Health for life

There comes a time – or several times – in the course of things when eating healthfully and inexpensively goes right out the window. Maybe you’re working on a major project. Maybe you’re having a baby. Maybe you’re quitting your job, finding a new one, marrying, moving, or trying to get over the passing of a loved one. Rightfully, you have other concerns.

And you know what? That’s okay.

The Artist Formerly Known as Husband-Elect and I just wrapped up the busiest and most joyous month of our lives, during which we ate approximately two vegetables. (Wait. Is frosting a vegetable?) Preparing nutritious meals was next-to-dead-last on our list of priorities, just above keeping up with the Mets. (*grumble*) Instead, we were penning vows, seeing to the happiness of 140 loved ones, and entering a state of marital bliss unrivaled, even by a really good pot of macaroni and cheese.

Now, we’re home. The wedding festivities and pasta-packed honeymoon are over. We knew it would happen eventually. And with it done, it’s time to resume dietary normality. And once this time – this busy, emotionally haywire time – passes, you will, too.

Meanwhile, here are a few tips to get you through the rough parts.

Take it easy on yourself.
Order takeout. Choke down your five-minute hospital cafeteria lunch. Scarf that three-year-old bag of Sun Chips from HR’s vending machine. Because right now? At this very second? Keeping a budget and a strict calorie count doesn’t matter. What does matter: getting enough in your body to keep going. Forget the rest.

Remember, it’s only temporary.
Of course this doesn’t go for every situation. Kids are pretty permanent, and there are some jobs in which 70-hour weeks are the norm. But once you complete your task and/or get the hang of your new situation, everyday existence will become easier. I promise. Same goes for that interminable project, your inaugural home ownership, or even the tragedy that might consume your world right now. Time will pass, and there will be a dazzling light and pot of delicious turkey chili at the end of your seemingly endless tunnel.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
There are people who love you, and in pressured times, they will trip over themselves to feed, cook, or otherwise shove food into your mouth. If no one volunteers, go ahead and ask. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or a benevolent government agency, somebody is going to step up. Never forget that, and try to do the same for others when you can.

Work good food in where you can.
Sporadically, in the midst of chaos, a cheap salad will present itself to you. (I think Confucius said that.) Eat it. A simple, occasional nod to nutrition will fuel you just as well as half a pizza. And if you can easily find a convenient provider of healthy, low-cost meals? Bonus. Food fuels mood, and keeping your spirits up is vital right now.

Do the best you can with what you have.
Forget keeping up with the Joneses. This ain’t the time. Use your available resources as best you can. If that means three weeks of pantry meals, so be it.

Pick a date to get back on the horse.
I don’t know about you, sweet readers, but I would do bupkis without deadlines. During nerve-racking periods, having that red-letter date provides a definitive end point for stress habits (ex: eating fast food), as well as a psychological starting point for new behaviors (ex: eating home-cooked meals). Plus, on a simpler emotional level, it’s just something to look forward to. Real world example: When projects devolved into anarchy at my old job, we repeated this like a mantra: “Think of it. Next Wednesday this will all be over.”

Help others in the same situation.
What goes around comes around. The love you take is equal to the love you make. Quid pro quo, Clarice. In other words: Pitch in, dearies. Somebody out there could use the assistance.

Readers, how do you eat during difficult or stressful periods? Do you agree or disagree with any of this advice? What practices make life easier? How can we best help others? The comment section is way open. Let’s help some brothers and sisters out.
_http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2010/10/when-not-to-eat-cheaply-healthy-and.html

"Use it or lose it." The saying could apply especially to the brain when it comes to protecting against Alzheimers disease. Previous studies have shown that keeping the mind active, exercising and social interactions may help delay the onset of dementia in Alzheimers disease.

Now, a new study led by Dennis Selkoe, MD, co-director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases in the BWH Department of Neurology, provides specific pre-clinical scientific evidence supporting the concept that prolonged and intensive stimulation by an enriched environment, especially regular exposure to new activities, may have beneficial effects in delaying one of the key negative factors in Alzheimers disease.

The study will be published online on March 6, 2013 in Neuron.

Alzheimers disease occurs when a protein called amyloid beta accumulates and forms "senile plaques" in the brain. This protein accumulation can block nerve cells in the brain from properly communicating with one another. This may gradually lead to an erosion of a persons mental processes, such as memory, attention, and the ability to learn, understand and process information.

The BWH researchers used a wild-type mouse model when evaluating how the environment might affect Alzheimers disease. Unlike other pre-clinical models used in Alzheimers disease research, wild-type mice tend to more closely mimic the scenario of average humans developing the disease under normal environmental conditions, rather than being strongly genetically pre-disposed to the disease.

Selkoe and his team found that prolonged exposure to an enriched environment activated certain adrenalin-related brain receptors which triggered a signaling pathway that prevented amyloid beta protein from weakening the communication between nerve cells in the brains "memory center," the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays an important role in both short- and long-term memory.

The ability of an enriched, novel environment to prevent amyloid beta protein from affecting the signaling strength and communication between nerve cells was seen in both young and middle-aged wild-type mice.

"This part of our work suggests that prolonged exposure to a richer, more novel environment beginning even in middle age might help protect the hippocampus from the bad effects of amyloid beta, which builds up to toxic levels in one hundred percent of Alzheimer patients," said Selkoe.

Moreover, the scientists found that exposing the brain to novel activities in particular provided greater protection against Alzheimers disease than did just aerobic exercise. According to the researchers, this observation may be due to stimulation that occurred not only physically, but also mentally, when the mice moved quickly from one novel object to another.

"This work helps provide a molecular mechanism for why a richer environment can help lessen the memory-eroding effects of the build-up of amyloid beta protein with age," said Selkoe. "They point to basic scientific reasons for the apparent lessening of AD risk in people with cognitively richer and more complex experiences during life."

Hi,

As I walked on my Airofit (discovered that Ive been spelling it incorrectly) machine for a 3-minute jaunt after having been on the computer for a while I recalled what I had said in my last post about "quitting" -- or really the "fear of failure." I thought about the experience of quitting.

