My television premiere

I’m not going to lie, I woke up a nervous wreck.

I had never cooked on TV (until today) or really even in front of an audience. I was told prior to arriving at the Good Day Wisconsin studios in Green Bay that I would have three minutes to prepare whatever recipe I picked. The time frame made choosing a recipe difficult for me. And really, that’s where my nerves kicked in. I had this horrible vision of me not finishing whatever I chose to prepare.

I decided to make a Smoked Salmon Pizza, a recipe that’s quite popular around here. We made it for several family and friend holiday parties and a few of our friends even request it. I generally do not duplicate recipes – I always change something as I go – but the pizza is a hit, and it’s really good. I’ve made it exactly the same way every time I’ve prepared it, which made it the perfect dish for TeeeVeee.

I arrived at the studio a few minutes before 7 a.m. and was immediately given full access to the kitchen. I immediately realized that I had really no clue what “prep” meant. So, I baked my crusts and let my cream cheese soften. And in the process of doing that, the morning news is live 15 feet away. And because I am me, I somehow manage to make noise by dropping things, slamming cupboards and making every possible appliance beep. Thankfully they didn’t send me home. Instead, a nice camera guy opened my jar of capers.

The first segment was awkward for me. For whatever reason, I had no clue what to expect. This strikes me as odd, in hindsight, because I both have been a news person and watch a lot of news. Rachel Manek, who was the anchor talking with me, didn’t throw any curve balls (THANK GOD), instead she asked questions about my favorite foods and restaurants and I talk and laugh A LOT. I never did know I was such a giggly person.

After my first segment, I had about an hour until the next one, so I resumed “prepping,” which I think possibly means “cook your food!” I was nervous at this point. I was also really excited, this felt like some sort of moment. Cooking ON TV! I had certain parts of my dish ready – onions and dill chopped, cream cheese premixed and spread – but I was still just so afraid I wouldn’t finish. Or that I wouldn’t be able to talk and spread cream cheese at the same time.

I was wrong. It all went right. I finished in time and the pizza turned out deliciously. So, without further ado…my television premiere.

Rachel enjoying my Smoked Salmon Pizza.

(!!!)