annzeepark914

I watched ice dance this afternoon and noted that the camera work was (almost) normal. Nice to see Weaver/Poje do so well. And, Tanith & Ben handled the commentating, IMO, very well.

Yes! It has an oldish look/feel to it. Maybe that's why I keep thinking someone from season 2 is going to walk in the door (probably blasting away with a machine gun).

I've discovered a good decaff coffee while staying at the Holiday Inn Express and the Hampton Inn in NYS: it's Royal Cup Coffee and the coffee is in the lobby so you can grab a cup whenever you're in the mood (or have it with breakfast). I couldn't get over how good it tasted so I asked at the desk how to get in touch with whoever produces the coffee and they gave me the Royal Cup Coffee company website. Now I call and order two bags of the decaff several times a year and make it in my single cup coffeemaker. It reminds me of the coffee we used to drink back in the 60's & 70's, and it's unlike the Starbucks-type coffees that I find so bitter. Also, I like iced tea w/ lemon (weaned myself off the sugar several years ago) and a sprig of mint. I've been using Tetley decaff teabags but may switch to Luzianne decaff just for a change in taste.

Whew! Thanks--I needed that. What with all the unusual music and bizarre camera shots, some times I began to feel out of sorts trying to follow the storyline. But, I like it and am ready for the next episode. And I disagree a bit here because I heard a number of characters speaking with that unique Minnesotan accent.

Ohhh...theredhead77, your post is making my tummola ache. Are you planning to eat all those candies? I got carried away when I discovered how delicious the Ghirardelli chocolate w/ almond "eggs" were. Maybe I should go back to Wegman's and see if they have a cart with a bunch of Ghirardelli "eggs" packages half price (hah! I'm sure they've been scooped up by now).

My sister just sent me a blog, Between Naps On The Porch. The blogger was talking about TJ's and what she's tried (it started off being about what folks who are lactose intolerant can eat safely). But she then gets into the cinnamon buns that are supposed to be as good as the real thing at the mall (she and folks who responded to her blog agree). People were recommending whipping cream in a box, Peach Bellini, refrigerated rolled pie crusts, canned pumpkin, and bottled cider. I wrote down these items and will try them (I'm really interested in those cinnamon buns, heh heh). Thanks for the warning re: the garlic naan. I love TJ's frozen regular naan but never tried the garlic version. Think I'll stick with the regular. That pre-marinated beef pot roast sounds good. I'm going to look for it next trip.

Geez, I'm ready for Fargo to start (and hope to heck it's as good as the previous two). Feud is now, IMO, almost recycling the scenes (at least it feels that way). All the inane schemes JC came up with--I just began attributing them to her screwed up mind. Although I must admit that having BD sitting beside the director while Joan was shooting her scene--that had to be unnerving and I wouldn't have liked that either. What was Aldrich thinking, making BD an associate producer, knowing from first hand (& miserable) experience how explosive the atmosphere was between these two stars? And, Agnes Moorhead? She was in last night's episode? (I loved her in Bewitched!) Which one was she supposed to be? This time, watching John Rubenstein playing George Cukor, I still didn't see Rubenstein (my dreamboat back in the Crazy Like A Fox days). Anyway (I got distracted!)...why was Cukor trying to get Joan to dial it back with all her histrionics? I just couldn't see anything redeemable in JC throughout this series.

Here's the recipe, forumfish. I've never made it before & am breaking two cardinal rules: First--I'm serving it to company w/o ever having made it before and secondly, I'm subbing O'Brien potatoes cause I don't like tater tots. I bought some mini croissants and cold cuts today & will put out just in case this doesn't turn out well with the substitution. My sister made it w/ the tater tots and everyone loved it :>) Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole 2 lbs breakfast sausage 1 (30-32 oz) bag frozen tater tots 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 8 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 2 cups milk 1)Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 2) In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. 3) In a large bowl, toss together tater tots, cooked sausage, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. 4) Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over tater tot mixture. 5) Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, or until eggs are set. 6) Remove from oven, serve and enjoy! Serves 8-10.

