It’s been awhile since I’ve updated what I’m watching and what I think about what I’ve seen.  I had lunch with some of the girls on Friday and this came up.  Of course, we didn’t have a lot of time to get into the details of things … unfortunately … so I am thinking a post is in order.  This is not an all-inclusive accounting but rather a representation of the newer shows on TV that I happen to remember off the top of my head. 

As an aside, I cannot how delighted I was to find that ABC and FOX are now making some of their shows available On-Demand via Comcast.  I’d really like to have a subscription option per channel and even per show.  How cool would that be?!

• The Killing, AMC Sundays @ 10
• I really like this show.  There are plenty of suspects and intrigue.  Just when I think I have it figured out I watch the next episode and realize that I’m wrong!  I like shows that make me think!
• Chicago Code, FOX Mondays @ 9
• This show is growing on me.  I like that it’s telling stories from a lot of different perspectives with each having a chance to narrate.  Will this show make the cut?  I’m not 100% sure but I’ll keep watching it to the bitter end.
• Game of Thrones, HBO Sundays @ 9
• We have 3 episodes under our belt.  It got a 2nd season after the 1st episode.  I, for one, am delighted!  This show has surprised me at least once.  I am actually watching this one in real-time.  Yeah, I like it that much!
• Camelot, STARZ Fridays @ 10
• I know – did we really need another King Arthur series?  Yes, I think we did.  This show got 10 episodes for it’s first season and we are about 1/2 way through them.  My favorite part is Joseph Fiennes as Merlin. 
• The Borgias, SHOwtime Sundays @ 9
• This has been billed as the original crime family.  Jeremy Irons is very entertaining as Pope Alexander VI.  He is really sinking his teeth into this role, I think.  This series got 9 episodes.  Of course, there are many reporting that SHO time has taken liberties in the story – ages of children, who was murdered, when & why, etc.  I say – d’oh … SHO is committed to entertainment.  =D
• Raising Hope, FOX Tuesdays @ 9:00
• I find this show hilarious.  I love “Burt” … that actor (Garret Dillahunt) literally makes me laugh out loud.  I had no idea how funny he could be after watching him on the Sarah Connor Chronicles!  Martha Plimpton is fun as Burt’s wife, “Virginia”.  I like the way their interact.  I also think Cloris is doing a fantastic job as Virginia’s grandmother – she gets some good lines.  I’m so happy they’ve gotten renewed for a 2nd season.  It’s so hard to find quality comedies right now!
• Breaking In, FOX Wednesday @ 9:30
• This show has not won me over after a couple of episodes.  I’m not sure it’s going to make it.  Christian Slater is in it so I had hopes it would be worthwhile.
• Happy Endings, ABC Wednesday @ 9:30
• This show hasn’t won me over yet although it has Damon Wayans, Jr. on it and last week Damon Wayans, Sr. dropped in.  I just haven’t laughed very much with it.  I’m likely not it’s target audience.  I think ABC has done a great job  with The Middle, Better with You, and Modern Family.  These shows consistently make me laugh out loud.
• Traffic Light, FOX Tuesday @ 9:30
• This show replaced Running Wilde which was absolutely horrible.  I think I laugh sometimes with Traffic Light but I’m still not sold on it as a show that will stay on my ‘must see tv’ list.

Folks, I’ve just made the best savory grits ever.  I’m not sure why I’ve never added Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix to my grits before but I haven’t.  Wow – I’m glad I’ve tried this now.  And, I will be including it regularly from now on, I tell you what!  It’s amazing how much flavor that mix adds to these grits.  I also included Ro-Tel and a little can of the Old El Paso green chilies for a little kick.  To help with the creaminess, I used some cream cheese and some buttermilk.  Yeah, so, this is definitely not a Hungry Girl or Ellie Krieger recipe.  But sometimes I think you have to live a little!

This was great with our Crockpot Fajita Roast beef but I think you could pair it with anything really.  Shoot – I’d like these grits as the main course even!