Quitting makes you feel bad. I think sometimes we think we feel bad, then quit -- but if you feel bad and keep going, you can get past it. If you quit, you just stay there and feel bad.

I think my thoughts previous to that were to recall that I had been introduced to juicing and Jay Kordich (The Juice Man) many years ago. I had even bought a juicer which I used a few times and quit using because it was such a nuisance to clean every time you used it. I thought about where I would be now if I had not done that.

I thought about that scripture that says: "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2Ti 3:7

Of course that is about the truth of Jesus Christ, but I think it applies to life in general, too. At least it appears to apply to my life in general.

When I saw the Juice Man infomercial so many years ago, I was hooked but I was not, shall we say "baptized" in it. It was only good information to me. I was convinced that I should try it, but not convinced that I should continue it. I see that I relate to a lot of things that way.

I notice it going on with my physical therapist right now. She is telling me that I need to get a few tennis balls and put them in a sock so I can place them on my body and apply self therapy to the parts of my body that need to have the "fascial layer" adjusted. This layer, as I understand what she says, is like the thin skin under the outer skin on a chicken. Im sure you must have run into that very thin nearly transparent layer of very thin skin that is outside the muscles. My PT says humans have this too, and she has a whole system of adjusting and releasing this "fascial layer" of skin. She is in earnest and teaches this as if it were the truth. It does not seem anything but one more wacky alternative therapy idea to me. I listen to her. I watch what she does. I see how it feels when she does it to me as a therapist, but... really? I dont get it. So I have not actually gone out and bought any tennis balls or socks to put them in. I more or less humor her but cannot picture that this is going to do anything long term. She still does it for herself. Im not sure it is something that I would actually incorporate. I need more evidence, or something. But what if, I just did it? What if, I let go and simply trusted her word? That would be different.

Ive been watching the "Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead" video again. As I view it over and over Im seeing things that I did not notice on the first viewing. Ive begun to see that there is a real commitment needed to stick with it. Joe had had experience with it before but this time he committed to not going back to his old ways when the fast was finished. He continued to eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and to exercise and he went on to lose the excess weight and get off all prescription drugs. He no longer suffers from outbreaks of his uticaria, an autoimmune disease that affects the skin.

Phil said something that stood out to me. It was about his having failed at a lot of things, but being committed to getting healthy and then he did all that he needed to do from juicing to exercising to consulting with his doctor.

The last statement Joe made to Phil as he was leaving him on his own to do the journey by himself after helping to get him started was: It is going to be hard, but you can do it.

I wonder how committed I am. Am I willing to do the hard part? I need to talk to my doctor (this is the week end) soon and get permission to do the fast. I believe she will give me the permission because she has actually been trying to get me to do something similar all along. She advocates a raw lifestyle coupled with green smoothies. I dont like green smoothies and all the preparations but Im looking forward to juicing. I know it has actually about the same preparations but the results are drinkable. I relate to smoothies like they are "sludge"... pretty unappetizing -- but a nice glass of green juice, that sounds good to me.

I got my bathing suits yesterday and tried them on. I am going to keep both of them. They are not the same size, but the suits themselves are identical except for the color. They are far from attractive but they fit the bill -- and, by the way, aint no 340 pound woman going to look attractive in a swim suit, so I am glad I can get it on my body and it is acceptable attire for the activity I desire to begin doing.

I had to make some adjustments to the suits. There is nothing that is more of a nuisance than swim suit straps that keep falling down so I took a piece of the useless belt and sewed it across the back connecting the straps to keep them from falling down. I also reduced the bosom area slightly with a few tucks. I feel more secure in the suits, now. We have a pool in the park I live in, but Im not ready to go out in the sun, yet. My skin burns very easily and when I was a kid I burned my back to the blister stage quite a few times. So am going to check out the indoor pool that is up the road. Will probably sign up for a membership and take a class or two, but am looking forward to simply exercising and hanging out in the pool on a weekly basis.

To go back to the main subject, Ive been looking at why I quit doing things. It is usually because things get to be a huge repetitive bother to me. I just get tired of doing them. Especially if the desired results are not forthcoming. One of the things I noticed in my last viewing of the film is that the juicing did not instantaneously make the guys slim, they had to keep juicing for a long period of time. They had to exercise and be committed to both the juicing and the activity. They were committed to doing it, and were willing to wait for the results -- counting each small milestone as enough encouragement to keep doing it.

Nothing was said about this but I wonder how often they went to the grocery store. At one point they posted how much it cost to juice every day. In Iowa when the film was made it was near $23-$25 dollars per day for fresh produce. There are shots of Phil going to the market and buying his produce in a large box. He turns into a healthy young man right before your very eyes but it takes 60 days to do it.

I wonder what will happen to me. I am already an old retired lady. My doctor told me that when you reduce using raw foods, which translates into raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seed, you dont get that hanging flesh like you get when you do the stomach stapling. If you reduce using fruits, veggies, and exercise, your body actually heals itself from the hanging flesh, too.

Ive seen some older folks who actually look older when they reduce because their skin is so much more wrinkly. Maybe that is how I will end up. Why should I care about a few wrinkles if I can get rid of the tires and basketballs that are hanging off of the front and back of my body right now? Ive always been a little vain about the fact that people cannot usually guess my age and some of them are actually flabbergasted when I tell them how old I am. I think I would rather be able to walk and climb stairs and sit in an airplane seat comfortably while looking my age. Who knows? I dont know how it will be, but I would like the opportunity to find out!!

Ive been thinking about the juice recipes, too. I envision celery and apples and kale and ginger and limes. I see cucumbers and tomatoes. I wonder if cabbage would be good juiced. I like cabbage. I wonder about cauliflower. I never hear about anyone juicing cauliflower. One guy said that broccoli juice is bitter. I wonder about beets and carrots. The Juiceman (Jay Kordich) healed himself from bladder cancer by juicing carrots and apples 50/50 for about a two-year period. At the end of that time, he was cancer free -- no radiation, no chemotherapy -- just carrot and apple juice. Pretty amazing.

