40th Anniversary of Willy Wonka!

I came across this article on CNN celebrating the 40th anniversary of the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". The interview below is from Julie Dawn Cole, who played Veruca Salt! It is actually a pretty interesting article! Also, check out the photos on the actual article site, there is one of the cast all grown up. It was tricky to figure out who was who!



Photo courtesy of cookingwiththemovies.blogspot.com



Article from CNN.com:

Actress Julie Dawn Cole was 12 when she was cast as bratty Golden Ticket winner Veruca Salt in the classic 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

The movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and Cole has just released a book entitled "I Want it Now!" The scrap book-style memoir features Cole's memories from the set and loads of details that will satisfy even the most die-hard "Wonka" nerd's sweet tooth.

CNN spoke to Cole, who gave us gobs of sweet details about on-set crushes, her dislike of chocolate (say it ain't so!), unlikely "Wonka" fans, saved mementos, and of course - Oompa Loompas!

CNN: What are among the most common questions you get from fans?

Julie Dawn Cole: Was the river really chocolate? And the answer to that is, well, it was a kind of chocolate drinking powder but it had been hanging around on the set for two or three weeks and very often it was sort of stinky and smelly. And it had a boat track running through it and all sorts of people wandering through it in wellies [British slang for rain boots]. I met Ozzy Osbourne a few years ago and that was the one thing he said, "Was the river really chocolate?"

Another question is, "Where did you go to when you went down the chute?" The answer to that is I unceremoniously landed on some cardboard boxes and a couple of mattresses. So I didn't go anywhere exciting. They also ask me what the Oompa Loompas were like. And, of course, they were great fun. We didn't seem them as little guys in orange faces and green hair. They were just guys we worked with who showed up in the morning in normal get-up.

CNN: Did you save any mementos from the set?

JDC: I did save my Everlasting Gobstopper but I sold it about eight years ago. I gather that it’s popping up at various auctions these days. I sold it before its price reached the dizzying heights of today. But I did save my original shooting script and the book I had the entire cast sign and a golden ticket and a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. Unfortunately, I ate most of the chocolate inside and only have the wrappers now.

CNN: So the chocolate bars were real?

JDC: Yes. Mostly Hershey bars.

CNN: Can you tell us more about your Everlasting Gobstopper? Was it really candy?

JDC: It wasn't candy. It's made from - if you can imagine - sort of molded plastic; something similar to what you would get in a lid on a takeaway cup of coffee.

CNN: A couple of us recalled that the Oompa Loompas terrified us as children! Do you get that a lot?

JDC: A lot of people were. They were creepy. But I don't see them like that. I see them by their first names - Rusty, Albert, Malcolm... and to me they were just my friends. There was one that was quite a bit older than the other ones and he used to get quite irritated. And I have to say it's quite funny seeing an old Oompa Loompa being cross with a young Oompa Loompa. (Laughs)

There was a time when they were quite naughty, and they were quite prone to pranks. They once took everyone's shoes - at the time in these business hotels you would leave your shoes outside your room for cleaning, and the Oompa Loompas took every guest's shoes, tied the laces all together and dumped them in the lobby of the hotel. So the next morning all these businessmen came out and found a) no shoes and b) their shoes tied together in a giant jumble in the lobby!

CNN: That's a good prank. Did the fruit wallpaper really taste like candy?

JDC: (Laughs) No. They did paint it somewhat with a bit of a jelly but they also had to paint my tongue with a powder to make it look red. So I had to keep my tongue out of my mouth because it was that horrible powdery thing and you just desperately wanted to rinse your mouth.

CNN: Have you ever been to a real candy factory?

JDC: I did go to one of the chocolate factories in the UK. It was disappointing. Not at all magical! And I thought, "What a dull place to work." Of course, as a child, I did not like chocolate.

CNN: You didn't like chocolate?! So during filming did you eat something instead, or did you just force yourself to eat it for the sake of the movie?

