In honor of the recently concluded Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, we hosted a potluck style dinner party with dear friends. Each couple took charge of a dish or two, and everything we ate was gold medal-worthy. So much winning that evening!

The Recipe: This recipe for Korean Glass Noodles (aka chap chae aka jap chae) comes from recipe developer, cookbook author, and television chef, Jaden Hair at the Steamy Kitchen food blog. Many recipes here boast an Asian flair, and the site also features cooking shortcuts and giveaways. Check it out!

Serve With: We enjoyed a cocktail made with Pink Lady apples and soju (sweet potato liquor, similar to vodka) and scallion pancakes with dipping sauce to start things off right.

​For the main course Jenna brought some luscious Korean short ribs made in the crockpot. Wowee wow wow, so flavorful and satisfying! The chap chae served alongside helped to soak up all those yummy beef juices. Mmmmmmm! 

The scallion pancakes, called Pa Jun, made a great appetizer served hot from the pan. We would make a few refinements next time, such as adding more liquid to the batter for thinner pancakes and slicing the scallions more finely. We added carrots for the final pancake, which were a big hit. The spicy dipping sauce is excellent – you will find many uses for this tasty topping. Find recipes from The Spruce here. ​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Kitchen Tips: I thought it would be easy to find the sweet potato noodles needed for chap chae. Chicago is an ethnically diverse city with robust international food aisles in most grocery stores and two different “Chinatown” areas with shops and products from all over Asia. Nevertheless I had to do some scouting to find the right product. Thank you to Dong-ah Food in Lincolnwood.

The Verdict: Handling the glass noodles is a little tricky, but worth the effort. Once cooked, you must cut them with kitchen shears into manageable lengths. We loved this veggie-laden dish and did not miss the meat. We needed a little extra flavor though, and drizzling the spicy sauce from the scallion pancakes on top of the chap chae made it perfect. Olympics or not, we will definitely make this dish again.

​Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Korean Glass Noodles (Chap Chae)
Recipe source: Steamy Kitchen
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles
• 3 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 stalks green onions, cut into 1" lengths
• 1/2 cup dried* or fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (shiitake, wood ear)
• 1/2 lb spinach, washed well and drained
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

*Rehydrate the mushrooms if you are using dried

DIRECTIONS:

• Boil a large pot of water. When water is boiling, add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and then use kitchen shears to cut noodles into shorter pieces, about 8 inches in length. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil. Set aside.
• Mix soy sauce and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Add the cooking oil to a wok or large sauté pan on high heat and swirl to coat. When the cooking oil is hot but not smoking, sauté onions and carrots, until just softened, about 1 minute.
• Add the garlic, green onions and mushrooms, sauté 30 seconds.
• Then add the spinach, soy sauce, sugar and the noodles. Cook 2-3 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
• Turn off heat, toss with sesame seeds and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of sesame oil.

 

Valentine’s Day is coming up fast – on the face of it a nice day to recognize and appreciate our loved ones, but underneath the surface lurks potential stress over gift-giving. Do I need to give a gift? Have I picked the right gift? What if she/he hates this gift? Even worse, what if she/he doesn’t get ME a gift in return? That’s a lot of pressure to put onto one little ol’ holiday. 

Please pardon this commercial break (What? Self-promotion during the run-up to one of the most Hallmark-iest holidays of all? Shocking.) but I’d like to suggest a quick visit to Entertaining Vintage to peruse a wide range of gift options carefully selected to surprise and delight. 

Not to worry, we’ve got you covered in all scenarios.

Aside from the retail therapy on offer, we at Entertain the Possibilities will share posts to help you celebrate the month of February in style – from recipes for romantic meals, to recommendations for the best bubbly, to playlists packed with seductive love songs.

We’ll also address some of the lesser-known festivities that are packed into this short month. Did you know that February is the time to honor these important things?  

• Free and Open Source Software Month
• American Heart Month
• An Affair to Remember Month
• Black History Month
• Canned Food Month
• Creative Romance Month
• Great American Pie Month
• National Bake for Family Fun Month
• National Bird Feeding Month
• National Cherry Month
• National Children’s Dental Health Month
• National Grapefruit Month
• National Heart Month
• National Hot Breakfast Month
• National Library Lover’s Month
• National Macadamia Nut Month
• National North American Inclusion Month
• National Snack Food Month
• National Weddings Month
• National Embroidery Month

 
Yup. That’s a lot. Stay tuned. We’ll have a lot to talk about this month. In the meantime, pour yourself another glass of romance and drink deep from the loving cup!

