Chilis, Macs

All good Chefs must have signature dishes. Julia Child has her Boof BorBigNon, Rachael Ray has EVOO, and I have Chili Mac.

I invented Chili Mac about three years ago, when I went to Gary's cafe and it was on the menu and I liked it. As I was firing this up for a recent Awesome Club, I realized I could em-better the world by sharing my secrets.

First, you need ingredients. I have illustrated them below. In this instance, it's a box of Trader Joe Brand Mac & Cheese, and a can of Trader Joe Brand Veggie Chili. The beauty of Chili Mac is you can use just about ANY brand. DEMOCRACY.

Open both packages and heat up the contents.

When you're ready, mix in the special Cheese powder, along with a little milk. I find Whole Milk works best, because that's what I have in the fridge.

And here's my secret ingredient - PEPPER!

Then, serve.
Then, eat.
And eat!
And then it's gone.
God Bless America.

Day/Lee Pleasures

I love both Peggy Lee and Doris Day, as most folks know. There's a lot of reasons to like these gals, from Peggy's Sass to Doris' All-American Charm, but one good reason is PUNS. I love 'em, and these gals sure liked making them with their album names. So, for Mister Safire, here are a few of my faves.

Peggy's first greatest hits was called Bewitching-Lee - get it?

Then she did those two Latin albums, Latin ala Lee! and its sequel, Ole ala Lee! Both are pretty fun.

The well had pretty much run dry by the time she got around to Guitars A La Lee. Still, at least it was titled interesting-Lee.



Doris Day had some fun ones too. There was A Day To Remember...

Day Dreams...



And of course eventually a greatest hits...

Thanks gals, for the fun times.

Really?

Brings new meaning to the term "Hammer Head." Ba dum dum!

Here's the whole story on National Geographic, if you're interested.

Live Blogging!

Zach is helping me by re-furring the sweaters that were in storage.

Yes We CANE!

Rainy Sunday? Thank God Time Warner finally showed up this week and I have internet!




So while I was sipping my coffee this morning I read this fun interview with my friend Jane Lynch. I've blogged about her before and no doubt I'll do it again.

Anyway, the Q&A is fun, and here's a little clip of her brightening up the already bright Glee. With Puns!

Right in the Peppercorns!

This isn't the funniest thing in the world, but it's pretty amusing. And Al Roker makes excellent use of the term "peppercorns." And seeing how clearly unamused Ms. Stewart is at the whole affair is pretty fun.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Anyway, beats a ten year consensual sexual relationship with your father.

This Week In Hippos!

Now, if you know me at all you know I am dear friends with the Hippo. Hippos are my favorite, along with Sharks and Manatees. And Kitty Cats and Alligators and Shelley Winters.

One of my Signature Styles is Cute Small things in my house. For example, these nesting buddies I received as a gift many years ago. They still greet me each day and make me happy.



When I go on safari in Africa, I always like to see the Hippos, even though they're scary and not for swimming with. Here's a nice snap of some buddies in Botswana.


Recently, Doug sent me a link that he said would either Scare or Scar me. He's both right.



I don't think even Isabella Rossellini could do a better job.

I read this story in the paper recently with interest, but also sadness. I mean, I didn't really need ANOTHER reason to not like Escobar.



And finally, I was very happy to see that my nephew is carrying on the family tradition. Here he is on his Hungry Hungry Hippo ride-on toy.



Thanks Hippos, for all the Awesomeness!

Live Blogging! Zach and I Waiting For Time-Warner

I Am Taking A Stand Against Piracy

Or to be more accurate, I am taking a stand NEXT to piracy.

Oh, and I don't remember growing a moustache while in Charleston, but I guess I did.

Partners In AWESOMENESS

It's no secret - my favorite programs are ones in which couples solve crimes. From MOONLIGHTING to HART TO HART to SCARECROW AND MRS KING to REMINGTON STEEL to BONES (all with a debt to THE THIN MAN series of course), I'm in heaven.

Here's a little program I had never forgotten, but had somehow forgotten to look up on the youtube - the internally plural friendly Partners In Crime. This show only ran for half a season in the fall of 1984, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

So Loni Anderson and Lynda Carter aren't quite a couple, but we can squeeze them into this genre easier than Crazy Like A Fox. Their characters share an ex-husband, and when he dies and wills them his detective agency, hijinks ensue! This is probably the best San Francisco detective story since The Maltese Falcon.

Here's opening credits & a few minutes of the pilot.


"If we get in trouble, we'll just call the police a lot!"

