sauce. I was too busy eating."

Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies finds Summer Rolls to be "the perfect summertime dinner. They are relatively easy to make, don't require that you turn on your oven or even your stove-top, and they are infinitely adaptable to what you have on hand." For her version of Tyler's Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, Natashya used Napa cabbage, red pepper, cucumber and green onion. Also, she used salted peanuts instead of using unsalted peanuts and adding salt.

Because words like "Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce" really appeal to her, Karen at Something Sweet by Karen was happy to take the challenge this month. She stuck to Tyler's recipe for her version of his Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. She notes, "These were the perfect summer dinner. The rolls are full of flavor from the vegetables and fresh herbs. The cellophane noodles are soft while the peanuts give some crunch. The sweet chili sauce gives a nice twist." 

I also made Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce over at Kahakai Kitchen as my TFF pick this week. I added shrimp and changed up the veggies to what I had on hand and loved how tasty they were--adding the sesame oil and lime juice to the filling gave it a big boost of delicious flavor. 

Finding fresh lychee, seedless cucumber and ginger at the market I also tried Tyler's Cucumber Lychee Sake, a delicious and exotic cocktail. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors in this one and it paired nicely with the rolls for an "Asian Fusion" dinner.

If you haven't done the optional "Megan's Challenge" this month, this pick is getting rave reviews and is perfect for the warmer weather. There is still plenty of time to make these rolls before the end of the month--you can get all the details here. We'll be doing a quick round-up of them at the beginning of next month.

Thanks to everyone who joined us this week and welcome to all of our new participants! Another week of great dishes, which means you all are making it VERY hard for us to pick just one dish to send over to Tyler's site for the week. I know you have all been waiting for this, so without further ado...

This Week's Tyler's Blog Pick Winner 

The post we have selected to be profiled on Tyler's site is from Pam of Sidewalk Shoes. Such a fun post and a beautiful picture of a dish that is just perfect for summer: 

 California Cobb Salad with Poached Shrimp & Green Goddess Dressing. 

Pam's passion and enthusiasm for this dish sold us on it too!

Congratulations Pam, the post should be on Tyler's Blog on Monday and we'll do a separate announcement when the post is up on Tyler's site. 

Have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend!

Congratulations Kim!

This week's dish selected to be profiled on Tyler Florence's very own blog is Kim of Stirring the Pot's recreation of Tyler's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. Click here to check out the post on Tyler's blog, and here to see it Kim's original post on her own blog.
We are so proud of all our TFF family, keep up the awesome work!

June 12th Round-Up!

Good Tyler Florence Fridays everyone! Hope the weather is being kind to you, I think our little cold snap here has, well, snapped.
What does this picture above have to do with Tyler Florence Fridays? So kind of you to ask. I came across it, labelled Waldorf Cooking Suite, on the internet and it got me to thinking.... our round-ups are almost like a virtual pot luck party, we have slowly gotten to know each other through cooking every week - imagine if we could all cook together. This would be the very kitchen for it. Room for everyone to chop, slice, saute, roast, blend, stir.. you get the picture. It's just a dream of course, we are scattered all over North America and, sometimes, beyond. But it sure is nice cooking together.
On that note, let's see what the Tyler Florence Fridays family have whipped up this week....

Andrea of Nummy Kitchen made this soft and tender Cinnamon Swirl Bread, complete with an instructional pictorial. It looks absolutely delish, Andrea. Perfect family fare that will make excellent French toast.. provided it lasts that long!

Arlene of The Food of Love made these colourful Tacos Carne Asada for Tyler Florence Fridays, saying, ""Nothing says the weekend like Mexican food. There's just something about the vibrant flavors of chillies and cilantro--not to mention a salt-rimmed Margarita or icy bottle of Mexican beer--to create that TGIF atmosphere.
In my dreams, Tyler is the guy who yells, "PAR-TAY!" as he does a half-gainer off the diving board. That is, of course, after he has fired up the grill and whipped up a pitcher of those icy concoctions. And what goes better with margaritas than some of Tyler's Tacos Carne Asada."

