Ed Helms (double) Post of the Day

Here's an adorable picture I came across - Ed at the premiere of "Semi-Pro," in which he apparently has a cameo. Look at the argyle! Look at the corduroy jacket!



So cute!

And I, to you, in addition, an interview with the delicious Ed Helms and the equally delightful Rob Corddry (just press the play button, I don't know why that thingy is spinning constantly).


How cute is Ed jiggling his legs to warm up? Come over to Addition by Subtraction, Ed...I'll warm you up! That's what she said!

I Am Sprinkled with Pumpkin Spice Powder - And So Can You

I'll never look at a Starbucks in the same way again.

DC - Day 1 (Subtitle: We are Jamon Iberico - and so can you)

Day One (Friday):
So, we picked a bad day to drive down to DC from Jersey...there was about 5 inches of snow on the car to scrape off, but, once we made it to the major roads, everything was good. One quick stop to pick up Man-Dawn and we were off, into the snow, and ice, and sleet. Unfortunately, we were unable to use the car with the navigation system, so we were forced to resort to the archaic Google Maps, but that mofo got us to the condo. It did not, however, tell us on which concrete slab to park, or, how to drive up the 60 degree incline necessary to park on the correct one. Finally, through some amazing parallel parking maneuvers by BMG, we had arrived!


It was time to find food and Stephen!

To the Dupont Circle Metro!


Unfortunately, being that we're all from Jersey, and accustomed to the delightful NYC MetroCard, the FareCard machine confused us greatly...why does it automatically put $20 on the card? Do we want a single ride or multi-trip? Why is there so much writing and why are there so many buttons? Why is the maximum change $5.00? Finally, three college graduates with 3/4 of two Master's were able to make sense of the Devil Machine and purchase out cards. (Side bar: WTF is up with having to put the card through the turnstile twice? Shouldn't you just have to put it INTO the thing once? DC, your metro is fairly clean, but those FareCards will end me).

(Devil Machine)

A short trip from Dupont Circle to Gallery Place and we had arrived! From the stop, we could see the Portrait Gallery, but mini burgers were calling us, having eaten only a bag of Trader Joe's Everything Pretzels during the ride down. Thus, we were off to Matchbox, just a few blocks from the Metro.

Matchbox was good, although I think we should have stayed away from the "Matchbox Meat," you'll see why in a bit. Having studied the menu extensively before our trip and having decided to go there solely based on it's proximity to Stephen, I had already decided what we should order - the 3.6.9 burgers* and a pizza. And some wine/beer. The Malbec was delicious, BMG seemed to enjoy his beer, and then came the burgers:

Yes, that's an actual mountain-sized pile of fried onions balanced precariously atop the miniburgers.


(Buttery goodness)
Yes, that's a buttered roll - buttered inside and out. Fat on top of beef, topped with fried onions...Paula Deen would be proud.
Next came the pizza named the Matchbox Meat:

(so much meat....TWSS)
Pepperoni, sausage, and bacon on a pizza - Meaterrific! Also, a lunch/dinner entirely filled with fat and grease, resulting in a lack of appetite for Jaleo (for some). More on that in a bit. That being said, we did a fair amount of damage...but those fried onions...

(Damn you totally ridiculous amount of onions!!! Why does your amount never decrease, no matter how many of you I eat?)

Once we paid and wandered out into the mist (yes, there was a mist covering everything)...finally! it was time to see Stephen! Upon entering the National Portrait Gallery, a kindly man at the Information Desk asked us if we need anything, to which I replied, "A map." The gentleman then replied, "Certainly, is there anything in particular you wanted to see?" And I, like the lame-ass that I am (perhaps helped by the wine), replied, "Is it alright if I say, 'Stephen Colbert's portrait?'" Thankfully, the nice man just smiled and explained where it was and how to get there in great detail. I mostly expected him to call security to see us out. Just across the courtyard (no time to walk on the water now), up a flight of stairs, and to the left...I could see a sign for the bathroom...could it be? Had I really arrived? As I peeked around the corner of the restroom sign...THERE IT WAS! Hanging above two water fountains, in between the Mens and Womens rooms:

(So beautiful)
I think a yelp of excitement left my mouth. Here we are frolicking below the portrait:

If I had known about this site, I would have jumped in front of it...

