Column of Life

Gay Thursday: Gaynasty

2012-02-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

The Word: Prohibition

2012-02-01T17:21:00.001-05:00

On paper, Caleb Hawley’s resume reads as the standard Who’s Who for up-and-coming songwriters. Then you hear him sing, and you realize there is only one word needed to describe this artist: Extraordinary.

From his ability to write intricate lyrics with cutting-edge chords to his lightening fast licks and ear for taste and style, there is absolutely nothing average about this shaggy-haired, blue-eyed, multi-faceted musician. Receiving top honors in the prestigious New York Songwriters Circle Contest (2008 and 2009), the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (2009), the Telluride Festival (2010), the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (2010), and Rocky Mountain Folks Fest (2011) for his songwriting, he also has a voice to place him in the final fifty on the 2011 American Idol Season. Hawley is as aggressive as he is perseverant in advancing his art and impressing audiences with his unique and catchy approach to music.

Sharing the stage with industry greats such as Mark Cohn, Rusted Root, Dave Matthews Band, Shawn Mullins, and Edwin McCain, this diverse songwriter has written and produced three albums and toured all over the country playing sold-out venues and nationwide festivals. Though his initial passion simply began with a guitar and a love for a wide variety of music from Metallica to Martin Sexton, it was shortly after graduating Berklee College of Music with a degree in jazz composition that Caleb discovered a knack for song writing. He quickly made his way to New York City to pursue his newfound ambitions.

While lyrically influenced by observational writers such as Randy Newman and Tom Waits, Hawley is also well known for his outstanding vocal capacity and range. The humble performer captivates audiences with soothing folk tunes in the same manner as James Taylor, and with the next breath blows them away with his powerhouse of soul, likened to that of Stevie Wonder. Audiences leave a Caleb Hawley show with a permanent grin, a heart full of laughter, and a tune to hum the whole way home.

Approaching his art from the purest of places, Caleb is engaging in his awe-inspiring talent, his genuine love for music and his unsurpassed work ethic that has set him on a road destined for enormous success. Maintaining a thoroughly entertaining presence on every stage he steps foot on, Hawley continues to thrill fans from New York to L.A. He is respected by fellow musicians and audiences alike for his genuine spirit, natural abilities, and heart of gold, making this small town Midwestern boy a role model for every young musician who started out with just a dollar and a dream.

In only a few short years, drummer/percussionist Ryan Vaughn, 27, has become a fixture in the New York City music scene. Ryan has performed with several of the city’s best independent singer/songwriters, including Robbie Gil, Dan Torres, Wes Hutchinson, Chris Cubeta and Jill Stevenson. Ryan has also performed with numerous well known recording artists such as John Forté, Anna Nalick, Aloe Blacc, Joshua Radin and Carly Simon. Ryan has played at practically every notable venue in New York, including The Highline Ballroom, The Bowery Ballroom, Joe’s Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room and The Bitter End. Ryan has performed on television for Late Night with Conan O’Brien with Joshua Radin, Comcast’s Backstage with Nick Howard and numerous Fox’s Fearless Music performances with Dan Torres. All told, Vaughn has performed and/or recorded with over a hundred artists, and will soon be heard on upcoming releases from Bryan Dunn, Emily Zuzik and John Schmitt. Vaughn earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from William Paterson University, and two Associate degrees in Jazz Performance and General Business from Mesa Community College.

Check out Prohibition.

503 Columbus Avenue . NYC 10024 . 212.579.3100 . Copyright © 2012

The Monday Muse: Matthew Rhys

2012-01-30T05:24:00.001-05:00

For five seasons, Ms. Field, the Oscar-winning actress, played Nora Walker, mother to Mr. Rhys’s caustic character, Kevin Walker, a gay lawyer, on the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters.” “There’s not a doubt in my mind that if the actors on the show had taken a popularity vote to pick the one person you wanted to do all your scenes with and hang out with, Matthew would win hands down,” Ms. Field said in a phone interview. “He is just such a winning, charming soul.”

Go here for the rest from The New York Times

Your Sunday Stud: Greg Louganis

2012-01-29T17:33:00.002-05:00

By coming out as gay in 1994 and as HIV positive in 1995, Louganis became a role model for many people, including me. I was diagnosed with HIV in 1992, so the impact of my diagnosis was fresh in my psyche. I admired his honesty. (Oriol Gutierrez, POZ Deputy Editor] Happy Birthday, Greg!
Much more re: Greg on POZ.com~check it out.

Your Goodnight Saturday Beefcake

2012-01-28T22:02:00.003-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Evening Meal

2012-01-28T16:49:00.008-05:00

Beet and Pomegranate Salad
Erez Komarovski

1 1/4 pounds raw beets, peeled, and finely diced
2 pomegranates, seeds only
1 small green chile, seeded and minced
Juice of 4 limes, about 1/3 cup
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons silan
½ teaspoon caraway seed, toasted and ground
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Quinoa with Roasted Poblanos, Cilantro, and Lime
Mitchell Davis, Kitchen Sense
enough for 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
½ bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lime, zest cut with a vegetable peeler
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
4 large poblano peppers or other mild chiles or bell peppers, roasted, seeded, and diced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the quinoa in a mesh sieve and rinse once or twice with cold running water. Set aside to drain.

In a medium saucepan, combine the stock, bay leaf, and salt. Add 2 or 3 strips of lime zest and the juice of the lime. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and keep simmering for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a medium saucepan or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking 2 or 3 minutes, just until the garlic is soft. Add the quinoa and stir to coat with the fat. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the quinoa begins to toast. Add the cumin and cook for a minute more. Strain the simmering stock mixture into the quinoa, stir, and bring to a boil. With a rubber spatula, scrape any stray quinoa off the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated and the quinoa is cooked. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the roasted peppers, cilantro, and a generous amount of black pepper.

Roasted Lemongrass-Ginger Chicken
Troy Guard

1 3-pound whole chicken
1 tablespoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon black pepper, divided
1 knob ginger, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, roughly chopped
1 cup roughly chopped onions
½ cup roughly chopped celery
½ cup roughly chopped carrot
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350˚.

Rub outside of chicken with olive oil, ½ tablespoon salt, and ½ tablespoon pepper. Combine rest of ingredients and place inside chicken cavity.

Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, until juice from the thigh runs clear and the internal temperature reads 175˚.

Remove chicken from oven and let it rest for about 8 minutes before carving.

Saturday Beefcake: The Best to You Each Morning Redux

2012-01-28T02:46:00.000-05:00

It's morning in America.

Time to get up.

Good Morninng, Sunshine

There is more than one way to get those positive endorphins going ...

There is really only one way ...

To start the day ...

Once you get that refereshing shower out of the way.

Your Sunday Stud: Matt Walton

2012-01-22T18:30:00.002-05:00

John Scherer, Matt Walton and Tony Winner Beth Leavel Take Flight in Boeing, Opening Jan. 22 at Paper Mill

The Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Marc Camoletti's Boeing-Boeing officially opens at the New Jersey venue Jan. 22 following previews that began Jan. 18.

Directed by James Brennan, the limited engagement will continue through Feb. 12.

The cast comprises Anne Horak (Gretchen), Brynn O'Malley (Gabriella), Heather Parcells (Gloria), John Scherer (Robert), Matt Walton (Bernard) and Tony winner Beth Leavel (Berthe).

Boeing-Boeing, according to the Paper Mill, "tells the tale of Bernard, an American playboy in swinging '60s Paris who juggles three flight-attendant fiancées-one American, one German, and one Italian. With the help of airline timetables and a phenomenally efficient housekeeper, he convinces each that she is his only love. But then a fast new Boeing jet puts the flight attendants on a collision course, hurtles Bernard's cunning deception towards disaster, and provides lift-off for laugh after laugh."

The design team includes set designer Ray Klausen, costume designer Brian Hemesath, lighting designer F. Mitchell Dana, hair and wig designer Bettie O. Rodgers and sound designer Randy Hansen. The production stage manager is Becky Fleming.

Single tickets are on sale from $25. Tickets may be purchased by calling (973) 376-4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org.

Beefcake's Goodnight from Saturday's Past

2012-01-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Weekend Brunch Menu Redux

2012-01-21T16:58:00.003-05:00

Brunch is one of those meals that can be elegant without being ridiculously so and it is usually relegated to the weekends, therefore it can be enjoyed at one's leisure. frittate, it seems should be a centerpiece. Both brunches and frittatas have entered the international culture as things to be thoroughly enjoyed. Here is the quintessential course on that kind of buffet ...

Frittata alla Giovanni

500 grams of cooked thin spaghetti
6 eggs
Milk or Cream
Olive Oil
Grated lemon peel
Nutmeg
Grated parmigiano, or Romano, or both
salt, pepper

(optional: anchovies and roasted peppers)

1. Saute the cooked pasta in a large skillet with olive oil
2. While the pasta is heating, the eggs need to whipped until frothy, adding salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of grated nutmeg and generous portions of both the cheese and the lemon peel.
3. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and let it cook while tilting the skillet from side to side and making sure it doesn't stick to the sides.
4. This is the easiest way: when the bottom and sides are cooked, place the skillet under the broiler in order to brown the top.
5. The top can be garnished with either strips of anchovies or roasted red peppers
6. Of course, since it is a frittata and there are leftovers involved, it invites creativity. Culture is a creative and ongoing process.

It is ever so slightly warmer here on the East Coast. We thought perhaps we would crank it up a bit with something very Italian and hot, hot, hot. The frittata ain't bad either.

Some good stuff from Ellie Krieger via Eat Smart.

It is, of course, accompanied by other good stuff just as munchable.

You need sustenance to handle these guys. Here follows a brunch torte.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one quarter cup
Swiss Chard, one kilo/two pounds, cooked, stems and rib discarded
Onion, large, one quarter inch slices
Garlic, two cloves, finely chopped
Sea Salt, one teaspoon
Black Pepper, one half teaspoon
Fettuccine, dried, one quarter pound/125 grams
Eggs, eight large
Milk, one cup (whole milk)
Mascarpone, two thirds cup/130 grams/five ounces
Fontina 250 grams/half pound, discard rind and cut into half inch cubes
Oven, preheated to 375F

1. Once the chard is cooked, reserve the water, adjust the salt and cook the chard in the same water.
2. Cook the onion in a large heavy skillet until golden brown, stirring constantly and then add garlic cook and stir for about a minute.
3. Add the chard with half teaspoon salt and and quarter teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat and cool.
4. Toss cooked, drained fettuccine wiht remaining oil.
5. Blend the eggs, milk, mascarpone, remaining salt, one quarter teaspoon pepper until smooth.
6. Stir, chard, pasta, fontina and egg mixture together thoroughly.
7. Pour it all into a greased springform pan.
8. Bake for fifty to sixty minutes until top is golden brown.
9. Cool in the pan on a rack for about ten minutes

There is nothing more savory and delightful than a brunch buffet done well. This torte along with all the other delectables is quite the main course. You will find more than enough to add to that variety in this link. No need to speak of the spice of life with those recipes and pictures in that link. The four young men here also attest to that. Life really is a banquet like Mame said. She added that most poor suckers are starving. We're doing are part here to invite y'all to the table, n'est-ce pas?

