Monday, July 30, 2012

Cornmeal Pancakes

You know, I'm not even much of a pancake person, and yet I've got a few pancake recipes up here. Don't endeavor to understand it, because I sure don't. If I were given the choice between pancakes or waffles, I'd choose waffles. Pancakes or french toast? French toast, always.

But pancakes are easier to make. Waffles involve a waffle iron, and french toast is better with fancy bread that I don't have on hand. So... pancakes it is.


These pancakes use cornmeal. I don't remember what I had to get cornmeal for in the first place, but now I've got it sitting in a cupboard and I've got to use it up! Do you have any favorite recipes that use cornmeal? Lead me to them! Please!

Cornmeal Pancakes
(via The Pioneer Woman)

1 1/2 cup scant all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup heaping yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp baking powder
4 Tbsp sugar
2 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp butter, melted

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside for now.

In a medium bowl, mix milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring gently. Stir in the melted butter. If your batter is too thick, you can add in another splash of milk.

Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. When heated, drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove from skillet and serve up how you like - butter, syrup, or maybe you like some jam on them instead!

In photos:

All the dry ingredients mixed together.

And the wet. If you want nice thick pancakes, use whole milk if you can.

Add the wet to the dry.

I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I used a stainless steel one instead. Pancake tip, the one on the left there is about ready to flip. You can tell when it's all bubbly like that. The one on the right, not quite yet!

Yep, there it is, flipped! Now the one on the right is about ready to go too.

Holy cow this makes a LOT of pancakes.

Put on some butter and syrup and you're ready to chow down.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

SYTYCD S9: Second Live Performance; Second Elimination

This season of SYTYCD is kinda weird, right? I'm getting used to having the eliminations on the same night as performances now, and I actually kind of like it because those results shows are always so bloated. But now we're going to have another break in between new episodes. That's right, no new episodes until 8/15! It's because of the Olympics, so this shouldn't come as a complete shock, but still, it can't help ratings.

Recap/review of So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 - Second Live Performance by freshfromthe.comTonight's show featured guest judge Christina Applegate, who had some really great comments throughout the night. One of the better guest judges on the show, right? I think so. The opening group number was a sort of black and white themed thing that was choreographed by Tyce Diorio, and after finding that out I wrote in my notes, "No wonder I was eh about it." I feel bad always sort of dissing his choreo, but what can I say, I hardly ever like it.

Now on to the routines...

Tiffany & George - These two had a NapTab hip hop routine about babysitting. Can I be honest? I thought it was kind of boring. It was just really light, and I get it, that's how they like to start the show. Something light and fluffy, but I have to agree with Nigel a little bit (gasp!) in that he wants to see some more down and dirty hip hop. We've seen a lot of this lighter, story-based stuff, let's get krunk in here, people. That being said, they both danced this fine, but I'm not sure it's enough to get them a ton of votes. Particularly when we come to find out that George was in this week's bottom three guys.

Amber & Brandon - They danced a Ray Leeper jazz piece that unfortunately came a week too late. The judges rightly praised Amber for this routine, because she danced the hell out of it. Can you imagine if she'd had to do this sexy thing with her old partner Nick? I cackled at the mere thought! That being said, I didn't think Brandon had much actual dancing to do in the number in comparison. Nonetheless, it was sexyyy, but in the end these two were already in the bottom three from last week.

Janelle & Dareian - This pair had a latin ballroom piece choreographed by Pasha, and ooph. It did not go well. Not to mention that it was paired with the most annoying/catchy song of the moment, which is now, of course, stuck in my head. The dancing, though, was not great. That lift was super clunky. Janelle still isn't doing anything for me, I feel like she's more of a camera whore than a dancer sometimes. The judges gave both of them a lot of criticism, and I kind of have to agree. Dareian also was in the bottom three for the night from last week.

Lindsay & Cole - These two had a Mandy Moore contemporary piece that was probably my favorite of the night. It had a love/hate theme and was really quite beautiful, I may or may not have gotten some actual chills. I was especially impressed with Lindsay, who I wouldn't have said was a ballroom dancer based on just seeing that routine alone. Likely a defining moment for her, even though she was also in the bottom three this week.