Warning: This post represents stream-of-consciousness rambling and oddball connections from within the depths of my brain. Proceed at your own risk.

As a onetime theatre professional and a longtime lover of the creative arts, I am prone to flights of fancy in which I look for below-the-radar connections between diverse things.

We all do this to some extent. Look at a fluffy cloud in the sky and see a wooly mammoth or an ice cream cone. Listen to a piece of orchestral music and picture a waterfall or fawns in the forest. View an angsty painting by Edvard Munch and hear the music of My Chemical Romance blasting in your inner ear. 

Well, when I look at these perfectly kitsch mid-century appetizer plates featuring soulful (demonic?) big-eyed kitties my mind goes to the AWESOME 1960s cult classic film Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill directed by B-movie auteur Russ Meyer. According to Wikipedia, “Meyer is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women.”

​Mr. Meyer died in 2004 and we did not know each other, but I think he would have enjoyed eating his critics’ lunch from these feline-festooned appetizer plates after finally earning recognition and kudos from filmmaking’s Big Dogs including Quentin Tarantino who has named Meyer as a major influence.

Here now, for your camp-loving enjoyment, is the trailer for Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill.

And P.S. if you're interested in the plates check them out at Entertaining Vintage.

It’s hard work getting ready for Halloween. Candy to buy. Clever costumes to make or procure for grown-ups and littl’uns alike. And that spooky décor isn’t going to display itself, now is it?
​
But when it comes to carving jack-o-lanterns I really have to question the value proposition. Fun for sure, but OMG all the messy pumpkin guts and let’s be honest, a carved pumpkin set outdoors is really just a buffet for the squirrels. Is it worth the effort?

Happily our house barkeep and snack-master Ilise opened my eyes to a new perspective on the whole pumpkin-carving deal.

How, you ask?

​By adding a nice big zap of spice and heat to the cleaned, soaked, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Ah, NOW I get it. If this jack-o-lantern is going to provide spooky Halloween décor AND make me a tasty snack? He’s alright and welcome in my home. 

Ilise also concocted a delicious and easy cocktail – the Witches Brewski. Yes, it’s got beer in it plus a few other handy ingredients. (Ilise’s signature drink recipes often include fruit-saturated plan-ahead simple syrups, but not this time.)

We wanted a drink refreshing enough to keep us going through the World Series and Halloween parties and still evoke the spookiness of the season. Pomegranate juice on the ingredient list could pass for Dracula’s blood if you want to gross out the kiddos. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Witches Brewski
Recipe: Ilise Goldberg

Ilise says: This is a simple tasty drink that’s great to drink while watching a Cubs game, waiting for trick-or-treaters, or taking it on the road in a “go cup” while you’re walking your little ghosts, goblins and super heroes around the neighborhood.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces London Dry Gin such as Tanqueray (can easily substitute vodka if you really don’t like gin)
• 4 ounces Pomegranate Juice (if you don’t have pomegranate juice you can substitute Cranberry)
• Stiegl Radler or similar Grapefruit Radler
• Lemon Wedge

Directions:

• In a pint glass combine gin and pomegranate juice – stir. 
• Pour in beer until about an inch from the top.
• Squeeze in a wedge of lemon and mix.  Also tasty without the lemon if you don’t have any handy.  As you can see this is a simple and flexible drink.

This is a VERY tasty drink, even if you have no interest in the Cubs. Feel free to come up with your own cause for celebration if needed:

• Let’s Go Rake some Leaves!
• Let’s Go Trick-or-Treaters!
• Let’s Go Bears/Packers/Patriots/Vikings!
• Let’s Go Bartender – another round for my pals, please!

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Fly the W Cocktail
Recipe by Ilise Goldberg

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Jack Daniels
• .75 oz Ginger Liqueur such as Domaine de Canton
• 1.5 oz Plum Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
• .25 oz Lemon Juice
• 2-3 dashes bitters
• Wedge of Plum (for garnish)
• Thick piece of lemon peel (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

• In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients with ice except garnish.  Shake well. 
• Strain into an old-fashioned glass over fresh ice cube. 
• Garnish with lemon peel and plum wedge. 
• ​For a slightly different taste also try it without the lemon juice.

