Fans of Guy Fieri - 2009

I thought the last post of the year should be about the fans.

The most interesting thing about this blog has been all the emails I've received with comments and questions about Guy Fieri and his comings and goings. It was, in large part, due to these emails why I put together Guy Fieri FAQ's, the most popular, looked-at and googled post in this blog.

- What Fans are asking about -
About half of the questions I receive have something to do with Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. People are looking for video clips and recipes from shows that have already aired, and they're looking for more information on local restaurants where Guy has taped, but those segments haven't yet aired. They want to know where Guy has been, what he ate and where he's going to tape next.

- Most popular Triple D cities and states -
Houston, by a wide 3:1 ratio
Buffalo, a distant second
Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois and Arizona follow in search popularity
Speaking of Illinois, The Shanty wins the most-searched single restaurant award for 2009.

- What Guy Fieri wears -
Second to DDD questions, people want to know what Guy Fieri is wearing. Guy's shirts are the most common question. Were I in the marketing business, I'd encourage him to develop a clothing line. Second to shirts, people want to know about his sunglasses, watches and rings. To date, no questions about his socks. Haha.

- Guy's wife, children, family and friends -
The third most popular set of questions relate to Guy's family. Daily, someone is looking for pictures of Lori Fieri. Hunter is a popular search too, followed by Ryder, Guy's sister Morgan and Guy's parents.

- Recipes -
30% of all people who visit this blog are looking for a recipe. The most popular search of 2009? Anything that has to do with Wilson's BBQ.

If I have a goal for this blog in 2010, it will be to document more thoroughly the recipes and episodes of Guy's Big Bite. The popularity of Triple D rubs a little shine off my favorite of Guy's shows.

- Most popular pictures of 2009 -
1. Guy Fieri's garage after DIY's Garage Mahal overhaul - view
2. Guy Fieri holding his baby son, Ryder - view
3. Map of the Guy Fieri Road Show, 2009 - view
4. Guy and Lori Fieri at the Kentucky Derby, 2009 - view

- Where do Guy Fieri fans live? -
95% of this blog's visitors live in the United States
4% are Canadian
and the other 1% live in other countries.

In the United States, Californians are the #1 visitors, with New York and Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania rounding out the top five.

- How many visitors? -
On average, this blog had 16,000 visitors each month in 2009. And my companion blog, Fans of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, had almost 30,000.

Thank you for reading, and continue to write in to me. I so enjoy the friends I've made through this blog. Best to you and yours for a brilliant, safe and successful 2010.

Foodies Like Us - an Arizona Triple D event

Foodies Like Us (website) in partnership with Mesa Arts Center proudly presented: An Evening with Guy Fieri and Arizona's Own Diner, Drive-in and Dive Chefs. The event was timed in the hours before the Guy Fieri Road Show in Mesa, Arizona, Friday December 18, 2009.


Tickets were $48 (+ service fee) for admission to Guy Fieri's Road Show and pre-party featuring Arizona Diner's Drive-ins and Dives chefs and menu samplings. The event also served as a benefit for the local food bank.

The Arizona-based restaurants who catered the pre-party event included:

Roberto's Mexican Food - no website - video
Thee Pitt's Again - website - video
Chino Bandido - website - video
Joe's Farm Grill - website - video
Salsa Brava - website - video
Haus Murphy's - website - video
La Piazza Al Forno - website - video
Giusseppe's on 28th - website - video
Los Taquitos - website - video
Over Easy - website - video
Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery - website - video

Readers, in this case, Triple D stands for one Darned Delicious Dinner!

Click here to view a map of all of Arizona's restaurants in and around Phoenix and Flagstaff, as seen on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.


The Phoenix New Times reported on the event, saying in part,

"Los Taquitos in Ahwatukee proved to be a crowd favorite -- or at least, a Guy favorite. While in town, Guy popped by the 10-year-old eatery run by five sisters for lunch. "Everyone was talking about it and coming in to see Guy," said oldest sister Adrianna.

Over Easy in Phoenix showed off their mouthwatering brioche french toast with caramelized banana and pecans. ​​Joe's Farm Grill tossed in an unexpected ahi slider, and Haus Murphy's in Glendale brought out the apple strudel and hackbraten (German-style meatloaf). Add that to barbecued pork, mango mousse, Emerald Chicken from Chino Bandido and Salsa Brava's tacos and you had one satisfied and stuffed foodie crowd."