Amelia & Will - Wait a minute, two Mandy Moore routines in a row? Yep, this one a jazz piece. It was an enjoyable, punchy, pretty cool routine, despite Nigel's poo-pooing on it. What was most hilarious, however, was in the pre-show footage how Mandy Moore was kind of obsessed with dancing with Will herself. Ha, loved it. I'm not sure I'm on the Amelia bandwagon. I know she's a good dancer, but there's something I'm not quite connecting with. But she and Will make a great pair, so I think they'll be around for a while.

Audrey & Matthew - They had a Liz Lira salsa routine and... yikes. First of all, that red suit they put poor Matt in? Hideous. And the routine itself just felt so lackluster. Everything about it was missing energy; it really just felt like it was slowed down a couple beats or something. I don't know, but it was quite possibly my least favorite routine of the night.

Witney & Chehon - These two had a Stacey Tookey contemporary number that everyone kind of went a little nuts over. Look, it was good. But the amount of praise heaped? I'm not sure it was that good. Though that jump fall lift thing was truly amazing, I will admit. I want to see that over and over again. But there was something not quite smooth enough for me in Witney's dancing, and the whole thing felt too short. I guess too short is better than too long, though.

Eliana & Cyrus - If ever there was a tailor made routine on this show, the NapTab hip hop piece these two had was it. A ballerina taken out of her shell to join a robot? I mean, I'm pretty sure they made it just for them, which is perhaps defeating the purpose of the competition a little bit, but does make for more entertainment value for the viewers. And let's face it, it was pretty great. Honestly the first one of theirs that I actually liked, which is weird since I like both of them. So I was pretty upset when it was revealed that Eliana was in the bottom three girls. Say it ain't so!

This week, after the bottom six reveal, the judges asked for two of each of the guys and girls to perform a solo, which you could then basically infer the one who didn't was already deemed safe. A little hokey, I guess, but nonetheless...

Bottom 3 girls:
Lindsay - not asked to do a solo
Amber - perfectly perfunctory contemporary solo
Eliana - beautiful control in a contemporary ballet solo

Bottom 3 guys:
George - not asked to do a solo
Brandon - stepping didn't particularly translate too well for me, didn't seem like much more than running around a lot?
Dareian - a lot of tricks, but there's something magical about them

In the end, it was pretty obvious who would be getting the boot after the reveal. There was just no way that Amber and Brandon weren't going. Particularly with Lindsay and Eliana in the bottom, Amber probably knew she had no chance. If Janelle had been in there, however, it probably would've been a different story. If she's not in the bottom next time, you may see smoke coming out of my ears.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Cake Balls

So I had this grand idea. I'd make cute little cake pops for a small 4th of July celebration. They'd be super cute and everyone would love them and life would be great.

Cake Balls by freshfromthe.com


Then I tried to make them. And it was HARD. Like, I didn't know it would be so hard. They seem like they should be easy. A little cake, a little melted candy coating, a popsicle stick, what could go wrong?

The balls could slide down the stick for one thing. They could maybe have too much frosting in them, or maybe the chocolate was not melty enough, or probably I didn't let them cool enough. The point is, I quickly abandoned making pops and switched to just balls. And they aren't pretty like Bakerella's. Hers are so pretty. Granted, she's had a lot of practice. But man, it made me feel pretty dumb.

I guess this is one of those learning curve things? But with the amount of hassle I experienced, I'm not sure I'm going to try making them again any time soon. But if you want to try it, please do, and let me know how it goes!


Cake Balls

Ingredients
  • 1 box chocolate cake mix (cook as directed on box for a 13x9 cake)
  • 1 can vanilla frosting
  • 1 package white chocolate candy coating (I used Merckens)
Cooking Directions
  1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl.
  2. Mix thoroughly with most of the can of frosting. You probably won't need to use the whole thing, you don't want them to be too goopy.
  3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Chill for several hours, or put in the freezer for a bit.
  4. Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between each zap, until it's all melty.
  5. Roll balls in the chocolate and lay back on the wax paper until firm, using a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate, tapping off the extra.
Adapted from Bakerella

In photos:


Cake mix about to go in the oven. You're going to need eggs, water and vegetable oil for the cake.


Bake in a 13x9 pan according to box directions, which is probably at 350F for 26-31 minutes.


After the cake is cooled, crumble into a large bowl.


Mix in the frosting. I suspect maybe I used a tiny bit too much, maybe? I don't know!

Cake Balls by freshfromthe.com

Roll it into balls. You can see I started to try to make some pops in the corner there. I quickly abandoned that notion!


Melt up the candy coating. Get your sprinkles ready if you feel so inclined.