The Saturday Beefcake Breakfast Menu Redux

2012-01-21T06:18:00.000-05:00

Orange Mascarpone French Toast

Part One:
Oranges
Sugar, one half cup

Part Two:
Mascarpone, 500 grams, room temperature
Orange Marmalade, five tablespoons
Honey, teaspoon
Coarse Salt
Orange Juice, freshly squeezed, one half cup

Part Three:
Orange Juice, freshly squeezed, one half cup
Milk, two cups
Eggs, four
Cinnamon, a pinch
Nutmeg, a pinch
Vanilla, one half teaspoon
Unsalted Butter
Almond oil
Twelve Slices of Favorite Bread

1. In part one you are making the topping for the finished product.
2. Gingerly peel the skin from the oranges making sure that the bitter white doesn’t come along with it.
3. Cut it into thin strips and boil three times to remove bitterness, straining the water after each time.
4. After the third draining put the rind strips aside, and add the half cup of sugar and a half cup of water in the same pot and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Return the rind to the pot and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Cool the rind. Refrigerate.
6. To make the mascarpone filling from part two, thoroughly mix all of those ingredients in a small bowl. Some replace the honey with maple syrup.
7. Part three is for the batter for the toast. Brioche slices can be used, but they are not necessary.
8. The mascarpone mixture should be room temperature, by the way, so it is easy to manipulate
9. Mix the juice, milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour into a large shallow dish, like a pie plate.
10. Melt the butter with a little almond oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
11. Quickly dip the slices into the egg mixture and put them into the skillet.
12. When half are finished on one side, dollop the mascarpone onto them, with a border of about one half inch all around and place the cooked side of the remaining slices on top.
13. Then cook the top of the sandwich.
14. When finished, remove the rind from the liquid, delicately dry them off and place them on the French toast sandwiches.
15. The perfect follow up to a morning romp.

Nothing like something creamy and sweet to start the day.

Cranberry-Almond Granola

Apple Juice Concentrate, unsweetened, thawed
Maple Syrup, one half cup
Almond Oil, one third cup
Dark Brown Sugar, one quarter cup, packed
Ground Cinnamon, one tablespoon
Sea Salt, one half teaspoon
Rolled Oats, five cups
Wheat Germ, toasted, one cup
Almonds, one cup, coarsely chopped
Sunflower Seeds, one half cup
Cranberries, dried, one cup divided
Preheated oven 325F
Baking sheets, two, coated with cooking spray

1. Whisk the apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, oil, brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and salt.
3. Mix oats, wheat germ, almonds and sunflower seeds in a large bowl and then stir in juice mixture. Toss to cat.
4. Spread the granola evenly on the sheets.
5. Bake for fifteen minutes and stir a couple of times.
6. Reverse sheets from top to bottom racks.
7. Continue to bake fifteen minutes more.
8. Remove, Transfer sheets to cooling wire racks. Stir in the cranberries.
9. Let cool completely.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as these featured men would more than likely tell you. There is so much one might say about important meals. Or not say as the case may be.

This comes from The Eating Well Diet.

Broiled Eggs: This recipe feeds four, one for each of these guests.

Multigrain Bread Slices, four, thick
Oil, for frying, olive or canola
Eggs, four large
Kosher Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese, half cup grated

1. Cut circular pieces out of the bread slices with a cookie cutter or a glass.
2. Fry the rounds in the oil until lightly cripsy on each sode.
3. Poach the eggs. Trim them. Place each on a bread round
4. Season with salt and cayenne and then cover generously with cheese.
5. Place in a heatproof dish and run under a hot broiler to brown.

Not a bad way to start the day. Something substantial. And the eggs are good, too.

Friday Feature: Missy Keene

2012-01-20T16:58:00.001-05:00

Missy shares the stage with Broadway veteran and cabaret artist Ken Lundie at the piano (Concept and Musical Direction) for a musical journey dedicated to the great performers such as Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, Bette Midler and Ella Fitzgerald with a special tribute ...to Doris Day.

“What do you get when you take a timeless selection of songs, beautiful voice, commanding stage presence, terrific sense of humor, gorgeous blonde and a top notch delivery? Answer: One of the most entertaining cabaret performances in recent memory, courtesy of Missy Keene in As Long As I'm Singing.”
~ Michael Alden- Producer/Reviewer- Fame-Wall.com Aug 2011

The Laurie Beechman Theatre
(inside West Bank Café)
407 West 42nd Street @ 9th Avenue
NYC

$25 Cover
$15 Food & Beverage minimum (plus tax and gratuity)

Thursday, February 16, 2012.
7:00-8:30pm.
Reservations: 212.695.6909

For those who would like to enjoy something delicious from the West Bank Café's dinner menu, please arrive at 6 PM (only beverages will be served during the show).

Happy Birthday, Guy Madison!

2012-01-19T18:44:00.001-05:00

Actor, Movies, Television and Radio Voice. Guy Madison appeared in some 85 films, performed as a voice actor on the radio but his most prominent success came in a popular television series. He was born Robert Ozell Moseley in Pumpkin Center, California on January 19, 1926. In high school, he worked summers as a lifeguard and upon graduation attended Bakersfield Junior College studying animal husbandry. After two years, he worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the Coast Guard serving during World War II.. He never had any ambitions toward a movie career and lacked training and experience. Stationed in California and during a visit to Hollywood on leave, wearing his sailor suit, he was spotted by a talent scout while attending a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast. Recommended to David O. Selznick who was looking for an unknown to play a sailor for a cameo role in his movie Since You Went Away, he was signed as an extra. His one scene was filmed during a weekend pass and he promptly returned to duty. Movie goers noticed him and were responsible for his Hollywood career as they wrote thousands of letters praising his performance and demeanor during the brief cameo appearance. Upon completion of his military duty, Robert Moseley was signed by RKO Pictures in 1946 and began appearing in romantic comedies and dramas...Till the End of Time and Honeymoon but a few. A moniker was conceived and he became Guy Madison. However, outside of good looks, his lack of training resulted in lackluster performances. He realized his shortcomings and enhanced his abilities by studying and performing with local theatre groups which led to national prominence in 1951 in the burgeoning television industry. Madison was cast as lawman Wild Bill Hickok in the TV series, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. In 1979, he appeared in the entertaining ABC variety compilation special, When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion a salute to Western series during the early years of television. Physical ailments and bad health further hampered his fading career developing emphysema from his years of smoking. The ailment claimed his life while living in retirement in Palm Springs at age 74. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Western Star in 1953 and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (edited version of biography) by: Donald Greyfield)

It is with vivid reflection that Guy Madison comes to mind; Guy of the legend as the inspiration for the term, "beefcake" coined by columnist Sidney Skolsky. Whether it is an accurate description of the term's origin is irrelevant. It is an accurate description of the young Guy Madison. Guy Madison as Wild Bill Hickock made his way into the minds and hearts of many a baby boomer. Many of those baby boomers knew at a very young age the nature of their sexual identity. At the very least they knew where their fantasies lay. They also knew that those fantasies were unacceptable and considered reason enough to be cast into hell fire. Wild Bill himself would certainly disapprove. Still the fantasies persisted.

It took some time, a bit of anger at the Creator for creating them that way, as living breathing anathema, then the sexual revolution, Stonewall, and, of course, maturity, which told them that the Creator made them that way, because they are part of nature.

The book written about show business manager, Henry Willson, The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson, is very much about the issue of being in the closet in the film industry and the self loathing therein. More than enough of the book is devoted to Guy Madison, an early discovery of Willson's. It should be said that Madison had two short lived marriages and did father children. The author, Robert Hofler, goes to some trouble to point out Madison's allegedly gay relationship with Rory Calhoun, no less. There is an interesting anecdote involving the two of them making a car rock back and forth.

This is not the stuff of the diclosures from KD Lang, Elton John, Ellen, Rosie or about Liberace - this is the stuff of virtually bringing one's fantasies to life, of acknowledging that those cast into homosexual hell fire would be in some very fine company indeed.

Who knows where Guy went when he passed on, but here follows some of his obituary:

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- Guy Madison, who found his niche in westerns in the 1940s and starred in the television series "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" has died. He was 74. Mr. Madison, born Robert Ozell Moseley on Jan. 19, 1922, died Tuesday of emphysema at Desert Hospital Hospice in Palm Springs.

"We shared a lot of campfires together. It is another empty saddle, and I will really miss him," said fellow Western star and lifelong hunting companion Rory Calhoun. Mr. Madison and Mr. Calhoun were also neighbors in nearby Morongo Valley.

With his rugged but boyish looks, Mr. Madison portrayed the handsome James Butler Hickok from 1951 to 1958. It was the beginning of his work on popular series about historic frontier figures like Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Kit Carson.

A radio version of "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" was broadcast on the Mutual network from 1951 to 1956.

Mr. Madison had a genuine interest in western lore and was known for making bows and arrows for hunting.

Some of the actor's 85 films are: "Since You Went Away" in 1944; "Till the End of Time" in 1946; "Honeymoon" in 1947; "Bullwhip" in 1958; and "Jet Over the Atlantic" in 1960.

OK, peanut gallery, of course, there is no such thing as hell fire and if there were to be the likes of Guy Madison there, more than a few would walk through the fire to get to him.

The point of all this, aside from acknowledging Rory Calhoun's Brokebackesque statement, is that public disclosure does a lot for those who look up at the screen from inside their own sexual identity to bless and dignify that identity with that of the object of their affection.

It is good that much headway has been made in the depiction of gay characters and issues on all the screens in our lives. It is better when those who have achieved fame and fortune, not a little bit from homosexuals who support them, and who live in the real world acknowledge their kinship with them. It is a fulfilling joy to experience the existence of kindred spirits up there, so to speak. Pandering to the heterosexual sensibility in the mainstream has done nothing for the happiness and well being of homosexuals in the not so distant past.

Happiness and well being is what the world should be about: Right to Life, Right to Exist.

Strict adherence to arbitrary religious dogma has caused nothing but unhappiness, hatred and death. Just turn on the news right now and you will learn more about that.

Being human, being who we are at our best is morality enough.

Martin Luther King Monday

2012-01-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

In the year of MLK's death, 1968, George Wallace won the South in the presidential election. It was the year that Richard M. Nixon was elected president. Not long before that he was pictured on the cover of a news weekly with Robert F. Kennedy. They were called The Dream Team. A dream indeed that peace, freedom and equality might be the rule of the day. The more things change the more they stay the same. The Dream nevertheless lives on. When Mr. Obama became the 44th POTUS He did take the time to remind us that it is not the end. It's a new beginning. Mr. Obama, do you remember?

Al Gore once referred to it:
As Dr. King once said, "Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us."