 
Plum Simple Syrup:

• 2 pound plums cut in quarters (any variety or a combination of varieties)
• 1 Cup of Water
• ½ Cup of Sugar
• Combine the water and sugar in a pan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. 
• Add the plum chunks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Once the fruit is nice and tender use a potato masher and mash the fruit to release as much juice as possible. 
• Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to cool completely.
• Strain the syrup into a container, and store it for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. 
• If making far in advance the simple syrup freezes well.  

Purple passion was everywhere that night – in the beats, in the beets, and in the hearts and souls of thousands of Prince fans gathered in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Sometimes the elements converge to create perfection – a perfect moment, perfect song, a perfect happening. We experienced one such occasion last week at a movies-in-the-park screening of Prince’s 1984 modern classic, Purple Rain.

​Scheduled far in advance of the singer’s untimely demise earlier this year, this event turned into a tribute and celebration of Prince’s unique artistry, bringing an estimated 20,000+ fans to the Pritzker Pavilion for a soul-stirring evening that became so much more than a movie.

As usual, we brought a picnic to the park and made merry with good friends. Everyone enjoyed the tasty beet salad (it’s purple, you see) – details to come a bit later.
​
But first I want to share more about the powerful energy of that evening. The crowd was stoked, jazzed, psyched, and on fire. Man, it was contagious!

​From the movie’s first frame well past the final credits, we were singing, screaming, swaying, swooning, and waving our purple glow sticks in the air like we just don’t care. The vibe was that of a live rock concert, a hot sweaty night club, an intimate lovers rendezvous, and church all rolled up into one massive feel-good experience. Although we lost a masterful musician and true innovator when Prince left us in April, his gifts can and do still raise us up to the loftiest heights. Thank you, Prince Rogers Nelson.

Famously protective about his music’s distribution, Prince did not approve of online music streaming so we won’t post a playlist. But I’ve got the Purple Rain soundtrack on right now in my headphones and I encourage you to do the same as you read about the salad.  

We’ve posted few times this summer about delicious make-ahead picnic salads, and here’s another one that is simple to make, easily transportable, a crowd pleaser on day #1, and still good for leftovers on day #2. Downside = stains from the beets, if you’re as messy as I am. Don’t wear white while cooking or eating this salad. Trust.

Imminently adaptable, this salad hardly needs a recipe (but I’ll give it a try, below). Greens of your choice form the base; baby spinach is traditional. Slow-roasted beets sliced on top. Creamy goat cheese crumbled on top of that, and a sprinkling of toasted nuts. Do not dress the salad in advance but serve a vinaigrette of your choice on the side. (My favorite homemade version is this one from Thomas Keller’s recipe.) Over time the beets will tint the goat cheese a lovely shade of magenta, but don’t worry, it will still taste fantastic. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios  
Recipe source: Ann Johnson
Serves 4
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium-sized beets, scrubbed well, greens removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6-8 cups lettuce greens of your choice (spinach, romaine, arugula, or a mix), washed and dried, torn into medium-sized pieces if necessary
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled into large chunks
• ½ cup shelled pistachios, roasted and salted

NOTE: You may substitute other nuts such as chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts. Toast them for about 5 minutes in a dry skillet over low heat, in a toaster oven, or in a regular oven at 300°F. watching carefully so they don’t burn.

• ¼ - ½ cup Vinaigrette style salad dressing of your choice – to drizzle on top and serve alongside

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Place 2 beets (approximately the same size) on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the beets. Seal up the packet by crimping the top and side edges together. Make another packet with the 2 remaining beets.
• Set packets on a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 45-60 minutes.
• Starting at 45 minutes, check for doneness by carefully opening a packet to test the beets with a sharp knife. If the knife easily pierces through the beet, it’s done. If there’s some resistance, re-seal the packet and continue cooking at 5 minute increments until all beets are tender.
• Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and open the foil packets. Let the beets cool until they’re able to be handled. Peel the beets. The skin should peel right off, but use a paring knife if needed. NOTE: I use kitchen gloves.
• Cut the beets into wedges or medium-sized chunks and refrigerate until time to assemble the salad.

