Bad Eggs

Hi Laurel here...we're back at it!  Mark made us an awesome dinner of stuffed squash...Acorn squash stuffed with sausage and quinoa topped with cheese.  Yum!  I know what you're thinking, the theme of the blog for this season of Buffy was supposed to be "bloodless"  aka all vegetarian.  Mark was going to make this recipe with veggie sausage but we both decided that would be a crime, so we made an exception to the vegetarian theme for tonight.  We are rebels that way.

So this episode was pretty good!  It borrowed HEAVILY from Alien, specifically Aliens (the sequel) but I'll let Mark fill you in on that, since he actually still has a functioning memory.  As you know, these days mine is not what it used to be.

The gang has the classic assignment in school to take care of an egg baby for a week.  Mark said he never had this assignment, but I did and I failed.  I think I put my egg in the fridge and Barb ate it. Sign from the universe?

Anyway it's Buffy so it turns out there's something fishy about these eggs...They are full of creatures that hatch and take over your body, in service of their queen.  Everyone gets taken over by them except for Buffy and Xander.  Willow and Cordelia end up clocking both of them and knocking them out, which was oddly satisfying.  But like I said I'll let Mark tell you the rest.

Also of note this episode, Xander and Cordelia are hooking up on the reg...but they still hate each other.

Mark here... I liked this episode too.  As Laurel said, it's sort of an "homage" to Aliens and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  The whole thing as a B-movie feel, mostly due to the special effects.  Not that that's a bad thing,  but some scenes are clearly direct from Aliens, except in a high school.  The demons/aliens that are in the eggs are clearly just like the aliens from the movie.  The scenes also play out pretty similarly.  The scene where Buffy confronts her alien from the egg in her room plays out exactly like Ripley and Newt confronting the alien in the med lab in Aliens.  Also, the dissection scene is similar to Aliens dissection.

Once the gang is "infected", it moves into Body Snatchers territory.  I think even though it might not be the most original it's a fun twist, setting this all in a high school, similar to the movie, "The Faculty" which I also enjoyed.

Separately, Buffy's mom is starting to lay down the law with Buffy and tell her to be more responsible.  Of course we know she's not really as irresponsible as she lets on, it's just all the vampire slaying.

All in all, we'd give this episode 3 and a half stakes.  It wasn't brilliant plotwise, but the writing was fun and it played out fun....

Duck Confit Hash

I got the inspiration for this recipe from this blog post, though I changed some details (and made Laurel's with sausage instead of duck):

http://eatlikeagirl.com/2013/12/08/duck-confit-hash-for-sunday-breakfast-recipe/

Ingredients:

Duck Leg Confit (I bought mine from McCall's Meat and Fish already prepared) or breakfast sausage
Duck Fat (The duck leg I bought was great, but did not include enough fat for the potatoes)
Potatoes, cubed for hash
Red Onion, sliced in half moons
eggs
white wine vinegar
salt
pepper
parsley

Begin by boiling the potatoes until tender and then drain.  While they are boiling fry the onions on a medium low heat in duck fat (about 2 tablespoons) until they brown and carmelize. Be careful not to get too hot or they will blacken not brown.

Heat the duck leg in about a 350 degree oven until warm.  The confit doesn't really need to cook so just make sure its warm and the skin is crisp then remove from the oven.  Alternatively, if you are using sausage, heat a tablespoon or so of the duck fat and remove the sausage from its casing and break up in the pan.  Allow it to brown...

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add salt and a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar.

In another pan, add 2 tablespoons of duck fat and brown the drained potatoes until they start to crisp.  Then add the onions and, if using, sausage.  If using duck confit, break up the leg meat and skin with a fork and add.

Drop 2 eggs in the boiling water and poach for about 2 and a half minutes.  Serve hash on a plate and top with poached egg and chopped parsley. Salt and pepper to taste and serve...

Down and Out (of district) in Beverly Hills

Hey Laurel here...Me and Mark just sat down to another nine-o brunch, Mark made a duck confit breakfast hash with a poached egg on top.  He made a special one for me with sausage instead because I'm not so into the duck.  Potatoes, caramelized onions, it's delicious!  I brought stuff for Aperol Mist...a beer, aperol, and lemon cocktail but I forgot the lemons.  I think we might be onto something, I would totally make it again with the lemon but mark thought the Aperol made the beer too bitter.