I wonder if I juice fruits if I will have a gout reaction. I am not planning on drinking a lot of fruit juices. I see it as more green vegetable juices with a little fruit for flavor. I need to monitor my blood sugars if I am going to do the best for my health. I will need to check things out as I go.

Anyway. I am looking forward with a little fear and with some hope that maybe this will be the ultimate answer for me. I will be praying for Gods help to actually do it. It is the doing of it, that makes it successful. You cannot quit and do it at the same time. You have to just keep doing. Please help me Lord.

Here is to "doing." Maybe I can put an end to always being a learner and become a knower of the truth about food and my body. It takes experience to know something.

God bless you,

Be back soon,

Marcia

This past Wednesday, I watched an entire broadcast day of the Food Network and blogged about it. Then I slept for 67 straight hours.

The experience changed some ways I felt about FN, and reinforced others. For one thing, I always assumed The Powers That Be didn’t pay attention to financial matters, which they clearly do. There weren’t any outrageously expensive dishes all day, and some shows (Throwdown, 30-Minute Meals) made a point of frugality.

On the other hand, I thought FN would give a modicum of time to healthy cooking, and it just wasn’t there. Bobby Flay’s fruit marinades were the closest anyone came to nutritionally-minded meals. Granted, it’s Christmas, which tends to highlight baking and various indulgences, but when Paula Deen chops the only pepper of the day, you know we’re in trouble.

Finally, I thought there would be more 3/4-sleeve sweaters. Turns out, the chefs per long sleeves rolled up. (Except Giada. You can always count on Giada.)

The whole thing is attached below, in chronological order from 9:30am to 5am the next morning. You can see I fell into a coma during Food Network Challenge, but revived just in time for Paula’s Cookie Swap. It’s the important things, you know?

Anyway, here goes. Merry Christmas.

9:30am
THE SHOW: Nigellas Christmas Kitchen
THE HOST: British cook/woman Id date if I went that way, Nigella Lawson
THE CONCEPT: homemade Christmas gifts

9:32am
Nigella is sploshing cider vinegar into sugar. I enjoy sploshing. Someday, I hope to splosh my way into college.

9:35am
Nigellas casual vocabulary is my favorite. Shes making jam, and has described it as "fiery crimson" and "volcanically boiling." This is the stuff that goes with peanut butter, right?

9:37am
This entire show is candlelit and set to saxophone jazz. I think Food Network is trying to seduce me.

9:40am
"Let Dad school you with a vertical rotisserie." is a sentence I never hoped to hear, in a commercial or otherwise.

9:43am
A Nigella haiku:
Oh, metric system
You make baking funny with
your grams and liters

9:45am
Nigellas cake batter is "perfectly plain, but anything but austere." Husband-Elect just kissed me goodbye and went to work. Are these related somehow?

9:47am
Unconsidered when planning 19-hour blogging marathon: when do I go to the bathroom?

9:50am
Her strata is (direct quote): "Like a toasted cheese sandwich, but a celestial one, as if eaten by angels." If heaven is filled with grilled cheese sandwiches, I will feel a lot better about death.

9:52am
Its not even time for Price is Right, and Nigellas guests are eating Christmas tree cakes and getting sploshed on espresso martinis. I want to go to there.

9:54am
Were up to fully loaded baked potatoes. Cooked by candlelight, naturally. Ive never been attracted to a potato before today, but somehow, Nigella is making them look sexy. Maybe because she just "splodged" them with sour cream, and now - I swear to god - is "forking them together."

9:58am
Nigella ends the show scarfing potatoes on a crimson couch by a roaring fire, while angels play smooth jazz in the background. This is a Luther Vandross video.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 1
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: nothing too expensive here
HEALTH QUOTIENT: Well let it slide. Its a Christmas show.
VERDICT: 10/10, for sexiness

10:00am
THE SHOW: Emeril Live!
THE HOST: Emeril Lagasse
THE CONCEPT: The godfather of TV cheffery hosts a cooking show in front of a live audience, says "BAM" a lot. Theres a band, too.

10:05am
The theme of the show is cheese. I can get behind this.

10:06am
First tip, from an at-home video segment with a blonde mom: "Never walk away from your pine nuts." Truer words, never spoken. How many times have I set them to toast and sniffed the air three minutes later all like, "Whats burning?"

10:08am
Were watching a split screen of the blonde mom and Emeril blending a dressing. Its still more interesting than golf.

10:11am
Speaking of golf, what happens now that Tiger is in the permanent doghouse? I imagine curling will finally have its day as THE sport for people who dont like sudden movements.

10:16am
Emeril is running a "Say Cheese" recipe contest. Pam from Maryland is a winner, and she reminds me of every nurse or teachers assistant Ive ever met. Pam is using crab in her macaroni and cheese, which "kicks [it] up to notches unknown." NOTCHES UNKNOWN.

10:18am
Emeril is both a "spoon guy" and a "whisk fan." Can you be both? Is that like rooting for the Yankees and the Mets?

10:20am
Augh! The vertical rotisserie ad is back so "Dad" can school us some more. I think Ive found my nemesis for the day.

10:23am
Bathroom dilemma, solved. Thank god for commercials. Did you guys need to know that? Also of note: my computer is resting on a hummus tub so the bottom wont overheat. In Brooklyn, we work with what we have, folks.

10:27am
Emeril is stirring white-gray crabmeat into a yellow-gray macaroni and cheese mixture. You know that scene in Empire Strikes Back, when Han makes Luke a bed out of TonTon intestines? It looks like that. Which is okay, because sometimes ugly food is the best food. (See: eggplant.)

10:30am
Re: Emerils accent. Hes from Boston, right? Because it sounds so Brooklyn sometimes, I imagine him selling me knockoff sunglasses on the corner by the Halal Chinese Food place.

10:32am
Food Network Drinking Game, Rule #437: take a shot every time you wonder how a food show can pay for a full band. Youll be sploshed inside an hour.

10:33am
Emeril is making tamales con queso, and keeps asking for "lahwd." I wondered why he would be using the lord in his cooking, until it occurred to me that hes saying "lard."

10:37am
Another ugly-but-delicious food: ried beans. We can all agree it looks like baby puke, right?

