Buffy! - When She Was Bad

Mark here... we are on to Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!  For this show and season we've decided to challenge ourselves and have a "bloodless" theme for all our recipes. With that in mind, I've made us an appetizer of celery sticks and a cream cheese dip, as well as a mushroom risotto dinner.

So as I "nerdsplained" to Laurel, Buffy seasons tend to follow an arc with the beginning episodes being seemingly one-offs, peppered with some hints of a larger plot, leading up to a major episode mid-season that catapults things towards a final confrontation with a Big Bad.  This episode, as the premiere, was sort of a catch up for anyone who hadn't seen season one.  Season 1's Big Bad was the Master and this episode, "When She Was Bad", shows the gang meeting up after summer vacation.  Buffy is still traumatized by her confrontation with the Master last season.  This leads to some unrealistic bitchiness towards everyone around her as she takes out her anxiety on everyone.  The plot is basically Buffy trying to prevent the resurrection of the Master.  It's a fairly plain episode with some fun scares but nothing too special.  There are some funny lines though.  In the end, Buffy prevents the Master's return and smashes his bones (I think because he was such an old vampire, he had bones - go figure) and then makes up with the gang.

Laurel here...Yeah Buffy is a real bitch in this episode!  I thought that there was going to be some larger reason (like secretly someone was going to kill them all if she didn't get them to hate her)
 but it turns out she was just traumatized by her run-ins with the master.  Also she kept having dreams about him coming back to life and haunting her, which turned out to be relevant because a bunch of vampires were trying to resurrect him.  Mark also nerdsplained to me that it's a slayer thing for dreams to be relevant, although it's not always clear exactly what they mean until it happens.

So side note...I bet we probably talked about this first season, but can we just re-visit how giant Buffy's stunt woman is?  She is way bigger than Buffy (not hard to do I'm sure), wears a terrible wig, and looks to be mid to late 30s.  I get it if they can't do anything about her age or size, there's probably not that many lady stuntwomen out there...but can't they at least get her a decent wig?

My favorite quote this episode was when Buffy is reading the random note from the vampires (they had kidnapped Cordelia) that says "Come to the Bronze (the night club/cafe where all the kids hang out) or we will make a meal of her."  To which Xander responds "They're going to cook her dinner?!?"  Oh Xander.

Mark here...we've decided to start rating our impression of each episode this season, using a "stake" rating system, 1 to 5 stakes (5 being the best). I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere else, so while the graphics are ours, I can't say the idea is.  If someone complains, we may have to replace it with a plastic fangs rating system! But with that in mind we'd give this episode 3 stakes.  Not bad, but not great.

Beach Blanket Brandon

Mark here... We're going back to season 2 of Beverly Hills, 90210, the premiere is called "Beach Blanket Brandon" and we're going with a brunch theme for the whole season.  We've decided to stick with a theme for the next few shows with our cooking.  With that in mind, I got us some bagels from the Brooklyn Bagel shop in LA and made Ina Garten's herb cream cheese.  As sides, we had sliced heirloom tomatoes, red onion, prosciutto and smoked salmon.  I also made us some scrambled eggs.

On to the episode...whoah, what a bore!  For an episode titled "Beach Blanket Brandon" you'd think we were in for some fun in the sun...sadly no! It's Brenda Brenda Brenda! and boy is she in a mood the entire episode! Picking up on the season finale from Season 1, Brenda is late...  So she thinks she's pregnant and pretty much blames everyone else and breaks up with Dylan.  I'm not sure if this is meant to be a lesson about the evils of teenage sex, but either way...yawn!

Separately Brandon gets a job at the "Beverly Hills Beach Club" hence the episode's title.  Laurel and I both looked at each other at this point as there is no beach in Beverly Hills...not even close.  It's also funny how the Peach Pitt's business dies down in summer because everyone is at the beach?  This is LA...yes, no one goes to the beach until summer, but the beach is here, it's not like the city shuts down!

Jim and Cindy continue to be awesome parents, even though I remember thinking they were so bad when I was younger.  Andrea remains awful.

Laurel here...Man, Brenda really gives it to us this episode.  No one can say the right thing...she gets upset and bitchy any time anyone talks to her.  I would like to believe it's hormones but it turns out she's not pregnant!

