Following the new season of It's Always Sunny

Guest post written by Mark Douglas
In the past few years I've kind of slacked off on watching live TV. Now most of the time I'll just wait until I'm at my parents to watch it on DVR or wait to order the DVDs of my favorite shows as soon as they come out. I decided to make at least one exception this fall TV premiere season though and that's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I've been a fan of the show forever and I was especially looking forward to watching it this season.
I read all the press I could find with my Clear Orlando about Rob's weight gain for his role as Mac. As soon as they started showing those Lifetime-esque previews for the season and I could see all of his weight gain, I was so interested again.
I really can't believe that he gained 50 pounds just for the show. But I guess that lots of other actors have gained and lost weight for certain roles. I just really didn't expect any of the members on It's Always Sunny to do it for the show.

Soccer Practice

Guest post written by my buddy Aldo Mays

My kids are really into soccer and for whatever reason their school practice has been outside this summer. I don’t know if you guys have been watching the news but it’s been over 100 degrees every day this week! I’m really worried about them working themselves too hard and I do all that I can to make sure they stay hydrated and get cooled off every so often. I keep the AC pumping at home thanks to Http://Newyorkenergyrates.com so that when they get back they’re not complaining about it being hot inside the house. I wish the coach would move at least their cardio training into the house but there’s nothing really I can do about it since I’ve complained to the school and they say the practice field is the only space they have money to give the soccer department this summer. I should have bought a house with a bigger backyard – then maybe they could have had practice out there and everyone could have used the pool to cool off!

Dirty Potatoes

I don't know what was more frustrating, trying to spell to the word potatoes and not misspelling like an ex-vice president or the fact that my clothes dryer broke. Lucky both were easy to look up on the internet, one being on the online dictionary and the other at http://www.canadapost.ca/shopper/. My friends have been begging me for this "dirty potato" recipe so I'm gladly posting it now. I try to explain the ease of making it, and though it may not be as easy to look up in the dictionary or at an appliance site, it is just about as easy. This recipe fluxes a lot when I make it as I adapt to what happens to be in the fridge at the time. Feel free to add or subtract things as you desire. Key ingredients are always some sort of breakfast meat, onion, pepper, potatoes, and mushrooms. I don't quite lay this recipe out in normal recipe form.

Slice 3 strips of bacon and place in a large frying pan at medium to medium low heat. Continue to place all the following items into the same frying pan as you cut them. Cut 5 breakfast sausage, I prefer the maple kind, into little 1/4 to 1/2 inch bits. Dice half a medium size onion. Doesn't matter the type of onion as long as the onion is of average size. If you prefer scallions for this, and I sometimes do, make sure to dice about five full scallions. Dice half a sweet red pepper and half a green pepper. Yellow is fine too if you want to add. Just cut about a third of a pepper each type if you are adding all three. Next slice about 4oz of mushrooms. Place this entire mixture into a large frying pan. Brown it all so onions are about clear with the bacon and the sausage browned on both sides. The peppers and mushrooms should be fine by this time. Remove them all from the pan into a bowl while keeping the liquid from the mixture in the pan.

Add a little canola oil to the pan just to barely cover the bottom. Slice 4 potatoes into home fry size wedges. Place into the large frying pan at medium heat. Cook til brown on one side and flip all the potatoes. Add your veggie and meat mixture on top of the potatoes. Cook til brown on the other side of the potatoes. Remove into a bowl. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper that barely covers the top of the mixture. Mix your bowl with a spoon. Lightly sprinkle hot Hungarian paprika over the top and remix. Add about 1/3 of a cup of pepper jack cheese and do your final mix with your spoon. Serves approx. four hungry people. Great with any type of eggs for breakfast.

When the time comes...

As with most people, the dream of owning their own home is a big one.  I have come very close to that dream twice in my life and then have had to start from scratch.  However, I still window shop for things at home that I might like at some point.  This will make it easier for when the time comes to furnish my own home.