Next, we went to see the other portraits and art in the gallery:

GWHB


Paul Robeson - Rutgers in the house!


This was kind of funny...and appropriate.


Mmmmmm...art of bacon

We had clearly had our fill of culture at this point, so we headed back to the condo to meet up with NC for dinner. We had some time to kill, so we watched a brilliant piece of cinematography, "Tommy Boy." Whatever, guys, it IS a good movie. I had actually forgotten how funny that movie was - partially because the only time I ever watch it is on TV on a Saturday when they edit the crap out of it. How is the part when they run out of the car yelling "Beeeeees!!!" not funny? Anyway, our dear friend, Man-Dean** met up with us at the condo before dinner and we all headed out to Jaleo for some delicious wine and tapas.

Now, being that I'm kind of an idiot, I have one picture inside of Jaleo, no, not the food, that would have been good, iko. Well, you ask me, "is it a picture of you all at the table?" No, that would have been awesome, though! It is, in fact, a picture of the giant gold post we had to stand next to while waiting for our table:

(Aah, beautiful pole, how I miss you)
Actually, I was too engrossed with the wine and food and forgot to take any pictures of the food - which was, to be fair, the main reason for bringing my camera to the restaurant, so that worked out nicely. Although, I have yet to figure out how to use my new camera to take indoor pictures, so they probably would have been pretty bootleg-looking (more on that in soon-to-be-posted "DC - Day 2 (Subtitle: We are hungover and so can you)").

But, here is the list of tapas we had and a star scale of deliciousness, in the style of the Michelin Guide, with three stars being the highest rating anything can achieve. Ever. (1 star = delicious, 2 stars = more delicious, 3 stars = the most delicious thing I have ever placed atop my tongue)

Coles de Bruselas - A warm salad of Brussels sprouts, apples, apricots, grapes and Serrano ham (***)

Ensaladilla rusa - A classic Spanish salad of potatoes, imported conserved tuna and mayonnaise (**)

Tortilla de patatas - Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions(*)

Gambas al aijillo - The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic and guindilla pepper (**)

Garbanzos con espinacas - A Moorish stew of chickpeas and spinach (***)


Costillas de buey guisadas en vino tinto - Beef short ribs braised in red wine served with a potato purée (***)


Chorizo casero tradicional - Homemade traditional chorizo on a purée of garlic potatoes (**)

Also, some kind of seared salmon with roe, it's not on the online menu, so I can't write the actual name here, since I don't speak Spanish. Plus, I don't remember what was in it, I think apples, but it tasted vaguely like gorgonzola. And, quite frankly, wasn't that good, (1/2*)

BUT, the best thing we had - the cured meat platter, including, JAMON IBERICO. (drool) It's like prosciutto, but better. The pigs frolic about the countryside, then are fattened up with acorns, then (through magic) made into a delicious, salty, thin slice of heaven. I wish I had a picture of it. Also included in the delicious meat tasting - chorizo, soppresatta, and something else I don't remember, maybe Serrano ham(?). (******************)

We also has an assortment of red wine (mostly rioja, from what I can remember), none of which I wrote down (I am truly the greatest dinner recapper ever). For dessert we ordered a chocolate hazelnut cake, which the waitress forgot about, but promptly brought us once we reminded her and brought out an extra dessert, a fruit soup with (I think) yogurt ice cream - I really need to not drink so much wine when I need to remember what I ate. Overall, a fair amount of food for us to eat, keeping in mind three of us were still full of grease, beef, and the Matchbox Meat, and one of us (BMG), didn't eat any of the tapas, but imbibed a strong amount of wine.

Thus ended our jaunt to Jaleo and we cabbed it back to the condo to continue the fun times. Since we left the restaurant at 12 am, that was technically the end of Day 1. And since this is the longest post ever, I'll end Day 1 here and pick the degeneracy up at the start of Day 2. To be posted once I actually get some work done...