Click here to read the full article.

Photo credits to David Blakeman of Blakeman Photo

The event in Mesa was unique to all of the 21 cities visited on the Road Show tour. No one else put such effort forth honoring locally-owned restaurants and in support of their area's eateries and food bank. Bravo, Foodies Like Us. Bravo.

I'd like to encourage everyone to check out GuyFieri.com/tourdates to see a message from Guy Fieri, thanking everyone for their hard work towards the success of the Road Show and suggests, yes. There will be a Guy Fieri Road Show 2010.

"We will see you again on the next tour ... stay tuned ... we're just getting' started!" - Guy Fieri

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Guy Fieri merchandise - a watch and a bobble head

Fans of Guy Fieri are well familiar with the orange-faced watch he frequently wears. The Doxa SUB 750T GMT Professional is now available through Guy's website at guyfieri.com/doxa_sub_watch, or call Doxa's customer service directly at (866) 230-2922.


Hold on to your hats, folks. The DOXA SUB 750T GMT is priced at $2790. The watch ships directly from the Doxa factory in Biel/Switzerland; price includes shipping. For more information on the specifications of this watch, visit www.doxawatches.com/sub750_GMT_pro.

On the lighter side of Guy Fieri merchandise, Guy's website now has a new Guy Fieri bobble head doll. Priced at $18, this is a Collector's Edition Bobble Head, in limited quantity. Get 'em while we have 'em. Click here for more information or to purchase.

To view all of Guy Fieri's merchandise, click here.

For those who attended any of the live performances of the Guy Fieri Road Show, you will have noticed a large selection of tour T-shirts, bags, aprons and more. I am hoping that this merchandise will become available to the rest of us sometime down the line. (Hint-hint, Mr. Consigliere. If you upload it, we will buy ....)


I don't know about you, but I'm loving the "Fork Yeah" shirt. Haha.

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Random tidbits from the last few months

Sometimes I run across pictures, tidbits of news and rather random things that just don't fit in other posts. Either that, or what I find is something about which I've already posted. So this, rather random post, is just my way of cleaning out the fridge ....

Guy Fieri and Kenny Stabler, taping an upcoming special on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives called Triple D Goes Tailgatin’. This was filmed at an Oakland Raiders game on September 14, 2009. For more from the day's shoot, click here. The episode is due to air on January 25, 2010. Click here for more information on this episode.


Guy Fieri flipping a coin while taping Tailgate Warriors on August 15, 2009. Click here for more information on this Food Network special. The episode aired on October 17, 2009 to a lot of interest by tailgaters everywhere. It's a great idea for an entire series of shows; one hopes it might be picked up for a full season in 2010.



Here, Guy Fieri and his crew do a radio interview before the Guy Fieri Road Show in San Jose, California on 107.7 The Bone: The Bay Area's Rock Station, based in San Francisco, CA. www.1077thebone.com


Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3

Foodies Like Us hosted a pre-party before the Mesa, Arizona performance of the Guy Fieri Road Show. Here, Susie Timm of FoodiesLikeUs.com discusses the Guy Fieri Road Show tour while Joe Johnston of Joe's Farm Grill demonstrate his Seared Ahi Sandwich.



The party had food catered by the local chefs and restaurant owners who've been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in and around Mesa, Arizona. Pictured below, Guy Fieri talks with the restaurant owners about involving kids in learning about real food.


BethCochran snapped a quick pic too.

Guy Fieri's publicist sent out a Twitter that Guy will be a guest on The Jay Leno show, January 5, 2010.

And last little note: Carolyn in Carolina is giving away a signed copy of the first book, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, by Guy Fieri, in celebration of her 200th post. Click here for more information on how to qualify to win.

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Big Daddy's BBQ smoked turkey

I did something I've never done before; I wrote to some of the restaurants that Guy Fieri visited for Triple D.

Usually, the Food Network will post one recipe from each of the restaurants from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. But for whatever reason, at the time of this writing, no recipes have been given for any restaurants from the A North Pole Christmas episode, filmed in and around Fairbanks, Alaska. Fans of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives North Pole episode guide.

Harold Groetsema of Big Daddy's Bar-B-Q & Banquet Hall, 107 Wickersham St., Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 wrote back with their recipe for Smoked Turkey.