Cake Balls by freshfromthe.com

I don't have any pictures of the agonizing process of dipping these things. As you can see, I ended up with a few pops, but not many. I also made the colossal mistake of trying to dye some of the melted chocolate with food coloring to make some red ones, which I am telling you right now: DO. NOT. DO. THAT. It will turn the chocolate into a hard, impossible blob. It's something about the water that does it.

The good news is, despite my trials and tribulations, they still tasted great. And I suppose that's all that really matters in the end, right?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

SYTYCD S9: Top 20 Perform, Part 2

Can I just say how weird it is not to have a results show anymore? Not that I don't like it, as they were always incredibly bloated, but the offing of four dancers tonight felt very rushed and sort of like okay sorry, buh-bye! They didn't even get to dance solos! What is the world coming to! I suspect that this will change in the future, depending on who's in the bottom each week, but who knows. That's one thing about this show: they're always changing it up.
Recap/review of So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 - Top 20 Perform, Part 2 by freshfromthe.com

To be perfectly honest about tonight's show, I wasn't really in love with any of the routines particularly. None of them were outright horrible, but apart from two that I liked a touch more than the others, they were all sort of just good, but not great. That being said, let's talk about them...

Lindsay & Cole - These two had a Christopher Scott routine that was very character heavy (a theme of the night, to be sure), all about a nerd going to the dentist. I'm not sure there was really that much actual dancing in the routine; it felt more like a bit of light fluff. Not that it wasn't fun, because it was, but perhaps the funniest part of all was how Cole refused to break character once the dance was over.

Amelia & Will - In one of the better routines of the evening, these two had a Sonya Tayeh piece that was full of punctuated movements and staccato violin. What's interesting is that you wouldn't necessarily think these two would make a good match, but unexpectedly, they are actually great together. They were synchronized and clearly trusting of one another, which showed through in the dancing.

Amber & Nick - These two had a Miriam and Leonardo tango, and although the judges were quick to praise it, I felt like something was a little off, mostly, perhaps, in the chemistry department. Like, it sort of seemed like Amber was annoyed at Nick or something. It's possible that was just part of the characterization they were going for, but I don't know. The routine felt sort of stiff and emotionless to me, and, spoiler alert, I was not at all surprised to find that Nick was in the bottom three, though Amber was safe.

Audrey & Matthew - They had the second Sonya Tayeh piece of the night, which was much dirtier, but still one of the better pieces of the evening. It was hard hitting, darker, more aggressive, and honestly I tend to like that Sonya style better than her more traditional contemporary numbers. The judges went pretty mad over it, which is sort of becoming a trend, it seems. I will say, though, that despite being so tiny, Audrey had mad extension skills.

Janelle & Dareian - The second of the Christopher Scott routines was done by these two, and like I said last week, something about Janelle's dancing just seems a little lackluster to me. She's doing the moves, but she's not feeling them, that's the only way I can explain it. Dareian, on the other hand, was just as good as I've come to expect in so short a time. Nigel totally dissed Chris Scott on having another light routine, though! Oh man, choreographer burn!

Janaya & Brandon - What's this? A Broadway routine I don't hate? It's true! But it was choreographed by Sean Cheesman (instead of *ahem* Tyce), so maybe that makes a difference. It's actually kind of a pity, because I thought Janaya danced the crap out of it, getting really into her character and having a ton of fun, only to then find she was in the bottom three. Brandon, however, was not, which was actually a relief, I think he has more to show than he's had the chance to so far.

Eliana & Cyrus - Oh god, these two had a jive by Melanie and Tony, and... well, Eliana was great. I doubt she will ever not be great. But Cyrus? Yeah, this is not something for him to shine in. Granted, he didn't completely suck, but he seemed a bit uncomfortable and was missing a fluidity. Honestly I want him to be able to do a more emotional piece, because I think it could open something up in him, instead of these two light ones he's had so far.

Alexa & Daniel - These two had a Dee Caspary contemporary piece that had a big prop - a bathtub. I thought maybe the judges were going to overpraise it, when I actually found myself sort of getting distracted and not paying much attention, but then Adam basically said he felt it was missing something too. I'm not alone! Apparently, really not, because these two both ended up in the bottom three after last week. I guess all of that airtime for Alexa didn't mean much when it came time to vote!

