Tag Archives: Yahoo! Music

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Barbeque Steak Sliders

Posted on May 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tonight is results night on American Idol and we’re one week away from the season 11 finale. I’ll be doing things a little differently next week so make sure you check back on Tuesday for my finale grub!

To keep the “homecoming” theme going I decided to go with an obvious choice in Texas cuisine, barbeque. These little suckers turned out delicious! I ended up just sitting over the dutch oven eating the cabbage with a fork…thank you butter, you complete me!

The barbeque sauce is an ode to my grandfathers famous recipe. It didn’t turn out exactly like his because well, he would probably have to kill me if he gave it to me, but this was equally tasty. It a little less sweet then traditional BBQ sauce but it pairs beautifully with the Chianti soaked cabbage. Okay I’m hungry, make it, you will be happy!

Check out tonight’s recipe feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Queso Bites

Posted on May 16, 2012 | 3 Comments

First things first, I LOVE VEGAS!!! I just got back from my first trip to Sin City last night and had an amazing time with my girlfriends. I will definitely be posting some pics from the trip soon.

This week is so crazy so I needed a quick snack for tonight’s Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers. The final three contestants are visiting their hometown’s tonight on American Idol so in honor of my hometown I’m going for quick, easy, and of course, Mexican Food.

You can’t go out to eat in Dallas without seeing Queso on the menu. It’s a must have snack and the epitome of comfort food in my opinion. Velveeta is perfect for making these cheese bites because they slightly congeal (yay processed cheese) after sitting for a few minutes. Make it…your taste buds will thank you!

Check out tonight’s recipe feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Herbed Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini’s

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 2 Comments

Last night the final 6 Idols sang songs from the legendary band Queen, plus a tune of their choice. Since Freddie Mercury was quite the fan of Indian food, I kicked off last night’s performance round with some Spicy Indian Kebabs with a Masala Dipping Sauce. Tonight, a rich appetizer and bubbling toast to the legendary rock band.

For tonight’s recipe I reached out to one of the best cooks I know, my best friend. Back in college, whether it was a late night post “studying” snack or mid morning breakfast, she knew how to hook a roommate up. So here’s to Melanie and her inspired appetizer dish!

Check out tonight’s recipe, featured on Yahoo! Music’s Reality Rocks blog, HERE!

Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Guacamole Salad

Posted on March 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

You know that moment when you see yourself about to do something that not only you’ll regret, but it’s like you see yourself in slow motion, doing it, yet you do nothing to stop it. It was like I was having an out of body experience when I decided to not just sprinkle, but DUMP chile powder and cumin all over my beautiful green guacamole. As soon as I did it my heart stopped as I watched it turn from a beautiful shade of green to putrid brown. FAIL!

Don’t worry, I didn’t make that mistake while writing this recipe. You can sprinkle in the small amount of spices into your guac with confidence that you will not defile it like I did. Of course I still ate it, and it was quite good, but it was like having a bite of guac with a pound of spices. I will definitely NOT be making that mistake again.

Moving on…

This week I’m cooking up recipes from my culinary inspirations in honor of the top 9 American Idol contestants singing songs from their idols. All year long I’ve been providing tasty (catastrophe aside you can eat this with confidence) treats for Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog. Last night i took some inspiration from Mario Batali with my Lasagna Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey. Tonight, I’m taking a cue from my ultimate culinary Idol, Bobby Flay.

Bobby Flay just speaks my language. Peppers – check! Spices – check! Southwest cuisine – my fuel! So for this recipe it was a no brainer. My favorite snack besides chips and salsa combined with some sauteed peppers and crispy romaine. Damn I’m hungry again.

Check out tonight’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Happy Eating!

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Lasagna Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey

Posted on March 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

Alright it’s official…I’m completely obsessed with making things in my muffin tin. You can pretty much turn any dinner staple into a quick and easy snack by turning them into mini cakes, or cups, or whatever you want to call them. I’ve been seeing Lasagna Cups everywhere lately so of course I had to give them a try.

Since the premier of American Idol in January I’ve been serving up tasty snacks for Yahoo! Music reality blogstress Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog. This week on Idol the remaining 9 are singing songs from their Idols so I thought I would make some food inspired by a few of my favorite chefs.

Tonight’s inspiration is an Italian classic so of course I had one chef in mind, Mr. Mario Batali. Watching Batali on the Cooking Channel is like drinking a glass of warm milk…he just relaxes me. Okay weird comparisons aside I love this guy…him and his hideous orange crocs.