Saturday Beefcake Foreplay

2012-01-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Todd Sanfield High Noon

2012-01-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

Gay Thursday: One Life to Live

2012-01-12T19:13:00.003-05:00

In Chicago for a farewell to One Life to Live and knowing that Mark Dobies will be joining us to celebrate Llanview, it brought to mind the following, one of our first posts back in 2005. Perhaps it is fair to say that One Life to Live has the best score card telling gay stories among its Soap Opera competition, mostly re: the character of Billy Douglas and the subsequent AIDS quilt story. However, like most if its competition, the show was held hostage by network executives and shrill fans. Gay storylines, among others, became the victim of bad writing and uninformed individuals. What needs to be remembered by the remaining shows is that this is a genre that is character and actor driven. Soap Operas fail miserably at plot driven scenarios. Anyway, back in 2005 this was our take on it. Now Mr. Dobies is in Chicago to greet his fans. The character of Daniel Colson is just a strange blip on the gay character radar screen.

Perhaps it’s a viewer’s own pretense to expect daytime drama to rise to the occasion of the depiction of gay people consistently and realistically since lately there has been much to be desired in the depiction of everybody no matter their sexual orientation, skin colour or gender.

Many viewers, it is suspected, have had a desire to see gay people integrated into the canvases of various afternoon serials. In the past, All My Children, One Life to Live and As the World Turns have made valiant efforts in that direction. During those memorable moments in Daytime TV history, the creative quotient was much higher than one might find in this not so memorable moment of the genre’s history.

Those stories centered around acceptance of gay people and AIDS while leaning toward the goodliness of the gay character and sometimes the not so gay characters involved in their lives.

Mark Dobies as
Daniel Colson

One Life to Live is currently at the tail end of a story involving a closeted, murdering politician, Daniel “Ted” Colson portrayed by Mark Dobies.

When Dobies came to the show his role was non-contractual and he was there as a prop to the long suffering Nora Gannon Buchanan. Colson was portrayed as an abusive, alcoholic father who had ambitions for Nora’s ex-husband’s position as the District Attorney and, as fate would have it, a position that would make him the boss of Nora’s other ex-husband, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan. Nora and Daniel ran against each other for the position.

Colson’s is/was a character that seemed to be placed in any position that the current writing committee found necessary. Soon he was sober and ready to change his life. He and Nora were dating. Wait, then he was involved peripherally in the great baby debate as a pawn of Adam Chandler which emphasized his higher political ambitions when all of sudden he did the right thing and decided not to lie for the powerful Chandler family. Shortly thereafter he not only wants to marry Nora in a hurry but also wants to railroad his son’s love of life, Jennifer, into jail for the murder of Paul Cramer who set above baby case in motion; none of which was adequately explained unless mere political ambition can set in motion all of those things all at once. Colson, of course, became guilty of murdering the blackmailing Paul Cramer and eventually Jennifer Rappaport when she realized what he had done.

It seems de rigueur these days that daytime serials play fast and furious not only with facts but also with consistency of character development. Characters who hover about in the gray areas are the most interesting, so it isn’t necessary that characters be cast in either black or white. Gray is just fine for the Dorian Cramers and Erica Kanes of those worlds, although at times their claim to consistency can be quite tenuous. The aim of TV Executives, Show Producers and Head Writers is to achieve long lasting ratings. They are failing miserably.

The character of Daniel Colson has changed a lot since its inception mostly as a prop in order to recouple the Nora and Bo characters which is an alleged long term ratings boost. It has almost nothing to do with Colson’s homosexuality, which was a May Sweeps stunt for a short term ratings boost. Dobies is a trooper and the industry should do the man justice for his character’s being all over the plot driven map and the actor’s acquiescence. It is a fond hope that he continues to be gainfully employed. He did very well with what he was given. He was taken out of that gray area and was put in the very black, unredeemable area.

In Soap Opera DigestIn Chica, Vol. 30, No. 21 in Thumbs Up! & Thumbs Down! “One Life to Live: The Daniel Dilemma” an editorial states:

OLTL’s decision to make psycho murderer Daniel a closeted gay man who kills people to hide his sexual preference is somewhat disturbing. We probably don’t need to add to some individuals’ already rampant fear of gay people with a story about a guy who would kill the love of his son’s life and trick an innocent woman into marrying him just to mask the fact that he sleeps with men.

What is shocking in the first place is that an editor would use the word, preference re: a person’s sexuality. What is also shocking is that suddenly Soap Opera Digest became a supporter of positive gay images on Soap Operas. There is a positive gay character in this story, unfortunately it is a character portrayed as naïf and unknowing whose motivations are not fully explained. If the so called Soap Press truly cares about the state of gay characters on Daytime TV, perhaps actually brokering for well written characters is what it should be up to.

All the positive proclamations and posturing come from heterosexual female characters on the show further emphasizing Colson’s downfall as a plot device for the saintly Nora to exclaim that homosexuality is not a disease. Thank you very much, but the American Psychiatry Association told us that over thirty years ago with all due respect to Hillary Bailey Smith who, also a trooper and very good actress who has endured turning Nora into the eternal victim. Is this the same woman who ran against Colson for District Attorney?

The trailing of Colson to a New York gay bar was not as comical as it might have been. Belief had to be suspended because it is very unlikely that a paranoid closeted public individual would go to a gay bar in Chelsea. Belief had to be suspended because it is unlikely that his very young lover, also very recently out of the closet, would take him to a gay bar for a special night out. Belief had to be suspended that the Police Commissioner with his snitch would go to a city outside his jurisdiction to find Colson drinking in a bar. It was enjoyable only from the standpoint of watching Woods and Lauvoisier work together. Unfortunately it was in a contrived situation.

Disney, ABC-TV’s parent company, is a gay friendly company and survived, so to speak, a Baptist Church boycott; it is, therefore, difficult to follow GLAAD’s lead in boycotting ABC. GLAAD endorsed the highly flawed Bianca Montgomery character and story on All My Children. It’s easy, a cheap shot if you will, to paint ABC and even the ubiquitous Brian Frons bogeyman with a homophobic brush. GLAAD gave an award to its positive depiction of Marcie’s brothers’ woes. It somehow got lost that her brother’s sexuality and Mark’s for the matter were all about Marcie.

Returning to basics it is better to say that whoever is writing at ABC-TV about a variety of subjects is not doing a good job*. It’s as simple as that. Ratings, at least in this case, are at an all time low in an ever increasingly competitive television market because the product is ever increasingly inferior. It has been a cliché for years to belittle Soaps because of their style and plot devices, and unhappily they remain in that rut. Those who continue to watch are those who are obsessed with the continuity of the story telling and often watch with the motivation of following a plot to its logical conclusion as evidenced by the tiny ratings spike that the baby switch story on All My Children engendered. It is looking more and more like that’s about as good as it gets. Those who are inevitably loyal to the storytelling are not necessarily as fierce in their loyalty as they once were.

The issue is not as some allegedly progressive editor in the so called Soap Opera Press might call rampant homophobia, but rather if the story is told well with all its elements in place. The Daniel Colsons of the world are real. Al Pacino gave a memorable performance in Angels in America as did James Woods in Citizen Cohn of a public figure who persecuted his own kind and died of the “gay cancer” which came to be known as AIDS. Jon Stewart has said something to the effect of if you want to meet gay men go to the anti-gay buffet. Just follow recent news events. Of course, it is seldom that these individuals resort to murdering their sons’ girlfriends, but is a fictional story. Governor McGreevey, although a day late and a dollar short in his “I-Am-A-Gay-American Speech” is the least despicable of all the possible self-loathing gay men in government who persecute their own kind. The persecution takes on many forms. It is useful to call to mind the AIDS activist slogan, Silence=Death. Colson’s story might have been more believable had it gone along the lines of those who take out their self-loathing in anti-gay public policy.

A recent real life story out of Columbia, Missouri has a closeted gay policeman allegedly murdering his young male lover. The judge in the case was quoted as saying that the case had more to say about the officer’s state of mind rather than Columbia’s which would have been accepting of having a gay officer on the force. Perhaps the Colson story will say the same thing about the state of mind of the community of Llanview, Pennsylvania. It should be hoped that Rick Santorum (R-Pa) is not their Senator.

So, what is needed are writers who are aware of the human condition and know how to express it. What the genre needs are actors and characters who can give us pathos. It doesn’t necessarily have to be original, very few creative efforts are. It is the expression that need be unique. The originality within this framework has to be devoid of knee jerk liberalism. The story of someone like the character that Daniel Colson turned out to be should be told; his young lover Mark’s story and his coming out needs to be told, but not through Marcie eyes – through his own.

Daniel Colson is a tortured individual who was an abusive, alcoholic father but was also driven to aspire to public office for all the wrong reasons. He was somehow able to win Mark who for all intents and purposes is a good person. Why does Mark love Daniel? Why does Daniel love Mark?

Nora can be applauded for reminding us in the middle of her own hysteria that homosexuality is not a disease. The disease is that Daniel brought himself to this precipice. Now we can begin.

Yesterday’s episode saw Daniel’s admission of guilt and his departure for Statesville Prison.

Frank Valentini, the Executive Producer of One Life to Live was recently quoted as saying that Marcie’s brother resolves the issues with his homophobic father in a special Father’s Day episode. That will bear some regard and we’ll do our best to do that justice.

Giano

*A notable exception may be John Loprieno. When his name appears on the writing credits, some characters seem more articulate and believable.

The Wednesday Word: Llanview!

2012-01-11T11:26:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Talent: Jon Prescott from the Advocate August 2010

2012-01-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

Howl's Jon Prescott
8.29.2010
By Michael Martin

The blow job scene is what people want to know about,' says Jon Prescott, referring to his onscreen tryst with James Franco in the new film Howl. Since he mentioned it... 'We shot a couple of takes. The directors liked where it was going, so they told me, 'Don't make it so easy for him.' So I didn't, telling him, 'Go ahead, push me down!' A little more tension developed in that take.'

Tense foreplay with James Franco aside, Howl, the biopic of beat legend Allen Ginsberg offers an intriguing mix. Written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, The Times of Harvey Milk), the film is split into three intermingling sections. One portrays Ginsberg's development as a writer-poet in 1950s San Francisco. Animated sequences illustrate his landmark 1956 poem Howl. His prosecution for obscenity after publishing the poem is also shown in courtroom scenes. As Ginsberg, Franco is fiery and lovelorn. There is also cuddling. 'What was it like to spoon James Franco?' asks Prescott. 'Something I've been waiting for my entire career, definitely.'

Prescott plays Neal Cassady, the delinquent turned beat groupie who insinuated himself into Ginsberg's circle and was his sexual partner for more than 20 years. 'If Neal were to be labeled, I don't think he'd be labeled gay,' says Prescott. 'I think he'd be labeled straight with experimentation along the way. He had a lasting relationship with Allen, but he was married to two women at the same time as well. He lived life his own way.' Cassady, whom Ginsberg called 'the secret hero' of 'Howl,' ultimately broke Ginsberg's heart and died of substance abuse at 42. 'At the end, he wrote in a letter to Allen, 'The prick isn't for me,' and took off,' says Prescott.