So this episode is about Andrea possibly getting kicked out of school because she lives out of district (the valley!).  She uses her grandmother's address and takes a bunch of buses to get to school every day.

Brandon enters Andrea into a journalism contest which she wins, so someone from the school wants to write a profile on her, which somehow means coming to her house to interview her parents?  When the guy shows up at Andrea's grandmother's house its obvious that she doesn't actually live there so the school launches an investigation, but in the end Andrea decides to actually move in with her Grandmother so then everything's fine.

We both thought this episode was going to be insufferable because it's Andrea centric, but her grandmother saved the day!  She was awesome.  Funny and no nonsense. Andrea gave a few lectures that were annoying but besides that it was totally fine.  Also Steve gets a girlfriend this episode but it turns out she only likes him because he's rich.  Poor Steve.

Mark here...  Well FINALLY we get a little background on Andrea! I can't tell you how many times Laurel and I have looked at each other and said "What's Andrea's story?" or "I wish we knew more about Andrea!"  Well, this episode we finally get some background, and surprise surprise, Andrea's a bore.  Laurel is right though, the episode really wasn't as bad as it could have been.  Saved mainly by Andrea's grandmother being entertaining.

Otherwise, there's not too much to add about the episode.  Steve gets his heart broken by a rich girl who is only interested in him because his mom is a famous actress.  Kelly is onto the girl from the beginning but Steve dismisses her.

The drinking moments are anytime Andrea launches into a speech or monologue...

The quote of note is after after one of these monologues where Andrea goes on a tirade about her life, Brenda says, "Andrea, why are you so upset?"  like she heard none of it.

No style award this episode, it was pretty much just your usual 90s garb.

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Cheddar Bread Pudding

I made this recipe the first time for breakfast for my family and it was a huge hit!  I used whole grain bread instead of baguette and it turned out great.   When I had this with Mark I paired it with a steak for dinner, which wasn't such a great pairing.  I feel like this dish is more of a main, and more appropriate for brunch.  Maybe with an arugula salad, and some bacon if you are feeling meaty.  Originally from Epicurious

• 2 pounds peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt plus additional for sprinkling
• 7 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups half and half
• 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 day-old baguette (do not remove crust), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)
• 2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 pound), ribs removed, kale coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; bake until squash is tender, turning with spatula occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Add half and half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; whisk to blend. Add baguette pieces; fold gently into egg mixture. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes (kale will be a bit crunchy).

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Using slotted spoon, transfer half of bread from egg mixture to prepared baking dish, arranging to cover most of dish. Spoon half of kale over bread. Spoon half of squash over bread and kale; sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash, and cheese. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread pudding.

Cover bread pudding with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until custard is set and bread feels springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer.

Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Butternut-Squash-and-Cheddar-Bread-Pudding-355792#ixzz2aaKLbTnD

What To Do While You're waiting

Hi Laurel here...pretty good episode!   Lot's of character development which me and Mark both like.  First of all Julie really gets to see some of what Matt is going through.  He stands her up for a date at he library so she comes over to his house to give him a piece of her mind.  Instead she finds his house in total turmoil!  He is in the middle of chaotic cleaning, making dinner, and dealing with his grandma.  It gives her a little perspective and comes home to tell her parents how much she loves them and they are the best parents in the world!  I'm glad she got to understand Matt a little better and understand that she has it really good in comparison.  On the plus side Matt's dad decides to own up to his responsibilities and stay and help out with grandma, on the minus side it becomes obvious that he is totally miserable and it wont be good for any of them if he stays.  But at least he tried, and everyone including Matt gets to see that the next best thing is for them to keep doing what they have been doing and try to make it work.  Matt's dad will go back to Iraq and Matt will keep taking care of his grandma.

The second big thing this episode is Jason finds out he is suing Coach Taylor because he reads it in the paper at the local market.  I'll let Mark tell you more about this because he seems to have a more balanced perspective than I do.

We also learn a little more about Tyra's situation.  Her mom has a terrible boyfriend.  They get into a huge fight and the guy ends up hitting Tyra's mom in front of her.  Tyra is so awesome!  She grabs a fireplace poker and goes after the guy, chasing him out of the house.  Her mom is obviously sort of weak willed and one of these women who always has to have a boyfriend, whatever the cost.  When he finds them at the rodeo and begs Tyra's mom to take her back the mom at first seems like she is going to take him back, but Tyra wont have it and tells the mom she will move out if the mom let's him move back in.  She is literally packing her bags when the mom comes in and tells her she would never choose a man over her daughter.  I don't have a lot of faith in their situation, I still think the mom is weak and may continue to make bad decisions but at least Tyra got through to her mom on this one.

