Dine with soap opera villain Alison Sweeney
Since 1993, Alison Sweeney has portrayed Sami Brady on NBC’s top-rated daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.” Sweeney has taken Sami from a rebellious teen to a devoted single mother, but not without several detours along the way. Sweeney has won The Soap Opera Digest award four times (1996, ‘98, ‘99 and 2001) and a Daytime Emmy for “America’s Favorite Villain.”
Most recently, Sweeney completed “All The Days of My Life (So Far).” She will be the host of “The Biggest Loser” when the fourth season airs this fall on NBC. For more information, go to: www.alisonsweeney.com, and www.nbc.com
Readers always want to hear about a food/eating scene when something went wrong. Please tell us yours.
One time, Bryan Dattilo, who plays Lucas Roberts, and I had a scene where I was supposed to throw flour in his face, and then he throws flour in my face. During the take I took a tiny bit of flour and threw it in Bryan’s face as planned, but you could barely see it on him. So I dipped my hand in the bag, got more and threw it again. Well, Bryan thought I was just covering him in flour because I threw twice, so he got a major handful and pegged me with it. When I tried to speak my next line, a huge puff of flour came out of my mouth. It was hilarious. And the funniest part is we had to finish the scene.
Do you have a special or secret snack or food combination you are convinced no one else eats?
I grew up having carrots with peanut butter as a snack with my dad, and I love the combo. I never knew that people think it’s weird until just recently. Try it. Totally yummy!
Alison’s Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken stock and diced chicken (recipe follows)
2 large corn tortillas
Vegetable oil (for frying)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
6 ounces shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
Prepare chicken stock according to recipe and set aside. Cut tortillas in half and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel, season with salt and set aside.
Pour olive oil into the bottom of a stock pot set over medium heat.
Once hot, add the onions, salt, pepper and oregano. Saute for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and bay leaves. Saute for another minute.
Add chopped tomatoes, season again with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for another 2 minutes. Crush the fried tortillas and add to the tomatoes. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce to medium/low and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and re-season. Add the diced chicken and fresh chopped cilantro, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Dish soup into individual bowls and top with avocado and cheese.
Chicken Stock and Diced Chicken
4 chicken breasts, bone-in with skin
1 large onion chopped
4 chopped carrots
3 chopped celery stalks
4 cloves of garlic, halved
2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (if you like it spicy)
8 cups water
This makes the chicken stock and cooks the chicken for the soup. Place all ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium/low and simmer until the chicken is tender and fully cooked, about 2 hours. Remove from heat and let cool. Set the chicken aside. Strain the liquid and discard the remaining vegetables. This is now the chicken stock. Once the chicken is cool, you can remove the skin and bone, and dice the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces.
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