Dancing with the Stars of Food

ABC TV’s Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars is days away from engaging the eyeballs of families across America. Water cooler conversations will revolve around the return of the nation’s favorite celebrity dancers. What female didn’t melt as Sex in the City’s Gilles Marini swept his pro dance partner into his arms and up in the air in sensual Argentine Tango poses? I’d love to hear who your favorite is and your opinion on who’s destined for the mirror ball trophy in the comments section.

Are the stars aligned so that one celeb is destined to win this season's
Dancing with the Stars mirror ball trophy?
Artist credits: (From Left to Right) Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3
 

Although there are no trophies (as far as I know) on the Food Network, the TV channel is sprinkled with world-renowned celebrity chefs. Some come and go but others continue to expand their fan bases. They’ve danced themselves into special corners of the hearts of homemakers like me. I think I know why. They make us look good. They help us catch compliments from family and friends. Their recipes are fairly simple, almost always attractive and are 10s on the scale of deliciousness. I’m referring to the stars of Food Network shows such as Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade Cooking, Sandra’s Money Saving Meals and Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meals.

Two of the All-Stars of the Food World
30-Minute Meals Expert Rachel Ray and Semi-Homemade Desserts Diva Sandra Lee
 

Naturally I chasséd my way over to the recipes of Sandra and Rachel to find recipes to prepare for the first night of my dancing friends' stay in our guest apartment. David and Maria Cassidy (who have competed in Blackpool – the spot of the Super Bowl of ballroom dance) were arriving from the UK. I wanted to be sensitive to jet lag and the time difference between Los Angeles and London. Appetizers, tapas (small savory dishes) were the perfect solution. (I figure most people don’t want or need a heavy meal after 10 hours of flying.)

 Our always ready to dance English friends, David and Maria Cassidy.
 

So, thanks to a trick I learned many years ago from Rachel Ray, I chopped up an English cucumber (how appropriate, right?) Hollowed out the middles with melon scoopers and piped in whipped Neufchatel cheese. For garnish I used a bit of spicy pesto from Whole Foods.

The Ninja Baker riffs on Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee recipes:
Mini Tostadas and English cucumber cuties.
 

To showcase California and its Mexican influence, using Sandra Lee’s Crispy Wonton Cups recipe, I created Mini Tostadas: A bit of shredded lettuce, a slice of avocado, a dot of sour cream and a little black olive hat.

Eat your veggies and inari!
Sticky sushi rice spiked with vinegar is tucked inside each fried tofu inari pocket. 

In addition to a veggie tray with dip, I made inari sushi. Most people love the combo of the sweet fried tofu wrapping containing white rice spiked with a bit of vinegar. The Cassidys – fortunately - were no exception. I’m happy to share the easy to make recipe. (E-mail me at NinjaBakerBlog@gmail.com or leave a comment.) You can also find inari sushi at most any Japanese market.

Wishing you a week that dances by with joy.

The Ninja Baker