NOTE: I prepared the ingredients and stored separately about 6 hours before dinner time, and assembled the salad right before packing the cooler and leaving the house – about 3 hours before serving. Feel free to adjust the prep/assembly/serving times. This is an amazingly flexible dish!

• Assemble the Salad: Arrange the lettuce leaves on the serving platter (or large Tupperware container)
• Place the beet wedges/chunks on top of the greens.
• Top the beets with the crumbled goat cheese.
• Sprinkle the pistachios (or other nuts) on top.
• Right before serving, drizzle a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over the salad. Serve the rest of the vinaigrette on the side. 

Born on this day in 1912, famed chef, author and television personality Julia Child died on August 13, 2004, just two days shy of her 92nd birthday. She packed a whole lot of living in between.

Beloved for her cheery personality, warbling voice and straightforward manner, Julia is best known for introducing the art of French cooking to American home chefs. 

Three to Know:

1. Julia Child served in the Office of Secret Services (OSS) as a top secret researcher during World War II. She was stationed in Washington, DC, Sri Lanka, and China, where she met her husband. They moved to France where Julia taught herself to cook and then organized with friends to teach others. 
2. Her iconic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking was first published in 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf, and ran a modest 726 pages. Co-authored with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, it has remained in print ever since and received its first e-book edition in October 2011.
3. Julia began a long television career in 1963 at WGBH-Boston with The French Chef. Her quirky personality comes through loud and clear whether appearing on her own, with a co-host (Jacques Pepin was a perfect kitchen partner for many years), or with a full cast of characters.

​Another famous “Julia” video comes to us courtesy of Dan Akroyd and Saturday Night Live (SEASON 4, 1978) -- this is definitely worth your time, whether it's your first viewing or your 101st. 

In November 2009 our foodie group’s themed dinner was a Tribute to Julia Child. Unfortunately there are no photos or blog posts to document the occasion, but I assure you the evening was a huge success full of culinary delights and a few good stories about Julia’s rich life. Here’s what we made, mostly using recipes from Herself:

• Appetizers: Gorgonzola cheese balls w/ chives or walnuts, country pate and potato leek soup
• Drinks: Upside down martini, bourbon & ginger ale and buttery nipple shot

This was our course, and perhaps I’d better explain. The upside down martini,made with 5 parts vermouth to one part gin, was Julia’s favorite cocktail. Her husband Paul was an enthusiastic mixologist and enjoyed his bourbon, hence the inclusion of this brown liquor stalwart. And as to the buttery nipple shot – well, butter was one of Julia’s favorite ingredients AND she seems like a good-time gal who would not be above sending a few shots down the hatch. So what do you think – a round of buttery nipples for everyone? Cheers!

• Main course: Coq au vin, baby red potatoes and salad w/homemade dressing
• Dessert: Chocolate cake w/almonds

​Finally, I simply must share a divine bit of music that honors Julia Child AND provides a detailed biography. WOW – this a capella-rap sound awesome, marching to its own beat and following a singular vision. Much like our birthday girl, Julia Carolyn McWilliams Child.
​

It’s that time again. The Pitchfork Music Festival is back for its 11th weekend extravaganza in Union Park, Chicago (or 12th if you count the 2005 Intonation Festival). Three days, three stages, 43 bands or solo artists who will present a healthy mix of alternative rock, electronica and dance music, hip-hop and rap, punk, jazz, and some sounds that are hard to label. You can find this year’s lineup here.

On the non-musical side of things, there’s a poster fair, vinyl sales, craft fair, non-profit booths, and numerous sponsored activity stations. Plus the people-watching at an event like this is amazing. Food and drink options are good and getting even better – last year they finally added a wine vendor (they already had several beer options) and I heard that this year someone is building a wood-burning pizza oven in the park. Yes!

Attendance is capped at 18,000 per day – still a lot of people for little ol’ claustrophobic me, but I can manage that much better than, for example, Lollapalooza with 100,000. My festival strategy is to establish a home base in the shade of a large tree on the perimeter of things. I bring supplies and make camp – chairs, sunscreen, frozen water bottles, hand sanitizer, etc. Friends drop by all weekend long, and the “tree dweller community” looks out for each other.