*3.6.9 because you can order 3, 6 or 9 of them. Also, they're very small. And delicious.
** Yes, THAT Man-Dean. The elusive creature who once lived in NJ, then moved to VA and fell off the face of the earth. The same Man-Dean who saw Pangea split into the continents and the vary same who would impart his vast wisdom upon us at Ye Olde Environmental Science lab.

Alcohol Please. Alcohol Please. Can We Get Many Drinks?

Live Blogging Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - "Romania"

I love the letters of the "parental discretion advised" sign being impaled upon one another.

Opening - Bucharest
The crying child seems appropriate - didn't Tony have a bad steam room experience with Zamir before? I love tall and gangly Tony and short and pudgy Zamir wandering around Romania - I feel like they should do a jig. I think I would like Romania, it looks harsh and Eastern European, kind of like me. Oh no, the government wants to take Tony down. Ha, I like Zamir trying to hit on the border guard lady...wow, Tony's pissy. I can't believe he said he'd prevent Romania from having to deal with tourists. Now he's sprinting away from Zamir. Zamir will never catch up to him, I think Tony's legs are twice as long.

Old Bucharest-style meal: Dancing! Local music (you know what that means for Tony)! Flaming dishes and staffs! A giant blue lady wants to talk to Tony - I SO need her hat! Agh! A whole pig! Yummy. I wish Tony would just rip into that mofo with his hands...oh, wait, he is. Dude, they totally picked every ounce of meat off that pig.

Second Act - Communism is funny
Meat on a stick (and beer) in Bucharest - specifically mutton, beef, and pork. The trifecta of meats. Maybe add some Jamon Iberico for the quarfecta (?) of meats? Aah...now I get it, the country was ruled by a psychotic despot, now the starkness of the landscape is clear. Uh oh - a communist dictator trying to negotiate with an angry mob never ends well. And look at that, it didn't. See that kids, it never pays to be a megalomaniac ruler of a small, Eastern European country.

Moral of the episode: Communism is good for humor.

Samir is laughing maniacally and wants Tony to pretend buy Dracula's castle so they can get a good tour of the place. Tony's scared. I think the landscape is awesome-looking. Nice! They're visiting Dracula's castle on Halloween!

Third Act - Dracula's Castle (in which he never lived)
Zamir is becoming "increasingly unhinged." Wow. It's $100 million to buy the castle. I don't think Travel Channel pays Tony enough for that. Haha! Tony asked if fat people ever got lodged in the narrow hallway. Brilliant! It's actually pretty cool looking. And you get the furniture, too! The view is nice - good for parties and BBQs. Romanians like Dracula! It was the Germans who made him mean...or, maybe he was always mean, but the Romanians still like him. Oh, balls, Dracula didn't even live in the castle. Too sad.

Nice. Tony has to stay at a "Motel 6/Rennaisance Faire" Baby Hotel. Ha! He has a knife though his head! Nice - they're drinking "Dracula's blood wine." I feel like this hotel is kind of the Romanian version of South of the Border. "Can we get many drinks?" At least Zamir is having fun...why do we have to see people make out? Why do we have to see Tony fake vomit? I'm really confused about this knighting ceremony...and it makes me more angry that I'm upset I can't understand it. Sometimes I think the producers like to put Tony in the most ridiculous situations ever, just to see how irate he can get. He's always the most fun when he's surly...kind of like a BMG I know.

Nice! Hawaii next week! Oh! He pays 3K for a shirt and gets surly about it!

Fourth Act - Zamir steals honey and a car
The Dacia - still better than a Jetta. Apparently it's now shadily rented and musical entertainment has been secured. Wow. How does Tony fit in that thing? "Put it in H! Put it in H!" "It can go 100 hectres on one tank of kerosene." ("The Simpsons," anyone?)