A Haldeman Reference?

of Bettes and Joans

Here's something nice for Sunday morning coffee while we're waiting for Meet The Press to start.

Take it away, ladies!

Snow Leopard For All!

Oops - Amazon sent me the family pack by mistake. I call this a Win-Win-Win-Win-Win!

I Have A Suspicious Mind

Should I have turned right?

Zach Says: Happy New Year!

Also? F'ing The Chicken

Oops!

The Fanny Returns!

It's been a while since I've shared a clip of someone saying "Fanny" to Jessica, so here goes. I mean, HONESTLY. They must know what this word means to her, right?

Also? Angry! Far!

This isn't the funniest thing I've ever seen, but it's pretty good. Plus I get to apply my rarely used "Kenneth" tag.

Jack McBrayer Is Very Angry And Very Far Away from Jack McBrayer

I'll Show You Cranky!

So first thing this morning a foreign colleague told my boss I was "cranky" and "unhelpful."

The most helpful thing I could think of to do was not respond and instead check out some Bea Arthur on youtube.



Happy Wednesday, Finks.

Rats! Science! Giggles!

Now, some folks might recall that I went to Charleston on vacation a few weeks back. As always with a visit to David, SCIENCE was involved.

Normally I wouldn't find his Rat Science so interesting. Here's an example of what it often looks like:

BUT in this case, it involved RATS and GIGGLING.

David learned through Science that rats giggle when you tickle them. How do you confirm this?

First you, take a Bat Sonar Detector. This is a little device with headphones and an amplifier - when used properly you can hear the high-pitched screeching these little pajaros del noche use to communicate with each other.

When used improperly you can hear rat giggles!

If you start tickling the little buddy (I did it with Subject #5, who was my favorite) while you have the Sonar Device on, you can actually hear screechy giggles.

David pointed out that all the other rats hear the giggling too, and they get more and more excited to come out of their cages for all the fun times.

I had no idea that so much fun could be had with a lab rat.
Thanks David, and Subject #5, for teaching me that Science is Fun!

Person Who Died (Died)

If you had made me guess, I might have thought Jim Carroll died years ago. Apparently, it was over the weekend.

I had my whole Patti Smith/Robert Mapplethorpe obsessions sometime in high school, and Carroll was always a marginal figure in that saga. I appreciated him, but not terribly so.

What I did appreciate was this song. I have a friend who can make himself goosebump on demand, but that's not me. One sure-fire way for me follicles to stand at attention is this number here. David and I had many road trips in college, and whenever this song came on we'd sing along louder than all the others.

Hats off to you, Mr. Carroll.



(the best version I could find had the video for the movie version of his diaries, starring that kid from Growing Pains. Not so bad, actually)

Live Blogging! Naptime

There Will Be A Free Blood!, or, "Waiter, My Hummus Tastes Like Crap. No, Literally."

Rainy Friday! That means it's time for........Signage of Bafflement!

Imagine my surprise walking through midtown the other day to discover that Trinidad AND Tobago had moved!

Kevin sent me this one. I know for sure it was from Kevin because (a) the email came from him and (b) I can see him in the picture! Special Bonus Kevin. Anyway, I'm not sure if this is a sequel to that Daniel Day Lewis movie or marketing for one of those new Vampire programs, but I hope someone checked it out!

Sarah noticed this one on the Cape. Call me a bad Farm Share Person or a member of Whole Foods Club, but I would just prefer my Hummus and Manure to come from separate locations.
Weekend!

Cape! A Culinary Tour

People keep saying to me, "CRD, Welcome Back To NYC. What Did You Eat On The Cape?" Well, I'll tell you!

I already told you about all the ice cream. I had a cone every single day, sometimes two cones per day. And I mentioned the corn once too, even though mostly I think corn is gross. And of course we had chow-dah. BUT, that's not all I ate!

What did we eat every chance we got? HOT DOGS!

But also tasty salad and Blight-Free Tomatoes that Sarah's uncle grew.



I ate Fish & Chips most nights for dinner. YUM. Thanks, Fish.





Sarah had tasty Lobster two days in a row. I stayed away on account of that one bad lobster I ate eight years ago. One of my Signature Traits is holding grudges, especially against sea food.



Doug came over once for some Badminton & Hot Dogs. Swing!




And one day, Doug and Sarah and I went to the High School Reunion Stop & Shop and decorated a cake. Nice work, Doug!


I will always remember Cape Vacation 2009. And I will definitely remember it for the next few weeks since I gained 10lbs. Good thing Swimsuit Season is over!

Who's Coming With Me?