JDC: The only time [during filming] I had to eat it was when I smashed open a watermelon in the "Pure Imagination" room. And, yes, I did have to eat this sort of chocolate goo. I don't know what it was, but it was disgusting. That's real acting for you! (Laughs)

CNN: Have you grown to like chocolate?

JDC: Well, you can't be a grown-up woman and not like chocolate. (Laughs) But back then I didn't like bars of chocolate or anything that was chocolate-flavored - chocolate cake, chocolate muffins, chocolate cookies... yuck! I still don't eat chocolate cake or cookies. I don't like it.

CNN: We heard that there was a rivalry between you and Denise Nickerson (Violet) over Peter Ostrum (Charlie). Any truth to that?

JDC: Well, you know, we were 13 and he was 13 and he was the only available male, really. But we both had a crush on him... it was sort of an unspoken or unwritten rule that we kind of took it in turns with her day and my day. And we're talking nothing more sinister than just standing next to him. But he was oblivious to any of this. If I mention it to him now he goes absolutely scarlet.

CNN: What do remember about working with Gene Wilder?

JDC: Gene was brilliant. Looking back on it now as an adult, it must've been a pain in the backside to have five kids clamoring all over him all the time and vying for his attention but he was very patient. He didn't have a trailer and he didn't go disappear. He sat around on the set and entertained us all. For my 13th birthday, he arranged for a color photographer to come on-set and take stills all day which he gave to me for my birthday present. In those days most of the stills would've been black and white, so that was my lasting present from him.

CNN: Is it true that you filmed your "I Want it Now" musical number on your actual 13th birthday?

JDC: Well, it took more than a day to film the entire sequence but the day I was doing all of the smashing-up was on my birthday. So they all sang "Happy Birthday" to me, gave me a chocolate cake - Yuck! - and shoved me down the chute.

CNN: Have you had any interesting encounters with fans?

JDC: It never ceases to amaze me. There are all sorts of celebrities who are in awe of it, which is quite weird. I'll be sitting there thinking, "Oh, there's so-and-so" and then it'll turn out they're big fans of the movie and the tables will get turned a bit. Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are big fans and I hear that Marilyn Manson is. And, of course, there was a band called Veruca Salt which, I assume, has to be some sort of tribute. And just a few days ago I went into Dylan's Candy Bar (in New York City) and they were playing my song on a loop.

CNN: How did you find out that Ozzy Osbourne was a fan?

JDC: A friend of mine was directing a music video and I was like, "Oh, can I come along and hangout?" And my friend introduced me as the one who played Veruca and the video ground to a halt and Sharon was going, "No way! Oh, Ozzy, do you know who this is?" And Ozzy shambled over and we had a 30-minute discussion about the film while the music video crew was tapping their feet as Ozzy asked all his questions. And when the video broke for the day, everyone else left and Sharon said to me, "Oh, you can come in the kitchen, you're family."

CNN: What did you think of Tim Burton's "Wonka" remake?

JDC: Well, it's a very different film. And I think there's room for both. But what it did do was trigger a debate and I think that's where we should leave it. I find that most people are quite partisan. I thought our film would disappear when the Tim Burton one was released but, no, we're still all here!

CNN: Are you still in touch with the other actors from the film?

JDC: We did lose touch for years until a fan tracked us all down for a reunion in New Jersey in 1997. So for almost 30 years I hadn't seen any of them until we all met up. Of course, this is the 40th anniversary. Who would have thought it, eh? It wasn't until a reunion in 1997 that I realized how big it was and how big it still is.

CNN: We've heard that you don't make any residuals from the film.

JDC: No. In fact, I had to buy my own DVD of the movie. (Laughs) But it's opened up some great doors for me and I've had some great experiences. I've traveled and been to some amazing places purely because of the movie.

CNN: What are you up to now?

JDC: I'm now a psychotherapist and work at a hospice working with families and children suffering from a life-limiting illness.

CNN: Are your own children fans of the movie?

JDC: I think so. When their friends find out about it, I'm kind of "cool mom" for a couple of weeks. My children are a little older now but my daughter's university friends still go nuts for it.

