Tuesday, January 4, 2011

TV and Soup

I watch A LOT of T.V. and I mean A LOT, not just like 3 or 5 shows- I am talking enough to be able to spend an entire week not speaking an actual word that is an original thought…. I could spend an entire week doing nothing but quoting TV shows holding conversations, referencing actors …At times I wonder if this is okay? Then I remember… what good is that Dish Network Bill and Netflix account if I do not use them? What in the world was Hulu created for? ME- that is right ME.
When Brian and I got married, I lost control of the remote… for the first 5 yrs I was fine sitting on the couch reading cookbooks, learning to cook meals… Heck I gained 30 LBs since we got married…I know how to cook like Paula, Rachel and can even pull off a Emeril if I need to… Then …I discovered Hulu and my cousin Irene told me about her Netflix account and  I got Netflix (actually she let me log in as her- but I wanted the DVDs so I had to get an account- otherwise forget about watching HBO shows).
I watched entire seasons of shows I had no idea existed in those 5 yrs of reality tv, sports and “How it’s Made” episodes that Brian so closely held to his heart. Except for LOST… because LOST was the one show I put my foot down and forced him to another room with another TV- I would not tolerate the channel surfing for that one hour a week, and he complied, of course I rewatched LOST each week on ABC.com since I Facebooked the entire show-
I watch(ed) Arrested Development (CawCaCaw), Kitchen Confidential(if you haven't seen this- you need to, it is on Hulu all 15 episodes), Bones (David Boreanaz is my hero), Castle, CSI (all of them) Law and Order SVU, Dexter, True Blood (I am NOT a fangbanger- I am a Jason Stackhouse fan), Modern Family, The Gates, Flash-forward, V, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, The Tudors, Lie to Me, Justified, Leverage, Blue Bloods, The Middle, The Office, Rizzoli and Isles, Dead Like Me( I now refuse to allow any stranger get close enough to brush up against me- not like I used to allow them too- but I am more aware of it now), Fringe, Human Target (Can you mix up the A-team, MacGyver and Lethal Weapon? Yes, Yes you can!)… The list goes on and on…

It is a standing joke between my friend Grace and I that we cannot walk past a van with no windows for fear of being kidnapped.. I could probably defend myself in any situation though thanks to Rizzoli and Isles.
I do not play favorites, I watch them all… I give all shows a chance- unlike Networks that cancel my favorites like FlashForward and then keep V…I am still torked about that. I watch them like most people listen to the radio. I know the Characters, their voices, I do not even need to *see* the show.
I try to watch them after the kids are in bed, on my laptop…this is getting harder to keep up with though, as I promise to do a load of laundry a night, make sure everything is good to go for the next nights dinner and make sure I kinda pick up the mess of the evening. My house is lived in, my sink has dishes in it, I make no promises that Brian and I won’t have a can of soup for lunch since we pack everyday… sometimes watching Raylan (Justified) and his cowboy hat, Lightman(Lie to Me) tell someone they are lying or Olivia (Law and Order SVU) help a child is just too much temptation for me and the laundry remains on the drying rack for the night.
I like to read too~ don’t get me wrong, but my reading consists lately of teen fiction. I don’t care how old of a woman you are, stuff like Twilight and the Hunger Games are incredible.. escapism. Isn’t that what reading and watching TV is all about? Escaping?

So- what are you watching and reading… I wanna know… 

On a soup note- I am going to try to post a picture of Dinner and the recipe each night… of course, this is an insane promise- which is why I typed “try”….
So here is the Meatball Minestrone Soup and the recipe!


Meatball Minestrone
6 Cups of water
2 cans of Beef Broth
2 tablespoons of chicken soup base
½ bag mixed frozen veggies
2 tablespoons dried minced onions
1 tablespoon each of Pepper, Oregano, Basil
1 Can of white cannellini beans
1 can of stewed tomatoes
½  a box of Whole Wheat spaghetti broken into small pieces ( like 2 inches long)
1 bay leaf
Like 30 or so homemade meatballs….

Place all ingredients except Meatballs in large sauce pan, bring to high simmer until spaghetti is al dente- cool word huh? Honestly how often do you as a regular person get to use Al Dente…
Then add Meatballs and simmer for like 20 minutes- until meatballs are cooked thru…
Oh- remove the bay leaf too!

Enjoy!
If you try the recipe- lemme know!~~

5 comments:

  1. OK when did you make the homemade meatballs if you were watching that much TV, and I want your meatball recipe if it's that easy to multitask?

    As for your question, I have weaned myself off TV big time since moving to State College ... not sure if it's the allure of Facebook or something in the water ... but I tend to have ONE primetime show that I watch religiously. When ER went off the air I thought I was done but now I've found Parenthood which is on again tonight after something like a 1-month hiatus. Far too long! And how many of Amanda's other followers will admit to having a crush on Adam Braverman? Come on ladies, fess up!

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  2. I love Parenthood!
    and I made the meatballs in a fit of craziness on Sunday night since I felt like I wasted my break LOL!
    I literally just used 2 lbs of ground beef~ seasonings like oregano, pepper, one small diced green pepper, one diced onion,crushed saltines, 2 eggs, and I doctor up the seasonings like no bodies business.. I tend to over season, since I get them at Pieghts in Belleville- which is another post entirely!
    You can totally use those frozen ones- believe me-it is rare that I make meatballs.. it was truly a mad moment that I was making them LOL
    I watch too much TV- in spurts- I stick to one series at a time too- except when they are on Hulu.. and I can watch them the day after they air;)

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  3. This weekend I was at a retreat in the mountains at a cabin. All the other girls left Saturday afternoon even though we had the place booked unitl Sunday afternoon.

    I spent like 8 hours watching SNAPPED and Investigative Discovery Channel, which shows true life crime mysteries.

    What was I thinking? I finally turned off the tv at 2 a.m. and realized my head was full of crime stories and I was in thd middle of nowhere all alone with no cell phone reception. Good move, huh?

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  4. You are such a good mom! I'm sure that your family appreciates your good home cooking and all the wonderful memories of Life with Amanda!

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  5. Karen- you shoulda driven up to the tower- and called me!!! I woulda visited with you LOL... I would driven home honestly- LOL

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