Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sandra Lee's Halloween Episode - a Doozie!!


Please tell me someone else watched Sandra Lee's Halloween Semi Homemade episode. Not only was there a record breaking number of costume changes but she even reprised Cher as a fortune-telling gypsy! I was nearly in tears. I even had to pause and rewind as she showed us cocktail stir sticks with feathers glued on them. Feathers? In a drink? Really?

For the record I have nothing against Sandra Lee and appreciate the fact that she pulled herself up by the bootstraps and made a fortune out of 'tablescapes' and recipes with canned pie filling but I normally don't watch her show or make her recipes.

Her Halloween episodes however are another story. They might very well be on my top ten list of things to look forward to in the calendar year. Anyone who saw her Halloween special with Tyler Florence knows what I'm talking about... She kept calling him honey and warning him not to burn himself as if he was ten years old versus an experienced chef and head of his own cooking empire... Oh Sandy.

Anyway the point to this ramble is that while I was falling out of my chair watching this year's episode she made a chicken marinade I actually thought sounded good. So I made it (with just a minor tweak here and there) and was blown away. Sandra Lee tricked me! She made a good recipe!

Sandra Lee's Poultry Marinade
*Marinade should hold up to 6 small chicken breast cutlets or 4 large.
* Slightly adapted from Sandra Lee
* You can read more on Sandy's Halloween Episode from this year at Food Network Humor.

Ingredients:
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons applewood rub (recommended: McCormick) (I subbed 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 heaping cup roughly chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl then carefully pour into a large ziploc bag. Add your chicken turning it over in the marinade to be sure it's well coated, seal and refrigerate overnight. Remove from marinade being sure to scrape off any clinging garlic or onion but do not 'dry' the chicken - you want a good bit of the wet marinade to stay on for flavor while they cook.

Drizzle the chicken lightly with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and either grill over medium heat until cooked through or bake on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes until cooked through.

16 comments:

Velva said...

I have never quite figured out if I like Sandra Lee or not-now, if I had seen these Halloween episodes, I would have been falling out of my chair in laughter too.

I am sorry I missed these episodes. The marinade does sound good.

Happy Halloween to you!

Brownieville Girl said...

I love Tyler but haven't come across Sandra yet .... a treat in store!!!

Marinade sounds excellent.

Unknown said...

Ok, so sad I missed this but feel like I watched it after reading your recap and knowing how she is! Too funny! (I'm sure I can find it in the next few days before Halloween -I'll be looking!)

I'm not a Sandra hater either, I mean she's pretty and smart enough to have made it where she is!

This recipe DOES sound good!! Love all the flavors!

Unknown said...

I can't believe I missed it! I love watching her Halloween episodes..they are always very interesting! Maybe I'll catch it on a rerun of it!
And the marinade does sound good!!

lisa is cooking said...

Oh my goodness. The fun we have watching Sandra in my house. Kurt only recently had the joy of watching her make the Kwanzaa cake on YouTube. I missed this year's Halloween episode though!

La Bella Cooks said...

Sandra is awesome for entertainment value. I crack up at some of the things she says and her tablescapes, but nothing beats her Kwanzaa cake with corn nuts. Insane! I hope this episode is on youtube because I missed it.

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

this recipe sounds great and so does the episode!

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

I just watch this while I was on the treadmill! Her fairy cocktails made me run even faster with all the half-n-half!

Deborah said...

Wow - that costume is a little over the top! But the marinade does sound wonderful!

Reeni said...

I can't bring myself to watch her! I used to - but she's just too phony - and the way she talks grates on my nerves - like she's a speech teacher or something. I would of liked to see her talking to Tyler like that. The poultry marinade does sound delicious!

theUngourmet said...

I missed Sandra Lee's Halloween special this year. I did catch it last year. She is such a goofball! I have to say, I agree with you on the marinade. It looks like a nice one!

Angie's Recipes said...

The cocktail sounds very impressive. And the costume...that looks more like Carnival than Halloween.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A lovely marinade!

Happy Halloween!

Cheers,

Rosa

Katie@Cozydelicious said...

Haha, this post made me laugh because my step-dad, who is an avid foodnetwork watcher, actually called me to tell me to tuen on the tv for this episode. It was insane... I have never seen so many costumes! But that chicken does look yummy!

Judy said...

I don't usually tune in to SL, but now I'm going to set my DVR for her Halloween show. Sounds hilarious.

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

What an awesome Marinade wow!