Kelly Liken on the Food Network's Iron Chef Tonight!

This post doesn't have anything to do with pizza, but my friend Adeline's granddaughter, Kelly Liken, is going to be on the Iron Chef tonight.  I only met Kelly once - and it was a very long time ago - but I hear stories about her all the time from her very proud grandmother! 

Here's what the Food Network says about tonight's showdown on their website:  "Colorado Chef Kelly Liken takes on the newest Iron Chef Garces in her first entry to Kitchen Stadium. Will Chef Liken's fresh take on secret ingredient be enough to best Iron Chef Garces? Tune in to see whose cuisine reigns supreme!"

We're excited and wish her the best of luck!

Pizza Fusion YouTube Video Recipe Contest

Pizza Fusion is celebrating Earth Day with an online YouTube video contest and it sounds like fun - think up a recipe for an "Earth-savng pizza", make a video of it and upload your video to YouTube.  After you've done that, submit your video to Pizza Fusion and tell them why it should win.  You then have to promote, promote, promote because the top five most viewed/highest rated videos will be judged.

The panel of judges include:  Chef Aaron McCargo Jr (the Food Network), Mike Singer (Bon Appetite Magazine), Craig Agranoff (WorstPizza.com), Jen Friel, and Pizza Fusion's Co-Founder, Vaughan Lazar.

The prizes are pretty awesome, too, with the top prize a trip for two to an organic, sustainable vineyard.  Other prizes include a Trek bike, a year's supply of Honest Tea, gift cards from Earthbound Farms, Whole Foods and Pizza Fusion, and more - and your recipe will be featured on the Pizza Fusion website.

And to top it all off in a very nice way, funds raised as of result of the contest will be donated to Share Our Strength.

Crawfish and Andouille Sausage Pizza Recipe - URS on the Food Network

I love the Ultimate Recipe Showdown (known as "URS") on the Food Network!  Last night was the season opener with the contestants competing in the Comfort Food category.  Although I was personally hoping that return contestant and blogger Emily Hobbs would win so that she could fulfill her dream of going to culinary school, I was also delighted to see that the winning recipe was a pizza!  Gail Churinetz won the signature round with her Crawfish and Andoille Sausage Pizza recipe.

Pizza Cone Update

I just read on Hilton Head's Blog a la Carte that Pino Gelato and their fabulous Pizza Cone will be featured on the Food Network's Unwrapped on February 22 at 9:00.  Don't miss it!

Pino Gelato Pizza Cone - Hilton Head Island, SC & Cranberry/Butler, PA

Pino Gelato
The Village at Wexford
Hilton Head Island, SC

We loved Pino Gelato's Pizza Cone!

We were intrigued when we read about the Pizza Cone on Hilton Head Island's Blog a la Carte blog - when we saw that it is going to be featured on an upcoming episode of the Food Network's Unwrapped, we knew we had to try it while we were there last week.

I thought it would be a gimmick - I never expected it to be as tasty as it was!

A Pizza Cone is basically pizza in a cone shaped crust, which makes it easy to hold - perfect for a lunch on the go. It is baked to order in a special pizza cone oven and served piping hot. The crust is exceptional - very flaky, almost like a pastry, and just downright delicious. The sauce, which is made on the premises, is also very good - slightly spicy with a rich flavor. There is cheese throughout, and a layer of cheese at the bottom of the cone, which helps seal in the sauce and tastes like a bite of cheese bread.

The pizza cone is $3.25 for a Margherita, $3.50 for Pepperoni or Sausage, or $3.50 for an Italian Hot Dog. They also have daily Pizza Cone specials, as well as two combos - a Pizza Cone and gelato for $5.95 or Pizza Cone and soda for $4.50.

We were happy to hear that Pino Gelato is opening a location in the Butler/Cranberry area - that's not very close to us, but it will be worth the trip.

P.S. The gelato at Pino Gelato is amazing also!