Cardamom Crumb Coffee Cake For the topping: 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 4 Tbsps salted butter, softened, plus extra for pan Butter a 9” cake pan with removable sides. Set aside. Make the topping: In a medium-size bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the softened butter and use your fingertips to work it into a crumbly topping. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit 10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. You can also substitute an equal amount of plain yogurt. For the cake: 10 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsps baking powder 3/4 tsp table salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1-1/2 tsps ground cardamom 1 cup buttermilk (see "Note") Preheat your oven to 350°. Using a standing or handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugars in a large bowl until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat to combine. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cardamom. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir, scraping down the sides occasionally, until evenly combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the topping over the cake. Bake until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Use a thin knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove the sides, transfer the cake to a platter, and serve warm or at room temperature. 8-10 servings

I'm doing Easter brunch. Making that tater tot sausage casserole but subbing O'Brien potatoes for the tater tots; a fruit salad; orange juice with sparkling water mixed in to make it a little bubbly, and cardamom coffee cake. Happy Easter everyone!

Geez, it's warm here. I hope cool spring weather returns soon. Tonight was beef stew (had to turn the AC on). But tomorrow I'm doing burgers and brats on the grill and make some coleslaw.

Major meh for me, this episode, just because it was waaaay too much of a drunken Crawford, forever staggering around, forever heading to the drinks table. If she was so worried about money, why not sell that big ol' house and move into a deluxe condo? Now I have a question: was Hedda faking the illness just to worm her way into once again getting the info' out of JC? or, did she really have a heart attack the previous week? Such a subhuman, that HH. I sure hope there will be more BD next week cause I'm sick of Joan & her maudlin scenes. Almost forgot to mention: Tucci is, once again, magnificent. As someone mentioned here, he was wonderful in The Devil Loves Prada and Julie & Julia, playing good guys. Now he gets to be the king of meanies, Jack Warner, and he's doing a marvelous job. Sooooo nasty!

Well, we've sure heard those accents whenever we've visited MN. The first time was on a plane & our flight attendant sounded as though she'd just stepped out of the movie Fargo (this was back in 2007). Our son-in-law (a native Minnesotan) doesn't really sound like the characters in Fargo--well, maybe in a softer accent he does. Those accents + the snow + the eerie music snippets = a great series. I still love Season 1 the best (and probably always will). There was just something special about (seemingly) goody two shoes Lester, corny way of speaking, up against the evil Malvo. Perfecto!

What is the date of the team event? Wonder if it will even be broadcast (NBC will probably only show the ladies & men, grumble).

Oh woe is me--Easter candy in the basket on the sideboard. I bought Ghirardelli chocolate eggs w/ almonds & now can't stay away from them. Tonight I don't have to cook as we're going to the clubhouse for some type of spaghetti dinner. It's fun to be with neighbors, have some wine & let someone else do the cooking.

Making chicken curry with basmati rice, and a Laotian salad for tonight's dinner. A small cheesecake with fresh fruit from Wegman's for dessert (got a friend coming over for dinner).

I'm making salmon fillets Asian style (which means adding a little bit of sesame oil to the reg oil when cooking and some seasonings); angel hair w/ peanut sauce, and those green beans in a bag (the ones sold in the produce dept) that you nuke for a few minutes.

Last night's episode was good. But something that has bugged me all along is--how could Bette Davis believe her acting in WHTBJ, a horror picture, would beat Anne Bancroft's acting in such a serious, moving, powerful movie? I'm a fan of BD but geez...what was she thinking to expect she could top an actress who teaches a deaf/blind young child to communicate? Re: Joan Crawford's plotting and conniving her evening at the Oscars? She was a sick-o. Heck, when she was whining to Hedda about how much she needed to be appreciated, at one point Hopper pulls back and gives her a WTH look. When I saw John Rubenstein's name in the credits, I looked up the cast of Feud and saw he played George Cukor. Good grief--that was handsome John from Crazy Like A Fox and Family? Some of us are getting on (I had a slight crush on him and his curls!)

