annzeepark914

Dang...this afternoon I was "suggesting" to the camera folks to please...show us the entire person skating, spinning, whatever. Who needs a close-up of a skater's face? Some times there were close-ups of the skater's feet. It was very weird, as if NBC hired some contract camera people who had never done this before. I found myself once again missing ABC. Back in the day, when ABC covered figure skating, the camera work was wonderful. Who was commentating this afternoon on NBCSN? Was that Ryan Bradley?

Did anyone see Philip Mudd (counterterrorism analyst) on CNN yesterday, around 5:30 PM? He was practically spitting nails about Trump and his admin, re: the way they've been treating the intelligence community, "kicking our asses". Well, folks, it's heating up now and I'm beginning to recall the heady days of Watergate when things finally began to gel (seemed to take forever back then but of course, we didn't have cable news, tweets, emails, etc in those days).

I wish they'd bring back Champions on Ice. That's the show I attended a few times while I lived in Raleigh. The "amateurs" skated their competitive programs and for those of us who never attended Nationals, that was a thrill. Klimova & Ponomarenko skated programs as if they were still competing (the programs were that dramatic, demanding and stunning to watch). My favorite memory was getting there early each time so I could watch the skaters warming up. Just watching them warm up was a big deal. Such powerful skaters!

Isn't there an Italian dish that uses sausages and Syrah? I used to have a recipe (I think it's Chicken Sausages With Grapes) in which you boil down balsamic vinegar to a syrup and that was supposed to mimic the Syrah & sausage dish. It was very good. Need to go look for it :>)

Thanks for the schedule!!

How fortuitous ;>) A few minutes ago I looked at a pile of potatoes and thought, geez--I've gotta use them right away or they'll go bad. I'm going to make the gratin dauphinois tomorrow! Thanks, harrie. Re: the tomato paste--I've been scooping out 1 tbsp of the paste and wrapping it in a little wax paper and putting them in a ziplock type bag, removing the required amount as needed. But it's a bit of a PITA doing that prep work so I'm wondering about the slicing the pushed out paste from the can. That may be a lot easier. I'm going to try that. Thanks, Spunkygal. This is a great little forum for us cooks. I pick up all kinds of good ideas.

Last night was Red Bean and Sausage Soup. I added some extra tomato paste (frozen tablespoons--wanted to use them up, only a few left in the bag) and I think that made the soup even better.

@JTMacc99: That sounds delicious! I make something similar for Ina's Italian Wedding Soup and have said--one of these days I should flatten out these meatballs to make patties. Thanks for the good idea :>)

Beauregard & his boogers. Sheesh. What next? (maybe I shouldn't say "what next" these days--you never know now that we're in Trump Time).

Greta and George. We had to skip past MSNBC tonight. Chuck Todd's program is about all I can tolerate on that network.

@harrie: you got me thinking about quesadillas and since I had some flour tortillas in the fridge, that's what I made for dinner tonight. Thin slices of leftover pork chop, some leftover sauted mushrooms reheated, mild banana pepper rings, a little mild onion & Swiss cheese w/ a bit of Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce. Definitely a keeper quesadilla!

Yes! My favorite (current) men's skater has returned. His skating reminds me of Paul Wylie--wonderful presentation skills woven into all the athletic demands. I'm so weary of one-quad-after-another-skating.

Restaurant critic for the Washington Post Tom Sietsema wrote an interesting article about Zuni Cafe & the late Judy Rogers in today's paper. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/i-left-my-heart-you-know-where-but-this-cookbook-takes-me-back/2017/02/06/0887df28-e6ee-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html?utm_term=.85ccb0f41f74

Fried eggplant and modified Caesar Salad. This afternoon I made the little strawberry-lemon heart shaped cake (Duncan Hines) for my neighborhood coffee tomorrow morning (hope some folks show up...we're supposed to have snow and you know how that goes in metro DC area!) The glaze was white so I put a teeny drop of red (natural they say) food coloring in it and it turned pink. Looks cute.