What about you? Is "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" a family favorite? What are your favorite "Wonka" scenes and/or lines of dialogue? Conversely, were you terrified of the Oompa Loompas? How about the twisted, psychedelic boat scene?

Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe

While at work my coworkers and I stopped by an awesome bakery called "Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe". We picked out a dozen cookies to take back to the audit room. Since our lives revolve around numbers and organization, we decided to rank the cookies. This process wasn't taken lightly...and the highly awaited (and audited) results are in:



5. Chocolate chip - America's sweetheart. However, when the competitors have their game face on, mom's classic doesn't stand a chance.



4. White Chip nut - My choice for favorite cookie. White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. The sheer height of the cookie make it so delicious. There is so much room in there to fill up with all of the goodies.

3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip - Classic yet very refined. A coworker said "Don't think this cookie is in third place because it's not that good. The competition is very high here. In any other contest, this cookie would probably be in first. Just think of it as this cookie scored a 97% on an exam while the first place scored a 99%. Both very respectable scores".

2. Double Chocolate Chip - This is a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips. Although too overwhelming for my taste buds, I was out voted. This cookie actually sat at the top of the ranking until the new number 1 was voted in.

1. Brownie Filled  - This amazing cookie was at first taken lightly. The cookie is a chocolate chip cookie with an entire center of brownie. Some thought the brownie center would be too overwhelming. However, once they experienced the ooie gooie chocolate, it quickly made it's way to the top of the charts.

All photos courtesy of Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe Facebook page

Is Organic worth it? I think so.





By the Care2.com staff

Eating fewer animal products is a good choice for the environment. When and if you choose to eat animal products you can make a significant difference for your health and the environment by taking these steps, and here’s why:

Choosing to support farms that caretake the environment and the animals they raise in an ethical manner, is a very positive way to spend your food dollar. Animal agriculture produces surprisingly large amounts of air and water pollution, and causes 80 percent of the world’s annual deforestation. It also requires large amounts of water, and livestock worldwide consumes half the world’s total grain harvest.

By supporting local, sustainable and organic farms in your local community you also support the larger community of which we are all a part. By eating animal products raised on such farms you provide the healthiest choice for your family and support the farms that support healthy and ecological neighborhoods.

1. Free of antibiotics, added hormones, GMO feed and other drugs; no GMO animals

Animals raised organically are not allowed to be fed antibiotics, the bovine human growth hormone (rbGH), or other artificial drugs. Animals are also not allowed to eat genetically modified foods. Further, animal products certified as organic can not have their genes modified (for example, a scorpion gene cannot be spliced into a cow gene).

How: The animals are raised in a healthier environment, fed organic feed, and often eat a wider range of nutrients than those raised in factory farms (such as would be the case of free-range chickens and ranch cattle). The animals are not from a test tube.

Highlights: Organically raised animals have been shown to be significantly healthier than their factory-raised counterparts.

More: Visit the Organic Trade Association Web site for updates on the U.S. federal organic standards.

2. Mad cow safeguard: Animals aren’t forced to be cannibals
The practice of feeding cattle the ground up remains of their same species appears to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a horrific disease that destroys the central nervous system and brain, can be given to humans who eat the cows. The disease in humans has a very long latency period, and is called Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.

How: Animals are fed 100 percent organic feed without ground up animal parts.

Highlights: By eating 100 percent organic meat you are protected by a label insuring the cow has only been fed 100 percent organic feed.

3. More humane, ethical treatment of animals
Factory farms treat animals like commodities, and they are kept in tightly confined pens and often never move more than a few feet their whole lives.

How: Buy meat and eggs raised from chickens raised outdoors free ranging and grazing.

Highlights: Animals are more likely to be raised without cruelty.

4. Animals free-range and graze
The words “free-range,” and “ranch raised” are clues that the animals were raised in a more humane way. Their diet tends to be more well-rounded; the animals are not confined and spend time outdoors in the fresh air.

How: Free range chickens eat more grubs and bugs than their industrially-raised counterparts; free range animals graze as they are inclined.

Highlights: Humane and ethical treatment of animals; more nutritious food.