Prescott's turn in Howl is the first of two recent gay roles for the 29-year-old actor. He also just finished shooting The One, an indie dramedy about a Manhattan investment banker who, a month before he's set to marry a woman, revives a relationship with a man from his past -- his old college hookup (Prescott). 'It's a film about fear versus choice,' says Prescott. 'It was a bigger challenge than playing the bartenders and town bachelors I'm often offered.'

Besides rising from near-obscurity to unbuckle Franco's belt, Prescott guest-starred this year on 30 Rock and Rescue Me. In person, his smooth matinee looks are almost freakishly perfect, but he's more beat pathfinder than a future Bachelor contestant. He's a wry, resolute New Yorker ('There are more artists here,' he says), and last year he climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro two days after running a marathon. His choice of Steve McQueen as his cinematic idol seems genetically predetermined. 'He was a big proponent of doing instead of saying,' says Prescott. 'That's who I want to be: an actor who behaves instead of tells.'

The Monday Muse: David A Gregory

2012-01-09T19:14:00.001-05:00

Chicago that Toddlin' Town! Celebrate Llanview There!

2012-01-08T17:15:00.005-05:00

"Chicago, Chicago--that toddlin' town.
Chicago, Chicago--I'll show you around. I love it.
Bet your bottom dollar you'll lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago.
The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down."

"CELEBRATE LLANVIEW!"
A Tribute Party Honoring the Network Broadcast
Finale of ABC's One Life to Live Benefiting Season of Concern!
On Friday, January 13th, join the stars of ABC's One Life to Live as they come to the Sidetrack Video Bar in Chicago for one last viewing party in honor of the show's 43 years on the ABC network. Join fellow fans of the show and watch the finale with your favorite past and present One Life to Live stars

"Soap Opera Socialite" Jason Spitzer is the creator, producer and host of "Celebrate Llanview," following his incredibly successful tribute party honoring All My Children this past September.

Scheduled to appear are Ilene Kristen(Roxy Balsom), Tonja Walker Davidson (Alex Olanov Buchanan), David A. Gregory (Robert Ford), Don Jeffcoat (Joey Buchanan), Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth), Lenny Platt (Nate Salinger), Nic Robuck (James Ford) and Mark Dobies (Daniel Colson), Following the live viewing of the finale, stay for a Q&A with the Stars and a Meet & Greet session immediately after.

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS:

Each General Admission Ticket costs $35 and comes with:
• One (1) complimentary drink ticket

- General Admission Tickets Are Available -
ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS

To Purchase Your General Admission Tickets, Click here

General Admission Tickets will also be available
for purchase at the door at a cost of $45 per ticket,

Sidetrack Video Bar is located at 3349 N. Halsted St. in Chicago, IL.
(**All attendees must be over 21 years of age with valid ID**)

Good Night Saturday Beefcake: A Couch Can Sometimes Do The Trick

2012-01-07T23:33:00.001-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Being Superficial

2012-01-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

Hey, adoring beautiful men like these is one of those harmless superficial pastimes. As superficial as beefcake can be, there is no doubt the contemplation of such puts one in a good mood. There's nothing wrong with that. It may not be profound happiness, but some of us take what we can get.

Still the best line in The Boys in the Band from Harold: [Physical beauty is] Only skin deep. It's transitory, too. It's terribly transitory. Oh yes. It's too bad about this poor boy's face. It's tragic. He's absolutely cursed. How could his beauty ever compare with my soul? And although I've never seen my soul, I understand from my mother's Rabbi that it's a knock-out. I, however, cannot seem to locate it for a gander. And if I could, I'd sell it in a flash, for some skin-deep, transitory, meaningless beauty."

Saturday Beefcake Dessert: Poached Pears

2012-01-07T21:30:00.003-05:00

Marsala Poached Pears Recipe (www.spimplyrecipes.com)

Firm, just ripe pears should be used. If overly ripe, the pears will cook up mushy. If Bosc pears are not available, Bartlett or Anjou can be substituted. You can core the pears if you wish, from the bottom, but it really is not necessary.

4 bosc pears, peeled, stem still attached, 1/4-inch of bottom sliced off so pears can easily sit upright
1 cup dry Marsala wine (or Madeira)
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 star anise
4 cloves
1/2 stick cinnamon

1 In a saucepan just large enough to fit all of the pears, place the Marsala wine, sugar, lemon juice, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and place the pears in the pan, standing upright. Cover the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes (if you want, baste with the liquid a couple of times during the cooking), until the pears can easily be pierced with a fork. Very firm pears make need to cook for up to 20 minutes.

2 Remove the pears to a serving dish. Keeping the pan uncovered, let the Marsala syrup boil down for a few minutes until it is a thick syrup. (If it begins to caramelize, remove pan from the heat and add a little water to the pan to stop the cooking.) Pour syrup over pears and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Saturday Beefcake Main Course: Paul Wagner

2012-01-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

This is Giada's Roast Pork in Fig and Port Sauce. If it were acting like winter outside, this would be perfect. Well, it's perfect anyway! And to go along with it, the incomparable, Paul Wagner

Sauce:
2 1/2 cups port
c. 1/2 cup balsamic reduction
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 dried black Mission figs, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pork:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon salt, plus additional for seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 (4 to 4 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin

For the sauce:
In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Discard the herb sprigs and cinnamon sticks (some of the rosemary leaves will remain in the port mixture). Transfer the port mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Blend in the butter. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Stir the oil, rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl to blend. Place the pork loin in a heavy roasting pan. Spread the oil mixture over the pork to coat completely. Roast until an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees F, turning the pork every 15 minutes to ensure even browning, about 45 minutes total.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Let the pork rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the chicken broth into the roasting pan. Place the pan over medium heat, and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Bring the pan juices to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a large sharp knife, cut the pork crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the pork slices on plates. Spoon the jus over. Drizzle the warm fig sauce around and serve immediately.

Saturday Beefcake Simply Means Your Days Off Will Never Be Boring

2012-01-07T16:19:00.005-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Down On the Levy

2012-01-07T13:35:00.001-05:00

Your Saturday Beefcake Self Love Moment

2012-01-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

Your Saturday Beefcake Start of the Day

2012-01-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Three Kings, Befana, Arabic Sicily Redux

2012-01-06T15:34:00.000-05:00

There is no real consensus on whether the visitors from the East on this day, celebrated as Epiphany in much of the Apostolic tradition, were kings, magi, wise men or wise guys, for that matter. This much we know: they gazed at the stars and came bearing gifts -- but they weren't Greek. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh, all fit for a king. Here are three gifts for you, actually three fine men who are furnished with many gifts as anyone can see -- all fit for any king, pilfered from Blue.

There was a time when Sicily had emirs -- yes -- prior to the time of that other Norman invasion. Mary Taylor Simeti married a Sicilian man and went to live in his homeland. That experience produced a very informative book about the cuisine of the emerald of the Mediterranean. Within that book, Pomp and Sustenance, she tells grand tales of many recipes over many centuries of Sicilian food. That Moslem Arabs, a.k.a Saracens, had a very powerful influence is evident not only in the culture and the faces of the population but also in many of the island's culinary treasures.

Therefore, on this day what follows is a revision of a recipe from the era when the Saracens ruled Sicily -- a recipe from the Eastern end of the island.

Il Pasticcio di Mohammed Ibn Itmnah (Thummas), Emir of Catania

Chicken, 2 kilos -- any kind, any type
Virgin Olive Oil
Chicken Broth, a pint
Large round loaf of crusty Italian Bread, un pagnotto
Toasted Almonds, 100 grams
Pistachios, 100 grams
Chopped Parsley, large spoonful
Capers, a large spoonful
Eggs, 2 -- lightly beaten
Lemon Juice -- from one lemon

1. Brown the chicken in the olive oil and add a cup of the broth. Salt. Pepper. Simmer until tender.
2. Cool the chicken. If you are using whole chicken, remove the skin and bones. Cut into small pieces. Reserve both meat and broth in any case.
3. Cut the bread horizontally, slightly less than half way down, as if to make a dish with a lid.
4. Hollow out the bread. Combine the crumbs with reserved broth and pass through a sieve.
5. Grind the almonds and pistachios with the parsley and capers.
6. Combine wiht the bread puree, eggs and lemon juice creating a moist mixture.
7. Add the meat and then spoon the mixture into the bread shell and cover with the upper crust.
8. Bake for 20 minutes @ 350F. Serve cold.

This is a simple yet kingly repast for anyone wise enough to enjoy it. This should be enough to satisfy at least six kings let alone three.

So, this would have been a good thing to leave out for Befana as she delivered presents. Here's hoping she left behind a king ...

Gay Thursday: Hewson and Turner

2012-01-05T16:08:00.004-05:00

Greg Turner is a product of New York University’s Department of Dramatic Writing . He was a 2008 Semi-Finalist for the Disney Fellowship in Feature Film. For the past two years, Greg has been working on Empire, an internet soap opera, he co-created. Season four of Empire is currently in pre-production and the first three seasons are available at www.empiretheseries.com. Greg and his Empire producing partner, Brian Hewson are also in development for a new webseries starring Martha Byrne. His new musical All Fall Down, written with Selda Sahin, was produced in the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) directed by Lonny Price and starring Jenn Colella and Mary Testa. A finalist for the 2008 Eugene O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference, All Fall Down is based on his play of the same name, which was produced at the NYU Festival of New Works in 2002. In May of 2009, Greg made his European debut as a playwright at the Keller Theatre with his comedy The Gift Exchange a workshop production in New York from 2007. Greg has adapted The Gift Exchange into a screenplay and is planning to film it on location in Vermont.

Brian Hewson graduated from New York University in 2003 with a degree in Communications. He has spent his time since then in a myriad of activities including general management of All Fall Down. For the past two years he has been working on Empire.

In Turner and Hewson we get to experience the future of a genre that will never die. These young turks are currently nominated for Indie Soap of the Year for their unique endeavor Empire. "Voting is now open for the "Fan's Choice Indie Soap of the Year" which will be announced at the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards ceremony on February 21." Click here to give them a well deserved vote. It's not at all like those votes wasted in Iowa two days ago. It's for a good thing and for all those hard working people involved in the series.

Tuesday Talent and The Wednesday Word: Obsession

2012-01-04T15:26:00.002-05:00

Monday Music: Michael Franks

2012-01-02T13:46:00.001-05:00

Antonio lives life's fervor.
Antonio prays for truth.
Antonio says our friendship is a Hundred proof.
The vulture that circles Rio hangs in this L.A. sky.
The blankets they give the Indians only make them die.

*But sing the song forgotten for so long and let
The music flow like light into a rainbow
We know the dance we have
We still have a chance to break this chains and flow
Like light into the rainbow
Antonio loves the desert.
Antonio prays for rain
Antonio knows that pleasure is the child of pain
Lost in la Califusa when most of my hope was gone
Antonio's samba led me to the Amazon. .