Tiffany & George - Usually when a couple picks a foxtrot, it's like the sound of a death knell in the wind, but with this Tony and Melanie piece, these two actually seemed to nail it. It's a hard dance to get overly excited about in general, and I did think that their last life thingy was sort of weird, but otherwise they danced it really well.

Witney & Chehon - Rounding out the night was this pair with a Nakul choreographed Bollywood routine. It was crazy fast. They had to do so many intricate moves, but they did it all. There wasn't a lot of partner work, which was probably to Chehon's benefit, because he was vastly improved over last week, though it didn't keep either of them out of the bottom three. That's right, Witney was in the bottom three too, which was really the only surprise for me.

We also had an opening group number that I really enjoyed choreographed by NapTab, and an interlude by some of the dancers from the new Step Up movie that guest judge Adam Shankman couldn't stop yammering about. But, let's get back to the bottom three...

Girls:
Janaya
Alexa
Witney

Guys:
Nick
Daniel
Chehon

It's pretty obvious who they decided to save from the girls, right? I would've been outright shocked had it not been Witney, but it was, which means that sends both Janaya and Alexa packing. Out of the guys, I knew Nick would be getting the boot, but I kind of thought they would keep Daniel. Alas, it was not his lucky day, and Chehon got to stay instead. Which means that Amber and Brandon will be a new couple next week.

Do you agree with who went home? Do you feel sort of cheated that we didn't get to see their solos? Because I kinda do, to be honest.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, July 16, 2012

Top 10 Buffy Episodes

What's this? A vintage top 10 post? One that's already done in many other places, I'm sure, but as it's summer and I like doing these sorts of things, I figured what the hell.

I'm not sure you can really have your nerd TV cred without being a fan of Joss Whedon's work, in particular Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At times hilarious, at times tragic, but always engaging, Buffy fought vampires before vampires were cool and sparkly. You can go many places on the internet and find cool articles on why it was a great show, but that's not why you're here.

Because, let's face it, you just want to see the list. Hey, I get it. Please keep in mind that it's subjective. Everyone will have their own favorites, and I encourage you to share yours in the comments!

 10. The Zeppo (3x13)


"You know, it's not like I haven't helped before. I've done some quality violence for these people." - Xander

Oh, Xander. We all love you and your quips! I picked this Xander-centric episode over the possible other one, The Replacement, because I enjoyed how there was this whole huge apocalypse-y thing going on with the rest of the group, and Xander was off having his own adventure that eventually leads to him saving the others without them even knowing it.

9. Chosen (7x22)


"I wanna see how it ends." - Spike

The series finale of the show had to make it, I suppose, though I almost swapped it for something else. It had some classic humor, some boy angst, a sad death, and eventually led to the complete destruction of an entire city. So, hey. Epic? Plus Spike saves the world. Sob. I also love how at the end Dawn asks what they do now, and even though it's not said, the answer is clearly: live.

8. Tabula Rasa (6x08)


"Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh, God. I'm English." - Spike

By far one of the funniest episodes of the series. I don't have it as my quote above, but the part where Anya says something like, "keep it together, Joan." makes me laugh every single time. Really, what's not to love about this one? Spike thinking Giles is his dad, Anya thinking she's engaged to Giles, Willow and Xander thinking they're a couple, Spike figuring out he's a vampire, and them making a joke out of the whole vampire-with-a-soul thing.

7. The Gift (5x22)


"Someone else should be the gun. I could be a cudgel... or a pointy stick!" - Willow

Alright, complete honesty, this episode really makes it onto the list because of the ending. Buffy sacrifices herself to save Dawn, even though by this point she's found out she didn't exist until a year before. And we kind of all wish she had still never existed, right? Yes. Nonetheless, the score behind the whole sequence, and seeing the reactions of everyone to seeing her dead on the ground at the end make it all very affecting. 

6. The Wish (3x09)


"Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic." - Buffy

A classic Buffy episode, and a classic type of episode you see in most every supernatural series - the alternate universe. While more often than not these episodes tend to disappoint rather than enthrall, Buffy's was pretty good, depicting what would've happened had Buffy never come to Sunnydale. In short, the sh*t would've hit the fan. Xander and Willlow are vampires, the Master wasn't killed, Angel's locked up, and Buffy's sort of slayer robot. Definitely not a better reality. But it did introduce us in full to Anya, one of my favorite characters ever.