Finding local food - Cafe Astoria. Man-folk and liquor made from plums. Vladamir explains communism. OOH! Soup with sour cream and potatoes, oooooh, baby. (drool) Oh, pork belly! (drool)

A stop off at a graveyard. This is too great! They actually carve the way the person died onto their tombstone! Then the caretaker writes each person's accomplishments underneath. Like a little man with a cigarette holding a bottle of wine and a saying underneath that explains booze and cancer sticks were the end of him. Wow! We need that in America - all the pictures would be people eating French fries and crashing their SUVs while talking on cell phones.

Fifth Act - It ain't a party til somebody kills a pig
The Dacia lives up to it's Jetta-like legacy and breaks. Pushing a car through Romania, then hitching a ride on a horse-drawn cart to get to the butcher! Oh no, Zamir hurt his back. Apparently the Dacia strikes again. This really is a lovely countryside. Victor the butcher gives them some kind of local distilled spirit! The bucolic setting quickly degenerates into a dead pig, a drunken Zamir laying on the floor under a picnic table, and Tony feeding him illegal (in the U.S.) prescription drugs. I don't think Tony should be encouraging him to drink while all drugged up. Poor Zamir. He's trying to give a Mussolini-like speech...pounding on the table and yelling! I like how Tony shipped him off with an unlucky producer to the hotel.

You know what, I think I could live without all the shots of pig innards and the small child ripping off pieces of uncooked pig carcass to eat.

Sixth Act - Zamir sobers up and drinks some more
This food looks incredibly delicious.
Polenta with sausage
Braised stuffed cabbage
Lots of pork

Zamir is rambling on unintelligibly. Tony apparently agrees with me. He's toasting again. Zamir keeps toasting...but the music's starting - you know that means a montage of Tony doing shots with Zamir. Haha! Tony got Zamir a headstone from the Merry Cemetery for his 50th birthday. It has Zamir and bottle. Classic. And we're out with a nice shot of Tony drinking local liquor and Zamir (once again) working the phrase "no reservations" into the conversation. Good Times! I can't wait for Hawaii next week...

I Am America and So Can You - Part II!!

We did it!!!!

I Am America and So Can You

Well, I'm off to DC this weekend to, that's right - you guessed it, visit Stephen Colbert's picture at the National Portrait Gallery. Simultaneously good times and extreme lame-ness. Also on the agenda:

A trip to the Archives
Dinner at Jaleo with the infamous M-D.
Dinner at Proof, if I can actually get a reservation.
General frolicking and merriment at assorted Smithsonian museums, especially the Air and Space Museum (the National Treasures exhibit is displayed there).
Maybe some lunch at Matchbox, possibly a shopping expedition to Georgetown.

Lots to do and, just for you guys, pictures of me acting like a jackass next to a canvas printed with Stephen Colbert's picture!

I'm middle-aged for God's sake.

OK, no live blog of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Jamaica today (sorry to the one person who reads the live blog), I just had an exam and am relaxing with a glass of wine, but I'm watching it - and seriously. WTF??! How did they make them do this? The cave is disgusting and the roaches make me want to vomit. Who does this? Why would someone voluntarily go into that cave? This truly is the worst thing they've EVER made him do for this show.


Oh my God! What is that crazed cat? It looks insane. Like Bernie the cat after he sees BMG's face.

If I ever was forced to enter that cave, I would run out screaming and burn the clothes I had on, directly off my body.


Also, I like how they couldn't touch the water in that river for fear of parasites.

Ooh! Romania next week!

You know I can't live without my Big Beef n' Cheddar!

Apparently, there's some kind of comedy festival in Telluride, CO every year, and Ed Helms is a regular performer! How did I not know about this until after it happened? All I know about Telluride is that you can ski and Jack Donaghey owns an Arby's there with Isabella Rossellini. Here are some clips of Ed in Telluride (mixed in with some other D-bonnets):

Kind of Disturbing

From http://www.people.com, the "Caught in the Act" section from Tuesday (yes, shut it, I read People online and like it - what, don't try to pretend you don't...)