Big Daddy’s Smoked Turkey

I think the way I smoke the turkey is the key to a juicy turkey. The brine is a basic brine with salt and sugar and spices to my liking. You can get a good brine from the internet to start. The rub, just find one on the internet that you like the flavor of, make it without the salt added, there will be enough salt flavor from the brine.

Step 1: Thaw a 12 to 15lb turkey in the refrigerator

Step 2: Make your brine, let cool. Place turkey in brine and submerge for minimum 18 hours.

Step 3: Remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly, inside and out.

Step 4: Pat turkey dry with paper towels, Apply 2 -3 Tbls of Olive Oil and massage the whole bird. Slide fingers under skin to separate from breast.

Step 5: Apply a little dry rub under skin, pull skin back over breast. Apply rub to inside cavity and over whole turkey like a heavy salt & pepper. Massage rub into skin, fold wings over to make a nice presentation. Tie the drumsticks together. You can add apples or oranges inside cavity at this time if wanted.

Step 6: Place in smoker and cook @ 300 degrees with hickory chunks for smoke. Check temperature in breast at the 90 minute mark. Remove turkey when breast is temping between 158 -162, let turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving or let sit and place in cooler after 1 hour.

Happy Holidays and thank you for watching the show, shoot me an email and let me know how it turned out.

Big Daddy

Contact information at www.bigdaddysbarb-q.com. Thank you Big Daddy! Happy Holidays to you and yours, and best of the New Year to one and all.



Click here for complete information on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, A North Pole Christmas, including restaurant locations and video segments from the show.

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The end of a long Road Show tour

The Guy Fieri Road Show has come and gone. Reviews, pictures, comments and articles are still streaming in; I'll hit interesting points as I come across them. Check out this page on FoodNetwork.com for a gallery of photographs from the Guy Fieri Road Show.

The tour buses traveled some 8,800 miles across the country, an estimated 140 hours on the road, just to get from venue to venue.

Guy Fieri Road Show 2009

Now four years since Guy Fieri started with the Food Network, the tour coincided with career high points: the release of his 2nd book, both books on the New York Times bestseller's list simultaneously, and the announcement of a new show with NBC.

Guy, on behalf of your fans, Merry Christmas! May you enjoy some time off with good friends and cherished family. Congratulations on all you've been able to achieve, and best wishes for continued successes.

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Pictures and more reviews from Guy Fieri Road Show

I've found quite a few collections of photographs from the Guy Fieri Road Show. I'll collect more in the list below as I come across them.


Guy Fieri Roadshow (Nashville) - click here
guy fieri road show [12.11.2009] - click here
joninseattle - click here
2009 Guy Fieri Roadshow in Seattle - click here
twibelly's photostream December 2009 - click here
purplefrogterp's Photostream "fieri" - click here
ceiltich, House of Blues, Las Vegas - click here

Reviews from the Road Show continue to be positive, with only a few disappointed ticket holders, this tweet, forum entry and a personal note from a ticket holder who said Guy was tired. One wonders if 21 shows in 30 days is too ambitious even for someone of Guy's high energy levels? Or perhaps more likely, people just don't know what to expect, and expectations can oftentimes lead to disappointment.

Yet more Guy Fieri Road Show reviews are positive than not. Sfingerhut twittered, "Came to San Jose. Had to leave early because the sound was so horrible where we were sitting. Still huge Triple D fan!" And Rob McCleland, a regular reader of this blog said in part,

"Guy couldn't have been nicer. You can tell he has done many book signings because they move you through the line quickly and efficiently; he signs your book how you want it, then you get a quick picture. He talks to you as he is quickly signing and there isn't a ton of time, and the other guys that ensure the line keeps moving....

The show itself was awesome. ... it was an awesome night! My buddy ... said it was one of the best nights of his life ... the Kulinary Gangstas [went] of their way to make you feel great."

He and his business partner, Tony, visited 12 restaurants from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (10 in L.A. and 2 in San Diego) in the spirit of their upcoming attendance at the Guy Fieri Road Show in Los Angeles, California at the Wiltern. Rob wrote, "I've now been to 60 this year and only gained 5 pounds!" He recommended Hodad's, Polka, Mambos and Mom's Tamales.

Of Mambo's, Rob continued, "Mambos has the all time sweetest owner: Raul, Sr. He was such a nice man that took great care of us. He asked us to relay a message to Guy later that night in LA: 'Thank you for all you have done for me.'"