Grilled (indoors) pork chops, steamed fresh asparagus (thin and they turned out so delicious, dipped into homemade Thousand Island), and we tried for the first time Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes which were very good (I nuked them). My sister raved about eating them when she was going through dental work so I thought I'd try them. I bought the ones that are called Loaded (so of course they were quite tasty!)

Amen and hallelujah! In the beginning, when we first saw Michelle doing the change edge spiral, the camera would follow her and change angles so that we could really see what she was accomplishing. Later on (I think when coverage switched to NBC) they didn't even bother showing the edge change or even her skate, for Pete's sake. ABC really covered ice skating so well back in the day. I remember when Sasha Cohen tried the change edge spiral, her skate would start shaking (maybe that's why they stopped focusing on the skate!)

Pineapple Fried Rice with some stir fried chicken. Using up stuff from the freezer and fridge.

I watched that show. It was a contest and someone had to judge which brother renovated his side of that duplex the best. Both sides were not very appealing, IMO. Why does everything have to be a contest today???

@harrie: is your Rhode Island clam chowder like the chowder they serve at Legal Seafood? That's delicious!

Bobby Flay has a great soup: Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup with Spicy Relish (I love the relish so much that I make a double batch). I use the light version of unsweetened coconut milk.

I'm so sick of flipping houses. One show once a day would be ok but every time I get to this channel it's always flipping houses. I really miss Curb Appeal and those shows where someone comes in and helps the owners make their rooms attractive for selling. Oh - Teethy Twins...love that! Thank you, Kemper. I know they're nice guys (and otherwise attractive) but I can't look at them. Those horse teeth really are weird and I'm surprised with all their money that they don't get them filed down or whatever they do with oversized teeth.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole 4 chicken breasts, butterflied * 1-1/2 cups Panko 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated 1 cup mozzarella (use the sliced kind—easier to layer; I used fresh/sliced) 3 Tbsps parsley 1 tsp dried oregano ½ bunch fresh basil, chopped 2-1/2 cups marinara 1-1/2 tsps salt Pepper to taste In 8" x 8" dish, spread sauce evenly on bottom; then layer mozzarella; then basil evenly on top of cheese. Season both sides of chicken breasts with S & P to taste; place evenly into pan over mozzarella/basil. In bowl, mix Panko, parmesan, parsley & oregano. Sprinkle evenly over chicken, then bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with spaghetti & extra marinara. My notes: I used some garlic powder & Mural of Flavor (on the chicken, in the sauce & also in the Panko mixture). You can use dried or fresh parsley. I put some butter on the top of the Panko mixture. I could only find fresh mozzarella that was sliced--but I really liked its gooeyness when baked! *next time I’m using chicken tenders or slicing up the chicken breasts.

Very few can do a beautiful spiral...especially a change edge spiral (with no shakiness in the foot). I'm so weary of the grabbing of the foot and the Biellman spin.

Good luck, DeLurker! Tonight I made a recipe sent by a friend: Chicken Parmesan Casserole. I don't know where she found it (probably some place online). But you don't have to dip the chicken in egg + breadcrumbs, & that's what appealed to her. It's a good recipe but it tells you to butterfly the chicken breasts. Well, being a bit of a know-it-all, I figured I could just pound the thickness out of the chicken breast. After baking for an hour at 375, I cut into the casserole and the chicken still had rawness. Rats! Back into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and it was done. Very good with extra seasoning, a little extra marinara, & thin spaghetti. It's now a keeper and the house smells great :>)

Sorry to hear about that. I've never been to Rao's but I got their cookbook from the library after watching that episode. IMO, it tasted like regular ol' plain roast chicken. I just looked at the reviews and made note of various tips and will try it again. One of the reviewers cut back on the lemon juice so I think I'll follow her revised sauce recipe + I'll season the chicken before roasting.