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Someone has a lot of catching up to do.

Back soonโ€ฆ

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19 comments

    • Melissa

    So, whatโ€™s your favorite tv-watching snack and/or drink?

    • anne

    I donโ€™t see HOUSE on your pileโ€ฆ

    • Luisa

    OH MY GOD, SIX FEET UNDER SEASON 5 โ€“ itโ€™s a good thing thatโ€™s on the top of your stack of catch-up. I watched the whole thing this weekend. And Iโ€™m still getting over it.

    • J. Bo

    Fire up the popcorn popper!

    • Leah

    Nip/Tuck!! God, I love that show! I still want to marry Dr. Christian Troy/Julian McMahonโ€ฆ

    • Julie

    We just watched the seasonโ€™s last episode of Sopranos last night, accompanied by a pan of baked ziti that would have had Father Phil rushing over to share it with us, had he but known. Thankfully thereโ€™s another short season to come, especially since Iโ€™m still in mourning for SFU โ€” so to speak.

    Oh, and have you ever seen the Showtime series Weeds? Theyโ€™ve only done one season so far (season 2 is due in August). I donโ€™t know if season 1 is out on DVD yet, but I have a feeling youโ€™d get a big kick out of it.

    Enjoy!

    • David

    If only I had a microwaveโ€ฆIโ€™d be living on popcorn this week! So I have to make due with homemade Peppermint Brownies that I made a few days ago (why do day-old brownies always taste better? especially for breakfast..!) Once I get through this stack, Iโ€™m going cold-Turkey (try explaining that expression to someone French) since being holed-up in my apartment while spring is happening outside is a tough compromise.

    Have not started Nip/Tuck yet. Like Luisa, Iโ€™m still getting over Six Feet Under. Unlike the disappointing ending to Sex and the City (when Carrie turned out to be a major loser) Six Feet Under was really incredible and nothing Iโ€™ve seen had that kind of impact or deeply-probed subjects like grief and loss.

    Still, at times I wondered, โ€œDo people really have that much sexโ€ฆall the time?โ€ Maybe they do, especially if theyโ€™re not glued to their TV sets, chain-watching DVDs.

    • John

    David โ€“ when you have a moment โ€“ please may I have your recipe for baked nectarines and cherries? (as deliciously seen on your flickr page). Meanwhile โ€“ keep the thighs moving while watching TV to avoid DVT (deep vein thrombosis)!

    • Leah

    FYI, re: Nip/Tuck โ€“ some people think the show sort of jumped the shark sometime during season 2. Most people I know who love the show thought season 1 was absolutely brilliant but that it got unnecessarily weird and a bit silly during season 2 โ€“ and even more so in season 3. I thought season 2 was still fun (and have yet to see 3), so who knows. And I should say that season 1 is so good that my straight guy friends openly admit to being in love with Drs. Troy and McNamara. Or, as they themselves put it, โ€œThat show inspires some serious man-love.โ€

    • matt

    Well itโ€™s very satisfying knowing that you are spending your time wisely while you are away from blogging. And Iโ€™m not being sarcastic, either!

    Enjoy catching up! It really is fun to do.

    • Jeremy

    Hi David,
    I still have to catch the rest of sex in the city I havenโ€™t even graduated to the Sopranos yet!Life of a Chef!

    Would you happen to know where to get a copy of Hidemi Suginos book โ€œle gout authentique retrouveโ€
    in English, if not is it worth just keeping for the hell of it in Japanese?

    • J. Bo

    Davidโ€ฆ FORGET THE MICROWAVE FOR POPCORN!

    Just about the only truly wonderful thing my father taught me is the stovetop method of popcorn.

    NOWโ€ฆ IGNORE the instructions given on virtually every packageโ€“ DO NOT heat the oil before adding the corn. HEAT THE OIL (preferably corn oil, with a touch of butter if you want, but itโ€™s not necessary) WITH THE CORN. Do this at high heat, swirling the pan.