Also this episode we meet the new hot, young, drama teacher.  Why the girls (Andrea, Brenda, and Donna) are taking drama in summer school is beyond me, but I have a feeling this new hot teacher is gonna make them glad they did.

We have 2 style awards this episode.  One goes to....Andrea!  Dramatic mime outfit!

The second goes to...Steve!  For his midwestern dad (or mom) first day of summer vacation outfit.  High wasted light blue mom jeans and a ka-razy Hawaiian shirt.  You go Steve!  Get your vacay on!

Our favorite quote this episode is when Kelly says to Brenda about her Gynecologist..."Trust me, Dr.  Strathmore is the best, me and my mom have been seeing him for years."  Um, isn't Kelly like 15?

Cocktail moment...we decided to drink any time anyone mentions (or clutches the box of) Brenda's pregnancy test.  Which, by the way, Brenda left in the trash for Cindy to find.  Dummy.  BTW we are wasted.

Scattered

Mark here…Laurel and I are on to our first round of Season 2 episodes!  I made us Ina Garten's Green Risotto and herb wrapped fish and Laurel made a delicious kale salad to accompany.  And we're off with season two of Battlestar Galactica.  I'm excited to move on to Season 2s of our shows as we don't have to deal with the set up and establishment stuff of Season 1.

On to the episode!  This episode picks up right after the cliffhanger from Season 1.  Adama has been shot by Cylon Sharon and the entire fleet is thrown into disarray.  Tigh takes over and orders an emergency jump, leaving behind Chief, Cally, Baltar and an expeditionary force on the planet Kobol.  Fearing that Sharon has revealed their location to the Cylons, the fleet does the jump, and in the confusion, the civilian fleet ends up at a different location than Galactica.  It's a tense and fast paced episode as the crew on Galactica struggles to find a way to locate the civilian fleet.  At the same time Adama is in critical condition while Dr. Cottle is still lost with the civilian fleet.  Col. Tigh struggles with the responsibility of leadership and eventually they devise a plan to find the fleet.  All the while Roslin is still in Galactica's brig for sending Starbuck back to Caprica to retrieve the arrow of Apollo (a key to finding Earth).

In the end after a battle with the Cylons, Galactica does locate the fleet, but a ship full of Cylon Centurions has crash landed in one of Galactica's flight pods…unbeknownst to anyone…

Hey Laurel here…I'm a little confused about Sharon.  It seems like she is still the same old Sharon that we love and trust, and just got taken over by her programming temporarily when she shot Adama.  It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

I'm also interested to see how Roslin being in prison plays out.  Will Starbuck come back with the arrow and save the day?  Will Roslin be exonerated?

Also just wanted to add a note about Starbuck's makeup…when we see her this episode she is a little bloodied and beaten.  It just so happens that some of the blood runs down her face in the shape of a goatee?  Accidental or on purpose?  hmmm..

Also is Adama going to survive?  If not will Tigh be able to handle it?  So far he seems emotional but is handling things well?

Bubble & Squeak

This recipe come from the 2 Fat Ladies.  Its meant to be hangover food for late nights but we though it worked perfectly well for breakfast as well.  The original recipe militantly called for lard, but we had leftover duck fat, which I think is a fine substitute.  The general idea is that butter won't do the recipe justice...and don't even think about oil!

Ingredients:

cooled cooked potatoes (I used 4 for the 2 of us and had extra, I boiled them until tender)
duck fat
1 onion, chopped
half a cabbage, shredded and blanched
kosher salt
pepper

First mash/chop the potatoes up.  In a cast iron skillet fry the onion in about 2 tablespoons of the duck fat over medium heat.  Add the potatoes and cabbage and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add more duck fat on top, a few dollops around the pan.  Press into the fat and cook about 15 minutes.  Flip or turn over to brown the other side.  Again dollop the skillet with more duck fat.  Once, its all evenly browned and not burned, its done.

Steak & Eggs

Mark here... this recipe was for out steak and eggs breakfast.  It's fairly simple although the steak cooking times will depend on the cut and size of the steak.  We find it's best to ask the butcher.

Ingredients:
2 NY Strip Steaks
2 eggs
butter
kosher salt
pepper

For the steaks, it's best to let them come to room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  While they are doing this, liberally salt and pepper each side.