Ranch-Chili-Cheese Grits

• Grits Base
• 2 C water
• 2 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 C grits (I used Quaker Oats Quick Grits since I am adding so much flavor to them)
• Add-ins before baking
• 4 oz cream cheese, small dice
• 4 oz Monterey Pepperjack cheese, shredded
• 1 Can Ro-Tel, drained reserving juice
• 1 4 oz can of Old El Paso diced green chilies
• 1/2 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, bring water, chicken broth, and buttermilk to a boil.  Add the butter, salt, and grits.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheeses, drained Ro-Tel, diced green chilies, and Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix.  Taste for seasonings and stir in about 1/4 C of the Ro-Tel juice (more or less to taste).  Stir in beaten egg after tempering it with grits.

Pour grits into prepared 9×13 pan.  Sprinkle the top with smoked paprika.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden on top.  Let grits sit for 20 minutes.  Serve.

Have you ever seen or heard of Dave’s Killer Bread?  It is amazing bread.  Great flavor!  Soft with just the right amount of chew.  Honestly, this is now my all-time favorite store bought bread. 

I find that I now eat my toast or sandwiches from the bottom up with this bread because the top crust is amazingly delicious, especially the 21-Grain when toasted.  The sesame seeds at the top taste amazing.  If you give this bread a try, will you also start to eat it from the bottom up?!  (How many times can I use amazing in a single paragraph, right?  Just wait until you try this bread.  I think you’ll be using ‘amazing’ a lot to describe it as well!) 

My favorite loaf is the Killer 21 Whole Grain which is 100% Whole Grain with 5g of fiber and 6g of protein.  (They also have a light version but I’ve only found the normal version in the stores.  The light version is supposed to have 65 calories vs. 110 or 120 per slice, just FYI).  This bread does not make my blood sugar spike at all.  Another reason to love it as if the flavor and texture were no enough!

The other loaf I’ve tried is the Blues bread which has 4 g of Fiber and 5 g of protein as well as 320 mg of Omega 3 ALA.  I like the Blues bread but the Killer 21 Whole Grain is more up my alley because of the seeds on the top crust.  I am looking for the Robust Raisin now as I love toasted raisin bread with breakfast.  One thing that gives me pause is the 150 calories per slice.  I wonder if he’ll ever make this in a light version. 

One I’ll likely never try is the Sin Dawg which they bill as the ultimate Sinnamon Roll.  It looks amazing though.  The stats for it are 200 calories per 2 oz serving with 3g fiber and 5g protein. 

So – where can you find it?  If you live in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, or Washington you can find this wonderful bread in a variety of stores.  There are 58 stores in the PacNW that carry it including:  QFC in Kirkland, Redmond, Mill Creek, etc. or PCC or Fred Meyer as well as online.

Wow-wee-wow-wow!  This recipe really knocked our socks off.  The flavor in the meatballs and the sauce were just divine.  Party in the mouth!!

This is not an original recipe but rather a recipe that is a conglomeration of some of mine and others I found on the web.  Also, I’ll warn you … it’s a semi-homemade recipe.  I know that some folks are completely turned off by using cream of soups and whatnot so if you want to make you own sauce … knock yourself out! For me, I wanted something that I could pull together quickly where my oven would do most of the work.  This recipe delivered there.  The sauce was so good I wanted to drink it with a straw!  =p

The meatballs are actually a variation of one of my many meatloaf recipes.  I actually think that I’ll make this next with ground turkey or chicken to help improve the nutritional value.  I decided to serve this over the Barilla Plus penne since my blood sugar seems to be very tolerant of that particular brand.  This would be great over the traditional egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or whatever pasta you have on hand.  Oh – and a note about the sauce – if my kids weren’t so picky, I would have included sautéed mushrooms and onions as part of the sauce.  How divine would that be?!

