father's day weekend/tuesday reviewsday

 You guys. This weekend was so jam packed. I literally didn't take a single picture.

That's a lie. I took one. This is it:

Some pretty dismissive graffiti as seen in Park Slope 

oh! And this one:

There is a coffee called Jet Fuel.
I don't think anyone should drink this.

They really have nothing to do with anything that I did this weekend at all.

My mom and dad got into town late on Friday night. We spent most of the weekend eating - which is a favorite thing in this family. Honestly, we just leave food out on the counters at all times and graze like cattle. It's totally different from what I'm used to, because I never really get to eat during the days normally - except for regular meals - because I'm all runrunrungogogo all the time. But it was nice to have the weekend to be a little lazy and spend time with my people.

My dad was definitely in "fix up the nest" mode. He installed some lights over my sink (which I had no idea that I needed until they were there), rigged up a towel bar in the guest bathroom, and hung my new jewelry case (this fancy, wall mounted, mirrored, vintage looking thing that my mom got for me. Totally amazing from Kirklands - where she works! Check it out here.) up with B. I should've taken pictures of these processes, but I was too busy eating Eat N Park Smiley cookies and laying on the couch with my mom and the cats.

Saturday, we went to Lowe's and did laps of the inside of the building until I thought I would drop of starvation (note: eating your weight in Smiley cookies and iced tea doesn't store up calories for a long trip to the hardware store. I know, I was shocked too.) Then we went home, dropped my dad off, and my mom and I went on a little excursion to Manhattan for errands like Target and Marshals. You know, really important stuff.

We were all so done when we got home that we ate chinese take out together at the kitchen table instead of going out to eat for dinner. I then proceeded to pass out on the couch, sleeping on my moms shoulder, while we watched Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes for the second time. I could not be woken up. Eventually I zombie walked back to my bed and passed out on top of the covers. I do not remember any of this. Ben also tells me that I said sleepily, "I need a cookie." before falling face first onto my pillow. Clearly Saturday wasn't my most attractive day, but luckily I was surrounded by people that would like me anyway.

Sunday, we hung around for most of the day. We went to Coney Island (I am SUCH an idiot for not taking pictures), specifically to Nathan's, and ate (some more!). My dad was happy with his hot dog and soft shell crab sandwich. Ben and I ate cheese fries and ice cream.We couldn't find a parking spot, so we ended up just hanging out in an illegal parking spot with the windows down, watching cops not ticket anyone and eating our amazing beach food.

For the finale of our weekend, we went to father's day dinner (I know, you're fully shocked that we still had room to eat more food. I am too. It's a miracle.) at a VERY sweet little Park Slope find called Scalino. It was SO GOOD. SO GOOD. I actually said, "This sauce is made from the tears of angels, it's so good." My mom proceeded to tell the owner what I said, and I couldn't tell if he was rolling his eyes or genuinely tickled by my fancy metaphor. The meal was ridiculous. I would tell you about everything I ate, but I think we tried one of everything on the menu. And, for four of us, the bill was only $150. Seriously. In New York, this is practically a miracle. If you're local, go to Scalino. And take me with you.

A brief word about my dad...
My dad is great. He's smart, fun, and affectionate. He knows SO MUCH stuff about so many things. He's warm, and funny. I've just spent an entire weekend with him, so I'm a little spoiled. Thank you for putting things up for me, showing me how to do things that I never would've thought to do. Thanks for teaching me about baseball stadiums, Sherlock Holmes stories, and how to be real person. I appreciate it more than I ever say. I love you a whole bunch. <3

A brief word about my husband...
You're a great dad. I love you. Thank you for sacrificing your time and working so hard to provide for us. We all love you. Even Sookie. No one emailed me and told me that you were the worst today. ;)

Happy Father's Day guys.

This sort of became an epic post.

The short story is, I wish they could've stayed longer.

...

Also today...

I hit 50 GFC followers. I cannot believe that 50 people care to read what I write. Thank you friends. It means a lot.

I'm participating in this little GFC bloghop sponsored by The life of a not so ordinary wife and a bunch of other fab gals.

I'm also fully planning to do a Tuesday 10 today... just dragging a bit from the wicked weekend.

what's in your mystery basket?

I am not ashamed to admit it, I'm obsessed with Chopped on the Food Network. It's fantastic. When else would one be asked to cook a dish with salsa, starfruit, lima beans, and eel? Or steak, cabbage, peanuts, and rainbow sprinkles! It's simply amazing.

So, it's hosted by Ted Allen...

Remember him from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?
Foodie gay?
Yeah... he's still sassy.

And Ted is constantly sassing the judges about how he doesn't get to taste the food (why doesn't he anyway?), throws out random facts about the ingredients, and basically just bothers the chefs while they're cooking. I think, basically, he's the poor man's Alton Brown.

The judges are always different, but here are a few of our favorites...

Geoffrey Zakarian
SUPER AMAZEBALLS!

Geoffrey Zakarian, also known (in our house) as Ben's nerdy boyfriend, is maybe the smartest, most interesting guy I've ever watched on TV. He's quiet, understated, and awesome. Basically, he's old Alton Brown.

Scott Conant
... yes, I think he might be as arrogant as he looks

Scott Conant, might be an arrogant sonofabitch, but he can also be tender, especially when a contestant (usually a female) is crying. Scott hates raw red onions, I know this because I watch the show. Inevitably, every episode, someone gives him raw red onions, and he makes the rest of their appearance miserable. You'd think that someone would catch on to this eventually, but no... they don't.

Sorry about this picture, Alex...
it was just too good to pass up.

Alex Guarnaschelli... what can I say about you Alexandra? I used to think that she was a major hardass, then I thought that she might just be grumpy, but now, after some time getting to know her, I think that Alex might actually just be uncomfortable on TV. She's getting better though - especially after her time on The Next Iron Chef - she seems more animated and warmer. Maybe she realized that bitchy doesn't read well on TV, or maybe she's just learned how to give criticism... Either way, I love ya Alex! Don't stop rolling your eyes, especially at Scott.

Sometimes at home, Ben and I play Chopped. Not to say that I eliminate him when I cook a better meal with the ingredients, but we play the hypothetical 'what would you do with...' game, and it usually turns out pretty well.

So it is here and now that I petition the Food Network:

PLEEEEASE do a "Chopped: Home cooks" series! Don't give us insane things like dragonfruit, cow eyeballs, or lizard testicles. Give us normal things, and see what we create with them. And then, whoever wins gets their own food network show. Deal? Deal.

Good idea, right?