Television Xanadu

It's been a doozie of a summer - not much to select from on the ol' boob tube. Hubs and I have upped our Netflix count lately to get us through some rather boring summer evenings; HBO's cop drama The Wire has been our show of choice lately. Bravo has had some gems with NYC Prep (trainwreck) and the can't-miss premiere of Real Housewives of Atlanta (double trainwreck). We have gotten a couple good laughs out of Wipeout - my favorite parts of this show is the commentary and the BIG BALLS. Check out Jill's big ball FAIL:

But I digress...this post is entitled Television Xanadu, not Netflix Xanadu. In just a few short weeks, some of my favorite shows are coming back to the idiot box! Rejoice!

First and foremost: Mad Men. Don Draper and I will be reunited on Sunday, August 16th at 10pm via AMC. In the words of January Jones, who plays Betty Draper, "the season is a little dirtier, a little grittier." Dirtier? Yes...with three olives please!!

Next on the schedule: Flipping Out on Bravo! Premieres Monday, August 18. Everyone's favorite high maintenance real estate queen is back! How will he handle this crazy housing market?

Tuesday 8/19 marks the return of Top Chef. This season will be coming at us from Vegas. I wonder if there will be any scenes of Colicchio hanging out at the Thunder From Down Under?

Rounding out Xanadu week on Wednesday 8/20, we'll head over to Lifetime for a cup of chamomile tea, a thousand cats and a rainy afternoon with a movie about teen pregnancy. Ok not really, but that's my perception of the Lifetime network. In their biggest victory in probably, well.... ever, Project Runway will be debuting on Lifetime.

And finally, although it's a bit further away, Fox's new show choir program Glee will premiere 9/9/09. Bring on the sequins and the jazz hands, and let's do a celebratory box step!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

New & Improved...

Welcome to the all new, recently snazzified Blog Soup! I thought it was time for a facelift. Thanks to the folks at Hot Bliggity Blog for the inspiration!

Beer Dip!

Life in the social circles I run in wouldn't quite be the same if it weren't for the introduction of Beer Dip by my friend Stacey. This dip began as just a small, everyday dip and now it has developed into nothing short of a phenomenon. Give it a try for your next party, or even your next breakfast.

Beer Dip

2 - 8oz packages cream cheese

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix (not DIP mix, dressing mix)

1/2 c. beer - drink the rest, obviously

Shredded cheddar cheese

Combine soft cream cheese, dressing mix and beer. The consistency will be weird at first, but just keep stirring. When the consistency becomes thick and smooth, add cheese. Stir to combine. Top with more cheese to taste. Best served with pretzels, wheat thins, or veggie of choice. A few notes from the chef herself: A few notes on the recipe...

+ don't use fat free cream cheese

+use whatever beer you have on hand

+keep stirring, keep stirring Enjoy!

Tasty Wines On The Cheap

A few weeks back we picked up a Vinotemp wine cooler at our trusty neighborhood warehouse club. We've started to add a finer bottle or two to our, erm...collection (if you could call it that), and we thought it only right that these little babies be stored properly. The nice thing about this unit is that it can be used as a standalone, or it can be installed underneath your kitchen counter because it has a front exhaust. Someday, this lil' lady will be staring out at me from my brand new designer kitchen, complete with Ceasarstone quartz countertops, a prep sink on that huge island I'll have, maybe a copper exhaust hood.... am I getting carried away? Anyway...someday. Times being what they are, we've had our eye out for some easy drinkin', big flavored everyday wines that are friendly to the pocketbook. We've found a couple real palate pleasers that are well worth your $10 or $15 bones.

McManis Cab is the first that bears mentioning. We were tipped off on this one by our friends Brad & Ashley a few months ago during our trip to Napa & Sonoma. even though we hadn't caught our eye until recently, it seems to be everywhere now. What I like about it is that its a nice big cab but it will only run you about $9-12 max. We just picked up a bottle of the Pinot Noir tonight as well, so once we give that one a taste, I'll be sure to post the update.

This second one's a real charmer at just $5.99 a bottle. Mallee Point Cabernet comes to us from Down Under. I was floored when I found out it's made by the same folks who produce Yellowtail. Personally I think it's about 50 times better than the standard Yellowtail - it's got a nice full body and some flavors of chocolate and dark fruit. (How official did that sound!!) For 6 smackers, it can't be beat.