5. Innocence (2x14)


"To kill this girl... you have to love her." - Angelus

Buffy has sex for the first time, and the dude turns into a total demon. Figures! But it did make Angel more interesting, or Angelus, I should say. I mean, he did some really terrible stuff to try to break Buffy down, all because he had one moment of true happiness with her. Interesting that true happiness equals physical consummation of lovey dovey feelings. It's always about the sex for guys, isn't it?!

4. Becoming, Part 2 (2x22)


Angelus: Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends...No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?
Buffy: Me.

If you were a Buffy/Angel fan, the ending of this episode was heartbreaking. After dealing with the evil Angelus for half a season, hoping they might find a way to get Angel back, it's not until it's too late and she's going to have to kill him anyway that Willow is able to restore his soul. Of course it happens right before she has to do it! Of course! It has to be at the most gut-wrenching moment! The second season is one of the better entire seasons of the show, and this was a great ending for it.

3. Hush (4x10)


"Well, I guess we have to talk." - Riley

Do you want to know a secret about season four? Up through this episode, it's pretty damn good. And then it gets all Riley Initiative-y, and ugh. This episode gets a lot of props because it employs the idea of no dialogue for a good portion of it. And while some might call it a gimmick, it's nonetheless a gimmick that works. Because it's also not just a one-off episode, it propels the story forward as well, introducing Tara for the first time, and exposing Riley and Buffy to each other as being more than they appear. Plus, the gentlemen are creepy.

2. The Body (5x16)


"But I don't understand! I don't understand how this all happens. How we go through this. I mean, I knew her, and then she's, there's just a body, and I don't understand why she just can't get back in it and not be dead anymore! It's stupid! It's mortal and stupid! And, and Xander's crying and not talking, and, and I was having fruit punch, and I thought, well Joyce will never have any more fruit punch, ever, and she'll never have eggs, or yawn or brush her hair, not ever, and no one will explain to me why."- Anya

I know that's a really long quote to include, but it was one of my favorite speeches from Anya, because it totally encapsulates what loss feels like, the way you can be going about your daily life and it just hits you. Joyce's death was all the more poignant because it was natural; there wasn't anyone to blame or engage in avenge-y thoughts about. Also, not that you notice the first time you watch it, but later you do, there's no music throughout the entire episode, the silence of which made it all somehow even more effective. 

1. Once More With Feeling (6x07)


"Clearly our number is a retro-pastiche that's never going to be a break-away pop hit." - Anya

Had to go with the musical episode in the top spot, though I'm sure some would disagree. But here's the thing about it: it wasn't just some random one off episode that didn't have anything to do with the season's plot. Things were revealed, and Buffy and Spike kissed for the first time... not to mention the musical numbers were just a lot of fun besides. Most shows tend to jump the shark when they do a musical episode (hello, Grey's Anatomy), but it really worked for Buffy.

Honorable Mentions: Graduation Day (3x22), Something Blue (4x09), Fool for Love (5x07), Pangs (4x08), Beneath You (7x02)...

So, what are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!


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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

SYTYCD S9: Top 20 Perform

Recap/review of So You Think You Can Dance Season 9 - Top 20 Perform by freshfromthe.comChanges are afoot aplenty this season on So You Think You Can Dance! Since there will be both a guy and girl dancer to win this year, the voting starts off with voting for individuals rather than pairs. And since the show is only on once a week instead of twice, getting rid of the results show, the results will be revealed on next week's performance episode. There will still be a bottom three for both girls and guys, BUT they're going to be cutting two of each next week! Is this because there was ostensibly a missing show from last week due to the holiday? My guess is yes. My guess is also that they'll probably reveal the results either after each couple performs or after a group of three couples perform. Whether they still have time for solos, I don't know, but I would think they'd work them in. Just make the judges shut up a bit and it should be okay!

Because, to me, it seemed like the judges were really long-winded tonight! Well, at least Nigel and Mary were. Guest judge Kenny Ortega generally kept his comments short and sweet, which is what I prefer. This is about the dancing, isn't it?

Also, it really seemed to me that they back loaded the show this week. ALL the good dances were in the second half, right? I thought so, anyhow. Except for that opening group number, which I loved. And guess what! It was choreographed by my new favorite Christopher Scott. No wonder I loved it!

In chronological order:

Witney & Chehon - Louis Van Amstel samba. What ho, a samba for a latin dancer like Witney on her first performance show? What are the odds? High, apparently. And she danced the heck out of it, earning her firecracker bon mot rather handily, even getting a patented Mary wooo and a hot tamale train ticket. Chehon, on the other hand, suffered. I thought he was really hesitant throughout the dance, and the judges comments of telling him he needed to just let himself get into it more seems to be saying the same thing.