5. Manure
Small farms use it, industrial farms pollute with it.

How: On small, diverse farms, manure is used to naturally fertilize soil. Industrial farms produce so much manure, on the other hand, that it is a human health risk. The overspill of manure can contaminate wells with E. coli and other pathogens. In one region of North Carolina, for example, hog farms produce 10 million metric tons of waste annually.

Highlights: Sustainable farms use their manure productively as organic fertilizer. The manure is “pure,” coming from animals fed organic diets.

6. Animals are integral to small farms
Using animal manure is considered recycling of nutrients. No farm can cope with all the animal offspring, so selling some makes economic sense. Sustainable farms tend to provide and sell a range of products, and organic eggs and animal products would be included.

How: Most organic farms have a few cows, chickens, etc.

Highlights: The animals—many of diverse gene pools—serve a purpose besides providing food.

7. Fewer chemicals used
Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not used on the food or land. Residues of persistent chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and many pesticides concentrate in animal fat. Eating organic animal fat reduces your exposure to these chemicals.
Farmers working on organic farms are exposed to fewer chemicals.

How: Organic agriculture works for a healthy balance of the soil, including using crop rotation and other techniques to improve soil fertility, instead of controlling the environment with chemicals. The animals are not fed food containing pesticides, and so the amount of persistent pesticides in their fat is reduced.

Highlights: Safeguards groundwater, farmers’ health, topsoil, habitats, and neighborhood health.

8. Diversity
Industrial farms rely on just a few species of cattle, chickens, pigs, etc., whereas small sustainable farms tend to raise a wider variety of livestock. Entire species of livestock can die out if they are not raised on farms.

How: Support our food supply by buying food representative of a wide gene pool. Every time you even buy a brown instead of a white egg you are helping to support diversity.

Highlights: Support diversity by supporting diversity on your local farms. Buy their milk, eggs, and meat.

9. Factory farms use huge amounts of resources
The factory farm industry is run with cheap, nonrenewable fossil fuel. Producing, transporting, processing, and marketing the food all depend heavily on it. Without cheap fuel, industrial agriculture would be impossible because it would be too expensive, notes organic farming expert Fred Kirschenmann. The heavy pesticide use on industrial farms contaminates groundwater and soil. Kirschenmann believes industrial farms are responsible for the loss of over half of U.S. topsoil.

How: Organic farms uses less energy with careful ecological management, and using natural ecological balances to solve pest problems. Buying animal products from local farms further reduces energy by reducing the amount of miles the food travels to your table.

Highlights: Organic farms use 70 percent less energy than industrial farms, and since they don’t use pesticides they help preserve ground water. The farming techniques of organic farms builds topsoil and doesn’t contribute to its erosion.

10. Your dollars support the farm you buy from
If you buy your meat from an organic farmstand at a farmer’s market you support that farm. On the other hand, if you buy non-organic meat that isn’t local, free-range, or ranch-raised from a supermarket chain, you most likely support a multinational food conglomerate.

How: You can contribute to the well-being of your community by supporting small, local, diverse organic farms.

Highlights: Buying organic animal products is better for your health, your local community, and the larger community as a whole.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-buy-organic-dairy-meat.html#ixzz1NCdO8maQ

Photo courtesy of sayingthankyou.files.wordpress.com

Let your man dress you!

Would you ever let your man pick out your outfits for a week? BeautyRiot Diva has a blog at Yahoo! and did just that. The article was pretty funny. I think Day 1's outfit was actually really cute. The rest of the time the clothing kind of looked like something we wore in middle school...but I thought it was funny when he paid so much attention to detail-like when he made her wear sunglasses on her head to match her shoes!! I honestly don't know what would happen if I tried this experiment. I do know that my clothing would be ironed (I hate ironing and would rather be wrinkly) and my shoes would match the outfit perfectly.

Day 1 is on the right:

Photo courtesy of shine.yahoo.com

I've been a video addict lately.

Yep...I cried a little.

The Hidden Message in Pixar’s Films

The Hidden Message in Pixar’s Films

Photo courtesy of blogs.discovermagazine.com

I'm Felicity!