    NOW, as soon as the corn starts popping, cock the lid in order to release some of the steam, but keep shaking the pan on the burnerโ€“ if you have an electric stove, turn the burner off; if you have a gas stove, lift the pan off the burner and shake it, lowering it for a moment or two until the popping slows significantly.

    You will have few/virtually NO unpopped kernels, and the resulting popcorn will be fluffy and fabulous. It just takes some care and attention.

    Half corn oil and half butter, PLUS the addition of beautiful sea saltโ€“ Oh, manโ€ฆ method + ingredients = HEAVEN.

    Trust me on this one, babiesโ€ฆ

    • Rosa

    Aaaah, Nip-Tuck, thatโ€™s an awsome show! I love that series and Six Feet Under/Sopranos are also awsome!!!

    Have lots of fun watching them!

    • J. Bo

    Screw the microwaveโ€“ REAL popcorn is made on the stovetop:

    Trust me on this (itโ€™s the one good thing I ever got from my no-account daddy):

    Heat your oil (I use 2/3 corn oil and 1/3 butter) in a deep pan WITH the popcornโ€“ enough corn to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer, NO MORE.

    I DONโ€™T CARE WHAT ORVILLE AND/OR JIFFYPOP MIGHT SAYโ€“ heating the oil and corn together is THE secret. Trust me. I wouldnโ€™t lie to you.

    Keep the lid on fairly tight on HIGH HEAT until the corn starts poppingโ€“ then cock the lid in order to release the steam. SHAKE THE PAN CONSTANTLY, and turn the heat down to low if youโ€™ve got a gas burner, or off completely if itโ€™s electric. SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE.

    Better to have some unpopped kernels than burned bits, so as soon as you think the popping is slowing down, toss the contents of the pan into a big bowl and salt with finely ground sea salt.

    Consume mass quantities.

    P.S. Iโ€™m tellinโ€™ ya, the โ€œheating-the-oil-with-the-cornโ€ method is little-known, but absolutely dead-on.

    • Luisa

    My theory on all the sex? Itโ€™s life-affirming for those poor death-afflicted Fishers. :)

    • Mark

    Now I see the reason you havenโ€™t been as prolific of late. Watching โ€œParis in Springtimeโ€ live, as well as the latest in Hollywood dramas.

    • Nicky

    Dear David,
    If you still have a chance, take my advice and DO NOT watch Nip/Tuck! Seriously, once you get started, there is no way back โ€“ it is the most addictive show out there, incredible acting, complex characters and constantly twisting story lines! Oliver usually doesnโ€™t watch TV series, but this one convinced him in a heartbeat.
    Unfortunately, German TV spoiled the whole Nip/Tuck experience, when they interrupted season 2 on short notice, so people have to revert back to watching the DVDs. And they do. We borrowed our DVD sets to friends from our โ€˜cinema gangโ€™ and havenโ€™t received them back for ages. Not that we would mind, we understand! :) Everybody who is watching gets so excited about it, so that somebody else is always waiting in line to have them nextโ€ฆ

    • David

    Iโ€™ve seen some episodes of Nip/Tuck here in France, but they show them at various times, and I like the immediate gratification of DVDโ€™s. Canโ€™t wait to start watching them. My friend brought a BIG stack of DVDโ€™s back from the US and although itโ€™s perhaps preferable to wait until the winter, when no one wants to go outdoors, I may not be able to wait that long. Nip/Tuck is now been moved to the top of the pile!

    (J.Bo: Thanks for the popcorn tips. The stuff here is rather stale and doesnโ€™t pop all that well. Next time I head back to the US, Iโ€™m smuggling in a few jars of Orville. And PS, I do like to make popcorn in the microwave but never buy the stuff with all the crap on it. Iโ€™ll try your version next time, with Orville on my team.)

    • Jeanne

    Six Feet Under is just the best thing since sliced bread. The most complex, flawed and intresting characters I have ever seen on TV. I dreaded it finishing, but the final episode was just so wonderful that it made up for the loss of the show. Phenomenal.

A

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