Raw eggs and ham ...

Here is how I spent the past week: 

ALL THE NEW FOODS I MAKE

I made two things this week with the word "casserole" in the title, which Chuck considers evidence that my West Duluth indoctrination is now complete. If I start calling these "hot dishes," I'm going to need Princess Kay and Garrison Keillor to come here and kick my ass.

Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole: This was a deviation from your standard glop that includes clumps of Cream of [Fill in the blank]. This was an upgrade that required a mix of milk, dry white wine, and flour to give it that Minnesota consistency. It was the liquor saturated onions that made the meal, and also the crunchy bread crumbs on top. Like. Also, I didn't use a skillet. I hate skillets [read: am afraid of] more than I hate woks [doubly fearful of].

Grits and Greens Casserole: This one wins the over-achiever award. I thought I was making something medium good, and it turned out to be amazing -- albeit not very filling. I think we both had thirds on it. Grits with salsa and cheese sandwiching a mix of kale, onions and garlic. My god.

Eggs Benedict: I just made this as an excuse to test Julia Childs' recipe for Hollandaise Sauce. The verdict: Pretty nervy. Kinda cooked egg yolks and lots and lots of butter. Not to mention my poached egg didn't turn out [didn't get the water to a decent roll]. So I had a bit of raw eggs slathered in raw eggs. I'm curious to see if I've been poisoned.

MOVIES I COMMIT TO
The September Issue: Is there anyone cooler than Anna Wintour? And I mean that in a lot of ways. But this documentary of the making of the September issue of the magazine is awesome.

Extract: Chuck brought it to my attention that I don't like comedies. I never realized that, but I think he might be a little bit right. This one, however, is awesome. Hilarious Office-space like story of an extract factory. Stars Jason Bateman, who I am very proud of for being a child actor turns respectable adult actor. I'm glad that one face on my Teen Beat wall of fame is still kicking.

BOOKS
I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I've Dated by Julie Klausner: When it comes to comedy writer, I've figured out the exact coordinates that need to exist in a piece: Women with an arsenal of adjectives, super clever metaphors, a Sinatra smoothness with topics that are of a vaginal nature, and the ability to boil down flings and relationships to extract the hilarity. 

Full review will be here.