annzeepark914

Wow. Just wow. Thanks Deanie87 and LuckyBitch. Giada is truly OTT, totally outta control now. Yikes. The absolute, colossal, condescending nerve of her to put the phonetic pronunciations of various pastas in her menu. But in a way...it fits with the current Giada (so unlike the one we enjoyed watching, learning from, back in the day when she shared Italian recipes in Everyday Italian). We have now seen what fame, crazy adoration, have done to a human being. Sorry, I still can't get over the PPL (pasta phonetic lesson). I thought the little blurb on the chandeliers was offensive. Sheesh...little did I know. I've eaten in Italian restaurants for way too many years and never, ever, was I, a non-Italian, insulted with pasta pronunciation assistance.

Last night I caught the last 10 minutes of a new show: Bite This! It's Nadia G (who used to cook on Bitchin' Kitchen). I guess you could say it's a take off on Guy Fieri's Diners & Drive-ins or whatever that awful show is called. She was in Burlington, VT, visiting restaurants, watching them prepare menu items they're known for. I've made a note to watch it on Mondays at 10 PM. We get a big kick out of Nadia and her unusual pals (especially the spice agent with the purposely unpronounceable name :)

Can't believe I missed it...a new BC episode. Will there be more new episodes these next few Sunday mornings? (If so, I'm writing myself a huge post-it note and sticking it on the alarm clock!!) Why was she making dog biscuits? Ina doesn't have a dog.

I grew up in NYS and CT and as soon as I tried the white corn (wasn't it called Country Gentleman or "something silver"??), I discovered a new appreciation for corn on the cob. However, eating corn on the cob has always bothered me due to my teeth being very tightly connected. They'd ache afterward (despite brushing my teeth). That's why I love Ina's Confetti Corn--I can eat fresh corn w/o the misery that corn on the cob causes.

Giada would eat only one row of kernels because, as she says, she eats everything but not a lot of everything (or something stupid like that). Ohh...grrr...I mustn't get started on that gal ;) I tried to watch Nigella yesterday but the camera kept bouncing here, there and everywhere. How can people watch her show? It was making me woozy. What is the purpose of the bouncy camera? Is it supposed to look as though one of her family members is taping her show? I'm trying to find a new cooking show to love (since BC is mostly re-runs, which I like, but I want some new ideas) and having a tough time of it considering what FN is offering. And considering what they force those participants in the NFNS to do in order to win a show, I'm not encouraged for the future!

Since we loved Midnight in Paris, we figured To Rome With Love would be just as wonderful. One of the dullest, slowest movies I've ever seen. We couldn't wait for the movie to end. Alec Baldwin was annoying and Jesse Eisenberg was so irritating (how does he keep getting roles? all he does is look disgusted about everything and anything).

As soon as the piano starts playing at the beginning of On Golden Pond, and I see the loons, I start to get a bit verklempt. I've always tried to avoid very sad movies (especially the ones with animals) but this one just pulls me in. I've been to Squam Lake in NH where it was filmed and it's so beautiful (and one does have to hang over the side of the boat to watch for huge boulders just under the surface!). Great movie...worth the tears and sniffles.

I just had a vision of Kramer on the Murphy Brown set, pretending to type away on the keyboard to impress Murphy. After she walks into her office, he picks up a bagel or something, takes a big bite, and once again starts typing madly away. Always look forward to that little scene.

That is so funny! Remember Tom Hanks, in Big, picking up the the tiny cocktail "corncob" and eating it like a regular ear of corn? I remember falling out of my seat at the movies because I laughed so hard (never did that before or since ;>).

I missed the first episode so I watched it online last night. Agree with a lot of comments posted previously. Thank God, Amy Poehler was in only the first scene. If she shows up again, it'll be a refrigerator break for me; can't stand that snark/smirk/sneer schtick of hers. I loved the fact that there was no laugh track which I find intrusive & so fake. Didn't like the airport scene at all; you don't joke around with security, period. I'm Swedish-American, 2nd generation and grew up in a town where we were the only Swedish-Americans so I find this show fascinating. Loved the stuga painted in the traditional dark red with white trim...soooo Svenska! I'd forgotten about midsommar and began to get confused about what day it was until Bruce asked if it was night time, looking around at all the brightness. I experienced that confusion while visiting relatives in Anchorage ("What? You say it's 1:30 in the morning?") The dimwitted oaf of a brother just doesn't fit with the rest of the family; I found his presence annoying & a bit too "Deliverance" to be credible. Loved the uncle & his fixation with American movies & famous lines from movies.

He's been pretty good over the years trying my experiments (new recipes) so I let him get away w/ it this time. Unfortunately, his prediction (after looking over the ingredients required) was correct--it turned out to be quite "meh" even tho' I was tossing in all kinds of seasonings. It was edible but forgettable. Next recipe to try: Sweet & Sour Pork (by Jaden Hair whose other recipe was quite good so I have high hopes).

Parade Magazine for Sunday, July 13th has a feature on Giada and her new restaurant in Las Vegas, Giada. "While grand in scale and ambition, Giada feels intimate, thanks to its soothing earth tones and personal touches, like the chandeliers inscribed with the chef's stay-slim food philosophy ('I eat a little bit of everything and not a lot of anything')..." This woman is truly a piece of work. Anyway, there's a contest to win a three day two night stay at the Cromwell Hotel (where her restaurant is located) and dinner for two at Giada (heh...just don't look at the chandeliers while you're dining!). Go to parade.com/giada to enter the contest.