Mark here...I agree with what Laurel said about Tyra.  Its nice to see a bit of character development with her.  We see why she's a bit of the town bad girl and why she's sort of used dating men as an excuse.  We also see why she's drawn to town bad boy Tim Riggins.  But when Tim tries to get back together she turns him down, determined not to fall into a destructive pattern.  I don't feel like this is the end for them, but it's nice to see Tyra stand up for herself and say, no you can't just get back with me because Lyla is back with Jason.

Onto Jason...I agree with Laurel that the lawsuit is bad.  However I sympathize with the parents.  They are looking at crazy bills and clearly a lawyer has told them they can get more money.  Faced with an uncertain future for their son, I can't really say I don't understand their decision.  They decide to sue the school, against Jason's wishes.  But they really aren't seeing other options.  They live in Texas, where state help is minimal at best.  Sure the town says they'll help them out, but Jason is facing years and months of rehabilitation.  Can they be sure the town won't forget them when next season rolls around?

One more thing...the part with Matt Saracen and his dad...there's really no win here.  Matt could get sent away to Oklahoma, his dad could stay and try to work in Dillon (his future as a car salesman was not looking bright), or dad returns to being a soldier.  They chose the latter but I think Laurel's right in that Matt needed to see his dad trying to make it work to realize it wasn't going to.  Soon Matt will be off to college and the grandmother will need to go to into some sort of assisted situation sooner or later. Meanwhile the dad will have given up the only career he was good at to live in Dillon.  The best part of this storyline was after Julie sees Matt's life (as Laurel describes above), she goes home and declares to her parents, "I love you guys so much and you're the best parents and the world!"  On hearing this Coach Taylor smiles and goes back to his football game...Tami Taylor's reaction is priceless!  She turns to Coach and goes "No!" as in, no your daughter didn't just come home to say this because something good has happened.  The two of them both get up to talk to Julie then, but Tami's reaction is amazing (as is Coach's).

Another plot line was we see a bit of Smash trying to make it work with the preacher's daughter.  We're left not sure of their future.  Smash is very into himself but seems willing to work on this relationship.  She does seem into Smash, but she's still in the dark about his steroid use...

Nixon vs Kennedy

Hi Laurel here...This episode we see the office having a party for the election returns, among other things...

After all the higher ups leave (Don, Cooper) we see all of the other office people hanging out for the election returns.  When they runout of booze early on they convince Joan to break into the supply closet of which the only surplus is creme de menthe.  They put it into a 5 gallon water cooler and go to town...with disasterous results.  Many employees stay over, but the ones who didn't come int he next morning to find a disheveled office and green barf in the trash cans.

Also we learn so much about Don's past this episode..it turns out he swapped identities with a fellow soldier who died in a freak accident while they were both at a hospital base camp by themselves.  When the real Don Draper dies, Dick Whitman (who we know as Don) seizes the opportunity to switch dog tags and become a new person...Dick Whitman is dead, Don Draper lives anew.   I get it why Dick wanted to take on a new identity, but I feel like he sort of handles things terribly.  The new Don Draper is assigned with taking dead Dick Whitman home.  When his family comes to meet the casket, former Dick Whitman (who we now know as Don) refuses to get off the train and avoids his former family completely, leaving them to believe he is dead.  When Dick's brother finds him 10 years later (in an earlier episode) Dick/Don just shuts him down and refuses to acknowledge his former brother.  How is he going to handle this with the real Don Draper's surviving family?  Time will tell.

Pete knows all about this due to his snooping into Don's mail..he intercepts a package from Dick/Don's brother with pictures and other evidence about his past.  But when he tries to rat Dick/Don out to Cooper, Cooper's attitude is...who fucking cares?  I don't know if it is because Don has been so successful at the agency or because he is a war veteran himself, either way, the secret identity doesn't bother him.  It bothers him more that snively Pete was a tattletale.

