August 28th Round-Up!

Labour day is soon upon us, and the bulk of the students are gearing up to go back to school. A collective sigh runs through the parents, or at least in my house! Actually, mine are older and prone to rolling out of bed at 2pm if not required to attend either school or work that day. Still, I look forward to their going back, if only to add structure to their days... and get them out of the house!
We have a couple of educators in TFF, noticeably absent today, getting ready for back to school, and one or two already there. I think we can expect some quick cocktail posts from them for TFF in these coming months, they are going to need the booze!
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Let's see what's cooking this week, shall we?

Chaya of Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog made Tyler's Tuna Everything Bagel, a personal favourite of mine.
"I am so glad I made this. I never would have splurged with a bagel like this. Mine is usually skinny compared to this one. It turned out to be such a good combination, one I want to eat again and again."

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made this comforting Saag Paneer, a gal after my Indian food-loving heart.
"I served mine with a jeera (cumin) rice mix and some paratha, an Indian flatbread, from the Indian market. A perfect vegetarian meal, creamy and satisfying and a great way to work those greens into your diet in a tasty way. I would make this again."

Heather of HeatherIsAtHome made Tyler's Chicken Parmesan, another dish I really loved too.

"This week I decided to feature TF's Chicken Parmesan from Stirring The Pot. I thought it was an exceptional dish and plan to replace it with my tried and true chicken Parmesan recipe. I'm 100% a fan. He wins me over again~"

Jenny of All Things Edible made this very pretty Avocado, Cilantro and Red Onion Salad.
"So pretty, easy to make, and good for company. Provided they like avocado and cilantro."

Jess of Black Cat Kitchen made Tyler's Green Beans with Caramelized Onions this week.

"This was a super simple dish, but not my favorite from Tyler Florence. I did use a different spice than the thyme, so maybe that was my fault. Either way, this turned out beautifully and looks like something you get at a restaurant."

Kim of Stirring the Pot made Tyler's Chicken and Smoked Sausage Etouffee this week.
"We loved it!! My husband called it a delightful change from the normal dinner! He must have said how delicious it was at least ten times: ) A Perfect combination of flavors and ingredients."

Congratulations Kim! Your Etouffee has been selected as the feature dish this week! It will be posted on Tyler's site early next week.
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Megan of My Baking Adventures made something that I have always wanted to try, Spaetzle.
"The final verdict? I am pleased to report that not only were these good, the recipe went into our new, completely organized recipe binder – which means we liked it enough to make it again."

Melissa of The Kitchen Canister made Tyler's Black Bean Soup vegetarian this week.

"The only thing I might do differently next time is add some chili powder or red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch. It wasn't quite as spicy as I like my black bean soups. Another A+ for Tyler!"

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina made Avocado, No-Cilantro, and White Onion Salad.
"This week thanks to Megan's choice I made a very fresh salad without cilantro, which I can't find here, but using some parsley instead. It's a great refreshing treat !!!"

Over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Chinese Spareribs #5 with Teriyaki Glaze.
"These ribs are savoury, salty, sweet and sticky. And, because I got ahead of myself and reduced the sauce to 3/4 of a cup instead of 1.5 cups.. very intense! They were great with some Asian slaw and steamed rice. Yum!"

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Awesome dishes guys, very inspiring.

Congrats again Kim, keep up the good dreams!

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Don't forget, you have only a couple of days left to submit your August bonus dish!

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Congratulations Jess!

Jess of Black Cat Kitchen captured the essence of summer with her post on Tyler's Mojito Slushy, and we thought it would be perfect for this week's featured post. Click here to see the frosty treat in all of its green glory on Tyler's own blog! Congrats Jess!

August 21st Round-Up!

Can you believe summer is winding down and it is almost September? Where does the time go?! Hope you all are enjoying those last few of weeks of the season and getting a little relaxation time in. 

Let's take a look at who was in the kitchen with Tyler this week!

Heather from Heatherisathome found time to work in a Tyler recipe before heading off on a mini-vacay. She says, "For this Sundays dinner, I planned to grill some chops, heat some seasoned collard greens, and make Tyler Florence's Spicy Black-Eyed Peas. Verdict - Absolutely delicious!!! This was a price-friendly dish (5 cents for the chiles, less than a couple of bucks for the dried peas, several of the ingredients staples in my kitchen), that was super easy to cook up, with lots of flavor. This will, without question, be a repeat."

Jess from Black Cat Kitchen is back with us this week with two dishes from Tyler. First up she made Tyler's Broccoli, Parmesan & Lemon. Jess says: "This was a really nice side dish. Super easy, simple ingredients and great flavor. I really liked the lemon flavor, though Scott said it was a bit overpowering. However, he may just have gotten a bite with lots of lemon."

