Fairfax

I like sweet potatoes sprinkled with the Indian spice mix garam masala, so I do that with the hasselback version after inserting a thin half-pat of cold butter between the slices.

Hasselback potatoes are also called "accordion" potatoes because of their appearance. Easily done with little red or white potatoes, or fingerlings, or even sweet potatoes (aka "yams"). Perfectly fine with just butter, salt & pepper, but they also lend themselves to whatever other toppings suit your taste & menu.

The FN website says that Gesine Prado's "Baked In Vermont" will be shown on Saturdays at 12:30pm (EST), with repeats on Tuesdays at the same time. The first episode was shown today & will be repeated this Tuesday, Dec. 5. It sounds like it's worth a try -- thanks for pointing it out, grisgris.

Inspired by Katharine Hepburn's party dress in Christopher Strong (1933).

What is it that makes the second picture in film noire's post above look like a mug shot? The background (which is probably just regular old blinds that might be anywhere, not necessarily in a police station)? The intense stare with pinpoint pupils plus smile that just doesn't seem quite genuine? The slightly messed-up hair, as if from some kind of scuffle?

I've heard a couple of people on TV refer to sexual harassment in show biz & politics as being "systemic", meaning that it's "pervasive", which is consistent with the context of their remarks: "it's everywhere, by anyone!". But then Norah O'Donnell's comment about Charlie Rose on the CBS morning show bemoaned the "systematic" abuse that seems to be plaguing her industry & our society, which is not what she meant to say. She's an educated & articulate professional speaker who should know better.

I loved the high school student's essay & appreciated the Gov's polite & respectful reaction. And I also got to see my 2 favorite TV news guys from childhood & adolescence: David Brinkley & John Chancellor. I think they both would have appreciated Rachel Maddow.

Speaking of Halloween leftovers, does anyone have an excellent recipe for M&M cookies (plain or peanut or both)?

Thanks very much! That is fascinating -- hope you enjoy your visit. And congratulations on the new job.

captain1, I have the same problem but can't give up pasta altogether so wholewheat pasta is my compromise. I like it fine, especially the lasagna noodles & the corkscrews in macaroni & cheese.

Are the other guests all dressed as their mothers? The sweatshirt girls look comfy -- I might be willing to go to parties if I could dress that way (& if they were held at breakfast time instead of after dark).

At the farmers' market today, I saw a jack-o-lantern decorated to look like a scary clown: white paint covering the face, frizzy red yarn hair sticking straight up & out , huge evil grin with missing teeth, big red ball nose, squinty eyes under pointedly arched brows. Good job & clever (though creepy) result. I complimented the artist & did not say who it reminded me of.

I like the Fed Ex ad with the 2 women whose bookstore has a lot of sales on-line, perhaps due to a conspiracy theory about book-buying aliens. Both women are funny & the Fed Ex guy is cute. Subtle lunacy is the best kind.

More advice for the kids: elope! It takes less than a day to drive from Pawhuska to Las Vegas through beautiful desert scenery & you can get married by an Elvis impersonator.

The Jalopnik article cited above states: "The person was offered $200 and told to come to the Los Angeles Convention Center, and that the 'market research' would take about two hours. There was no indication this would be to film a Chevy advertisement, or that it had anything to do with the automaker at all." But the offer of $200 probably (almost certainly) included a written agreement setting forth terms & conditions under which the offer was made & accepted, such as consent to being filmed & having the film used (over & over, forever & ever, without end). The person may have accepted the $200 & signed the agreement without reading it, but that doesn't mean "there was no indication" of the agreement's terms.

I believe the Chevrolet ads that tell me "these are real people, not actors", if only because actors would do a better job of pretending to be surprised/thrilled by mundane revelations about the vehicle of the moment. So I wonder: do these real people receive residuals (as actors typically do) whenever one of their wildly annoying ads is broadcast (which seems to be endlessly)? Or did they sign away all rights to compensation when they agreed to participate in a focus group & squeal loudly on cue?

I was surprised (& distressed) to encounter vanilla-scented dog waste bags recently. Shopping becomes more demanding every day.

They've been going downhill ever since the kraken on the golf course. But, to be fair, nothing could ever equal that, let alone top it.

The local Safeway supermarkets have apparently instructed their staff members to address all female customers as "Miss" instead of "Ma'am". I look like a grandma (the grey-haired Aunt Bea type, not the Auntie Mame version) & don't expect to be called "Miss", especially by a bagger who doesn't seem old enough to drive himself to work. I'm not offended, just surprised & tend to react with a "Who? Me?"-type response.

I must be very lucky because I've never had trouble sleeping due to the pillow (or anything else, really). Some may be better than others, but I've always been able to beat mine into submission & then I just go to sleep.

I must say "KEYS" before I close the front door & the trunk of the car, & wave the hand that's holding the keys. This little ritual wasn't necessary until I became old & forgetful, but I don't mind doing whatever it takes to avoid disaster.

I've never known a blind person who even had a TV, unless it was for other members of the household (& usually kept in those members' rooms so as not to disturb the blind person). A radio might be used for newscasts -- but a TV is expensive to buy & operate, while providing little of value to someone who can't see the pictures.

The first time I was addressed as Ma'am, I was 19 & the speakers were very young teenagers who'd just moved north after being raised in the South. I was an adult & they weren't, so that's what they were taught to say & they were being polite & respectful. I appreciated their manners & still think of "Ma'am" that way -- I'm now old enough to be most people's grandma (at least), but that's nothing to be ashamed of.

You are not the last person on earth who insists on it, but our little corner is hardly crowded & seems to be growing more empty by the day.

And they take a "vacay" (maybe to "Cali" or "Hotlanta"), during which they go "cray cray". Baby talk is a perfectly legitimate peeve (even when directed toward babies or pets, but especially otherwise).