Mark here...I agree with Laurel's assessment of the episode.  One thing we haven't ever mentioned is how good the show is about providing a historical context.  Granted, these guys are all Nixon guys but it's nice to see the way the election plays out.  It's clearly a tight election, and we see the night play out as such.  In the beginning the staff is celebrating (on creme de menthe...ooof!), but slowly the hangover takes over, at the same time as Kennedy is declared the winner.

One thing I missed, which Laurel pointed out to me, was that Don's secret brother commits suicide at the beginning of the episode, before sending him the package that Pete attempts to black mail him with. We don't know yet if Don knows about the suicide.  It's a tragic storyline though, as we learn Don's past.  He clearly wants to be rid of the past he grew up with.  In the previous episode we learned (via his conversation with Rebecca Menkin) that he's the son of a prostitute and a man who passed away...leaving him in the custody of the man's wife.  Understandably (during the times), the wife is none to thrilled to be stuck with young Don.  The brother was the one link left to this life...but clearly the brother didn't grow up able to blend into Don's new life, so Don banished him.  This crushed the brother, as he had held on to his last memories of Don.

Another interesting storyline is when Don's history is going to be revealed (via Pete), before going to Cooper, Don goes to Rebecca and wants to run away.  She has wanted this, but is no fool.  She realizes he wants to run away, with or without her.  This isn't what she wanted, so she turns him away...

Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1

Mark here...Laurel and I are settling in with some steak, a pear, arugula and bacon salad, and a butternut squash and kale dish, all courtesy of Laurel.

The episode, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1" starts off with a whole lot more Baltar than I remember and he's super annoying.  First we see, out of the blue, he and Starbuck are hooking up.  Clearly she's a bit damaged and he's a bit narcissistic in this hook up. She mistakenly calls out "Lee" (Apollo) in the midst of it, pissing off Baltar.

Also in the episode, Galactica discovers planet Kobol, a legendary home of the gods.  The shows history states that humanity left Kobol to found the 13 colonies, including Earth.  So, in theory, Kobol could lead them to Earth.  Roslin's visions, from the drug she is taking to treat her cancer, further this theory.  Of course Adama and her aide Billy find this crazy talk. Roslin however is convinced this will lead them to Earth.  We know from the pilot though that Earth is a myth.  One that the fleet believes, but that Roslin and Adama know to be just that. If Kobol is to lead them to Earth they will need "the Arrow of Apollo"...the god not the character.  Way confusing and not well established yet...essentially this arrow is a sort of compass back on Caprica.  It took some time and I needed to explain to Laurel that it was a physical thing.  In any case, Roslin persuades Starbuck to steal the captured Cylon Raider and jump back to Caprica to get it.  The only way she can persuade Starbuck is by revealing that Adama has lied about knowing where Earth is...so at the end of the episode Starbuck, seemingly testing the raider, jumps away.

The other plot point is that Kobol has a Cylon basestar orbiting around it and Cylons shoot down the Raptor force sent to investigate Kobol.  Baltar is in this crew and aboard the surviving Raptor that crash lands on Kobol.  His acting is so over the top and crazy-eyed its a wonder anyone listens to him!

There's also a bit going on with the 2 Cylon Sharons...Galactica version tries to kill herself and fails...Caprica version is with Helo, who claims he's only staying with her to find a way off Caprica...

Laurel here...thank god Mark was here to explain this one to me because I would have totally lost!!

Just a couple of little details I noticed...One is that in the opening of this episode Adama and Apollo are litlerally having a boxing match with each other (well ok they are sparring partners but still) metaphor much?

Also Apollo figures out that Starbuck and the crazy doctor have hooked up, because the doctor acts like a total freak (of course) when he sees her.  Apollo and Starbuck get into an argument about it - at one point Starbuck loses her shit and punches Apollo in the face, and he responds by punching her, in the face, right back.  Hard.  So awesome!  I love this idea of men and women being on equal footing without anybody being worried about how men are "supposed" to treat women or vice versa.  Listen if a bitch punches you in the face her face is fair game!

One Man and a Baby

Mark here...tonight it was my turn to cook and I made us Nigella Lawson's roasted duck leg with potatoes and a kale Caesar salad.  The caesar salad recipe is the same just with kale. The duck leg and potatoes were a-mazing! Laurel's not a fan of duck, so in the photo she was having veggie burgers, however she can attest to the duck fat roasted potatoes!

