What's Cookin'!!

When I was working for Jason's Deli, I got my ServSafe certification. ServSafe is a food handling training course, and it was a personal goal of mine to obtain. I recently framed and hung it in my kitchen. Just like in a restaurant. And it's good until 2013!! Love it!!

But the most exciting news of late is that I made my favorite meal from scratch this past Friday night. I love Fettuccini Alfredo, and rather than go out, I decided to try my hand at it at home. This is important because I've long been afraid to cook with cream, but apparently that is long gone. I bought the few ingredients (heavy cream, butter, and Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, dried fettucini pasta) and off I went to make it in my home.

And it was tasty. It was super tasty. It was so good, I had it again Saturday for lunch (I had another serving of sauce in the fridge). Here's a pic from Day 2.

ER: Season 1

I realize it seems very retrospective and almost odd that I would watch ER: Season 1 sixteen years later, especially when I prefer the medium of film over television. However, in my quest for knowledge and relentless research tendencies, I put this in my Netflix queue, and I'm glad I did.

Michael Crichton was a genius. Truly. Yes, this serial medical drama was picked up during the most popular time in his career, but he truly knew how to tell a story. I was dumbfounded by his work these many moons later, and would recommend it even today.

What made this pilot, this season, this show so amazing? Is it the raw, primal quality of life and death, blood and guts, trama and terror exposed for us to see? Is it the action-packed pace that keeps us on the edge of our seats? Is it the personal stories interwoven with the medical terminology that is over my head? I dare say it's none and all of these. It is the tension of the unknown and known sharing air space, but it's also the humanity displayed in super-human circumstances. Doctors "play" God, yet through the personal stories we see that they aren't. Dr. Greene is a faithful husband whose mistress is his career. Nurse Carol has an unparalleled administrative memory whose self-worth demon is on display for all to see. Dr. Ross is a compassionate and intuitive pediatrician who can only funnel those qualities to his children patients, but not his personal relationships. Dr. Lewis is caught between her past and her future, lost and persistent. Dr. Benton is surgeon obsessed with his own career at the expense of his family. And who could forget Dr. Carter, the rich-kid who is thrown into the deep end (literally) of how-the-other-half-lives.

Do I recommend taking the time to watch or re-watch this show? Yes, if you want to see a show that redefined a genre. Yes, there were medical dramas before, and there have been medical dramas after, but I challenge you, my dear readers, to provide an example that is as well executed, poignant, and unafraid as this one. I look forward to your comments.

Stars:
4 of 5

Recommend:
Yes. But be advised, the topics handled are for mature audiences, and are excellent for discussions on morals and ethics.

First Flowers 2010

Hello!!

It appears Spring has sprung, and hopefully we won't have a frost in the next several weeks. We had a harsh winter this year, and everyone around town agrees we've earned our nice weather and pretty flowers. My landlord cut back the beautiful garden so it would sprout back even more beautifully, and the dandelions are the first to make their appearance. The yellow is so cheerful, I wanted to make sure I shared.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!!

M.