Three birds, one post

I have long wanted to join this blogger in the Random Tuesday Thoughts posts that this blogger put together. And this blogger has started a fun Fill In The Blanks series. And I have a half-dozen half-started blog posts (including one that somehow includes both Michael Crichton’s art collection and the Times Square bomber. I know, right?). So in the interest of posting something new, here are my Random Tuesday Thoughts via Fill In The Blank:

1. My guiltiest pleasure is really trashy chick-lit novels. Also gossip mags at the hairdresser (where I’m headed tomorrow night to get the roots done).
2. I can't wait to watch both Glee and Lost tonight (nerd alert)
3. The last song I listened to was something by Mountain that my boss was playing a little too loudly in his office. I curse the day I introduced him to Pandora. Not because of Mountain, but because of the constant onslaught of music I didn’t pick. I don’t know how he gets anything done.
4. You really can't beat a good book. No relation to #1 above.
5. My least favorite sound is the cats trying to break into the bedroom (plaintive meowing and standing on hind legs to rattle the doorknob. Obnoxious) at 5 am looking for their breakfast when it is clearly not breakfast time. Also see #3 above. I love the sound of the Italian language. Too bad I don’t understand a word of it (except the ones related to food and wine).

Ciao, bellas. More Random Tuesday fun at the UnMom.

Mangia!

{Gabriele Corcos & Debi Mazar make risotto}

I have been a big fan of Debi Mazar since her Goodfellas days -- her wisecracking tone, no-apologies NY accent, vintage glamour girl style. I was so excited to see her in Entourage -- perfect casting. Last year, she and her charming Italian husband Gabriele Corcos started posting webisodes (and podcasts on iTunes) called Under The Tuscan Gun that are like hanging out in the kitchen of two friends watching them cook. Many of the recipes are from Gabriele's family, everything features fresh ingredients and lots of olive oil, with healthy portions and suggestions to serve with a salad, bread and wine (as in, "eat a small serving of this with a salad", not "eat an 'American' serving of this and wonder why you have high cholesterol and need to lie down"). I love their warm California kitchen, shots of a "lived-in" house through the kitchen doorways, and their outdoor dining area in their prolific and lovely garden.

If you are looking for high production values, well-lit food styling, fantasy kitchens, inflated egos and monotone ingredient recitals, stick to Food Network. If you want friendly instruction on how to cook simple, delicious Italian food, in a normal home kitchen, by people who have an obvious love for each other and la dolce vita, check out Under The Tuscan Gun.