Give this recipe a try. Besides my muffin tin I think I’ve found a new obsession, Wonton Wrappers! You can stuff them with anything you want and they’re healthy. I will definitely be coming up with some more recipes using them again soon!

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Happy Eating!

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Olive Shooters in Vodka Sauce with Rosemary Flatbread

Posted on March 22, 2012 | 2 Comments

This week it’s Billy Joel week on American Idol and I’m making some inspired recipes for Yahoo! Music Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog. Last night i was in a “New York State of Mind” when I made sausage rolls inspired by street vendors and the brisk lifestyle of the city.

For tonight’s results’ show I’m taking a cue  from the “Piano Man” with my piano bar inspired appetizer. Bare with me here….when I think of dueling pianos I want a martini, so I’ve combined the two most important ingredients in tonight’s snack, olives and vodka.

I didn’t see all of the performances last night but I will say…thank you Colton for getting back to what you do best. I was talking with Lyndsey last week on The Day After about how I wanted to see Colton back on the piano, lights dimmed, doing his thing. I have no doubt he’ll be making it to the top 9.

Check out tonight’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Sausage Pinwheels

Posted on March 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Last week on American Idol we saw the ousting of Jermaine Jones for his criminal pastimes, and said goodbye to youngster Shannon Magrane. I wasn’t surprised by the Idol antics or the fact that America voted off Miss Magrane. She is definitely a talented girl but I felt like she was always a little over her head and not quite ready for the Idol stage. What did surprise me was the fact that soul songstress, and my favorite contestant by far, Elise Testone was in the bottom three. What the hell America…there is more to music then cute guys with guitars and teeny bobber pop singers. Boring!

Anywho…enough ranting and on to the food. Tonight I’m cooking up another snack for Yahoo! Music blogger Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog. I was in Austin last weekend for the SXSW music festival where I had the pleasure of co-hosting with Lyndsey on her internet series, The Day After. Once I get caught up from the craziness of the last few days I’ll definitely be posting some pics of my favorite SXSW acts!

For tonight’s Billy Joel themed episode I took a cue from his hit, “New York State of Mind” and combined the fast paced lifestyle and food vendor fair of NYC. This quick and easy recipe is a homage to the catchy cliche “in a New York minute”. So try it out, it will be hard to eat just one!

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

American Idol, The Day After with Special Guest, ME!!

Posted on March 17, 2012 | Leave a comment


I’m down in Austin, TX for the fun, crazy, and whirlwind festival otherwise known as South by Southwest (SXSW). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to post yesterday’s song of the day but I’ve got something a little different for you guys. I was asked to be a special guest host on Lyndsey Parker’s  video series: American Idol, The Day After. 

Watch us jump right in on the ousting of Jermaine Jones and who we thought shined on Wednesday night’s Songs from the Year You Were Born themed episode. I couldn’t have asked for a better day to spend my birthday then dishing on Idol and checking out all of the amazing bands in Downtown Austin. I’ll be posting a follow-up on all of the great shows so look out for that.

Follow me on Twitter for my SXSW updates!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Music to My Soul

Tagged , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Squash Cakes

Posted on March 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

I can’t believe we’re already down to 12 on American Idol. The finale will be here before you know it, but in the meantime I’m still cooking up snacks for Yahoo!’s Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog.

The theme this week is Songs From the Year You Were Born. So I decided to make some snacks from back in the day. Tonight’s recipe is one of my all time favorite family dishes. I thought I would try something totally different and turn it into a snack. There are two VERY important things to remember when making this dish:

  1. Make sure the consistency of the cornbread stuffing mix is sticky enough to form cups.
  2. Make sure you form the cups up the sides completely or else they won’t be cups but a pile of squash when you pull them out.

If you don’t want to bother with the cups at least make the casserole…it’s to die for.

Check out tonight’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Spinach Mash Martinis

Posted on March 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

Since we’re on the theme of food to my soul, or pretty much the best comfort food ever, I thought I’d throw one more classic (with a twist) out there for tonight’s results show on American Idol.

All throughout this season of Idol I’ve been guest blogging (or cooking to be exact) for Yahoo! Music’s Lyndsey Parker and her all things reality blog, Reality Rocks. This week’s theme, songs from Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, inspired me to cook up some of my very own classic comfort food…food for the soul!

By the way…holy hell Jessica Sanchez…did you really just dominate I will Always Love You last night?? An amazing job and stellar tribute to the late grate Whitney Houston. She blew my mind.

On to the food…

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,