As the World Comes to a Screeching Halt

The writing has been on the wall. The Soap Opera is a dying species. When, after 57 years, Guiding Light came to an end earlier this year I knew, eventually, the same could happen to My Show. Eventually. I really thought others would go before it. Well before it. Boy was I wrong. CBS announced today that they are cancelling As The World Turns. The soap opera I have watched (with my grandmother and my mother) nearly my entire life will come to an end, after 54 years, in September, 2010.

It feels kind of like I got bad news about an old friend today.

summertime television - whatcha watchin?

When it's too hot (or too rainy?) outside and you just want to sit in the a/c what are you watching on TV? Here are a few shows I'm enjoying this summer.

The Closer (TNT)
I enjoy having small batches of all new episodes of really great television.
Thank you. Thank you so much. Can you hand me my pocket book, Loohuu-ten-it? Southern Belles: Louisville (Soap Net)
Do I really need to explain this one?
The next time someone says to me, "You don't sound like you're from Kentucky" I'm going to point them to Southern Belles Louisville. This IS what a girl from (Western/Central) Kentucky sounds like. (And please don't say that to me.)

The Bachelorette featuring Jillian Harris (ABC)

Say what you will about this format for dating - it makes good TV. Jillian is likable. And I'm rooting (so far) for Robby, Ed, and Michael. Can't wait for Wes to go home...Harper's Island (CBS)

Yeah! Thriller. Mystery. Who Done It?

The Sheriff with an arrow in the woods? The Step-Mom with a bowie knife in the Candlewick? I'm going to be sad when this one is over. I hope they don't let me down. Whoever done it, I hope it's a shocker!

why mary alice is a rock star

So, I’m a fan of the Food Network.
And I’m a fan of Ace of Cakes.

And I kind of have this odd crush on Geoff.
And I’m a fan of this blog, Food Network Addict.
And I’m a fan of Mary Alice on Ace of Cakes.
So this story … (make sure you read the story) *tear* ...well, Mary Alice is cool.

Way cool.

beautiful tasty foods

It may be a little embarrassing to admit how often my family eats at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Bowling Green. Let's just say there is always a nod of "of course" from the server when my dad orders the chicken chimichanga. And when I order my chicken whatever-I'm-in- the-mood-for and request that they hold the lechuga one server always smiles and jokes, "okay, no pollo". Last Sunday I noticed a new special on the board as we entered Peppers - pineapple fajita. It far exceeded my expectations. They had me at pineapple boat. How gorgeous is that? And these pictures were even taken with the camera on my phone. I couldn't wait to eat my leftovers for lunch the following day. Now I understand that some people are not big on fruit in their savory, but it's something I especially enjoy with chicken. And with the peppers, tomatoes, onions, cheese...so tasty!
I was pretty amused this morning when my pastor, in his sermon, made references to the Food Network and the fashion industry in the span of about 90 seconds. I was thinking of how I recently wrote about my love of Project Runway and The Next Food Network Star. So, of course, I was inspired to come home and prepare Lisa Garza's French Toast Crostini with Honey Creme Fraiche for about the third time this week!

As promised... (see Honey It's Too Hot To Do Anything But Watch TV)

I followed Lisa's recipe pretty closely. I did reduce it to half a loaf of the bread when making the French Toast. It was my first time to make creme fraiche-which Lisa Garza uses in just about every episode. And now that I've made it I totally see why! Cool Whip Smmmmoooooooolll whip. (And by-the-way, the whisk in the photo is probably just about as old as I am.)

I used about a tablespoon (or less) of orange blossom honey. I like how the creme fraiche was lightly sweetened by the honey. I'm not big on lots of syrup on my pancakes or French toast. You know how Cracker Barrel will bring you about two or three of those little bottles of of maple syrup? I use maybe 1/3 of one of those bottles with my Mama's French toast breakfast.

I drizzled a bit of honey on the plate before placing the toast, then added some creme fraiche and another light drizzle of honey. I opted not to garnish with the almonds.

Today's batch was probably the best I've made so far. I think I got the bread sliced just so and browned just golden and crispy.