Tiffany & George - Sonya Tayeh contemporary. Can I be honest? This really just seemed like regular jumpy lovey floating contemporary to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and they certainly danced it well, but with the general lack of screentime Tiffany's had, and my current difficulty in conjuring up her face in my mind, I'm not sure how lucky she's going to be with the voters. I did really like that cool floor slide thing that George did, though.

Janaya & Brandon - NapTap hip hop (lyrical hip hop?), aka the one about alcoholism. Honestly I thought they both danced this pretty well, particularly since the main focus of the routine was on the story rather than epic dancing. The judges did pick a little bit on Janaya, though. And I'm just not sure that this routine was showy enough to get a lot of votes. Janaya is suffering from the same problem as Tiffany, in that I don't really remember her. I'd like to see more of Brandon because he's a stepper and that's just cool.

Alexa & Daniel - Sean Cheesman jazz. Can I just mention the shiny tight red pants? Because they were distracting me. I also found myself wanting to like it more than I did. There was a lot going on in terms of extreme moves, and the judges thought that sort of hindered their ability to perform for the audience in a more meaningful way.

Amber & Nick - Jason Gilkison Viennese waltz. Uh oh. A waltz! Unfortunately that almost always equals a trip to the bottom three, just because they're less showy than other dances. I was also kind of fascinated to see JG give Nick some grief during rehearsals! I don't think we've ever seen him get frustrated with a dancer in that way before! Incidentally, I loved her dress to pieces and I want it immediately. But, oh, the dancing! It was floating, fluid, pretty, exactly what the waltz should be. But can I give that Nick a tip, if he stays? Don't be so cheesy, please. I hate the mugging, I hate it so much.

Amelia & Will - NapTab "hip hop," but really jazz. The cat routine! I thought this routine was a LOT of fun, and it made me like these two a lot. They just had so much fun with it, and were able to show a lot of personality along with the dancing, and let's be honest, this show is just as much a personality contest as it is a dancing one. I wasn't sold on Amelia before this, but she's growing on me. And Will is just completely lovable. They got a lot of applause for this one, and Mary went kind of crazy!

Janelle & Dareian - Sean Cheesman African jazz. I have to say I liked this Cheesman routine a lot more than his other one, though it had just as many difficult moves, I think. But they were more fluidy, maybe, so that's what made the difference? I will say, though, that although the judges were giving high praise to both dancers, I did think that Janelle wasn't quite hitting her steps as hard as Dareian, and with something that, as I understand it, is supposed to be sort of primal, was missing a little something for me. But still, I liked it quite a bit.

Eliana & Cyrus - Tyce Diorio Broadway. Oy. Okay, look, I hardly EVER like Broadway numbers on this show. Like, .5% of the time hardly. And this was really no exception, which is a shame, because I like both Eliana and Cyrus a lot. The audience, however, seemed to go wild for it, along with Tyce, who was giving Cyrus some serious crazy eyes during rehearsal. It didn't do it for me, but I may or may not have voted for Eliana anyway. :O

Audrey & Matthew - Travis Wall contemporary, aka the Titanic routine. Now he went a little bit literal with the whole chaise lounge and dressing up Matthew like Jack Dawson, but I have to say that whatever was lacking in that Sonya contemporary piece was present loud and clear in this one. I'm not sure if it was the connection between the dancers, or how the movement corresponded with the music, which Nigel mentioned, but whatever it was, it worked. And I always love me one of those death jumps through the air.

Lindsay & Cole - Jason Gilkison paso doble. I mean, wow. This was a powerful routine, and Cole was awesome. Mary went absolutely nuts for this piece, and I kind of don't blame her. It wasn't your typical paso doble, and that was a good thing. Honestly this piece was all about Cole for me, but obviously Lindsay danced it well right alongside him. Considering she is also a latin ballroom dancer, this should not come as a surprise. (HMMM, both the latin ballroom dancers get ballroom in the first week?! What are the odds!)

Who I think is in danger:

Girls: Tiffany, Janaya, maybe Amber or possibly Alexa if there's an overexposure backlash.

Guys: Nick (I will honestly be amazed if he doesn't get cut next week), Chehon, maybe Brandon or Daniel? Not sure on that last one. 

