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!