Using French bread for the French toast is just brilliant. You get a nice bounce back when you bite into it. The smaller slices make it easier to maneuver in the skillet and cook evenly. My family has enjoyed this recipe, too. I am definitely putting this one in the quick and easy favorites of my recipe box. And will continue to channel my inner Lisa Garza.

honey, it's too hot to do anything but watch tv

I am a sucker for summertime reality television. It’s hot and humid here in the South. I want something light and fresh in the evenings to cool off with. Some of my favorites:

The Mole Mondays, 10pm ET, ABC
The Mole is one of my favorite reality shows and I was so disappointed when ABC went to a couple of celebrity versions and then let the whole thing fizzle a few years back. I was afraid to get my hopes up when these very Mole-ish flashes of a finger print that said, “The Mole is watching” began airing between commercials in the late Spring. Early on I had zeroed in on Victoria being The Mole. She went home about week three. So there went that. Bobby…wow. Bobby was always complaining of running pains in his side or shin splints or that his ovaries hurt. In one episode a female contestant had to push him down the street in a wheelbarrow. It was not part of a challenge. I was sad to see Alex leave this week. I never suspected him to be The Mole. I just liked to look at him. Nicole wants everyone to think she’s The Mole. But it doesn’t seem likely; which may turn out to be genius. If Mark is The Mole I have never seen someone play the role more brilliantly. As fair as likeability, Craig has been my favorite this season. I would love it if he turned out to be The Mole.

The Next Food Network Star Sundays, 1Opm ET, Food Network
I have two words to say when it comes to The Next Food Network Star: Lisa Garza.
In the first episode I was like, “Who is this woman???” And I didn’t necessarily mean it in a good way. She was kind of like Sharon Stone – intriguing, but totally nuts and just kind of a calamity you couldn’t turn away from. But by the end of the second episode I was proclaiming her the victor and wondering if there was any reason to carry on with the remainder of the season when she should just start fliming her own show and release a line of products right now. I would totally buy Lisa Garza spice mixes and tea towels. I think she knows her stuff, she gets me excited about new foods, she has that “It” factor, and she is very stylish. (Okay, so we kind of have similar haircuts…leave me alone.) I would buy Lisa Garza whisks and spatulas! Lisa makes me want to try foods I’ve never eaten or prepared myself. Cassoulet? What is it? I don’t know! White beans and stuff. Perfect, I want to try it! Haricot vert. Thin French green beans? Never heard of ‘em! Where can I get some? I recently tried one of her recipes, I will tell you all about it later, it was fantastic!

By-the-way, I will be designing WWLGW t-shirts. What would Lisa Garza wear?

Design Star Sundays, 9pm ET, HGTV
This one is always fun. I am inspired by the things these people come up with under a time crunch and a relatively limited budget they get to spend wherever they are dropped off at. Season 3 is being filmed in Nashville and it’s always fun to see places you know on national television. Now I’m just hoping that IKEA and Crate and Barrel head honchos are watching Design Star and wondering , “Why are these people shopping at Sears? Why aren’t they at our store? What? We don’t have a store in Nashville! Let’s correct that immediately!” (So, I just want to say that Nashville has more than Sears to shop at. It’s just that that’s where they keep shopping because HGTV seems to have some kind of sponsorship deal working there.) Until last Sunday there was a girl from Louisville named Tracee. I really wanted to like Tracee because she was from Louisville. And I tried. But in the end I could really only give her a half-hearted cheering on. Not that I really aim to delight in other’s misfortunes, but I did experience a sense of glee when Michael and his fabric swatches and paint samples were sent packing. Now two of my favorites are left standing in the final 3: Jennifer Bertrand of Olathe, KS and Michael Locke of Los Angeles. Just as with Food Network Star I try to consider which contestant I could imagine hosting a show that I would tune into watch when picking who to root for. Jennifer’s Little Black Dress model for design in the kitchen remodel? I would watch that show!

Big Brother Tuesdays 9pm ET, Wednesdays 8pm ET, Sundays 8pm ET, CBS
Big Brother is the reality show I would be on if I had my pick of reality shows to be on. I love the interpersonal and strategic game play this show involves. The recent odd springtime, “oh-no-we’ve-had-a-writer’s-strike-what-should-we-do-I-know-let’s-ruin-Big-Brother” season could have taken the whole ship down. But with season 10 we seem to be back to the Big Brother I know and love. I don’t really have any favorites yet. But I loved that a large percentage of the house wised up to the way they were being played by Brian and gave him the boot during the first eviction the way the All-Star cast should have showed Dr. Will the door.

