Ice Cream Dream

How much do you wanna try this ice cream?!  I haven't tasted it yet, but it looks like they may have nailed the salty/sweet spot.  As the name implies, it seems like it has everything you crave around midnight.  You may have done it again, Messieurs Ben and Jerry.

I was prompted to do a little research on Ben and Jerry's website where I learned there are a few yummy looking flavors I havn't tried yet.  Bonnaroo Buzz?  Boston Cream Pie?  Peach Cobbler?  It looks like those flavors could give my current faves (Creme Brulee, Cinnamon Buns, and Key Lime Pie) a run for their money.

Pot Pie and Parsnips

When I told my Mom about the delicious casserole I cooked last week, she told me that she tried to cook a casserole for my Daddy when they first married.  "Casseroles are for poor people," he told her.  He must have later warmed to the idea because I ate a lot of casseroles growing up.  The one I made last week, however, was a new recipe.  I mixed chicken, bell pepper, onion, cream of mushroom soup, and mayo.  I poured it into a dish and topped with crescent roll dough and cheddar cheese and popped it into the oven.  It was a poor man's chicken pot pie.  It was also an easy chicken pot pie, particularly because I made it with chicken that was conveniently cut into strips.  Quite the timesaver.

I felt like I needed a vegetable, so I decided to try something new.  I roasted mushrooms with parsnips, a vegetable I've never tried cooking and only eaten about twice.  Turns out, these root veggies are sweet, starchy, and hearty - just what you crave in during the long winter we've been enduring.

Gleecap: Diva-meter - 2/22/11 Episode

Aaaand it's back to back Gleecap time.  Last week's episode was phenomenal and after this week's diva-meter, you'll see why I feel that way:

• When Figgins calls Will into his office to tell him about the epidemic, Will is clearly distraught about what a lice outbreak would mean for his hair.  +2.
• I'm not feelin' Rachel's Little House on the Prairie outfit.  -1 because even though she always dresses a little funky, this is just one step too far.  
• +1 goes to Rachel's gay Dads (who I am DYING to meet, by the way) because they have an Oscar den, aka: every gay man's dream.
• The songs are irrelevant and I would normally penalize for that, but I'm willing to overlook it due to the entirely realistic portrayal of high school drinking.  It all reminded me of the scene at high school parties.  And college parties.  Who am I kidding, last weekend.  +6
• Wine coolers
• One girl (Santana) sitting on the sidelines during spin the bottle, yelling at the people playing
• Finn's rundown of the archetypes of drunk girls
• I thought Mr. Shu's drunk dial would end up going to Figgins.  Sue is a great 2nd choice, but I'm still giving it a -1.
• Great dancing during "Tik-Tok".  +1 because it was so good, I almost didn't mind that the song was interrupted by projectile vomit.
• Santana is too cool and way too ghetto to say "cool beans".  I don't care how great it is that Will offers to pick the students up if they falter on their no-alcohol pledge; people from Lima Heights Adjacent don't say "cool beans".  -1
• The hangover was accurate, but they left out the inevitable "ha ha remember when..." convos.  -1 because we all know the only reason to drink is so you can recap the events with your friends the next day.
• Is Rachel's wine bottle (of rose, might I add) bedazzled?  +2
• Kurt and Blaine are starting to spend a lot of time in the coffee house.  It deserves a name like Breadstix.  No points here or there, just an observation.
• Rachel wants to date Blaine so the two of them can have "vaguely Eurasian" babies.  +1

Total: 10 --> This episode is the diva equivalent of Rhianna.  Edgy (like the alcohol consumption in this episode) and catchy (like Rachel's new catch phrase, "it tastes like pink!").

Gleecap: Diva-meter - 2/15/11 Episode

I was sitting down to recap last week's Diva-meter when I realized I never recapped the episode from two week's ago.  How irresponsible of me!  Well then, let's get right down to it.