Next she tried the frosty Mojito Slushy, Jess says "Oh, yes, Tyler … you’ve done it again. Summer in a glass. While trying to decide what to make with the mint that came in our CSA box, I came across this recipe and knew I had to make it for Tyler Florence Fridays. This was simple and incredibly delicious. Then again, it’s mint, rum, and simple syrup – how much can go wrong? I loved that there were specks of the mint in here, but not chunks of mint like you sometimes get when muddling."

Let's welcome Alex from Recession Recipes who tried her hand at the Baja Fish Tacos with Mexican Slaw after seeing it on Tyler's "Twiterlicious" cooking lessons. Alex says, "I’m a big fish taco fan and have already posted about our favourite fish taco recipe. However after making these Baja Fish Tacos, me, Carlo, and our friend Mike, who came over for dinner, all agreed that these fish tacos are way better. It is probably the fried fish, which creates a nice crunchy base for all of the flavours from the spicy chipotle mayo and mango-radish salsa."

Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog made Tyler's Peanut Sesame Noodles this week. She says, "Whenever I need a recipe for TFF, I either look in my cookbook or the Food Network. I have not been let down yet. I type in the type of food, I want to make and up comes something tempting. So far, we have enjoyed each dish. Over the years,I have found numerous sesame noodles with peanut butter recipes but I have not come across one with the brown sugar." Did she like it? Chaya says, "I have been heating a bowl of this in the microwave, just to warm, and it is even better than cold. The flavors seem to seep into each other when warm."

Natalia from Gatti Fili E Farina combined two Tyler recipes. She says, "I'm finally back to Tyler's recipes with another success !! I had two corn cobs around so I found his recipe for a Corn Pudding that sounded very nice, then my brother called saying they were coming to Rome for a few days so I decided for 'the works' and I made his Chili as well. I must confess right away that other than growing them myself I wouldn't know where I could find all the wonderful peppers I needed so I just substituted them with Italian hot chili but the results were very nice even so."

Jenny from All Things Edible says, "Did I mention it was 34C, before the humidity, when I made this? Okay, so sometimes I'm not so bright. But I was in the 'need' for a comfort food and Tyler's Recipe for Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Cheese was calling out to me. I couldn't help it. The bacon added a nice saltiness to the mac and cheese, as well as a good crunch. I admit, this tasted better two days afterwards, when it seemed to be cheesier and gooeyer. I like gooey mac and cheese. Now I like gooey mac and cheese with bacon on it."

Tyler's Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad was this week's  pick from Kim at Stirring the Pot. Kim says, "My family loves the chicken paillard and I have already made it twice this month. The chicken has a wonderful crunch from the panko and is very moist and juicy on the inside. It is delicious served warm and equally delicious served cold and sliced atop a salad the next day. I followed Tyler's tip about refrigerating the chicken breasts after breading them. Refrigerating them helps to dry out the breading and ensures an extra crispy coating."

Mourning summer's decline but taking advantage of some slightly cooler weather, Beth from The Seventh Level of Boredom found two perfect companion recipes in Tyler's Stirring the Pot; Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil and Grilled Cheese (Smoked Mozzarella and Basil Pesto). Beth says, "The sandwiches were gooey and chock full of flavor, and the soup was rich and creamy. I have a feeling this soup is going to become a staple in my kitchen."

Tammy from Sassafras Cafe says, "I am a good southern girl who has been making black-eyed peas since she was in diapers (I exaggerate...). Every New Year's feast, as well as every summertime farmer's market meal has been graced by the presence of black-eyed peas, good black-eyed peas that have cooked long and hard with ham, onions, and garlic. But this little recipe here changes history to replace the one I have used for several decades. Tyler Florence's Spicy Black-Eyed Peas left the others in the dust."

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies tried Tyler's Watermelon Gazpacho this week. She says, "I am on a cold soup kick this summer. I don't even know if I had ever had one before this year but I seem to be making them regularly lately. A soup you can make in a blender, what can be better than that? This gazpacho is lighter and a little sweeter with the addition of watermelon. I found it very refreshing. Perfect for a hot summer day."

And for me at Kahakai Kitchen, I had a "Tyler Twofer" this week with a pair of cold salads for a warm, muggy night's dinner. First was the Crab Parfait, a perfect combination of layered crab, mango and baby greens; a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. Then our optional challenge pick of Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad, (we will save that photo for the challenge round-up), a simple side dish with bright flavors that would be perfect with grilled dishes or Mexican food. Both are keeper recipes.

A great group of delicious Tyler recipes this week!  Thanks to everyone who joined us.

