So You Think You Can Dance: Week 2

A run down of what I thought of the dances...

Melissa & Ade (Jazz by Sonya): Again they had my favorite piece. They are both so strong and intense. I thought it was just plain HOT! I hope they are in until the end.

Randi & Evan (Jive by Louis van Amstel): I thought it was a lot of fun and high energy. The judges were doggin' on my boy Evan a little but he didn't deserve it. In the end, I suppose it makes him a better dancer. I don't know if that is true since he doesn't have to dance the jive ever again if he doesn't want to. But he really should...

Caitlin & Jason (Hip Hop by Shane Sparks): Jason has so much charisma. I like him. The piece was kind of whatever but I am not sure if it was the dancers fault or the choreographer's...

Janette & Brandon (Disco by Doriana): It was hard to keep up with these two! It was so fast. I like the disco numbers that Doriana puts together because I like lifts. This was one of my favorites of the night and Lil C finally gave Brandon some great praise.

Kayla & Max (Pop jazz by Brian Friedman): It was kinda bizzare but it was good. I liked it. they ended up in the bottom 3 and Max went home so apparently other people didn't like it. But hey, someone has to be in the bottom 3 and go home...

Ashley & Kupono (Hip Hop by Shane Sparks): Again I had the same reaction as the other Shane Sparks' piece... was it him or the dancers? I thought it was eh. So did everyone else and so Ashley is now gone.

Asuka & Vitolio (Waltz by Louis van Amstel): Gorgeous. The song helped make this piece so dreamy.

Phillip & Jeanine (Tango by Tony): Eh. Jeanine looked hot though, kinda reminded me of a dominatrix... She looked like a latin dancer.

Karla & Jonathan (Contemporary by Stacey): I thought they did really well and I loved their performance. Something about Jonathan bugs me. Maybe, I don't think he is a good enough dancer to be there? But he did way better than if Tony would have stayed and he would've gone last week...

So I am definitely looking forward to next week's show but I am not sure when I am going to watch it since we are having a party on Thursday night and Wednesday will be spent preparing for it. May have to watch it Friday night and not read the internet to see who went home!

Book Review: Stalked by Brian Freeman

On my Facebook profile I have Harlan Coben listed as a favorite author and Facebook is how I found the very talented Brian Freeman. On the right sidebar on FB there are advertisements that pull things from your profile (example: if I have a certain TV show listed it will tell me when it premieres, kinda cool) and one day one of them said 'If you like Harlan Coben, you'll love Brian Freeman.' So I decided to give him a shot. He's good. He's very twisty turny and dark but it was solid writing and kept me turning the pages. I figured some things out but not everything so the book had succeeded in keeping me hooked and keeping it interesting. I am kind of bummed that I started with this book though. It is the third book following Jonny Stride and Serena Dial and I wish I would have started with Immoral and then Stripped. I think it'll be okay that I read this one though. There may have been some details from the first & second in the third but hopefully I have already forgotten them. It is odd to say that I 'like' this book because it is pretty sexually graphic with rape and murder and how do say you 'like' a book like that? It is a good read though!

Book Review: Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

A quick read- I read it last weekend without even trying to read it fast since the type is so big and the spacing seems bigger too- was Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. As you know she is one of my favorites because she is fast and funny. It was a typical Stephanie Plum book and had me giggling out loud a few times. Lula, her ex-ho BFF, who is sassy and voluptuous (but tries to put her voluptuous body into clothes too small and tight) is planning her wedding to her 'boyfriend' which was a very humorous story line. All in all it was an entertaining, light read. Just the way they should be sometimes!

Book Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

I finished Eclipse last week and I really enjoyed it. I took my time reading it- didn't rush through it like Twilight, Midnight Sun & New Moon. I am waiting now until I am done with Stalked (which New Moon, Eclipse & Fearless Fourteen had backburnered) to start Breaking Dawn. I am still curious how Bella & Edward's story wraps up and am thankful that no one has spoiled it for me! My babysitter (who is now a junior in HS) was shocked that I didn't know how it ended but when you are on the verge of 34 (2 1/2 weeks), my gossip circle is a little different than a 16 year old's! I guess high schoolers ruin books for each other. I heard that Breaking Dawn is the best of them all after you get hooked in with Twilight so it should be good!!

Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad

I made this Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad tonight from Cooking Light. Yum. It had great flavor and was a nice summery cap to what I think is the actual beginning of summer weather (This last week we broke records 3 days in a row for highs in the low 50s...). It was gorgeous today- sunny and close to 80 degrees. But back to the pasta... I used regular cooked chicken instead of the lemon herb which I don't think mattered and I skipped the green onion as my husband is not a fan. One thing- cool the pasta before adding it to the other ingredients. The cheese kinda melted on the warm pasta. It was a good solid recipe. It would be nice to bring to a block party or BBQ too. The other thing I liked about this recipe was that it was fast and not too involved so I can make it on a weeknight easily. Now though I have to find something to make with the other 10 oz of the 11 oz can of chipolte chiles in adobo sauce. I am off to find a recipe that uses it!

