Aug 12 – Lady Jane’s & Hatch Green Chili

This week I’ll be live from Lady Jane’s Hair Cuts for Men.  There will be contests, music, and giveaways including the opportunity to wine $40,000 in the dice roll game.  You had to have pre-registered prior to this Saturday to have a chance to participate.

lady janes logoDetroit-based Lady Jane’s Haircuts For Men is expanding to Wichita this summer, the West location is open and there is plans for a new Eastside venue as well. The growing company has more than 80 stores either open or in the works nationally.  The company, which bills itself as a men’s haircuttery, has all corporate stores and is not a franchise. Lady Jane’s  specializes in haircuts for men in a “sporty, friendly” atmosphere.

Services include haircuts, highlights, shampoos, coloring and waxing. “It’s not strictly just a barbershop haircut,”  says the owner.  The chain’s first Wichita store is going to go at 2556 N. Maize Road here in Wichita.  Visit Lady Jane’s and learn more.

 

I’ll also be talking to my good friend Marty Johnson about this years Iron Chili Head event and the arrival of fresh green chili from Hatch New Mexico.  Marty says:

“If you love Wichita’s craft beer scene as much as we do, come celebrate the 2017 JGC Chile Fest at the 5th Ever Iron ChileHead Festival!”  Local food trucks and brewers have been busy creating recipes and brewing their own unique take on yummy creations using roasted Hatch Green Chile from Johnson’s Garden Center in preparation for this competition.

Be a part of the fun on Saturday, August 19 from 12-3 PM. Tickets will include a commemorative sampling glass, an Iron ChileHead Sticker and unlimited sampling from these great brewers: Aero Plains, Central Standard Brewing, Cinder Block Brewing (Kansas City), Crane Brewing (Kansas City), Hank is Wiser Brewing, Hopping Gnome Brewing, Kansas Territory Brewing (Washington, KS), Limestone Beer Co, Norsemen Brewing (Topeka), Radius Brewing (Emporia), River City Brewing, Three Rings (McPherson), Third Place Brewing, Walnut River Brewing and Wichita Brewing.

The featured food trucks include: BS Sandwich Press, Funky Monkey Munchies, Lumpia Palooza, Drink Local Beer Truck, Kamayan Truck, Surly Mermaid, Hot-2-Trot Hot Dogs, Lolo’s Crepes, Uno Mas, Let’m Eat Brats. There is no charge for the food truck competition, except for the menu items purchased at the individual trucks.

Also back this year is live music by the Bolzen Beer Band – a party punk polka trio from Lincoln, Nebraska!

You’ll be able to pick up your own Hatch Green Chile and Iron ChileHead swag at the event to take home. Grab your tickets for beer today either here or at either Johnson’s location! There will also a select few available for purchase at the door!      Learn more.

Johnson’s Garden Center – 2707 W 13th St N, Wichita, 67203

Ego Bodegas - Marionette Red 2014Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Ego Bodegas 2014 Marionette, Jumilla Spain
Rich berry and graham-cracker aromas announce a ripe, easygoing Monastrell-Syrah blend. Chewy and slightly sinewy in feel, this offers heaps of tasty but creamy oak and vanilla to go with spicy, herbal berry fruit. A creamy, thick finish is fitting for a warm-climate wine like this. Wine Enthusiast 90/100

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Aug 5 – Deepa’s Secrets

My guest this week is Deepa Thomas with her new book “Deepa’s Secrets – Slow Carb/New Indian Cuisine

A journey from old traditions to modern Indian cooking with deliciously simple and gut-healing recipes that leave you feeling fulfilled—rather than full. 

deepas secretsUpon learning that rice and bread were the culprits for her husband’s Type 2 diabetes, Deepa Thomas deconstructed and reinvented her native Indian cuisine. Deepa made anew seventy slow carb recipes, incorporating time-saving Western cooking techniques, breaking-news research on gut health and weight loss, and Ayurvedic wisdoms (“When diet is right, medicine is of no need; and when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.”) After six months of cooking and eating “New Indian,” Deepa lost twenty pounds and freed her husband from a ten-year routine of insulin shots.

Part cookbook and memoir, Deepa’s Secrets introduces breakthrough slow carb and gut-healing recipes that are simple and nutrient-packed, without sacrificing its rich South Asian flavors. On a mission to demystify and make healthy an “exotic” cuisine, Deepa shares shortcuts and techniques that will make “New Indian” everyday fare. Bold and intimate, Deepa’s Secrets will undoubtedly change your cooking, and quite possibly your life!  Learn more here.

