The long national nightmare is over!

You may recall that I did some crock pot cooking last weekend. Chicken cacciatore. It made a very delicious dinner on Saturday night.

I ate it again for lunch on Sunday. On Monday I brought it to work with the last of the linguine. On Tuesday I forgot to make more linguine, so I just ate chicken. And I kept eating the chicken on Wednesday, Thursday, and today (Friday). (If Sam hadn’t joined me for dinner last Saturday, I might have had to eat it for lunch all weekend.)

Maybe as a sweet goodbye, today the chicken juice leaked out of my plastic container and got all over my reusable snack bags. Thanks, buddy. I’ll remember you always. (Luckily the bags are highly washable.)

So… when you cook crock pot dinner for one, make sure you like that meal enough to want to eat it for many, many subsequent meals. (It’s very cost-effective, if you’re okay with the monotony.) (Crock pots are the Costco of cooking.)

OR– give some of it away. I have an idea– say you crock it up over the weekend, and give half to a friend. Then THEY crock and roll on Tuesday or Wednesday and give half to YOU, and it finishes out the week. You still have to eat the same thing for multiple meals, but maybe 3 or 4 meals rather than 6+.

Or… just half the recipe.

Happy Impending Weekend!

xoxo…

Challah, rugelach and coleslaw? Hook, line and sinker.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was tasked with picking up my sister at LAX. I left early in anticipation of traffic/congestion/madness (supposedly that’s the biggest travel day of the year), but– due to a lack of traffic and a 30 minute flight delay– ended up in the Southwest arrivals area with an hour to kill.

“You didn’t bring anything to read?!” my mom asked, when I called her with my coordinates. I thought ruefully of the million untouched New Yorkers piling up in my bedroom. (The magazine… not actual people from New York. I don’t have room for that.) (Or time for them, either.)

I headed for the newsstand, knowing that I didn’t want to buy any tabloid magazines (I breeze through those in ten seconds, and I don’t even know who half of those “celebrities” are), and since when are Time and Newsweek so woefully thin? I turned to a section I don’t usually browse– the food magazines. (Because I don’t really cook, so most recipe-laden cooking magazines are… beyond me.)

Out of the fray, a large, glossy magazine caught my eye– mostly because it had a picture of trifle on the cover. There was a time when I used to make a very simple trifle (a layered, whipped cream-y dessert– not to be confused with tripe) on Thanksgivings.

The magazine was SAVEUR– the December 2010 issue. I turned to the table of contents and saw an article entitled, “Roots of the Deli,” about the origins of Jewish deli food. Sold.

But that wasn’t all. Once I bought the magazine, I read almost every article. Which is quite rare, for me. I loved the personal stories behind the explanations of the food. And almost every story was accompanied by recipes. Not that I cook much, but I now possess a recipe for rugelach. Score!

I don’t know about you, but ever since JULIE & JULIA (the movie), I’ve been a little bit obsessed with Julia Child. (I read the book that the Julia half of the movie was based on– the end is SO SAD. Everybody dies!) So I was delighted to see that they’d published a bit of her correspondence with Avis DeVoto.

It’s very heartening to read her doubts about her cookbook, since we all know that it sparked a cooking revolution. Makes me realize that one must soldier on, undeterred!

There is so much that has been written, by people so much more professional than I, that I wonder what in the hell I am presuming to do, anyway… Well, I can see these self doubts and humble questionings will continue through to the end. I am physically incapable of bluffing, which is a terrible handicap, either in political or gastronomical conversation. Suddenly, wanting to make a strong point, I realize, “Do I really and absolutely know that fact?”

-Julia Child, April 24, 1953

Oh, Julia. Why couldn’t JULIE & JULIA have just been a full-on Julia Child biopic? How amazing would that have been? (PS How cute were Julia and her husband?) (SO CUTE!)

Forget whoever is on “Skating with the Stars”– I would totally buy a celebrity tabloid if it was all about Julia Child. She’s my rockstar.

Amongst articles about Swiss fondue and Austrian schnaps and the favorite holiday dishes of the Occitan ethnic group in Italy, I was delighted to find an article that confirmed a few of my suspicions about nutmeg. (I’m still not sure whether it’s lethal when injected into the bloodstream… but why would you do that, anyway?)

Did you know that nutmeg is not only a spice but also a FRUIT? And that you can make all this stuff from the spice and/or the fruit?

Oh no, more fancy donuts to covet.

“[In the 18th century], highly spiced dishes, the ultimate status symbol during the medieval period, were falling out of vogue across Europe, though nutmeg retained a certain cachet in part because of its narcotic properties. Myristicin, the chemical compound that gives nutmeg much of its pungency, also produces euphoria and even hallucinations at high doses, and the spice was used recreationally.”

