While out shopping this afternoon, I came across this:
Okay all you know-it-all gourmets, let’s hear your best ostrich egg recipe. According to the shop owner, although it may seem daunting, I shouldn’t feel obliged to use the entire egg in one meal. Apparently, ostrich eggs keep surprisingly well. I honestly considered picking it up and surprising the guys tomorrow but, ultimately, decided against it figuring I would have my hands full with the Philly Cheesesteaks. Also, the $95 price tag seemed a little much. I say “seemed” because I really have no idea what ostrich eggs go for these days. Also, even if I did shell out for one and managed to find a terrific recipe, I’m not at all sure how to open one up. If Chopped has taught be anything, it’s that ostrich shells are incredibly thick. Suggestions on cracking this puzzle would be greatly appreciated as well.
Yes, I’m all set for Philly Cheesesteak Sunday. Today, I picked up the shaved rib eye, onions, mushrooms, peppers, mayo, ketchup, provolone, American cheese (aka processed cheese) and, believe it or not, Cheese Whiz (Akemi refused to believe it was actual cheese). Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up early(ish) and pick up some fresh rolls at which point I’ll be good to go. I think I’ll start on the onion, peppers, and mushrooms, pop them in the oven, then add them to order as I prepare the meat for the individual sandwiches.
As an added bonus, Rob texted to inform me he’s been experimenting with donuts. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll see the results of his mad genius.
I will, of course, snap pics of the finished product for you all to criticize.
Well, this would certainly put a damper on my planned trip to Tokyo later this year: Experts Predict Japan’s Mount Fuji Will Erupt Soon. Uh, exactly how soon is “soon”? Next year soon? In the next five years soon? November soon? Hmmm. Better pack a snack and extra underwear just in case.
This blog’s resident movie critic, Cookie Monster (check out all his past reviews here: Film reviews by resident film criti…) asked me to remind everyone that next week’s Supermovie of the Week Club selection is Hellboy. Discussion begins Monday. Watch it!
Continuing our trip down SGA memory lane…
TRAVELERS (405)
For the longest while, Joe Flanigan wanted us to cast a sexy female regular to play off Sheppard, a character who, in tandem with John, would offer the show a Moonlighting dynamic. While I wasn’t against the idea, I felt that the addition of another regular would take away from the existing dynamic. Instead, I came up with an alternative scenario, one that would introduce a character with recurring potential. And so, the idea for Larrin, and the Travelers, Larrin, was born. As was the case whenever we cast a guest star, everyone was all over every audition – to the point that I seriously wondered whether we would ever find our Larrin in time. Well, we did – eventually – casting the lovely Jill Wagner. The plan had always been to bringer back but scheduling conflicts quashed that possibility and, sadly, while referred to onscreen, Larrin was never seen again. [Oops. Right. Never seen again. After the mid-season two-parter].
Helllllooooo! I happened to have some extra minutes and thought I’d stop by.
Ok here’s what you do with the egg? After you buy it, carefully make a small puncture to empty the contents,clean it out and send it to me I will paint it and send it back to you. : ) TRAVELERS -I loved that ep. Jill was perfect for that part and she did mahvelous. I always enjoyed seeing her on Wipeout and it’s not the same without her. I agree with you about “the addition of another regular would take away from the existing dynamic.” It’s a shame Jill didn’t have another opportunity to come back.
The ONLY way to eat an ostrich egg is on a genuine Philly Italian roll!!
😉
RE: Travelers…all I’ll say about that is this:
LARRIN: That was so strange, to have your whole life fading away and then to suddenly have it back again. It actually felt kinda good.
SHEPPARD: Mmm, I know. Happened to me once, too. Long story.
