the2beths

Fall Schedule: New TV Shows – Previews and Schedules for Fall 2011 TV Shows.

I love fall, right along with Beth FS.  I love the weather, the colors, the foods, football, Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), and the fall television line up.  Even though I don’t watch television like I used to, I still enjoy it more than the average person.  But rather than watch shows when they are on, I usually just DVR all of the shows I want to watch and watch them when I have time.  This has it’s pros and cons.  It’s pro is that television has less of a control over me and my schedule.  (Side story: I distinctly remember in junior high that my friends were NOT allowed to call me between 9:00 and 9:30 on Tuesday nights as I would be watching Roseanne.)  It’s con is that television is a bit less exciting to me.  I kind of miss the suspense, waiting between commericals, and for the show to be on the next week.  And now, a lot of times, I just wait until a show is on Netflix and just watch the series consecutively.

One of the last series I remember watching before DVR, and also my favorite show of all time was “Alias” with Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, and Michael Vartan.  Beth FS & Mr. FS and I were loyal followers of the show(this was before Mr. WA was in the picture), and often spent the moments following the end of the show on the phone with one another saying, “Holy CRAP! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”  We even dressed up as the characters for the last episode of the series.  Yes.  We are dorks, but it was so fun.  Here we are.  We look so different.  Except, Mr. FS.  He just got glasses, so this is exactly what he looks like.

JUST KIDDING! His glasses don’t look like that.

Anyway, I was looking at this website to see some of the new shows that are going to start this fall, and I found out the ones that I am most excited about are because of who is in it, not because of the plot.

Here are some of the shows I plan on DVRing the pilot, and then making the decision from there.

2 Broke Girls –

This is my only exception.  I just wanted to watch this because the title reminded me of when my best friend and I moved to California after college, and never had any money, but always had the time of our life!

Hart of Dixie – I don’t even know what this is about, except that I read that the creator of the O.C. made it, and Rachel Bilson is in it.  I was a huge fan of the O.C., so I am going to give it a chance.

tv guide photo

Speaking of Alias, the creator of Alias has a show called “Person of Interest” coming out this fall, which is my next pick to watch the pilot this fall.  It is about some sort of technology or surveillance thingie that is created to identify people who will commit a future crime.

tv guide photo of hot man in person of interest

Other shows that I am interested in checking out are “Prime Suspect,” with Maria Bello.  I have been a fan of hers since Coyote Ugly.  I don’t know what it is about her, but I always feel like I know her in real life.

I also love Emily Van Camp, originally from the show Everwood with Treat Williams.  She was also on Brothers and Sisters.  But, now she has a new show called “Revenge,” that I am going to watch.

Lastly, Unforgettable, with Poppy Montgomery.  I don’t know what it is about Poppy, but I just love her.  Without a Trace was one of my favorite shows.  And don’t tell anybody, but I loved her in the Lifetime Movie, “Murder in the Hamptons.” It was like a combination of two of my favorite things, Lifetime Movie + Snapped.

Well, I still have to go make up 2 math quizzes, and go to bed, and get up at 5:20.  And I am exhausted!  I can’t wait until the weekend.  Although, I have to get up SUPER early for a 10K on Saturday morning.  We have to be there at 6:00 AM!  I already have a nap scheduled on Saturday.

I hope everybody is having a great week!

What shows are you looking forward to? New or Old?

Hello, it’s Beth WA here on Sunday night procrastinating with my school work.  I should be grading and working on lesson plans, but all I really want to do is a post about some delicious food I’ve experienced this week.

Before I share the standout food of the week, I must tell you that for almost my whole life I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food.  I’ve always battled with my weight, and it’s a daily struggle for me.  Over the last few years I’ve been working to change that.  I’ve barraged myself with information about the *right* way to eat.  I’ve read so much about organic, vegetarian, vegan, local, CSA’s, real food, and intuitive eating.  It’s a subject that I love, and I feel strongly about.   While this information continues to shape my diet and my philosophy of eating, I find that for me, Weight Watchers offers excellent tools for me to strive toward my goal of losing weight while doing as Michael Pollan says, “Eat Food.  Mostly Plants. Not too much.”  I try to make sure that most of my diet consists of things that grow out of the ground.  Now, it has to be said, that I am definitely a work in progress.  I will still indulge in foods that aren’t grown out of the ground, but that is just something I strive for.  Especially since I was recently diagnosed with hypertension.  This has made me seriously think twice about everything that I put in my mouth.  But with the aforementioned unhealthy relationship with food, that is not always the easiest thing for me to do.  But I will continue to strive for it.  One Weight Watcher point at a time…

So, here are some of the food highlights of the week.  Some are good for you, and some were just plain GOOD.

Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

The meatballs in this recipe were turkey meatballs from Janetha at Meals and Moves, http://mealsandmovesblog.com/2011/08/30/meatballs-two-ways/.  They were really flavorful with sundried tomatoes, and fresh basil, but kind of dry.  I thought that next time I might add a different meat, or perhaps use the 93/7 turkey instead of the 99/1.

We were expecting guests (my brother and his wife), so I made one of these:

Please don't judge my nasty pan.

It’s a Pillsbury Crusty Loaf sold in one of those tubes by the butter.  I could eat the whole loaf, which is why I usually only make them when we are expecting guests.

I also made some amazing oatmeal this week that would make Kath Younger at http://katheats.com/ proud.  She introduced me to adding new ingredients to oatmeal to make it more filling, and more tasty.  Both of these bowls have a lot of Weight Watchers Points Plus, but they both kept me full for over four hours, and the second one was my breakfast AND lunch since I was going to a late afternoon party.

I also ate strawberries and mango on the side.  I am a mango maniac, and never think to buy them at the grocery store.  Until now.

I went to my bff Liza’s daughter’s 2nd birthday party.  They had this BEAUTIFUL cake, that immediately upon seeing it I thought that it probably wouldn’t taste that great because it was so pretty.

I have never been so wrong in my whole life.  This cake was To. Die. For.  It was a white cake, and it was so moist and delicious.  Even the red icing/fondant tasted delicious.

Check out this amazing cake:

made by: Cake Chic, Monroe, OH

And another treat…Liza made cake pops.  They are my absolute favorite.  I had my first one at a bake sale at school and these were only my 2nd time having them.  They did not disappoint.  Liza put little white chocolate ears on them so they looked like Minnie Mouse.  She’s a good mom.  (If you are unfamiliar with cake pops, they area baked cake and icing mixed together and put in the form of a ball, then dipped in chocolate, white or milk.)

Yes, she cut the styrofoam to look like Mickey Mouse.

And lastly, I made my first frittata.  I kept saying frittata over and over.  I don’t think my husband enjoyed it as much as I did.  I had tons of vegetables to use, and I had watched the video Kath at http://katheats.com/ made to show how to make them. (I am a bit obsessed with Kath..more on that in a later post.)  It was awesome because I used 4 eggs, a few pieces of turkey sausage, a handful of frozen hashbrowns and all of the rest vegetables.  (Mushroom, Onion, Pepper, Spinach, Mom’s Garden Tomatoes).

My first fritatta kept making me want to say Nelly Furtado.

I topped it with goat cheese for me, and parmesan cheese for me. My husband doesn’t like goat cheese, yet, I stay married to him.  He is lucky. I could only eat a little over 1/4 of it, as it was SO filling.  The Weight Watchers Points Plus value was very low since it was primarily vegetables.

Well, I hope everybody had a great Sunday, and took time to reflect on the fact that it is September 11th, ten years later.  I spent the morning flipping between my boyfriend Brian Williams on NBC and my bff Diane Sawyer on ABC.  There were lots of tissues.  (See previous post about saluting.)

I like a woman you can count on.  Somebody whose opionions can be trusted.  I know many women like this, lucky for me.  I know if I need information about medicine, I will go to keepingtrac.wordpress.com.  If I have a question about fashion, I would go to Beth FS. If I need to figure out how to use kitchen appliances, I call my mom.

But, when it comes to a sure fire, crowd pleasing recipe, I know I can go to Ree Drummond, “The Pioneer Woman”. *

Seriously, Beth FS and I have collectively made over a dozen of her recipes and I think I speak for both of us when I say she has an over 90% satisfaction rate.  Beth FS and I are also always trying to make good food choices, by eating healthy, whole foods.  So, it has to be said that while the Pioneer Woman uses mostly “real food” ingredients, she also isn’t shy about butter, sugar,  and cheese, so sometimes her recipes have to be an indulgence, or in some cases, you can just slightly modify them.

Pioneer Woman makes dinners, side dishes, and desserts.  And for me, somebody who just delved into the world of cooking in the last few years, I find her blog so helpful because she puts pictures in as it goes step by step.  I know that some people don’t like this, and for you people, she has the recipe in a printable style at the end of the blog entry.

It had been a while since I made something from her blog when my bff Liza sent me an email that said this,

Subject: Tuesday PSA

“I am here with a public service
announcement.

Run, do not walk, to the store and buy the ingredients for
these potatoes.  Make them tonight.  I mean, pronto.  They will change your
life.  Seriously.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

you’re welcome.”

