Cat Cora

It's looking to be quite the year for celebrity chef Cat Cora. Not only does the female Iron Chef have a bun in the oven, but she's also announced she will open her first signature restaurant in Disney World.

The chef, whose Food Network bio says she's currently working on her signature restaurant will open Kouzzina by Cat Cora, a Mediterranean restaurant at Disney's Boardwalk Resort this Fall.

Cora, a native of Jackson, MS, recently opened CCQ, a quick-service barbecue restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA, but the descendant of Greek restaurateurs is famous for her Mediterranean cuisine. Cora says, the new restaurant will feature "time-honored recipes passed down from my ancestors, as well as my favorite Greek and Mediterranean dishes that my family loves."

I'm excited that the Iron Chef will finally have a chance to serve her signature dishes to the public. Are you curious to check out her restaurant?

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Yesterday celebrity chefs Tyler Florence, Cat Cora, and Curtis Stone made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The chefs shared recipes and tips on how to cook more affordably during the recession. They also went into the kitchen of viewers to perform culinary interventions. Stone helped a couple cut their takeout budget by learning to cook, Cora taught a family how to use fresh ingredients to make healthy dishes, and Florence showed a mom the best way to feed her children. The chefs provided some great suggestions on how to save money when grocery shopping. For their ideas, read more

Along with some of New York's top chefs, the stars of Food Network were busy partying hard this weekend at the Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival. The Macy's Culinary Council party on Saturday night (which I attended — more details to come!) drew the largest crowd of celebrity chefs.

Gail Simmons mingled with friends, while Bobby Flay danced with fans. Tyler Florence chatted quietly on the 10th floor rooftop, but Johnny Iuzzini got angry when the bouncer wouldn't let him access the too-crowded roof.

To check out a gallery of the celebrated chefs at the party, read more

While Tinseltown was partying at The Oscars, our favorite celebrity chefs were demonstrating their skills at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. While there is definitely a lot of partying going on, during the day the chefs displayed their culinary skills and talked about their books. Naturally some of them did with a beer in hand, and all of them did it with a huge smile on their face. Unfortunately I didn't have the pleasure of being there — maybe next year?! — but from the looks of these photos, everyone is having a great time.

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Food Network personality Cat Cora, and author of the book Cooking From the Hip, has given eDiets these healthy cooking tips:

• Buy Seasonal, Fresh Ingredients. Cat says using fresh ingredients is one of the best ways to ensure your meals will be healthy and taste great. She frequently visits her local farmers' markets to find foods to include in her recipes, especially fruits and vegetables at the peak of their season.
• Use Organic Products. Do organic products really make a difference? According to Cat, the answer is YES! She advises using sustainable organic products as often as possible.
• Add Flavor Without Adding Fat. According to Cat, another key to healthy cooking is to make sure you find ways to add flavor to your meals without increasing the fat content. She says there are plenty of flavorful seasonings that contain little or no fat, including citrus products, herbs, spices and vinegar.
• Grill, Braise or Roast Meats. You can grill, braise or roast meats instead of frying them to save calories. Cat says using recipes for braised meats can be particularly healthy, because these dishes usually require a very lean cut of meat.
• Substitute Healthier Ingredients. Cat reminds people not to be afraid to substitute healthier ingredients in their recipes. For instance, she says you can use yogurt instead of sour cream in sauces or olive oil instead of butter.

I was lucky enough to get sent an advanced, not-for-sale copy of Cat Cora's new cookbook, Cooking From The Hip. Cat Cora is the executive chef at Bon Appetit magazine and Food Network's only female Iron Chef. She believes in "cooking from the hip" (a phrase that I still don't fully understand, I keep picturing her in a kitchen doing Shakira style hip motions while she cooks...) which is her term for creating dishes from fresh ingredients and pantry staples. Cat advises stocking your kitchen with a variety of oils, vinegars, and canned goods so you can create simple, delicious, and healthy meals at all times. Her book isn't laid out like your normal cookbook, instead she organizes her recipes into five interesting categories: fast, easy, fun, phenomenal, and good to know. I especially enjoyed her praises for the importance of adult time which she celebrates with daily happy hours (a girl after my own heart!) and the cocktail recipes she includes: sake margaritas, mint juleps and mojitos to name a few. I used a few of the recipes to pack a picnic lunch (perfect a blog party) for YumSugar and I to enjoy at work. The pasta salad was very light and fresh and the sandwich uncomplicated elegance. However the best recipe by far was Cat's lemonade cookies. These cake like cookies were a hit at the office and while many people believe I spent hours zesting lemon after lemon, all of the flavor comes from frozen lemonade concentrate...genious! Cat Cora's cookbook doesn't hit the book shelves until April 10, but you can enjoy a sneak peak of a few of her recipes, and pack yourself a perfect picnic, just read more