And from that a whole world of Todd/Sheppard slash fiction was born. 😛
das
While I did like the idea behind the episode “Travelers”, I was not happy that the Travelers themselves weren’t explained more. I would liked to have known why someone so young would be in command of such an important mission. Did they invent Ronon’s gun or did they trade for it? How was it determined who was left on planets? etc. I know some of those answers are hinted at later in the season and I’m sure time was also an issue, but, as I watched the episode I was asking myself these questions. Were we to get these questions answered in further epsiodes had the series gone on?
I know I’m probably in the minority, but I didn’t like the actress Jill Wagner. I’m sure she’s a nice person, but her voice really grated on my nerves and I didn’t think much of her acting abilities.
All in all, not one of my favorite episodes.
Anne Teldy
I remember Chopped had a big huge egg on once. Maybe it was ostrich. None of the chefs were very happy with it. I don’t think any had cooked with one before. If I remember correctly, they laid it in a bowl in front of them then wacked it with a knife to open it.
My hearing is really going. Once someone said something about a sandwich and I thought they said son-of-a-bitch. So…, I’ll be looking forward to your pictures tomorrow of your sons-of-bitches and Rob’s donuts. 🙂 I’m sure it will be great!
Joe!!!! Larrin came back in Be All My Sins Remembered, remember? She tied Shep to a chair with inner tubes…
Anyway, I liked the fact that Sheppard got to be tech smart and show off his facility with the gene. The Shep Whump was great, the shot of John twiddling his thumbs as he lay on the cot in the cell is classic Sheppard. The character of Larrin didn’t fare as well, whether it was the way she was written or the way the part was acted, I can’t quite tell. I didn’t believe in Larrin for a second – high heels and bimbo clothes as leader of a desperate group of travelers, sheesh. I kind of loved and hated this one in equal measure. I really wished the Wraith hadn’t given her back her life, “The Gift” became all too common with that plot turn.
wait? wasn’t larrin in be all my sins remembered when she asked shepard to sit in the chair of her ancient warship?
PS – I sympathize with Joe’s desire for a romantic storyline, but you guys had Weir/Carter and Teyla on the show. I agree another female was not needed. Or you could have been daring – there was always Rodney. 😛
what to do with an ostrich egg? scramble that sucker, make a pile of toast & invite 9 people to breakfast. from my (limited) research they only things you can do with an ostrich egg is scramble it or make an omelet. or a really big frittata.
BTW $95 is too much for one, apparently you can get one at whole foods for $39.99 (or you could. the following is from 2009, so there might have been some inflation)
http://www.tamaraduker.com/2009/07/how-many-people-does-an-ostrich-egg-omelet-feed/
I have never tried a philly cheesesteak, I am waiting to see how yours turns out. goody pictures, thanks ahead of time.
I wouldn’t worry about Fuji — some volcano in Indonesia or there abouts will likely “go” first. There’s been a LOT of high-end seismic activity in those parts of late. And then, there’s that whole HONG-KONG *SUPER* VOLCANO rumour going around… Personally, I’d stay out of Naples!
He can just go right ahead and experiment with donuts. That’s not a hot-button. Philly cheesesteaks are. You bought the Cheese Whiz. You’ll be fine. The heat will be off you for that focaccia thing before you know it. No need to throw Rob under the bus.
When I feel like causing trouble, I’ll admit to real* Southerners that I prefer my grits sweetened with sorghum or brown sugar and that I’ve never tried a savory version. That’s a hot-button for you.
*my Kentucky origin is considered pseudo-Southern when the topic is grits
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Aw, Moonlighting…that’s adorable.
I really liked Travelers. It is one of my favorites! I enjoyed the relationship between Sheppard and Larrin. That crappy old ship they were in was interesting, then the newer one she found was interesting. It was fun watching her beat up on Shep. Lots of sexual tension there. Definately a Moonlighting style episode. Are you sure she never came back? I mean, I guess you would know, but I would have sworn she and some of her men did come back and visit with Sheppard in a later episode. I must be crazy. I wish you would do a pineapple disclosure on these Will Waring episodes. That is what is driving me crazy!
