Adventurous Site of the Week: Historic Food

Ivan Day is an expert on English food history. He has written extensively on the subject and is known for his re-creations of historic table settings for museums. Ivan also has a working kitchen in England filled with ancient tools for preparing authentic historic dishes in a style appropriate to the period. If you are an adventurous cook (or want to be), Ivan offers small classes where he teaches students the art of preparing delicious old-tyme fare.

Visiting his Web site, Historic Food, you'll find courses on Roasting and Broiling, Late Medieval English Cookery, Tudor and Early Stuart Cookery, Pie Making and Pastry, and oh, so many more. Unfortunately, his classes for the remainder of 2009 are full but if you're planning on being in England in 2010 keep an eye on Historic Food for next year's schedule. If England isn't on your agenda but you're in the mood for more immediate gratification, Ivan has three pages of recipes that will give you just the cooking adventure you've been looking for.

Click here to visit Historic Food

Click here to for Historic Food's recipe pages

To read more about Ivan Day, click here.

Camping: Cook Bacon & Eggs in a Paper Bag

If you're a camper who longs for a hearty breakfast, Suniechick has an interesting video you should watch. The host prepares a meal of bacon and several eggs by cooking them over hot coals in an ordinary brown paper bag. I've cooked eggs in a pan, encased in toast, boiled in a bag, and simmered in a paper cup -- all over a campfire -- but this one is new to me. Click here to watch the video.

This Weekend: Treat Your Friends to an "Exploding" Soda

Ok, maybe this isn't really an adventure but I thought it was hilarious. Wired has a great "how to" for creating an exploding drink by freezing Mentos candy into ice cubes and then adding the cubes to a glass of pop. Wired created a Manhattan (my grandmother's favorite cocktail) for this prank but it would work just as well with plain ol' Diet Coke. If you haven't seen what happens when you mix Mentos and Coke, click here, otherwise I know you're already giggling.

Click here for step-by-step instructions for making Mentos ice cubes.

For an amazing display of what you can do with lots of Coke, lots of Mentos (and some corporate funding), click here.

This Weekend: Spicy Ice Cream!

Ever since seeing Chocolat, I've had a passion for adding a little heat to anything sweet (no, that's not a reference to Johnny Depp). I've included smoked ancho chili powder in my chocolate biscotti recipe, I added a dash of cayenne to hot chocolate. Both were delicious!

So, naturally, I was intrigued by a post on SeriousEats about spicy ice cream. If you're up for a little food fun this weekend, why not try a scoop of your favorite cold dessert with dash of fire: chocolate with cinnamon & cayenne or maybe watermelon-jalapeno?

Click here to read the article. Click here for SeriousEats' recipe for Cinnamon-Cayenne Ice Cream. Yummmm!



Image credit: RED CHILI PEPPERS
© Vertes Edmond Mihai | Dreamstime.com

The Best Road Trip Ever...and I missed it

Back in December, I wrote about the National Pie Council's Annual Pie Championships (April 24-26) in Orlando and encouraged all of you to enter your favorite creation. Since the weekend coincided with the Great American Pie Festival (yes, a festival devoted to PIE), it was probably one of the best road trips ever -- one that I didn't take. I am particularly sad that I missed the 70,000 slices of pie in the Never Ending Pie Buffet.*

There is a brighter side, there were 900 pies put before 170 competition judges and 266 of them were entered by amateurs from across the US and Canada. The "Best of Show" amateur winner was Phyllis Szymanek's "Category Five Peanut Butter Pie." If you are like me and you missed all the delicious festivities, you can whip up Phyllis' creation yourself because the Pie Council sent us the recipe. If you are a pie fan or a pie baker, this weekend-o-pie is something to put on your travel list for next year.

Happy eating!

Category Five Peanut Butter Pie
by Phyllis Szymanek, Toledo, Ohio

Crust:
1 1/3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter (unsalted)

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until blended; pour into a 9" pie dish sprayed with Crisco cooking spray. Press into the bottom and sides; bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool

Peanut Butter Filling:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Jiff creamy peanut butter
3 TBS softened butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (save small amount for garnish)

Mix first three ingredients in a small bowl. Spread into the bottom of cooled pie shell and sprinkle with peanuts.