Once ready, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter over a medium high heat.  Add the steaks and cook roughly 3 to 3 and a half minutes per side.  Remove them from the heat and promptly cover with foil tent to sit for 10-15 minutes.

For the eggs, melt a tablespoon of butter over a medium heat in a skillet. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and remove any shells (be careful not to break the yolk as well).  Drop the eggs into the skillet and cook roughly a minute.  Cover and cook another 30 seconds.  The result should be cooked whites and slightly runny yolks.  Serve!

Friday Night Lights!

Mark here....Laurel and I are kicking off (pun intended) our next show, "Friday Night Lights" with a steak and egg brunch (it's important to keep our energy up for football season).  We've made steak and fried eggs and some bubble and squeak, courtesy of the 2 Fat Ladies recipe.  We've also brought along our travel mugs filled with Bloody Marys.

On to the pilot...we are introduced to the small town of Dillon, Texas.  Life in Dillon revolves around the high school football team, the Dillon Panthers.  They have a new coach in Coach Taylor and he is immediately under intense pressure by all the townspeople to pull out a win in the upcoming game.  We also meet all american quarterback, Jason Street and his back up, sophomore Matt Saracen.  Jason is such a popular and successful QB that it's assumed Matt may never get a chance to play.  Unfortunately when the game arrives, it's a nail biter and Jason is injured during the game and lead out on a stretcher.  Matt is at first nervous and bumbles a bit, before succeeding in leading the team to victory.

Overall, the show presents a very stark and somewhat depressing view of this small town.  Yet, it's likeable because of it's sincerity and honesty.  At the same time, the pressure that this town puts on it's high school players is insane.  We see various adults and alumni whose lives continue to revolve around the ups and downs of the high school team.

We also get introduced to several other team members, Riggs and Smash, who don't get along and there's a bit of a racial tension as Riggs is white and Smash is black.  Riggs is also a bit of a bad boy who drinks too much, and in doing so affects the performance of the whole team.  His girlfriend, Tyra seems like the town bad girl.  I always love the bad girls (we haven't seen them yet on our other series) and Tyra is played perfectly, a little trashy and a little slutty seeming.  On the flip side, we meet Jason's girlfriend Lyla, who's a bit flat and goody goody in my opinion (at least so far).

Laurel here...wow I can't believe we are doing Friday Night Lights!  It might be my favorite show ever.  That being said I will try to keep it together, not get too gushy, and not give anything away!

This pilot episode does a really good job of setting the tone of the show, and letting us know just the right amount of background info so we know what kind of pressure Coach Taylor and the boys on the football team are under.   The whole town is completely obsessed with high school football.  When it's game day we see a montage of all the businesses that are closed because the owners are all at the football game.  Can you imagine an entire town where nothing is open on friday night because of a high school football game?

The show also does a really good job of exploiting the inherent drama of sports.  Teamwork and triumph of the will and all that.  Clear eyes full hearts can't lose!  During the first game I was in tears before Jason ever got hurt.  I love sports drama!

Anyway moving forward we know there's a lot of pressure on these boys and a lot at stake.  What will happen to Jason Street?  Will Riggins get it together?  Will Tyra sleep with everyone?  Will Matt step up while Jason is injured?  I kind of can't believe how much the show accomplishes in just one episode, we are already completely invested in several of the characters and in the plot as a whole.

Mad Men!

Mark here...Laurel and I have settled in for an amazing dinner and our start of the first season of Mad Men.  Laurel has made us some amazing Beef Wellington with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Green Beans, and Ambrosia Salad.  I've made some Baked Stuffed Potatoes.  The rich menu is inspired by our next show to blog about, "Mad Men."  We're also having Sidecar cocktails to wash it all down.

I have seen the show before but it's been a while and I forgot how amazing the style is.  Having not been there in the 60s I can't speak to the authenticity but certainly the show's stylists should be commended for maintaining a certain look.  To give a brief idea of the premise...we are introduced to Don Draper, the Creative Director at an Ad Agency in the early 60s.  He is tasked with coming up with a new campaign to sell cigarettes, which are now proven to be unhealthy.  Along the way, we see the sexism of the day, all the secretaries at the agency are assumed to be there to find a husband (and expected to do no better than secretary).  Also, all the executives seem to drink all day long.  Don romances one woman in the beginning of the episode and another mid way through.  The twist at the end is that he's a married family man.

