My Favorite Cooking Shows - Quick, Easy and OH so Good!

One of my favorite past-times is cooking, and with a family, I am ALWAYS looking for something new, quick and easy. I've come to love and look forward to a few shows that really hit home for me. Here are three of my favorite chefs and their awesome recipes, tried and true.

First there's 30 minute Meals with Rachel Ray. It airs at 2:30pm, 6:00pm and 6:30pm on The Food Network. Rachel started 30 Minute Meals classes while she worked at a food equipment store in Albany, NY. Her hope was to boost sales during the holiday season, but little did she guess she would progress to doing a weekly 30 Minute Meals segment for the local Albany TV evening news, and eventually for The Food Network.

Rachel's recipes are quick and so easy. She prepares everything right in front of you, and it really does take only 30 minutes! I think that her openness and conversational-like approach is what draws you - she tells about her husband, her family and even her dog, Isaboo.

My favorite episode is called "Welcome to the Family," in which she prepares a meal to 'impress' your in-laws with ease. In this episode, she fixes Spicy Crab and Vermicelli, Beef Tenderloin Bites on a Bed of Arugala and Amaretti Ice Cream Dessert. It's SO easy and quick that you'll be amazed! This episode airs again on 10/27 at 6:00pm and on 11/03 at 2:30PM, ET/PT.

Next is Bobby Flay. He hosts several shows on The Food Network, but my favorites are BBQ with Bobby Flay and Boy Meets Grill. Bobby owns three restaurants: Mesa Grill in Manhattan, Mesa Grill Las Vegas in Caesar's Palace, and his latest restaurant, American Brasserie, Bar Americain, which opened in New York in 2005.

In BBQ with Bobby Flay, he bounces around the country searching for barbecued and grilled delights. He finds the best 'undiscovered' B-B-Q spots in each city that he visits. It airs Wednesdays at 9:00pm and 1:00am, and on Saturday at 7:00pm, ET/PT.

On Boy Meets Grill, Bobby pops in and out of his favorite places in NYC to get his groceries. He grills on top of a NYC rooftop setting, and quite a few times has had actress Anne Marie Cancelmi (she played A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia (Seasons 15-16) on Law & Order) assist him (hhmmmm - something a little more cooking other than some food?). Bobby cooks everything from pizza to dessert on his grill. This show airs Tuesdays at 5:30 pm, Fridays at 3:30 pm, 10:00 pm and 1:00 am, Saturdays at 1:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm, ET/PT.

What I like best about Bobby Flay is that he's down to Earth. He samples everything as he prepares it and always sits back and drinks a beer with his finished meal. I LOVE it! He's a real guy's guy in this respect, and his recipes are easy to follow. And if you love to grill, and I certainly do, you've gotta tune into this show and try some of his recipes. My favorites are his Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Soy Sauce, Fresh Ginger and Toasted Sesame Seeds, and Pulled Pork Shoulder with Lexington Style Dip Sauce. Oh Yeah!

And last, but not least, is my absolute favorite TV chef personality, Gerry "Big Sexy" Garvin on TV-One. He hosts Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin on Fridays, with back-to-back episodes from 8:00am - 10:00am ET/PT.

G. Garvin is an executive chef at Morton's, Kass Bah and Reign (owned by NFL player Keyshaawn Johnson). He also co-owns and is the executive chef of G. Garvin's restaurant in Los Angeles. Garvin really "brings it home" as he always says, and that he's just "your boy holding it down in the kitchen." He almost always has a guest with him from all genres of the entertainment industry including Tracee Ellis Ross (Diana Ross's daughter) and Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Not only will his down home demeanor woo you, but those dimples are hard to resist too! One of Garvin's mottos is "super simple," and his meals are just that, simple, without skimping on flavor and flair. Some of my favorite recipes are his Stuffed Pork Chops and Bourbon BBQ Wings! Oh yeah!!! You've got to try some of his recipes, and taste for yourself.

Again, my life is crazy enough with 2 kids and a hubby, not to mention the occasional array of guests and friends, so the last thing I want is some boring, run-of-the-mills dinner. These three chefs, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay and G. Garvin will have your pots clankin,' pans sizzling and kitchen smelling OH so good!