I’ve written before about my Festival Kit. That’s a big part of the prep work and next on my to-do list.
The last, best part of my festival preparation ritual is to make an awesome Pitchfork Playlist and crank it up real loud for the next 24 hours until the real thing gets underway. As lengthy as this playlist is, it includes only a sampling of all the musicians on the bill. But I did kick us off with not one but two songs from Welsh psychedelic rockers Super Furry Animals, the band I am MOST EXCITED to see this year! I hope you like them too. Please join me in the rocking out! And look for a festival recap next week.

Singer, dancer, actress, trail-blazing civil rights activist (she refused to perform for segregated audiences in the U.S.), and active in the French Resistance during World War II, Miss Josephine Baker has worn many hats and costumes – including the famous banana skirt.

Born on this day in 1906, she was known by many nicknames including the “Black Pearl,” “Bronze Venus,” “Jazz Cleopatra,” and the “Creole Goddess” prior to her death in 1975.

Learn more about this inspiring woman here and here.

And please take a moment now to enjoy this vintage video clip of La Baker (wearing an awesome headdress!) performing in Paris, 1955. 

Bon anniversaire, Josephine!

​h/t Jean-Marie Terrasse

A couple weeks ago an NYC business trip came up for Ilise, conveniently adjacent to a weekend, so I tagged along and we made it a party. We’ve learned over time that our best Big Apple strategy is to schedule just a few things, avoid overdoing it, and leave the rest up to chance. I must say, it worked like a charm this time!

• 4 days/3 nights  
• 1 Broadway show (Fun Home – dark but funny and excellent)
• 1 dynamite Jazz at Lincoln Center concert – a 14-piece band playing the Ray Charles Songbook with featured vocalists Diane Schuur and the Raelettes. You can watch a high quality webcast of the event here. Highly recommend!
• 2 restaurants I’d be happy to visit again: Colicchio & Sons Tap Room (Chelsea) and Gabriel’s (Columbus Circle) where the personable host is almost more delicious than the menu
• 1 new favorite cocktail spot: Bookmarks Lounge on the 14th floor of the Library Hotel on Madison Avenue. There’s a clubby library theme indoors and two small outdoor patios perfect for sipping lovely craft cocktails and admiring the nighttime skyline

We also enjoyed 2 uniquely NYC experiences, both even better than anticipated:

Chelsea Gallery Crawl: Went for the fabulous new Cindy Sherman exhibit at Metro Pictures. Stayed for:  

• David Hockney’s Yosemite Suite of iPad drawings at PACE
• Richard Serra’s large steel sculptures at the Gagosian Gallery
• Desire Obtain Cherish’s show titled Servant to Infinite Distraction at the Unix Gallery – Lovely floral still life designs which upon close viewing reveal  that they’re made of colored pill capsules 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Also worth noting:

• Songs and the Sky: An Exhibition of Art + Music at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery
• Leda and the Swan – Hyperrealism courtesy of Carole Feuerman at the C24 Gallery
• And the list wouldn’t be complete without the taxidermy wolves posed in an action diorama in the entry to Jim Kempner Fine Art. The installation by Andy Rosen is titled UNPACK.

Still more art: The next day I amused myself at MoMA while Ilise worked, and was especially moved by a powerful installation titled the Mapping Journey Project by Bouchra Khalili which uses video clips of migrants telling their stories while outlining their journeys on a map. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The 2nd Annual Harlem Eat-Up! Festival held in Morningside Park featured an abundance of food and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, artistic and cultural presentations, and more. The event’s chief organizer is Chef Marcus Samuelsson who was everywhere – introducing guest chefs on the demo stage, directing traffic for the booth vendors, and posing for selfies with his many adoring fans.

We saw a cooking demonstration with Chef Aarón Sanchez who brought helpers onstage including his mama and a child who had appeared on the TV show Chopped Jr. And another one which paired master mixologist Karl Franz Williams with TV personality and everyone’s favorite homegirl, Carla Hall. They were delightful! We even heard a Hootie Hoo!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

All in all, we had a wonderful time at the Harlem Eat-Up! Festival. If you’re in town mid-May next year, make it a point to attend, you won’t be sorry.

As for us, it was a most excellent weekend, capped off with people-watching on a lazy afternoon in beautiful Bryant Park before heading home. Thank you, NYC! We’ll be back again soon because we just can’t stay away. 
​

Our foodie group’s recent dinner party centered on the theme Sweet Home Chicago.

​If you missed the earlier blog posts, you may catch up here - Part 1 and Part 2, for your reading pleasure.

