So get your submissions in!  Watch for the polls to open up on 9/16 and then go rally up your votes from friends, family, or fuzzy ones!  Cheers!

Be sure to tune in at WOND 1400AM this Saturday, 8/11, from 5pm-6pm!  The Lady in Red will be co-hosting Gourmania with Chef Amanda Nahas!  You can listen to the live stream at http://wondradio.com, too!

You can also use the TUNE IN app on your iPhone/iPad or click here and listen too: http://tunein.com/radio/WOND-1400-s21757/

Call in if you can, too! We're doing some give-aways! 1.609.927.1100 We're giving away some of TheLadyinRed's signature martini glasses to a lucky caller while we talk about all things FOOD and DELICIOUS!

Chef Amanda Nahas will be co-hosting her radio show, Gourmania, this Saturday, August 11, with writer Laura Madsen on WOND 1400AM.  Gourmania airs from 5-6pm every Saturday broadcasting out of Atlantic City, and includes topics on all things food!  If you want to listen to the live stream from anywhere in the world, you can tune in at http://wondradio.com during the time slot.

Chef Nahas recently attended the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival with big-time food celebrities such as Paula Deen.  Her show is a fun, unscripted foodie format where she discusses everything from more serious mainstream food-related topics, like Chick-fil-A’s recent headlining news, to the lighter side of recipes and all things delicious.  Chef Nahas is not just a radio personality but she’s a writer, and chef instructor at Viking Cooking School, too.

Laura’s alter ego, The Lady in Red, of TheLadyinRedBlog.com, will be sharing the news of her recently re-vamped monthly feature on her site, “Emergency Eats”, headed up by Chef Jeff Doucette, who has over 10 years experience with preparing fresh, seasonal and nutritious food. 

The Lady in Red features all kinds of self-invented recipes on her site, in addition to writing about everything from celebrities, to musicians, to current events, local topics, and of course, food and beyond.  She carries forward the non-vegan appreciation of meat; while Chef Doucette centers his culinary expertise around vegetarian and vegan cuisine.  It’s a great balance of deliciousness for everyone.

Last month, Madsen collaborated with co-owners Mike Lee and Jeremy Lees of New Jersey-based Flounder Brewing, NJ beer blogger Daryl Meek of Digital Artscape Photography, and Executive Chef Matthew Wayland of Texas to come up with not one, but three rib recipes incorporating your favorite beers.

To find out more about all things food in the world of The Lady in Red and far beyond, be sure to tune into Gourmania with Chef Amanda Nahas, and writer of the red hot TheLadyinRedBlog, Laura Madsen, on Saturday at 5pm!  There will be give-aways for those who call in at 1.609.927.1100, too!

So, I’ve featured recipes here because over the past few years I’ve gotten last minute requests from friends, family, and acquaintances that go something like this:  “What should I make for dinner tonight?” – “I have shrimp in the freezer, what can I do with it?  or even  just a “Help!”  And many of you know how much I LOVE to cook.  Cook.  Bake – not so much.  I do bake, but let’s just say it’s a work in progress.  I’m trying to get better at it.

However, what I do bake regularly, is damn good.

You will notice, though, that many of my recipes require some advance planning, or a bit of prep time in the kitchen.  Well, except for my ‘2 second salad’.  That takes well – more like 2 minutes to make.  Ok, maybe 10.  But you get the idea.

There’s one person, though, that has a natural knack in the kitchen.  I went to high school with her, and her recipes have come through for me in situations where “Ooops, I forgot to defrost something!  What do I do for dinner?”  or “I’m too lazy to cook tonight, but my family wants to eat.”

I now introduce her to the world – Debbie Chupa – the “Emergency Eats” queen.  Her chili recipe has circulated on Facebook for over a year now.  And let me tell you – I’ve tried a lot of chilis over the years, but nothing tops hers.  (If you think you’ve got a recipe for one that does, please, submit it to me, and I’ll tell you what I think – no holds barred.  I dare you to go up against this girl’s crockpot creation.)

Her chili, is the bomb.  If you invest your time in to making the largest ever crockpot full of goodness, and freeze your leftovers in Ziploc bags for future “Emergency Eats”, trust me, you will be eternally grateful for the ability to thaw out the most flavorful combination of beans (and meat, if you so desire), in an instant in your microwave -  on days like we all have – where you come home, and it’s crazy, or you’re just lazy.

When I make Debbie’s Famous Chili, I freeze the leftover portions in 2 – 3 gallon-size Ziploc bags, once it cools. Granted, the bags are not stuffed full – but it all depends on how many people you plan on feeding in the future, you know?  To me, it’s totally worth investing a Saturday morning to assemble the ingredients in a crock pot (or on the stove if you’ve got the time to hang around and stir the concoction), so you’ve got a freezer full of fantastic eats in the future.

Debbie has not had any formal culinary training, but I’ll vouch that her taste buds are right on track.  Some people just have natural talent.  She’s one of them.  Yes, I’m a closet chef; but this girl’s got gourmet-in-a-minute going on.  So you will see her recipes featured here from time to time.  There’s more than one that I’ve been privileged to pull out of my arsenal on a moment’s notice – not just to feed on in a frenzy, but these dishes have delicious written all over them.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you the Mamma of Mouthwatering Dishes in a Dash – Debbie Chupa.  And let’s start with her famous chili.  Go ahead – try it, you’ll like it!  (And yes, I’m going to make you click on the link to see her recipe!)

The blog post and additional comments can also be found on Patch at the above links.