At the VIP meet & greet that night, Rob and Tony snagged a shout out to me, from Guy. The video is upside down, but it's only 14 seconds long. I'll just have to ask you to deal with it until I learn how to invert the video. Haha.

"Hey guy." ~D

If you had your picture taken with Guy Fieri at a book signing or meet & greet, check www.guyfieri.com/guysightings.

And I was given the gift of a personalized, signed copy of Guy Fieri's book, More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, from another regular reader who attended the Road Show. Thanks so much to you both for being so thoughtful!

The Road Show has its Grand Finale show at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada tonight, Saturday, December 19, 2009.

I've already had questions, "Will there be a Guy Fieri Road Show in 2010?" That question has yet to be answered. I think it will all depend on how the books balance, red or black, at the end of this one.

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Guy Fieri to host Perfect 10 game show on NBC

Food blogs are a-buzz and, quite frankly, in disbelief that Guy Fieri is rumored to host a new game show on NBC. The story started with a post in www.TheWrap.com, confirmed by a tweet from Panini Pete at last night's Guy Fieri Road Show in Los Angeles.

NBC introduces a new family-friendly game show called Perfect 10. Ready to win 1 million dollars?

*Update*
Perfect 10 has had its name changed to "Minute to Win It." Click here for more recent information on the show.
*--------*

"Perfect 10" is a competition series featuring 10 deceptively simple games that require savvy contestants to complete under pressure with a prize of $1 million awaiting the winner.

Competitors will face 10 challenges that escalate in level of difficulty. Each game has a 60-second time limit and failure to finish the task on time will eliminate the contestant.

At various points throughout the game, the contestant can walk away with the money earned up to that point, but it'll take nerves of steel to complete all 10 tasks to win the $1 million.

If you are interested in trying out, e-mail NBC's Casting Team at p10casting@gmail.com. Applicants must be 18 years and older.

Please be sure to include in your e-mail your contact info, city you live in, photos, and a paragraph about yourself.

(source)

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Guy Fieri - Playboy's Jan/Feb 20Q

Guy Fieri recently sat down with Playboy Contributor David Hochman to discuss his favorite restaurants, recipes and chef; impressing women with culinary skills and pickup lines; and his worst cooking mishaps. The January/February 2010 issue of Playboy is on newsstands and online at www.playboydigital.com Friday, December 18, 2009

Photo credit: Playboy

On the dives worth driving across America for: “Ted Peter’s Famous Smoked Fish in St. Petersburg, Florida...that fish spread–pow! It’d knock your socks off. Number two, Mo Gridder’s BBQ in Hunts Point, the Bronx. You may not be able to find it because it’s in a trailer outside an auto parts store. Trust me, though. Finally, Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe in Victorville, California. One family flipping burgers for 60 years on Route 66 – need I say more?”

On the best chef alive: “It’s Masaharu Morimoto, the Japanese Iron Chef...In the Asian realm especially, nobody does it better. My greatest honor would be to work in Morimoto’s kitchen, even for a day. That dude will forget more about cooking than I’ll ever learn.”

On fancy food versus diner food: “I don’t separate fancy food from the rest. Good food is good food, though there’s definitely way too much fussing and phoniness out there in the food world, with people talking about ingredients you need an advanced degree to pronounce.”

On cooking with women: “Women who know how to cook are hot. Especially when you’re together in the kitchen, it’s sexy. You’re activating each other’s senses – the smells, the flavors, the textures. Baby!”

On tips for impressing a woman with your cooking: “Practice...Do a test run a couple of days ahead. And stick to dishes that aren’t too dangerous. Pork’s my favorite. Google a recipe for pork chops piccata style – grilled or pan sautéed with lemon, capers, garlic, white wine, parsley. She’ll be eating out of your hand, as long as you don’t overcook it.” [Guy's Pork Piccata recipe. ~D]

On something he secretly wishes he could tell his customers: “Stop stealing stuff. People steal things from restaurants, anything with a logo on it...Also, don’t eat the whole plate of food and then tell me you didn’t like it. We know that’s bullsh*t.”

Read all 20 questions with Guy Fieri on www.Playboy.com.
Page 1 - Page 2

There is a video on Page 1 that takes forever to load. Well, at least it did for my humble computer.

