Bastet

Maybe this one should be slightly tweaked to "Past Episodes: Chicken 100 Ways ..." and then, when new episodes start up again, we can do specific episode threads. At any rate, yes, I do think the two threads would be better merged into one. (We should probably also have an Ina thread - for her tweets, book signings and other non-show stuff - so whomever comes up with a good title for it, go for it.)

I'm so glad you shared the story of your username, because as soon as I saw it I started singing Jolene. I, too, am quite a fan of Dolly Parton. Hers was the first concert I attended (back in the early '80s some time) and I last saw her on stage about five years ago for the Backwoods Barbie tour.

Everyone involved has freely admitted that while they formed a unique bond filming the show, they were not friends outside of it back then and in fact went through times where they really weren't even speaking between takes. I think by the time they filmed IWTB, most of what was annoying about doing the series - feeling like they were trapped in an arranged marriage, working long days together for years on end, frustration with the sense they were filming the same storylines/dialogue over and over, getting restless to move on to other things, etc. - had long since passed but the good stuff was left and they enjoyed revisiting those things. It really came through in the publicity junket for IWTB, something neither one used to suffer gladly. Seeing them together at WonderCon (in the midst of IWTB filming) was a revelation, and in the time since they seem to have finally developed a real friendship. (I take them at their word they are not dating.) What I love is how amazing the dynamic between their characters always was regardless of what was going on behind the scenes; there is not one scene I can point to among the 7 years I watched and say "That has a strangely distant feel to it; it must have been filmed during one of the times they weren't getting along."

I loathe that kid with the heat of a nova because he sounds like he has a mouth full of marbles. The commercial could have been cute (had they not aired it for years on end) if they'd cast someone who could actually enunciate.

I saw her in an episode of L&O: SVU quite some time back, which was fun. As I recall, she was playing a pretty down on her luck character, meaning the haggard look was intentional. I really liked Lecy in Boys Don't Cry and Love, Ludlow.

I love football (although the NFL increasingly makes it difficult), but I can't stand Kevin Costner. So this is one I'll wait to catch on TV, but I'll definitely watch it when it does make its television debut ... I cannot resist a football film. (I have the Blu-Ray of Remember the Titans, yet will still watch it every one of the numerous times it airs on television just because.)

There is a commercial for Barilla (dried) pasta claiming it cooks right every time -- "always al dente." Now, I assume this means if I cook it per the package directions it will turn out al dente, but the actual verbiage suggests I could boil it for half an hour and have it magically turn out right.

Lura, I think it helps, as a TWoP refugee, to understand that every show here gets its own forum, rather than some being relegated to single threads. So the "Small Talk" thread that exists within every one of those forums is akin to the "Meet Market" thread that only some shows got at TWoP -- it's the place for the off-topic chatter that was verboten in single-thread shows. Who are you, what else do you like and dislike in life, etc. Discussion of the show itself goes in the most-appropriate thread within the forum (an episode or season thread, or general discussion, a "character" (or, in this case, host) thread, a quotes thread, etc.) ... and if there isn't yet a good thread for a line of conversation, any user can make one.

Coming up: Asparagus and Artichoke Sauté with Toasted Bread Crumbs. But first, let me recommend the cookbook whence it came: Deborah Madison's Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets. It is not strictly vegetarian, but since it focuses on items found in most farmers' markets, it is heavily vegetarian. I'm an omnivore for whom veggies are generally a (much-loved) side dish, and I like this book because it's important to me to supplement the staples I grow in my garden with local, seasonal produce from independent, sustainable farms ... but some of the stuff I grab because it looks or smells so good I don't actually know what to do with when I get home. This cookbook is my go-to in such scenarios; I just look the ingredient up in the index and inevitably find several delicious recipes using that plus other ingredients in season at the same time. Now, onto the recipe (when cooking for one or two, I cut this in half): 4 medium artichokes, trimmed and quartered 1 pound asparagus, thinly sliced on the diagonal 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 bunch scallions, whites plus an inch of the greens, chopped 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1/2 cup parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/4 cup olive oil (I use less) 1/4 cup white wine 1 cup stock (or water per the recipe, but I've always used my homemade stock) freshly grated parmesan cheese (S&P to taste) Simmer the artichoke quarters in 1 quart water with 2 tsp salt until tender-firm, about 6 minutes. Remove and slice them thinly. Cut up the rest of the vegetables as described above. Chop the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together and set aside. Brown the bread crumbs in 1 T of the oil in a small skillet, then set aside. Heat the remaining oil in a wide nonstick skillet. Add the artichokes, asparagus and zucchini. Sauté over moderately high heat until they start to brown, then add the scallions and mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes more, then season to taste. Add the wine. Let it reduce by about half, then add the stock and simmer for a few more minutes (or until the veggies are cookied to your liking). Toss in the parsley/garlic/lemon zest mixture and bread crumbs, then transfer onto a serving plate. Top with a light dusting of grated parmesan cheese.

"She is there, behind the rich and powerful, beside the rich and powerful ... under the rich and powerful." I hadn't heard of her passing. I never watched Dynasty, so she'll always be "Jacks" to me. I absolutely love her in the New Year's Eve episode (and obviously stole her line "too late to flush her now" in titling Saffy's thread). This link to that BBC article should work.

When past storyline butts up against a plot the writer wants to craft now, many will just follow the credo "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story."

Oh, yes - people who state they want something, and then go on to complain about everything endemic to that want. "I want to live in the city centre." "Oh, it's so noisy here; I can hear the street traffic." "I want an older house with character." "These closets are so small! And the kitchen isn't open to the living room." "I want a brand new home in a development." "Ugh, there's construction [of other houses] going on."