That looks gorgeous, larapu2000. Absolutely gorgeous! I always hesitate to make things like this because of the filling...for some reason those fillings intimidate me. Tonight for an easy supper, I'm going to make a recipe out of the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook (Idiot's Guide series): Potatoes and Eggs Omelet. I had to make a 7 Spice Mix as it calls for a little of that. Am really getting into trying recipes that have piled up over the years (my motto: either try 'em or toss 'em). Last week I found a winner in Dan Dan Mien from Jaden Hair's Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Favorites cookbook. I ground the chicken breasts myself in my food processor (love doing that...makes me feel chef-y). Mr. P914 is leery of tonight's experiment so he plans to eat up leftover Chinese delivery ;>)

Definitely for Bob Odenkirk if only because his character made me want to reach through the screen and throttle him! And another definitely for Keith Carradine over Colin Hanks. Carradine didn't appear much in the series but when he did, he made his presence known and his character very credible (can still see him playin' it carefully with Malvo in the diner, as well as his memorable propping himself on his daughter's front porch with his gun--you could just feel his protectiveness of his adult child). But all in all, I'm thrilled that Fargo has been well recognized for its excellence and hope it will trigger a return for next season.

"You don't tawk funny".

This looks good but I don't have a sheet pan (only a rimmed cookie sheet) and don't want to buy one. So, can the recipe be halved and then what size would be right for half the batter? I've made Ina's PB frosting and it's like mousse - quite lovely and delicious.

I loved reading Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And All The Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show A Classic by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. It was fascinating reading about the struggles that the producers and writers had with CBS execs who felt that American audiences wouldn't accept a TV show about a divorcee (that's why Mary Richards came to Minneapolis after a broken engagement). The book also focuses on the number of female writers who incorporated parts of their lives into the scripts.

@Daisychain: I use a gas grill, turn it up to high so it heats up fast. Then when I'm ready to put the pork tenderloin on I turn it down just a little. Ina says to sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt & pepper just before placing on the grill. I don't (knowing Ina's love of OTT salt!). I put a little S&P in the marinade & that's it. Some times I sprinkle in a little Penzey's Trinidad seasoning & a few dried red pepper flakes. I've never grilled 3 tenderloins, usually just one is enough for Mr. P914 & me. Since I'm not keen on fresh rosemary (I find it strong), I use mainly fresh thyme (I love lemon thyme) and some times add a little dried rosemary. Since you need to turn it a few times, you're keeping an eye on the pork as it grills (at a certain point I remove it from the grill & cut into the thickest part to check the color inside). I'm no expert at the grill so it's taken me a number of times to get the feel of how long to grill (and to adjust the seasonings to our taste). It's delicious!

@Mrs. P: You haven't missed much...Vertigo truly was a draaaaag (other than the opportunity to see the way San Francisco looked back in the 50's). Rear Window is a movie I can happily watch whenever I see it's on TV. The gorgeous (and beautifully dressed) Grace Kelly, so elegant. The suspense (especially w/ James Stewart in a wheelchair). The voyeurism (looking in one's neighbors' windows ;>)

Watermelon cubes filled with mascarpone and chocolate chips? This sounds like a SNL skit making fun of Giada, not an actual show. This gal has truly lost it! Haven't seen her new manicure - sounds awful. I've always admired Giada and Ina for having beautifully trimmed nails with a pale pink or peach polish. Their hands always looked clean while handling food (unlike Pauler and her long talons complete with heavy rings).

Amen! And let me add the dynamic duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to my list of current unfunny celebs whose popularity (for some reason) keeps growing. Their mean-spirited, snarky attempts at humor complete with smirk-filled deliveries just aggravates the hell outta me. These two self-absorbed jerks ruined the tribute to Carol Burnett at the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain awards (poor Carol kept a grim smile on her face throughout each of their pathetic attempts to be funny). Back to Will Ferrell. I loved the guy when he was on SNL. And Adam Sandler as well (and Eddie Murphy). But once they left SNL? IMO they proved that their humor works great in skits but eventually stretches too thin in a full length movie.

The only reason I'll rewatch Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf is to see/hear Elizabeth Taylor look around her kitchen and say, "What--a--DUMP!" (then I turn it off)

Now I'll no longer feel a bit guilty for being relieved when Sean Young's character was pushed over the stairway landing by Gene Hackman in No Way Out. It finally ended her character's nonstop, very loud yakking that I found so irritating. When she landed with a thud, and there was finally a blissful silence, I thought to myself, "Thank God!" So glad I found this thread--so many unpopular opinions expressed here that I share (especially delighted to learn I'm not the only person sick of the constant, never ending adoration of Marilyn Monroe:>)

A movie that is rarely ever mentioned, Dead Man, has an awful scene that I found very disturbing: a man eating the cooked flesh from a human spine. I had to leave after that scene. I believe Johnny Depp was in this movie, along with Robert Mitchum. It came out at the same time as Dead Man Walking. The opening scenes (travelers on a train moving across the country) are fascinating as the passengers keep changing.

I had to read Gone Girl for my book club and loathed it from the very first chapter. Smug, immature characters and the ending reminded me, in a way, of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Also disliked Harry Potter (must confess I only read the first in the series but that was enough for me--the corny names, IMO, were meant to appeal to very young readers only). I'm glad it got lots of kids reading but I don't understand its popularity with adults.