Loved Larrin!!!! Jill is awesome, talked with her over email few times she even has a great JEM costume she made for Halloween!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20BZID081Vk
Very talented, hope to see her in more… I would love to seen more of her and Sheppard~!
@Joe on Ostrich Eggs:
Sorry, no recipes for Ostrich eggs, but I did come across an Emu egg recipe while in the UK:
http://www.cocktailmaking.co.uk/displaycocktail.php/4202-Diamantina-Cocktail
I’m not sure if Emu eggs are cheaper or not, but I did seem to remember you had a renewed interest in drinking, so maybe something new to try? 😉
You could also try making the drink with your Ostrich egg but that would be one heck of an expensive cocktail!
Don’t know anything about ostrich eggs but I do know several people who have tried Cheez Whiz on Philly sandwiches. They all tell me it’s horrible. So maybe try it on a little piece first?
Joe, for a real Philly cheesesteak the bread is as important as the meat! An Italian Hoagie roll is best. Too bad they don’t carry Amoroso’s rolls in Vancouver.
Why did they not pursue the Teyla and Sheppard romance that was hinted at in the first 2 seasons?
I am waiting for you to come up with recipes before I try to get hold of an egg. I do know there are ostrich farms somewhere in the state, and there are bound to be a couple of places that sell them. I do know they have a very good shelf life. And that price seems a bit steep. I think I remember reading where someone could buy 3 for that price. Of course, I don’t know the supply situation in your neck of the woods.
I would suggest making a couple of additional plans. Be prepared to depart to points south of Tokyo in the even Fujiyama blows its top. And have alternate booking out of an airport as far south as you can get. With a little luck, you should be able to get out ok. Narita and the older airport are both within range of dealing with ash. Glancing at the records, the correlation between superbig quakes and volcanoes blowing their tops runs from weeks to a few years. But the last time Fujiyama blew, it was only 2-3 months between major earthquake and eruption. My bet is that we don’t have much longer to go. You may sneak in this year, but I’d put money next year will be the year. There is just too much pressure under that big hill, and it’s overdue for an eruption anyways. Sorry to be a bummer.
As for the Travelers, I look on it as a failed concept. I like the idea of high tech humans holding out. But I find it unbelievable that such a group would manage to stay out of the Wraith’s sights for so long. Or retain as much tech as they do without a solid industrial base. Which would attract the Wraith….and if such a group existed, I don’t see them being able to gain enough intel on the Atlantis crew to capture Sheppard. And alas, I saw no real chemistry with Larrin. Given how they needed Sheppard’s help, it made no sense to start brutalizing him him. There are a lot more things I would have liked to have found out about that culture, but alas, the show went in a different direction. If nothing else, it would have been fun to see how the Genii and Travelers got on. One had the mobility and slight technological edge, the other an extensive trading and espionage system, along with a potent ground force. Ah well. With so many good episodes already this season, it was inevitable that one episode would come up short. (In my own not so humble opinion, which I concede is not really important to anyone but me).
Thanks for sharing, hope the philly steak and cheese day goes well. And will expect a late post as the games sort out…
http://www.indianpointranch.com/ostricheggs.html
a few notes on ostrich eggs. they sell for about $45 apiece, plus shipping. Still looking for a local source. It would be pretty cool to throw a football party with one or two eggs providing the material for the meal.
“Traveler” was another great episode. It was fun to see Sheppard finally get the girl, then have the girl beat the crap out of him. And Jill Wagner was fantastic! It really was a shame that she couldn’t have been added to the cast as a semi-regular, like Carson.
I’m afraid to think of what Rob could do to a poor donut. But I’m looking forward to seeing how the Philly cheesesteak sandwiches turn out.