The other characters of note that we meet are Peggy and Pete.  Pete is the upstart young executive, who clearly represents the good old boys network. He has no social skills, minimal talent and eyes young girls left and right...oh, and he's getting married.  Peggy is Don's new secretary, who's thrown into a world of men who tell her to show more leg and totally dismiss her.

Hi..Laurel here.  One of the things that really stood out to me about this episode (with the benefit of hindsight) is that the shows creators/writers really knew what they were looking for from the beginning.  Don, Pete, and Roger are exactly who they turn out to be in this first episode.  They knew what they wanted and it shows, the characters are completely developed from the get go, these guys really knew what they were doing and had a well thought out concept from the beginning.  Other characters like Peggy and Joan are a little different than how we end up knowing them but it's because they grow and change over time, not because there wasn't a clear idea of who the characters are.

Pete is such an asshole!  (like always).  He's having his bachelor party in this episode, and while he's on the phone with his fiance discussing it, he says, and I quote "Of course I love you.  I'm giving up my life for you, aren't I?"  OMG!  What a dick! and as we later find out, so true to character.

I also think it was an interesting choice that they choose to focus on Lucky Strike as the first client.  It's a super interesting concept to see them grappling with, considering our perspective from the future.  They have just come to terms with the fact that cigarettes aren't safe and need to find a different way to market them.

Another thing that Mark and I noticed were ladies bras.  They are so pointy it's insane!  I was telling Mark that I took a class about alfred hitchcock's "Vertigo" in college and we discussed that bras at the time were all about engineering, if it was comfortable than you weren't doing it right.  The fabric was all very structural and stiff so there was no other option but to make a cone and sew it up on one side.  poor ladies!

Beet Salad

This recipe comes from Thomas Keller's "Bouchon"

Ingredients:
3-4 large red beets
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
red wine vinegar
orange juice
red onion
tarragon
chives

First chop the stems off the beets, wrap in aluminum foil packet and cook in a 375 degree oven until tender (1.5 to 2 hours). Remove the beets, let them cool.  The rub the beets under cold water and remove their skins.  Cube the beets and put in a bowl. Add a tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, a tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.  Marinate the beets for at least an hour.

Add slices of red onion, chopped tarragon, and chopped chives to the beet salad and toss. Serve.

Peas with Lettuce and Baked Potato with Truffle Oil

This pea recipe is from Nigella Lawson...

Ingredients

• 3 small or 2 fat scallions, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 drop garlic-infused oil (or any oil really)
• 1 Little Gem (Butterhead) lettuce, shredded
• 2 cups frozen petits pois
• 1/2 cup hot chicken stock (concentrate or cube and hot water is fine)

Cook the scallions in the butter and oil until soft. Stir in the shredded lettuce, and when it is wilted add the frozen peas and stock.

Cook at a robust simmer, uncovered, until everything is tender and the liquid flavorful and reduced.

Baked Potato with Truffle Oil, Sour Cream and Chives

Ingredients

Potato

Black Truffle Oil

Sea Salt

Pepper

Sour Cream

Chopped Chives

For the baked potato...I know its a bit ridiculous to post a baked potato recipe, so I'll just describe my variation here...:)  First oven at 375, coat the potatoes with a thin layer of Black Truffle Oil, Sea Salt and Pepper.  Cook about an hour.  I made a mix of sour cream and chives to serve on top of an opened baked potato.

Steak Au Poivre

This recipe is from Episode 1 of Battlestar Galactica and I believe I originally got it from the Barefoot Contessa...it's Steak Au Poivre

Ingredients

Steaks
Chopped Shallot
Veg. Oil
Butter
Beef Broth
Brandy

First, cook the steaks in a frying pan in about a tablespoon butter, and vegetable oil.  Depending on the size of the steaks, about 3-4 minutes each side.  It's best to tell a butcher what you're making and ask a suggested cooking time.  After cooking, remove the steaks and cover with aluminum foil.

In the pan add a chopped shallot and about 1/3 cup beef broth and let it reduce.  Add a tablespoon or 2 of brandy and a bit more butter.