10:40am
As Emeril rolls his second tamale, I find my mind wandering to faraway places. Like Morocco. Were fez hats just decorative, or did they have a purpose? They dont shade the eyes or protect the head very well, so Im figuring they were invented for aesthetic purposes. In a related story, I think its time for some coffee.

10:43am
Time for a multiple choice question! What kind of degree does Doc Gibbs have?
A) Funkiness MD
B) A PhD in smoothosity
C) A doctorate in jazz hands
D) Gastroenterology

10:46am
Holly from Ohio is the next winner of Emerils Say Cheese contest, and she has a very, very red kitchen. Like, all her appliances and countertops are a fiery crimson. Wouldnt that make you angry when youre cooking? Like youre in Hells Kitchen? "Dont TALK TO ME when Im making CHEESECAKE, DAMMIT!"

10:49am
Can I tell you how much I love it when Emeril adds alcohol to recipes? Everyone in the audience cheers like crazy, as if to say, "WOO! This flan is gonna get us totally sploshed!"

10:52am
Have you seen the ice cream sandwich bench? Its $950, though if Trading Spaces has taught me anything, you can make it at home with $15.62 and a bedsheet.

10:55am
Emerils jacket has remained perfectly clean through the entire show, despite making salad, mac and cheese, tamales con queso, and cheesecake. No mess at all. I would look like Pizza the Hut after a day like that.

10:59am
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: a shocking 0
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: good - salad and tamales are pretty cheap
HEALTH QUOTIENT: nada, though points for trying with the salad
VERDICT: 7/10, for gratuitous shots of blending.

11:01am
THE SHOW: Easy Entertaining
THE HOST: Michael Chiarello
THE CONCEPT: "Formal fare in your formalwear." Clever boy.

11:04am
So far, this is an onion- and beet-heavy show. Not kid food, apparently. In first grade, either of those words would have thrown me into total gag lex failure.

11:09am
Coffee procured! Urge to kill ... fading.

11:10am
Chiarello isnt wearing a 3/4-sleeve sweater, but his pullover sleeves are rolled up to just under the elbow. Does that count?

11:12am
Currently, hes adding a TON of ground fennel to already fennel-heavy roast. Moderate amounts of fennel are always appreciated, but this looks like its going to taste like a bag of black licorice exploded in your mouth.

11:13am
Up next: a Peppermint Chocolate Tiramisu. I have never heard a finer collection of words. (P.S. Did you know "tiramisu" means "pick me up"? Me neither. Thanks, Mike!)

11:15am
Food Network Drinking Game, Rule #5739: Drink whenever a host claims he/she is "going somewhere," "checking the market out," or "has some errands to run" during the commercial break. We know you need more than four minutes to hit up the orchard, Chiarello.

11:19am
While I like Michael Chiarello, he suffers a bit from John Kerry Syndrome: you know hes totally great at what he does, but you dont necessarily want to have a beer with him.

11:23am
He just poured about a cup of red wine into risotto, making it look like brains. Delicious, delicious brains. Again, the ugly/tasty paradox has been proven.

11:27am
Why dont the Food Network hosts ever wash their own pots and pans? They should have a show made up entirely of Ina Garten and Bobby Flay doing dishes. I guarantee it would be a ratings winner.

11:30am
End of show. How you know: the wine comes out, and Mike changes into a red t-shirt under a charcoal grey blazer. Very Napa.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 1/2
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: low
HEALTH QUOTIENT: low
VERDICT: 8/10, for Peppermint Chocolate Tiramisu and general attractiveness

11:31am
THE SHOW: Quick Fix Meals
THE HOST: Robin Miller
THE CONCEPT: Week-long dinners for busy families, with Oprah-esque theme song.

11:32am
Robin is searing some scallops, and she just poured a dang gallon of olive oil into a large skillet. Look, I know olive oil is one of the healthier cooking fats, but 1/4 cup per serving doesnt do anyone any good. (Now getting off my high horse before I hurt myself.)

11:36am
Robin is having a tough time lifting her skillet. I can relate, having the upper body strength of a fetal chihuahua.

11:43am
Weve moved on to Mexican fondue, meaning cheese, spinach, artichokes, and salsa melted together. Im still deciding how I feel about this. Also: "take it to a whole new level" should be retired permanently, as should "outside the box."

11:45am
Once and for all: is cumin pronounced "keeyou-min" or "coo-min"?

11:50am
Good tip from Robin: make vinaigrettes and dressings in the bottom of the salad bowl, then toss everything afterward.

11:52am
Chopping montage! In general, wouldnt cooking would be much more awesome if all our chopping was set to Michael Jackson? Here, try it.

11:58am
Robin blended strawberries and yogurt, and I thought for sure it was going to be a smoothie. But she poured it in a bowl, so now its a soup. If she poured it in a votive glass, would it be a candle?

11:59am
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0 (it was full-length)
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: high - nothing was outrageous
HEALTH QUOTIENT: very low - I question serving some of these to kids as dinner
VERDICT: 6/10, for questionable usage of vessels

12:00pm
THE SHOW: Paulas Home Cooking
THE HOST: Paula Deen, yall!
THE CONCEPT: Today, its cookies. But most days, its butter. Just butter.

12:04pm
How you can tell this is an early episode: wrinkles, natural lighting, no cackling, zero appearances by Bobby and Jamie. I miss the cackling, yall.

12:06pm
Analogy time!
Paula Deen is to Fantasy Grandma as George Clooney is to _______.
A) Fantasy Boyfriend
B) Fantasy Shortstop
C) Fantasy Island

12:12pm
Paulas making Gingerbread Men, and "when we come back, Im gonna show you how we bring these little [guys] to life." This is going to involve lightning and tiny brain transplants, isnt it?

12:19pm
Edit - Paula is making gingerbread men AND women. Later, they will create gingerbread babies together, unless they use gingerbread prophylactics.

12:23pm
Gingerbread Michael (Paulas husband) has white chest hair, a mohawk, and appears to be wearing a diaper. How does Real Michael feel about this?

12:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0, though her blouse has shorter sleeves, yall
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: high, yall
HEALTH QUOTIENT: super, super low, yall
VERDICT: 9/10, for gentility, yall

12:31pm
THE SHOW: Everyday Italian
THE HOST: Giada DeLaurentiis
THE CONCEPT: Hot, talented chef makes authentic Italian dishes and funny tasting faces.

12:32pm
Giada starts out with panna cotta, or translated, "theres a cot in my pan."

12:34pm
My Ma is as Irishiest of Irish ladies, but insists on pronouncing Latin and Italian foods as they would be in the native language. This means "mozzarella" is "mooz-a-dell" and "parmesan" is "parrrr-mi-jhan." Giada also does this. Giada is my Ma.

12:37pm
Giada is frying some oysters. When shes done, they will be "sweet and tender, which is how your date will act after he eats them." I assume this means my date will also be breaded and covered in marinara sauce.

12:42pm
Giadas "this is so good" claw: check.
Giadas tasting O-face: check.
Still waiting for first pronunciation of "pan-CHET-tha."

12:46pm
This is the 37 millionth time the Le Cordon Bleu commercial is airing, and its only 12:46. If I hear, "Get your career cooking ... LITERALLY!" one more time, I will literally jump through the TV and broil that guy.

12:48pm
Champagne Risotto with Asparagus is Gs next date night recipe. (P.S. The theme of this show is "Date Night." Now you know.) Served with Chiarellos Peppermint Chocolate Tiramisu and Nigellas Espresso Martini, there is a 100% chance you will be pregnant by the end of the night.

12:51pm
I love that PR folks think well enough of CHG to send us offers, but ... uh ... my name is Kristen. Not Christine. And I dont have kids. And I hate mayonnaise. Just sayin.

12:57pm
For dessert, its Raspberry Limoncello Champagne and an Espresso Panna Cotta. Forget plain ol pregnancy. These will get you a Duggar-style reality show on TLC.

12:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 1 (You can always count on Giada.)
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium; risotto is cheaper than you think
HEALTH QUOTIENT: pretty low
VERDICT: 10/10, for much-appreciated gratuitous use of champagne

1:00pm
THE SHOW: 30-Minute Meals
THE HOST: Rachael Ray
THE CONCEPT: A nice woman from Western New York makes a meal in an unmentioned allotment of time.

1:03pm
Rachael is making sausage, and her accent ("sah-sidge") is making me miss my friends in Rochester and Buffalo. (*sniff*) You guys, lean ground chicken breast reminds me of you.

1:06pm
Whenever RR asks us to "eyeball" something, I picture pouring the item (fennel, cloves, oil, etc.) on our actual eyeballs. This is not the intended meaning, I understand, but ... need more coffee.

1:11pm
Were having "ahh-some wanh-ffles" here everybody, but not before we eyeball the molasses.

1:14pm
A haiku for Rachael:
You carry so much
but is that nutmeg ever
a burden too heavy?

1:19pm
Rachael is excellent at remaining upbeat. When youre makin TV, its really, really tough to turn on the cheer when youre not feeling it. But she manages. I dig that.

1:21pm
Toffee Hot Cocoa was just described as "SUPER delicious." Just once, I want a TV chef to say, "You know what? Its a broccoli recipe. It tastes slightly better than burlap, but if we dont get some veggies in our diets, well die."

1:26pm
On a related note, do you ever wonder if RR narrates her everyday movements when shes at home? "Well, Im goin to pick up my toothpaste like this. Awesome! Then Im going to grab my toothbrush like this. Yummo! Now Im gonna bring it up to my mouth, and run it back and forth across my teeth. All right! And we end by spitting the froth into the sink. Big finish!"

1:28pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0, though the sleeves of her regular sweater were rolled up
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: high
HEALTH QUOTIENT: negative numbers
VERDICT: 7/10, for too many "yummos

1:31pm
THE SHOW: Baoot Contessa! WOOOO!
THE HOST: the lovely Ina Garten
THE CONCEPT: incredible food served by a woman you want to hang out with ALL THE TIME

1:32pm
Shes making chocolate gelato. For Jeffrey, of course. CURSE YOU, JEFFREY!

1:34pm
Husband-Elect, are you reading this? If so, can we go to Inas kitchen for our honeymoon? I will let you have the Gandalf ice carving if you say yes.

1:36pm
Ina is wearing a black button-down instead of her usual denim one. If youre not a regular viewer, this means nothing to you, but if you are, its a plot twist on par with The Sixth Sense.

1:40pm
Ina is visiting her fishmonger. I like to picture her being personal friends with her various mongers, and at the end of every year, they all have a giant monger party. Where they mong, presumably.

1:42pm
She is now making lobster pot pies. I was taught to appreciate fresh-from-the-animal lobster meat from a very young age, and always hesitate to use it in any recipe. I mean, what if I mess it up? And why would I want to dilute lobster flavor? But Im going with this, Ina. I trust you. Be caul with my heart.

1:49pm
Ina wants us to place pastry dough in the fridge for 30 minutes "to chill and relax." Unmentioned: "to light up some doobage and listen to Steve Miller albums on shuffle."

1:51pm
The lobster pies were just dubbed "rustic." In cooking, is "rustic" a synonym for "messy"? If so, my apartment is very rustic.

1:57pm
Jeffrey is playing a trick on Ina, to make her think he ate all the food. This is cruel and unnecessary. Also, I dont know how to spell "unnecessary."

1:58pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: zero
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: er ... pretty low
HEALTH QUOTIENT: um ... also low
VERDICT: 10/10. Its Ina, and dissent will not be tolerated.

2:01pm
THE SHOW: Semi-Homemade ... you knew it was coming.
THE HOST: Sandra Lee
THE CONCEPT: 70% store-bought ingredients, 30% fresh ingredients, 100% yarg.

2:02pm
The theme is wisteria. So naturally, the first dish is a Fig and Goat Cheese Quesadilla. Leave your logic at the door, ladies and germs.

2:05pm
Aunt Sandys hair is styled very Farrah Fawcettly. Which brings another question to mind: when I dont wear my hair back when I cook, it gets in the food. (Mmm ... hair chili.) Is this a concern of TV chefs?