I love the first three series, especially the first two (something close to brilliance, really), and initially found subsequent episodes a real letdown. I still think they're inferior to the original run, but I now generally enjoy them.

I don't mind Mammy Watkins wanting the music box; she had given it to him, and thus it had sentimental value to her that it didn't have to anyone else. What bugged me about her was the way she so casually informed Blanche she had carried on a longstanding affair with her father and then expected Blanche to be immediately okay with it. And to be immediately forgive the fact this was the reason she up and disappeared from Blanche's life without a word. She seemed to have forgotten that while she'd had decades to come to terms with things, Blanche had only minutes; they are inevitably not going to be in the same place about it.

She uses Diamond, as do I. Only I use half the amount - or less - she does. I agree there is a noticeable difference between Diamond and Morton.

I think Lecy and John worked particularly well together when Becky and Dan were at odds. Lecy did a great job showing Becky's awkwardness and hurt when Dan gave her the silent treatment -- after she and Mark took an unauthorized ride on his motorcycle and then again when she came back home to get her stuff after eloping with Mark.

You should watch with me; I have actually sat on the couch yelling, "No, you have too much stuff!" at the TV when HHs say, "We don't have enough storage space." Ugh. A societal problem, I understand, but this show sure does shed a light on it. On a similar kids and privacy note, another of my pet peeves is the proliferation of parenting HHs who freak out at the thought of the master bedroom being "too far away" from the kid(s)' bedroom. The years during which everyone is going to want privacy will vastly outnumber those in which it's convenient for the child to be in the room next door.

Holly announcing she "quit" as Blake's mother was one of my favorite things ever. But there was also some really nice stuff in there with Holly trying to get Roger to understand he was doing Blake no favors by always swooping in to clean up her messes. And I love that, while his primary emotion was disgust that his daughter was sleeping with a man he hates, Roger was also genuinely pissed off on Holly's behalf that she'd been played for a fool.

Oh, my; that became such an integral part of my vocabulary I had completely forgotten where I'd picked it up. I also tend to use, "Are you nuts? Are you just some nutty nut person who's nuts?" (I know it's "girl" in the original quote, but, unlike Sorkin, I don't use that word to refer to adults.) And I dole out the sage advice, "If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. And if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you." Much of Jeremy's The Hungry and the Hunted monologue gets used when anyone speaks of hunting for sport. I'm also on the look-out for more ways to include "I told many, many people" in my conversations.

I think Christine Elise is attractive, with a cool attitude, and I liked Emily at first. But retconning her as the love of Brandon's life just because the two actors had since fallen in love was annoying.

I like the one where they do Ray Charles' Night Time is the Right Time even better, thanks to Rudy.

And thank heavens for that, because people having carpet over my house's original hardwood floors for decades meant that when I pulled it up I had mostly undamaged 1938 hardwood to enjoy. I prefer hardwood floors both aesthetically and because it can be kept so much cleaner, but as I said above I enjoy seeing HHs who prefer carpet just because they're far more rare a species on the show than they are in real life. I had a couple of repeats on in the background yesterday, and it struck me anew how much my definition of a small - or should I say "tight" - room differs from most of the HHs'. Simply saying, "I wish this room was bigger" instead would annoy me less.

I enjoy just about any take-off on Agatha Christie's Ten Little [insert Pejorative of the Times Here], and that episode is no exception. It has a nice cast of characters, and I like their discussion about him arranging it so they'd be sharing a room, rather than just letting things happen. (He certainly didn't learn his lesson that if he'd stop manipulating, they'd be sleeping together.) I also like "Somebody else saw the movie" when faking "Myrtle's" death doesn't work. "Believe me, Laura, I'm not trying to sleep you. I'm just trying to sleep with you." This is one of my favorite instances of their going undercover. "Someone is going around killing bachelors." "In that case, Laura, will you marry me?" I love this one, too, and his broken leg - then, legs - do make for some wonderful comedy. I love when Laura returns to his apartment not knowing the ditz is gone and misinterprets the sounds she hears coming from the bedroom. At first, she quietly leaves, but then she comes bursting back in. Ha! Another one of my favorites. "Mr. Steele, you're not Mr. Steele" is one of the series' best lines. And the scene in the hayloft is certainly worth the price of admission. Vintage Steele is my favorite, with Red Holt Steele an extremely close second. No coincidence they're both Laura-centric. I also love the Descoine episodes, and Dreams of Steele. In fact, while I also quite like Elementary Steele, I think Dreams of Steele should have been the season two finale, since it calls back to the pilot. Plus, it has Judith Light, one of TV's most underrated actors. Another favorite is Beg, Borrow or Steele. I just love them getting progressively ripe and frustrated. There are so many nice moments between them and so many funny lines (the entire "We seem to have misplaced Miss Holt's urn" scene is perfection) I completely wave away how stupid it is the bodies were conclusively identified and how their reported deaths didn't bring an hysterical Frances into the mix. In other falsely reported deaths, I also really enjoy Premium Steele.

I can't believe how unsympathetic they make those people. I get it, most people hate the IRS, so it's the default bad guy in this scenario, but taxes pay for the things we as a society need; people - and corporations, ahem - not paying their share matters. How about advertising that someone unknowingly failed to pay taxes because of someone else's mistake or deceit, and now X company has helped them work out a payment plan they can afford? Instead, it's just a bunch of braggarts grinning about X company helping them get away with paying a pittance of what they owe.

I wish some of the Tide commercials with Dad doing the laundry would show a wife in the background, indicating he's doing the laundry simply because it's as much his responsibility as it is hers, not that he's doing it by default because there is no little woman there to do her job.