Everyone here calls me Vicky

There are plenty of stand-out performances in So I Married An Axe Murderer.  Without a doubt, one of our favorites is Phil Hartman’s Alcatraz tour guide/former prison guard John Johnson, whom everyone calls “Vicky.” Despite his droll delivery, you can see the obvious glee in his eyes as Vicky gives his tour group the inside…

Read More

3 Very Dangerous Cocktails to Die For

When debating options for our Halloween-themed movie, such classics as Ghostbusters, The Shining, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Evil Dead, and An American Werewolf in London were thrown into the mix, along with other favorites like The Lost Boys and Shaun of the Dead.  In the end, however, we decided to pick something unconventional and quirky…

Read More

Small Dice Challenge: Thai-inspired Fish and Rice

This week we changed up our scene a little.  My daughter had expressed a few days earlier that she wanted to help me cook on Chopped night after cooking something with her Papa.  After the initial “Eek,” I agreed that it was a “great idea” and thanked my daughter for taking the initiative to blah blah…

Read More

It’s Fall dammit…even if the weather says otherwise

We Californians can be rather smug about our unseasonably warm weather when it seems the rest of the country is just breaking out the heavy coats and scarves, bracing themselves for chillier temperatures.  As a native, I long to experience ALL four seasons…though truth be told I’d probably wimp out under six feet of snow,…

Read More

Small Dice Challenge: Lemony Spinach Alfredo Pasta

When we came home from Jazz class, my daughter asked to watch Chopped.  They had a Halloween special with gory-themed ingredients, including eyeballs and meal worms.  The eyeballs were really mozzarella balls with olives, but the mealworms were really mealworms. As she watched, my daughter was inspired to dress up in one of her three Halloween…

Read More

Mermaids

From a film made in the 60’s to one set in the 60’s, this week we’re taking a road trip to a bucolic little town in Massachusetts where Mrs. Flax (Cher) has taken 15 year old Charlotte (Winona Ryder) and 8 year old Kate (Christina Ricci) for another “fresh start” after yet another failed romance. …

Read More

Small Dice Challenge: Johnny Cakes

I was hoping my daughter would choose our leftover Chinese food, and I could call it a day. I saw this on Facebook and wanted to make a burrito from the fried rice and sesame chicken.  But, alas, she chose some pretty ridiculous things. Pickles Annie’s organic mozzarella pizza poppers Campbell’s Organic chicken noodle soup featuring Frozen characters…

Read More

Small Dice Challenge: Shrimp Curry and Lassi

There have been three influences in my life that encourage me to try to cook more creatively (or at all).  My mother, the original role model, could take yesterday’s leftovers and create an entirely different meal from it.  My husband, my muse (and really the pickiest person I know), sees a Chopped-stocked refrigerator when looking for…

Read More