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 TBS corn starch
1 TBS Pillsbury All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Jiff peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 small (.55 oz) frozen peanut butter cups, chopped

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt over medium heat. Gradually stir in milk until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in one cup of hot filling into the beaten egg yolks. Return all to sauce pan, stirring constantly. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Let cool, fold in 5 chopped peanut butter cups. Pour into cooled pie shell. Garnish with whipped topping and remaining chopped peanut butter cups and remaining chopped peanuts.



*extra pie was donated to Feeding America

Image credit: The National Pie Council

A Brooklyn Pizza Adventure

Hungry? Have plans to visit NYC this summer? Albert Grande of Pizza Therapy has a post about what he calls an amazing pizza adventure -- The Brooklyn Pizza Tour.

Tony Miura created the four and a half hour tour that features slices at two of his favorite restaurants: Grimaldi's (thin-crust) and L&B Spumoni Gardens (Sicilian). The Brooklyn Pizza Tour also lets you digest on a bus, taking in the sights and history of one of the city's five boroughs, between stops. Albert includes an interview with Tony and a clip from the Today show to entice you. I have to admit that after watching Today's hosts and a bus load of hungry people swear that they are eating the best pizza of their lives I'm almost ready to admit that New York's pizza is as good as the pies in my hometown of Chicago. "ALMOST" I said....

Click here to read Albert's post.

Learn to Toss Pizza Dough!

Haven't you always watched those professional pizza tossers with envy? They take a little ball of dough, pound it a few times and then spin it high into the air to create a beautiful round pizza crust. Well, here's your chance to develop a skill that will make you the star of the neighborhood. PizzaTherapy has a great video of 8 time world champion pizza acrobat Tony Gemignani giving you the step-by-step on tossing pizza dough. Albert Grande of Pizza Therapy has graciously provided his world famous pizza dough recipe to get you started.

I tested this yesterday with a bunch of teenagers and here are a few tips from that experience:

1. Put your blob of dough on a piece of parchment for the flouring and rolling phases. Parchment is available in grocery stores. It's usually near the waxed paper (don't use waxed paper).
2. Put a table cloth on your floor for the 20 or more times that you drop your dough.
3. If you don't have a pizza stone, use a very thin crust for your pizza or the middle will be doughy.
4. Bake your pizza in a 500 degree oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes with a pizza stone, about 15 minutes on a baking sheet.
5. If you don't have a pizza stone, bake your pizza on a piece of parchment. It makes it much easier to get the pizza (and the run-off cheese) off the baking sheet.

Now, go make your dough and click here to see how to toss it like a pro.

Albert Grande's "World Famous Pizza Dough"

Ingredients for the dough, makes 2 regular of 4 thin Neapolitan pizzas!

· 2-3 teaspoons of yeast or less (Try 1-2 teaspoons, Peter Reinhart says only use as much as you need, you can use less yeast to get good results)

· 2 teaspoons honey or sugar (optional)

· 4 cups of flour (Can be All purpose or Bread Flour)

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup olive oil (optional)

· 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water

Directions

1. Put yeast and sugar in a cup. Add 1/2 cup of water. The water should be between 100° and 110° F (37° C- 43° C.) degrees. Mix well. Wait about 5 minutes for the yeast and sugar to activate.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil, flour, salt, 1 cup of warm water and the yeast mixture. Mix this with a fork to get all the liquid absorbed by the flour.

3. Place a handful of flour on a mixing surface. Dust your hands and spread out the flour. Empty the contents of the bowl on to the flour.

4. Knead the dough vigorously for 8-10 minutes or until the texture is smooth and uniform. If the dough seems a little sticky, add a little more flour. One method to knead, is to lean on the dough with the palm of your hand.Press the dough to the mixing surface. Fold the dough and repeat.

5. Place the dough in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Place bowl in warm area and cover with a cloth.