Considering that geologists never thought that the 9.0 quake that caused the pressure to build under Mt. Fuji could ever happen, I’d suggest your trip to Tokyo be a really short one
I had a great today. The morning and early afternoon was spent in Franklin Canyon for our annual volunteer picnic. It was wonderful to meet up with folks I haven’t seen in awhile and talk about our walks, then devour a lot of fabulous food.
Afterwards, I went to the Burbank International Film Festival to see “In the Eyes of a Killer”, the movie a close friend of mine made a few years ago. The brochure was beautiful, and in the introduction “Eyes” was considered to be in the Sci-fi/Horror/Drama category. I was happily surprised to see one of the judges in that category was Robert Picardo! I don’t know if he saw the film, but it was fun to see it on a big screen, and the lead actress, Gwendolyn Edwards, was terrific, as was Louis Mandylor. Yep, a good day indeed!
Rooster Cogburn ranch, just down the highway from here. Perhaps they can ship it to you. If not, properly motivated perhaps I can be convinced to get one for you. 😉
https://www.roostercogburn.com/apps/store/products.asp?catid=3
I loved Doppelgänger – it was one of my favourite episodes. The scene when Sheppard started shovelling dirt onto Ronon, was chilling. As for Larrin, that was really a missed opportunity. She was such a great character, and should have been used more often. I loved the way she got the best of Sheppard. In fact, the dynamic those two characters had would have made a great spin off of some kind.
@Joe
Saw a lot of Wal-Mart kit Philly Cheesesteaks yesterday while tailgating at the UT game. Do you ever go tailgating? Quite a variety of foods to be had, nothing that exotic, but usually pretty tasty! I looked around but didn’t see any focaccia. (haha)
Cheers!
I’m with Akemi, any resemblance of Cheez Whiz to actual cheese is purely coincidental. And, I say go for the foccacia!
The biggest problem about cracking that ostrich egg is the price. Yeesh.
I actually thought “Travellers” was very good. Mind you, I may have been somewhat, um, distracted by Jill’s considerable talents. Ahem.
Ugh. I couldn’t stand Larrin. No offense to Jill Wagner, who I like, but the character was so cliche’. Tough space bimbo in tight leather. Didn’t see any chemistry between them either. Felt forced. I usually skip Travelers in my rewatches.
@profmadmax. I would LOVE to see Mr. M.’s idea of a tailgate party…and Ive seen some pretty impressive ones down here.
@DP:
Okay, now you ARE just causing trouble. 😉
I will admit that I’ve had hominy-grits with brown-sugar (in my family, hominy was treated like oatmeal), but straight grits with sugar?!? Sacrilege! Next you’ll be telling me Quaker Instant Grits are better than Jim Dandy! 😉
But if you ever are tempted to have savory grits, try them with butter, salt, and pepper. Grits are like mashed potatoes; they’re meant to be mixed with something. I prefer mixing butter, salt, pepper, and egg yolks (runny) in with my grits, while my dad would mix in ketchup (yuk).
So, now that we settled that, what’s you opinion on salt and pepper on watermelon?
@Joe:
I enjoyed Travellers…but then again, I like the ship-based stories in general anyway. My first thought on seeing this episode with Jill Wagner was “isn’t that the woman from the Lincoln-Mercury commercials?” IMDB confirmed it was. I also remember seeing her in Monk, but I can’t recall the details at the moment.
Oh and the Bears just beat the Colts! Yeah! Not that I’m a Bears fan, it’s just that I’m originally from the Baltimore area and was a Colts fan way back when (until they snuck out to leave for Indy in the middle of the night). Now I just like to see them get beat…
Vindictive? Yeah, but it’s football, so I’m allowed 😉 Right?
I don’t remember any Colts players on your Snow Monkeys, so I’m guessing this loss didn’t hurt you.
I liked Travellers, it was a fun episode and the Travellers were an intriguing idea that I would loved to have seen developed a bit more; though I share the reservations of many about Larrin; she was a little too over the top.