Dane Cook, ordering burgers to go with his girlfriend at a Fatburger in L.A. According to an onlooker, the funnyman started munching away in his Bentley.

See, it's kind of not-right on many levels:

1. That anyone cares enough about Dane Cook for this "onlooker" to stalk him AND report back to People that he was eating Fatburger (which is delicious, by the way).

2. That Dane Cook has an EFFING BENTLEY. A Bentley. Are you kidding me??!?? (in the style of Andrew Bernard, on "The Office," when Big Tuna starts singing "Closer to Fine" in a drunken stupor). Does Dane Cook really make that much money, that he can afford to purchase, at minimum, a $250,000 car? Am I that far removed from reality, that I didn't realize Dane Cook suddenly became talented AND funny thereby deserving of piles of cash?

And, the most disturbing part:
3. That I care enough to actually blog about it. When I should be studying for an exam and running a study.

Some more funny cartoons

This one, well, really you know why:

nataliedee.com


And this one, because it reminds me of a joke that went something like this, "A burrito is a sleeping bag for beef."

Stephen's Really Biting Me

Here are some hilarious outtakes from the Late Night fight of last week!

The worst thing ever shot...

Deer Heads, Pigs Heads, and Michael Caine

Live Blogging Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - "London and Edinburgh"

Opener: Yay! Looks like Tony's going to be slaughtering some kind of wildebeast!

Clapham, London:
Hanging out with a member of...some band. The greatest band since the Ramones. I have no idea what he said. Nevermind. Something better: Tony recorded an album? Apparently it's a spoken word album. Sorry, it's a short story he recorded. My bad. Although, it's kind of like Tony rapping. To some funky beats. I'm totally going to buy it. Let's go check on Amazon...

Tony knows where to stay and eat in London - he seems less surly here. Oh, Fish and Chips! Oh, the thesis of the episode has been revealed: He's here to prove the food in England doesn't suck. I believe you Tony. At least you have a thesis, it's better than soem scientists we know.

Hanging with Marco Pierre White (side note: I was literally JUST reading an article about him the other day...this is weird - Tony's in my head). He's was Tony's hero because he looked like a drunken, strung-out bastard, just as Tony did when he was working at Les Halles (or maybe another restaurant, they didn't specify - I'll try to figure out the timeline laster). Marco says he made cooking sexy.* Then he retired. Wow. England is beautiful. Let's go and wander about the countryside, drinking and frolicking about. Marco went on sabbatical to the countryside and used the fruits of the meadow to create new, yet classic combinations. Oh, Tony's got a gun!!!!! He missed the deer. Marco shot something and now is rubbing blood on Tony's head. Hot.

Now they're in Marco's restaurant - getting into the wine cellar...oh, yeah! MMMM....quail eggs. Venison. Lots of old-world dishes, "old-fashioned skills." HAHAHAHAHA! Marco brought the deer head out on plate for Tony to look at while he eats the fresh liver! Tasty!

Soho, London:
Hazlitt's - Tony's favorite boutique hotel. Everything is slightly askew. It looks awesome - I want to go stay there and write a novel. Did he just sign someone else's book and put it back on the book shelf? Oh, no time for that now, he's heading to a member's only basement club. Crazy, blue suit, poet-guy is reciting poetry, and kind of flailing about. Ha, Tony said "wanker," as in acting like a drunken jackass. Now he's wandering around with blue suit guy. He's telling Tony about the brothels in Soho...and he kind of looks excited. Something about spanking and loin cloths...I kind of tuned it out. Can you just wander around the streets with open containers of liquor? Wow. Yes! Let's go to England now! Open containers AND beautiful countryside! Tony's bashing Starbucks...time for a fade out to a new locations.

Massive butchershop (Smithfield)! Pig head! Blood! Guts! Offal! Holy crap! That's the biggest pig's liver ever! I think it's as big as me. Giant saw to fabricate meat! It must smell horrible there - I think they actually just sent the camera crew, no Tony...he was probably too hungover from his night of drinking with Marco (maybe blue suit guy?) to deal with the smell of decaying flesh.