6. Let the dough rise for about an hour. Punch down the dough and wait 30-45 minutes. Your dough is now ready.

7. Cut the dough in half (or fourths, for thin pizza).

(I usually make 4 thin pizzas with this dough recipe!)

Now, watch the video and toss!

The White House is Doing it: Start a Garden

Michelle Obama made headlines recently when she and a bunch of helpers dug up a section of the White House lawn in order to plant a vegetable garden. Gardens at the First Home aren't new (Eleanore Roosevelt had one in the 40s) but the Obama garden reinforces the idea that growing your own food is an economical and healthy option and, well, it's fun!

If you're new to gardening, I have a great link for you. Gardener's Supply offers six pre-planned 3x6 kitchen garden concepts. Start by clicking on options like "Salsa & Tomato Sauce," "High Yield," or "Plant it and Forget it." Up pops a garden plan where the garden is divided into 18 1-foot squares and you're told what to plant in each block. For example: The Salad Bar garden has 3 squares for tomatoes, 2 for peppers, 2 broccoli, 2 cucumber, 1 basil, etc. You are also shown the number of plants for each square (1 tomato per square vs. 8 peas), and then you get lots of tips for getting each little plant off to a good healthy start. If you don't see a concept that meets your culinary tastes, try the "design your own garden" section where you drag veggies onto the garden grid. You can get started here. BTW, Gardener's Supply emphasizes raised beds but all of these gardens can go into a regular garden plot as well.

Don't have space for a garden? Not a problem. Click here to read about community gardens on Green Daily. When I lived in an apartment and didn't have access to anything bigger than a flower pot, I used a community plot. I raised a bunch of veggies and met a bunch of great people.



Image credit: FRUIT AND VEGETABLE2 © Dragan Licina | Dreamstime.co

Enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off!

Ok, ladies, I know you've heard about the Pillsbury Bake-Off but have you ever entered? Did you realize that 100 individuals will be chosen to prepare their recipes in Orlando, Florida and one of them will take home $1,000,000 plus lots of other prizes? That person could be YOU!

FIRST, Think about your favorite original recipe and then choose one of the following four categories:

Breakfast & Brunches
Casual brunch or weekend family breakfast ideas. For example, sweet rolls, pull-aparts, breakfast breads, egg dishes or breakfast sandwiches.

Entertaining Appetizers
Appetizers and snacks to serve at casual gatherings with family and friends or for holiday entertaining. For example, tartlets, pinwheels, puffs or bite-size appetizers.

Dinner Made Easy™
Easy-to-prepare weeknight main dishes that will delight your family. For example, family pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, foldovers or savory pies.

Sweet Treats
Quick and easy treats for anytime celebrations. For example, cookies, pies, tarts, brownies or bars.

SECOND, decide which of the eligible products you can incorporate into your recipe.

THIRD, make sure YOU are eligible (over 18, not a professional, etc).

FOURTH, read the judging criteria (taste, appearance, creativity, consumer appeal) and the official rules.

FIFTH, enter your recipe by April 20, 2009! The Bake-Off will be April 11-13, 2010 in Orlando.

Good luck!

"Top Chef" Looking for Contestants

How are your cooking skills? Serious Eats is reporting that Top Chef is starting a nationwide search for contestants this weekend. Click here for more information.

Are You Afraid to Make a Pie?

Earlier this week I wrote about the American Pie Council's national competition, but I've come to realize that MANY people are not only not ready for competition, they have never attempted a pie from scratch. I am embarrassed to admit that I fall half-way into that category.

Oh, I can make a filling with the best of them, it's the crust that scares me. Mine never roll out in a circle, they crumble at the edges, they disintegrate before getting to the pie plate, they're hard to cut with a knife let alone a fork. I have become a firm believer in purchasing the pre-rolled, refrigerated versions -- something that baffles my mother. My mom, who has been to the Pillsbury Bake-Off so many times that she (and her children) are ineligible for all future Bake-Offs; whose favorite childhood memories involve snowy days and mincemeat pie, has raised a daughter who runs an adventure group, writes an adventure blog and is afraid of pie crust.

