tvchick

Thanks, Diane M, for the link. That is a wonderful piece of writing--I was impressed with the intermixing of the Gaines' story and Waco's history. It will be very interesting to see what happens with them and their projects in the future, and how it impacts the town long term.

Richard Burr wrote an article for the WaPo on the changes: Richard's views

Ian was a guest on today's WaPo food chat. Ian is charming and he tells all

The last WaPo recap: finale recap It really was a charming, emotional finale, with such wonderful interaction among the bakers; their families' stories; and Mary's tear at the end. I didn't care who won, as long as everyone did a great job. I'll miss this show so much!

I have a few suggestions: Mario Batali's version Tim Love's version Guacamole is easy. Make sure that you have perfectly ripe avocadoes and mash with salt. I like to add minced jalapeños or serranoes, lime juice and cilantro. If you make it ahead, put some plastic wrap directly on the guac before refrigerating.

Another recap is available: episode 8 Bubblegum flavor sounds awful to me, too, but we are handicapped in not being able to taste everything. I think that Flora's add-ons will be her downfall eventually and her practicing with an Aga sounds like it may be a factor as well.

The WaPo has recaps up: episode 7 recap I didn't find the tennis cake at all appetizing, and the meat pies weren't much better. And the icing moment was very funny--according to the expert on the WaPo recap, putting it in an oven which has been turned off is the correct approach.

WaPo recap of episode 6: episode 6 recap

WaPo recap for Episode 5: episode 5 recap

The WaPo recap this week covers both Episodes 3 and 4, so I'm putting the link here. recap of Episodes 3 and 4 Due to the late hour, I didn't get to see the end of Episode 4. Episode 3, however, made me very hungry for soda breads. I thought that the bakers overall did a great job on them, and Paul's showstopper bread sculpture really was wonderful. I'll continue to buy baguettes and appreciate the skill of bakers who make really good ones.

As requested, here's a link to the WaPo's recap of this episode: episode 2 recap I thought that the guest pastry chef's play-by-play comments and tips were great, and I love that she may use leftover puff pastry to make arlettes for her shop.

The Washington Post will be recapping each episode and adding commentary from a local baker. Here is the first: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2016/07/02/the-great-british-baking-show-recap-ep-1-batter-up/

This was fantastic. Thanks to JK and his show with coming up with this inspired bit.

Carson Kressley was on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

larapu, I haven't been in Paris for a long time but I would go to two women who have great Paris knowledge: Patricia Wells and Dorie Greenspan. I read that Wells has an app for her "Food Lover's Guide to Paris" that allows you to search by neighborhoods: http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-take-patricia-wells-to-paris-with-you-with-the-food-lovers-guide-to-paris-app-20130514-story.html Edited to add: I found this WaPo article about Wells and the paper's food editor, exploring Paris: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/paris-with-patricia-wells-eating-up-the-city-with-the-food-lovers-guide-author/2014/03/13/d5c24b92-a946-11e3-b61e-8051b8b52d06_story.html Also, Dorie Greenspan does a chat on Wednesdays at the Washington Post website. The subject is baking but it might be worth registering at the Post to ask your question there. I wish that I had a Paris trip planned!

I also think that they said they had been on the HH Renovations show, too, working on the Myrtle Beach house.

I needed to make a little treat bag today for co-workers and went with Ina's Raisin Pecan Oatmeal cookies. It's so easy and almost a pantry recipe for me. I only had to buy raisins. If you like a slightly chewy oatmeal cookie, try this one. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/raisin-pecan-oatmeal-cookies-recipe.html

I made a scaled-down version of Ina's sausage and herb stuffing today and it was good. The only problem was that it was a little too wet for my taste, probably because I added too much chicken broth (I upped the broth based on the reviews) and used bread that was too soft. I can fix it--a little while under the broiler tomorrow should do the trick!

ITA. I think that is the reason they went with Beckett's trust issues as the rationale for the separation rather than her obsessive behavior. It feeds into the next part of the season that will center on Castle's disappearance, where he will be the one at fault for doing something damaging to their relationship. Can't wait (sarcasm).

Is that TR in the Cadillac SUV commercial? The jogger in close-up while the vehicle drives through a wet city street at night?

That was a fabulous article, seeming to sum up everything about Ina Garten that I have observed and/or read. Thanks for the link!

I liked them, too. I missed the first few minutes, but later they mentioned that he was a writer and she was a singer.

I was killing time at Barnes & Noble last weekend and saw Heat Rising on the discount aisle. My sister recently started binge watching Castle reruns on TNT and she was skeptical when I told her that there actually were Nikki Heat novels. So, of course, I had to buy it for about $7 and found it to be very enjoyable read. Now it's hers. A few comments: Nikki and Rook do seem to communicate much better than Beckett/Castle do through most of the series. There wasn't much description of the main characters' physical characteristics--does that happen in the earlier books? A bit too much action for my tastes, but I still enjoyed it. The acknowledgements confused me. Name checking the characters, the actors who portrayed them, writers etc; behind the scenes, and so on--who is real and who isn't?

Did anyone else see last night's episode? In addition to the odd non-permitted (except for the bathroom) structure in the backyard, Tarek and Christina's SUV was stolen while they were looking at the work done inside the house. The camera crew managed to get footage as the thieves took off down the street...very surreal.

I made a full recipe of Ina's black olive tapenade yesterday. It had been awhile since I did that, but wow, it's just fabulous. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tapenade-recipe2.html The only modifications were that I subbed a few squirts of anchovy paste for the whole anchovies and only added enough olive oil to get it to the desired consistency. Really great!