Happy 2012: Thank You For Being Here

2012-01-01T06:20:00.000-05:00

Winter

While walking by my frosted lake
one homeless Sunday in the cold
I heard the sound of falling day
the melody of growing old
it played in me so soft and sweet
the numbing drone of time well spent
the faces, smells ... the revelry
the years when youth was permanent ...

-- Thorsten Kaye

Saturday Beefcake Happy New Year: This is the Best Part

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Foreplay

2011-12-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Le Plat Principal

2011-12-31T20:01:00.005-05:00

The word entrée is French. It originally denoted the "entry" of the dishes from the kitchens into the dining hall. In the illustration from a French fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript of the Histoire d'Olivier de Castille et d'Artus d'Algarbe, a fanfare from trumpeters in the musicians' gallery announces the processional entrée of a series of dishes preceded by a covered cup that is the ancestor of the tureen, carried by the maître d'hôtel. The entrée will be shown round the hall but served only to the high table (though it does not stand on a dais in this hall), where the guests are set apart by a gold-and-crimson damask canopy of estate.

In traditional French haute cuisine, the entrée preceded a larger dish known as the relevé, which "replaces" or "relieves" it, an obsolete term in modern cooking, but still used as late as 1921 in Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire.

In France, the modern restaurant menu meaning of entrée is the course that precedes the main course in a three course meal,[14] i.e. the course which in British usage is often called the "starter" and in American usage the "appetizer." Thus a typical modern French three course meal in a restaurant consists of "entrée" (first course, starter (UK), appetizer (U.S.)) followed by the "plat" or "plat principal" (the main course) and then dessert or cheese. This procession is commonly found in prix fixe menus. [from Wikipedia]

by any other name, very tasty

Your Saturday Beefcake Appetizer: Tasty!

2011-12-31T17:55:00.000-05:00

Beet Falafel with Hemp Seed–Tahini Dressing

Charlie and Kathleen Schaffer
Schaffer’s Genuine Foods

Moroccan Spice Blend:
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Beet Falafel:
1/2 pound peeled beets
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 cups panko bread crumbs, plus more for coating
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Canola oil as needed

Hemp Seed–Tahini Dressing:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon harissa
1/4 teaspoon salt

3–4 slices pita bread, halved

To make the Moroccan spice blend, combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind until smooth.

To make the beet falafel, place the beets in a food processor. Pulse until the beets are finely chopped and empty into a large bowl. Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the food processor and purée until smooth. Empty into the bowl with the beets.

Heat a medium sauté pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice blend, and sauté until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add to the beets and chickpeas.

Add the panko, honey, parsley, egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice blend to the beet mixture and mix well. Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into a small ball and place on a plate. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. Chill the falafel for at least half an hour.

To make the hemp seed–tahini dressing, combine the sour cream, hemp seeds, honey, lemon juice, tahini, lemon zest, garlic, harissa, and salt in a blender and process until smooth. Chill until needed.

When you’re ready to fry the falafel, pour a 1 1/2-inch layer of oil into a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the oil until ripples begin to form on the bottom. Working in batches, roll the chilled falafel balls in panko to coat and carefully lower them into the hot oil. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the fried falafel to paper towels to drain.

Stuff the pita bread halves with the hot falafel and finish with hemp seed–tahini dressing.

Saturday Beefcake Self Love

2011-12-31T14:49:00.005-05:00

Hey! What's not to love?

Have a Happy New Year's Eve: Suggestions from Saturday Beefcake Past

2011-12-31T12:01:00.001-05:00

Jacob who became the father of Israel by virtue of a bowl of lentils, which he'd been preparing, and used to buy his elder brother's birthright (and, by the way, went on to wrestle an angel) filtered that patriarchal event through many centuries so that the food became an Italian New Year's tradition: a required item on the New Year's menu -- Eve or Day, their shape brings to mind tiny coins and people eat them in the hope that they won't want for anything for the coming year.

Lentils are very versatile, and, not to mention, nutritious. Therefore, two recipes are offered -- one more traditional than the other along with young gentlemen who seem to be quite versatile themselves. While it wouldn't be right to refer to them as nutritious, it seems they may know a thing or two about nutrition and wrestling angels

Zuppa di Lenticchie (Lentil Soup)

2 tablespoons fruity Olive Oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed, etc.
2 teaspoons sea salt
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Heat half the olive oil in large pot.
2. Add garlic, onion and fennel. Saute until soft [5 minutes]
3. Add the broth and lentils. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender [about 45 minutes]
5. Serves 6 people. Drizzle olive oil over each serving and garnish with fresh basil.
[Romano or Parmesan cheese]

Lentil Tapenade

One Cup Lentils
20 ounces of Broth (Chicken or Vegetable)
Chopped Garlic, 2 tablespoons
Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, dried and slivered
Aromatic Olive Oil
Anchovy paste
Capers, three tablespoons
Olives, any Mediterranean type, pitted, chopped, 1/2 cup
Fresh Lemon Juice, two tablespoons
Sea salt and ground pepper
Chopped Italian Parsley
One Lemon Slice

1. Rinse and drain the lentils
2. Simmer the lentils in the broth with the garlic and tomatoes in a large saucepan from 30-45 minutes or until they are cooked
3. Place the saucepan ingredients in a processor for about 30 seconds, scraping the sides several times.
4. Add the oil, a couple drops of the anchovy paste, capers and chopped olives, lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste. Continue processing until smooth, once again scraping down the sides.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the parsley; pulse several times to blend.
6. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with lemon and parsley.
7. This is for crostini, or fresh bread, or pita chips and the recipe is a variation of Julee Rosso's who probably knows a lot more about nutrition than wrestling angels.

Would there be a way to celebrate holidays in the US without the ubiquitous pumpkin? It is everywhere from the end of October until the end of the year. Here is offered another way to make use of its attributes putting it together with that universal favourite, chocolate. Togetherness and cookies are part and parcel of this time of year.

Today's message is comfort, sweetness and togetherness.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Puree c. 500 grams
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
12 oz chocolate chips [milk is preferred by author, but semi-sweet might work]
4 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

1. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and chips.
2. In a separate bowl, blend flour and baking powder.
3. Combine the ingredients in these two bowls and stir until well combined.
4. Use two teaspoons to place on ungreased cookie sheet in small dollops. They will bake at the size they are created.
5. 375 degrees from 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Cool 'em.

Indulge the sweetness.

Limoncello doesn't seem to be every one's cup of tea. It seems, however, that the creamy version is a hit with everyone.

Cream Limoncello

Vodka, one litre of good quality vodka
Lemons, six washed and dried
Sugar, three cups
Lemon extract, one teaspoon
Whole Milk, one quart
Half & Half, 20 ounces

1. First, make the lemon liqueur. Zest the lemons. Place in a large glass container with the vodka and lemon extract. Let sit for 1to 2 weeks. Shake daily.
2. Once the mixture is ready, in a large pot, add the sugar and half and half and milk. Heat till sugar dissolves, stirring it about 5 minutes.
3. Continue heating until it comes to a boil, remove from heat, do that 5 times. After 5 times let cool.
4. When mixture is cool add the lemon/vodka mixture and mix. Strain into a pot through a strainer to catch lemon rind and curds
5. Bottle and refrigerate. Can be kept in freezer.

The gentleman pictured here are certainly viable entries on many personal hit parades, choice of beverages notwithstanding.

Saturday Beefcake: Your New Years Eve Midmorning Adrenalin Rush

2011-12-31T09:25:00.001-05:00

It's the Last Day of the Year Saturday Morning Beefcake

2011-12-31T06:01:00.000-05:00

... let us act as if it the first all over again.

Friday Feature: Celebrate Llanview

2011-12-30T11:23:00.010-05:00

CELEBRATE LLANVIEW! A TRIBUTE PARTY HONORING the FINALE of ONE LIFE TO LIVE Benefitting a SEASON OF CONCERN

Sponsorship Provided By:
YES Vodka, Dana Hotel and Spa, Robert Jeffrey Salon, and Wilde Bar & Restaurant

For Immediate Release 30 December 2011

Contact: MPE Productions, Inc.
Producer: jasondspitzer@gmail.com

Save the Date!

Chicago Welcomes Stars of ABC’s One Life to Live to Sidetrack Video Bar as they “Celebrate Llanview!” honoring 43 years on the ABC Network. Come to Chicago to watch the very last episode with fans of the show on January 13, 2012, once again being held at Sidetrack Video Bar.

Following the success of “Celebrate Pine Valley!” in September, “soap opera socialite” Jason Spitzer will welcome past and present actors from ABC’s ONE LIFE TO LIVE for “Celebrate Llanview! A Tribute Party" honoring the Series Finale, benefitting Season of Concern.

“The event was a huge hit with the fans and the actors,” says Jason of the All My Children event back in September. “We raised over $5000 for Season of Concern and I would love to raise even more in January. I hold a special place for Season of Concern in my life and believe in what they do. To be able to do this again for them and the dedicated soap fans, I think we’ll have even more success this January!”

Festivities begin at 11AM CST when the actors make an appearance on ABC 7 Chicago’s 11AM Newscast with meteorologist Tracy Butler broadcasting live from the Sidetrack Video Bar interviewing the actors. At 12PM, it’s the “Live from Ultra Violet” talk show where Jason will interview the actors about their time on the show and take questions from the fans. After the One Life to Live finale, stay for the live auction and the meet & greet session.

Scheduled to appear are Ilene Kristen (Roxy Balsom), David A. Gregory (Robert Ford), Nic Robuck (James Ford), Lenny Platt (Nate Salinger), Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth), Tonja Walker Davidson (Alex Olanov Buchanan), Mark Dobies (Daniel Colson), & Don Jeffcoat (Joey Buchanan). Many more actors and special guests will be announced over the next several weeks. (Talent attendance is subject to change without notice.)

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.seasonofconcern.org General Admission tickets are $35 and at this time, all VIP packages are sold out. All ticket proceeds benefit Season of Concern. For more information, please visit their website. Doors open at 11AM and you must be 21 and over to attend. Mark your calendar to “Celebrate Llanview!” in Chicago on January 13th!

For updates, follow us on Twitter!
@CelebrateLlanvw, @SOConcern, #OLTLChicagoFanEvent, #OLTL

###

Gay Thursday: A Tale of Two Tims

2011-12-29T21:01:00.003-05:00

Giovanni Vitacolonna reflects on how his friend Tim Scott, the late actor, and Tim Horn, the current editor-in-chief of AIDSmeds, have inspired him. Go here

Wednesday Word Comes From Teilhard de Chardin

2011-12-28T16:07:00.002-05:00

We are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist and forever will recreate each other.

Tuesday Talent: John the Beloved

2011-12-27T22:11:00.001-05:00

Et Verbum Caro Factum Est et Habitavit in Nobis. And the Word was Made Flesh and dwelt among us. The Word that came forth from God was made Flesh. Exegesis of ancient philosophy and thought places much emphasis on the power of the word. The Word that came from God took form in humanity. That’s what Jesus is supposedly all about: God and humanity as one and the same entity.