What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life

By Chiara Atik | May 10, 2011

 

Samantha Parkington:Did you know, when you picked her out, that Samantha was the cool one? Or were you simply drawn to her glossy brown hair, sophisticated accessories (she had a fur muff!) and rich demographic? Either way, every girl wanted a Samantha. If you owned her, you quickly learned the value of cachet.
By virtue of acquiring a status symbol early on (a Samantha doll was the designer jeans of third grade), you never quite had to worry about things the way other girls did. You therefore grew up to be confidant, capable, and nonplussed. You've always been well liked. You aren’t the funniest in your group, but you’ve never really noticed or cared. If you thought about it, you could probably recognize other women who had Samanthas. But that’s not that impressive: everybody can.

Molly McIntire:If you had Molly, you probably wanted Samantha instead, but contented yourself with Molly because you too wore glasses, liked books, were bad at math, and would concoct various schemes to get attention. (Oh, Molly.) If you were a Molly, and had a Molly (as opposed to being a Molly and aspirationally owning a Felicity), you were imbued, then and now, with an immutable sense of self. At least Molly could tap dance, which is frankly more talent than any of the other girls exhibited.
As an adult, you’ve developed a carefully honed aptitude for sarcasm. You've gotten contacts, and a slightly edgy haircut. You still sort of want attention, but you deny it. You’ve thought back on your American Girl Doll, and tried not to be too resentful towards the person who gave her to you, who so obviously associated you with the descriptor “mousy.”

Kirsten Larson:You probably got Kirsten because she was blond, or because you read a lot of Little House on the Prairie books. (It definitely wasn’t because of her "St. Lucia Christmas Outfit" ... yikes!)
Whatever superficial motivation led you to choose Kirsten, you quickly learned that life as a Swedish immigrant in Minnesota is not all lingonberry pie and ice fishing. Not halfway through the first book does Kirsten's best friend Marta die suddenly and tragically of cholera. This was shocking and horrifying. Obviously, you were used to cholera deaths (this being the age of Oregon Trail), but this time it was different.
You therefore grew up to be a bit more thoughtful, a bit more reserved than your peers. You also find yourself inexplicably drawn towards crafts like knitting, jam-making, and quilting. You secretly suspect that you'd manage just fine in a post-Apocalyptic setting, should things come to that. You were surprised and delighted to see some of Kirsten's outfits come back into style in certain enclaves of Brooklyn.

Felicity MerrimanYou had Felicity because of one or more of the following reasons:
A) you had red hair
B) You thought she had the prettiest clothes and accessories.
C) Fewer people had Felicity, and you wanted to be unique.
D) You actually wanted Samantha but your mom thought Samantha’s dress looked like the top of a peanut butter jar so you got Felicity instead. (Just me? OK.)
You grew up to have an affinity for lovely things, a possibly inflated sense of your own uniqueness, a teensy hint of self-righteousness (remember how she refused tea when they raised the tea tax? "Thank you, I shall take no tea!"), and a latent familiarity with Colonial Williamsburg.

Addy WalkerIf you were black, you had Addy because your parents were trying to encourage positive self-esteem in a market saturated with white dolls. If you were any other minority, you had Addy because your parents were trying to encourage positive self-esteem in a market saturated with white dolls. If you were white, and had Addy, it was because your progressive parents were trying to encourage broad world-views in a market saturated with white dolls.
Though arguably the most likeable of all the characters, Addy is more of a racial totem than personality- or era-driven doll: Her story doesn’t exactly provoke a nostalgia for slavery, and her accessory was, no kidding, a gourd. (The significance is obvious — how little girls would make their dolls play with the gourd is not.)
Girls who had Addy grew up with an acute sense of the lack of diversity in early-'90s consumer culture.