There is one thing I did this time around that I have never done before.  I will do this again in the future though because I was so pleased with how it turned out!  Instead of using bread crumbs or oatmeal in my meatballs, I used a Shake’n Bake Parmesan Crusted  envelope.  Who knew they still made this, right?  Who knew how delicious it would be in meatballs?!  I just happened to have it in the pantry but I was out of both Progresso bread crumbs and oatmeal.  Sure, I could have put grits in it but I thought the Shake’n Bake would work better.  Boy – am I ever happy I used it!  I may use this in my meatloaf recipes in the future!  Anywho … without further adieu, here’s how I made our wonderful Swedish Meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs

• 16 oz Penne (or egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or other pasta), cooked to package directions
• Meatballs
• 2 pounds hamburger (I used 4% fat)
• 1 envelope Kraft Shake’N Bake Parmesan Crusted
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp dried minced onion
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 C Kraft grated parmesan cheese
• Sauce
• 1 26-oz can Cream of Chicken
• 1 14-oz can Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic
• 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 12 oz sour cream
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic from a jar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• 1/2 C Kraft grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and get it mixed well.  Shape into meatballs and place in prepared 9×13 pan.  Roast at 425 for 20 minutes.  Prepared the sauce at this point. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients.  Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.  After meatballs have roasted for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven and drain off grease.  Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the meatballs.  Reduce oven temperature to 375.  Put the Swedish meatballs back into the oven.

Bake the Swedish meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes.  (I let this go for 45 minutes, just stirring after 25 to 30 minutes.)  Serve over pasta, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Pair this with a simple green salad and rolls of some sort and you have yourself a nice meal!

So, we are in the final countdown to Easter Sunday.  While I am not enthusiastic about the commercialization of Easter, I must confess that I do enthusiastically plan our Easter feast.  It’s typically our first homage to Spring.  Here in the Pacific Northwest Spring is definitely taking its sweet time in getting here!  I can’t remember a year where I’ve been so ready for Spring.  I suppose it’s partially because our temperatures and weather are just so unSpring-like.

Do you have a standard Easter feast you like to serve?  I know some folks love to do lamb for Easter while others are using it as an opportunity to serve up another Turkey supper.  I know a few that go for a nice beef brisket.  That’s all good and I’ve been known to occasionally dabble with lamb at Easter too.  But by and large, for me, Easter is all about the ham, baby.  I typically build our feast around that.  In a lot of years past, I would pony up $$ for a nice Honey-Baked Ham.  This year, though, I have another plan.  One I’m a little excited about.  I really liked the Whiskey-Sour Cherry ham I’ve done in the past but I’m in a mood to change it up this year!

So, with that spirit, I’ve decided to make a Bourbon-Maple Ham.  Yum!  I’ll put the recipe I plan to use below.  With the ham, we’ll be enjoying homemade Potato Salad, green bean casserole, baby asparagus with a balsamic glaze, and deviled eggs.  I think my favorite part of this feast is that most of it is made a day or 2 before.  I’ll be baking the ham and green bean casserole on Easter while preparing everything else in advance.  Sigh.  The closer Easter Sunday gets … the more excited I get!

Bourbon-Maple Ham

• 1 spiral sliced, bone-in ham
• 1 C brown sugar (I’ll be using brown sugar Splenda)
• 1 C pure Maple Syrup
• 1 C Gulden’s Brown Mustard
• 3/4 C bourbon

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

If you aren’t using a spiral sliced ham, remove skin from ham and trim fat to a thin layer (about 1/4” is what we like).  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, maple syrup, and bourbon.  Spoon evenly over the ham.

Bake for 2 hours basting the ham with the juices collecting in the pan every 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove ham from oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Dear Forest,

Recently I wrote a blog post complaining about you and your new show.  Here we are, several weeks out and I’m writing you to tell you how very sorry I am for ever doubting you or your choices.  Yes, I was ‘ye of little faith’ surely!  I confess that I was wrong.  And not just a little wrong—I was majorly wrong on your characterization of Sam Cooper as well as whether or not the team had any chemistry.  Not to mention whether or not the show should be canceled.  I was wrong on every count!

