Chopped!

"If your dish doesn't cut it ... YOU will be chopped." - Ted Allen

Kaity and Joe have been wanting to do this for a looong time, and today it finally happened. I didn't have dinner planned and we were grocery shopping ... the stars were in perfect alignment. When we arrived at Aldi, Kaity walked behind us and put her chosen items in a shopping bag. At the checkout, I took the little girls to the restroom and Kaity paid for all of our groceries.

"Ted" graciously put an hour on the clock ...

I look as nervous as I feel!

And your basket ingredients are: couscous ... edam cheese ... skirt steak ... and ... raspberry lemonade twisted fruit ropes!

Immediately, I pop the steak in the freezer so it can firm up a little for slicing. I know I'm going to marinade it, and I get that going right away. I'm using the fruit rope, fresh lemon zest and juice, orange juice, soy, salt, pepper and ginger.

Of course, throughout the cooking process, Kaity and I were making all kind of jokes and repeating the show's cliches and stock phrases like, "She hasn't even touched the cheese yet!"; "Get it on the plate!" and "Did you salt the pasta water?"

The photographer didn't take very many process shots, so I'll have to fill you in ... In butter, I sauteed together some finely diced onion, diced carrot, slivered almonds and broken angel hair pasta. After bringing chicken stock to a boil, I added in the carrot/pasta mixture. After 2-3 minutes, I poured in the couscous, stirred it and took it off the heat. Before serving, I stirred in chopped parsley and shredded Edam cheese. I knew I needed another vegetable on the plate, and opted for something green. I seasoned frozen peas with lemon-pepper and got those heated through. In the last few minutes, I cooked the skirt steak on a hot grill pan.

Yes, Kaity was standing over my shoulder counting down while I plated!

The judges: Renowned picky eater and Minecraft expert, Joe Pittard! Budding chef and talented crocheter, Kaity Pittard! Known for eating his baked potatoes with no salt or butter, Jeff Pittard!

"Today I have for you, judges, a soy and citrus marinated grilled skirt steak, served on a bed of 'couscous pilaf', and lemon-pepper green peas. Enjoy."

Never a good sign when the judge has to suppress his gag reflex.

This thoughtful judge enjoyed the way the couscous was really transformed into something new. She liked the addition of cheese. Judge Jeff thought the meal was amazing and polished off everything on his plate. All in all, they decided not to chop me!