John, the Beloved Disciple is the attributed author of the above quote which is essential to the Liturgy of the Word in Roman Catholic ritual, and is part of that ritual on Xmas. John was the one whose head rested on the chest of the Lord during the Last Supper. John was the one to whom the Lord entrusted his mother when he was dying. John is usually depicted as a young handsome man. He is the Beloved above and beyond the rest of the disciples.

A type of intimacy was attributed to and recorded about John's relationship to Jesus. Let it be said here and now that Jesus Christ, according to the accepted Sacred Gospels, one of which was accordingly written by John the Beloved, said absolutely nothing that directly condemned same sex relationships.

The theology that John’s writings exhibit has to do with the Divine inhabiting and becoming flesh and eventually overcoming the mortality of the flesh. It is the cornerstone of Xtianity.

It is John who is the only disciple who survived martyrdom and lived to a ripe old age. It is John who had numerable mystical visions that gave the world the Book of the Apocalypse, a.k.a. Revelations. It is John who points the way to overcoming the ravages of the Beast upon humanity. It is John and his relationship with the god-made-man that may very well point the way to acceptance of all human beings being exactly what God made them in all their glory.

John’s Feast is December 27th and celebrated during the Octave of Xmas.

Speaking of beloved John, was Jesus gay?

Good Cheer And Holiday Name Calling: Ho! Ho! Ho!

2011-12-26T03:07:00.000-05:00

The Days Are Already Getting Longer ...

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation. ~ de Chardin

This is a magical time of year. This is the time of year to manifest divine gracious gifts, most of which are the great people in our lives. It is magical because it is that time to shed the light on who we are. It is when we enthrone the Sun God, the symbol and the manifestation of self, in Latin, ego which also means "I".

The longest hours of daylight accentuate the virtue of loving one's self. Here comes the Sun King!

In both Northern and Southern hemispheres, it is a celebration of light in our life cycles ...

Saturday Beefcake: Thank You and Goodnight

2011-12-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

A Blast From Your Beefcake Post: Trevor Adams in 2010

2011-12-24T19:06:00.000-05:00

We saw Trevor more than once yesterday and he was part of the sign off in one of his sexiest poses.

So, we thought we'd spend Sunday with him.

He has a website: www.trevoradamsgym.com

from his website:

6. Do you have any special dream? If you could choose 5 most important things for you in life, what would it be and why?

The 5 most important things for me in life would be total happiness. Its really hard to some them up in 5 reasons because there are always more things. The simplest things in life like eating your favorite foods to taking a nap can be very soothing, but after careful consideration, I would have to say that:

#5 being able to travel whenever I want would be important because I like to meet new people and see other places, #4 to go across seas to Europe one day to look around, network, and slap some bitches would be great too, lol #3 to be very successful in whatever the future brings to me, #2 start my own animal charity #1 be happy.

7. Do you think we are living in a better society concerning hate, war, human rights, sexual behaviors, etc?

Yes and No. Its interesting that Civil Rights have pretty much been "equalized" and women's rights isn't as big an issue as it use to be yet there is the concern for gay marriage. The Constitution states all men are created equal, (learned that in the 3rd grade). Eventually Politicians will interpret it that way and establish equality throughout the human race, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual pref, immigrant status, financial status or the number of tatoos you have where the sun doesn't shine.

Although I won't get married, I don't see that depriving others of that right for unethical reasons is fair. When 2 people decide to get married, then they share a special bond for one another and that has to be one of the best feelings in the world. Now regardless of whether people are gay, straight, or even side-ways, they should be able to validate their feelings for one another on a marriage certificate, without outside interference from anyone.

"If you don't like same sex marriages, then don't marry someone of the same sex and mind your own damn business." Wanda Sykes

Xmas Eve + The Fruits of the Sea

2011-12-24T15:37:00.001-05:00

This is in honour of the tradition that calls for the eating of seven fishes for Xmas eve. This recipe comes from the Ritz-Carlton and the young men, of course, can be considered sea worthy bounty or something like that.

Pookie's Shortbread for Xmas Eve Saturday Beefcake

2011-12-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

1/2 lb softened unsalted butter (just a bit more)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch, scant
2 cups white flour

Cream butter and icing sugar together.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and cornstarch.
Gradually add dry ingredients to butter and icing sugar, mixing well.
Mixture should be crumbly, but will compress with the back of a spoon.

Spoon a small amount** into your hand, compress in your fist and then roll into a ball.
Flatten somewhat in your hand.
Place on cookie pan.
Use a fork dipped in flour to flatted further.
Should make about 36 - 40cookies.

If you use a non stick pan (i.e .dark coating), bake at 280 for 20 - 22 minutes.
If you use a regular pan, bake at 300 for 20 - 22 minutes.
Check at 15 minutes to make sure they aren't overcooking.
When done, the bottoms should be slightly browned.
Remove from oven and dust with icing sugar, if desired, while still on pan.
Transfer to cooling rack.

** I can't quantify this very well. Perhaps a highly rounded tablespoon

Come Visit Between the Holidays

2011-12-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

One can only hazard a guess regarding Anthony Catanzaro's Italian origins. Sicily may quite possibly be part of it. There's no doubt that many would like to call one thigh "Xmas" and the other "New Year's" and would love to come visit between the holidays.

Something Sicilian: Cucidati/Cucurreddi

Pasta Frolla:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 large eggs

Fig Filling:
12 ounces (about 2 cups) dried Calimyrna figs
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup candied orange peel, diced
1/3 cup whole almonds or pine nuts, chopped and lightly toasted
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup apricot preserves
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Egg wash:
1 large egg, well beaten with 1 pinch salt

Frosting:

Confectioner's sugar emulsified with orange juice

Multi-colored nonpareils for finishing before baking

2 or 3 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans covered with parchment or foil

1. To make the dough, in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse two or three times to mix. Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until it it finely incorporated and the mixture is cool and powdery. Add the eggs, all at once, and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface, then place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a square about an inch thick and wrap it. Chill the dough while preparing the filling.

2. For the filling, in a large bowl, stem and dice the figs. If they are hard, place them in a saucepan, cover them with water, and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Drain the figs in a strainer and allow them to cool before proceeding.

3. In a bowl, combine the diced figs with the rest of the filling ingredients and stir them together. In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse to grind the filling mixture finely. Scrape the filling back into the bowl used to mix it.

4. When you are ready to bake the cucidati, set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°.

5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on a floured surface. Knead the dough lightly to make it malleable again and rollit up into a cylinder. Cut the cylinder into twelve equal pieces. One at a time, on a floured surface, flatten each and make it into a rectangle 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. Paint the wash on the dough and evenly distribute 1/3 cup filling down its length. Bring the edges of dough up around the filling to enclose it, then press the edges of the dough together firmly to seal in the filling. Use your palms to roll over the filled cylinder of dough until it extends to 15 inches, then cut it into 3-inch lengths. Set the filled cylinders aside while filling, rolling, and cutting the other pieces of dough.

6. To finish shaping the cucidati, use the point of a sharp knife to slash six or eight diagonal cuts in the top of each filled cylinder of dough. Place each slashed cookie on one of the prepared pans, and curve it into a horseshoe shape. Leave about an inch all around between the cookies.

7. After all the cucidati are on pans, paint the outsides lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle them sparingly with the non-pareils.

8. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, or until they are a light golden color. Slide the papers from the pans to racks.

9. Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.

We post this every year. We love Anthony almost as much as we like cucidati.

Waking Up to Phil Fusco, A Beefcake Hit!

2011-12-24T05:45:00.000-05:00

Friday Feature: George Michael

2011-12-23T14:07:00.001-05:00

Stay well, George! We are glad you are home to recover, Brother!

Merry Be! It is Yule!

2011-12-22T10:25:00.001-05:00

The Solstice occured at 05:30 UTC on December 22, 2011.

The December solstice is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.

'Tis the shortest day of the year, yet it is out of the darkness that we celebrate and await the light.

We are forever on our way.

Monday Music and Tuesday Talent: Darlene Love

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Your Sunday Stud: Nic Robuck

2011-12-18T15:08:00.006-05:00

The youngest of four siblings, Nic Robuck grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Scecina Memorial Catholic High School where he did many shows and plays. “I really enjoyed it, but I wanted to be a Disney animator when I was younger. I was into art. Then I saw the movie Titanic.” He then decided to be an actor said to myself “and make movies just like that … I wanted to affect people that way as well.” He played "A wide-range of characters. I was in Fiddler on the Roof, and I played Motel, the tailor. That was my first singing solo and that was just gut-wrenching. I was also in the play version of Pillow Talk where I played the assistant to one of the leading ladies; [he] had a French accent. I took French at the time, so I was really proud of the work I did with that." He graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California, where he did Cabaret and a couple of original plays. Before joining One Life to Live as James Ford in June of 2010 Nic appeared on television shows in guest roles on The Young and the Restless, CSI: Miami, and iCarly.

"I was just brought on to be new love interest in Starr's life. It wasn't intentional for me to be Ford's brother. When they noticed how much we really did resemble each other, they said, 'Let's make him Ford's younger brother.' The resemblance is astonishing. Even my dad has confused us. He was looking through a magazine of another interview I had done, and he said, 'Oh, here you are.' I said, 'That's not me. That's the guy who plays my brother.'" Nic views his time on One Life to Live as a new beginning. Let’s hope that it is just the beginning for this young man. His presence at Celebrate Llanview at Sidetracks on January 13, 2012 to benefit Season of Concern will help bring many of his devoted fans to the cause. Get your tickets here. Go! Meet Nic.

Ending Your Saturday Beefcake Broadcast Day

2011-12-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

You don't have to vote for him. Just enjoy.

Saturday Beefcake Foreplay with Kamil Bak

2011-12-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Kamil Bak

2011-12-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

From his page on Model Mayhem:

Hi everyone,
nice to meet you all! My name is Kamil. I am the product of an interesting international and intercultural crossover: My parents are originally from Poland, I was born in Sweden and now I am living in Germany, but I have relatives all over the world. And itâs time for me to finally visit the branch of my family which has settled in the USA. And, at the same time, I hope to gain some insights into the world of American fitness. I got into bodybuilding when I was 15 and it has become my greatest passion. Working out isnât just a hobby for me, itâs an essential part of my life and a strong part of my identity. I like to be challenged by new experiences, and fitness modeling seems to be a great one. I was fortunate enough to be booked for some photo shoots in Germany, and I would be a happy man if also photographers in Greater New York would be interested in cooperating with me. If you like the way I look please get in contact with me and see if we would be a good match. Youâll see that I am a straightforward, down-to-earth person who is on time, faithful to his word, highly motivated and flexible. You can be sure that you will have my full commitment and that my body will be at its best, to do great work every time, all the time.