Beth of The Seventh Level of Boredom made this juicy Braised Beef Brisket from Dinner at My Place. Says Beth, "I’m already eyeing another brisket at the store…don’t be surprised if you see THIS recipe go into regular rotation in MY kitchen! It is absolutely fabulous!!! I think the pictures speak for themselves. Another winner from our guy, Ty!"

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen was looking for a simple accompaniment to go with her curried couscous and came upon Tyler's recipe for Turkish Spice Mix. The beautiful double lamb loin chops with the spice mix along with the couscous for a tasty and simple dinner with a Middle Eastern flair. Deb has a house guest this week, and get this - It isn't me! Life is so unfair..

Glennis from cantbelieveweate says, "We made Tyler's Blueberry Lemon Scones this week, and voted this one a Keeper! The scones were rich and buttery with just enough sweetness not to need anything more. I used frozen-from-fresh blueberries so there was no problem getting the dough and berries well acquainted! Next time I think Ill add just a hint of lemon zest to the batter to introduce another layer of flavor. They kept well overnight too...we were very restrained!"

Jenny of All Things Edible so loved Tyler's Banana Bread that she has recreated it twice since posting it. She loved his unusual step of creaming some of the banana in with the butter and sugar and was thrilled with the texture. I agree with Jenny, banana bread is tricky - a good recipe is a treasure.

Joanne of Eats Well With Others made this delicious Guacamole and Chipotle Grilled Chicken this week, in her ongoing effort to share flavourful and healthy eating habits with her family.
Check out her post to meet one cute little scaredy-dog!

Over at Something Sweet by Karen, Karen has a guest blogger - her very own sweetie whipped up Tyler’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Chilies and Feta Cheese. First of all, that looks and sounds delicious, second, I love that he is getting involved in the kitchen and in TFF and third.. these guys should be shooting magazine shots - the pictures are beautiful!

Kim of Stirring the Pot made this lovely Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie after an exciting trip to the farmer's market. (Where, by the way, they have music! How great is that!) Kim and her family dove in while the pie was still warm, intoxicated by the fresh baked fruit scent.

Kristin of Sogkonnite Living made Stir- Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans and Chilies for Tyler Florence Fridays, using orange instead of the tangerines. Kristin liked the flavours, and will be trying this one again without the deep fried components.

Megan of My Baking Adventures fully embraced the concept of Mother's Little Helper this week and made up a batch of Tyler's Raspberry (Vodka) Lemonade. Is there any problem in life that a little paper umbrella can't fix? I think not.

Michelle of Big Black Dog made this beautiful Salmon Potato Hash for Tyler Florence Fridays, using some salmon sausage from her local market. She served it with Hollandaise Sauce for a decadent meal that had them licking the plates clean.

Pam of Sidewalk Shoes may not like getting up early on her holidays, but she is head over heels for brining. She made these gorgeous Juicy Pork Chops with Black Olive Tapenade and Roasted Vine Tomatoes that served as two nights worth of dinners for her and her hubby. The only thing better than an amazing dinner.. is two amazing dinners!

Over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Sage-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Dried Plum Sauce which was absolutely delicious. Actually, as I just remembered that I have a little left over.. I had to stop posting for a minute and eat some cold out of the fridge. The pork is crusty on the outside, tender in the middle and the sauce has a whole bottle of wine in it - need I say more?

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Announcements!

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Tyler's Blog

The post we have selected to be profiled on Tyler's site is from Kim of Stirring the Pot . We loved the celebration of local, seasonal foods, the farmers market, and the lovely Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Feel free to send a slice or two to the hard working round-up people!

Congratulations Kim, the post should be on Tyler's Blog on Monday, we'll do a separate post when it is up.

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Book Winner

This month's book winner is Arlene of The Food of Love. Congratulations Arlene, we will be contacting you soon!

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"Megan's Challenge"
Finally, don't forget about the optional recipe "challenge", selected by Megan each month. You won't want to miss making June's pick: Tyler's Summer Rolls! Feel free to play with the recipe. You can get all the details here.