I’m also sorry that Sheppard didn’t get a regular love interest; it would have been a great way to grow the character a bit more, and I don’t think it would have hurt the show to have another female character (well a good one anyway).
*waits patiently to see Joey’s Phiily cheesesteaks*
das
@Deborah Rose – Mr. M should have an oxtailgate party. 🙂
das
I liked Jill Wagner but her leather outfit didn’t make any sense to me. Plus, are men really that stupid? I mean she has him beat up, kidnapped and then he kisses her? Other than that, it was a fun show. Other than his misplaced trust/lust, Sheppard was pretty impressive.
GRITS????!!!!!!!!!
Okay, there is only one way to eat grits: cooked in milk (or 1/2 milk & 1/2 water), with fresh minced garlic, cheddar cheese (or pepper jack – I also use Cabot’s Hot Habanero Cheddar when it’s available), Red Hot sauce, and a bit of salt and pepper. Add the garlic last, right before taking it off the heat so the flavor doesn’t get cooked out.
Best grits in the world!
Also, best (or close to it if you like hot) cheese in the world -Cabot’s Hot Habanero Cheddar: http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/our_products/product.php?catID=5&id=23
das
@K.A.: “Tough space bimbo in tight leather.”
You say that like it’s a bad thing! 🙂
Hmmmm…ostrich egg?? A $100?! Yikes! I wouldn’t have a clue. I do remember on Chopped that they did hafta work with one, and they had to use hacksaws to crack the sucker. How many omlettes would that make? Or…mmmmmm…French toast! 🙂
Travelers! Love that ep! Being a ShepWhumper…I just pictured myself in Larrin’s place. 😉 I dunno…in sinister way…I had enjoyed watching Sheppard all tied up. 🙂 😀
Even better reason not to go back to Japan is their fishermen are again killing whales and dolphins for their (mercury-ridden) meat at The Cove. 🙁 I wonder what the average Japanese citizen thinks of this, if they even know. Real-time reports: https://www.facebook.com/SeaShepherdCoveGuardiansOfficialPage
In happier news, go Niners!
I don’t know where to start! 🙂
Sheppard could have had his “ship” with Teyla from the very beginning. The writers laid the hints and groundwork from season 1, episode 1, “The Rising.” Shep and Teyla could have been going strong by the time Rachel Luttrell had her real-world pregnancy. Then you could have hidden all of the pregnancy, instead of just part of it (“Reunion”). Or not. But they did have chemistry and feelings for one other.
“Travelers” was interesting as other humans out there with spaceship tech and wraith-fighting capabilities. A lot more could have been done with them as a recurring, guerrila-style ally in the war against the wraith. And it was fun to see tough Sheppard get all goofy over a woman.
Ostrich egg — A friend who’s a zoo volunteer was given an ostrich egg shell. It’s rock hard. The only way someone retrieved the contents was by putting holes in either end. Don’t have any specific recipes, but just saw a holiday episode on the Food Network. One of those would make a lot of Christmas egg nog! 🙂
JeffW — You trying to start somethin.’? 😉
We Yankees have been eating our Sunday brunch grits with butter and pancake syrup since I was little. So there. However, I did try catfish and savory grits this summer for the first time. They were great!
Just this afternoon some friends and I were talking about eating watermelon with salt. *winces* Yuck, pooie. 😛 One of the guys put salt on all kinds of fruit. That just seems wrong. 🙂
And you’re gonna gloat over a Colts loss in front of an Indy girl? So, so cruel. They had their hard roads before redemption and a Super Bowl. And this past year, when we hosted the Super Bowl, the city put their heart into it. We didn’t get to play, and not only lost Peyton Manning for the season, but for good. Rubbing it in is just low. But maybe if you mailed a cheesecake to Indy… 😀 Kidding!
Well, I don’t know what to do with an ostrich egg but I do know that they are available at the Pike Place Market Creamery here in Seattle. And for a lot less than $95. (more like $40ish)