2:10pm
"I want to talk to you about making great potato salad without all the work." She is starting with pre-cooked potatoes already seasoned with rosemary and garlic. This is like saying, "The first step is making an awesome cake is to buy an awesome cake."

2:12pm
On microwaving the potatoes: "You didnt have to do any of that peeling, any of that monkey business." I think she just compared potato peeling to sex. I guess both are dirty? And can take a few minutes? And at the end, you get delicious fries?

2:21pm
Sandra is spooning hot apricots on to a delicate cream. You can see the cream itself dissolving as this happens. It looks like, in the following shot, the desserts have been replaced with new ones. I cant say for sure this happened, but I think it happened.

2:26pm
Multiple choice question time! Sandra is currently:
A) Showing us a tablescape with a three-foot, 30+ pound vase of flowers at the center.
B) Showing us ANOTHER new plate of those apricot cream desserts.
C) Showing us the molecular representation of sodium chloride.

2:29pm
End of show
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0. It was a lavender blouse.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium
HEALTH QUOTIENT: medium
VERDICT: 5/10, for unexpected attention paid to health and frugality, but also making a potato salad out of a potato salad.

2:31pm
THE SHOW: Boy Meets Grill
THE HOST: Bobby Flay
THE CONCEPT: Bobby Flay and a grill in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

2:33pm
Bobbys background music sounds like the chillout room at a 90s rave. We have fallen into a K-hole of flavor, everyone.

2:35pm
Unexpected, terrifying glitch with Blogger, seemingly overcome for now. If it craps out 10 hours into the marathon, I will go on a killing spree.

2:40pm
If Bobby wasnt a cook, hed be a ballplayer - probably a journeyman outfielder with a .270 average and 15 or 20 home runs a year. Fans would like him because he shows up early to practice, and managers respect him for his knowledge of the game. Three years after retiring, hed take a job managing Double A, where hed stay until the majors call him up in his mid-50s. After a few years as a hitting coach, hed get the full-time managers job and win the World Series within three years. Hed always have a secret love of mango salsa, but wouldt know why.

2:45pm
Chickpea Polenta, which Mr. Flay is making, is something I would like to eat right now. In my mouth. With my teeth and gums.

2:51pm
Bobby is now mixing figs and red peppers in a delectable-sounding marinade. However, it looks like Buffalo Bills bathtub in Silence of the Lambs. "It puts the marinade on the skin or it gets the hose again."

2:57pm
Random people show up on Bobbys rooftop to eat. If only such deliciousness was waiting at the top of every NYC fire escape, instead of the tar paper and Wire-style Mexican standoffs that are usually there.

2:59pm
End of show
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0, though Bobbys sleeves were rolled up.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium-low; steak is pricey, yo
HEALTH QUOTIENT: medium; points for lots of fresh produce
VERDICT: 8/10, for the creative use of fruit and being able to smell the grill smoke all the way in my apartment.

3:01pm
THE SHOW: Guys Big Bite
THE HOST: Guy Fieri (pronounced "Bob Jones-Smith")
THE CONCEPT: Huge freaking food for giant freaking guys.

3:02pm
The More You Know: Im wearing no makeup, ill-fitting jeans and my beloved hooded sweatshirt, Big Green. If anyone saw me right now, theyd immediately turn to stone.

3:03pm
Props to Guy: he doesnt settle for saying an ingredient "will make this taste great!" He explains why you add certain seasonings and why you cook food a specific way. And he uses way less "Dude! This onion is radical awesome gnarly, bro!" than I thought he would.

3:09pm
Hes explaining why he didnt salt Kalamata Couscous ahead of time: "because I wasnt sure what the olives would bring to it." This is the kind of information I want from a cooking show. From Guy Fieri. Who knew? (Also, it helps that hes making dolma [stuffed grape leaves], one of my all-time favorite foods.)

3:12pm
Im calling it: TV chefs calling pieces of food "bad boys" is officially over. Stuffed grape leaves are delicious, not delinquent.

3:14pm
Return of the rotisserie ad dad! He reminds me of Prince Humperdinck from Princess Bride. Somewhere (Gilder), a village is missing its cowardly noble.

3:20pm
Guys dolmas are "doing time" in the oven. 15 to 20 for assault and grand theft auto, to be specific. Maybe they ARE bad boys.

3:22pm
There is no elegant way to talk, whisk furiously, and sound composed at the same time. Everyones voice rattles like theyre riding a vacuum cleaner.

3:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0 - again, the rolled-up sleeve dominates
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium-high, dude
HEALTH QUOTIENT: medium, bro
VERDICT: 9/10, for being unexpectedly pretty great, dudebro

3:30pm
THE SHOW: Tylers Ultimate
THE HOST: Tyler Florence
THE CONCEPT: Tyler shows us how to make a classic dish in the best possible way.

3:31pm
Tyler is kicking the show off by berating a rubber chicken. This is gonna be good.

3:33pm
Ack. He just called all-purpose flour "A.P." (Or, "apey.") How you know when acronyms dont work: when they sound like another, more disgusting word.

3:36pm
"What would life be without bacon?" Tyler asks. A futile existence, my friend. A futile existence indeed.

3:42pm
Tyler is making Coq au Vin, and his lapel mic is picking up the sound of sizzling every time he gets near his Dutch oven. You can hardly hear him above the noise, and its kind of hilarious.

3:48pm
Also of note: Tyler hits food a lot, as in, "Were gonna hit this with Cognac." and "Im gonna hit this with Herbs de Provence." No lie, he just said it like, six times. Food abuse!

3:52pm
"Boom!" is another one hes uttered about 70 different times. Methinks Tyler Florence is actually Guy Fieri, and Guy Fieri was replaced with a lookalike English teacher. Up is down, left is right, people!

3:59pm
End of show
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0 - rolled up sleeves again.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium
HEALTH QUOTIENT: low
VERDICT: 7/10 - its been over for a minute, and I barely remember it. There was a rubber chicken, right? (Is that mean? I dont want to be mean. I actually like Tyler a lot.)