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Guy Fieri and the Road Show Krew hit KGO radio

Guy Fieri and his crew joined Ed and Jen in the KGO AM 810 Newstalk Radio studios, based in San Francisco, on December 16, 2009. Guy talked with the morning duo about his experiences in "The Next Food Network Star" competition, his Road Show appearing in San Jose that night and his enduring love for the Northern California Bay Area.


He even brought food for the newsroom! Click here to download the interview.

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Win a set of Guy Fieri Ergo Chef knives

NWA Deals is giving away a set of Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich knives. The knives come in 2 sizes. The 8″ Chef Knife for cutting Veggies, Fruits, and Meats and the 5 1/2″ Utility Knife for slicing small fruits, veggies, cheese, breads, and sandwiches.


1) Click here and leave a comment letting NWA Deals know what your favorite holiday recipe is.

2) Become a Subscriber to NWA Deals either by Email or RSS - Leave a separate comment letting them know you’re a subscriber.

3) Follow NWA Deals on Twitter@nwadeals - Make sure you leave a separate comment letting them know you follow.

4) Share this giveaway. You could share it on Facebook, Twitter, or your Blog. Just come back and leave NWA Deals another comment with the link to where you shared about it so they can confirm the entry.

This Giveaway will end on Friday, December 18th. Click here to read a review of Guy Fieri's Ergo Chef Knives and full details and disclosure on the giveaway.

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Guy Fieri's last book signings of the year

According to his publicity folks, Guy Fieri will make two appearances at his northern California restaurants to autograph his new book, More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Here is the book signing schedule:

December 23, 2009
Johnny Garlic's - website - 9:30am-11am
10505 Fairway Drive
Roseville, CA 95678-3570
(916) 789-2000

Tex Wasabi's - website - noon to 1:30pm
2243 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95825-3301
(916) 927-8399

Check Upcoming Events to see if there are any new book signings scheduled in the future.

And I've just read that due to minor technical issues, the December 17, 2009 Guy Fieri Road Show has been moved from Gibson Amphitheatre to The Wiltern. The performance date of Thursday, December 17 remains the same although the start time has been moved to 8:00PM.

Tickets are available now for the Wiltern show at www.LiveNation.com and by phone at (877) 598-6671. Refunds available at point of purchase.

Tickets for the Gibson Amphitheatre will be honored at The Wiltern on Thursday evening.

The Wiltern
3790 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 388-1400

(source)

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Guy Fieri, doing charitable works for others

This video has been uploaded to YouTube by Share Our Strength, the organization responsible for this episode of Dinner: Impossible with Guy Fieri and hosted by Robert Irvine.

Robert receives a surprise when Guy Fieri turns up to deliver an extreme holiday mission. Robert and Guy join forces with Food Networks charitable partner, Share Our Strength to give members of the Santa Rosa Boys and Girls Club in California a holiday memory theyll never forget. Their challenge: to create a meal for 300 guests of the Boys and Girls Club in just 10 hours.



Click here to view on a larger screen. For more on Share Our Strength, visit strength.org/foodnetwork

This week in Boise, Idaho, Guy Fieri granted a little girl's Christmas wish: to cook with him on stage.

According to Boise's Fox 12, "Natalie Glabe isn't your typical seven year old.She wants to be a chef when she grows up, just like Guy." So when the Road Show pulled into town, Guy Fieri had to check with Santa,

"Hey, Santa, Guy Fieri here. So, do you mind if I give her the Christmas gift early? Her name is Natalie. Natalie Glabe. Uh huh. Yes? Really? Ok," said Fieri.

The two worked together on the stage (before the show) and made a Mexican Torta. And Guy gave her one more special gift, "From Guy to Chef Natalie," he says as he hands her a pair of his tongs, autographed by her hero.

A Christmas this little girl will never forget. Click here to read the full story.

And in Sonoma County, "Friends Raising Funds" has a goal to raise $100,000.00 in the next year to help with the care of a young lady, Lisa, diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer, Anaplastic Astrocytoma. PRNewswire reports,

Michael's Harley Davidson donated a new 2008 Harley Davidson Softail Rocker that has been fully customized by Guy Fieri and the Michael's crew to raffle off for the cause! "I've known Lisa and Paul for years. Sonoma County to me is one big family and coming together to help one another out makes this community great," said Guy Fieri."

Also 96.7 BOB FM is giving away a trip to Las Vegas on December 19th, 2009 where you will get to join Guy Fieri on his culinary tour at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay and see the Bike.

