Thursday, August 18, 2011

Thursday Threes.

There's a theme to today's installment of Thursday Threes.

One.
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We have become addicted to the Food Network show "Chopped" this summer. If you haven't watched it, let me explain the premise: 4 chefs compete to create a dish using mystery ingredients 3 times (appetizer, entree, dessert) in 20-30 minutes. At the end of the dessert round, there's only 1 chef remaining and she/he wins 10 grand. The show moves at a fast pace (typical game/reality show) but our favorite aspect is the mystery ingredients because most of the time Lee and I say out loud "what the heck is that?!" And then they throw in weird stuff, like the time cherry-flavored cough drops were in the "mystery basket" (you know, the candy-like ones that aren't really medicinal).

Two. 
Aaron Sanchez - my favorite Chopped judge
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Gee, I wonder why my pants have become tight? Could it be because I watch one episode of "Chopped" every night? Watching cooking shows around 9pm makes me hungry and I inevitably end up grabbing a snack during the commercial break. Soooo, in summary : our summer of "Chopped" + slower metabolism of a 40-year old = weight gain.

Three.
These are sunchokes. I'd never heard of them before Chopped. See, tv is educational!
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It's also a tiny bit gratifying to see trained chefs make simple mistakes that I make all the time such as overcooking pasta and not thoroughly cleaning artichokes. Apparently, even CIA graduates can still have sloppy cooking techniques....that makes me feel better. I'm mean, I know.

1 comment:

Jennifer said...

What IS a sunchoke? A root? And what do you do with it? I better start watching Chopped.