Take a chance

It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner (or breakfast as the case may be!).

It's time to share the entries of the Platinum Chef Challenge and announce the winner!

Our first entry comes from my very own home state! But an atmosphere far different than our sunny Southern California ways. Cookie of Workout then Cook heard eggs and thought brunch. And really, can you blame her? If the sound of her cheesy bacon potato bake doesn't make you drool then I suggest you check in with your doctor. Although, she's also supplied the pear and carrot muffins for those of you who are watching your cholesterol sail through the roof. I can just imagine how sweet these muffins must be with all the natural sweetness from the pears and carrots!

In case you're still hungry after that brunch, let's head over to The Missing Ingredient for lunch. xigumdrops thought the challenge would be a good chance to use her new immersion blender. I think it was a good decision. Her sweet potato pear soup has the beautiful color of sweet potatoes, and the consistency is nice and thick, just how I like my soup. She served the soup with one of my all time favorite foods - pretzels! Although it's unseasonably warm here, that doesn't stop me from enjoying warm soup with hot crusty pretzels! Especially when those pretzels are filled with garlicy goodness. Garlic, it's not just for vampires anymore.

We're going to have to travel quite a bit for dinner. Allllll the way to Cooking and the City. But don't worry, I'm sure that today Dell and I had similar weather - HOT and gorgeous. Am I right Dell? Dell went against the cardinal rule in impressing a judge of a challenge. She made a food I don't like. Salmon Patties with sweet chili mayo. But since I am a fair and impartial judge, I showed the entry to Thatboy who does eat salmon. Unfortunately he has now started asking me to make them, so I had to tell him that it's a rare Australian salmon we don't get here and is poisonous. Dell's saving grace may be her pear dessert cake which looks equally as fantastic and which will definitely be made in Thathouse.

And the winner of the Platinum Chef Challenge is ......
Dell! Congratulations and everyone stay tuned to Cooking and the City for the next challenge!