July 17th Round-Up!

Did you know that Tyler Florence made baby food? Not just any baby food but organic baby food.
"My wife Tolan and I want our children to eat food that is wholesome and delicious, but like most parents, we have careers and busy lives. So as a father, I'm always thinking about what I want my children to eat and how I can treat them to the healthy and delicious meals they deserve...even when time is an issue.
My longtime friend Max and I put our heads together to try and create a new food product for babies that would help parents make easy and smart decisions for their children. We looked at everything from the packaging and presentation to how the food was cooked and of course, the ingredients themselves. As a chef, I focused on complimentary food combinations and ways to cook them to bring out all of the gorgeous natural flavors inside. With thousands more taste buds than even adults have, babies love great taste. And with Sprout, we are determined to give them the flavors they crave.
Sprout Baby Food is the result of many years of research, development and most importantly, fatherhood. And I know that you and your baby will agree that my love of food and flavor comes through in every delicious bite."
Tyler Florence, as quoted on sproutbabyfood.com

I couldn't resist showing you the Tyler with Baby shot one more time. Is there anything sweeter than a man with a baby? One, two, three, now... aaawwww!
Oh, and in case you were wondering.. no. This does not mean that I have baby fever. My kids are grown and the only babies I have are of the four legged variety. Hey Tyler, when is your organic dog food coming out?

Speaking of feeding the family.... (ok, not sure if that worked as a segue) Let's see what the Tyler Florence Fridays family whipped up this week!


Arlene of The Food of Love made Grilled Brie and Tomato with Arugula Pesto on Crusty Bread, accompanied by a nice bottle of wine to toast her 60th birthday!
"I had bought a lovely baguette and some rocket at a local farmers' market and had a piece of brie just waiting in the wings. I've made pesto with any number of herbs, so an arugula pesto sounded like a terrific variation.
My special lunch went together very quickly and I have a good-sized jar of pesto leftover to enjoy, perhaps in a pasta or maybe a chicken entree.
Turning 60 is a huge milestone. Being able to enjoy a glass of Corvo and a lovely, toasty adult version of grilled cheese is one of the upsides of getting older."
Happy Birthday Arlene!!

Beth of The Seventh Level of Boredom made these beautiful Thai Grilled Beef Skewers.
"Just look at those grill marks....doesn't it make your mouth water? Hmmmm? Now, imagine me, kicked back on my new, nicely shaded deck, leaned back in my adirondak chair, beer on one armrest, plate of grilled beef in the other, pulling little pieces of tender meat off the skewer and dipping them in my spicy soy, then tipping my head back to keep the juice from dripping on my chin while I drop the juicy tidbit in my mouth....finger food at its finest....jealous? Don't be! Go make your own! Cuz I know you're not getting any of mine!"

Our newest participan, Chaya of Comfy Cook, made Tyler's Amaretto Chocolate Brownies with Walnuts.

"I have to tell you that these brownies were the best. They were not the fudgiest which I love. They were not oozing chocolate which I also love. They were dark and firm and not too sweet. I often find that many cakes, cookies, brownies and all sweets, live up to their name (sweets) and are cloying and leave an aftertaste.
Tyler’s brownies are my kind of brownies. The taste was superb."

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made Tyler's Hong Kong Salmon Cakes with Baby Bok Choy.

"Tyler does it again! The salmon cakes are a great combination of flavors with the ginger, garlic, shallot, green chili and cilantro. The syrupy sauce, drizzled over the baby bok choy and salmon cakes is delicious. I used a beautiful piece of wild sockeye salmon and the cakes turned out really moist. I am used to breaking up cooked fillets for my salmon cakes and I loved the difference in texture that came from starting with the little cubes of raw salmon."

Heather of Girlichef made this beautiful Roast Chicken with Wilted Butter Lettuce and Peas from the latest issue of Food Network Magazine.

"This was a fabulous meal for summertime...or anytime I'm sure. The gorgeous wilted lettuce salad was amazing...the beurre blanc was a silky cover for this mild lettuce, with the sweet little pops of the peas and the addition of the radicchio added a nice little bite. Paired with the beautiful, juicy thyme-essence of the chicken with its golden-crisp skin...I could have been back in my first apartment just as easily as in my current kitchen with my hubby and kiddos. Joy!"
We think this is just fabulous too! That is why we have selected Heather's post as the feature post of the week, to be admired by all, next week on Tyler's own blog! Congratulations Heather!

Glennis of Can't Believe We Ate made Tyler's Grilled Corn on the Cob.

"Not only does it feed the eyes with the bright colors, it feeds the sense of smell with the slightly smoky aroma that wafts up from the grill. Lastly this recipe tantalizes the taste buds. The sauce cloaks the creamy sweet corn with more creaminess, the deep musky flavor of the chiles and the tang of lime juice. We were sorry there was only one ear of corn each this time!"

Heather of HeatherIsAtHome made Tyler's Grilled Cheese and Chicken Noodle Soup to go with it.
"This week I was looking for an extremely quick and easy recipe to try, just because I've had so much else to do.

First, WOW, what a great sandwich!!! It was such a great combination - mozzarella and basil pesto, and that was with using plain mozzarella (my store didn't sell smoked mozzarella). This will most definitely become part of my regular summer rotation. I highly recommend our friends at TFF try it, if they haven't already; they'll pleasantly be surprised.

The soup earned an A, even served on a hot summer night. I did serve it room temperature rather than piping-hot and thought it completed the meal nicely."

Jenny of All Things Edible made a variation on Tyler's Grilled Steak Salad with Texas Peaches, Pecans and Limes.

"See any pecans in there? Well, that's cause there aren't any. I'm not a big fan of pecans, so I subbed my pecans for goat cheese. And trust me, that sub works just fine!

Yes, I deviated quite a bit from Tyler's actual recipe, but that's okay, I'm sure Tyler of all people would be okay with that. Especially since it was tasty and enjoyed by all. My children loved having peaches and goat cheese on their salad, my husband liked that I did not put goat cheese on his."
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Michelle of Big Black Dog made this gorgeous Risotto-Style Strawberry Rice Pudding.

"This is the first summer I've been able to concentrate on summer themed meals and it's been fun. Our dinners have been light meals and my desserts pretty and refreshing. When I found Tyler's Risotto-Style Strawberry Rice Pudding I knew I had to try it."

The lovely and talented Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is lamenting the end of her summer vacation. Back to school so soon! To console herself she made a simple yet delicious Cucumber and Watercress Salad.

"We all know that Tyler can do complicated. He can do pots and pans, and more pots and pans, and even more pots and pans. But I am here to tell you that, he can also do simple. And "simple" is my middle name. I used to say "easy" was my middle name, but I like the sound of "simple" better, don't you?"
Heeheehee, I couldn't resist putting that up!

And over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Whole Wheat Pullman Loaf with great success. It is a healthy and delicious sandwich bread that makes excellent toasted cheddar and tomato sandwiches!

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Don't forget about our optional "Megan's Challenge" pick of Quinoa Pilaf this month. This will be a fun one to adapt and get your favorite summer veggies in there. Get the details here.

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Thanks to everyone who cooked along with Tyler this week, congrats again to Heather of Girlichef! Enjoy your weekend!