No American Girl DollYour parents wouldn’t buy you an American Girl doll because $80 is a ridiculous price to pay for a toy, which would then inevitably lead to the purchase of multiple accessories ranging from the overpriced ($18 for “Winter Accessories,” consisting of tiny doll mittens and a hat), to the exorbitant ($56 for an “Ice Cream Set,” consisting of tiny plastic scoops of ice cream), to the highway robbery ($349 for a “doll’s chest,” a.k.a. tiny wooden box).
You grew up to be financially independent, level-headed, unspoiled, and still just a little bit resentful whenever you walk by American Girl Place.


Article and Photos from http://thehairpin.com/2011/05/how-your-american-girl-doll-shaped-the-rest-of-your-life

Pretzel Cones



I think I have an unhealthy obsession with soft serve ice cream. In my recent travels, I have sought out soft serve ice cream shops to experience their historic "Americana". I really like the shops that are stand outside, walk up to the window and get your ice cream to eat in the parking lot. Most people think that soft serve only comes in chocolate and vanilla. Unfortunately, you're missing out! The best kinds are the crazy flavors that some shops come up with! While traveling in Eastern Pennsylvania, I drove by this little place called "Twistee Treat". Obviously, when your building is shaped like a soft serve ice cream cone, I'm going to assume you have what it takes to uphold this kind of responsibility. Blah, they only had the 2 basic flavors. I still took part with a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles, but I'd say the atmosphere was better than the ice cream.

I then found a place near downtown Philadelphia that had orange flavored soft serve. However, the best part about it, was that they offered a pretzel cone....and it was AMAZING! The cone even had salt on it. As I've stated before, I love desserts that are sweet and salty mixed together, so this was just perfect. I found the cones online at a whole sale store called JAS Wholesale. I also find a nice article at Taquitos about the cones. I am not the only one that has a new love for pretzel cones! They were crunchy just like the sugar cones but had so much more flavor. If I can't find these cones in smaller packages, I'll probably end up getting them in whole sale. They won't go bad right?



Photo courtesy of taquitos.net

Mint Juleps!

As promised, I had Mint Juleps on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby (Animal Kingdom won!). My awesome brother has hosted a Kentucky Derby party for the last few years and honored us with some of his awesome Mint Juleps.

The History of the Mint Julep and Churchill Downs:

The mint julep has been promoted by Churchill Downs in association with the Kentucky Derby since 1938. Each year almost 120,000 juleps are served at Churchill Downs over the two day period of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, virtually all of them in specially made Kentucky Derby collectible glasses.^[5]

In a contract arrangement between the Brown-Forman Corporation and Churchill Downs that has lasted more than 18 years, the Early Times Mint Julep Cocktail has been the designated "official mint julep of the Kentucky Derby", although the Early Times sold within the United States is not a bourbon. (It is a Kentucky whiskey, but not a bourbon.)

Since 2006, Churchill Downs has also served extra-premium custom-made mint juleps at a cost of $1000 each at the Kentucky Derby. These mint juleps were served in gold-plated cups with silver straws, and were made from Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint imported from Ireland, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and sugar from Australia. The proceeds were used to support charitable causes dedicated to retired race horses. Woodford Reserve and Early Times are sister brands produced by Brown-Forman, and under the terms of its current marketing agreement with Churchill Downs, Woodford Reserve is called the "official bourbon" of the derby.

In May 2008, Churchill Downs unveiled the world's largest mint julep glass. Churchill Downs, in conjunction with Brown-Forman, commissioned the Weber Group to fabricate the 6-foot (1.8 m) tall glass (7.5-foot (2.3 m) if the mint sprig is included). The glass was constructed from FDA food-grade acrylic, heated and molded into the shape of an official 2008 Derby glass. It had a capacity of 206 US gallons (780 l; 172 imp gal), and distributed the Early Times mint juleps at the Derby with an elaborate pumping system concealed within the "stir straw".

Mint Julep Recipe:

Fresh Mint Leaves

2 1/2 oz Bourbon Whiskey

2 tsp Water

Simple Syrup

Muddle mint leaves and water in a collins glass. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon and Simple Syrup. (My brother sometimes infuses with simple syrup with mint too!) Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.