So what is our featured recipe this week to be posted on Tyler's Blog? A tough choice but there was something about the Mojito Slushy from Jess at Black Cat Kitchen that just seemed to capture these last sultry summer days before the real world kicks back in! Congratulations Jess! We will look for your thick, frosty cocktails on Tyler's site next week.

Don't forget there is still time to make this month's optional challenge recipe selected by Megan. I can personally vouch for how easy and good the Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad is and it's a great starter salad or simple side dish. You can find the recipe here.

Have a great weekend!

Congratulations Karen!

Karen of Something Sweet by Karen made a gorgeous and seasonal Bourbon Peach Cobbler after being away from the kitchen for awhile, and we thought it would be perfect for this week's featured post. Click here to see Karen's cobbler on Tyler's own blog!

August 14th Round-Up!

Happy Birthday Dorothy Tyler Florence! This week, August 8th to be exact, the youngest Florence baby celebrated her first birthday. Isn't she a cutie?
Check out her baby picture below. I love them when they are so tiny and cute! She looks just like Tyler in that bottom picture, don't you think?

One, two, three... aaaahhhwwww! So cute!

Ok, fawning over, back to the serious business of cookery. What have the Tyler Florence Fridays family members cooked up this week?
(Sorry for the jump in picture size, blogger is playing tricks and I didn't want to start over!)

Arlene of The Food of Love made these fabulous Tyler's Ultimate Burgers.
"This was burger heaven and we both ate two burgers, one on the bun and one naked just to use up every last topping." If anyone is picturing Arlene eating burgers naked - cut that out! This is a family blog. ;-)


Chaya of Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog made Tyler's Country Meatloaf with Tomato Relish this week.
"I do love Tyler’s country meatloaf. I usually take a tiny piece and I am satisfied. I took two portions of this meatloaf. I am not sure what made it as good as it was but there is no doubt, it was delish. The relish on top was integral with the loaf and not an add-on."

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made this colourful Salmon Carpaccio with Hearts of Palm Salad & Coconut Dressing.

"A very pretty dish that makes a nice starter salad or pupu, or even a light, warm weather lunch or dinner. A make again recipe that I might also try with some ahi or another local fish."

Heather of Girlichef made Tyler's Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Tomatoes. Like me, she felt the flavours needed amping up. I think they purposely keep things mild for the general population.
"I am keeping curries and curry-type dishes part of my repertoire...I've come to adore the complex flavors and open invitation to experiment with new additions. This one is from Tyler Florence..."a good, fast vegetarian meal."

Heather of Heather is at Home made Tyler's Martini Noir.

"I selected to feature his Martini Noir from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen. I was excited, I mean Tyler and alcohol...where could I possibly go wrong.
First, apparently I'm a weakling. I could not drink a whole drink, much less more than a few sips..."

Don't worry Heather, I am sure some of your TFF friends can help you out with the leftovers!

Jenny of All Things Edible made Tyler's Shrimp Scampi with Linguine.

"My little shrimp monster and I enjoyed it, my other two boys liked it, but prefer regular spaghetti sauce over shrimp on their pasta. Oh well, I can't please everyone with every meal."
Truer words were never spoken!

Joanne of Eats Well with Others made a tasty Peach-Blueberry Pie.
"This pie was very good - not too sweet, which really allowed the flavors of the peach and blueberry to shine through. The crust was also AMAZING. My favorite part, actually, it was infused with this lemony flavor from all of the zest. It will definitely be my go-to fruit pie crust recipe in the future."

Karen of Something Sweet by Karen made Tyler's Bourbon Peach Cobbler after being away from the kitchen for awhile.

"This cobbler is full of fresh peaches, has a thick sauce with a background note of bourbon and just the right sweetness and spice. The biscuits on top are brushed with heavy cream and sugar before baking and are perfect – crunchy on top, moist underneath. I’m telling you, you won’t even need ice cream to go on top of this (although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt!)."

Congratulations Karen! This lovely and seasonal dessert has been chosen to be profiled on Tyler's own blog!

Kim of Stirring the Pot made Tyler's Greek Yogurt with Fig, Date and Honey Swirl.

"This recipe is insanely delicious and I am craving it daily. Tyler gets bonus points for this easy and healthy breakfast treat. The yogurt is very creamy, the dried fruit and honey adds a very balanced sweetness, and the nuts add the perfect crunch. This is a keeper recipe and one that I would recommend to all."

Michelle of Big Black Dog made Tyler's Blueberry Crumble.

"I love using what's commonly thought of as savory herbs in desserts. I've used Tarragon and Basil in cream cheese frosting and it's just wonderful! So when I found Tyler's recipe for Blackberry Crumble and he had added fresh Rosemary I knew I had to try it."