Raffle tickets to win the bike will be going on sale this week for $20.00 at locations all around Santa Rosa, to check out the location closest to you go to FriendsRaisingFunds.org. ALSO make sure you listen to the Blazy show on 96.7 BOB FM - website - for your chance to win the trip to Las Vegas and for the latest information on Friends Raising Funds!!!

Read the full story here.

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Raw Triple D footage from the Wayback Machine

This footage was shot at the BBQ Shack on August 2, 2007. What's great about these videos is that it gives the viewer an inside look of what Guy Fieri is really like during the taping of an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

I think what's clear here, and as reported from many of the restaurant owners the show visits, is Guy's uncanny ability to put people at ease in front of a camera. Enjoy.


From The BBQ Shack's Channel on YouTube

Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3

BBQ Shack - website
705 N. Pearl St., Paola, KS, 66071 map
(913) 294-5908
http://www.thebbqshack.com/

The BBQ Shack was featured on the Real Deal BBQ (DV0205) episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, featuring owner Rick Schoenberger.

Check out their recipe for Jalapeno Poppers. It has a 5-star rating on FoodNetwork.com.

Jalapeno Poppers

1 can whole water chestnuts
2 cups soy sauce
Approximately 1 1/2 to 2-pounds brown sugar
1 dozen large jalapeno peppers
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 pound thin sliced bacon
All-purpose bbq rub

Preheat grill over medium-high heat.

Take whole water chestnuts, put in a plastic bowl or container of some type and cover the chestnuts with soy sauce. Then pour enough brown sugar into the bowl to cover the chestnuts. It will dissolve as you put it in so it may take a fair amount of brown sugar. Let them marinate, refrigerated, overnight. In the morning, stir the mixture and let sit until you need them.

Cut the stems off the peppers. The larger the jalapeno the better. Core the jalapenos. You can find a tool called a chili twister at most BBQ/fireplace stores.

Warm the package of cream cheese in the microwave and squeeze it into a quart freezer bag. Cut a little bit of the corner off the bag and use it as a pastry bag. Fill only the bottom part of the pepper. Now stuff 1 or 2 chestnuts into the pepper. You may need to cut the chestnuts in half. Leave a little space at the top of the pepper.

Take a pound of bacon (thin sliced works best) and cut strips of bacon in half. Wrap each pepper with the half slices of bacon. Use toothpicks to keep bacon in place. Using the rest of the cream cheese, fill the remaining space at the top of the peppers. I sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose bbq rub on top for some color. They are ready to cook.

Place onto grill and cook until bacon is done. Watch them closely! If the bacon grease pools it will catch fire. Open grates work good (but the bacon drippings will still catch fire), but an offset fire works best. Also at most BBQ/fireplace stores you can find holders that will hold 1, 2, or 3 dozen jalapenos.


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Updates on the Guy Fieri Road Show

It's been difficult keeping up on every story and anecdote from this unprecedented tour Guy Fieri's put together. There is so much! But here are a few gems.

The big story of the week is that Guy Fieri's newest book, More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, hit the #1 spot on NY Times' Bestseller list, after having been on the list for 5 weeks.

Paperback Advice

Top 5 at a Glance
1. MORE DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES, by Guy Fieri with Ann Volkwein
2. NEW MOON, by Mark Cotta Vaz
3. DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES, by Guy Fieri with Ann Volkwein
4. THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, by Gary Chapman
5. RACHAEL RAY'S BOOK OF 10, by Rachael Ray

In Denver, Guy Fieri stopped by the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, and had a few pictures taken with the employees.

Click here to see more pictures

The Seattle Times ran an interesting question and answer with Guy Fieri. When asked, What's your riff on the fame game? He replied,

"I don't have to do this. I can always go back to restaurants and cooking [he co-owns three Johnny Garlics "California pasta grill" locations, and two Tex Wasabi's Rock n' Roll Sushi BBQ restaurants]. I miss my family and right behind that I miss cooking. I'm at the age where things with my kids are the most important thing to me. We were in the mountains [in Northern California, where he lives with his wife and two sons] for Thanksgiving, with 10 families and all these RVs, cooking the whole time, using barbecues and three-burner stoves. I watched my 13-year-old son cook chicken Parmagiana for 35 people with his little sous-chefs -- who are 10 to 15 years old. That was my favorite meal."