This week the most remarkable thing happened.  Instead of watching the original Criminal Minds first, I watched your Suspect Behavior first and I loved it.  I don’t just mean I loved it.  I mean that I really, really LOVED it.  I can honestly say that about the last 3 episodes.  I loved them.  In fact, I’ve actually grown to prefer Suspect Behavior over the original Criminal Minds.  No one is more surprised by this fact than me! 

So, Forest, please forgive me for my short-sightedness and my horrible review of you, your characterization and your new show.  My death bell was premature.  Again, I apologize!!  I promise that next time I’ll wait for the 6th episode before I pan you or your show. 

Thanks, –Susan

I recently finished reading Mosab Hassan Yousef’s book, Son of Hamas.  I subscribe to Joel Rosenberg’s blog and was a reference to the book from him.  I’ve never really thought too much about the Israel-Palestine conflict.  I have to say that this book gave me an interesting perspective and insight that I really appreciate.  Joel actually wrote a review of this book out on Amazon entitled, “Love your Enemies?  How the Son of the Founder of Hamas went from Jihad to Jesus”.  Of course I had to read the review after that title.  Naturally, I had to read the book after I read Joel’s review!

Overall, the things I found most interesting was the intrigue as Mosab becomes a spy for the Israeli Intelligence service.  The challenges he faced trying to do the right thing and to keep his father safe while keeping his true loyalties concealed are just so interesting.  I wonder how much more of the story has been hidden.  I’d like to have more of the gritty details that I felt he glossed over perhaps in the interest of his personal security or Israeli security – dunno.  It just feels like there is more to this story than he is saying.

That being said, I still found this to be a very interesting book.  It becomes clear that neither the Israeli nor the Palestinians are totally the good guys or totally the bad guys.  They both do evil.  They both have their perspectives.  All in all – interesting story of a man’s life and God’s hand in it.

I never read the novel, Eat Pray Love, so I have no idea whether the movie stays true to the book or the spirit of the book.  Or, if the movie tells a different story than the book does.  I know that some folks get irritated if the movie tells a different story.  I actually enjoy that!  If I’ve read the book, I don’t need to see it in movie form.  What I can imagine is better than anything Hollywood will ever be able to create!

Overall, I thought this movie was just ok.  I’d give it 3 stars.  It has a lot of talking.  A lot.  Also, it is a total chick flick.  I’m a little more of an action girl.  I don’t mind some talking as long as it’s interesting.  I found myself thinking blah blah blah through a lot of the dialogue in this flick.  Or – whatever.  =D

My favorite part of this flick was Javier Bardem.  Wow – this is an actor with some depth!  I loved him in No Country for Old Men.  He was a very, very scary hit-man.  In Eat Pray Love he does a great job in this role too.  James Franco is pretty good too.  He plays such quirky guys.  I think my favorite James Franco character though is the one he played in Pineapple Express.  Yeah, I know.  I can’t explain it either.  I’m a freak.

If you find Eat Pray Love on HBO or Starz and you don’t have anything better to do, there are worse ways to pass a couple of hours.

We finally caught this movie over the weekend.  Wow – great movie!  It’s a little on the dark side though. 

Basically, we meet Micky and Dicky Ward.  Micky is played by Mark Wahlberg, an up and coming fighter, although he is getting a little old for this profession.  And Dicky is played by Christian Bale, who is supposed to be Micky’s trainer.   This movie is based on the true story of these brothers.

Dicky is a has-been boxer that once had a fight with Sugar Ray Leonard.  It’s his one claim to fame.  He talks about it nearly constantly too.  There is some disagreement as to whether Dicky knocked him down or if Sugar Ray tripped.  Dicky is a crack addict that is completely caught up in his own legend.  Christian Bale completely transforms himself – again – for a movie.  He’s skinny and plays the role all-in.  He did a great job in this role.

Their mother, Alice played by Melissa Leo, functions as Micky’s manager.  She is completely focused on Dicky, though, even though Micky is supposed to be getting his title shot.  The fights she arranges for Micky are just unacceptable.  It is really shocking that she is ok putting him in the ring against some of those opponents.  Alice is a complicated woman.  She is absolutely confident that she knows what is best for her kids and she expects complete obedience.  Yet – it doesn’t seem to go her way very often when all is said and done.