33

Mark here...Laurel and I are having a meal of Steak au Poivre, Peas with Lettuce and Baked potatoes with truffle oil, sour cream and chives.  We are also watching the first episode of Season One of Battlestar Galactica, post-miniseries, "33"....



The premise of the episode is that every 33 minutes the Galactica fleet is forced to have a FTL jump (Faster Than Light) because the Cylons keep showing up to find them.  The pace of the episode is nice, building towards the end when one ship is revealed to be a problem and potentially harboring Cylon agents.  There's a nice back and forth between Adama and Roslin, who are clearly the anchors of the show at this point and are forced to destroy the rogue ship and its 1300 people on board.  Separately, we see that Helo, the soldier left behind on Caprica in the miniseries, has survived.  He is rescued from Cylons by a duplicate of Sharon (Boomer), who we the audience know to be another Cylon...

Laurel here...This was a super good episode, fast paced and full of tension.  My only criticism -  the episode is called "33" because the cylons keep showing up every 33 minutes like clockwork, and the whole fleet just keeps jumping every 33 minutes to get away from them (a task for which everyone has to basically be awake all the time except for 10 minute catnaps).  This plan is clearly unsustainable yet they never really show anybody working on a longterm solution.  There should have been a nerd in a lab someplace or at a computer at least doing some math trying to figure something out.  At one point Adama refers to "a plan that hasn't been implemented yet"  but I feel like that's pretty vague.  Anyhoo, tough choice to blow up a civilian ship but it seems to have been the right move, we'll see moving forward.

Starbuck also is slightly less annoying this episode, but she is still doing that thing of portraying a tough woman by acting like a man, which in my mind has no place in any show, especially a show about the future.  President Roslin on the other hand acts like a lady and like a tough cookie, which I totally appreciate.

Back to the Creek!

For our first show, we've decided to go back to Dawson's Creek, Season One.  For dinner, Laurel made Mac-n-Cheese with Gruyere and Heirloom Tomatoes and a Lentil Soup.  I made a salad with Arugula and Onions.

You will find the recipes for our dinners either at the the end of the post or sometimes we may post them the next day...but for now on to DAWSON"S CREEK!

We just watched the pilot episode...hello 90's!  Egads are these kids wordy! The show opens with Dawson, Joey and Dawson's forehead discussing growing up and genitalia, in an awkward conversation in which even the actors seem uncomfortable.  Then it's onto the credits and Paula Cole...once again, hello 90s! We're introduced to neighborhood friend Pacey and new-girl-from-New-York-with-a-secret-past Jen.

Laurel here...The first time we see Dawson's parents they are dry humping in the living room and Pacey and Dawson walk in on them.  what?  The actors are both way too young to be parents of a teenager, and the father looks like a playgirl model...not in a good way.  He also looks to be in no way related to Dawson.  The other grown up we meet in this first episode is a woman who comes into the video store where Dawson and Pacey work.  She is wearing a dress that is super short and basically just a slip, she flirts a bunch with Pacey, then asks to rent...wait for it...the GRADUATE.  Then when school starts it turns out she is their new english teacher.  I smell trouble for Pacey!!

So far all of the outfits are awesomely 90s...the boys wear giant button down shirts and pleated pants, the girls wear cropped jackets, scrunchies, floral dresses..the works!

My favorite line from this episode...Dawson tells Joey that he expects her to be more understanding, to which Joey replies "All I DO is understand!!"

Mark again...I like when Dawson is showing Jen all the Speilberg posters in his room (and enough with the Speilberg already! we get it!), he gets to his closet and there's a Schindler's List poster...there were really Schindler's List posters mass printed?!? Anyway, the rest of the episode is lots of salacious talk, Pacey kissing his teacher, Joey and Jen not hitting it off...very scandalous for a pilot I will say.  At the end, we get to Joey and Dawson in Dawson's room again talking about their changing friendship, and how they can't talk about certain things anymore.  Although after watching this episode, I find it hard to believe anything is off limits...but Joey asks Dawson how often he "walks the dog".  It took us old timers a few minutes to figure that one out...but Dawson doesn't tell Joey until she has left.  He yells out the window..."Every morning during the Today Show with Katie Couric!" and instantly Laurel and I are scarred for life.  The last cliffhanger is Joey seeing Dawson's mom kissing another man... like I said, all in all pretty scandalous for a pilot!