Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom

Back during the winter I confessed to you my obsession with The Food Network.

This summer, Quid and I sat in front of our respective TVs each Sunday evening, texting back and forth as the Next Food Network Star was decided. We both were pleased with the results and agreed to watch Aarti Sequeira's new show "Aarti Party" and to try some of her recipes. You can click here to find Quid's first review, for "Sloppy Bombay Joes".

Tonight I tried the "I Ain't Chicken Chicken: Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom". While searching the Food Network site for the recipe, I was surprised to find a slightly different version of the recipe as well as the one linked above. If you are interested, you can compare the two before deciding which to try.

The things I liked about the recipe were the way the skin crisped up, how moist the chicken was, and the delicious flavor.

What I didn't like was the high temperature at which the recipe cooked causing the oven to smoke.

Will I make this again? Probably not, but it was certainly enjoyable this one time.

Favorite Five ~ TV Dramas

These days I don't follow any television dramas. That's not to say I haven't watched my share over the years, though. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Dragnet - "Just the facts, ma'am". I'm sure I watched some of the earlier episodes as re-runs, but the ones that stand out in my mind are those that aired after 1967 when Harry Morgan joined the cast as Jack Webb's partner.

2. Homicide: Life on the Street - In my opinion.... the absolute best of all television dramas! I have all seven seasons on DVD along with the wrap-up movie when the series ended.

3. St. Elsewhere - There have been several "doctor" shows I watched including ER, Medical Center, and Marcus Welby M.D., but St. Elsewhere still ranks as my favorite. I also enjoyed its "sister show", Hill Street Blues.

4. Law & Order - This show began in 1990 and, from what I can tell, is still going strong. I can't remember how many seasons I watched before I lost interest. Probably somewhere between five and ten. There are several spin-offs, but the only one I've watched is SVU. Interestingly enough, one of the actors from Homicide made the jump to SVU playing the same character.

5. Picket Fences - I guess the best way to describe this show is "quirky". It was a fun show with a great cast, but only lasted four seasons. Seems like I remember it ended without wrapping up any of the story lines.

Runners up: L.A. Law, Magnum P.I., Dallas.

Bunny auditions

One of my favorite TV commercials!

Favorite Five - Actresses

Last month I posted "Favorite Five - Actors". Now it's time for the women, a more difficult task. I mostly drew from movies and would probably have had lots more runners up if I'd thought harder about TV shows.

1. Sandra Bullock - I liked her in Miss Congeniality , but she's also proven herself in dramatic roles.

2. Jodie Foster - Looking over her filmography, I was amazed at how many television shows she appeared in as a child.

3. Dawn Wells - "Mary Ann" and "the Professor" were my favorite characters on Gilligan's Island. You should see her in The Town that Dreaded Sundown! (said with tongue in cheek)

4. Kathy Bates - The first thing I remember seeing her in was Misery, but perhaps her funniest role was "Mama Boucher" in The Waterboy.

5. Julia Roberts - For some reason this actress use to irritate me, but the more things I've seen her in, the more I like her.

Runners up: Grace Kelly, Kathleen Turner, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sally Field, Eve Plumb (my favorite "Brady")

Favorite Five - Actors

We watched several movies over the weekend which brought to mind a good topic for a Favorite Five entry: actors.

Many actors (and actresses...which I'll save for a future post), started out in television before moving on to the big screen. I'm sure that's worked in reverse as well. Then there's theater.... an entirely different genre and one I know very little about.

When choosing your favorites, feel free to draw from whichever medium you want. That's what I did. And just for the record, this was really tough for me!

1. Tom Hanks - Talk about a versatile actor!! I think my favorite performances were Forrest Gump and Cast Away.

2. Mel Gibson - Okay, I know he's made a lot of enemies in recent years, but I still like his movies starting way back with Mad Max. Signs was one of my Favorite Five Movies.

3. Tom Selleck - He had already been around awhile by the time he starred in Magnum, P.I., but that was my first exposure to him. Quigley Down Under almost made my top five list.

4. Charles Bronson - Bronson appeared in a wide variety of movies including numerous Westerns. However, my favorite role he played was Paul Kersey in the Death Wish movies.

