Guy Fieri competed on- and won- the second season of The Next Food Network Star. The rest, as they say, is history. The undisputed “Bad Boy” of Food Network hosts four popular shows and can’t walk down the street without being recognized. From Guy off the Hook, to Guy’s Big Bite, to the Ultimate Recipe Showdown, to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, you can find Guy on the Food Network pretty much any time you tune in.  And now, Guy is coming to Cincinnati!

I got a chance to chat with Guy  to talk about what makes a great candidate for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and how a visit from his show can have a real impact on the featured restaurant.  I also learned he’s a driven entrepreneur who owns  several restaurants (Johnny Garlic’s and Tex Wasabi’s.)- and put himself through college (University of Nevada Las Vegas,). His  cookbook, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip…with Recipes!,  topped the New York Times best seller list….talk about a Midas touch! Guy  talked about his meteoric rise to fame and how grateful he is for his success. I really like how he feels a need to give some of that back. He believes in using his celebrity to help others, and in the fall of 2007, the Navy flew him to the Persian Gulf to entertain and cook for the troops.

Guy lives in Northern California with his wife, Lori and two boys – Hunter and Ryder.

Ellen Whitehurst, author of Make This Your Lucky Day, joined me today to talk about the empowering days in March and how to add a bit of the Luck of the Irish. Listen to the interview for all of Ellen’s ideas and read more, below, from Ellen.

Even the weeds start to show small blooms this month. Illusions and memories stir awake. A robin hopping here. A daffodil blooming there. Summer inaudibly whispers something about the light while Winter hides in the shade. The return of green. And hope. A light exists in this month that we don’t see the whole other part of the year. Illumination and inspiration as the very earth itself seems to be dreaming. March. Onward.

March 15 ……… Sylvia tells you. Laura tells you. I tell you all the time. YOU ARE AS PSYCHIC as the next intuitive. But never more so than [Read more →]

Now here’s something that makes a lot of sense! Dr Jim Greene and Lisa Branzel joined me today to talk about the global initiative called “Exercise Is Medicine”.  Locally, TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion  and three TriHealth physician practices have collaborated to encourage patients to get at least 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week.  Trihealth physicians will  review every patient’s physical activity program at every visit. If they discover the  patient  exercises less than 150 minutes per week, the physician will give this patient a “prescription” for a free wellness/fitness evaluation and personalized fitness plan at the TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion.

According to Deb Riggs, general manager, TriHealth Fitness& Health Pavilion, “Research is revealing what our instincts have told us all along, the healing effects of exercise for cancer patients, people with autoimmune diseases and those with diabetes are significant and well-documented. The Exercise Is Medicine pilot allows us to partner with physicians and their patients to cultivate good health.

For more information about TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion, visit the Web site at www.TriHealthPavilion.com.

Here’s a recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl. Enjoy!

Cinnamon rolls
Makes 40 to 50 cinnamon rolls

This is without a doubt one of my most treasured recipes—something I’ve been enjoying my entire life, thanks to my mom, who became legendary in our hometown for delivering these disturbingly delicious cinnamon rolls to folks at Christmastime. I became spoiled on these heavenly treats at a very early age, and as a result, no cinnamon roll anywhere has ever measured up. I find that, generally speaking, cinnamon rolls—especially those bought in bakeries or stores—are way too bready, with way too little gooey topping. These rolls of my mother’s are the perfect antidote: they’re almost equal parts bread and icing, which is poured liberally over the warm, just-baked rolls. [Read more →]

Ree Drummond pulled up a seat at Amy’s Table today. Ree is also known as The Pioneer Woman. She’s been called “Paula Deen meets Erma Bombeck” and she’s the author of a cookbook called THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl which traces her transition from city life to ranch wife through recipes, photos, and writings based on her, award-winning blog: The Pioneer Woman.

Listen to the interview.

My grandmother made all of her grand daughters a Raggedy Ann. Each one had a little heart sewn on her chest that said “I love you” I love, love, love that doll and still have it. Some day I’ll pass it on to my grandchildren. There’s something about a handmade toy that is so special. I was inspired by  Susan Anderson,  author of Itty Bitty Toys , which shows you how to make adorable hand-knit toys for the kids in your life.

Susan is also the author of Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery. Her knitting blog, susanbanderson.blogspot.com, gets more than 50,000 hits a month. Her series of 10 knitting tutorials, posted on You Tube, has been watched by more than 130,000 people in just the past 6 months. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and four children.

Listen to the interview.

Did you know that 4 million cats and dogs—about one every 8 seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year? Megan Blake is a pet expert, animal advocate and host of the PBS show Animal Attractions and she joined us on Amy’s Table today to talk about pet adoption from rescues and shelters.

Here’s why Megan says we  should adopt from an animal shelter instead of buying a pet from a store:

o You’ll get a healthy pet! Your new pet is more likely to be vaccinated, de-wormed, and spayed or neutered if obtained from a shelter rather than a pet store.
o You’ll save money! Fees from a shelter are usually much less than the purchase price of an animal from a pet store or breeder.
o You’ll find a better selection! Shelters have a great selection of adult animals, kittens, puppies and purebred animals available for adoption.
o You won’t be supporting puppy mills and pet stores. Did you know that purebreds account for about 25 to 30 percent of a shelter’s dog population?
o You’ll save a life!

Check our Megan’s new social network for pets, MeganHeartsPets

Listen to the interview.

The Amy’s Table Book Club book for February was The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I loved it. It’s a novel about life, love, and the magic of food and follows the lives of eight students who gather in Lillian’s Restaurant each week for cooking class. One by one they’re transformed and united by food.

Erica has always wanted to be a writer. She got her PhD from the University of Washington and, frustrated by the lack of women authors in the curriculum she co- authored “ 500 Great Books by Women” and “Let’s Hear It For the Girls” In the process of writing these books Erica read thousands of books, both good and bad, which is clearly a great education for an author. But Erica says having children probably had the biggest impact on how she writes. She has a second novel in the works, tentatively entitled Leap.

This month’s book club panel is Mychelle Armstrong , Tonya Kappes , Eisha Armstrong   and Amy Decker. They asked wonderful questions. Thanks ladies!

Susan Anderson is a wildly popular knitting blogger and author. She’ll be on Amy’s Table this weekend but you can see her today in Dayton. Here’s the info:

March 4th:

BOOKS & CO. (The original location)
11:00 AM
350 E. Stroop Road
Dayton, OH 45429

BOOKS & CO. (The new store)
7:00 PM
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH 45440

Listen to the interview.

Looking for ways to be healthier without crash diets and unrealistic resolutions? Well-known nutritionist and author of the new book, The O2 Diet, Keri Glassman has easy and helpful tips on how to load up on foods with antioxidants that fortify your health and satisfy your hunger. Keri is a nutrition contributor to the CBS Early Show, an expert on WebMD, and writer for Women’s Health. To learn more about Keri, visit her site

Keri suggests these easy tips to add antioxidants to your diet every day:

· Spice up veggies with basil, oregano, garlic and mustard to add kick and health benefits

· Add lemon slices to water for added antioxidants

· Choose one new daily nutrition goal, such as swapping soda for water, or chips for nuts

·Top morning oatmeal with pistachios for more vitamin B-6