So, naturally, she was my bff and she was talking about The Pioneer Woman, I knew this was a win-win situation.  So, I went to the store to get the potatoes, because I had everything else at home.

I cut back on the amount of oil and salt, but basically made the recipe exactly like she did.  And oh. my. gah.  These were amazing.  It was like a combination of baked and fried potatoes without all of the added butter and grease.  I loved the crispy aspect of the skin because I eat potato skin.

And after I made them, my brother, who loves food as much as me had the same thought I did.  These would be perfect at a party as an appetizer with a little cheddar, bacon, and sour cream on them.  Mmmmm.

I have made these for dinner four times in the last two weeks.  They are that delicious.

this is a pioneer woman picture (i don't know how to do photo credit)

Try them!! You can trust me.  I am one of those women you can trust about food.  I promise.

Some other of my favorite Pioneer Woman Recipes:

Everything Cookies.  These are extremely expensive to make, but once you take a look at the ingredients, you feel a little healthy eating them.  Also, you have to have a good mixer.  I only have a hand held one and it was smoking.  Literally.

This is a Pioneer Woman Picture (still don't know how to do photo credit)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/hyacinths_everything_cookies/

Chicken Spaghetti  THis is one of her classics, I believe.  It’s one of the few recipes in her cookbook.  My mom made it for a shower I hosted once (because she’s awesome like that), and it was the hit of the pastas served.

Pioneer Woman Photo (note to self: learn how to do photo credits)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was the first non-jar spaghetti I’d ever made.  It was also the first time I had made meatballs from a recipe different than my mothers.  It was a success.  It was so successful I made it for my inlaws, and my MIL is an excellent cook.  I think I liked the meatballs so much because they were half pork and half beef.  If I made it again I might do half pork and half turkey.  Or maybe not.  Why mess with delicious?  Needless to say, it’s tasty and easy, and it makes your kitchen smell pretty awesome.

Pioneer Woman Photo

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/spaghetti-meatballs/

And lastly, I made this cake:  The Fourth of July Cake

It was difficult to make, expensive, and probably stops your heart with the amount of butter in it. But it was also DELICIOUS.  It was SOOO rich.  But I loved it.  And I had a bunch of kids at my 4th of July party, so I let them put the berries on top.  If I ever made this again, I would definitely halve the recipe because it was way too much cake, even for a lot of people. It was also only the second time I had ever made a cake from scratch.  The first time was in the 7th grade, and it was terrible, so I don’t really think that counts.

Pioneer Woman Photo

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/fourth_of_july_/

Also, Pioneer Woman has a new tv show on the Food Network.  I can’t wait to see it.  I think it starts today.  I must go set my DVR!!

So, those are my favorites.  Do you have any favorite go-to recipes or recipe blogs?  Please share!

*I also go to Beth FS for such recipes, and for many other pieces of advice, which is basically how this blog was born.

Beth FS Post Add:  My thoughts on the Pioneer Woman mirror those of Beth WA.  She can do no wrong when it comes to delicious and doable recipes. I made those potatoes as soon as Beth WA shared the recipe with me.  Neither she nor her BFF Liza have exaggerated.  Seriously amazing potatoes.  I just wanted to add to the PW love, and share a few of my favorite of her recipes:

Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes – We do breakfast for dinner about once a week at my house.  And it is always these pancakes, usually with a side of turkey bacon.  I use reduced fat sour cream, and I add a generous helping of frozen blueberries (thawed) to the batter before cooking.  I also just use Pam instead of butter on the skillet. (Note: the link is to a non-PW blog because I could not find the recipe on her website.  But it’s in the cookbook!)

Perfect Pot Roast – Mr. FS’s very favorite meal in the whole wide world is pot roast.  We’ve been together for over seventeen years, married for almost eleven.  Until about I bought the PW cookbook, I didn’t know how to make pot roast.  There was a looooooong time between the time The Cooker (which served his very favorite “Yankee Pot Roast”) closed and the time that I learned to make an acceptable substitute.  Thankfully, he waited it out.  And I think he’s glad he did, because this pot roast is to die for.  I daresay even better than The Cooker’s. (Sometimes I don’t have fresh thyme or rosemary. I just used dried)

Caramelized Onion & Proscuitto Pizza – This is not a less expensive than takeout/make it yourself pizza.  Nor is it something you can just throw together at the last minute (unless you have already made the crust and caramelized your onions).  But it is the best pizza I have ever tasted.  It’s like fancy pizza they might serve at a hip restaruant.  Except you can eat it on your couch, without makeup on.