5. James Stewart - One of the all-time best! From everything I've read about him he was not only an outstanding actor, but also a fine person off screen. I loved him in Rear Window and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, both mentioned in my top five post.

Runners up: Harry Morgan, Liam Neeson, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy.

As always, I know I'll think of others later that I should have included. This will have to do for now.

A new obsession

I usually claim that I'm not much for watching TV, preferring to read, work puzzles, or spend time on my computer. November, December and January afford more opportunity for television. In years past I've mostly stuck with GSN (Game Show Network) or channels where I can catch old sit-coms, all in limited amounts.

This year I discovered something new: The Food Network!

Obviously from my mention of the original Iron Chef in my Reality Show post, I've visited the channel some in the past. This year a new laptop with decent battery life allowed me to spend more time in the room with the TV (tuned to Food Network), discovering all sorts of wonderful shows and chefs! I was already familiar with many of the names, but had never seen them in action. What a treat! My favorite is Bobby Flay.

I've always considered myself a fairly decent cook. Now I'm not so sure. Depending on which show I'm watching, I'm either inspired to put on my apron and head to the kitchen or just shake my head in disbelief that I ever attempt to cook anything! Regardless, my mouth is watering.

The Sing Off

When my daughter is home, I tend to watch things on TV I might not otherwise watch. Earlier in the week we tuned into a new reality show airing on NBC called "The Sing Off". It has the typical set up: A celebrity host, three celebrity judges and eight groups of contestants vying for big bucks and a recording contract. What makes it a little different is that each group performs a capella. Another difference is that the show will be wrapped up within a week - not drawn out like many reality shows.

The performances took place over several nights this week with the judges making the eliminations. Three groups remain and the final results are now up to the public. Viewers are limited to ten votes each and these can be cast anytime up until Sunday. The final show will air on Monday evening.

Did you miss out? It's not too late! If you go to NBC.com you can watch all the episodes in their entirety as well as learn about the contestants, watch individual performances, and ...vote.

Favorite Five - Holiday Specials

I figure I'd better get in a couple of Favorite Five posts pertaining to the holiday season. I'll begin with an easy one.

I'll admit, there are lots of Christmas movies I've never seen. They air all through the holidays, but I rarely sit down and watch any of them. I prefer the shorter Christmas TV specials... the ones geared towards kids.

Here's my top five list. Bet you won't have any trouble telling me yours, either!

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Naturally this tops my list. After all, it made the cut for my "Favorite Five - Movies" entry. I noticed A&E had it on several times this past week. I saw bits and pieces, but will wait and watch it from start to finish closer to Christmas. I replaced my old VHS copy with a DVD this past year.

2. A Garfield Christmas - Jon, Odie and Garfield go home to the farm for Christmas with the parents, Doc Boy and Grandma. Silly in places, but leaves you with a warm feeling at the end.

3. Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas - This show first aired in 1987. I don't think I've missed it a single year since then. We originally taped it on VHS, then found it on DVD several years ago. Each "claymation" segment revolves around a different song. I think my favorites are "Joy to the World" and "O Christmas Tree".

4. A Charlie Brown Christmas - This one's a favorite from my childhood. (original air date: 1965) I miss it most years, but saw it scheduled for this past week and set up the DVR. I'm looking forward to watching it a little closer to Christmas. Also love the music in the show from the Vince Guaraldi Trio.

5. It's a Wonderful Life - A wonderful movie, a wonderful cast, and a wonderful message. Everyone should see it at least once in their life. It's been awhile for me. I need to remedy that.

Favorite Five – Reality TV

I’m not much of a fan of Reality TV. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have included it in my Favorite Five series if Quid hadn’t mentioned it in an earlier comment. I’m not even sure the choices I’ve listed all technically qualify as reality shows. Anyway, here goes....

1. American Idol – Talk about a program that requires an investment of your time! I’ve only watched one season from start to finish and that was the Taylor Hicks year. During two other seasons I’ve picked it up for the final 12 (or 13 as was the case this past year) contestants. Now that I have a DVR, I may try to watch it from the beginning during the next season. It’s great being able to skip all the boring parts.

2. Iron Chef – Not the American version, but the original Japanese version that was dubbed in English.

3. Pimp My Ride – It always amazed me how they could take a pitiful looking vehicle and customize it in such neat ways to suit the personality or profession of the owner. I loved the host for the show, Xzibit . A funny guy!