Nicole of Bay Area Foodie made Tyler's Corn Chowder with some fresh ears of corn that they received.
"We made a couple changes to the Tyler Florence recipe we found included adding BACON! Instead of using the butter we used the bacon drippings to saute the onion, garlic and thyme. We also sprinkled in some additional herbs and we substituted half and half for the cream to make it nice and light. Delish!"

Pam of Sidewalk Shoes made this stunning Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini.

"I've always thought that I was not a big zucchini fan. It turns out that I'm just not a big cooked zucchini fan. Raw, it's a whole different ball game."

Over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Coconut Shrimp with Basmati Rice, Apricots, and Lime. Like Heather, I increased the spicing.

"Even though I only made half a batch, I used all of the seasonings. I love intense flavour. This dish was perfectly delicious. I am sad to say that I don't have any left."

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Thanks for a great round-up guys, such wonderful food!

Remember our "Megan's Challenge" optional recipe is Tyler's Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad. You have until the end of the month to make it, the round-up will be on September first. (Get the recipe and details here).

Congratulations again Karen!

Congratulations Arlene!

Congratulations to Arlene of The Food of Love. Her Ultimate Jerk Chicken took us all on a trip to the islands and it was selected as the feature TFF recipe for Tyler Florence's Blog this week. Click here to see it in all of its glory! What a fun and tropical dish!

August 7th Round-Up!

Tyler has been busy the past few weeks, cooking with the hosts of The View and on Tuesday, canning with Ann Curry on The Today Show and making the most of the summer's bounty. Here is a photo Tyler Twittered, doesn't it all look delicious? Here is the link to the show and Tyler's tips and recipes for pickling. You can also read about it on his blog. 

Speaking of delicious...we have some delicious and delectable TFF recipes to drool over!

Jenny of All Things Edible says, "I see a trend happening here...Me. Tyler. Deep frying. See? A trend. I decided one day to make Tyler's Tempura Green Beans with Chili, Garlic and Seasame Aioli. But I couldn't let it go with just green beans, which were great, btw. So I doubled the tempura..." Tempura carrots, sweet potatoes, tilapia fingers, scallops and shrimp all followed. She says, "Oh boy, oh boy, it was soooo good."

Making two Tyler dishes this week is Heather from Heatherisathome. Trying The Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese first, she says, "It was good. Not my favorite lasagna but definitely a dish I would recommend others to try if you want something different than your typical everyday lasagna. The only reason I don't think it stacks up high on my list, is because of it's sweetness (which I'm guessing comes from the mix of cinnamon and nutmeg)"

She had better luck with Tyler's Creamy Parmesan Potato Gratin, saying "The potatoes were almost a given that they'd be a hit. Doesn't cheese make everything better?! I was glad I did a second dish of Tyler's this week, since I wasn't thrilled with my first pick."

Finding Greek yogurt in her local grocery store made Beth from The Seventh Level of Boredom very happy as she could make Tyler's recipe for Greek Yogurt With a Fig, Date and Honey Swirl. She states, "This unctuous concoction is like a little mouth full of heaven....superbly creamy, decadently sweet, with little bits of rich date and fig, and a crunchy crumble of toasted nuts on top. The swirl was like a little treasure trove of candy hiding in a milky cloud. I'm seriously considering putting it in my little popsicle molds and making frozen yogurt treats to last all summer! If you love yogurt....I don't care if you've never tried figs before, you are gonna LOVE this!"

For The Ultimate Jerk Chicken, Arlene from The Food of Love says, "Let's set the mood. You're on a beach, the sun is setting. In front of you is an icy tropical drink with rum and the requisite paper umbrella. Marley's singing in the background and...who's that I see over there? Why, yes, it's none other than Tyler Florence behind the grill. The sharp scent of allspice mingled with thyme and brown sugar wafts across the terrace and, while your salivary glands begin a dance, you look up and suddenly you're back in upstate New York, it's hot and that's a bottle of water in front of you as you peer out the window to make sure Larry isn't messing with the smoker you rigged up because it's time to cook some jerk chicken, Tyler style."

Crazy about Pita Bread and wanting to make them at home was Kim from Stirring The Pot who tried Tyler's recipe and says, "Who knew making pita bread was SO MUCH FUN??" She used Tyler's pitas to make both PB&J and Philly Cheesesteaks. Kim says, "I loved this recipe and thought it was big fun to watch the pitas puff up in the oven!! This yeast dough was a little bit quicker than baking breads with yeast. I wouldn't normally want to put my oven on 500F in the summertime, but these pitas were well worth it!"

Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog found another favorite recipe to love with Tyler's Spaghetti with Summer Squash and Tomatoes. Chaya states, "This is Tyler’s recipe and like all the recipes I have tried, it is the best. It has spaghetti – it is a comfort food...This should be titled, “Thank you, Tyler.” The pasta is given flavor from the vegetables and we loved it." Her hubby enjoyed it along with some cornbread, and she says that this pasta dish is "filling."

With a half of an avocado just waiting to be used, Nancy from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs decided to put it to good use by making this month's challenge recipe, Tyler's Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad. She liked it so much--she made it again! Nancy says, "This salad was so delicious! Although I would have been tempted to throw in some tomato, the avocado and onion made for a great duo, with fresh and flavorful support from the lime and cilantro. I licked the plate. Both times I made it. I'll be making this recipe again and again, no matter the season."

Grilling a chicken every week has given Pam of Sidewalk Shoes, plenty of leftovers. She says, "I flipped through Eat This Book: Cooking with Global Fresh Flavors and found Spicy Chicken Broth with Tortillas, Avocado, and Lime. I also found Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup online which is very similar, but includes the addition of cheese. I am always, always, appreciative of the addition of cheese. I made the recipe as directed, though I didn't pan fry the tortilla strips, I just used some purchased tortilla chips. This was really good, very fresh tasting and also...wait for it...that magic word...easy!" 

Michelle from Big Back Dog says, "I made Tyler's Creamed Garlicky Mussels last week and they were so delicious that I decided to try Tyler's Steamed Mussels this week! The Creamy Garlicky Mussels and Streamed Mussels are very similar but the Steamed Mussels recipes does have fresh tomatoes and hot pepper flakes added to the sauce. I enjoyed this meal but Mr. Tastebuds loved it! In fact he said several times that he liked this version over the Creamy Garlicky Mussels. But, I like the Creamy Garlicky Mussels. So the next time I make this dish I will just make the sauce and divide it and add the tomatoes and hot pepper to his half!"

A new (adorable!) puppy has kept Karen of Something Sweet By Karen too busy to do much cooking lately. Still she wanted to join in the TFF fun this week and says, "I made this back in January and never posted it because I felt I couldn’t take a decent picture of it to save my life. But this Apple Cider Chicken was so GOOD and I thought it should be shared since apple cider season is getting into full swing. I also had made Tyler’s Rice Pilaf as an afterthought, just kind of throwing it together using dried herbs I had on hand. The chicken had a great flavor and was slightly sweet. I will make this again without a doubt, especially now that apple cider is starting to pop up everywhere again." 

Melissa from The Kitchen Canister tried and liked the Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber and Cilantro from her newly purchased Tyler's Ultimate. She says, "I was flipping through the book and thought this chicken recipe would be a really great summer meal. It was light, not too much prep work involved, and I had almost all of the ingredients in my cupboard. A real shocker, since I almost never have the ingredients Tyler cooks with. This is partly my fault, though. When I make up my own recipes I'm not very out of the box. Now that I have been cooking with Tyler Florence Fridays, I find it more and more exciting to venture into the kitchen."

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies says, "This week I made Tyler's Ultimate Fried Chicken from Tyler's Ultimate. I thought it was pretty good but did have some room for improvement. When I looked up the recipe online, I found one which read as vastly superior. I would make the online version next time. That being said, the book one was nice. I liked the idea of flavouring the oil with garlic and herbs. Nice! It was also good cold.. standing in front of the fridge in the morning eating it out of the tupperware container... not that I do that..."

At Kahakai Kitchen, finding a second round of fresh figs at the farmer's market had me back "getting figgy" with Tyler this week and making his Prosciutto-Roasted Figs. YUM! All those great flavors--both sweet and salty; figs, cheese (blue and manchego), prosciutto (or in my case Serrano ham), honey and black pepper, came together in these perfect little treats, Easy to make and way too easy to eat, they are a great appetizer or part of a light meal. Another keeper fig recipe for me!

Another great selection of Tyler recipes!

That means it is time to chose our winner for the featured recipe this week, to be posted on Tyler Florence's blog. And the winner is....

Arlene of The Food of Love with her delectable and tropical Ultimate Jerk Chicken! Such a fun, summer-perfect treat, we just loved the island mood her chicken and her post put us in! Congratulations Arlene! Your dish will be posted on Tyler's blog next week. 

Remember our "Megan's Challenge" optional recipe is Tyler's Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad. You have until the end of the month to make it and you can see from Nancy's feedback it is a good one and perfect for summer. (Get the recipe and details here). 

Have a wonderful weekend!