next food network star

If there are any Foodarazzi lurking around, I might have an exclusive scoop for you...I may be the Next Food Network Star! That's right! No, really any time now I could be punching my time card and drinking coffee chai lattes Mojitos in the break room with Ina, Giada, Bobby, Paula, Sunny, Tyler and Anne. What? Okay, fine, there may be a few small problems...while I have mastered the art of mise en place [I get a thrill from seeing everything washed, chopped, measured and lined up in little white ramekins in my quasi organized kitchen] I suppose given my kitchen inelegance coupled with my extreme klutziness it would be more rational for me to opt for a spot on a lame sit-com playing to dichotomous reviews. I'm only talking about a few dish towels catching on fire, one a few exploding cakes, 20 fine-lots of mandoline accidents, the deep-frying episode... you know, the normal stuff, you've been there,right? I'm just terribly misunderstood [but, of course] in this great passion of mine.

I do adore my kitchen, and have special feelings for my cooking utensils and appliances, I find them attractive somehow...there is a certain joy that comes from slicing up a bunch of veggies with my Wüsthof knives on my favorite bamboo cutting board, caramelizing onions in a sparkling All-Clad saute pan, whirling up a pastry dough in the Cuisinart ...you get that, right? And don't tell anyone, but sometimes, when I walk past my kitchen-aid mixer I unconsciously run my hand lovingly over it as I see the hubs giving me that *your just not right* look and I throw back the *I know* look, I mean, I know, I really do.

In any case, I feel like I'm up for the challenge, be it real or imagined. I'm not asking for much here-just um-my own show shot from the kitchen of my house in the Hampton's, a book deal, my own line of gourmet packaged foods, a cool nickname,....oh wait, that's Ina Garten?   hmmmm... So "Food Network"? call me? ......I dunno,  hey y'all!!! maybe if I embrace my Southern roots, poof up my hair, put a deep fryer in my kitchen, giggle continuously, bring my 2 sons on the show......what? oh! [guess I'm still not over it].

If you think "scalloped" means creamy, cheesey sauce you are in for a pleasant surprise, there is not a drop of cream in sight. Juicy, ripe tomatoes [cooking ripe tomatoes releases their sweet juices to enhance their flavor] combined with toasted bread cubes are the base for this explosively flavorful dish, dancing with just a touch of spices and basil, then topped with a scattering of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and baked until bubbly. I made this as a side dish to Parmesan crusted Orange Roughy, but I could eat this as a main course and the leftovers...the leftovers are AMAZING!

scalloped (heirloom and kumato) tomatoes

{go here for recipe}