4. Skating with Celebrities - Plagued with a variety of “issues”, this program only lasted one season. Too bad. I enjoyed it.

5. I couldn’t decided between these two for my last choice: Parental Control (I watched the later version of the show) and America’s Best Dance Crew (produced by Randy Jackson of American Idol fame), Totally different, but equally entertaining.

TV Sets

I posted the following entry on my 360 blog a few years ago. I thought it would be an interesting follow-up to yesterday’s post about sitcoms. The book is evidently out of print now and only available from third-party sellers. My copy is paperback and has a different cover from the one shown on Amazon.

If you grew up watching shows like Leave it to Beaver, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Honeymooners, The Munsters, M*A*S*H, etc., you will LOVE this book!


TV Sets Fantasy Blueprints of Classic TV Homes by Mark Bennett


I've actually had this book for years, but thought about it again when my daughter was flipping through the channels tonight and landed on I Love Lucy. My degree in college was in "Design & Housing" (I still don't know why I didn't go ahead and get an architecture degree instead) and I always loved drafting (by hand, not computer). So... the hand-drawn plans in this book are right up my alley. It's great fun......full of "blueprints" and maps for tons of classic TV shows, including some of my favorites: Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, The Flintstones and more. Check it out for a fun trip down memory lane!

Favorite Five - TV Sitcoms

Watching television is an activity I’ve enjoyed in spurts over my lifetime. I don’t remember watching a lot of TV while growing up, but I must have since I can remember so many shows from that time! The first couple of years in college were lean TV years, then my viewing time picked up once I moved out of a dorm. I watched a fair amount during the early years of my marriage, only to slack off in recent years. I watch very little TV at this point in my life.

One of my favorite types of programming has always been the Situation Comedy or “sitcom”. Many of the sitcoms I’ve enjoyed over the years were shows that I could watch with my family, either when I was a child or when I had children of my own. Often mindless and silly, occasionally witty or clever, but always a pleasant escape from reality. If only all life’s problems could be resolved in the space of thirty minutes!

Here’s my list, with a few runners up. Tell me some of yours!

1. Gilligan’s Island – I refuse to make excuses for this being on my list. I’ve always loved it and have seen every episode multiple times. I even own it on DVD.

2. The Brady Bunch – Another that I should probably be embarrassed to have on my list (but I’m not). At least I don’t own the DVDs of this one. Jan was my favorite Brady.

3. I Love Lucy – A classic in every sense of the word. Lucille Ball has to be one of the best comedic actresses of all time. It was great from the early episodes all the way through the birth of Little Ricky, the Hollywood & European episodes and the move to Connecticut.

4. Seinfeld – The show about nothing. It was hilarious! Enough said.

5. The Wonder Years – This show is sometimes considered a dramatic comedy rather than a sitcom. The pilot began with the main characters entering junior high school in 1968. I started junior high in 1970, so I readily identified with the events and emotions portrayed in the series.

Runners Up: Home Improvement, Cheers, Smart Guy, The Munsters, M*A*S*H, Psych.

Tidbits

I think the rain is finally moving out. We had a few sprinkles yesterday and it was misting this morning, but the forecast has dropped to only a 40% chance of showers today. After more than 17 inches of the wet stuff in a week, I’m ready for it to be gone!

The pond held up well through the heavy rains. At one point the road was completely flooded and water was pouring over the spillway making it difficult to get into the pasture, but things have already drained off considerably. It’s now up to full capacity after being as low as we’ve seen it since it was constructed.

My husband celebrated his birthday this past week. I cooked steaks for the actual day, then two of our kids came over last night for an additional celebratory dinner.

On Thursday evening a friend and I attended a lecture series at our local community college. The speaker for the event was best selling author Charlaine Harris, creator of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series on which the HBO series True Blood is based. The hour long program consisted of her sharing a bit about her history and writing methods then the floor was opened for a question and answer session. Based on many of the questions, I would say a good portion of the crowd was there because of True Blood. I’ve only read her books and really have no desire to watch the TV series. In fact, after hearing her speak, I’d really like to read some of her other books. Overall it was a very entertaining and informative evening.