Anyway, this episode is called, "One Man and a Baby"  the man in question is Brandon and the baby is his new girlfriend's...so we know where this is going... In the beginning we see Brandon is into this girl who's apparently a bit of a nerd and trying to get into Harvard... Brandon accidentally ends up with her latin test and after conversing with Kelly and Brenda, Kelly says, "Who would date a girl who takes latin?" I thought this was funny after myself having to take 5 years of latin in high school! Anyway Brandon ends up dating this girl (Melissa) and it turns out she has a baby...who she promptly drops on Brandon to babysit!  Cindy comes through a bit here, although she and Jim are on the way out the door.  Laurel and I both cracked up when she says, "Get Brenda to help you!" We know Brenda would have no part in this!  But the ostensible reason is a subplot with Brenda and Kelly taking sky-diving lessons. In the end, of course said girl has to prioritize and dating is off the menu, so Brandon dodges that bullet... One point of note though is that we see Brandon driving to and fro on his dates...didn't he get a DUI last episode?!?

Laurel here...I never got why the parents had so much screen time in this show when I watched this as a teenager, but now that I'm an old lady I totally get it! I really have a new appreciation for the parents, especially Cindy.  Her son is dating a 16 year old with a kid, but somehow this conservative mom from Minnesota is totally understanding and supportive...not only to Brandon, but to Melissa too. She and Melissa have a heart to heart, and her advice basically boils down to follow your heart...  while I feel like most actual parents in this situation would be screaming for the girl to give the kid up for adoption.  Meanwhile Brenda's babysitting advice for Brandon is to watch "3 men and a baby"  (see diaper photo below).  Also when Brenda confesses to sneaking out to take skydiving lessons, her parents could take this opportunity to bust on her, but instead they choose to appreciate the fact that she faced her fears.  They are actually doing a crossword i n bed when she confesses, and Cindy's response is "6 letter word for patience = PARENT.

One point of note, which is different from the DVD (which we had originally watched), when Brenda and Kelly are skydiving, in the DVD Muzak is playing, in the episode on tv, "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak.

I also feel like I should make a note that Andrea is blissfully absent from this episode, I can only imagine what she would have to say about Brandon dating a teenage single mom.

On to the style awards!  There are no clear winners of this episode, instead a 3 way tie for worth mentioning...

1.  Brenda's mom jeans!  Wow her asshole is really trying hard to eat these jeans...

2.  Brandon's robe!  Actally sort of a serious fashion honor, Mark and I both wish we had this robe now.  Maybe when we win the lottery we will have matching ones made.

3.  Brenda and Kelley's ridiculous skydiving outfits!  I know they are skydiving but still...too crazy not to show you!  Mark here...I will add the instructor to this ridiculous trio!  His crotch was not flattered by this outfit!  But I guess it's cold up there!

Cocktail moments:

Jim and Cindy home playing word games...Scrabble and crossword puzzles...way to reinvigorate the marriage after Cindy's recent flirtation with an old flame

Brenda's response to Kelly beeping from the street to pick her up..."OK!" (Kelly can't hear her and its classic Brenda bitchiness)

Beauty Contest

In this episode Joey enters the Miss Windjammer Beauty pageant!  I know it seems so unlike her, right?   But first place prize is $5000 and as we keep hearing over and over, she is so poor.  Jen volunteers to help her get ready for the pageant, and they finally get some lady time together where they are not exclusively talking about Dawson (although they do a little, how could they resist?).  The best thing about this episode..Joey finally admits that she has been a bitchy cunt to Jen ever since she got to Capeside.  Does this burst of honesty mean that they might finally become actual friends?  I will dare to dream.

Thankfully Pacey enters the pageant also and provides some much needed screen time relief from Joey looking at the ground and shrugging her shoulders in her "aw shucks I'll never be pretty enough to win this beauty contest" way.

Mark here... in this episode Dawson finally realizes his love for Joey, because she puts on a dress and sings a song.  And of course Jen can't handle this because women must always fight over a man. Really this writing is a little ridiculous.  I mean Jen broke up with Dawson and has been trying to make friends with Joey, yet for some reason the writers want us to believe she must still be harboring feelings for him. To me it really just seems like they don't know how to write women.  Jen and Dawson had zero chemistry, so this feels forced.  

Laurel here...I agree with Mark totally.  I can only hope that Joey and Jen become real friends and talk each other out of liking Dawson.  If they are gonna pretend not to fight over anyone it should be Pacey.