Bright lights and video cameras. . .

I'm back from New York City and my 15 minutes of celebrity fame! Hurricane Irene tried to interfere, but by Monday morning American Airlines gave the all-clear signal and off I went, First Class, I'll have you know. With a limo waiting for me at LaGuardia to take me to my hotel. So this is how the stars live.

What an incredible, slightly unbelievable and definitely lucrative experience this whole Fancy Feast "Grand Prize Win" has been. (The $10,000 check arrived last week and promptly went into the bank after first photographing it for posterity.)

After checking into our super chic boutique hotel on Monday afternoon, Purina's terrific pr girl, Julie, took me and my suitcase over to the film studio so that a covey of female executives, and one male creative director, could survey the four different outfits I had brought for their approval. I was getting ready to offer to run to the nearest department store and buy something new when they unanimously selected the coral-colored sweater set and beige trousers you see in the accompanying photo. Phew! That was a relief.

Tuesday was "shoot day" and at 8am I got to meet Celebrity Chef Carla Hall, the wonder woman who selected our "Purrfect Sushi" recipe for the big win. I brought her Ginger & Wasabi's deepest thanks via videos on my cell phone.

Carla is sensational, all six feet of her! She has her own TV show, "The Chew", debuting later this month on ABC. The director took one look at us standing next to each other and decided it would be best to shoot us sitting down. A wise choice although they ended up having to put a board under my part of the couch and stacking pillows behind me to keep all 4' 11" of me on a reasonable level with statuesque Carla.

We'll see the finished webisode on Fancy Feast's website and on their Facebook page some time in September after all the editing is completed. I think I did good, guys. I know that Carla was great fun to work with and the whole crew, from the Purina execs to the makeup woman who curled my eyelashes,treated me as if I was someone very special. Not a bad feeling. . and I owe it all to my cats!

Fancy Feast's version of my "Purrrfect Sushi" recipe will be on food market shelves around the country in May of 2012. All my cat owner friends out there, I expect you to buy a can or two. I'm planning to frame the first one I buy.
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Phoro caption: Celebrity Chef Carla Hall and your friendly blogger, on the set of the Fancy Feast webisode shoot in New York City. OMG! What a fun experience!

You are not going to believe this. . . .

Remember back in May when I blogged about entering Fancy Feast's "Tastemakers' Contest" with a "recipe" for a new cat food called "Purrrfect Sushi"? I also had to write my "inspiration story" about how my cats love Fancy Feast. I asked you to vote for us and many of you did. I can't thank you enough.

At the time I entered I did it on a lark, hoping to win a can or two of free cat food at the very most. I didn't even notice that the Grand Prize Winner would receive $10,000 and a trip to New York. Recipes and Joan in the same sentence? Not something you hear very often.

OK, GUYS. . WHAT CAN I TELL YOU. I WON. I ACTUALLY WON THE WHOLE DAMNED THING. $10,000. 1080 cans of cat food. And in May of 2012, my "recipe" for PURRRFECT SUSHI will be on the shelves of your local food market!!! Is this not unbelievable???? Benard can't stop laughing.

I am off to NYC on the 29th to stay at The Strand Hotel, all compliments of Fancy Feast, and spend the 30th videoing "webisodes" with Celebrity Chef Carla Hall. OK, I didn't know what a "webisode" was either, but I'm learning, and Andrea filled me in on Carla Hall, a winning contestant on "Top Chef" and famous in her own right. Don't tell the Fancy Feast people, but I don't watch many cooking shows.

I promise you a blog on my return from my 15 minutes of celebrity fame. It's gotta be a hoot and I can't wait.

By the way, they asked me if Wasabi and Ginger oould possibly make the trip as well. The very thought sent Wasabi into the closet to hide. Ginger is trying to decide what to wear.
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Photo caption: The Winners! Me and the kids

I love a new experience. . . .

My sister Fran and I spent Saturday afternoon with a forensic artist.

For those of you who watch CSI on television, I don't have to explain what a forensic artist does. For the rest of you, in the simplest of terms, he or she helps the victim or viewer of some type of crime to recall the image of the bad guy so the police can go about their work of catching him.

Hopefully, you've never met a forensic artist for that type of reason. Thankfully, that wasn't the reason why Fran and I were there.

"There" was the Miami Art Museum,in downtown Miami, where we had a 12:30pm appointment to meet an incredibly talented artist named Paul Moody. Paul and I exchanged business cards. His read "Forensic Artist, Violent Crimes Division, Sheriff's Office, Palm Beach County." That, alone, could give you pause.