Next time you want to party like it’s 1899, spike your punch with grated nutmeg. Old school! “Grated liberally over the punch served up by the gallon in 18th- and early-19th-century England, nutmeg was blamed for some of the most outrageous behavior associated with that potent drink.”

Blame it on the nu-nu-nu-nutmeg! (Hmm… maybe that’s why pumpkin pie is so addictive.)

Another fun fact: Did you know that the Rachel Ray of Hungary is named Rachel Raj (pronounced Ray)? I don’t know if she changed her name or what, but that’s pretty hilarious.

If, like me, you are filled with curiosity about food and people and the origins of things, you will love this magazine. I’m not going to subscribe (yet), since I’ve got my pile of New Yorkers and this issue took me a few days to finish, but I will definitely be visiting their website (it’s filled with recipes and stories). And this is my new newsstand go-to/treat.

Nutmeg & rugelach!

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Seven eleven!

Shockingly enough! A post about TV!

Last year this blog kinda exploded when I wrote about “So You Think You Can Dance.” (Especially when I wrote about Evan Kasprzak and Jeanine Mason… they have intense fans.) (I will probably get a bunch of hits just for including their names in this. Suckas!) (Just kidding, love ya.)

This season I obviously didn’t do the insane recaps, and there is still one episode I haven’t watched yet. But it was an enjoyable season, and I think we all wonder how amazing it might have been if Alex and Ashley hadn’t been carted away with injuries. (Last season I joked around about the phrase “dance for your life,” but this season it took on a new meaning, because people were dropping like flies.)

The All-Star idea seemed a bit strange at first, but I think it brought the show to a new level, because there was never a situation where both dancers were struggling with a genre. And I looove some of those All-Stars (Neil, Courtney, Pasha, Dominic…), so it was good to see them again. (And I don’t know if I watched Kathryn or Allison’s seasons, but daaamnnn they are amazing dancers.)

I decided to do a quick post with a few dances I found memorable. I chose dances that didn’t get re-dance love from the judges at the finale, because you probably saw those ones.

(Speaking of judges, did we all like Adam Shankman and the occasional Kenny Ortega? Yes? Yes. And did we miss Mary Murphy? Not really? Not really.)

I DO want to give the show props for keeping the finale in the studio this season. The Nokia Theater finale was sort of a disaster, in large part because the cameras seemed so far away from the action. SYTYCD: Learning from its mistakes.

So… here, in no particular order, are seven dances I enjoyed– seven dances that didn’t appear in the finale. (Seven because it’s season seven.)

(And I apologize if these links eventually die, as all things do.)

Ashley & Ade- Cosmic Love by Florence & the Machine

That song is also used in the latest “Vampire Diaries” promo, which is beyond sexy.

Alex & Billy & Ade- This Bitter Earth on the Nature of Daylight

I wish we could have seen them all dancing, the whole time. Thanks a lot, camera people. (Some dances are just better live.) (All dances.)

Lauren & Robert- That Home by Cinematic Orchestra

Loove that pillow stuff. Genius.

Kent & Lauren- Collide by Howie Day

The infamous kiss dance. What’s up with Kent & Lauren? Anybody know? And why was he so upset after that dance on the day before the finale? Who would have guessed that Kent could get so emo?

Billy & Kathryn- Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

I’m kinda obsessed with that song, now. They had Christina Perri come on the show and perform it, so I guess I’m not alone.

Adechike & Kent- You Only Disappear by Tom McRae

Adechike’s gazelle-jump with the bent front leg is insane.

And finally: Because I love Pasha, because Lauren won, and… Lady Gaga.

I really thought Lady Gaga was going to be the surprise superstar at the finale, because she was in town. But… it was Ellen DeGeneres, dancing in Alex’s stead? Ellen gets to do the coolest stuff.

A few I couldn’t find– Robert’s tango, Robert’s Barbie/Ken dance… you know, maybe one of the ones I haven’t seen yet. And I’ve probably forgotten a few. But that’s a good taste of some of this season’s goodness.

And shout-out to yoga-practicing b-boy Jose! It’s crazy how many dance moves look like yoga moves, so I think that’s one of the reasons why he managed to be amazing at all those styles he’d never danced before.

What did you think of this season? Who/what did you love and hate?

xoxo…

This seems sufficiently patriotic for my July 4th.

Looking forward to hearing one of my favorite Damon lines from Season 1: “I’m a vampire. What’s your excuse?” (Yes, I have a lot of lines from Season 1 memorized… stop looking at me like that. I’m not crazy!) (I’m a vampire. What’s your excuse?)

Sorry, Twilight vamps. I’m sure you’re crying all the way to the bank.

xoxo…

Welcome to the funhouse.

This feature is going to be dedicated to shows that I totally missed when they first aired, but which I have rediscovered via the YouTubes, borrowed DVDs, etc. It’s pretty much the same idea as Ketchup/Catch Up, but these shows are no longer in production.