This turned out to be one of our most interactive evenings ever thanks in part to Greg and Dan’s awesome spinning salad presentation and also Ilise’s Chicago Candy Trivia Contest, conducted just prior to my wrestling match with soft cheesecake in the kitchen. The prizes? Candy, of course!

​Think you know a thing or two about Chicago’s sweet treats? Test your skill with this little quiz, courtesy of our resident sweet tooth Ilise Goldberg:

​How did you do? Tell all in the comments.

I was first turned on to the The Rocky Horror Picture Show during my freshman year of college. (Thanks, Paul!) This was not long after it became a smash hit cult film and there was still a counter-culture vibe to it (so a million years ago). If you were cool enough to dress up in wacky clothes and face paint, stand in line for a midnight show, and throw toilet paper at the screen week after week, boy oh boy, you were Arctic in the best possible way.

Tim Curry starred as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and forever after secured his fame as the “sweet transvestite from transssssssexual Transylvaniaaaaaaaaah.”
He went on to play many other roles onstage and in the movies – including Mozart in Amadeus and King Arthur in Spamalot on Broadway, and the butler Wadsworth onscreen in Clue. He also had a brief career in pop music, recording such hits as I Do the Rock and Paradise Garage in the early 1980s, both of which were in high rotation at my house.

But to me Tim will always be first and foremost the lascivious, lip-licking, eyebrow-cocking, corset-wearing, high heel-strutting s/hero of Rocky Horror. Please join me in celebrating today’s birthday boy – 70 years old on April 19 – with a video clip of the iconic song “Don’t Dream It, Be It.” Words to live by, Tim – and Happy Birthday to you!

The Occasion: When your favorite TV show returns from hiatus and you CANNOT WAIT to see what the hell kind of crazy they’re going to bring this time. And above all WWCW – What Will Cookie Wear?

Empire is back on Wednesday night. Here’s a taste featuring my girls Porsha and Becky:

I know I’m going to want a snack during this nutty show, and these simple yet craveable Sweet Potato Chips are just the ticket. Pretty easy to make – yes, in the microwave! – and deliciously satisfying. Some say that salt is optional but I say it’s a must. Still pretty healthy compared to regular chips. I mashed up a few different recipes/techniques to arrive at my version below, but the inspiration for this evening's snack comes from the By Stephanie Lynn blog - thanks!

Basically you slice a sweet potato very thinly (I used a mandoline), place the slices on parchment paper, zap 'em with a little cooking spray, salt and pepper, and then cook in the microwave for a few minutes. It's not at all difficult but takes a little time, mostly because you'll want to make several batches. As they say, you can't eat just one!

No-Fry Sweet Potato Chips
Recipe adapted from a post on By Stephanie Lynn blog
 
INGREDIENTS:

• Sweet potatoes – as many as you want; I used 2
• Unflavored cooking spray such as PAM or olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper (I recommend using a good quality flaky sea salt)
• Optional: Dried herbs or spices, such as thyme, rosemary, cumin

 
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT:

• Mandoline or VERY sharp knife
• Parchment paper
• Microwave

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Scrub the sweet potatoes well and slice off any bad spots. Or you can peel the potato entirely if you prefer.
• Thinly slice the potatoes – less than 1/8-inch thick. A mandoline is the ideal tool for this job, but if using a knife be sure that your slices are of consistent thickness to ensure even cooking.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the turntable inside your microwave. Spray one side very lightly with cooking spray. Place potato slices on the sprayed side of the paper – not overlapping each other. Spray the slices very lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you'd like to add additional herbs and/or spices, now is the time.
• Carefully transfer the parchment paper with potato slices into the microwave and onto the turntable.

NOTE: I tried taking the turntable in and out of the microwave but it didn’t work as well as transferring the loaded parchment paper.  

• Cook the sweet potato slices in the microwave at Power Level 8 for 3 minutes. Check the chips for doneness (they will turn color and be nearly-but-not-all-the-way crisp). Continue cooking the chips at 20 second intervals on Power Level 8. Total cooking time will probably be no more than 4 minutes.
• Remove chips to a rack for cooling and continued crisping.
• Repeat the process with the remaining raw potato slices. You can re-use the same parchment round several times.  

If your experience is anything like mine, the first batch of chips will be a disaster but you’ll quickly get the hang of it after that. 