• The to-do list Rachel has posted in her locker includes the following (+4):
• Celine Dion's birthday
• Friend request Barbara Streisand.  Again.
• Anne Margaret in concert <3
• The first Bieber song ("Baby Baby Baby") was good...until Sam kinda ruined it with his dance moves.  -1
• When Rachel mentions Kurt and the Warblers, Sue gazes longingly and says "sweet Porcelain".  +1
• Puck's fake bangs in their Bieber band are not my fave.  -1 for making me imagine him without that sexy mohawk.
• They're singing a song from Rent! +1
• Last season, Quinn tells Finn she got pregnant because sperm swim faster in a hot tub.  Not sure how she didn't lose all credibility after that whopper, but somehow she still gets away with telling Sam she was saving Finn's life because he was choking on a gumball, not kissing him.  +1 because only a diva can make that believable.
• When Zises is picturing the crowd in their underwear, she sees Sue in a dominatrix outfit.  +2
• And in another +1 for Sue, I was loving that her plaid tracksuit in the My Chemical Romance number, "Sing".  
• When Rachel tries to convince the New Directions crew they need to write their own song to win regionals, she says it's to beat Kurt and Blaine's "one-two punch".  -2 because Kurt hasn't sung a single note since joining the Warblers and I kinda miss him.

Total: 6 --> This episode is the diva equivalent of Mandy Moore.  Not bad, but all that Bieber and the Zises solo (let's face it, she's freakin' awesome, but her voice doesn't match the others) was just too sticky sweet, like "Candy".

Book Review: The Other Wes Moore

Just when Wes Moore is finally making it big (Rhodes Scholar, study abroad, stable family) he learns of another man, also named Wes Moore, who was raised under remarkably similar circumstances but wound up with a life sentence for murder. Both men were born within a year of each other, lived only a few blocks apart in a rough Baltimore neighborhood, neither had a present father, and both had early run-ins with the law. After learning of the coincidence, the author (Wes Moore) is compelled to correspond with the man who shares his name and more importantly to take something positive from the situation. How can two boys begin on such parallel paths and diverge to such extremes and how can he help more boys find the success he did rather than wind up like The Other Wes Moore? 


I found this to be an intriguing case study on the effects of environment (and most importantly, I believe, the mother’s role) on life and the choices we make. Tragic on one hand, inspiring on the other.  4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

Uber-nerdy, lovelorn Oscar is not your typical Latino from the ghetto, which immediately set this book apart from others. Author Junot Diaz uses a realistic slang voice that further distinguishes the book from other tales of the working class. (It didn’t feel like a mom trying too hard to be hip with her daughter’s friends.) I think the feisty tone helped me absorb more of the Domincan history woven within the story…though I probably should have brushed up on my Spanish a little more to understand some of the words strewn throughout the book. 

Oscar believes his luckless life is due to his family’s curse. It is heartbreaking to watch this destiny play out, but more importantly you see how – cursed or not – your family’s past plays into your future. Should you even attempt to take destiny into your own hands? By the end of this book, my belief is yes – it’s worth a try in the effort to experience something wonderous, however brief. 

It’s received literary prizes galore, but my overall rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Good but not as fabulous as the hype implied. My mentee (who attends a high-risk school in the South Bronx comprised of mostly Hispanic and African American students) read this book in her English class this year. I think it is a great addition to the required reading list as it is written in a relatable voice that will keep them engaged. It may be pandering, but kids love reading a book that drops the F-bomb, so put it on your list, teachers!

Unanswered Questions: Gossip Girl Recap - 2/21/11 Episode

Ok, so I am WAY behind in my blogging.  I went skiing in Colorado and left everything behind for a long weekend.  I am determined to catch up, starting with my GG recap:

• Do you ever think the clothes they wear on this show are gorgeous but unrealistic?  Well, Serena was wearing my cocktail ring in this episode - I felt so trendy!  And FYI, it's only $14 so just know you can achieve S's look on a budget.
• Is it weird I couldn't tell Blair was wearing two different shoes?
• Ok, Wolman rink does NOT look like that.  Where are all the screaming tourist kids?  Where did the Trump branding go?
• How did Raina not go to college and is somehow helping her father run his company?  I know Chuck didn't go either, but his daddy's dead.  No billionaire would trust his company to some kid who hasn't even taken Management 101. 
• Why does Raina think rich kids don't walk when Nate suggests a stroll through Central Park?  The kids on this show are wealthy, not paraplegic - we see them walking all the time.
• How are Serena and Ben taking it slow?  Serena has never been capable of this before and Ben just spent the last 3 years in prison without conjugal visits (though I'm sure he was getting some action because he looks like he would be someone's bitch in the big house).
• Why would Eric get a physical checkbook for his Rhodes trust?  Nobody uses checks anymore, especially not for $100K transfers.

It's been a little while since the episode aired, but hopefully I remembered enough for the recap.  More to come!