Ingrid Hoffmann is one busy chica.

Mere weeks ago, she was flipping bourbon chicken breasts on "Regis & Kelly." In June, she whipped up arroz con pollo on NBC's "Today." And in March, there was that televised bonding session over fish tacos with Martha Stewart.

The rapid-fire publicity blitz was aimed, in part, at promoting "Delicioso," Hoffmann's weekly half-hour lifestyle, cooking and décor show, which, in its just-launched second season, made the jump from DirecTV Para Todos to Galavision, Univision's cable cousin.

The high-wattage appearances also showed the world that Hoffmann speaks English — quite well, thank you — setting her up for what she hopes will be her new role as Crossover Queen.

The 41-year-old singleton is coming out early next year with an English-language cookbook from Stewart's publisher, Clarkson Potter, "Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes With a Latin Twist." And her handlers — the same publicists who rep Rachael Ray — say a "major network" deal is in the works that will make her the first host of simultaneous Spanish and (nondubbed) English-language shows. Stay tuned.

Born in Barranquilla, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Hoffmann spent some childhood years in Curaçao when her papi's airline job took the family to the Dutch island. Mom Yolanda is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef who used to own a French-Latino restaurant, Casa Brava, in Bogota and has a catering company in Port St. Lucie, Fla. She's also a consultant on "Delicioso" — a key part of the team, apparently.

Culinary school was never in the cards, but heaps of cooking classes were — from Holland and Tuscany to Indonesia and Costa Rica. "I'm an instinct cooker," she says. "I don't like to measure; I sit and think of combinations of flavors. Then I just go."

Hoffmann likes to mix it up, opening each show with a location scene that lets you into her private life. In one episode, "Ay, Qué Calor" ("Date Night"), she's in a towel on the beautician's table getting her legs waxed, a la "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." In another, "Noche de Juegos" ("Game Night"), she's "levitating" on the beach, a magician standing over her.

Not what you'd expect of Rachael or Martha, but these sitcom and reality-show touches are what set "Delicioso" apart.

Oh, yeah, and she cooks, too.

A scan of her Web site, delicioso.com, reveals fondness for shortcuts and convenience ingredients.

"I only have a few rules — it's gotta be light, it's gotta be easy and it's gotta be inexpensive," Hoffmann says.

As she rushes to finish the cookbook manuscript, the Spanish duties continue, including appearances on Univision's highly popular morning show, "Despierta America," and columns for Buenhogar, the Spanish version of Good Housekeeping magazine; and Rumbo, a Texas newspaper chain.

"The machine never stops," she says. "My mind is constantly going over shows, new recipes, the columns, the visuals. I guess you could say I'm an animal. . . . I either do nothing, or do it all."