For you whitey lovers, pick up a bottle of NO Sauvignon Blanc. Typically selling for between $7-9, this wine skips the oak barrels and malolactic fermentation (big fancy wine words) and what's left is a crisp, citrusy beautiful white wine that would be perfect for sipping with grilled shrimp or maybe even some guac and chips.

Thank God wine is good for your heart. I must have the healthiest heart in three counties!!

DIY Pot Rack

Have I told you that we live in an apartment with a teeny, tiny little kitchen? Not ideal for a cook like me who likes all kinds of gadgets, gizmos and the latest cookware. But.... in the words of the beloved Tim Gunn, it's all about making it work. It's hard for me to believe that hubs and I thrashed and fought with our seemingly unexistant cabinet space for nearly 12 months in this apartment before putting the pedal to the metal and getting funkdified with some storage solutions for our pots and pans. The goal: open up the limited space for other much needed kitchen items. Exhibit A: Our small kitchen. We do have a nice little breakfast bar, and behind that our sink and a teensy square of counter space which is our main prep area. See that larger door on the back wall? That will come into play in a minute. Please excuse the crudeness of the photo - I didn't make the kitchen too pretty for today's photo shoot. Exhibit B: Our FOUR cabinets. Yes - four. How's a girl supposed to make do? With only two drawers and essentially four full size cabinets to work with, putting the dishes away after making dinner every night was becoming a regular WWE match. Remember that door I mentioned before? It leads to our laundry area. There's some wire shelving in the laundry closet, so time to put some of that negative space to use!

Feelin' crafty at Home Depot one day, I picked up 7 or 8 S-hooks in which to begin construction on my basic pot rack. I just wanted to get these suckers out of the way so I'd have more room for baking dishes, cutting boards, my crock pot and stock pot -- and also so I wouldn't have ro rearrange the cabinets each time I wanted to take something out or put it away. The plan was to thread the S-hooks through some of the wire shelving, secure them so they didn't come unthreaded when pots are removed, and get me some more usable cabinet space in my thumbprint kitchen! See? Pretty little S-hook. I think I purchased 8 hooks for a grand total of $2.12 at Home Depot.

Being in a very un-permanent apartment, I'm going for function over form here. The first step was to hang some hooks without securing them so I could play with the layout of the pots. I didn't want them banging into each other and getting scratched or nicked. When I had my design as I liked it, I threaded the hooks through the wire shelving. To secure the hooks, I went with something I had on hand.... rubber bands! Simple, easy, functional and FREE! To secure the hooks, first thread them through the wire, then wrap and twist the rubber band around the middle of the hook and then up to the top of the S, forming an enclosure. This will ensure that the hooks don't come flying when you go to remove a pot in a hurry. As soon as the hooks were secured, it was time to hang my pots and reclaim my cabinet space! Hallelujah praise be AMEN!!!

And now for the final product!

Not too shabby, eh? This was the perfect solution to our space problem, and now using & putting away our pots and pans is a breeze. Plus I have easier access to all the other kitchen goodies I need in my cabinets!

Kiiiind of Obsessed

It's been about a week since I first stumbled upon Young House Love, thanks to my friend Julie. The first night I happened upon the site, I think I was on it for ohhhh only about 5 hours. The fearsome twosome is the tops when it comes to decorating & remodeling... and often doing so on a shoestring budget. Room makeovers, great decor tricks, and my favorite - the mood boards - make this site one to add to your daily repertoire. For example, check out the deliciousness that is this mood board - suggestions for an office makeover.

I myself have had a bit of the decorating bug a bit lately, for good reasons soon to be revealed on this blog. In the meantime, I'm scouring the internet for the best and brightest and this site definitely tops my list.

Word Clouds

Hello peeps. Looking for some fun artwork on the cheap? Check out Wordle.net and create some badass word clouds.

Spaghetti with asparagus and poached egg

I saw this recipe in the newest Everyday Food. I couldn't find the frisee at my store, and I didn't feel like going to whole foods, so I just used asparagus instead to break up the richness of the bacon and egg. It was sooo good. Here's the original recipe.

How I reworked it: Makes 2 servings Coarse salt and ground pepper 1/4 pound spaghetti 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used the ready bacon you just micro for 30 sec) 1 large head frisee, chopped (I used about 15 spears of asparagus cut to 2" length) 2 large eggs Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional) Directions In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. During the last minute of cooking, blanch asparagus. drain pasta/asparagus and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, cook bacon in microwave. Soft poach eggs. Chop bacon into 1/2" pieces. Season pasta/asparagus with salt and pepper. Serve pasta topped with Parmesan (if desired) and a poached egg.