Thanks for reading these lines. Please, come and check me out. You will definitely not be disappointed!

America was awesome next year I come again many thanks to the photographers ANDY LUNDGREN who helps me to come to the states many thanks uncle!

WITH BEST KIND OF REGARDS

KAMIL

Majestic Saturday Beefcake

2011-12-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Nick Ayler

2011-12-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Pasta

2011-12-17T18:30:00.000-05:00

Green Tomato Amatriciana from Vincent Scotto

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces guanciale, pancetta, or a combination of pancetta and prosciutto, finely chopped
2 medium (3/4 pound) onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 medium (1 1/2 pounds) unripe, green tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup (1/2 small bunch) basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound bucatini
1/4 pound Pecorino Romano, grated

In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped guanciale or substitute and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat has rendered. Add the onion and continue cooking until the onion is translucent, an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking another minute or two. Add the chopped tomatoes, white wine, and red pepper flakes, turn down the heat, and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft (more “melted,” really) and the flavor is rich. Add the basil and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta just past al dente in a large pot of salted water. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the simmering sauce, toss, and let cook for 2 minutes or so. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin it down. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with the Pecorino Romano.

Saturday Late Afternoon Beefcake

2011-12-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Getting Stuffed With Craig Malozzi

2011-12-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

Miles Standish Stuffing from Alex Guarnaschelli

8 slices white sandwich bread, cubed
1/4 pound (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
10 fresh sage leaves, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
8 stalks celery, thinly sliced
10 ounces pepperoni, skin removed, cut into small cubes
1 pound pork breakfast sausage, casings removed,
broken into small pieces
1 turkey heart, cut into small pieces
1 turkey gizzard, cut into small pieces
1 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°

Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides of the bread. Cut into 1-inch squares and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add thyme, sage, and rosemary. Toss well to combine and set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until translucent and tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the contents to another bowl. Set aside.

In the same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter and sauté the pepperoni and sausage over medium-high heat until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sauté the turkey heart and gizzard pieces for 30 seconds. Add this mixture, along with the onion mixture, pepperoni mixture, mozzarella, chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the bowl of toasted bread and herbs. Toss to combine.

Loosely fill the cavity of the turkey with the stuffing and tie the legs together with a strong piece of kitchen twine to prevent the stuffing from falling out. Wrap any remaining stuffing in foil and put in the bottom of the roasting pan for the last hour of cooking.

Saturday Beefcake Wake Up Call With Craig Malozzi

2011-12-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

Third time's the Charm

Saturday Beefcake: Wake Up!

2011-12-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Good Morning: Wake Up to This, Saturday Beefcake Lovers

2011-12-17T06:45:00.000-05:00

Friday Feature: David A. Gregory

2011-12-16T03:06:00.000-05:00

David Andrew Gregory was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, on August 19, 1985. At an early age, he knew that he wanted to be an actor. One summer he went to Interlochen Center for the Arts. The experience at the summer arts camp left him with the feeling that he had no other choice; performing arts was a part of him, and he was meant to act. In 2008, David graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. During his college years, he had exposure to acting opportunities that he had not received anywhere else, and he really appreciates the insight that he has taken away from his mentors and teachers. Leading up to his role as Robert Ford on One Life to Live, David endured seven months of unemployment.He eventually got a call to audition for One Life to Live’s casting director, and although he didn’t feel the vibe, afterwards he got invited to read for Executive Producer Frank Valentini. Before he even making it home, he got the call, and they had an answer for him: Meet Robert Ford, everyone!

David is also very fortunate to have a great family who supports his ambitions, and he credits them for where he is today.Concerning his role on One Life to Live, he thanks his fans for their support, and he really appreciates their role in bringing his character, Ford, back to the show. David was also quite memorable in a comical Airborne TV advertisement. [thanks to Jen Faulkner www.davidgregoryofficialsite.com]Tickets are on sale for Celebrate Llanview at the Season of Concern website. Go! Meet the talented Mr. Gregory!

Gay Thursday: The Colbert Report Round Up

2011-12-15T11:37:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

The Wednesday Word Comes From Josh Kelly

2011-12-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

A labor of love got lovelier when the generous Josh Kelly decided to come on board for Celebrate Llanview, the fundraiser for Chicago's Season of Concern,

Having grown up in a military family and born in Japan, Josh Kelly has called several places home through the years, including Guam, the Philippines, Maryland, Georgia and Maine. The self-proclaimed former computer nerd would often create simple computer games when he wasn't competing in matches as a member of his high school's lacrosse and wrestling teams. Kelly knew he wanted to perform from an early age, however, and also participated several theater productions.

After graduating high school, Kelly enlisted in the Army and was deployed to Afghanistan one month after 9/11. He became an Army Ranger and led his highly-skilled unit through three more tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. In 2003, he returned to his passion for acting and moved to Los Angeles. He studied drama for two years and landed several TV appearances, in True Blood, Ugly Betty, Las Vegas and CSI:Miami. In 2009, he was cast in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He also co-wrote, acted in and co-directed a short film about post-traumatic stress, Cope, with his fellow Army buddies and was later cast again and served as a military consultant in Transformers: Dark of the Moon after director Michael Bay saw Cope.

In 2010, Kelly auditioned for the role of Joey on One Life to Live (his Transformers co-star Josh Duhamel helped him prepare for his screen test). The part was ultimately given to Tom Degnan, but Kelly was offered the part of Cutter, Aubrey's mysterious boyfriend.

Tickets are now on sale for Celebrate Llanview on the Season of Concern website. Go!

Tuesday Talent: Those Fabulous Ford Brothers

2011-12-13T04:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you, One Life to Live

Monday Music: The World Is What You Make it

2011-12-12T00:45:00.000-05:00

Lyrics | PAUL BRADY - THE WORLD IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT LYRICS

I knew this African called Hannibal
Rock it roll it send it down the avenue
Went out to see the Roman Empire fall
Uh huh? uh huh?

Two thousand elephants in gold chain-mail
Take it, shake it, make it what you wanna be
Them Roman legionnaires they hit the trail
Uh huh?

The world is what you make it
The world is what you make it

When Cleopatra ruled in Egypt's land
Jump down, turn around, look at what the monkey did
She went to find herself a mighty man
Uh huh? uh huh?

In come Antonio from Italy
Haul it, ball it, drag it up the pyramid,
He never knew how hot a girl could be
Uh huh?

The world is what you make it
The world is what you make it baby
The world is what you make it

Don't start to hit me with your "no can do"
Bluesin', losin', workin' up an attitude
Clean up them windows let the sun shine through
Uh huh? uh huh?
There ain't no happy time without no pain
heartbreak, new date, move on up the alleyway
Pick up them pieces hit the road again
Uh huh?

The world is what you make it
The world is what you make it baby
The world is what you make it

Your Sunday Studs: Walter, Jason Segel and Jim Parsons

2011-12-11T16:10:00.001-05:00

Move over, Bert and Ernie

Your Saturday Beefcake Goodnight Kiss

2011-12-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

One of beefcake's greatest hits

Saturday Beefcake Foreplay

2011-12-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday Night Beefcake

2011-12-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

Steve Boyd: Your Saturday Beefcake Main Course

2011-12-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

Your Saturday Beefcake Appetizer

2011-12-10T18:49:00.001-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Happy Hour

2011-12-10T17:50:00.002-05:00

something refershing

Saturday Beefcake Afternoon Swoon: Kristopher

2011-12-10T14:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Sausage for Lunch

2011-12-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Fagioli, Cicoria e Salsicce
(Medley of Beans, Dandelion Greens, and Sausages)
Antonio Bruno
San Pietro
NYC

Ingredients:

3 bunches dandelion greens (1.5pounds) washed and drained thoroughly
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 14-ounce can cannellini beans, washed and drained thoroughly
1 pound fresh pork sausage, skin removed, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)

Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dandelion greens and boil for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and roughly chop. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic and chopped dandelion greens and sauté for 3–4 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

In a separate pan set over medium heat, slowly sauté the crumbled fresh pork sausage in an additional tablespoon or so of olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, until all of the pink color disappears and most of the fat has rendered. Using a slotted spoon, lift the sausage out of the fat and add to the dandelion greens. Mix thoroughly and cook for an additional 5 minutes. If the ingredients get too dry, add a little chicken broth or water to keep them moist. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the crushed red pepper, if desired.

Saturday Beefcake: Your Midmorning Blues Start to Disappear

2011-12-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake: Your Morning Stretch with Anthony Catanzaro

2011-12-10T06:21:00.000-05:00

Friday Feature: Lenny Platt

2011-12-09T18:43:00.004-05:00

His Twitter profile states, “An actor from no place in particular.” Begging to differ, according to his acting and presence, Lenny Platt seems to be coming from a very good place and one that makes you pay attention. Platt, a self-proclaimed movie buff, he joined a student film group while a criminology major at The University of Florida. When one of the actors had to drop out of a film he was writing and directing, Platt stepped in. He arrived at the conclusion the rest of us now know: he is a very talented actor.
He came to New York in 2006 and was eventually cast as Nate Salinger for the high school musical, Starr X'd Lovers. Although it was originally intended only for a set number of episodes, his chemistry with Kelley Missal's Danielle did not go unnoticed and the show kept him on as Nate. Shortly after that, Nate was revealed to be the secret brother of Ford and James, and his post at One Life to Live seemed to be set. He became part of that delicious Ford brothers chemistry fueling the libidinous air in Llanview. Platt is a generous soul recently guest bartending at Stockings with Care’s fundraiser last month. He has generously consented to grace us with his presence at Celebrate Llanview, Jason Spitzer’s farewell to One Life to Life on January 13, 2012 in Chicago at Sidetrack. It benefits Season of Concern.

Tickets go on sale December 14, 2011 at Noon CST on the Season of Concern website. Awesome raffle items include wardrobe worn by several actors including Robin Strasser and the late Phil Carey, Chicagoland Theatre tickets, and makeovers from the Robert Jeffrey Salon in Lakeview! More to come.

In the meantime find out more about the beneficiary by visiting Season of Concern's site.

The Day The Music Died

2011-12-08T12:13:00.002-05:00

Thirty-one years ago today, John Lennon left us. That year marked the end of more than one Era and it may also be mark the official "aging" of many baby boomers. Sharing it with young Italians in English Class as a teacher in Tuscany making attempts to explain what the decade of the 60s was all about and what the Beatles meant brought the finality of it all home. Reagan had just been elected back in the USA and it was also the twentieth anniversary of JFK's election. The end of an era indeed.

All We Are Saying is Give
Peace A Chance.

Remember.

Immaculate Mary, Our Hearts Are on Fire

2011-12-08T11:18:00.002-05:00

The Immaculate Conception (Feast Day: December 8^th) is one more nod of Holy Mother Roman Church in the direction of Goddess Worship. Non-Catholics and Catholics alike tend to believe that it has to do with Jesus Christ rather than his Mother but that is not the case.