Click here to read the full interview.

Guy Fieri and the touring crew flew from Denver to Seattle on Thursday, December 10. And on the morning of Friday, December 11, Guy hit the 99.9 FM KISW radio morning show with BJ Shea.

*update* Click here to download and listen to that podcast.

After wrapping up the KISW interview, Guy sent out a tweet, "... Shot the begining of the 1 hour documentary of the Guy Fieri Road Show." The concept of a TV series related to the Road Show was originally reported in October of 2009. Read more about it here.

To promote the Road Show, Guy, Dirty P and Gorilla from Gorilla BBQ (BBQ & More on Triple D) had an appearance on Q13 Fox TV in Seattle.





On the holiday shopping front, Guy Fieri's set of Ergo Chef Knives are on sale for $99.99 at Cooking.com. FREE shipping with any Guy Fieri cutlery. Use coupon code: C82994 (Expires: 12/13/2009).

And on the new Triple D taping front, Guy Fieri is scheduled to film at the Schellville Grill in Sonoma, CA in early January 2010. www.schellvillegrill.com. (source - SonomaNews.com)

Finally, speaking of 2010, here are a few upcoming events for which Guy Fieri is scheduled to make an appearance.

January 2010
Taping Diners, Drive-ins and Dives - January 8 - Sonoma, CA - source

February 2010
South Beach Wine & Food Festival - February 25 - 28 - Miami, FL

May 2010
Taste! - May 14 - 16 - Myrtle Beach, SC
Cooking For Solutions - May 21 - 22 - Monterey Aquarium, CA - website

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Guy Fieri - recipe for December 2009

Korina McAlister is Guy Fieri's culinary director and handler. (source) So far, Guy has made two recipes in her honor. Queen Korina's Salad (recipe) has mixed reviews on FoodNetwork.com, and this one, a side dish from the Sonoma Steer episode of Guy's Big Bite, season 3.

For Guy Fieri's recipes of the month, click here.

McAlister Potatoes - recipe on GuyFieri.com

3lb Baby Yukon potatoes
2 ea Yellow onions, diced
3⁄4 lb Bacon, diced
2 T Kosher salt
1 t Black pepper
1 c Sour cream
1⁄2 c Pepadews, chopped
4 T Olive oil
3 T Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 c White wine

In small mixing bowl combine sour cream, pepadews, and white wine. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In large stock pot add water, salt and potatoes set heat on high and boil until fork tender.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat cook bacon and sauté onions until caramelized. Remove bacon and onions from pan on to a paper towel to absorb grease, keep warm on platter, and leave remaining fat in pan.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain, and with clean kitchen towel palm smash the hot potatoes to approximately 1/3” thick.

Reheat fat in sauté pan and add 2 T of olive oil. Heat to medium and place potatoes in oil and brown on both sides, then transfer to onion and bacon platter. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked crispy.

Top potatoes with parmesan cheese and then with sour cream mixture.


Read recipe reviews.

Other recipes from this episode:
Johnny Garlic's Grilled Peppered Steak with Cabernet Balsamic Sauce
Heirloom Martini

Related Posts:
Guy's Recipe for January 2009
Guy Fieri - recipe for February 2009
Guy Fieri - recipe for May 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

Take a moment from online holiday shopping and have a few laughs ....



The Guy Fieri Road Show is headed to Denver, CO on December 9, 2009, where the current temperature (as I write) is 1 degree. One degree. Not two; just only one. Haha. I was glad to hear the Road Show was stopping there; Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has never visited Denver. And after that, the Road Show entourage has less than 2 days to drive 20 hours to Seattle, WA.

Getting over the mountains from Denver to Seattle is a tricky business in December, and I hope I can speak on behalf of everyone that the tour buses and semi truck make careful work of it.

I've had several requests from fans for more information on the Kulinary Gangsta Krew or Road Show crew, and I'm sorry to report there isn't much information out there. Two of Guy's friends who pre-date his Food TV career are Kleetus and Dirty P.

Kleetus Cox (also misspelled Cletus) is at Guy's side more often than not. If you haven't already, do check out his blog at kleetus-guyfieri.blogspot.com.

Dirty P. Thompson (sometimes mis-reported as Dirty Pete) is also a regular at Guy's side.

For more, click here for a blog search on Kleetus, and click here for a blog search on Dirty.