Well, my mother will be happy to know that the Pie Council wants to help all of us (OK, me) to develop a new skill. From now through December 23, there will be pie pros manning the Crisco Pie Hotline who are ready to answer questions, supply tips and cheer us on. These happy helpers can be found at 1-877-FOR-PIE-TIPS (1-877-367-7438).

If you are a visual learner and you want (need) more help, you can go to "Pie Central" at www.crisco.com where there are videos with step-by-step instructions on crust making and more pie tips. How can we go wrong?

The American Pie Council Wants YOU!

I have to admit that I only recently discovered that there is an organization called the American Pie Council. Just saying the name makes me happy. Even better, the American Pie Council is calling ALL pie bakers (amateurs, kids and pros alike) to compete in the 15th Annual National Pie Championships, April 24-26 in Orlando.

There are 15 separate categories for amateurs ranging from Apple, Citrus and Cream to Pumpkin, Splenda and Open. The top three winners in each division take home $100, $150 or $200. The pie baker earning "Best in Show" also gets a Sears Kenmore range and the top cash prize of $5,000.

If you aren't quite ready for competition but you think it's high time you had credentials to back up your baking, you can become a card-carrying member of the American Pie Council here. (I hear they're nice but a little flaky....)

Make a REAL Figgy Pudding!

"Oh, bring us a figgy pudding, oh, bring us a figgy pudding, oh, bring us a figgy pudding and bring it right now!"

Sure, you've heard of figgy pudding but I'm willing to bet that even though it's been around for more that 600 years, you've never tasted one let alone prepared one. Well, girls, this is the year to change all that.

First, let's get rid of the confusion about the word "pudding." Figgy pudding isn't something you mix with milk and top with Cool Whip. This kind of pudding is really a dense, moist cake that is steamed instead of baked. It is very easy to make, it's yummy (a lot like carrot or spice cake), and it's sure to be a hit at the holiday dinner table.

According to Better Homes & Gardens, "The original figgy pudding, thought to have been created sometime in the 1400s, was a dish of dried figs, dates, raisins, and spices boiled in almond milk." Speaking of Better Homes & Gardens, I've been using the magazine's recipe since December '02 when it first appeared and I've made a lot of puddings since then. This year, I invite you to be an adventurous woman and give it a try. If you're feeling really adventurous, try the flaming presentation described at the end of the recipe. Oh, don't forget the Hard Sauce!


FIGGY PUDDING
Tastes a lot like a warm, moist spice cake. Yum.
Stand: overnight
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Cool: 10 minutes
Serves: 8

½ cup snipped dried figs *
¼ cup orange liquor (triple sec, grand Marnier, Cointreau or curacao) or orange juice
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup milk
¼ cup chopped dates
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup coarsely chopped almonds
¼ cup walnut pieces
¼ cup brandy (for impressive presentation option)
1 recipe Hard Sauce (follows)

1. Soak figs in orange liquor (or orange juice) overnight. In a bowl beat together butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined. Add flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, and pepper; beat on medium speed until combined. Stir in undrained figs, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, dates, raisins, almonds, and walnuts until combined.
2. Butter (or coat with nonstick cooking spray) a 1-quart heatproof pudding mold, bowl or casserole. Spoon batter into the pudding mold and cover the top with a double layer of aluminum foil. Press foil firmly around edges of mold to seal. Place pudding mold on a rack in a deep pot. (Rack can be a small cookie rack, or several tuna-sized cans with the tops and bottoms cut out.) Add boiling water to a depth of about 1 inch. Put lid on pot. Bring to a gentle boil and steam for 60-75 minutes or until a long wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Add more boiling water to the pot as necessary. (AWB: check every so often to make sure the pot does not boil dry.)
3. Remove mold from pot. Cool pudding for 10 minutes; remove pudding from mold. Serve slices with Hard Sauce.
4. Impressive presentation option: If desired, just before serving, heat brandy in a small saucepan until it almost simmers. Carefully ignite brandy with a long match. Pour over pudding. Serve immediately with Hard Sauce.