4:01pm
THE SHOW: Cooking for Real
THE HOST: Sunny Anderson
THE CONCEPT: Cooking, really. For real. With realness.

4:04pm
Sunnys telling us about her tattoo. True story: in college, I was out with a friend, and came fairly close to getting the Chinese symbol for moon tattooed on my lower back. I decided not to, went home and told my dad about it. His response: "So, let me get this straight. You were about to get a MOON tattoo two inches above your ass?" I have never been tempted by tattoos again.

4:09pm
Fill in the blank time!
"Flauta" is the Spanish word for ______:
A) flute
B) to flout or express disdain
C) flatulence
D) ex-Bills quarterback Doug Flutie

4:12pm
The last three - possibly four - shows have involved tempering/whisking eggs into a hot mixture. Is that intentional? Does Food Network pick really specific themes like that? Today, its tempering eggs. Tomorrow, its grinding coriander. The day after that, its sectioning a lemon on a snowy day if you live in a state ending with the letter "O."

4:20pm
Heh. Its 4:20.

4:24pm
19 hours of straight blogging, and there will be no Ace of Cakes. The lack of Duffness depresses and frightens me. So I will look at this dog making cookies to cheer me up.

4:25pm
Sunny is a very sunny person, yes? If she was named Frowny, this would be an entirely different show.

4:26pm
Shes making Mexican soda! The bodegas in my neighborhood have these, and the colors are insane. Theyre like drinking a B-52s album.

4:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: nada - cute short-sleeved pink top
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium-high
HEALTH QUOTIENT: very low - flautas were deep fried
VERDICT: 7.5/10, for the fact that I want Mexican food now

4:30pm
THE SHOW: Everyday Italian
THE HOST: Giada DeLaurentiis
THE CONCEPT: This episode, Giads makes easy Italian-style cookies.

4:31pm
Giada just described a "decadent and deliciously adult cookie," meaning the next half hour will see her either making Florentines or directing a porno.

4:34pm
Didnt this woman just have a baby? How does she still look like a tiny Italian hourglass? (*curses the heavens*)

4:37pm
A Giada haiku:
Little big head chef
makes cookie log so pretty
we forget claw hand

4:44pm
We live down the block from a pizza place that sells single slices in individual boxes. Our front stoop has become the garbage pail for the neighborhood kids, all of whom buy one on the way from school to the subway. Short of water guns, how do I solve this problem?

4:50pm
Giada is rolling out dough, and trying to fill the time with words. "Im rolling out the dough. Rolling. Rolling. Uh ... more rolling. Hm. Nice day today, right? How bout them Mets? More rolling."

4:57pm
Giada is hosting a cookie tasting party, and her friends and family are all abnormally hot. This is probably because they usually have asparagus tasting parties.

5:00pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 1! Finally! I thought I was taking crazy pills.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: high - baking is cheap
HEALTH QUOTIENT: low - its a cookie show, man
VERDICT: 8/10 - for having biscotti that looks like it might actually be very good

5:01pm
THE SHOW: Baoot Contessa
THE HOST: Ina Garten
THE CONCEPT: For this episode, its treats for people and their dogs.

5:02pm
Food Network Drinking Game, Rule #83892: chug every time a TV chef adds nebulous "flavor," without describing the qualities of said flavor. Ex: "This cupcake could use more flavor." "Potatoes are great when they have flavor." "My socks have a flavor."

5:04pm
Remember, like, four hours ago? When Sandra Lee made potato salad using potato salad? Ina dont play that way. Shes got her Adidas and Kangol on, she has her ghetto blaster turned to 11, and shes cooking those dope spuds from scratch. Word.

5:09pm
Ina has chopped at least three large onions, and is visibly tearing up. Thats no good. I will kill the onion that makes Ina cry. YOUVE BEEN WARNED, ONIONS.

5:11pm
A chocolate sheetcake is in the process of being baked. Normally, this would sound awesome. But I dont know if its good to combine dogs and chocolate in a party setting. Yknow? The pugs have one drink too many, then they start teasing the Boston terrier, and before you know it, all the shih-tzus have poisoned themselves. Party over.

5:19pm
The more I watch this show, the more I think Ina looks like my mom. Maybe this is why I like her so much, and why I keep asking her for money.

5:20pm
Did you know Ina used to work on U.S. nuclear policy in Washington? I think thats why her recipes dont bomb. (HAHAHAHAHA ... sorry.)

5:26pm
Joe Lieberman is a terrible, terrible person. Just sayin.

5:27pm
First the onions made Ina cry. Now shes grilling on the beach, where its clearly windy and freezing. If shes attacked by one of those labradoodles, Im boycotting the Earth.

5:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium
HEALTH QUOTIENT: umm ... look over there! A shiny thing!
VERDICT: 10/10, for the appearance of the StandMixer. If Baoot Contessa is Cheers, the StandMixer is Norm.

5:31pm
THE SHOW: Down Home with the Neelys
THE HOST: Gina and Pat Neely
THE CONCEPT: A couple you might otherwise like is forced to yell as loudly as possible while making soul food.

5:36pm
Theres a guest! A brother of Pats! And I like him! Hes speaking with his inside voice, is why.

5:37pm
Theyre smoking pork butts in the kitchen. We used to smoke butts in the kitchen in college. Then we smoked too many butts and had to quit. Smoking butts, I mean.

5:40pm
An analogy!
The Neelys are to total deafness as Kate Hudson romantic comedies are to _____.
A) brain damage
B) drooling
C) incontinence
D) all of the above

5:44pm
You know what? Maybe Im looking at Down Home the wrong way. When I cook, its usually alone, and its usually quiet and methodical and relaxing. Others are more gregarious and make it more of a group activity. If thats what the show is aiming for, its doing okay.

5:50pm
Brother Neely is making pulled pork, a secret diet food. By that, I mean: if youre on a diet and find yourself at a barbecue joint, go for the pulled pork. Its usually the lightest of all the meat choices, and you can customize the flavor with various sauces.

5:52pm
Liveblogging health update: nine hours in, my back is starting to get a little twingey. I call it Futon Spine.