Mary, the Gate of Heaven was according to dogma in the Roman Apostolic Tradition conceived without the taint of original sin, that very human burden passed on to the other children of Eve. It is no accident that mariologists and other theologians refer to her as the New Eve. She is by virtue of her motherhood and the absence of sin called Co-Redemptrix which doesn’t make her a stage door mother precisely but does place her very close to the divine level like her son and his Father. The religious concept of the Goddess giving birth to the God in a cyclical ritual that parallels the seasonal changes did not originate with Xtianity but it was Xtianity that put a different spin on it.

The Immaculate Conception, therefore, is not the Virgin Birth it is Mother Mary’s actual conception without the taint of Mother Eve’s sin. It is a common scriptural tale of the barren womb suddenly becoming fertile; in this case it is Saint Anne’s womb.

‘Tis noteworthy that Mary’s Conception Feast is celebrated in close proximity to the Feast of Saint Lucy, December 13^{th ,}a Goddess revered in such disparate places as Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

Lucina, the Goddess of Childbirth was incorporated into the Roman Martyrology as Saint Lucy the Virgin whose eyes were plucked out before her martyrdom. Coincidentally there was a statue of the mother Goddess Juno whose eyes had been made of rubies and were stolen right out of their sockets.

Digression, as interesting as it is does take this narrative away from its focus – coming into the light which is what a good Goddess of Childbirth helps us do, eyes or no.

Many, if not all, of the world’s major religions base liturgies, rituals and celebrations on the natural progression of life and the Seasons: December in the Northern Hemisphere, it is well noted is the darkest time of year and it is the time when humanity yearns for yet celebrates light at one and the same time.

The mythology and rituals associated with Lucina (Lucy) vary from place to place but always involve light. Without delving into the concept of the Solstice and the shortest day of the year which occurs in about a week, suffice it to say that Lucina as a Midwife of sorts and a Mother will shed light on the Human Mystery which is one of the many things spirituality does.

We are reborn on a regular basis and Lucina’s influence leads us in the direction of self-realization no matter what stage of life we find ourselves.

The more we see ourselves the more we evolve. It is Lucina who sheds light on our “higher” selves.

"Saint Lucy" Digital Print, Thomas Wynn 2001
Fleckenstein Gallery

The Wednesday Word Comes From Hillary Clinton

2011-12-07T13:48:00.001-05:00

The half hour you take to listen to this will be very well spent.

Tuesday Talent: La Lozano

2011-12-06T18:31:00.001-05:00

Florencia Lozano was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and grew up in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. She received her BA from Brown University, and moved to New York City to earn her MFA at NYU. Florencia's many theater credits include Yerma, Antigone, Hamlet, Widescreen Version of the World and Caucasian Chalk Circle. Florencia Lozano landed the role of tough-as-nails attorney Téa Delgado in December 1996 on the daytime drama One Life to Live, and first aired on January 27, 1997. The character became one of the show’s more popular creations,and earned Lozano a loyal following.” I so appreciate that love coming at me," she said. "The response to Téa still overwhelms me." During her first tenure on One Life to Live, Lozano was in an Off Broadway play called Lick in June 1999; from August to September 2000, she appeared in Love’s Labor Lost, a Shakespearean play produced out of Berkeley in Orinda, CA. In addition to her popularity with soap opera fans, Lozano was named one of "Daytime's Hardest Working Women" by About.com and titled one of soap opera's "Most Beautiful Women" by magazine Soap Opera Update. Florencia is a trained dancer, whose talents range from ballet to jazz, modern and flamenco. She currently resides in New York City.

Look for her to be in Chicago for Celebrate Llanview on January 13. An event coinciding with One Life to Live's final airdate.

Monday Muses: Colton Ford and Adam Sank

2011-12-05T17:48:00.003-05:00

Good-humored train wreck Molly "Equality" Dykeman gets a Christmas variety show.
December 6 - 22 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre

Adam Sank on Dec 6th and Colton Ford on Dec 13 and 22.

"Like all good comedy, it makes you laugh and feel uncomfortable at the same time--a real feat. Molly for Lez-ident!" -- Michael Musto, Village Voice

"Big laughs and big heart make Molly Equality Dykeman the most loveable, pill-popping elementary school security guard this side of the five boroughs... a must-see." -- Molly Marinik, Theatre Is Easy

“A romping, good time … a laugh riot." -- Richard Hinojosa, Nytheatre.com,

"Mark my words, get in on this action now, before she's playing The Garden." -- Grace Moon, Velvet Park

Andrea Alton stars as Molly "Equality" Dykeman in A MOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS, which premieres in December at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Molly “Equality” Dykeman is a barely lucid poet/security guard at P.S. 339 and a lovable train wreck who launched her career to critical acclaim in the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival. The production is directed by Mark Finley with choreography by John Paolilo. A Molly Jolly Christmas runs December 6, 9, 13, and 22 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $18 advance, $20 at the door (if available), and may be purchased online at www.SpinCycleNYC.com, or by calling 212-352-3101. The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located inside the West Bank Café at 407 West 42nd Street. (at 9th Avenue.) A full dinner menu and full bar are available, with a $15 food/beverage minimum.

Go here for tix.

A Molly Jolly Christmas is poet/security guard Molly "Equality" Dykeman's first Christmas variety show. Will she be able to muck her way through musical numbers, choreography, and a glittering array of guest stars in the Percocet-fogged haze that is her mind? Will she finally land the lady...or ladies... of her dreams? Will the chef at the Laurie Beechman Theatre agree to serve her beloved nachos?

Your Sunday Stud: Julian Fantechi

2011-12-04T14:09:00.008-05:00

From Wikipedia: Julian Fantechi is an American male model and actor who has appeared in dozens of magazines and on several television shows . He was born in San Diego, California on 16 February 1979 and grew up in New York City. He is primarily of Italian descent. He was a fitness model for Men's Health magazine, appearing in the publication 5 times. He also appeared in several fitness magazines, exercise videos and has appeared on several television shows. He has a Master's degree from New York University where he was awarded a full scholarship.

Playgirl magazine named Fantechi their Man of the Year for 2007; he had appeared in the magazine three times prior to the award and was its cover model and centerfold for the August 2006 issue. On each occasion, Fantechi was shot by longtime Playgirl photographer Greg Weiner, who also shot him for the erotic web-zine Paragon Men.[1] Fantechi has also been on the covers of Exercise for Men, Men's Exercise, Genre, Men and many others.

In March 2007 the New York Daily News reported that he was both a nude model as well as an occupational therapist for the New York City Dept. of Education.[2] A media frenzy ensued with appearances on national TV news outlets and entertainment news shows such as The Insider. Fantechi was cleared to pose in Playgirl by his union as long as he did it on his own time and did not advertise that he worked for the New York City Department of Education. An investigation by the Department declared that Fantechi did not violate any policies and he was cleared of any conflicts of interest.

Fantechi continues to work actively as a model while pursuing acting. His mainstream work includes appearing on the December 2006 and the January 2009 cover of Men's Exercise, performing on the ABC sitcom Ugly Betty, The Colbert Report for Comedy Central and modeling for a Saks Fifth Avenue ad campaign. He has appeared on several TV commercials for companies such as BrookStone, LG phones and others. He is also currently perfecting his acting skills and has been appearing in local community theater projects. He currently resides in San Diego California where he is performing in various stage productions at local downtown theaters. He also has appeared in several independent film and shorts as well as a TV commercial actor. He also has garnered a large fan base from his work as a romance novel cover model. He has appeared on covers for Harlequin, St. Martins Press and DCL publications

Your Saturday Beefcake Goodnight Fantasy

2011-12-03T23:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Main Course

2011-12-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

Saturday Beefcake Primo Piatto

2011-12-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Gnocchi
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 pounds orange-flesh sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups whole wheat flour

Assembly:
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced shallots
1 pound porcini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces baby spinach leaves or kale or broccoli di rape
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, divided

Preparation:
1. Make gnocchi: Drain ricotta in a strainer over sink, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups sweet potato purée (save extra for another use), strained ricotta, sugar, cheese, salt, and nutmeg. Gently stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
3. Working on a floured surface, divide dough into 8 portions. Roll each portion with your hands into a 15-in. rope, then cut into 1-in. pieces, sprinkling dough with flour if it gets sticky. Transfer gnocchi to a rimmed tray lightly dusted with flour.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Working in batches of 15 to 20, drop gnocchi into water, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook until gnocchi are firm and float to top of water, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a strainer and then to a lightly oiled rimmed pan to cool.

5. Assemble gnocchi: Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi to pan and cook, stirring often, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large serving dish.
6. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a second large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and shallots until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, butter, vegetable, salt, and pepper; cover and cook until vegetable wilts, about 3 minutes.
7. Spoon vegetables over gnocchi and pour in broth. Sprinkle with thyme and half of parmesan. Serve with remaining cheese.

Stolen and edited from MyRecipes.com

Saturday Beefcake: The Thighs Have It

2011-12-03T17:49:00.002-05:00

Your Saturday Beefcake Late Afternoon Diversion

2011-12-03T15:49:00.003-05:00

You could do worse.

Saturday Beefcake Just On the Other Side of Noon: White Chili Redux

2011-12-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Navy Beans, 500 grams/one pound, cooked to tenderness, retain liquid
Ground Turkey, ground, cubed or shredded 500 grams/one pound
Chili Peppers, heat to taste, diced, about a half pound
Chicken Bouillon, dry, three tablespoons
Onions, two medium, chopped
Garlic, minced, two teaspoons
Cumin, whole, two tablespoons
Monterey Jack Cheese, low fat, shredded
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Brown turkey, drain.
2. Combine in a slow cooker or a large pot, the turkey, chili peppers, bouillon, onions, garlic and cumin. Stir
3. Cover. Cook for several hours. Adjust heat and seasoning.
4. Top with shredded cheese.

Recipe II:

1 lb chicken, cut up into small chunks (I like to use boneless breasts for their "ease" and lower fat content)
•1 cup chopped onion
•1 can (or the equivalent) chicken broth
•2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
•2 tsp Cumin seed (ground will not withstand long cooking as well)
•1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
•3 -15oz cans white beans (great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed
•1 or 2 chopped red, green or yellow bell peppers, or combination
•jalapeno chili peppers, fresh, jarred or canned, optional or 'to taste'

Preparation:
In a 4 or 6 quart crockery cooker combine the chicken, onions, chicken broth, garlic, cumin and oregano.
Let cook awhile on low (approx. 3-5 hours, depending on your schedule)
Add drained beans.

Now here is the important part if you don't want mushy chili.. Add the bell peppers and jalapeno peppers (if using) no earlier than the last hour or hour and a half before serving.

Top each serving with shredded Monterey jack cheese and or broken tortilla chips if desired.

Saturday Beefcake: Anthony Catanzaro Makin' Sure You're Up

2011-12-03T10:40:00.002-05:00

Your Saturday Beefcake Angel of the Morning

2011-12-03T07:22:00.001-05:00

Angel food