Hard Sauce: In a small mixing bowl beat together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, ¼ cup softened butter, and 2 tablespoons brandy (or ½ teaspoons vanilla) with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Cover and chill to harden, about 30 minutes. Makes ½ cup.

*Snipping figs is easier if you lightly coat your scissors with vegetable oil. Dried figs can get quite hard. If your figs aren’t snippable, microwave them along with a teaspoon of water for about a minute or until they soften.

Plagiarized from Better Homes and Gardens; December 2002

And The Winner is....

I put the names of all commenters into a paper bag this morning and pulled out one. The winner of the fabulous Halloween Treat Package from Bizarre Foods is....Ikkinlala! (Yes, edible crickets can go to Canada.)


Ikkinlala, I'll put your crickets, DVD and autographed picture in the mail on Monday.


For those of you who are desperately unhappy that you won't have crickets for Halloween, you can purchase some from the same place that packaged the Salt N' Vinegar Crick-ettes included in the prize. Hotlix.com offers crickets in Bacon & Cheese and Sour Cream & Onion as well as chocolate covered ants and worms, scorpion lollipops, BBQ Larvets, ant candy, worm candy...you get the picture.

Edible Cricket Giveaway: Perfect for Halloween!

Bizarre Foods and the Travel Channel has sent me some Halloween treats that I'm going to GIVE AWAY to one adventurous reader.

First up, a very small box of edible crickets. To be more precise, they're "Salt N' Vinegar Crick-ettes" but they're the real thing. Second, is a Bizarre Foods DVD (a 2-DVD set), and finally, an autographed picture of host Andrew Zimmern.

If you're unfamiliar with Bizarre Foods, the program features chef Andrew traveling the world in search of culture and the most unusual local foods. Many of his culinary discoveries may have you squirming in your seat as he's licking his fingers and telling you how delicious that fresh (insert animal part here) is when it's prepared like this. It's a fun show and the DVD will be a nice touch for any Halloween dinner party.

Speaking of dinner parties, click here for a recipe for Hot and Spicy Chicken Feet, also courtesy of Bizarre Foods.

So how do you win this fabulous Halloween prize package??? Just leave a comment on this post and a winner will be selected at random next Saturday. I have to wait until Saturday because I'm spending the week at a convention where I'm promoting healthy food. (Good thing Blogger let's you pre-schedule posts.)

In the mean time, if you want more immediate gratification, you can catch Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel on Tuesdays at 10pm.

Just for Fun: Mr. Owl Talks about the Tootsie Pop Sweepstakes

My favorite month is dedicated to candy and all those fun things that come out at night. So I can't think of a better way to welcome October than with Tootsie Pops and the Tootsie spokescreature, Mr. Owl.

AWB: Thanks for stopping by Mr. Owl. I have to say I've been a fan of yours for years.

Mr. Owl: Thank Youhoo.

AWB: I hear Tootsie Pops is challenging people to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Is that correct?

Mr. Owl: Yehhhheesssss

AWB: I also understand that you have some great prizes for contest winners. Each month five people will win a year's supply of Tootsie candies AND there's a grand prize of $50,000!

Mr. Owl: Yehhhheeessss

AWB: This contest is running until July 31, 2009, is that right?

Mr. Owl: Yeehhheeesss

AWB: I know you have to fly, Mr. Owl, but one final question before you go. How many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Owl: Let's find out..(unwraps Tootsie Pop), one...twoHoo...three (crunch!). Three!

AWB: Well thanks for stopping by Mr. Owl. I'll let readers know that they can enter the Tootsie Pops "How Many Licks" Sweepstakes by clicking here.

Image courtesy of Tootsie Roll Industries

It's National Coffee Day: Try a cup of Kopi Luwak

If you saw "The Bucket List" you know that Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. You also know that it is created through a process that only an adventurer could love. Since today is National Coffee Day, it seems only fitting that an adventurous woman should forgo her usual Starbucks latte or mug of Folgers and choose something a bit more exotic.