Project Runway Wednesday, 9pm ET, Bravo
We’re only one episode into Season 5. But I am already in love. For the first four seasons I was W.B. (Without Bravo). With some recent cable package upgrades I have been able to see what the fuss is about. I lucked into a Season 4 marathon on Wednesday when I chose to stay home from work to avoid a cluster of migraines after many nights of inadequate sleep. I was able to gain a full appreciation Tim Gunn’s phrases like “make it happen” and “that’s a lot of look” before Season 5 began. (Not to mention the hot tranny mess of Season 4 winner, Christian.) Early favorites: Kelli (dyed and bleached vacuum clean bags as fabric? I mean, come on!), Korto (the only one to really pull off the table cloth cliché), Terri (I loved her crochet work with the mop heads), Daniel (he made me want to make a dress of plastic Solo cups of my own...not that I have a place to where such a thing). And I thought Joe’s skirt was very very cute. Tanorexic Blayne? No. Just, no.

Now kindly pour me another glass of iced tea and pass me the remote control.

just like every night has its dawn

A few Fridays ago I went to sleep with plans of having a very productive weekend. I hoped to get up early Saturday morning and get a shower right away and sit down and eat a good breakfast. Then I was going to pull most of my clothes out of my closet and do a sort of inventory to see what clothes I have and what I might need and what clothes I could donate to Mountain Mission. Then I was going to take Derby to the dog park and give him a bath when we returned home. I was also going to read, knit, and paint.


I got pretty much none of that done.


Well, I did get a few rows of knitting in on the perpetual dog bed and Derby did get a bath. But for the most part I lost my motivation. I woke-up earlier than necessary for a Saturday. I tried to go back to sleep, even for just 30 minutes, but I never could. It was soggy outside and we never made it to the dog park. I just stayed in something of a downhearted mood for most of that weekend.


It was that weekend that I discovered a marathon of VH1’s “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels”.



A lesser known fact about me: I went through a short “heavy metal”/80’s hair band period in my early teens. Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Ratt … Mtv’s Headbangers Ball. Yeah. It’s true. I had a thing for Nikki Sixx (if you don’t tell anyone I’ll admit that I still think he’s hot). Then I discovered U2 and burned my acid washed denim jacket and stayed up late to watch 120 Minutes instead. Well, let me back-up. I was raised by reasonable people living on a pastor’s salary and I was never allowed to burn any of my clothes. Even though setting torch to an article of clothing sounds very dramatic, what actually happened was … I pinned a U2 button, purchased at the mall record store, to that totally rad acid washed denim jacket. Soon REM and The Cure buttons would join the cause.


There are currently several “interesting” “dating” “reality” shows airing on VH1. And several of them are messing with some of my middle school daydreams. It’s as if they found a box in an attic labeled “Jennifer’s Bop, 16, and Tiger Beat magazines 1985-1987” and based their summer programming upon its contents.


First, we have “Rock of Love”; which maybe should be called: Strippers, Showgirls, Alcoholics, and a Nice Girl Try to Date/Get in the Pants of Bret Michaels.



On the one hand I’m impressed that Bret still has it going on in the looks department. On the other, at the age of 44, he’s still all about the groupie-like attention. One might say he, “don’t need nothin’ but a good time”.

Then there is Scott Baio is 45 and Single, in which we learn that another teen heartthrob of our youth is basically a womanizing jerk who has never been able to make a commitment to a woman. Back in the day I wanted Charles in charge of me. Now I learn, through Nicole Eggert, that Scott/Chacie/Charles would sit around on the Charles in Charge set perusing Playboy magazine “like it was a Sears Catalog”. Then playmates would magically show-up on set. This would have been while Nicole and her co-star/TV sister, Josie Davis, were in their early teens. I’m not saying we can totally blame Scott Baio for Nicole Eggert’s breast implants … but … well … makes you wonder. At least just a little.

In a departure from 80’s Star CelebReality there’s “The Pick-up Artists” with a dude who calls himself “Mystery”. I’m not kidding. Mystery takes eight “socially awkward” guys and works to transform them into “Master Pick-Up Artists” using “The Mystery Method”. Okay, first off, if I were a guy who was became paralyzed with anxiety whenever I got around a woman and this guy walked in wearing that hat I would have asked for a refund.

I’m not even going to touch A&E’s “The Two Coreys” right now. But boy did I love the movie Lucas. And The Lost Boys? Best last line of a movie. Ever.

I wonder what Ralph Macchio is up to these days? Could “The Karate Kid is My Gym Teacher” be far behind?

Jennifer Coomer