This is sort of conjecture, though, because it's hard to tell how people are going to vote in the first week. There could be a random surprise in there, too. It's been known to happen.

Okay, I now leave it up to you - Who are your early favorites? Who do you think will be in the bottom three? Hit up the comments!

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, July 9, 2012

Summer Berry Bundt Cake


Summer Berry Bundt Cake by freshfromthe.com

Do you know what is great about summer? I'm not going to say the sun, because 1) I live in Los Angeles, it's always sunny, and 2) I'm not a sun person. So why do I live in Los Angeles?! I wonder that sometimes too!

No, what I love is cheap berries. Berries, berries everywhere! On sale! All the time!

I can buy so many that I don't feel guilty for not just eating them straight up. Because I do, strangely, have this weird guilt about that when they are so good by themselves. But if you find yourself with an excess of berries that will soon go bad before you can eat them all, please PLEASE make this cake!

It is seriously yum. Double yum, even.

I mean, come on. Look at it!



Summer Berry Bundt Cake by freshfromthe.com

A deliciously moist cake that uses a combination of fresh berries and a glazed topping to make your dreams come true.

Ingredients:
  • 2 ½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • zest of 1 lemon (optional)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 cups mixed berries
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft
  • Juice from 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons milk)
Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a Bundt pan, either with butter or nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside for now.
  3. In your mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest (if you're using it, I didn't) until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. On low speed, add each egg one at a time, scraping down the sides of your bowl in between each one. Briefly beat in the vanilla.
  4. Add 1/3 flour mixture to the batter, beating until just combined, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, another 1/3 of flour, the rest of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour. Scrape down the sides whenever necessary, and don't over-mix.
  5. In your medium flour mixture bowl, toss the berries with your 2 Tbsp remaining flour, and gently fold them into the batter by hand (with a spatula, duh). It'll be thick, and that's good.
  6. Spread the batter, or plop it, in your prepared bundt pan, and smooth out the top. Bake for 55-60 minutes, rotating the cake 180 degrees after 30 so it brown evenly. Your cake will be done when a tester comes out clean.
  7. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter to finish cooling. Cool completely! I know you don't want to, but you must.
  8. Once cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice (or milk!) until smooth and thick. Drizzle over the top of the cake, letting it trickle down the sides. Serve immediately or keep covered for 3-4 days.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

In photos:


Flour mixture. Hint: if you use dried buttermilk instead of regular buttermilk, add in 3 Tbsp to your flour mixture at this stage.


Butter and sugar get mixed until fluffy.


After the eggs and vanilla are added in. Sorry for the bad light.


Buttermilk and flour have been added now. Hint: if you use dried buttermilk, you will alternate between your flour mixture and plain old water to get to this stage.


Toss your berries in 2 Tbsp flour. This is so they don't all sink to the bottom of the cake when baking. Hint: You can use any berries you like. I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. But you could substitute blackberries or marionberries too!


Fold them into the batter. It's okay if they break up a bit. It's not a beauty contest, right?


Plop and smooth your batter into your bundt pan. Stick it in the oven for 55-60 minutes, making sure to rotate after 30.


It should look about like this when it comes out. Let it cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.


Plop it out onto your serving plate. Ooh, pretty berry colors!


After it's cooled all the way, whisk up your glaze. Yours should be thicker; I used a bit too much milk in mine, I suspect.


After you've glazed and oohed and aahed, it's time to cut that baby and go to town!


Enjoy!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Many Deaths of Sam and Dean (Seasons 1-7)

I'm going to start off  by asking a random question: do you say Sam and Dean or Dean and Sam? It's one of those things I always wonder, for some odd reason. You can do it with any two people, really. I always say Sam and Dean, though it more often turns into SamnDean, one word style. Because this is clearly in need of some scientific data:


  • Sam and Dean
  • Dean and Sam
More polls: Läa 10000

Now on to the list of the moment! Today we're going to take a look at the many deaths of the brothers Winchester. I'm not sure you see the main characters die so much on any other show out there. I'm not sure one can really "rank" deaths. That just sounds morbid. Like aw man, that death was so awesome! But... he died? Yeah, but the way he... Right? Weird and morbid. That being said, we're going to talk about them anyway, because why the hell not? They always come back to life, after all.

I'm going to start with Sam, since, as we just talked about, I usually say his name first for whatever reason. And the order, I think I'm gonna go with the least affecting to the most affecting. Subjectively, of course. This is all subjective.

Sam! He dies. A lot.


Wishful Thinking (4x08)

It was debatable whether I should even include this one, because it's not 100% clear to me that he was killed by said lightning strike. But, others have said he was, so heck, here it is. This one is for more comedic effect than anything, so it's not that big a deal. We knew it was going to be reversed in mere seconds of screentime, so it gets a solid shoulder shrug rating. Because that's a thing, the shoulder shrug rating. I made it up, sure, but now it's a THING.

Loses his Lungs

Sympathy for the Devil (5x01)

Another debatable for me. Did he really die or did he just kinda go unconscious for a bit? Long enough to call it death, I suppose. Those angels, they just have it in for the younger Winchester, don't they? They just love to give him grief. And beat him up. And take out his lungs. You know, the norm. Still, this was another quick one, so not much more than a shoulder shrug too.


The Song Remains the Same (5x13)

You see? Another angel going after our dearest Sammy. This time it was Anna, who decided that the best way to get rid of Sam was to make sure he was never born. You know, so that whole nasty pending apocalypse thing could be avoided? Right. That. But heck, this is old hat to Sam by now, no way are the other angels letting him stay dead. Still, Dean gets pretty upset any and every time his brother is killed, even though he always comes back, in one way or another.


The Dark Side of the Moon (5x16)

Boy, Sam gets killed a lot in season five, huh? This is already the third one, and it's not even the last! Honestly, this was one of my favorite opening scenes of the show, ever. Them's big words, I know, but the way it was edited was great. How the final shot went straight into the blood splat title card? Awesome! Also? I believe this is the only time the two brothers die together. Aw.


Swan Song (5x22)

You may disagree with me here. You may think this should be the most affecting Sam death of them all, but to me, the one below takes the cake. Nonetheless, this was a pretty big one, and it caps off the final Sam death of season five, for a total of four deaths! That's pretty crazy. Anyway, this is a pure sacrificial death, and really was meant to be a final one, but of course he still came back. They just don't stay dead. But there was something kind of weirdly cheesy about how he fell back into that hole, so maybe that's why it doesn't garner top spots for me? Sure. SURE.


All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I (2x21)

The first Sam death was the moist poignant one for me. Though we knew that somehow, some way, he would have to be brought back to life, the way in which it went down was really sad. How Dean holds him and tells him to hang on, even though he's already limp dead boy. What would've happened if he'd actually killed Jake instead of letting him go? Dean wouldn't have made the deal, wouldn't have gone to hell, wouldn't have broken the first seal... you see, this death was a pivotal point, and that's why I call it the most affecting and effective!

Dean! He also dies a lot.


Appointment in Samara (6x11)

Strictly speaking, Dean was dead. But it was only a temporary death... okay, yes, they are all temporary deaths, but this one was a planned temporary death. For that reason, I hardly remembered to count it as a death at all. But here it is. Shoulder shrug.


The End (5x04)

Technically this is the death of FutureDean and not our actual Dean, but it still counts, I think? Sure. Sure it does! What's interesting about this death is that FutureDean, despite his apparent coldness and bravado, could not, in the end, kill Sam, even though he was possessed by Lucifer. The sadness in his eyes there at the end is the Dean we all know and remember. Also? How weird would it be to see yourself be killed by your brother? Ultra weird.


The Dark Side of the Moon (5x16)

Well, I already talked about this one up above, but I made separate graphics for each brother. I do like how the hunters argue about whether killing Dean along with Sam was right, but ended up doing it when they saw the look on his face. Yeah, you wouldn't want a pissed Dean Winchester on your ass either.


Mystery Spot (3x11)

Though there are a bunch of different deaths in this episode, I had to count them as one. Really I would count them as two, one for all of the first round of deaths, one for that second one on the Wednesday when it was actually permanent for a while. What's interesting about these deaths are that the first and the last are both pretty sad, while all the others in the middle are hilarious. The circle of death!


No Rest for the Wicked (3x16)

I mean, duh. Obviously this one would be tops for emotional impact in Dean deaths. The culmination of the ramifications from Sam's most poignant death above results in Dean's most poignant death here. Symmetry!

Did I miss any? I think I got all of them, but I'm not infallible. Which death hits you in the gut the most? No poll on this one, just because. But please leave comments! We all love comments.


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The Many Deaths of Sam and Dean Winchester by freshfromthe.com