The Kopi Luwak process does not begin with Juan Valdez and his mule, it begins with something smaller and furrier, the Common Palm Civet. The civiet, which looks a little like a monkey-cat, eats the raw, red coffee "cherries" as part of its usual diet. Because the hard inner beans don't digest, they travel through the civet's digestive tract intact. Enterprising local citizens collect the beans from civet feces and sell them to dealers.

Considered the rarest coffee in the world, Kopi Luwak is very expensive. Shopping around the web I found prices ranging from $100 to $300 per pound. However, I'm not sure how you go about verifying that you are buying the real thing so actually purchasing Kopi Luwak may be the most adventurous part of the coffee.

Road Trip...Dessert...Free Tickets...What More Could You Ask For?!

The New York City Wine & Food Festival is holding a SWEET evening dedicated to the best desserts ever. On October 11, 9PM -Midnight, you can sample treats made by outstanding NY chefs.

Way beyond the chocolate chip cookie, the offerings at SWEET range from Sweet & Tart Apple Brioche with Frozen Chestnut Mousse to Pumpkin Cheesecake with Lime Whipped Cream and Spiced Cranberries to Dark Chocolate Dacquoise with Tainori Chocolate Cremeux, Lemon Curd and Chocolate Rice Crispy (OK, I don't know what that last one is but it involves chocolate so I'm all for it).

Best of all, SeriousEats NY is giving away FREE tickets to this yummy event: two pairs of tickets for each of the weeks leading up to the festival. Click here to read more about the evening and the list of desserts offerings. Then, leave a comment including your favorite NY restaurant dessert for your chance to win a pair of tickets.

If you want to guarantee that you have tickets, you can purchase them for $175 here. Proceeds from the festival go to Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength.

Recipe from "Bizarre Foods"

It just wasn't right to promote an adventure where you watch a man have all the fun so, I'm happily sharing one of the Travel Channel's "bizarre" recipes so you can make some fun of your own.

I've eaten chicken feet and it's not too different from gnawing on a chicken wing -- not a lot of meat but if the seasoning is good the experience is satisfying.

Bon appetite!


HOT AND SPICY CHICKEN FEET

Ingredients:
32 chicken feet (about 2 lbs.)
1/2 cup sake
1/3 cup water
6 large thin slices fresh ginger
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese yellow rock sugar
2 dried hot chiles, crushed
2T oyster sauce
2T hoisin sauce
2 star anise buds
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup scallion cut in 1” pieces
2T minced scallion and 1t toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
Rub chicken feet with kosher salt and let stand for 10 minutes, rinse in cold water.
Place feet into a pot of rapidly boiling salted water, blanch for 5 minutes and drain well. Chicken feet can be set aside and refrigerated for a day until you need to cook further.
Place a 14 inch saute pan over high heat.
Add the chicken and dry-sear to lightly brown.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the garnish) and bring to a simmer.
Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.
Uncover, and simmer until pan is almost “dry,” tossing frequently to coat the feet as the sauce reduces.
Serve, garnishing with scallion shavings and toasted sesame seeds.

A New Season of "Bizarre Foods" Starts Tonight

Ok, this show is hosted by a guy and there aren't too many women around but you know I like weird edibles so I thought I'd pass it on. Really, it's fascinating to watch.

Host Andrew Zimmern, a chef and food writer in another life, travels the world immersing himself in local culture with an open mind and an adventurous stomach. I've seen this show a few times and watched Andrew chow down on bugs, invertebrates, and anything that used to be attached to an animal. I swear the only thing Andrew doesn't like is fruit (he gaged on the durian).

Tonight's premiere has Chef Zimmern in Puket, Thailand. Future episodes have him (and you) exploring Goa, Hawaii, Texas, Thailand, Samoa, Maine, Paris, Los Angeles, Sicily, Africa, Korea, Australia, Fiji, and Appalachia.

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern airs Tuesdays on the Travel Channel at 10pm (ET/PT). Immediately following tonight's season premiere (11pm ET) fans will have the opportunity to chat live with Andrew on the official Bizarre Foods fan page at travelchannel.com/bizarre

Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel