A little while back I interviewed Lauren DeSantis, the host of the public access show Capital Cooking. And even though my write up wasn’t terribly nice, Lauren entertained my idea of meeting up to talk about featuring DC food bloggers on her show. I’m such a self-serving little bitch. I know.
Anyway, Lauren and I hung out at her and her husband’s gorgeous Penn Quarter apartment (she’s a lawyer by day) and chatted about her show, about food, about Alton Brown. And how in awe I was of her ability to cook, look cute, not cut herself and make conversation all while being filmed. But I’ll get back to that in a second. By the end of the night we came up with some fun ideas on how to incorporate the vibrant blogging scene on to her show.
Hence the FOOD BLOGGERS CHALLENGE. EEK! Lauren rounded up three other DC food writer/enthusiasts and we’re gonna fuck shit up on public access!
My Opponents
Lauren DeSantis / Capital Cooking
April Fulton / The Food Scribe
Alison McConnell / Humble Gourmand
Johnna Rowe / Johnna Knows Good Food
We wanted to really play up the idea of blogging and make it as interactive as possible so we need your help with Phase 1. We’re letting our combined blog audience pick which dish we’ll make on the show. The episode will air in winter so we’re going with a comfort food theme.
The Choices Lasagna / Chili / Chicken Potpie / Mac-n-Cheese
Everyone will create their interpretation of the dish and then be judged…I’ll let you know more about the judging in a bit…
Go vote for the dish you most want me to put a fried egg over.
And let’s start thinking about my on-air outfit! Britannia? Help! And yes, I know, I have many hours of practice just by looking at the photo above. (I’m wearing this band on my shirt.)
Three different beers open on the counter at the same time!
That’s bound to end well.
Give ‘em hell, Gansie!
I voted for lasagna – it seems like the most camera-friendly of the bunch and the one that allows for the most creativity.
bring on the mac n cheese!
pot pie is winning! I must object! Pot Pie is a baked-good and a poor measure of COOKING ability. Booo
Pot pie also seems like a really bad idea for a televised cooking program – long cooking time and multiple simultaneous steps could be really problematic with five people cooking at the same time.
who ARE these mysterious pot pie-loving voters???
I say mac and cheese – well I think really anything but chili- chili cook-offs are for people with no skill I feel like (ok I’m bound to piss someone off with that statement)
Like ME!!! We should have a chili cook-off! Gans- then you could incorporate your corn bread!
I do think we need a chili cook off, but that can wait until winter. Chili and August don’t seem like a good mix.
Maybe we need a bot to vote for Lasagna?
think catherine andrews and her crew still lurk around ES?
If they do, you’re looking at a Chicken Pot Pie throwdown…
now lasagna has pulled ahead of mac n cheese but is still way behind…the problem is that the cheesy vote is being split two ways
Oh you know I have a million and one ideas for you looking fab (but really, i’ve seen you at parties, you don’t really need any help), Bloomingdale’s, Cusp, Barney’s… We’ll find you something.
I vote for chili – but please no fried egg – on anything!
I vote Mac & Cheese
so tell me, Mrs. BS — you’re not into my fried egg obsession?
What kind of time are you looking at for preparing this dish? Because that affects my vote. ( I would like you to know that I am tired enough that I had to look up affect v. effect online in order to write that statement, but I don’t care that it’s not a full sentence.)
rooms, thanks for asking such a detailed follow up Q. the timing will probably be rough. there’s 5 of us and its a half hour show. it will be very little cooking on air and more or less pulling finished products out of the oven. at least that’s what i’m thinking.
Congrats on the op! I voted lasagna. It’s the best in case you want to improv and add the fried egg for real… Wear yellow, it’s a nice TV color!
I am a chicken pot pie fan, love it with a nice crispy crust
I am going to vote regular and often(it is allowed)
CHICKEN POT PIE
you can’t vote more than once! that’s cheating!
LASAGNA LASAGNA LASAGNA LASAGNA LASAGNA. And put some pine nuts in it.
gotta go with Pot pie. So many variations…
You can go with a pie or puff pastry crust for classic.
You can go cornbread for a black bean chicken pie or something else mexican.
You could even go asian and do something like the peking duck pancakes over a scallion-y chicken.
I agree with pot pie. It’s a multi-step process. Some tricky texture trip-ups await. And it might even be ace with an egg on it… Bring it!