Cookin' in the kitchen on "Celebrity Chefs"

As some of you know, I always manage to get myself involved in some of this wackiest things--like the time I was a contestant in a reality TV show for writers (A Total Write-Off!). Well, yesterday I had cameras rolling in my kitchen as CityTV filmed an episode of "Celebrity Chefs" for their "Your City" show. With my daughter Jessica as my sidekick, and a fire extinguisher as my other sidekick, we cooked up a delicious family recipe called Strawberry Dumplings.

The recipe was a favorite of my brother Jason and he used to beg my mom to make it. There were never any leftovers of this dessert to store in the fridge--Jason made sure of that! :) So in honor of my brother who died in 2006, I decided to make this simple and easy recipe.

"Celebrity Chefs" was a blast to film. You'll be able to see the video on CityTV's website next week. You'll see the wacky side of me that most people don't see at my book signings. (Really! I am much more professional, Mr. Publisher!) lol

As I was cookin' in my kitchen, we talked about Whale Song, movie possibilities, the death of my brother Jason and the 3 nonprofits I donate to in his honor, plus the Christmas wish list that I discovered online and my involvement with Alliance for Children's Enrichment in finding sponsors. Of course, by the time CityTV's done editing it, who knows what you'll see.

At the end of filming, Jessica and I sampled the Strawberry Dumplings and...sigh...they were just like I remembered. A wonderful, warm comfort food for a cold winter day. I'll post the recipe on Tuesday, Dec. 11th. When the cameras stopped rolling we invited Rhonda the producer and Steve the camera guy to have some. Nice job they have! Although, I don't think they sampled too much of what actor/comedian Tom Green made during his "Celebrity Chefs" episode.

"Celebrity Chefs" airs every Tuesday at 6:30 pm on "Your City" and my episode will be on this Tuesday, Dec. 11th. If you miss it, you'll be able to watch it on CityTV's site at:
http://www.citytv.com/edmonton/yourcity_34640.aspx

So to my mom who found me the recipe, thank you! The Strawberry Dumplings were a complete success.

And we didn't have to use the fire extinguisher! :)