Trying Something New

It's only the first week of March and I already feel like I need to shake the bad juju off of 2012. For those of you who don't know, I have been sick for most of the year (BTW, pneumonia sucks - and finding out I developed a hernia in two weeks time is also anti-fun). To try to turn things around, I took the last week off and decided to try anything to get better.

I napped.

I read.

And when none of that seemed to make much difference, I shopped.

My love for cooking shows has made me nearly drool every time I walk into a cooking store and see those Le Creuset pots and pans. So I bought one.

It's a covered sautee pan (not the French oven that I REALLY want - but the thought of spending more than $200 for something I would maybe use in the fall for soups didn't seem like a good investment right now). It is so heavy that it requires two hands just to haul it the two steps I take from stove to sink. It is beautiful. I love it.

To make the most out that pan, I decided to cook something different. So, I bought this.

I really like ribs but have never tried making them myself. I bought this rib starter and had a slight moment of panic. It said if you're using a slow cooker, you'd need to cook the ribs for SEVEN hours! I didn't get home with ribs until nearly one in the afternoon! I immediately panicked thinking this would never work. These pans don't do high heat, so I figured using it on low would be the same as a slow cooker. I put a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, then put one rack into the pot at a time, covering each with the sauce. I read the label and it said to add some chicken stock. I didn't have any so I splashed it with beer. With the lid on, I just waited and crossed my fingers.

Within an hour, I could smell the sauce working. I started to get hungry but ignored my urge to snack. I was going to eat those ribs! In five hours, I lifted the lid and saw the sauce did such an amazing job, most of the rib bones had slipped away from the meat. This made me super happy because I don't really enjoy gnawing on a bone like a dog or a caveman (this is also why I don't like fairs/carnivals - seeing people hack into a turkey leg can make me dry heave). I did take one not-so-flattering picture of the finished product.

I wanted to show the bone so that  you could tell it was a rib, but I realized after I took the picture that this was fat-side up (nobody's best angle). If I took the effort to flip them over, I would have made the plate dirty and I lack the chef's knack for prettying up a plate.

These ribs were SO good! I don't know if I'd buy that $16 sauce again. I'm pretty sure I could get the same thing from a bottle of barbecue sauce which, like this fancy sauce, can be used on the meat after it's  cooked. Now that I know I can do ribs inside the house without a whole lot of work, I'll try this again.

But I'm not finished trying out new things! Tonight, I'm going to tackle beef bourguignonne. It's kind of like beef stew, so I don't think it will be a miss.

I'm looking forward to my new cooking adventures and hoping that all this sickness is behind me.

PS - about that hernia thing. I am not in the least bit of denial that I am getting old. I know that I cannot eat and drink all the things I love without paying for them later (the list includes citrus, chocolate and booze - BOO!). I also learned that as long as I'm not in pain, I don't have to think about surgery.

Week In Pop Culture

If you have a few million, you can buy Dick Clark's home.

Katy Perry looks great with non-rainbow hair.

Maria and Arnold may get back together.

Nick Cannon's health problems are pretty serious.

I don't know how I feel about this potential ABC show.

I do know that I won't watch this NBC show.

Justin Bieber got one crazy 18th birthday present.

Oh, no. Not a National Lampoon's Vacation reboot!

Jennifer Lopez is different here.

Ryan Murphy's movie sounds interesting.

Eddie Murphy may have a new girlfriend. Or not.

Whitney Houston JUST died and there's already talk about a biopic?

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have a new baby boy.

That Sex and The City prequel thing is actually happening.

George Lopez is returning to TV.

It looks really uncomfortable to be Jessica Simpson.

Celine Dion cannot sing. But it's only temporary.

I get that Madonna doesn't think she's too old to dress like this, but she is DEFINITELY too old to call herself a girl.

True Blood's show runner has stepped down.

Now we know who will be on the next season of Dancing With The Stars.

Zachary Quinto is talking about the Star Trek sequel.

Lindsay Lohan is allegedly offering to be the butt of her own jokes on SNL. And she wants you to know she's changed.

Natalie Portman might be married.

Uma Thurman is having a baby.

Beyonce will show you Blue Ivy when she wants to.

Michael Chiklis and Dennis Quaid may be in a new TV show together.

Lucy Lawless had a run-in with the law.

Sean Young is still a trouble maker.