@honeywest: Thank you!

Maybe it's called, Skating While Voir? I knew that fall wouldn't affect their score. I was just thinking this weekend how pleasant it's been this skating season, with V/M competing again, that we haven't heard any whining/snarking from Scott. We probably would have if P/C got the gold today. Good grief, are Hubble & Donahue jinxed or what? I felt so badly for them. A fall at Nationals, now a fall at Worlds. And they're such elegant ice dancers, so impressive after pairing up 3 years ago (was it 3 or 2?). They're amazing. I'm sending an email to NBC re: the continued crappy camera work. Even though they personally aren't overseas, the feed they're getting is horrible. I was trying to envision overhead camera shots during NBA or NFL games (and not during intermission). Sometimes it seemed as though a camera was lying on the ice at the edge of the rink while the skaters were performing mid-ice. Can you imagine if this were the Olympics?

Was anyone else bothered by the (once again) weird camera work? So many times we were treated to views that we'd have gotten if we were sitting in the nosebleed seats. Then the camera would zoom in for a close up of their upper torsos. It was as bad as in S. Korea during 4 Continents. NBC needs to get its act together production-wise for the Olympics. I feel badly for all the top tier ice dancers that V/M decided to return to competition. Sure Virtue & Moir have the right to compete and they're still competitive. But they will have gone to 3 Olympics this time next year. IMO, once or twice is enough as it's such a big deal for athletes because it's so much more than a competition (and yeah, I'm looking at you Michael Phelps, Katarina Witt, even my all time fave, Michelle Kwan, etc). Tanith & Ben did a good job commentating the SD tonight. They said enough to let us know what was going on with each pair of ice dancers but didn't yak all through the program (like Tara did this afternoon during Ladies LP). Loved Weaver/Poje, the Shibs, both Italian teams, Hubble & Donahue, and Piper/Gilles (love that 70's disco SD--burn baby burn!!) Re: Ladies: So, what happened to Ashley Wagner at this competition? Yay for Karen's World's debut getting 4th place. Loved Mariah's LP (which I barely got to see as it was already taking place as I turned on the TV).

Zucchini spirals from Wegman's. A neighbor raved about them so I tried them. Sauted in olive oil in large skillet with lid on, then when almost done, tossed some grated Parmesan on them. They were ok (but rather expensive but then I didn't have to do the work of spiraling them).

Crispy Pork Medallions, Spanish Roasted Potato Salad, and Fattoush (Ina's recipe).

Tilapia, baked a la the Barefoot Contessa (Herb Roasted Fish, complete with the ceregnola olives and sprigs of Thyme). I don't do the packets anymore (like Ina does)...I just bake on parchment paper covered with foil. AND, I tried spiral zucchini since my neighbor was raving about it. Well, you have to be creative with this stuff so I sauted some garlic in olive oil, then tossed in the spiral zucchini, added some garlic powder, S&P, and moved it around a bit. Then I added some grated parmesan and put the lid on. It was OK. But the stuff is expensive and I don't want to buy the attachment for my KA and do it myself. I really like tilapia baked this way. Mr. P914 is not a fan of tilapia so he had a good time reheating leftovers from a Sunday dinner party.

Oh yeah--she had something done. She used to have eyes that seemed to bulge (can't think of the proper term--Barbara Bush has it too). A few years ago I saw a photo of Sarandon & was amazed that her eyes looked normal. But she can still pull off the Bette Davis "look", correct & pert deportment & all. I keep thinking I've seen the actress playing Aldrich's wife before but I looked her up (Molly Price) & don't recognize anything she's been in. She just looks like someone I've seen on TV or the movies. Re: Joan Crawford's miserable life & shortcomings--I'm just attributing it all to what happened to her in her childhood (right out of a Charles Dickens novel). The attempt to seduce men in her life (even the odious Jack Warner!) goes back to being sexually abused by her stepfather. So, even though I'm sick of seeing JC staggering around with her drinks in hand, I still feel sorry for the tortured soul who continues to do so many things wrong.