Because I cook so much, my dining room is an important area to me.  As you can see on many cooking shows, presenting your meal can add to the overall appeal of what you just cooked. I personally would prefer glass top dining tables as they tend to be easier to clean when it comes to children and some messy relatives.  You do not have to worry about water marks like you do with wood tables as well. 

And by all means I am not saying that I don't enjoy wood tables as I do have many of them.  Again to make it easier because of an accident prone family or even the occasional spill from a serving spoon, I find a vinyl tablecloth valuable to have over your wood tables.  Clean up is easy.  Some of them you can even throw in the washing machine and you don't have to worry about them staining like cloth.

Relaxing on a full belly then becomes a common occurrence in the living room.  Movies and games get played.  Having a dish chair that is moveable, comfortable and of course affordable matters.  The little kids love them and if the chair is big enough, will sit two abreast as they watch or play on the TV.

I am always on the look out for things I would enjoy and like to have in the future.  Shopping for them is half the fun.

Bundling Me

The Author of this post is Velma Baird
When I got my CLEAR TV BUNDLE last year I started watching the Food Network. I don’t even really cook, so I can’t really explain why I like it so much! I think it’s just really soothing to have on in the background and I’ve definitely learned a few kitchen tricks, even though I don’t use them in the kitchen. I’m really into just watching the different presentation styles of the chefs on the shows…they definitely each have their own way of doing things! I don’t know how they can concentrate on so many! things at once since I can barely chew gum and walk at the same time! They’re all so good at what they do and seem so calm and collected while they cook, which is definitely not my style…I’m usually running around the kitchen like something’s on fire! Usually something is! I guess you could say the Food channel is my favorite channel, but who would ever guess that? Especially considering I cook most of my meals in the microwave oven!

Tenderloin in a Red Wine Cream Sauce

I love cream sauces.  I love wine sauces.  The two of them together really is spectacular.  The recipe calls for 4 slices of tenderloin. However if you are cooking for more, you can increase that amount and keep the sauce part just about the same as I find that there tends to enough sauce for twice as much meat.  

Tenderloin in a Red wine Cream Sauce

4 Slice of Veal, Pork, Beef or Venison tenderloin that is cut and pounded to no thicker than ¼ inch.

½ cup seasoned flour (salt and pepper, increase if you increase meat amount)

4 tblsp olive oil (increase if you are doubling the meat)

1 cup diced onion or shallot (I prefer shallot or a mix of the two)

3 cloves garlic diced

2 tsp paprika

½ cup dry red wine

½ cup sour cream or heavy whipping cream (I prefer sour cream)

1 cup chicken stock

1lb of fresh sliced mushrooms

Press loin slices in seasoned flour on both sides and around the edges.  Brown both sides in a heavy frying pan (I like cast iron) over medium heat.  Remove loin slices from frying pan and keep warm while you prepare the sauce.  Add onion/shallot, garlic and paprika to the frying pan and cook until tender (abt 2min). Add mushrooms and cook until tender as well (abt 1 min).  Reduce heat and sprinkle with 2 tblsp seasoned flour.  Add wine, stir and cook for 30 sec.  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer while whisking until smooth (I never use a whisk, just a fork).  Reduce heat and wait 30 seconds, then add sour cream.  Heat just below simmering.  (Do not boil or sour cream will curdle).  Place the loin on a plate and covered in sauce with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley to garnish.  (You can mix dried parsley into sour cream if you have no chopped parsley.)  Serve with noodles, dumplings, or my three favorites, spaetzle, mashed potatoes, or rice.  Also great with steamed asparagus or broccoli.

The Rolling Pin

I am thoroughly endorsing a certain type of product here that I find priceless to have in the kitchen and that is my rolling pin.  Yeah your typical rolling pin is wood.  Mine is not typical.  It is made out of marble.  I swear by a marble rolling pin with my bread/dough recipes.  When my mother makes homemade pierogies, she says, “These save my back.”  I would implore any person to spend the few extra bucks in the kitchen for this type pin as it does save time and effort.  You apply less pressure to the dough to flatten it out and the dough sticks less to marble then to wood.  I don’t make dough without it.