Ryan Seacrest may not be able to take a joke.

Here's who won what at the Oscars. Here's what the stars wore to the Academy Awards.

This was my favorite:

I still don't understand what Angelina Jolie was doing here.

Halle Berry was supposed to go the Oscars, but didn't.

The Indie Spirit Awards have been awarded. And here's what everyone wore.

Nicki Minaj had a wardrobe malfunction at the NBA All-Star Thingy.

Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks Adam Sandler is really good at making bad movies.

Robin Thicke joins the list of famous people who owe the tax man.

Viola Davis doesn't need a wig to look awesome!

Thandie Newton is also going au natural.

Gerard Butler is out of rehab.

Kathy Ireland is ridiculously rich.

Rest in peace Davy Jones.

March Movies

Now that the Oscars are behind us, it's time for Hollywood to throw out movies that people will probably forget about next awards season. Still, there are a few movies I might see.

The Lorax

This is kind of cute. I will Netflix this one.

Being Flynn

Robert De Niro movies always get a glance from me - though not necessarily in the theater.

Friends With Kids

Jon Hamm? Yep. I'm in.

21 Jump Street

Only in the privacy of my own home.

Jeff Who Lives At Home

I think I could maybe make this viewing a drinking game.

Mirror Mirror

The only reason I'm curious about this one: Julia Roberts is bad.

Intruders

I can watch this in the daytime.

What I'll Skip:

• Project X - I am probably the age of the parents of the kids who are most likely excited about this movie.
• Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - This is the kind of movie that should really just be a five minute internet clip.
• John Carter - I don't have a beef with Disney, but this movie seems less realistic than a cartoon. I can't do this (even though Taylor Kitsch is super hot).
• A Thousand Words - I am past the point of rooting for an Eddie Murphy comeback.
• Silent House - ANOTHER scary house movie? No, thanks.
• Goon - I bet this one is out of the theaters before the end of April.
• The Hunger Games - Never read the books because they didn't interest me, so I think it's OK for me to skip the movies.
• Wrath of The Titans - Ugh. Mythology.

"Flatscreen"

Looking at the cover of this book, I thought I would love Eli Schwartz. Authors raved over how funny it was. Then, I opened it and started reading. I waited for the funny. Instead, I learned I loathed Eli Schwartz.

Why?

• Eli is a grown man who lives with his mother.
• Eli has no job.
• Eli has never driven a car and needs a ride to and from places he cannot reach on a bicycle.
• Eli is overweight.
• Eli passes the days getting high with other losers.

Now, if you saw those things on an online dating profile, most of you would roll your eyes and move on. Seeing those things in a book, I stuck it out because I thought at some point, Eli will stop disappointing me. If you've ever known someone who refuses to be a grown up (this means getting a job, living on your own and not associating with losers who just want to keep you from doing the first two things), you should not be surprised when you find yourself sighing in disgust every time Eli does something stupid. You will do that a lot. He does many stupid things.

Still, Eli has his charming moments. He has somehow become a good cook. He wants to heal his broken family. He wants love. It's his despicable flaws that hold him back.

This is why I mostly hated Eli and wondered what the other authors saw that I did not. So I kept reading. It wasn't until page 258 (of 327) that I began to cheer Eli. He started making the effort to turn his life around. It may never be perfect. It may never be "happily ever after." But it is better than the life he had. 

Unlike the others who read this and "nearly died from laughter," I still can't relate. It's too hard for me to find humor in someone who continues to fail himself. By the end of this book, I found myself smiling hopefully for Eli. I think even he'd do the same.

Week In Pop Culture

Samantha would be disappointed in this look.

Gerard Butler is in rehab.

J.K. Rowling is writing a book for adults - also known as people who have read Harry Potter.

See? I didn't sit through Wanderlust and new it'd be bad. This poor movie reviewer watched it and felt the same way. So, Hollywood, can you PLEASE stop trying to make me think Jennifer Aniston is funny and a movie star?

Paris Hilton still wants to torture your ears.

If you like a house that's "too much" (and that's putting it mildly), you might be interested in buying Christina Aguilera's home.

Here's Sheryl Crow in a bikini.

I can't decide if it's nice or creepy that Billy Bob Thornton is writing about his marriage to Angelina Jolie - and she wrote the introduction.

