Bravo, Top Chef & Me

I have some exciting news to share with you.

I'm working with Bravo.

That's the short version of the story.



The long version (not too long- easy on the keyboard) is that a few weeks ago Bravo TV contacted me to ask if I wanted to be a part of a team of bloggers that will be recapping and reviewing Top Chef- Seattle, as well as engaging others in social media surrounding the show AND giving away Top Chef-Seattle swag to those that choose to hang out in the Break Room from time to time. You know I said yes! Well, I said "yes" a few weeks later because I missed the initial e-mail.

Dingdang it.

The good thing is, they're only 6 shows in now, so I haven't missed too much. I went on a Top Chef-Seattle binge last night and now I'm all caught up.

bravo, top chef

But, I have a confession to make.

I have never watched Top Chef before.

(I take that back. I DID watch a few scenes at the gym once while I was on the treadmill.)

I'm hooked now. I love it. How could this have been on for TEN seasons and I haven't watched every single show? Parts of it remind me of The Apprentice, which I also love.

My sister is ALL about Bravo. She said that if all the channels were taken off her TV and she could only choose one to keep, it would be Bravo. She also loves Top Chef and is a major foodie.

Me?

Not a foodie.

One of my favorite dishes to make is Upside Down Pizza, which involves 6 ingredients, two of which are powdered spaghetti sauce and Pillsbury crescent rolls from the refrigerated aisle.

More proof that I'm not a foodie? One of my most read posts of this blog is about a cupcake class I took that involved some REALLY awful looking cupcakes I made, including one I called the D-CUPcake. It actually won the prize at the end, but I'm thinking that had nothing to do with how pretty I made it.

I like to eat and I like to cook, but I don't get all bent out of shape like those Top Chef judges do if the garlic does this when it is supposed to do that. (I do get a little ticked if my noodles don't come out, ahem, al dente, I have to say.) Thankfully, Bravo doesn't require that I be a foodie. I will try to make and share some of their recipes from time to time. I can just tell by looking at some of you that you care about your recipes and your cardamom and your nutmeg and your Old Spice.

Next week, I will recap and toss in my nonsense along the way. Today I just wanted to let you know why you'll be seeing Top Chef posts from me. I will either have my post up on Wednesday nights right after the show or I will have it up the very next day. I'd love for you to jump in with your thoughts, too!

Though this isn't a recap like you can expect to start seeing next week, I do have a few comments:
  • I now know how to correctly say "Sur La Table", but I sure as heck won't be saying it that way from now on.
    • "Hey, honey, I need to go get a cookie sheet from 'sir la tahb'. I'll be right back."
    • "Where did you say you were going again?"
    • "'Sir la tahb."
    • "Sir la who?"
    • "SIR LA TAHB. IT'S FRENCH, YOU NIT WIT!" The next thing you know, we'll have each other's belongings in the front yard and I don't want any of my stuff getting grass all over it.

  • The fancier of a cook you are, the more likely you'll throw two ingredients together that have never met. "Good evening, guest-of-honor. Tonight I am simply delighted to have you try my very tasty Duck and Andes Mints Risotto. Please do let me know how you like it."

  • There is such a thing as salmon candy. SALMON. CANDY. I am so getting a stash of that to hand out October 31st, 2013. "Hey, kid, at least it's not an apple!!", I'll yell out the door over and over to the sad, crying faces that will be moping toward their parents.

  • I want to make popcorn grits. Or maybe not. They weren't good on the show last night. Still, I am in love with grits or, as an elderly family member once called them, "drits". My love of grits all started at Donald's Safari Breakfast at The Animal Kingdom. What I would give for some of those drits right now...

  • That Gail Simmons is a hard one to impress. If I made my Upside Down Pizza for her, she'd probably pick me up and throw me through the ceiling. All you'd see are my legs sticking out of the sheet rock.

  • Dude needs to get an eyeglass necklace.

I could go on, but I know you've got to get to "sir la tahb".
Oh!

Before you go, make sure you go and Save-A-Chef! The three up for elimination are Chef Eliza, Chef Tyler and Chef Kuniko. You can vote to save them by going to Twitter and using the hashtags #savechefeliza, #savecheftyler or #savechefkuniko. You can also text A to 27286 for Chef Eliza, text B to 27286 for Chef Kuniko or text C to 27286 for Chef Tyler.

Check back next week so we can dish on the dishes!

(That was pretty bad, wasn't it?)

I'm required to disclose a relationship between Kelley's Break Room and Bravo. This could include Bravo providing me w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.