History of Mint Julep courtesy of wikipedia.com

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Amazon.com is currently having a sale on the KitchenAid Stand Mixer model K45SS. I have been interested in purchasing one for a while (ever since Christmas when I made Peppermint Cupcakes and had to mix the frosting by hand...ugh!!). This is the base model, but I think it's probably a good starting mixer.

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

Cutest Kids in the World Share First Kiss

This is Elliott and Bowie, and you’d have to be Osama bin Laden to not find the pair’s first kiss adorable as a neon kitty riding on the back of a baby dolphin (sounds like a Lisa Frank folder, amirite?). “All you need is love” is printed on Elliott’s t-shirt, and by the look on his face while he celebrates his triumph, the maxim might actually be true, for once.

Video and Quote Courtesy of thoughtcatalog.com by Brandon Scott Gorrell

Derby Post #2

The Triple Crown is my Superbowl. My previous Derby post was so short compared to how much passion I have for it. So we'll see how many Derby posts I get in before Saturday evening! I was going to make this post about Uncle Mo, the horse owned by the founders of Vitaminwater/Smartwater, who was the favorite in tomorrow's race. Unfortuntaely, as of 38 minutes ago, Uncle Mo scratched. LA Times reported that he has a gastrointestinal infection that caused him to lose 70lbs this month. Even with that knowledge a month ago, Uncle Mo's team still had hope he'd be able to race. Rumor is though, his trainor knew he wasn't going to send him to the gate.

Uncle Mo:

Photo courtesy of kentuckyderby.com

Some Derby Facts:

The first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby was Diane Crump on May 2, 1970.
 
A racehorse averages a weight loss of between 15 and 25 pounds during a race.
 
Racehorses have been known to wear out new shoes in one race.
 
No matter when a racehorse is born, they all "become" a year older on New Year's Day.
 
Horse-racing regulations state that no race horse's name may contain more than eighteen letters. Names that are too long would be cumbersome on racing sheets.

The Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and a sugar syrup is the traditional beverage of the race (I'll be blogging about this drink later!)

All horses in the Derby are three years old

Miso Salmon

Last night for dinner I went to Cheesecake Factory. I'm not the biggest fish lover, but am purposefully trying to broaden my palette. I had the Miso Salmon, and boy was it amazing! I wish I could eat the leftovers right now at work. Because the Cheesecake Factory is known for their HUGE portion sizes, the salmon fillet was the biggest I'd ever seen. It had an amazing miso glaze (with a consistency of a light molasses) over top a bed of white rice with a sake butter sauce. (YUM!!!)  I am now a salmon fan. Seriously, try it. If you're into mimicking restaurant's recipes, I also found the recipe at Top Secret Recipes.

Photo courtesy of thecheesecakefactory.com

Kentucky Derby

It's my absolute favorite time of the year! The Triple Crown begins this weekend with the Kentucky Derby! The horses currently on the roster for this weekend can be found at the Kentucky Derby website. All time crowd-favorite jockey Calvin Borel is on "Twice the Appeal"
(fun fact - a horse's name cannot be longer than 18 characters).

Photo courtesy of thelifeofluxury.com



The Voice

I don't really get into the singing/dancing competition shows, however I have found one that's worth checking out. NBC's "The Voice" was so entertaining it made me wish I was one of those judges! NBC has plugged that show non-stop for the last 2 months, I figured it was just another run of the mill voting show. I didn't even watch it the first night it aired. However, once it aired, I saw so many Facebook posts and reviews on tv about how awesome it was. So, I checked it out...and I'm so glad I did. I like that all of the singers were already screened so there is no "point and laugh" at the bad singers. I REALLY enjoyed watching the judges. They became real people in the show because they have to fight to get the singers onto their teams. Their faces are absolutely priceless when they have their backs turned to the singers trying to decide if this is a singer they want. You can see they are really listening and deciding what they can do to help this singer. Anyways, check out the show, NBC Tuesdays from 9-11pm or watch it online at nbc.com like I did without all of the commercials.

My absolute favorite singer of the evening was Vicci Martinez. She had a great story, but her voice was amazing. I got chills! I think her version of "Rolling in the Deep" is better than the original!