What Food Shows I am Watching Now

I have been watching the Food Network for 15 years now, and it is safe to say they have hit their stride and are rocking out some seriously good programming these days. But it's one of their sister channels, The Cooking Channel, that has me hooked on some of the most entertaining and engaging food shows out there right now. Don't get me wrong, we all love food competition and reality shows, but it's nice to actually watch cooking shows, and see people share their recipes, and that is what Cooking Channel does, it's like MTV before they stopped playing music videos!

Cooking Channel has exposed me to some awesome food personalities like, Nadia G's Bithin' Kitchen, Chuck Hughes Eats the street, and Eden Grinshpan's Log On & Eat.

You will never, repeat ever, see a cooking show like Bitchin' Kitchen. Not only is Nadia G talented in the kitchen, but her humor is dark, twisted, and seriously addictive. She has a background in comedy, and decided to combine that with her love of food. Once you watch one episode, I dare you to not watch another one. Voodoo dolls, a shirtless meathead, an Israeli spice "agent", and a fetish for high heels are just some of the stuff that make this one of the best shows on food TV these days!

I first discovered Eden Grinshpan on her Cooking Channel show Eden Eats, where she stayed up for 24 hours and check out ethnic restaurants in a particular city. Her new show, Log On & Eat, is seriously entertaining bc it combines social media with hardcore foodies. She travels all around the country and meets up with food bloggers and other social media mavens. Whether it's a drag queen chef, a death metal blogger, or NYC pizza fanatics, it's all about the food baby!

Eden's show is on Tuesday nights, and Bitchin Kitchen is inbetween seasons now. Both shows air on the Cooking Channel.

New Episode of Flavor City from Tuscany is out!

I just released the latest Flavor City from Tuscany on my YouTube channel. This is my favorite episode yet as there is no shortage of culinary inspiration in Italy! Everything I tasted in Tuscany, mainly in the Chianti region, was so simple and so flavorful, and that is the essence of Italian food. I spent some time on a second generation wine and olive oil estate, just soaking up the beauty and my fair share of Chianti wine! I also got an in depth tour of how the extra virgin olive oil process works, and man does that make me appreciate this golden elixir from the gods even more!

Let me know what you think, and please share your stories from Italy, I would love to hear them!

For a better quality video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGmXtJ6XYEs&feature=c4-overview&list=UUnq1w-56tAvMdDup-CL6Vtg

What's in my wallet & how it saves me money on travel.

I want to continue to share with you what credit cards I am using that enable me to book both domestic and international flight for just a few bucks(can't escape the tax man!). Part of the reason I am able to make Flavor City, and travel all around, is because I have been taking advantage of credit card bonus miles since 2005. I used to watch travel shows and think, " man that looks nice, but it probably costs a fortune", and guess what..it does! The good news is, when you eliminate the airfare and hotel cost, you can live like a VIP without breaking the bank, and thus allowing you to experience new cultures and eat the most fantastic foods all over the world. 

British Airways Visa Card: I have over 300,000 miles on BA thanks to the fact that they have one of the most lucrative sign up bonuses in the business, 100,000 points! BA flies all over the world, but one of the aspects I love most, is that they are part of the one world alliance, and I can book American Air flights using my BA points. So my round trip ticket to NYC in December for a friends wedding only cost 15,000 BA miles to book on AA. The current signup bonus gives you 50,000 points after the first purchase, but then you have to charge $10,000 the first year to get 25,000 more. Check it out.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/credit-cards/public/en_us

Southwest Visa Card: Southwest has 4 credit cards, all offering 50,000 miles, in their family, and I have them all! Southwest makes it very easy to book any flight using points, and they are usually my go to for booking domestic flights. I would recommend signing up for one of the personal and business cards the same day, as only one credit check will be done. Check the cards out here.

http://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/partners/credit-cards/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-cards/index.html

Travelling using points & miles. What's in my wallet now

This week I am going to cover just how valuable airline miles and hotel points can be. The mere fact that I have not paid for an international airline ticket since 2005, flown first and business class, and saved thousands of dollars puts a new meaning on the word valuable! It can be time consuming to keep track of all the best credit card and bank account offers out there, but if you follow some of my advice, you will be well on your way to maximizing everyday purchases. There are also full time bloggers who make it easy for you to stay up to date on these offers.

Currently I have six points/miles credit cards open, and they have earned me over 300,000 points in the last six months. Now before you worry about "ruining" your credit score by opening and eventually closing cards, you must know that I have had a 750 credit score and excellent credit history. The only time your credit score will take a minor hit, is when you close a card and your score goes down about 6 points for a couple months, then right back up. This is why I close a few cards at one time, usually when the annual fee is about to be charged. So instead of getting the 6 point hit on each card, I only get hit for 6 points once.

With all of that out of the way, I will unveil the two credit cards in my wallet I am currently earning sweet bonuses on.

American Express Starwood Business Card: Starwood is by far my favorite hotel brand, with Le Meridien, The W, St. Regis, and their luxury properties all included. Right now, Amex is offering 25,000 star points after you spend $5000 in the first 6 months. Just to give you an idea of what that can get you, you can book a nice 4 star Sheraton in times square for 12,000, or the 5 star Hotel Danieli in Venice for 15,000. Starwood also gives you the option of using both points and cash, which I always choose because it save me some of my precious points, and is a great deal. This Amex card does offer 30,000 bonus star points once in a while, so if you are not in a hurry, I would wait fr the better off.
https://www304.americanexpress.com/credit-card/carousel-landing/starwood-preferred-guest?ccsgeep=28000&openeep=43213&psboth=CCSG_Google_PA_SPG_Broad&ti=0

Chase Ink Business Bold: This is one of my favorite cards because you can transfer Chase ultimate reward points to any number of airline and hotel partners. Currently Ink has two cards, the bold and plus, and each will give you 50,000 ultimate reward points after spending $5000 in the first 3 months. I plan of transferring some of those points to United to book my annual ski trip in Aspen, a ticket that would normally cost $800 round trip from O'hare. If you are a fan of the Park Hyatt( who isn't!), you can redeem 44,000 ultimate reward points for two free nights at any Park Hyatt in the world, a potential $1600 value!
https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=F5QS&CELL=6H8X&AFFID=xDpEzOEw4a4-1LZR.f9oc_n5lqrs6tmJuQ&pvid=F517191842&jp_cmp=cc/289065/aff/3-10002010/na