I cancelled my subscription to Cooking Light maybe 2 years ago because I felt I wasn't reading it. This was a recipe I tore out in August 2005 and has been filed but not used until now. I have A LOT of recipes on file (more like stacked in a file box with no rhyme or reason) that have never been used. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT- like probably 5000 maybe more. And this isn't even including my cookbooks which don't get enough love. Am I ever going to use 5000 recipes? Doubt it- maybe more like 500. I don't know though. If I do about 60 this year... 500 actually seems attainable. But have you noticed that a bunch of the recipes that I give thumbs up to are from Cooking Light? Maybe I should rethink that subscription...

So You Think You Can Dance!

Do you watch this show? If you don't, you should! I love SYTYCD! I don't watch Idol, America's Got Talent or many other reality shows but I look forward to this show every summer. And this year it is going to be on in the fall too? You have got to be kidding me!!! Last night's competition was so good that I honestly didn't know who would go home. Usually it is pretty clear. Melissa (aka the Naughty Ballerina) and Ade's piece absolutely AMAZING! Those lifts were redunkulous! Evan & Randi? Thought I wasn't going to like her but you pair her with the adorable Evan (Mr. Broadway- let's hope his bro makes it to the top 20 this fall because those 2 together are unstoppable) and give them one of Tice's coolest jazz pieces ever and you have magic. Kayla & Max will be there in the end after their muy caliente salsa. Caitlin & Jason- their Bollywood number wasn't as good as Katee & Joshua's last season but it was still a ton of fun and had me bopping along with them. Jason has some charisma that is non stop. And Phillip & Jeanine's hip hop was another of my faves. Phillip is funky. I hope he can pull out the ballroom dances. Kupono & Ashley's piece was weirdly wonderful. So entrancing. I was sucked in immediately. I think it had something to do with the Goldfrapp song and the fact the Wade is a GOD when it comes to choreography. And I don't want to forget Brandon & Janette. Brandon had me at his audition last year. I couldn't believe he didn't make it to the Top 20 last season BUT then I wouldn't have seen his totally amazing audition this year! It was so powerful and moving, I have no idea why Mia & Lil C are dissing him. The foxtrot was beautiful, enough said.

Did I mention that I am about as coordinated as a turnip? I know I can't dance but I have always loved, loved, loved to watch it. I have seen a ton of dancing movies and even if the acting is the worst (and it usually is if the dancing is good- Center Stage, I mean you.) I will watch it again & again & again. If I catch just a glimpse of the dancing, I can't pass it up. That is why I love SYTYCD because you get to see every genre choregraphed by some of the best and danced beautifully. And I don't have to sit through the stupid plot to see it! The Pas de Deux that Will & Katee danced last season and the Hummingbird Dance that Huk & whoever he danced that with a couple of seasons ago are my all time faves. Will was amazing on that show and I hope he is doing great things with his awesome talent.

So watch it! And enjoy it!

True Blood's Second Season is almost here!

Can I just say that I am so excited for this show to be back for the summer!!! Between True Blood and So You Think You Can Dance I am a very happy camper. The only thing I wish is that the shows they used to run on summer cable (ie Dexter, Entourage, and all the other delish pay cable channel shows) would run in the summer instead of the fall! There is too much to watch in the fall- bring them back to June! A new show that I am definitely getting a kick out of is Nurse Jackie starring the ever talented Edie Falco on Showtime. It is a rare treat!

Movie Review: Angels & Demons

We went to see Angels & Demons a couple of weeks ago and I have to admit I liked it. I hated The DaVinci Code on screen, it was so poorly done and Tom Hanks in the role of Robert Langdon was all wrong. Plus it was just plain chaotic. If I hadn't read the book I wouldn't have known what was going on. But Angels & Demons was different. It followed the book really well, Tom Hanks didn't bother me in the same role (he didn't seem as smug) and some of the special effects were really cool. Ewan McGregor was really good as Camerlengo McKenna. I couldn't remember the book as I was watching it since I read it 4 or 5 years ago so I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie. Also, another little thing was that I liked A&D book better than DVC too. I think it is worth the ticket in the theatre.

Food, food, I like me some food!

I made 4 really great recipes in April/May that I absolutely have to share!!

Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese from the internet. Can I say YUM!?!?!? I made it with half and half (called for cream), 2% milk (it is from 1946 and you know they are talking about whole milk... I just couldn't do it) and corn flakes instead of breadcrumbs. It was absolutely delish!!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches from Cooking Light. I am terrible at grilling... This still turned out super good even though I burned the crust because I had the wrong cut and can't control my grill temperature. The barbecue-ranch sauce was really good and as simple as mixing the two bottled sauces together!

Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light. This was so good I have already made it again! And EASY! It takes no time to whip this treat up and it is even good as leftovers and I am not a fan of leftovers!

Thai Chicken Saute from Cooking Light. I think I made this a little different then the recipe... Instead of using Sriracha, I used chile garlic paste that I believe was a bit more concentrated. And I used a dollop of cream of coconut and milk instead of coconut milk because that was what I had. It was spicy but had the sweet from the coconut and it was gooooood.

If you decide to make them- enjoy! :)

Happy Anniversary, Steve!

7 years today. We had a wonderful day for a wedding. Hard to believe it has been 7 years since that day. We went out Friday night to Great Dane & to see Angels & Demons (more on that later!) to celebrate. Marriage keeps getting better! :)