OK, time for the back story. The Miami Herald ran a recent article about a traveling interactive art exhibition titled "First Love". The idea was for a forensic artist to help you recall what your "first love" looked like by utilizing the same methods they do for recalling criminals. At the end of the article there was an e-mail address inviting you to write in and request one of a limited number of appointments.

You know me. I'm game for anything. I decided to sign up, and when I told my sister Fran about it, she decided to request an appointment as well.

Bottom line. . .what an absolutely fascinating experience! Fran chose to "recall" her late husband Harold when she met him in college at age 19. I opted for the cute guy I met at my girlfriend's Sweet Sixteen party (I was 15 1/2 at the time), who actually became my first husband 3 1/2 years later.

Initially,each of us spent time filling out a form with the Sheriff's Dept. heading that listed items like Shape of head / Hairline / Eyes / Nose. We each were given a thick book of photos of actual "perps". Each page of about 20 photos was listed under headings like Hooked Nose /Straight Nose /Upturned Nose/Close Set Eyes/Droopy Eyes. . .etc. etc. You get the picture and we got it, literally. We had to pick and choose to the best of our ability the facial characteristics that best identified the person we were trying to to recall at a much younger age.

There is something a little creepy about seeing a familiar face start to emerge from the fast moving pencil of this amazing artist. Since this was part of an interactive art exhibit, we were often surrounded by visitors to the Museum as Paul worked first on Fran's and then on my "memory" portraits. The finished original portraits will both go up on the wall of the exhibition and remain there until mid-October when the exhibition will travel to Ireland. There, a different forensic artist will produce "First Love" memories of that country's museum visitors.

Pictured is the artist working from the "perp book" on Fran's "memory" and my finished portrait of a very young "first love". I'm waiting to hear if any of his three daughters recognize what their Dad looked like before they were born.

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This has been a crazy summer. . .

My luck knows no bounds.

In addition to being one of five finalists in the Fancy Feast Tastemakers contest (and by the way, thanks for all your votes. . we'll know the results in mid-August) this week I was informed, via e-mail, that I have won the UK/BBC National Lottery! And I didn't even know I had entered.

According to the initial e-mail I received from a gentleman named David Brown,my e-mail address was magically plucked from millions to come up with the numbers 16 - 20-21 - 24 and 06 for something called Thunderball on July 28th, resulting in my winning ONE MILLION GREAT BRITISH POUNDS. (I have a feeling that's the way they say it in Nigeria.) Anyway, I have a very gorgeous and colorful "Winning Certificate" that came attached to the e-mail to prove my rare good luck. (see photo in b&w.)It came along with urgent instructions to contact their bank immediately to arrange for payment. I'm thinking of having it framed, along with one of those Great British Pounds, but I'm not holding my breath.

There's a wonderful joke about the man who looks to the heavens and pleads "God. . help me win the lottery." God thunders back. "How about helping me and buy a ticket." I do venture a dollar for a Quck Pick on the Florida lottery when I find myself in Publix every once in a while, but so far the message seems only to be getting through to a God in Great Britian.

I've turned it over to the lawyer in our family, my grandson Adam. Told him he could have a half million of those Great British Pounds if he could figure out a way to outcon these con artists. I sense a lack of urgency on his part. Can't imagine why.
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My Inner Chef - Part II

This is getting positively frightening. I think I'm turning into Martha Stewart.

Not only am I in the running to win a recipe contest, but I spent the morning with the significant other making mango chutney and mango jam. If you don't believe me, take a look at the picture on this blog. That's me, peeling one of the zillion mangoes that went into both concoctions.

But first, the back story. Benard and I both worked Sunday afternoon from 12 to 5 at Fairchild Garden's Annual Mango Festival. He drives a six passenger shuttle around the Garden,from the Festival area to the parking lots. I volunteered this year to work in the "Tasting Room", mainly because it was indoors and the temperature outdoors on Sunday was in the 90's. I figured my job would be to stand around and be charming as guests, who paid $1 each for the opportunity, filed quietly by and tasted the six different types of cut up mango on the long tasting tables by delicately sticking a toothpick into one of the cut up cubes.

I should live so long. It was literally mayhem, with hundreds of hot, hungry visitors, spearing the fast disappearing fruit as I ran back and forth to the kitchen where a crew of "cutters" were peeling and chopping like mad men. In between refill runs, I gently suggested that people "please don't double dip with your toothpick. . .take a new one, we have plenty," to no avail. I also was kept busy explaining what country each of the mango varieties came from since each visitor was carrying a ballot to vote on their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice. By 5 o'clock both Benard and I were so exhausted that we barely made it back home, carrying bagsful of gorgeous left over mangoes.