Back from commercial and back to Smithfield - oh, here's where Tony comes in - he meets them for breakfast. Oh God. It looks so good! Meat. Sausage. Eggs. An early morning pint or two. The butchers are wearing their bloody smocks in the restaurant. That's kind of gross...and mostly gross because it's unsanitary.

AGH!!! Fergus! Henderson!!! "Nose to Tail!" Tony hearts him! OK, back to the food...bone marrow smeared on bread. Oh...there's the culinary word of the hour, "unctuous." Bowl of pig's head. English bloodcake topped with a fried egg. Tony has apparently entered a new plane of existence. He just keeps cursing. Fergus keeps talking about where England went wrong. It's because of the loss of seasonal cooking and basic good taste. I 100% agree.

Commercial break - Tony's in Jamaica next week. This had the worst shoot Tony ever did. According to his blog.

Back from commercial and back to the recording studio - drinking Guiness and recording. All about Michael Caine! He's having problems getting the inflection right. Now he's relating Michael Caine's movie, "Get Carter." to England's poor culinary reputation and his search to find legitimate food in England. And now he's moving on to Scotland. I like the trifecta split screen the editors have going on here. Especially the art-y closeup of Tony's face in the sunlight.

Edinburgh:
It is a beautiful city. Good call, Tony. In a pub. Drinking a pint. I'm sensing a theme for the show...Gosh, it IS a gorgeous city. Wow. I really need to get my flabby ass to Europe.

Leith, Edinburgh:
Food (at some shady street stand-type thing): Deep-fried haggis!! Fish and chips! Some kind of red, sugary liquid! King Rib! Even better, none of them know what it is...is it "hamster meat?" I'm betting on leftover bits of meat from an American meat farm, you know, the bits of the meat McDonald's won't put into their nuggets (yeah, I know, shut it, guys. I like the nuggets, too...especially with BBQ sauce).
Things Tony learned so far:
a) Batter is a main course!
b) No matter what the food shaped like a rib is, people will eat it!

More food: Seafood! Leith is keeping their own seafood instead of selling it all to other places. The Kitchin. True (and delicious) Scottish cuisine. Sea Urchin! Foie with scorched haggis! The ubiquitous Pig's head! Grouse! Langostein! Diver scallops! The explanation of crappy Scottish food - convenience food is too easy. Hmmm....sound like somewhere else we know? But, The Kitchin is bringing back local delicious food, now with one Michelin star!

Sum up: Where did things go wrong? How did we forget about legitimate food and taste? And a parting shot of the gorgeous vista. And Tony's album....


*Just like you're bringing sexy back, PW?

Pop Tarts are Delicious!

Thanks to a lovely person I work with, we'll call him JD, I have discovered a lovely site of random cartoon goodness. Here's Food Science-dork example, although they're not all food related...

Oh, the sugary deliciousness! Also, I heart the "!!" after "folic acid."

Ed Helms - Diva

Also, for those of you who want to watch the repeat of last night's "A Daily Show" today, the second segment is a terrific, classic clip of Ed Helms going to Massachusetts after the whole "legalizing gay marriage thing" went down (that's what he said). Spoiler alert: homometer!

Gah! Agh! WTF?

OK, I have to go to yoga in, like, 3 minutes, but I can't let this go. I was really trying, but it's pissing me off too much.

Rachael Ray, no matter how hard you try, the term "stoup*" is NEVER, EVER going to catch on. No matter how may times you say "clam bake stoup" on your show, Martha isn't going to start saying it on her show, my boy Bobby isn't going to put a "fish stoup" on his brunch menu next to the HOT BROWN!!, and no one will ever think it's cute. No one. Not a single life form on the planet. Ever. So why, why, oh why, are you trying to start it up again, albeit in a slightly altered form?

Apparently she's working on a new term, "choup." Allegedly it's a chowder + a soup. WTF? Isn't a chowder a kind of soup? Maybe someone in New England can correct me, if s/he's done crying into his/her chowder over the NY/NE debacle on Sunday.

