2nd Year Anniversary! - Video

The 99 Cent Chef is celebrating his 2nd year of food blogging today. It's all good fun -- wielding a whisk in one hand and a camera in the other. Food is one way I explore this great metropolis, Los Angeles. I have the best of both worlds: brainstorming in the kitchen, coming up with (hopefully) tasty, budget cuisine -- then bolting out of the condo and hitting the streets to track thrifty dining trends.

Video highlights from this vlogging year - one year reduced to 6 1/2 minutes.

Play it here.

Number one, I would like to give a hearty thanks to my discerning readers for all the generous comments! You are the only way I know if a recipe really works.

More thanks to all my fellow bloggers and journalists for getting the word out, including Brad Tuttle at Time.com, Kevin Roderick at LA Observed, Pat at Eating L.A., Frazgo at Metroblogs, Elina Shatkin of the L.A. Times' Daily Dish, Julia the Bargain Babe, Alexza at NBC Nightly News, Karen Datko and Donna Freedman at MSN Money, Nicolas Bérubé at LePresse, Jenny Cunningham at Sunset Magazine, Brendan Newnam at NPR Radio, and "Anne & Burl Live" of BlogTalkRadio.

99 thanks to all of the 99 Cent Players, in front of and behind the video camera. These include neighbor Pete, Bob McGinness, Nuno Pinheira, Dan & Diana Kohne, Jay Cotton, Bob "the ump", Drew Redford, my sisters Brenda and Denise, and her husband Dale, my Mom, and especially, the number one taste-tester, my wife Amy. This food blog would be undercooked without their creative contributions.

I've picked up the pace in my reviews of budget eateries and tips on how to dine on a dime in L.A. 99 thanks to Soe at Jasmine Market & Deli for allowing me to video behind the counter in his tandoori oven kitchen; Mary Sue Milliken, Dino, Vanessa and Anthony of the Border Grill Truck for letting me climb aboard; Chef Roy Choi of Kogi Korean BBQ Truck; the cooks of Nom Nom Truck, including owners Misa Chien and David Stankunas, for showing me the inside of a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich; and finally to Chef Marilyn of Soul Food Express for a fun interview, and all her kind customers who chatted with me.

This year alone I've come up with 23 videos often marinated in comedy: for example, I donned a wig and pearls to play Julian Child, nephew of Julia Child, while I whipped up buttery Crepes Suzettes; and created an out-there video series on "moveable feasting" in some of the tastiest food trucks on the L.A. scene - videoing day and night along back streets from Manhattan Beach to Koreatown, and Venice Beach to East L.A.

This Chef does not live by recipes alone; some of my videos are just an excuse to play with food -- ever tried to dribble an onion or slam dunk a banana on the basketball court? I cried real tears in my video "Shooting Produce" - a collaboration with funnyman and neighbor Pete. Eating and driving? Don't! Just watch my Public Service Announcement cautionary tale. And watch the Chef chew the scenery, in green spandex, as "The Wrestler," (children, please cover your eyes) in his annual Oscar Special Video.

Since last November 30th, I've written about 50 budget recipes. Who would think my Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Recipe would be pushing 20,000 viewer hits on YouTube! Living in L.A., I'm exposed to a mixed stew of international neighborhoods, all of which inspire my recipes: eatables like Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwiches, French Onion Soup, Indian Almost Tandoori Chicken, and south-of-the-border Pollo en Mente (mint chicken).

Keep checking back, this chintzy chef has a lot more cheap recipes, restaurant reviews, yummy photos, and out-there videos in store for you. And now it's time to recharge the camera batteries and clean up the kitchen for another blogging year!

Click here to view or embed the 2nd. Anniversary Video on youtube.