Deepa Thomas

Deepa Thomas

Deepa Thomas was born and raised in New Delhi. She founded Deepa Textiles, a $10-million enterprise that won twenty-three design awards. In 2010, she embraced a newfound passion in cooking. She lives in San Francisco, California.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
The Chilean Wines of Viejo Feo – Cabernet, Carmenere & Sauvignon Blanc
All these wines were good value and showed solid varietal character.  The Sauvignon Blanc was my favorite.

 

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Jul 29 – FRUIT with Nancie McDermott

My guest this week is Nancie McDermott with her latest book in the “Savor the South” series simply titled FRUIT.

FFruitruit collects a dozen of the South’s bountiful locally sourced fruits in a cook’s basket of fifty-four luscious dishes, savory and sweet. Demand for these edible jewels is growing among those keen to feast on the South’s natural pleasures, whether gathered in the wild or cultivated with care. Indigenous fruits here include blackberries, mayhaws, muscadine and scuppernong grapes, pawpaws, persimmons, and strawberries. From old-school Grape Hull Pie to Mayhaw Jelly–Glazed Shrimp, McDermott’s recipes for these less common fruits are of remarkable interest–and incredibly tasty. The non-native fruits in the volume were eagerly adopted long ago by southern cooks, and they include damson plums, figs, peaches, cantaloupes, quince, and watermelons. McDermott gives them a delicious twist in recipes such as Fresh Fig Pie and Thai-Inspired Watermelon-Pineapple Salad.

McDermott also illuminates how the South–from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Lowcountry, from the Mississippi Delta to the Gulf Coast–encompasses diverse subregional culinary traditions when it comes to fruit. Her recipes, including a favorite piecrust, provide a treasury of ways to relish southern fruits at their ephemeral peak and to preserve them for enjoyment throughout the year.  Follow Nancie on Face Book and Twitter

Image result for nancie mcdermott FRUIT

Nancie McDermott

Nancie McDermott is a North Carolina native, cooking teacher, and author of thirteen cookbooks, including her latest, Southern Soups and Stews: From Burgoo and Gumbo to Etouffee and Fricassee.
For more information about Nancie McDermott, visit nanciemcdermott.com

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Some fine bubbles from South Africa

NV Graham Beck Brut
44393011_1_640x640Made from a blend of new and reserve wines from grapes sourced from Robertson and Stellenbosch, this is a traditional-method sparkling wine that has undergone secondary fermentation and maturation on its lees in bottle for 15-18 months. An inviting nose full of lightly yeasty aromas. The palate offers fresh, gentle lime fruit delivered with a fine mousse, giving the wine a creamy texture on the finish.

Pick up a bottle or three at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road here in Wichita and get a copy of Nancie’s book at Amazon.  Many of her recipes would be tremendously complimented by this bright effervescent sparkling wine.

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Jul 22 – Chef Joel Gamoran & SCRAPS

I have been looking forward to talking to Sur La Table Chef Joel Gamoran about his new video series on FYI.  The show is called “Scraps” and it’s about how we can all save money and in a way…the planet, by using all that we can when we cook and cutting waste.

Award winning journalist, Katie Couric, is the executive producer of the show, and she and Joel share the same passion for reducing food waste and utilizing scraps. “Food waste is such a huge problem in this country and more and more people want to do something about it,” said Couric. “I’m so excited for Chef Joel Gamoran to introduce viewers to wonderful places and delicious recipes using ingredients we never imagined could taste so good. Joel’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious.”

FYI is partnering with Sur La Table to produce the new culinary series SCRAPS, where national Sur La Table Chef Joel Gamoran travels across the U.S. creating incredible feasts in unexpected places, using the most out-of-the-box ingredients – food waste and scraps.

scraps bannerEach episode of SCRAPS will follow Chef Joel to a new city where he partners with food waste champions to celebrate the local cuisine and create a delicious meal with food items many consider to be waste, like banana peels, shrimp shells, chicken bones and carrot stems. The pressure will be on as Joel will have less than a day to source ingredients, build a full menu and create a meal for an outdoor dinner party. From roadside foraging, to chocolate roasting, to oyster hunting – viewers will follow Joel on a one-of-a-kind food sourcing adventure in his refurbished 1963 Volkswagen bus, which doubles as his mobile kitchen, and BTW…is named Pippi.

Most cable companies carry SCRAPS and here in the Midwest new shows air on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. CDT. Previous shows also air at various times throughout the day on FYI.  More importantly follow some of these links to watch on demand and learn more.

Follow SCRAPS on Facebook!      FYI.com full episodes of SCRAPS    @cookscraps on twitter

Once you watch one of the episodes you may want to learn more.  It’s easy to do with the SCRAPS on-line Cooking Classes available here.

