I have two little boys – ages three and four – and in our house I'm in charge of dinner each night. So one of my favorite things to do in the evening when I get home is to cook with the boys. It's fun to do together, it lets them be creative and, when they've had a hand in the creation, it gets them interested in trying new foods. And I can state unequivocally, there is no better oven that compliments their enthusiasm and eagerness to get from creation to completion better than the TurboChef oven.

Of course, one of our favorite things to make is pizza. Our local market sells a great fresh pizza dough that I bring home at least once a week now and it is always a culinary highlight for them. They can really have fun with a pizza and handle just about every aspect of it by themselves (although they seem to be a little behind in the dough spinning category). So when I stumbled upon this video at the very clever "Tamra Davis Cooking Show", I was inspired to take our pizza-making to the next level. Last weekend was Henry's 3rd birthday party and instead of the backyard inflatable jumper or the piñata, we let two-dozen kids loose on a table full of pizzas. It was a ton of fun and the kids got a kick out of eating their own creations. We cooked up eight fresh-made pizzas in about 30 minutes – four minutes each with the TurboChef oven. We could never have pulled it off any other way. Even the parents got into the act, taking turns manning the oven and slicing up pies.

Coincidentally, I spoke to a customer just a few days later and she shared the same sentiment. Dee-Dee in Chicago said, "One of our favorite things to make in our TurboChef on a regular basis is Chicago-style deep dish pizza. With five kids and many different tastes, we make several different kinds in one meal. The TurboChef lets me offer a greater variety of options for the family with no problem. I can make four different pizzas in the same time it takes to make one in a conventional oven. That means everyone is satisfied and harmony is achieved at the dinner table." Keep in mind, you're typically talking 30-45 minutes for a typical scratch recipe for deep dish pizza. TurboChef cooks one up in about six and a half minutes.

Bottom line, thanks go out to Tamra for the inspiration and to TurboChef for helping us pull it off in record time. Henry and his friends had a blast.

Here's a recap of the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in NYC, including a short segment on TurboChef in their roundup.

A number of folks that have visited with us at the Charleston Food & Wine Festival and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show have been requesting a particular recipe we cook at our demonstrations. It's one of those quick, easy and delicious appetizers that you just can't get enough of. Enjoy.

Blue Cheese & Parmesan Crostini
TurboChef Cook Time: 2 minutes
Serves: 6

1 cup mayonnaise
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup finely chopped green onions or chives
24 1/4" inch thick sliced baguette or sourdough bread

1. Select Toast > Bagels> Dark. Allow oven to preheat.
2. Combine the mayonnaise with the all other ingredients.
3. Spread a generous tablespoon of the mixture on each bread slice.
4. Place slices on baking sheet and place in oven. Press “Start” to begin baking. Bake 2 minutes until the cheese topping starts to bubble and the toasts are golden around the edges.
5. We serve these treats on a platter by themselves or with a thin slice of beef - most of the time it's a strip steak - on top. Enjoy.

Here's the full Today Show segment that aired this past Sunday.

For those of you in New York City and the surrounding area, you can catch TurboChef this weekend at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Held at Pier 94 (12th Ave & 55th St.), the show is open exclusively to design professionals on Thursday, March 6th and then opens to the public on Friday through the remainder of the weekend. TurboChef will be conducting demonstrations throughout each day with some of New York's most talented chefs. Highlights on the roster include:

Thursday:
Jonathan Waxman, Chef/Owner of Barbuto, will be cooking a seafood medley of clams, mussels, and sea bass with a saffron broth along with roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash. Noon.

Friday:
Kurt Gutenbruner, Chef/Owner of Blaue Gans, Wallsé and Café Sabarsky, will be cooking something wonderful. 11:30am.

Saturday:
Franklin Becker, Executive Chef of Brasserie, prepares roasted rack of lamb with peas and carrots. Noon.
Cesare Casella, Executive Chef/Owner of Maremma, will be cooking marinated U-15 shrimp with tuscan style beans.
Anne Burrell, Executive Chef at Centro Vinoteca and Gusto, will be preparing leg of lamb. 3:00pm.

Sunday:
Mikey Price, Executive Chef/Owner of Market Table, is roasting up boneless half chickens garnished with a brunoise of sweet potatoes (...yes, I had to look up brunoise).
Amanda Freitag, Executive Chef at The Harrison, will prepare a whole roasted side of fresh fish with roasted vegetables.
Fabio Trabocchi, Chef/Partner of Fiamma, will roast poussins. 3:00pm.

The Charleston Food and Wine Festival over this past weekend was an amazing mix of local and nationally-recognized Southern chefs in a city widely acclaimed for its low country cuisine. Seminars, food tastings, and a dine-around were highlights of the weekend, and TurboChef was right in the middle of it as the official sponsor of the Culinary Village. We served up a few of our own culinary treats to guests across from the south and beyond. We've posted a short slide show of the event for those of you who couldn't make it. The event has their own recap of the event in pictures here.

By the way, when we weren't cooking, our group found some real gems when it comes to local fare. Fish, specializing in fresh, local and sustainable seafood is housed in a beautiful renovated building from 1837. Boathouse - East Bay in historic Charleston is very close to the festival. And Coast and Virginia’s on King both served up great authentic southern low country fare. If you happen to be in the area, a visit to any of these establishments will treat you right.

Our thanks to everyone who we met at this great event. We hope to see you again next year.