Friday, February 27, 2009

February 27th Round-Up!


We are right at the end of February, can you believe it?! Spring is just around the corner (I hope!). If I had to pick a theme for this week's Tyler Florence Fridays Round-Up, it would be comfort food. I think we all were looking to fill a craving, warm us up and fill our souls; everyone needs a bit of comfort now and then. (Right Linus?!) It seems like Tyler came through once again this week with lots of recipes that will do just that!

Before we get to our recipes, please join us in welcoming our newest TFF member, Hannah of Sweet Cupcake Torture.  (Love that Blog Name!)


First up is Pam from Sidewalk Shoes, who made her third Tyler dessert this week, this delectable Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding with Lemon Fondant, and it was another rousing success. Tyler is three for three in the dessert arena for Pam. She found the combo of sweet berries, eggy bread pudding and sweet-tart lemon sauce to be a winner and "really, really good!"



Kristen from Sogkonnite Living tried Tyler's Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish this week. Made with a tomato relish and bacon, Kristen found it "unbelievably moist!" Although she and her husband liked the tomato relish, her kids still preferred Kristen's ketchup, mustard, brown sugar mix, sometimes you just can't beat tradition! 



Letting her husband pick this week's recipe proved to be a lesson in frustration for Donna at My Tasty Treasures. After deliberating through each recipe for over an hour and a half, he finally selected his first choice, Ultimate Barbecued Ribs. Her husband wanted chocolate chip cookies for dessert and Donna made two batches, his favorite, and Tyler's Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies for her and the kids. Both recipes were definite keepers.




The Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding with Lemon Fondant proved to be a popular choice this week as Kim from Stirring The Pot, also chose this indulgent recipe. Unable to find brioche, Kim whipped up her own. She loved how dense and crisp on top it was and how the berries paired with the lemon. She says this recipe is worth all the calories and blowing the diet!



Karen from Something Sweet By Karen, made one of my favorite Tyler recipes, Coconut Bread with Sweet Pineapple Butter. Attracted at first by the luscious-sounding pineapple butter spread, Kim liked how easy this bread was to put together. Calling the moist bread, "seriously good", she found the pineapple butter to be her favorite part, slathering it on nice and thick. 



Craving some green salad, I tried Tyler's Sesame Chicken Salad with Spinach, Cucumber and Cilantro at Kahakai Kitchen this week. I loved the combination of flavors and textures and found the chicken delicious baked instead of pan-fried. I also used some of the panko breading on some tofu, which was equally as good as the chicken on the salad with the flavorful dressing. This one is a keeper!



A Chinese feast with Tyler, (or at least his General Tso's Chicken!), as a guest, was the perfect company meal for Jenny from All Things Edible.  She found the dish to be ultra-saucy and a bit much on the soy sauce, (although she felt that it could have been the different brand she used). Next time she will increase the chicken for all that sauce and watch the soy sauce. Although this dish wasn't the star of this multi-recipe feast, it was tasty.



Seeking a warmer climate, at least in spirit, Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies and her husband decided to have an island themed dinner. Tyler's Curried Cauliflower with Chick Peas and Tomatoes was the perfect accompaniment to her spicy mango jerked salmon. Her normal love for all things hot and spicy might have made this dish a bit mild in Natashya's book, but she appreciated a milder side dish with the salmon and salsa.



Unable to find rice paper wrappers, Andrea from Nummy Kitchen proved her adaptability by adjusting Tyler's Wild Mushroom Spring Roll recipe and egg rolls instead. She found the Wild Mushroom Spring Rolls (or Egg Rolls) with Chinese Mustard Dipping Sauce to be fun to make. Andrea liked the great flavor and the way the garlic and ginger stood out. Served with some of her own Cashew Veggie Stir Fry, it was a family-pleasing dinner and won approval from the kids and her Mom.