I think the Academy Awards say they don't want Sacha Baron Cohen to make a scene, but I think they secretly REALLY want one.

Stop wishing for a Friends reunion because it most likely will not happen.

Octavia Spencer has a post-Oscar plan.

Look! It's Jennifer Love Hewitt! No, seriously. LOOK. AT. HER. It's what she wants.

Kate Walsh would also like you to look at her.


Glee's Amber Riley looks pretty good these days.

Daniel von Bargen (George Costanza's boss on Seinfeld) did something crazy.

TBS wants Conan to stick around a little longer.

If Adam Levine is telling the truth here, I hope kids don't think this is a good idea.

But it's really OK if kids want to be more like Zac Efron.

If that X Factor show wants to keep up the tradition of having judges who aren't known for singing, then this potential new judge will be a good fit.

Minnie Driver has named her baby's daddy.

David Hyde Pierce's awesome home is for sale.

Kelly Ripa rocks a bikini!

Community is coming back soon!

I don't believe Ryan Gosling is being truthful here.

This is what happens when you cut off Adele's speech at an awards show.

Judging by these pictures, Drew Barrymore may be pregnant.

Megan Fox is still wearing bikinis.

Nick Jonas is single.

Look, Rihanna, you might think there's no harm in sharing a song with Chris Brown, but I am telling you: THIS WILL NOT END WELL. Because, you see, Chris is still a jerk.

Chris Tucker has one heckuva tax bill!

Jennifer Garner is still pregnant.

Paris Hilton is a lucky gambler.

Lindsay Lohan will host SNL. And she's kind of a free woman.

Mark Wahlberg has taken an interested approach to try to keep his kids from getting tattoos.

Judi Dench is losing her eyesight.

Matthew Perry is returning to TV.

Robin Thicke was arrested.

Charlie Sheen is back to talking bad about "Two And A Half Men."

Hey! It's Lent!

I'm not getting ashes on my forehead today (because I'm a heathen, obviously). I'm not giving up anything (except being sick - as soon as I can figure out how to do that). I'm also not giving up posting some Ecards here.

Week In Pop Culture

I don't know how Christina Hendricks can breathe in this dress.

Nick Cannon is seriously not well.

Marcia Gay Harden is getting divorced.

Miley Cyrus's pants are so tight, she can't button them while driving.

This is not going to make Mark Anthony happy.

Gary Busey is broke.

I don't like Rihanna's birthday cake.

Lil' Kim and Nicki Minaj are not friends.

Jason Bateman's new baby girl is named Maple. As in syrup.

I'm not sure I can take a weekly Hannibal Lecter show.

Jenny McCarthy is getting a talk show. On VH1.

I want to go to Johnny Weir's wedding!

Jaden Smith looks exactly like his dad.

ZOMG! Not one but TWO Beyonce albums this year!?!?

Another rapper owes the tax man.

Seriously, Chris Brown. STOP.

Hillary Duff looks miserable.

Adele says she won't write another breakup album.

A sea lion got a little too close to Shakira.

Ugh. Transformers 4.

The Catholic church is not a fan of Nicki Minaj.

Matt Bomer is gay.

If Jennifer Aniston thinks this will get me to watch her new movie, she is mistaken.

Adorable!

No big surprises at the BAFTAs.

Michael Keaton may be down with a Beetlejuice 2.

Ryan Phillippe has a TV show.

John Stamos may also be returning to TV.

I love that Beyonce and Jay-Z didn't make a penny off their baby's pictures.

John Goodman and Roseanne are returning to TV together.

Gabrielle Union's weave got her a little extra attention from the TSA.

OMG, you guys! Scarlett Johansson is just like us - SHE HAS CELLULITE!

Robin Wright has moved on from Sean Penn.

Nic Cage is not a vampire. He thinks.

Jason Lee's wife is expecting their third baby.

If this story is true, Matt Lauer's paycheck makes me insanely jealous.

Not surprised Madonna's daughter did this.

Here's what the stars wore to the Grammy's. And if you only want to see the worst dressed, click here.

Rest in peace Whitney Houston.

Ten Things About Donald Glover

I did my first "Ten Things" of the year using Storify. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love you. Some of you not in that way (especially you strangers who have stumbled onto this post). But those of you I actually know, I have some love in my heart for you. So let's see how well you know me. See if you can spot the card I chose just for you! xo