Yesterday my boss and I started talking about the upcoming show “More to Love,” and about the complete weirdness of dating in earnest on national TV. (She said almost EXACTLY what I wrote in my SYTYCD recap, which made me happy– same wavelength!) She said, “I miss ‘Joe Schmo,’” and proceeded to outline the show to me. A scripted reality show, which is also a parody of reality TV? A soaring falcon? Smashed plates? I was intrigued, to say the least. Last night after I finished my “True Blood” novel, I went straight to the YouTubes and checked it out.

PREMISE: A group of people gather in a house to film a reality show. The catch: Everybody in the house is an actor, except for one or two marks (the Joe/Jane Schmo). Basically, the actors are all manipulating the mark(s), forcing them into comedic situations. Situation comedy! Since the show is a parody of reality TV, it’s delightfully over-the-top (see REASON TO WATCH #2).

Obviously the fake show that they’re filming has never aired before (because: fake), so the targets more or less go with the flow of it, because reality TV is crazy by nature. It’s essentially a hilarious murder mystery dinner played out over a long period of time, where one person doesn’t know that the murder mystery is staged, and just follows everybody else’s cues.

I’ve only watched a few episodes so far (and they were from season 2), but based on what I’ve seen and heard…

7 REASONS TO WATCH:

1) Ralph Garman as the host, Derek Newcastle. He’s basically the Will Ferrell version of James Lipton, but even more over-the-top. For example, his pet falcon swoops in and delivers the challenges.

2) The bizzare elimination ceremonies. In season one when a person is voted off the show, the host smashes a plate bearing a picture of that person’s face and says, “You’re dead to us!” In season two, the women who are invited to stay receive pearl necklaces (you know, jewelry) from the “bachelor,” and the person eliminated has to walk down the “Last Chance at Love” (that’s the fake show’s name) “Trail of Tears” as the host intones that they will be lonely FOREVER.

3) The actors’ interviews. While the targets do their talking-head interviews about the house “drama,” the actors playing the various other roles talk about their characters and what they were trying to achieve in each scene. I particularly enjoyed “Gotta-Be-Gay Gerald” (Jonathan Torrens), who claimed that in preparation for his germaphobe character, he spent six months amongst germaphobes. That’s either commitment, or a wonderfully deadpan joke, or both. Watch all the way through the clip to see lots of great Gerald moments, including his need to wear Aquasocks while stomping grapes.

“Stalker Bryce” (Kevin Kirkpatrick) was also endearing (and was also “gotta-be-gay,” in my book), particularly because we know that he’s not really a stalker. It’s nice to see character actors getting work! Some of them should have won Emmys, just for keeping a straight face during the host’s speeches. It’s really sad when the actors get “eliminated,” but apparently a lot of them end up coming back (hence the name “Stalker Bryce”).

4) The behind-the-scenes view. We get to see the actors in their daily meetings with the producers, and we also see the writers squabble as they decide what to do when target-Ingrid begins to realize that the show is a set-up. Nothing is more fun than watching TV writers get into long, circular arguments– when it’s not your show, with a deadline looming.

5) Ingrid’s crossover. Once Ingrid figures out that she’s being Truman Show’d, the producers evict her. But then they decide to  bring her back, with a storyline of her own to act out, and bring in a new (less perceptive) Jane Schmo. Nice save!

6) The fake prizes. When the contestants compete for a fabulous prize– a luxury vacation, for example– the actors have to make sure that the marks don’t win, because the show doesn’t actually want to pay to send anyone on that trip.

7) Kristen Wiig played a “Quack Marriage Counselor” on Season 1. I haven’t seen that yet, but I have a feeling it’s “aces,” as the British say.

(If you need more convincing, just read the Wikipedia entry. I need to acquire the DVDs, STAT!)

RANDOM COOL FACT: For those of you who listen to Kevin & Bean on KROQ, host Ralph Garman is the guy who “walks the showbiz beat.”

Of course, the sad side of it is that some of the manipulations are kind of mean (most of them are also purposefully awkwardly sexual, because it’s SpikeTV). My heart broke for target-Tim when he said that the surprise birthday that “Gerald threw for him” was his best birthday ever, because… sad. But maybe I’d have the best birthday too, if a bunch of people hired to be my new best friends and laugh at my jokes were throwing it for me. I have definitely had worse birthday parties than that (or no birthday party at all ).

But at the end of the series the marks get $100,000, and season one’s Joe Schmo (Matt Gould), ended up kind of famous and recorded a commentary for the DVD, so no hard feelings.

Have a good time! No falcons were remotely harmed in the writing of this post… but I did take a lot of pleasure in their pain. (Yes, I am still a bad person. Rome wasn’t remodeled in a day.)