Michelle from Big Black Dog, is very possessive of her delicious, homemade pesto sauce and portions it out only for "sponge worthy" dishes. (If you don't know your Seinfeld, you can get the definition of "sponge worthy" on her site!) Michelle took a shot on Tyler's Mozzarella Grilled Cheese, being of that caliber. She loved the crispness of the olive oil grilled crust and it and the homemade chips, won raves from her husband but she is still on the fence as to it's "sponge worthiness". She does think it would be wonderful in July with fresh basil and tomatoes. 



Tyler's Chinese food recipes seem to be a favorite pick this week too. Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina chose his Sweet Chili Tofu Fried Rice as her choice this week. She found it to have a "wonderful Oriental flavor and is so simple and fast you can make it in minutes". Natalia didn't know who Tyler was until she learned about TFF, but is quickly becoming a fan of his simple, flavorful recipes!



Megan from My Baking Adventures hasn't had the best Tyler week, round 2 of the gnocchi battle was a no-go and although she had high hopes for a delicious-looking Ultimate Meatloaf, it turned out to be lacking in flavor, (although she found the tomato relish very tasty).  Megan said the meatloaf "wasn't bad, it just wasn't good". Luckily his Pistachio Biscotti, made with little chocolate chips instead of nuts, proved to be a winner and may be her new "go-to" biscotti recipe.




Another fantastic batch of Tyler's recipes this week. Don't forget you still have a little time to make the optional Megan's challenge Potato Gnocchi with Peas, Proscuitto and Ricotta for this month!  (What a great Saturday project!)

Have a great TFF and a fabulous weekend!

Friday, February 20, 2009

February 20th Round-Up!

It's that time again, as if we haven't had enough loving this past week, it's time for another Tyler Florence Fridays round-up! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and were extra good to your sweetie/mother/cat/child/neighbour.... you get the picture. A little extra lovin' is always a good thing, let's make it last!
Um, Donna? I am going to have to ask you to let Tyler up now.
Thanks!
Now, on to the fabulous food, shall we?

Kim of Stirring the Pot managed to make Tyler's Chicken Marsala even though she has been suffering from the flu. She was glad she did, as it was easy and delicious and just what she needed. Ah yes, Tyler the healer.


Reeni of Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice made these awesome Espresso Brownies for breakfast! Now that is my kind of gal. Fudgey, sweet and delicious with a great hit of espresso - who could ask for more? Oh, but there is more, my friend, there is more... a little cocoa whipped cream for extra indulgence!


This week in Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Penne Puttanesca which I loved. Bold flavours paired with al dente pasta, just the thing to wake up the senses and perfect with a little steak and a nice bottle of wine.


Pam of Sidewalk Shoes made this beautiful Apple Tart Tatin with Red Wine Caramel and Fresh Thyme. Just take a minute to think about that. Have you ever heard of such a wonderful and adult dessert flavour combination!?! Pam calls this treasure the ultimate apple pie for grown ups. Sigh.

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina made this Winter Panzanella Salad that sparkles like jewels. And it has beets so you know I have to make it! (Although my giant bag is almost gone..)
This salad was just brimming with goodness to help nurture her ailing hubby Carlo back to health. Wonderful!


Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs made Tyler's Ultimate Granola Parfaits with delicious homemade granola. She used some gourmet yogurt and a berry sauce with lemon for a wonderful breakfast treat. Wouldn't you like to wake up to that?!


Muneeba of An Edible Symphony made these Buttermilk Biscuits and declared them her personal best! She was absolutely thrilled with how flaky and delicious they were and is already gearing up to make another batch.


Michelle of Big Black Dogs isn't going to let any winter storm warning disturb her dreams of summer. This delicious Texas Cole Slaw brings memories of summer BBQs and sitting out to watch the sun set with a cold drink and warm friends.


Kristin of locallcfoods made this tasty Mexican Tortilla Soup for her family and was quite please with the great flavour and kick of heat. A couple of kids bowed out but you can't please all of the people all of the time! Especially if those people happen to be kids.


Leanne from Enjoying My Favourite Things made this lovely Semifreddo Cookies and Cream with Caramel dessert.
She was inspired to make it after watching Tyler make it on TV and found it incredibly delicious. Leanne can't wait to play with the recipe again soon for some more delicious variations.


