From Dody Denman

If you are a Foodie (and you know you are!) you’ll love the  Metro Cooking Houston Returning Sept. 14-15

Foodie weekend to include TV stars, restaurant tasting Pavilion, 100s of vendors

The weekend of September 14 & 15, 2013 brings fun for foodies and fans from Houston and beyond when Metro Cooking Houston returns to The Reliant Center for its third year. This year’s extravaganza brings renowned television chefs, sports stars turned chefs, hundreds of specialty food exhibitors selling their products, cooking demonstrations, workshops and, a new feature, the Grand Tasting Pavilion with dozens of local restaurants providing samples of their signature fare.

This year even comes with an American Idol. Yes, among the rotating roster of celebrities will be American Idol Taylor Hicks (yes, he cooks) on stage with Food Network Star finalist Martie Duncan.

Others in the celebrity lineup include actress Debi Mazur and her husband Gabriele Corcos from The Cooking Channel’s Extra Virgin; The Food Network’s Cooking for Real’s Sunny Anderson; the Grill Sergeant Brad Turner and The Food Network’s Extreme Chef Terry French.   In addition, Texas sports legends Earl Campbell will be on stage with his two sons to cook from favorite Earl Campbell’s Meat Products recipes and Dan Pastorini will showcase recipes from his Dan Pastorini’s Quality Foods spices.

As earlier reported, well-known TV star and cookbook author Paula Deen will be returning for her third year, but this year, she arrives with sons Bobby and Jamie, all of whom will take the stage cooking recipes from all of their cookbooks. Bobby and Jamie Deen will also host The Deen Brothers BBQ & Photo Op  on Saturday, September 14 where attendees will enjoy Deen Brothers recipes and have their photo taken with them. Paula will swing by the BBQ for a quick “hey, y’all” as well.

More personalities are conducting a variety of workshops over the weekend, Mark ‘Uncle Millie’ Millis, the wild game cook known for his hunting, fishing, ironworking and mechanical skills; and SFC (Ret) Brad C Turner, Jr., the 20 year Army Veteran who loves to “Share the Love and Share the Food.”

Amidst the live discussions and demonstrations with chefs and the rest of the impressive list of participants will be a labyrinth of vendor booths featuring samples and wares from more than 150 exhibitors.  Local and international specialty foods and food-related products will be for sale throughout the weekend.

Debuting this year will be the Grand Tasting Pavilion where attendees can sample favorites from Houston area restaurants, caterers, food trucks and specialty manufacturers.

General Admission tickets are $24.50, children ages 4-12 are $12.50 and children ages 4 and younger are free.  General Admission tickets allow entrance to demonstrations, entertaining presentations, and vendor booths on the exhibit hall floor.  Additional tickets are required for special events, such as a VIP meet-and-greet with TV chefs, the one-day theater passes and entry to special lectures by the headliners (ticket prices range from $63 – $400).  For a full listing of events and tickets, visit www.metrocookinghouston.com.

About the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (MCES) is a two-day food-lover’s event featuring hundreds of exhibitors, cooking demos, tastings, workshops, book signings and appearances by national food and entertainment celebrities. With its first show in Washington, DC in 2001, MCES has expanded its national presence and takes place annually in three cities: DC, Houston and Dallas. MCES is owned and operated by The Tiny Kitchen, Inc.

As a self (and family) proclaimed “Queen of the Leftovers) I have a really quick lunch idea for you.  A few days ago I steamed broccoli with our dinner.  Today was one of those days I didn’t want to do any serious cooking, was really hungry, but didn’t want to go out for lunch either…thus Broccoli Cheese Soup!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups steamed broccoli (diced into bite sized pieces, frozen will work)

1 can of cream soup (chicken, mushroom or celery)

1 1/2 cups milk

4-5 slices American cheese (white or yellow)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Directions

In medium saucepan add broccoli, soup and milk.  Over medium heat bring to simmer.  When heated throughout add American cheese, stirring until melted.  You may want to add more milk or cheese to your taste.  Add salt (if needed, soup and cheese are both high in sodium) and fresh black pepper.  Ladle into bowl and top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.  Enjoy with salad and crusty bread or, as I did, just a nice bowl of soup!