Two relatively new friends are restaurant owners from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: Stretch Rumaner, who is the one responsible for building the 6-foot margarita machine, from Kansas City, Missouri and Panini Pete from Fairhope, Alabama.

Stretch just had a brief interview with The Pitch, a Kansas City food blog, where he said, "The crew meets before each show to break down how the previous set went and what they might try on the next crowd." Read the full article here. And you can follow Stretch at twitter.com/STRETCHartist.

Panini Pete sent out a tweet that he's continuing with the Road Show in "Milwaukee, Rosemont, Denver, & Idaho." Follow Pete at twitter.com/paninipete.

Woody, the flair bartender who's traveling with the Road Show, has recently uploaded some more YouTube videos of the shows. You can find his channel at www.youtube.com/user/liquidkitchenman.

And DJ Cobra, the man behind the 7-foot, orange fur-covered booth has a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/djcobra.

More as I hear of it!

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Rod Stewart look alike at Detroit Road Show

Just a quick note this morning ...

I've had several notes from fans wondering, "was that Rod Stewart at the Guy Fieri Road Show in Detroit?"

I don't know for sure, but I conjecture no. An anonymous tip told me it was Danny D., a musician and vocalist, who does a Rod Stewart Tribute act, based in Michegan. You can find him online at www.myspace.com/dannydlive.

Danny D and Guy Fieri met each other at the Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles, May 2009.


If anyone out there can confirm or deny, please let me know. Have a great day!

*update* Thanks for the confirmation in the comments section. I must not be awake yet this morning, I misspelled "Stewart" twice! I think I have them all corrected now. Thanks for reading. ~D

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Holiday On Its Head (GI0711H)

Guy's Big Bite - Holiday On Its Head - Aired: 12/6/09

Guy Fieri brings new flavors to his holiday table. His smooth roasted acorn squash soup topped with yogurt and Pistachio Parmesan Crostini looks impressive and tastes even better. On the side, a festive looking salad is fresh, crunchy, and satisfying. For dessert, spicy ginger snaps make dynamite ice cream sandwiches in a flash.

Acorn Squash Soup - recipe


Pistachio Parmesan Crostini - recipe


Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Gorgonzola and Champagne Vinaigrette - recipe


Gingersnap Stackers - recipe


Keywords:
acorn squash, sourdough baguette, pistachios, baby spinach or romaine lettuce, pear, pomegranate seeds, Champagne vinaigrette, vanilla ice cream

Related Guy Fieri Recipes:
TBA

-> more on Guy's Big Bite <-

Recent YouTube videos with Guy Fieri

An unusually rather subdued Guy Fieri made an unsuspected stop in the WKLH studios, in Wisconsin, to do his radio interview in person.



He was fresh off the airplane from Los Angeles, after having made an appearance on the Price is Right (huh?). He also clears up the mystery TwitPic that had (cough cough) been bugging us for a few days. Fried crickets.

Click below for the other two parts of the entertaining and informative interview:
Guy Fieri on Dave and Carole Mornings WKLH Part 2
Guy Fieri on Dave and Carole Mornings WKLH Part 3

And from the show that night in Milwaukee, another installment of Guy Idol: Kevin Stohlmeyer singing the Stone Temple Pilot's "Plush." Haha, this video was practically viral on Twitter. Enjoy.



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Guy Fieri and DDD nominated for a Tasty Award

The Tasty Awards spotlight the movers and shakers in food, wine and style programming on television, online or on the big screen. The awards show is scheduled for January 14th, 2010 in San Francisco. Portions will be streamed live online, and the rest broadcast on national television sometime in February 2010.


Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has been nominated for Best Food Program - TV. Also:
30 Minute Meals
Man v. Food
Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie
No Reservations
Top Chef

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has also been nominated for Best Food Travel Series: Television. Also:
Avec Eric (Eric Ripert)
Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie
Man v. Food
No Reservations
Spain On The Road Again

The public is asked to vote on several categories too. Voting ends on January 5, 2010.

Guy Fieri has been nominated for Best Male Host in a Series - Vote Here - Also up for this People's Choice Award:
Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations
Alton Brown, Good Eats
Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods
Tim Gunn, Project Runway
Ming Tsai, Simply Ming

Click here to see all the categories and nominees. Visit the Tasty Awards online at www.tastyawards.com

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UNLV to award Guy Fieri for excellence in April
Taping Triple D outside Cattleman's Cafe