Micky’s girlfriend, Charlene played by Amy Adams, is the best thing that ever happened to him.  She manages to loosen the death grip his family has on him and turns the tide with regard to how they pull him down.  I have to say that I absolutely loved it when Amy and Micky’s 7 sisters got into a fist-fight.  Wow!  Crazy stuff!  I loved how Charlene stood up to the whole family and had no issues taking them all on for Micky’s good from the moment she became Micky’s girlfriend.  It’s a good thing she was a strong woman!

The family dynamic is so dysfunctional.  It just boggles the mind!  Alice had 9 kids!!!  Yikes!  The other 7 are all girls.  Just looking at all their big hair brought back memories of the 80’s.  Man!  Those were not good years for fashion or hairstyles, just saying.  =p 

The scene where Dicky is resisting arrest and Micky gets sucked in is just.so.shocking.  I just can’t believe that it happened.  Also, the fact that Dicky thinks that the HBO crew following him around to film his ‘comeback’ even though they keep telling him that it’s a documentary on the realities of crack addition is just so very sad!

I have to say that Christian and Melissa deserved their Academy Awards, in my opinion.  I’m a little disappointed that this film didn’t take Best Picture.  I think it deserved the award.

If you haven’t seen The Fighter yet, you should make time for it.  It’s not often I recommend a dark movie but this one is worth your time. 

March 2, 2009 is a day of sorrow for my family.  We lost a beloved husband, father, and man that day. 

I was there with him nearly 24 hours a day in the final 9 days of his life.  Here we are 2 years out and these days are still hard for me.  As many of you know, I tend to have insomnia (it feels like that’s a problem for me most of the time).  We call it the Olinger curse in my family as it’s something that has plagued generations of the women in my family.  The Olinger curse is typically worse for me these 9 days than any other day of the year.  I suppose it’s all so … fresh … still … after 2 years have passed!

I called my father BigD.  Others in the family called him Dad or Pops.  It’s funny how we each had a name for him.  It’s also fitting.  He was the type of father we each needed.  I didn’t realize that until we were all grown and out of the house.  I have many fond memories of my childhood.  My father was devoted to his family.  He made sure that we had everything we needed.  He taught us how to do things he thought important for us to know.  He played with us.  I still remember him taking us sledding when we lived in Alexandria.  He’d lay on the sled and we would all sit on his back as we flew down the snowy hill!  He made time for all the kids in the neighborhood too.  Even on his deathbed we laughed about my tendency to chase the other kids off because he was “my daddy” and I only wanted him to play with us.

My father was not perfect – who is?  He was, however, a great father, friend, and man.  He was someone you could count on.  He was someone you could trust.  He was a man who did his best.  He was a man who did his duty no matter what.  He loved his family.  He was a man who was well loved.

Folks say it gets easier after a loss like this.  We are only 2 years into living with this.  I wouldn’t say it gets easier.  I think the reality is that you just learn to live with the loss and treasure your memories even more.  That said, all I can say is:  “It is Well with My Soul.”  BigD loved this particular version of this beloved hymn.  It’s performed by The Isaacs.  It never failed to move him when they took it a cappella around the 2 minute mark. 

My mother taught me to love music.  My BigD introduced me to my love of sacred bluegrass.  To this day, I love the “stained glass blue grass” best of all the music I own.  Since my father’s death, I can’t hardly stand to listen to it … still.  For those of you who were in the hospital room with me that fateful night, you will understand why it makes me weep to this day.  This photo is one of my favorite pictures of my parents.  What a striking couple!  It was taken on their wedding day.  My mother’s father and her 2 sisters are sitting behind my parents. 

Here are some of my favorite photos of BigD:

Rest in peace, BigD.  By the way, tell Jesus my bags are still packed and by the door.  I’m ready and waiting!  =D