– Beth FS

1. Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO.  You’re going to start dancing, so don’t even
   try to resist.
2. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5.  I thought it was annoying at first.  But I can’t resist the lure of Adam Levine.  I dare you to listen and not whistle along.
3. I Wanna Go by Britney Spears (or, as Beth WA and I call her, QB.  Short for Queen Britney.  Don’t hate.)
4. Cheers (Drink to That) by Rhianna.  I like to pretend that’s Alanis Morisette “yeah-y yeah”-ing in the background.
5. Super Bass by Nicki Minaj. She opened for QB when Beth WA and I saw her in August.  I have been obsessed with this song since.

Yeah, that’s right, I said saw her in August.

QB. Live.

What are your favorite pop songs of the moment?

-Beth FS

Beth FS,
I have something to ask you, as somebody who gets new hairstyles often.
What does it mean when you get over 6 inches cut off your hair and you send a picture to your husband and his only response is,
“Wow weeeee.”

Love,
Beth WA

Beth WA,

While it was not a “Damn girl!” (to the tune of the JT song), I think it is much better than an “Oh no you didn’t.”

Love,

Beth FS

Beth FS,

You always know just what to say. Justin Timberlake references always make life situations so much more manageable.

Love,

Beth WA

So, my dog had a few accidents in the house last week, and that has only happened once before in the 6 years that I have been her mom.  And then she was acting all lethargic-like.  I would look at her and immediately get tears in my eyes.  I knew she didn’t feel well, and I knew that she felt bad for going the bathroom in the house.

For some reason, the sight of a sick dog brings me instantly to tears.  I play that scene in Marley and Me when the dog owner is telling Marley what an amazing dog he is as he is being put to sleep, and the dog has no idea what’s going on.

Waterworks.  I know.

This got me to thinking today on the way home from the vet, when I found out that my dog was fine, and just had a $100 low grade infection.  There are a few other things that bring me immediately to tears.

Item 1:

Irish Dancing.

Seriously, get a bunch of freckle faced kids all in a row with Irish music playing in the background, and I absolutely fall apart.

Coincidentally, this is true for Beth FS, as well.  We found this out about each other when we taught together one year at a Catholic school (where I still teach), and one of the assemblies was an Irish Dancing routine.  Both of us were wishing we wore our waterproof mascara that day.

Item 2

Military Salutes, Funerals, Homecomings

Show me a person in uniform saluting another.

Time to call the wah-mbulance for Beth WA.

If I am at a funeral and the person was a former soldier, and they present the flag to the family, I will need several additional tissues.

Which is why, when my husband and I were watching the movie, “Taking Chance,” and I divulged this fact about myself as I was going through a box of tissues, he said it probably wasn’t a great idea to watch that movie.

(It’s really a great movie, with the added bonus of foxy Kevin Bacon.)

Item 3.

People accepting awards at award shows such as the Oscars, the Emmy’s, the MTV VMA’s, People’s Choice Awards, Soap Opera Awards….

I’ll leave it at that, because it’s slightly embarrassing.

But before I go, I’ll confess that when I was younger I used to VHS tape these awards shows, write down the speeches, and memorize them.

Okay, I need to go.  I’ve said too much.

I’ll leave you with a picture of my dog, who is already feeling better, thanks to her $32.00 shot.

What about you?  Anything that is a surefire way to your tear ducts??

-Beth WA

Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes Enjoy A Romantic Date At Disneyland | Pink is the New Blog.

I like it, I like it! Mr. FS’s celebrity crush dating my celebrity crush (okay, one of my 38 celebrity crushes).  Romantical.

I will be honest.  There are many fruits and vegetables that I are intimidating to me because I do not know how to prepare them.  One of these is figs.

Look at how scary they are.
But, I want to try them. Curiousity has gotten the best of me. I’ve seen many of the food blogs I read just put them on top of a bowl of oatmeal, or just on some crackers.

What is their texture? How do you prepare them? Beth FS?  Friends? Anybody?

Beth FS update:  I have never purchased or prepared a fig. I do love when someone else has already done the work and made them into a nice jar of jam, which I then spread on the inside of the bread before making a grilled cheese sandwich. I have eaten them in their pure fig form when someone else has done the preparing.  They have a somewhat grainy texture, but are really sweet. The most delicious example I can think of is a salad I had at Yellow Springs restaurant The Winds.  It was called The Sexiest Salad in the World, and it was their version of this Jamie Oliver salad. The fig prep seemed simple – just almost quartered – and is explained in Jamie’s recipe.  In my mind when I read it, I do so in his lovely British accent.