Karen of Something Sweet by Karen made her very first souffles this week! Tyler's Raspberry Souffle turned out puffy and delicious and cured her of her souffle fears. Hmm, I wonder if it will do the same for my souffle fears?


Jenny from All Things Edible cooked up this great pot of Texas Chili for Tyler Florence Fridays. Tyler's recipe is her go-to version of this ultimate comfort food and never lets her down. And if the kids don't eat it? Just all the more for her!


Gabi from The Feast Within loves that Tyler encourages people to make their own salad dressings and she couldn't agree more. This week she made a Creamy Pesto Dressing from Stirring the Pot. Gabi is also helping to promote Tyler's Macys' Keeps America Cooking contest - please see her site or our previous round-ups for details.


Donna of My Tasty Treasures made an all-star meal with Tyler's Potatoes Gratin served with Emeril's Roast Beef and Rachel Ray's Succotash. Donna enjoys a special relationship with Tyler which may or may not include a restraining order! Just kidding, sorta. Donna was pleased that the whole meal was a success. Nice!


Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made this Baked Eggplant with Sesame Yogurt and Mint. Living in a tropical paradise means lots of great produce all year round and Deb has been showcasing healthy meals with fresh ingredients this year. She paired it with Bud's Special Rice from The Language of Baklava for a wonderfully delicious meal.


Andrea of Nummy Kichen made this delicious Coconut Curry Eggplant with Cashews which she and her family absolutely loved. She was sorry when the leftovers were gone and is already missing it. This is her first time making ghee too, great job Andrea!

~
That concludes this week's round up. As usual lots of great recipes to share! Thanks to everyone for participating.
~
Don't forget about our February Megan's Challenge (details are
here).
Megan picked an awesome choice this month that you won't want to miss:
Potato Gnocchi with Peas, Prosciutto and Ricotta.

Friday, February 13, 2009

February 13th Round-Up!


It's Friday the 13th today, but I feel lucky because it's also time for another Tyler Florence Fridays and we have a lot of yummy Tyler recipes to share.

First off, please give a warm welcome to TFF's newest member, Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina.

And lets get to those recipes!

Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, we will start this week with some desserts. First up, Karen from Something Sweet By Karen is showing her love through chocolate (my favorite way!) and with some gorgeous-looking Truffle Tarts with Raspberries. With Oreo chocolate crusts, bittersweet chocolate and a raspberry tucked away inside, these are the perfect little decadent treats.



Self-described "Brownie Slave", Gabi from The Feast Within chose Amaretto Chocolate Brownies recipe for a variation on her favorite treat thanks to her trust in his recipes. Tyler's recipe made a thicker brownie than Gabi is used to and we have to wait for the full report until after they cool, but the quick taste she took before work found them to be "full of chocolaty-Amaretto goodness".



Christy from Enjoying My Favorite Things must be on the same wavelength as Gabi, she went for his Amaretto Brownies too! Although a bigger fan of his Rocky Road Brownies, Christy liked this recipe and may have found a new favorite ingredient in the Amaretto (although she felt like the recipe could have used more of it). She felt they were a really good brownie too.



Cinnamon Bun Babka was this week's pick for Andrea from Nummy Kitchen and what a plump babka it was. Following the advice from comments on the Food Network site to double the filling made it tough to maneuver the bread but Andrea still loved the amazing flavor and soft texture of this bread and wants to try it again, Tyler's way, with a bit less filling.



Natashya of Living In the Kitchen With Puppies loves her beets and loves Tyler for helping her on her quest to work through a giant bag of them through his Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt recipe. Moist, delicious and similar to a muffin or coffee cake, Natashya used her own homemade yogurt on top, drizzled them with honey and garnished them with a beet chip and declared this a make again recipe. Tyler would be proud!



Also in the mood for sweets was Pam from Sidewalk Shoes who chose Ginger Spice Cake for the most excellent reason that she had everything she needed to make it in her pantry (don't you love it when that happens?!). The ginger cake, and it aroma when baking were amazing, and the warm, sweet, tart, earthy cranberry sauce, put it over the top. Gorgeous!