The sweet potato chips are best on the day they’re made. Storing extras in a sealed container will cause them to lose crispness although the flavor will still be good.

So now I've got my snack, I've got my adult beverage, the remote is nearby. I'm ready for the show.

Welcome back, Empire!

​Will you be watching? Let's dish about it in the Comments. 

I am not now and have never been a Star Trek fan. Not a hater either, settle down there Skippy, just never really watched the show. Sure, I’ve seen bits of episodes here and there while flipping through channels, and I get the pop culture references that have extended the show’s legacy – and that of its actors – for decades.

William Shatner will always be Captain James T. Kirk. I’m guessing he might have mixed emotions about that identity overtaking his own. (It‘s OK, he can afford all the therapy sessions he wants.) He’s also been T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane in Boston Legal (loved that show!), and the Priceline guy.

But perhaps my favorite of Bill’s roles is that of oh-so-emotive chanteuse, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say spoken word artiste. He recorded an album in the late 60s titled The Transformed Man which featured such gems as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It’s everything you never knew you wanted, and so much more.
​
So hit play, turn it up, and set your phasers to ‘stunning’ cuz that’s the only word for it. Happy Birthday, Bill!

The occasion: Entirely hypothetical. I don’t know Fabio and we've never shared a meal. However if we did it might look something like this:

• I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter spread lightly over an organic brown rice cake. Please do yourself a massive favor and watch these awesome commercials starring today's birthday boy.
• Whey Protein Shake from his company, Healthy Planet Nutrition
• One (1) fish oil capsule from Healthy Planet Vitamins, to keep his hair shiny and silky
• Big bowl of berries, the birthday boy's favorite dessert per one of several fan clubs

​Several years ago I saw Fabio in person outside the Chicago Omni Hotel en route to his waiting limousine. He looked like nothing so much as an elegant, purebred afghan hound, with the long, glossy hair flowing well past his shoulders, and his beautiful, angular face. That sounds like an insult, comparing him to a dog, but it’s not meant to be. He was/is beautiful, which accounts for his successful multi-faceted career as a model in fashion as well as for romance novel cover art, soap opera actor, product spokesman for Old Spice and I Can’t Even, and now, at 57, a fitness and nutrition entrepreneur.

And now, just because there’s some wacky s#!@ to be found on the internet, please enjoy this absolutely insane Happy Birthday Fabio video. Hey, you’ve stuck with the post this far, might as well click it. 

From his beginnings as a sardonic cartoonist (Life in Hell) to creator of TV shorts (The Tracey Ullman Show) to current day status as a multi-award-winning writer, producer, voice actor, animator (and yes, still a cartoonist), Matt Groening has achieved more than most artists ever dream of. Let’s wish him Happy Birthday as he celebrates his 62nd on Monday, February 15th.

And because, this year, it is also Presidents Day let’s dig into this classic Simpsons video clip in lieu of birthday cake. (Especially that kinda-great, kinda-scary Bender cake in the photo above, I don't want to mess with that. I swear it's watching me.)
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 In case you’re interested – I was – Matt’s favorite foods are Vietnamese spring rolls, Thom Kha Gai soup, and bananas. If you’d like to make these dishes/send to Matt/enjoy them yourself, here are a few yummy-looking recipe links:
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• Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Spicy Hoisin Peanut Sauce – from Bowl of Delicious blog
• Thom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup) – from Bon Appetit
• Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie – from Chiquita

Did you know that this was a thing? National TV Dinner Day, yes. And I say why not! The advent of those little compartmentalized trays with frozen, pre-cooked, single-serve meals truly revolutionized family meals, at least in the U.S. For better or for worse? No comment, but they did indeed shake things up.

Although other companies experimented with frozen meals first, C.A. Swanson & Sons is generally credited with being the first to achieve success with the TV Dinner in 1953. Origin stories point towards a surplus of Thanksgiving turkey in the warehouse and also observations about the way that airline meals were served. (Remember that? When airline meals were served? And when they were something to be emulated?!)

Swanson also was the first to add a dessert component to the meal in 1960. My favorite was the apple cobbler. What was yours?

Okay, that’s enough talk. Now it’s time to enjoy an awesome tune that evokes another television classic and celebrate this special day with a big ol’ Hungry Man dinner. Yummy!