*Soup + Stew = Stoup

Side note: come to think of it, I myself made a pot of soup for dinner (and some future lunches), Kale and Garbanzo Bean with Bacon. Maybe I'll post the recipe under the label "stoup." That way when RayRay Googles the term (and you know she does every morning, just to see if it's caught on, yet) she'll find my recipe and make it on her show, calling it her own. Then, I can get some of her Dunkin' Donuts money, quit my stupid job, and open my own soup restaurant. No soup for you, RayRay!

Ed's Birthday - expanded

Yeah, I know. A little late on the Ed Birthday post, Iko. Well, I have this thing called a job and this other thing called class. Then there was this other thing, the Superbowl - which involved me fashioning the logos of the teams I chose to believe were playing:

and making some food. Whatever...I was busy, I'm sorry. Actually, I am sorry, seriously. I heart Ed and wanted to do his birthday justice. So here (belatedly) we go.

In honor of Ed's birthday, I wanted to make some food Ed would like. While, I probably should have made some Southern treats, in honor of Georgia, I didn't feel like buying a few gallons of peanut oil, in which to deep-fry, nor did I want all that breaded, oily goodness going directly to my ass, so I chose Italian (based on this article, which I posted before). Though, to be fair, I fashioned some real iced tea to make Arnold Palmers (a true Southern drink).

Here's the eggplant carnage:


That's about 2 lbs of eggplant - peeled and sliced about 1/4" thick. The breading station, flour (not pictured), eggs, and bread crumbs. Also, the dreaded PAM, which SOME people like to place atop other, sleeping people...

And, here's the finished Edparm (actually, that sounds like I made the parm. out of Ed, it's actually eggplant parm.):

That would be fresh-made marinara, eggplant, fresh mozzarella, basil, and Parmesan cheese.

The rest of the food:


First, notice the garlic bread placed atop the Le Creuset, to add height and interest to the tablesKape. The broccoli rabe was sauteed in garlic and olive oil. The eggplant parm. recipe will be posted later, no worries. Also, notice the floating glass of wine...if I hadn't had to go to work earlier that day, I would have found a way to suspend the wine directly from the ceiling, perhaps from a complex system of ropes and pulleys. Or, maybe using a piece of clear fishing line, so it appears to float above the sKape as if hanging from nothing.

The EdsKape:

From left to right (back row): The lemonade and iced tea for Arnold Palmers, Ed's favorite dinner - Cap'n Crunch, Bernie Williams bobble-head (to counteract the Braves logo, also, because I love #51), a picture of a banjo (relevance - Ed plays the banjo and I don't have $2500 to buy a real one for a TablesKape, Sandra Lee).
From left to right (front row): A picture of Ed, as Andy on "The Office," the Atlanta Braves logo (Ed's favorite baseball team - he's from Atlanta), and some maracas, b/c I thought they were festive and marginally related to the episode of "The Office," "The Return," in which Andy punches a hole in the wall and Dwight and Oscar return to the office.

The rest of the evening, not spent eating and drinking, was filled with episodes of "The Office" and one episode of "Arrested Development" which featured Ed. The brilliance of Ed was acknowledged and the food was devoured. A strong tribute to Ed on his birthday. Maybe next year I'll go to L.A., find Ed, and buy him a drink. And receive my first restraining order.

An Intoxicating Cocktail of Hope and Joy

If anyone has been following the Stephen Colbert-Conan O'Brien-Jon Stewart feud, it all went down tonight. And apparently it really goes down (TWSS) tonight on Conan's show, so don't miss it. If you haven't been watching - look for it on YouTube, or like Comedy Central's website, or something. Maybe look for it after the strike, though.

Some spoilers:
Stephen looks for a bobby pin in his shoe.
Stephen and Conan harmonize
Conan tells Jon he's a handsome man
syllogism
Conan's studio is apparently a broom closet in the Comedy Central studios.

EtA - Found the video!

Ed Helms Post of the Day

And I, to you, in addition, love home fries, as well.