WOOHOO!  Who’s ready for another season of The Next Food Network Star???!!  I know I am.  You know, I sorta knew Rory (the runnerup) from Season 3.  She was also in another reality show filmed in Vega, TX and we lived at the Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch at the time.  She fell in love with a cowboy! 

Anyways, there are some new faces and new challenges this season and by the looks of the sneak peek I got of the episode, it’s gonna be a great show! 

I’ve got a surprise related to The Next Food Network Star coming soon:)  So be sure to stay tuned and scroll down and read the press release!

Bobby Flay Turns Up The Summer Heat For Ten Finalists With The Chance To Star in Their Own Series

Season Four of Food Network’s Top-Rated Program, “The Next Food Network Star” Sizzles
With Guest Appearances by Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, And Many More!

The Next Food Network Star is back this summer with a star-studded fourth season on Food Network. This season Bobby Flay takes a seat with the selection committee full-time and the finalists are put through the ringer to prove that they can take the cake (and the pizza, and the lobster, and the potato salad) to be the last chef standing and winner of his-or-her own Food Network show. The series kicks off  on Sunday, June 1st at 10pm ET/PT.

“What’s unique about The Next Food Network Star is that having top culinary chops is only half the battle,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production. “If you can’t find the winning formula to deliver first rate creative food, a unique culinary point of view, and star charisma week after week, you’re going home. This year’s finalists are absolutely the most talented and fiercely competitive we’ve ever had on the show.”

The 10 finalists include: Nipa Bhatt (Victoria, MN), Jennifer Cochrane (Woonsocket, RI), Lisa Garza (Dallas, TX), Adam Gertler (Philadelphia, PA), Cory Kahaney (New York, NY), Shane Lyons (Colorado Springs, CO), Aaron McCargo Jr. (Camden, NJ), Kelsey Nixon (North Ogden, UT), Kevin Roberts (San Diego, CA), and Jeffrey Vaden (White Plains, NY).

This season’s finalists are put to the test with complex challenges that determine their culinary competence and on-screen star potential. Challenges include a late night race through the streets of Manhattan, creating easy versions of complicated dishes for the staff of Bon Appétit magazine, teaming up with girl scouts to create healthy meals and cooking under the bright lights on the Las Vegas strip.

Throughout June and July, the selection committee, aided by a rotating cast of remarkable guest stars including Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Cat Cora, Sandra Lee, Gina and Pat Neely, Masaharu Moriomto, Tyler Florence, Michael Symon and Season Two winner Guy Fieri, will narrow the field down until the finale. This season, the selection committee will select the winner and he-or-she will be revealed during the series’ finale on Sunday, July 27th at 10pm ET/PT and will receive a six-episode show that will premiere in August 2008. The Next Food Network Star is produced by CBS EYE too Productions.

Fans of The Next Food Network Star can make their voices heard, by logging on to www.FoodNetwork.com/Star and participating in the network’s first-ever “fan favorite” vote! Starting Monday, June 2nd, viewers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite contestants throughout the season. The finalist with the most votes will be crowned the “fan favorite” and will win assorted prizes.

Social networking is common among various niches (topics), but I never thought about it for the food niche until today when I ran across Food Connect.  What an awesome idea!  To join a community where everyone has the same thing in common….FOOD.  It’s really brilliant and there are some features that set this place apart from others that I’ll dicuss below.  This is a lengthy post but I hope you bare with me and read why I love Food Connect and why you should join!

NUTRITION ANALYSIS

How cool is this feature??!  When you click on a recipe, you are able to see the nutrition facts about it.  I think this is such a great idea, especially for the health conscience people.  Whether your trying to lose weight or get your blood pressure down, it’s always smart to see what you’re taking in.  At least then, you are able to think about it and decide whether or not you should have it. 

All you have to do to see this feature on a recipe, is submit it for a nutrition analysis and this little information box will show up when your recipe is clicked on.  This is just plain smart and definitely sets Food Connect apart from others.  As you can see, I chose the Chocolate Chip Cookies and by the look at it, I would have to do thousands of sit-ups to melt that fat away….LOL.

SHARE, PRINT, REVIEW, AND RATE

These may seem like small features to most but they are quite powerful.  Having the option to email a recipe saves me time.  It’s also a great way to make your recipe ‘viral’.  One person shares it and then that person emails it to someone else and then before you know it, it’s everywhere and they’re all joining Food Connect so they can find more great recipes from you and others! WOOHOO!  Okay, I got a little excited there but it really is a very useful option. 

Printing a recipe should speak for itself.  I know that sometimes I just don’t have time to go back to my bookmarks and find that one recipe I saved.  It’s a huge time-saver for me to print it and stick it in my recipe binder.  What? You don’t have a recipe binder?….We’ll talk about that another time.  When you click on print, you are taken to a new page that is only black & white text which is exactly what I like.  As much as I enjoy the pictures, when I’m ready to print a recipe, I simply want the recipe and nothing else.

How do you know if a recipe is good or not?  Easy–check out their rating.  There are 6 ratings that you can choose from.  Not recommended all the way to 5 stars.  Why do I love this feature you ask?  I want to cook good food, not something that tastes like it was just run over.  Being able to see how a recipe rates will help me decide whether or not I’ll be making it for supper tonight!

Along with ratings, members can also give a review.  This is especially useful if say, you tried a recipe but added to it or changed it up, you can explain what you did to it or why you changed it.  You can also say why you recommend it or don’t. 

MY FAVORITE FEATURE!

Being able to plan your meals and then print your shopping list is my absolute favorite thing about this site!  When you plan your meals, you are saving money.  By knowing exactly what you need to buy and having a list to look at, you are getting exactly what you need to make your meals and not overspending on junk food and items that are the result of spontaneous actions.  We have 3 kids and limited funds.  Meal planning is essential and being able to print the shopping list accordingly is icing on the cake!

There is so much more you can do at this site. 

• Create a dinner party.
• Discussion with other foodies.
• Much more and it’s all free! 

It loads super fast and it only takes 15 seconds to sign up.  It’s beautifully laid out and the colors are vibrant.  I really can’t say enough about this site.  I recommend you join and try it out for yourself.  I would love for you to come back and tell me how your experience was with it and what you love about Food Connect.