Recap of MasterChef season 4 premiere: The top 100 audition

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4dGlaVqt-g[/embed]Hello friends! It’s been a whole year since I made my debut on the small screen. And now it’s a new year, a new season, and a new batch of contestants. I’m excited to see what happens this season and to find out, along with the rest of America, who the next reigning MasterChef will be.I spent the last ten days in NYC promoting my cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen, and the season 4 premiere of ”MasterChef.” The red carpet, TV spots, and interviews are all fun…but nothing beats being back in my home with its glorious bed; cozy kitchen; and, of course, my hubby and two terror dogs. (That’s right, I meant to say “terror” and not “terrier.”)I got home just in time to catch most of the season 4 premiere. It brought back memories of both filming and watching my season last year. There was Natasha who made some yummy sounding empanadas, Jordan whose story about his mother reminded me of my own, Krissi who was surprised by her son’s appearance at her audition, James who is a fellow Houstonian (w00t!), and Luca whom I befriended during my season when he was in the top 100 (and when he sadly did not get an apron even though his mama came in all the way from Italy to surprise him). There was [shaved and skinned] beaver tail, mac-’n-cheese made with breast milk, and a robot. It seems they’ve pulled out all the stops this year. I wonder what’ll be in store during this week’s episode as what I assume will be the remainder of the top 100 auditions followed by a whittling down to the final cast after a challenge.From this point out, I’ll be blogging my recap thoughts of the episodes at TVGuide.com—I’ll post a link to the entries here. Don’t forget to tune in every Wednesday at 8 PM EDT/PDT on FOX!