Monday we were still recuperating, but the mangoes were ripening regardless of our state of mind, so Tuesday morning was designated cooking time. I scoured Google for recipes, made a list of what we needed to buy, and we were good to go.

Wearing my "Cat" apron, a gift from my friend Faith that was actually meant to wear when I'm painting, I was in charge of peeling and cutting, a major part of anything mango. In all honesty, Benard had to show me how to peel one, but I got the hang of it very quickly and did an excellent job if I say so myself.

I won't bore you with the details, but I don't mind telling you that the chutney is delish and the jam is absolutely out of this world. The latter recipe on Google came from some guy in India which was very appropriate since I saved the Mallika mango from India for the jam. It is the best mango I ever tasted and was far and away the favorite in the balloting.

I guess I can add mango culture to my repetoire of oddities picked up at Fairchild. (Perhaps you remember that I am also the Queen of Carnivorous Plants at the Annual Ramble.) Ask me anything mango. . there's the Step from Pakistan, the Champagne from Mexico, the Potopouri from India and the Keitt from right down the street in Homestead.

If you're really nice to me, I might even give you one of my recipes.
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Wasabi, Ginger and I need your votes!!!!

Remember back in May when I wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog about entering Fancy Feast's "Tastemakers" on-line contest to create a new recipe for cat food???

Believe it or not, after more than 3,000 entries, the contest is down to 5. . I said 5. . finalists, and my recipe for PURRRFECT SUSHI is one of the five! Not only that, but as one of the finalists, I have already won $1000 and a year's worth of Fancy Feast cat food. If I emerge the Grand Finalist, I win $10,000, a year's cat food, and have to appear with Washabi and Ginger in a Fancy Feast "webisode", whatever that is. Needless to say, I am totally stunned and Benard can't stop laughing.

THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, GUYS. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. I NEED YOUR VOTES!!!!

Here's the scoop. . .

Go to www.fancyfeast.com/tastemakers.
Click on View Finalists Gallery.
If the first entry to come up isn't me, click on the right hand arrow until the one titled PURRRFECT SUSHI comes into view. (It's the one with the picture above of me and Wasabi. For goodness sakes, don't vote for one of the other four, I'll never forgive you.)
Click on VOTE FOR THIS ENTRY
Try to figure out the two words that show up on the screen. . .type them in, put in your e-mail address, and hit SUBMIT. (If it doesn't go through the first time, please try again. It's a bit finicky.)

You can only vote once a day, but the good news is that Fancy Feast gives a dollar for every vote to an animal rescue charity. You can, however, vote as many days as you want, and if you are a true cat/dog/animal/not to mention Joan, person, I will be forever grateful. I promise, I won't bother you about this, but would appreciate at least a one time vote offering.

OMG!!! This is so awesome. I must be dreaming.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Extra crispy, anyone?????

I had lunch today with the King of BOGOs. For you uninitiated, that stands for Buy One, Get One Free.

The significant other is constitutionally unable to pass up a BOGO. As a result, there are often some very odd two-by-two products in his pantry. Today, after spending the morning together stuffing envelopes at WLRN, he invited me to lunch. Brandishing a coupon he received in the mail, we headed off for an elegant repast at a KFC in a not-so-elegant area of Coral Gables. Just as an aside, Benard drives a 2010 Jaguar. Needless to say, we stood out like a sore thumb in the parking lot, surrounded by pick-up trucks and motorcycles.

Undeterred,we marched up to the counter. Benard produced his BOGO coupon and did the ordering. "Two $5 Everyday Meals, please. Dark meat only. One Extra Crunchy. One Grilled."

I have to admit it was delicious. The meal comes in a topless box, minimum silverware, everyone tears the chicken apart with their hands apparently, and includes a biscuit and plastic container of really good cole slaw. (I ate that with a plastic fork, not my hands, thankyou.) Although I opted for the less caloric grilled chicken, I got one bite of the deliciously decadent extra crispy coating on Benard's meal. It took me back a few decades to when a fast run into the Kentucky Fried Chicken near our house was a regular stop on my way home from the office after a busy work day. I opted for the Family Meals in those days. That was before it became politically incorrect to have Fried in the restaurant's name.

The day's surprises were not over! I returned home to a phone call informing me that I am a "potential finalist" in Fancy Feast's "Tastemakers Contest". Hopefully, you all remember my blog about creating a recipe called "Purrrfect Sushi" as my entry into the cat food contest that I saw on line.

Well, get ready, guys. Public voting starts July 11th and we are going to need your help. You will be receiving a personal plea from Wasabi and Ginger with info on voting. They're the ones who get to eat the spoils if we win, so it's only right that they do the begging.