Joel Gamoran

Joel Gamoran

JOEL GAMORAN grew up in Seattle, WA and has been cooking professionally for the past 14 years. In addition to studying cooking in Italy, Joel has earned a Restaurant Management Degree from the University of Connecticut as well as an ACAP Degree from the Culinary Institute of America.
After his formal education, Joel worked in many restaurants up and down the West Coast of the United States.  Joel’s goal has always been to make the home kitchen more approachable and inspirational for the everyday cook! So, at 24 years old Joel began teaching cooking classes at famed kitchen retailer Sur La Table!

Joel continues to make consistent appearances on morning shows, including New York One, The Today Show, and Good Morning America.  Joel is also a Tastemaker for the online cooking network Tastemade, and in the summer of 2017 Joel will Executive Produce and Host his first cooking show SCRAPS, on the FYI network!  Today Joel is the National Chef for Sur La Table and lives in Brooklyn, New York with his awesome wife Angiolina.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2016 Domaine La Taste White Blend
la tasteThis is a great summer sipper with 60% Colombard, 20% Ugni Blanc, 11% Gros Manseng and 90% Sauvignon.  A classic blend from Gascony, this wine combines all the right crisp and herbal flavors. It is tangy with lemon juice and delicious acidity. The fine fruitiness is right up front, ready to be drink now.  Get off the beaten path and give this wine a try, it’s  around $10 and is perfect for these 100° days.  As for food pairings, steamed mussels, Foie gras, or something as simple as fresh chicken salad stuffed in a Large pasta shell and served chilled.

A little about the producer:

Domaine La Taste

Domaine La Taste is run by the Fontan family, one of the first families in Gascony to bottle their own wine, rather than distilling it all to produce Armagnac. The fourth-generation estate is currently run by Nadège, and her brother, Sylvain, who were recent given control by their parents, Jean-Claude and Aline. Together, the brother and sister team manage both the vineyards and the winemaking process. The Fontan estate production is 5% Armagnac, 80% white wine, and only 15% red. Their vines are situated on boulbènes soil, the very fine and silty, alluvial-clay soil that is found throughout the region. The siblings are dedicated to “feeding the ground so that it feeds future generations”.

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July 15 – May Fridel & Indian Cuisine

Good Life Guy LOVES Indian Cuisine!  My guest this week, May Fridel has done a great job of adapting many great recipes to a lower calorie, nutritious and tasty version.  This is one of many books produced in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association.

May Fridel

May Fridel

May Abraham Fridel was born in the Indian state of Kerala, one of the spice centers of the world, and comes from a family of spice merchants. With this rich culinary heritage, she learned to cook classic Indian dishes from her family. This is her first book with the American Diabetes Association.
The Indian Cuisine Diabetes Cookbook brings the taste, aroma, and health benefits of basic and exotic Indian spices into the kitchen for those with diabetes or prediabetes, or those simply looking to eat and feel better. Delicious Indian dishes that are packed with flavor and fiber-rich ingredients are simpler than you think, and the quick, easy-to-make meals have all been adapted to meet the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association. Emphasizing a healthy eating philosophy, this cookbook helps the home cook make non-processed meals from scratch in no time at all.

Each recipe has been carefully crafted to deliver authentic and bold Indian flavors while using practical techniques and tips for the modern cook who doesn’t have the time nor the complicated tools used in traditional Indian cooking.

This collection is a culinary trip through the flavors and spices of India.

 

Sierra Scott, Ms. Woman USA

Sierra Scott, Ms. Woman USA

In the second half my good friend Sierra Scott joins us to talk about her recent participation in the Ms. Woman USA pageant in Florida where she was named Ms. Woman USA in a field of extremely talented contestants.

Most of you may know her from her TV shows; “It’s All Good” or “The Bret & Sierra Show. Or maybe all her charity work and for extensive community involvement.  Tireless and dedicated, Sierra has always done so much for Wichita and the many organizations she has helped in the past.  With her new platform “The Queen under the Crown” will now have an opportunity to share her positive message all over the USA.  This year will be busy but I think we can count on her returning to Wichita…there’s no place like home!

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Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Something cool, refreshing and perfect for Indian Cuisine!

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2015 Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi-Dry Riesling, New York Finger Lakes
wine bottle labelThe fruit was picked in the early morning to retain freshness and fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The fermentation was stopped before dryness to preserve the fruity character of this wine. Medium intensity with dominant characters of apricot, honeysuckle, stone fruit and vibrant citrus finish. The light sweetness is well balanced by a soft acidity. A versatile refreshing wine to enjoy on its own or with a wide range of foods.  James Suckling 91

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