Joanne from Eats Well With Others, who had a Tyler Florence Monday this week with Grilled Marinated Strip Steak which she served with some roasted red potatoes and peppers. A departure from her usual veggie fare, Joanne adapted Tyler's spicy, sweet savory rub and assuaged her red meat cravings with a delicious meal. (Since Joanne's camera was acting up, she thought you would like to see Tyler's version of the dish).



Jenny at All Things Edible went for Tyler's Lasagna Bolognese from his Dinner at My Place cookbook. Jenny chose to let lots of beautiful pictures of the lasagna going together do the talking for her but I think she really liked this one! Check out the photos on her post, it certainly looks delicious.



Megan from My Adventures in Baking was in an Italian frame of mind too and picked Tyler's Tagliatelle Bolognese this week. Megan was so busy baking this week, she enlisted her hubby to make the dish and it turned out great! A hearty, meaty, delicious recipe that made plenty to freeze for later meals and some for her daughter's gourmet lunch box too.



Our newest member, Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina is kicking off her first TFF entry with Tyler's Brick Chicken with Apricot Couscous. Finding the recipes online, she really liked the moist chicken's delicious flavor. The sauce, which wasn't too heavy and the couscous, (she substituted the dates she had on hand for the apricots) were great too. Dinner and her first entry were a big hit!



Donna from My Tasty Treasures has some BIG love for Tyler and now some big love for his Chicken Francese. It was the perfect lemony, tender and juicy chicken dish, served with some of Rachel Ray's Ratatouille Veggie Sauce for a true Food Network Dinner. You can read more about this dish and about Donna's Tyler fantasies on her post, but be warned...it's pretty steamy in her kitchen!



Not all of Tyler's Chicken dishes got a rave review this week, Kristen at locallcfoods,wasn't feeling the love with Tyler's Chicken Pot Pie. The roux might have needed a need a bit more thickening time as she ended up with a bit more "soup" than pot pie, resulting in some soggy bottom crust. Her kids enjoyed it but Kristen and her husband both found it a bit bland and wanted more flavor.



Kim from Stirring The Pot, continues working her way through Tyler's Cookbook this week with a variety of recipes: Bacon-Wrapped Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy, Crepes Suzette with Kumquat-Butter Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Zucchini Ricotta Bruschetta, Rosemary-Garlic Mozzarella Balls with Roasted Cherry Tomato Dipping Sauce and the new staple in her house Chicken Parmesan. You can check out all the details on the recipes and her reviews at her site.



Muneeba from An Edible Symphony made her husband very happy by making Tyler's Ultimate Chili Cheese Dogs so he could "chomp down on some man-food" while watching sports on the big screen. This spicy, hearty recipe made the best cheese dog either Muneeba or her husband had ever eaten, causing her to rate it as a solid "HOME RUN!"



Susy from Everyday Foods also was in the mood for chili, in this case, Tyler's Mexican Pork Chili. Susy liked the combo of the pork and spices and especially the fried tortilla strips and melted cheese. It was the perfect thing to have waiting for her husband's return from a trip; they both loved it!


Michelle from Big Black Dog was craving some mushroom soup so she selected Tyler's Wild Mushroom with Roasted Fennel and Chestnut Soup to make this week. She was happy to find a new favorite, the best mushroom soup (by far!) she has ever tasted. Michelle really loved the flavor the roasted fennel and thyme gave this rich and delicious soup.



I went the quick and easy route this week with my travels and chose Tyler's Cucumber Raita to go with some turkey-falafel patties I made. I liked Tyler's recipe, it was flavorful with a nice kick from the red chilie and the cumin flavor went well with the falafel spices. Quick, easy and healthy, a great sauce for meat or veggies and makes a good dip too.



That concludes this week's round up. As usual lots of great recipes to share! Thanks to everyone for participating.

Don't forget about our February Megan's Challenge (details are here). Megan picked an awesome choice this month that you won't want to miss: Potato Gnocchi with Peas, Prosciutto and Ricotta.

Have a wonderful and lucky day!