Bobby Flay & Lori Loughlin at Hellman’s Event – Guest Blogger Johnny G.

Meeting Bobby Flay and Lori Loughlin at the Hellman’s Event is the first blog event by guest blogger, Johnny G. Ok, let me first introduce myself since from what I’ve heard from my sister, I may be doing this from time to time, and (if she has her way) be starting my own blog/website. My writing tends to lean towards the stream-of-consciousness style, and includes a lot of pop-culture references, so bear with me.

I may also have run-on sentences, grammatical errors, occasional curse words and mistaken Wikipedia -like facts, so continue at your own peril.

I am NYC Single Mom’s brother and uncle and godfather to her daughter — let’s call me Uncle Johnny. I am a recent NYC transfer from, of all places, Kentucky. I would prefer not to speak of my time there (although it was not all bad) and let’s just say it’s a nice place to visit but, god willing, I will NEVER EVER live there again. Maybe I was just running in the wrong circles, but it’s not exactly the ideal place to live for a left wing, raised in a multi-cultural, suburban planned community outside a major metropolitan city, kind of guy. Let’s move on.

Last week, I subbed in for my sister, attending a blog event for Hellman’s mayonnaise, featuring chef, restauranteur and TV personality Bobby Flay as well as Full House alum and 90210 star Lori Loughlin. I was happy to do it since I am a wanna –be “foodie” and am addicted to just about every cooking /food/travel show there is. I am an especially big fan of Flay’s… Anthony Bourdain (another one of my culinary heroes) can bitch all he wants about the man but his food’s good and he’s built an empire.

They put on a food demo featuring Bobby’s recipes incorporating Hellman’s and afterwards some of the privileged few bloggers were able to conduct a quick five minute interview with one or both of them. I snagged a front row seat on advice from my fellow cohort and “showing me the New York ropes,” buddy Mitch of www.gaynycdad.com and apparently, my sister’s blog husband.

Bobby and Lori made three recipes; a Thanksgiving appetizer and two turkey leftover dishes. I have to say, I am not a big mayonnaise fan; ever seen Undercover Brother with Eddie Griffin? That is pretty close to how I feel about mayonnaise; I would prefer none in any recipe and if there is any, I would like it used sparingly and I don’t even really want to know about it. As an aspiring foodie, I understand certain food items require it (coleslaw, tuna/chicken salad) and I tend to tolerate its inclusion more in my later years but if you put it on a hamburger, I may threaten your life like Bruce Willis’ hit-man character (Jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski) in the Whole Nine Yards. Disclaimer: I’m not knocking mayonnaise. I love just about any ingredient bad for you with a high fat content; pork fat, chicken skin, foie gras, big fatty, juicy ribeyes, you name it. I’m just not a big mayo fan (as if you haven’t deduced that yet).

On to the food…
The appetizer recipe was for stuffed cremini (mini-portobellos) mushrooms which were simple and delicious. The only part of it containing Hellman’s was a tasty glaze which contained very little mayo  and balsamic vinegar. I recommend this recipe highly, especially if entertaining or cooking for a larger crowd. You can prepare the filling and it’s roasted mushroom vehicles ahead of time and after heating, they will be tasty as long as they are hot, warm, or room temperature (anything but cold).

The second recipe was a turkey reuben. This recipe can be made with turkey leftovers or with simple sliced turkey from the deli. I would prefer using simple pre-sliced deli turkey as leftover turkey can be used in better ways, the third recipe being one of them. This sandwich included more mayo in its making, but I really didn’t mind it. Also, I got a new trick to add to my cooking skills repertoire; using mayo instead of butter when grilling/heating hot sandwiches. The mayo adds flavor as well as allowing the sandwich bread to attain that crispy golden brown texture that is what you want in a hot sandwich. There was certainly more mayo in the coleslaw as well as a Bobby Flay “slathering” of the bread prior to heating. Nevertheless, this is a part of the recipe you can adjust to taste.

The final recipe was a leftover turkey paella. For those not familiar with paella, it is a rice dish typically containing chicken and/or seafood as well as assorted pork/sausage products; it is, if I am not mistaken, the national dish of Spain. Mr. Flay’s recipe was very simple and as is very useful for NYC single moms as it is a one pot dish. Using the turkey, sausage, and very few additional ingredients, he made what may not pass for paella on the Iberian coast, but a very tasty and simple dish using very little mayo. The key ingredient, in my opinion, was smoked paprika. For those who are not familiar with this spice, do NOT mistake it for that relatively useless, tasteless, utilized for mostly coloring window dressing dust most chain supermarkets sell. This is the ingredient you can’t skimp on for this dish. Whole Foods or any of your fancier boutique markets should carry it.

If your child is not a fan of spicy foods, you may want do decrease the amount of smoked paprika or leave it out altogether. I suggest making an adult batch and one just for the kids. For those keeping track of the degree of mayonaissyness (my word-maybe it’ll end up in Webster’s one day), it was very small. These recipes can be found at http://www.hellmanns.us/recipes.

Enough with the food; on to my first celebrity interview (or the halfa**ed attempt at one you’re about to read).

After the cooking demo, we were treated to more appetizer sized versions of the food, Mr. Flay and Mrs. Loughlin-Giannulli (for those of you not “in the know” Lori Loughlin is married to Mossimo Giannulli , designer and clothes empire magnate of the Mossimo line) had just made, and were left to socialize among our blogger mates. Pictures were taken with the celebs, hands were shaken, smiles exchanged.

My interview with Flay and Loughlin was about five minutes long (I think). It may have been shorter; I really couldn’t tell as I was busy trying not to ask stupid questions (mission NOT accomplished, I’m sure). Perhaps there was a secret hand symbol or some sort of eye contact which would signal to one of there associates to get rid of me quickly and quietly. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t, but I truly wouldn’t blame them. In fact, I thought they were extremely gracious taking time for pictures and they were very nice to everyone they came in contact with. What do you ask celebrities? People who are relentlessly asked the same questions over and over again, especially the question of whether or not they get tired of getting asked the same questions over and over again? How do you ask a question that is not the same old thing or something that doesn’t make you sound like some sort of psychotic celebrity sycophant? My solution, my question to set me apart, to make me seem like an insightful, well seasoned internet New York journalist?

WAIT FOR IT…HERE IT COMES …”So, Giants or Jets?” I believe there was a very brief yet palpable (and somewhat uncomfortable) pause.

For the record, he’s Giants, she’s Jets.

Recipes mentioned in the post can be found at Hellmans.us/recipes