December means Cooking Show Marathons
I've noticed, historically, that I watch more cooking shows in Winter than on average. Well, indeed lately I've been catching "Iron Chef" and "The Next Iron Chef: Redemption" and a few other shows here and there. Low and behold, my favorite TV Chef has returned.... Again!
Marcel Vigneron, formerly of Top Chef season 2, season 8 (All Stars) and is back for The Next Iron Chef: Redemption after his "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen" got canceled after only 6 episodes. I tell ya one thing, he being my favorite TV chef, if I knew the show existed during it's run I would have tried to watch it -- but apparently I first heard of it after it'd already been canceled, so I only got to watch it on SyFy's website. But moving on.
Right this second I'm watching "The Chew", and it's reminding my that my second favorite TV Chef is Carla Hall (also from Top Chef, season 5, and again season 8 all stars.) The Chew always comes off as a weird conglomeration of trying to do a bunch of things at once, but Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear is also on here, so if the topic at all manages to grab my attention I try to leave it on for a few minutes.
Anyway, watching food shows also means I get the urge to actually cook things. Also mom is having a "bring a dish" Christmas party at work, and Mom said: "I was just going to pick something up at Giant Eagle, since the only recipe we have is the Chicken Paprikas." Whaaaaaaaaaat, False. Mom, I can cook pretty much anything. I have plenty of recipes up my sleeves. So accordingly, I've been experimenting with Holiday side dishes.
Yesterday I cooked a roasted grape/walnut topping to put on crackers with cheese, the recipe originally suggested with blue cheese on crackers; since mom always has a wide variety of cheeses in the fridge, we tried a bunch of different things on slices of traditional French bread. We found the Feta was best, but I don't think the roasted grapes was really the right choice for a party, I also think the butter in it doesn't really refrigerate well.
This afternoon I plan to make an apple-gingerbread bacon stuffing. I originally liked the idea of a gingerbread-apple stuffing, but the only recipe I could find online also had bacon, and I'm not gonna say no to Bacon. But I will make two separate batches, one with the bacon, one without to compare.
Quote of the Day: Watched "The West Wing" as I was going to bed last night, there is an episode at the end of Season 3 where White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg works out at the Secret Service Gym, and tries out the shooting range with her personal Secret Service protection person (whom she is falling for. No pun intended.)
Upcoming Movie of the Day: "Star Trek into Darkness" -- the second Star Trek film in the 'rebooted' series, This looks fantastic! With new secret bad guy played by Benedict Cumberbatch, almost EVERYTHING about this movie has been completely kept secret. Star Trek fans have recieved a spare few clues about who the bad guy can be, hinted as being someone from the Original Series. The three leading suggestions have been Khan Noonien Singh, Gary Mitchell, and Garth of Izar. Without further ado...
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| Haha, he's just good television! |
Marcel Vigneron, formerly of Top Chef season 2, season 8 (All Stars) and is back for The Next Iron Chef: Redemption after his "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen" got canceled after only 6 episodes. I tell ya one thing, he being my favorite TV chef, if I knew the show existed during it's run I would have tried to watch it -- but apparently I first heard of it after it'd already been canceled, so I only got to watch it on SyFy's website. But moving on.
 |
| Did I mention "Eat at the Restaurant of one of my favorite Top Chef's" is #15 on my bucket list? Carla, you qualify! |
Right this second I'm watching "The Chew", and it's reminding my that my second favorite TV Chef is Carla Hall (also from Top Chef, season 5, and again season 8 all stars.) The Chew always comes off as a weird conglomeration of trying to do a bunch of things at once, but Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear is also on here, so if the topic at all manages to grab my attention I try to leave it on for a few minutes.
 |
| Whaaat, can we look at this awesome Star Trek: The Chew picture!? Captain 'Clinton' Kirk, Carla 'Uhura' Hall! |
Anyway, watching food shows also means I get the urge to actually cook things. Also mom is having a "bring a dish" Christmas party at work, and Mom said: "I was just going to pick something up at Giant Eagle, since the only recipe we have is the Chicken Paprikas." Whaaaaaaaaaat, False. Mom, I can cook pretty much anything. I have plenty of recipes up my sleeves. So accordingly, I've been experimenting with Holiday side dishes.
Yesterday I cooked a roasted grape/walnut topping to put on crackers with cheese, the recipe originally suggested with blue cheese on crackers; since mom always has a wide variety of cheeses in the fridge, we tried a bunch of different things on slices of traditional French bread. We found the Feta was best, but I don't think the roasted grapes was really the right choice for a party, I also think the butter in it doesn't really refrigerate well.
This afternoon I plan to make an apple-gingerbread bacon stuffing. I originally liked the idea of a gingerbread-apple stuffing, but the only recipe I could find online also had bacon, and I'm not gonna say no to Bacon. But I will make two separate batches, one with the bacon, one without to compare.
Quote of the Day: Watched "The West Wing" as I was going to bed last night, there is an episode at the end of Season 3 where White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg works out at the Secret Service Gym, and tries out the shooting range with her personal Secret Service protection person (whom she is falling for. No pun intended.)
Simon: I’m going to stand behind you and hold your shoulders
CJ: I don’t need training wheels.
Simon: Okay.
CJ fires gun and falls to the ground
Simon: Be careful. That .357’s got a bit of a kick.
CJ: That thing practically broke my arm! I’ve been wrong about guns, just hand these out to the criminals.
Upcoming Movie of the Day: "Star Trek into Darkness" -- the second Star Trek film in the 'rebooted' series, This looks fantastic! With new secret bad guy played by Benedict Cumberbatch, almost EVERYTHING about this movie has been completely kept secret. Star Trek fans have recieved a spare few clues about who the bad guy can be, hinted as being someone from the Original Series. The three leading suggestions have been Khan Noonien Singh, Gary Mitchell, and Garth of Izar. Without further ado...
- Khan Noonien Singh: This was the early favorite, but now it seems the momentum is favoring it's actually Gary Mitchell. Introduced in the original series episode "Space Seed" played by famous Ricardo Montalban, Khan was a genetically engineered "super man" who took over a third of the world during the "Eugenics wars of Earths 1990s." When he was overthrown, he and his engineered followers were sent into space in a 'sleeper ship' that put them into hibernation for centuries until Kirk saved them. Yadda yadda yadda, he returns in the second Star Trek movie: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."
- Gary Mitchell: The recent favorite, Mitchell was a Academy friend of Kirk's who later served on the Enterprise under Kirk; in the second episode of the original series he was turned into a omnipotent being and the power went to his head and Kirk had to kill him. I'm betting this is who Cumberbatch will end up playing.
- Garth of Izar: This is who I would like it to be, but like I said, it's probably Mitchell. Garth was a famous war hero, who fought "the Battle of Axanar", a hero that Kirk read about at the Academy. But he had gone crazy, and was in a Federation Rehabilitation colony when the crew met him -- and he tried to take over the ship. (In fact, all three of our candidates are "supermen who went power-crazy, and try to take over the ship.")
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