5:56pm
Ginas making margaritas. Shes into the tequila. Were about to enter migraine territory.

5:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium
HEALTH QUOTIENT: barely visible from space
VERDICT: 4/10, for Pats brother and his ponytail.

6:01pm
THE SHOW: Paulas Home Cooking
THE HOST: Paula Deen, yall
THE CONCEPT: This episode, its slow cooking.

6:02pm
BEAR WITNESS! Paula is chopping a vegetable, yall! Im already in contact with Washington and lobbying for a national holiday.

6:04pm
As a New Yorker, I have never had chicken fried steak. But Ive also never had malaria. Is it worth it?

6:09pm
Paula melted half a stick of butter with several cups of grated cheddar cheese, dumped them into the crockpot, and spooned through it wearing an expression I can only describe as total human contentment. She is simultaneously delighting and scaring the crud out of me.

6:14pm
The show has stopped while Paula feeds the mac and cheese to the camera. I LOVE THIS WOMAN.

6:17pm
Limerick time!
There once was a lady named Paula,
"More buttah, yall!" she would holla,
Her restaurant took off-o
And her show was so boff-o
She earned a million and one dolla.

6:22pm
Blueberry Peach Cobbler is distinctly American in a great way. Eating it with Swiss steak and macaroni and cheese is distinctly American a not-so-great way.

6:25pm
Paula says the cobbler requires some "one on one personal time." Between her, Nigella, and Giada, this is the sexiest day of food programming in history.

6:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium
HEALTH QUOTIENT: infinitesimal
VERDICT: 8/10, for the face. I aspire to make that face someday.

6:30pm
THE SHOW: 30-Minute Meals
THE HOST: Rachael Ray
THE CONCEPT: Dunno. Never heard of it.

6:32pm
How you can tell this is late-period Rachael: much more eye makeup, shorter hair, increased fresh foods, better knife skills, a voice thats clinging to audibility, motions exaggerated to the Nth power.

6:37pm
Rachaels making gorgonzola-stuffed meatballs. If there were more recipes based on meat stuffed with cheese, wed have world peace, a public health option, and money leftover for universal foot massages.

6:41pm
Fun fact: food commercials use women in their 20s to play the mothers of tweens and teenagers. While this is totally possible, it makes it seem like real-life mothers should look much younger than they actually are. Which isnt cool.

6:49pm
Finally, something I can criticize without feeling terrible: Big Top Cupcake is the dumbest thing Ive ever seen. ITS A POINTY CAKE PAN, EVERYBODY.

6:52pm
I stand corrected. Micro Smores is the dumbest thing Ive ever seen.

6:57pm
Rachael makes a good point: always pull the bay leaves out of your food. Who among has not forgotten, and ended up with a mouthful of pointy leaf? (Uh ... anyone?)

6:59pm
End of show
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: nope
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium-low
HEALTH QUOTIENT: low
VERDICT: 7/10, for being easily distracted by BigTop Cupcake

7:00pm
Halfway done!

7:01pm
THE SHOW: Food Network Challenge - Edible Ornaments
THE HOST: The guy with the glasses and spiky hair who isnt Guy Fieri
THE CONCEPT: Cakemakers are taking real trees and covering them with edible ornaments

7:03pm
Todays competitors are three New Yorkers and a dude from L.A. whose "mother would cry if [the tree] wasnt pretty enough." Has mom trained him well enough? Will the New Yorkers bring their crowbars? Can everyone make nice flowers? FEEL THE EXCITEMENT.

7:06pm
There is a shocking lack of Carrie Whats-her-face, the terrifying British judge that usually reduces the contestants to weeping piles of mushy goo. Its going to be up to the guy with the glasses and spiky hair who isnt Guy Fieri (TGWTGASHWIGF), and I dont think he has the cojones.

7:10pm
Lisa Simpson is trying to find her way north, and Bart has a faucet stuck to his ... damn, this isnt the right channel.

7:11pm
Food Network brought in the contestants parents and siblings in as special assistants, and there is immediate friction between the Staten Island mother/daughter pair. I hope this doesnt devolve into Jersey Shore-style shenanigans. Theres not enough spray tan in the world.

7:16pm
In New York, theres a childrens behavioral adjustment program commercial that promises to fix your kids bad habits. One part claims it will even "turn your childs attitude around in one minute or less." Imagine the possibilities there. I imagine it will involve threats to send kids to China.

7:22pm
One baker is making garland out of metal tubing and cream puffs. Another is doing it with amber sugar-covered chestnuts. These may end up tasting like roofing material, but they sure look good.

7:30pm
Another baker basically took some lasagna ingredients, spray painted them, and threw them up wherever theyd fit. Im not sayin I could do that, but Im very good at sticking lasagna in trees.

7:32pm
Food Network Drinking Game, Rule #2893752: If something can go wrong with a Food Challenge ingredient, it will. And it wont be something youd ever expect. "Oh no, my tortilla is too flaky!" "Oh no, my edible silver beads are too roll-ey!" "Oh no, my cream puffs are becoming too moist, which will disconnect them from the adhesive chocolate!"

7:40pm
The Long Island bakers brother is hilariously inept.
~~~
Interviewer: What do you like, David?
Brother: Sports and ... uh, sports.
~~~
Brother (holding up ornament): Where should I put these?
Baker: Its a Christmas tree, David.

7:42pm
Question for readers: would you want to eat ornaments that have been shoved in a sap-filled Christmas tree? Where squirrels and birds might have lived? I suck on tinsel every now and then, so no judgment.

7:44pm
Staten Island baker is using an edible film paper, which I had no idea existed. I will be licking a lot more random paper now. Yknow, to test it out.

7:47pm
How I know the Husband-Elect is the right guy: he saw me after ten hours of blogging and didnt scream "CRONE!" and run away to Timbuktu.

7:52pm
L.A. guy just told his mom to clean up his mess! Its a shocking parent/child role reversal and its making me uncomfortable. The familial hierarchy exists for a reason, people!

7:55pm
Edible Film Baker is getting reamed by the judges. (A pun! Its a pun!)

7:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: zip
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: n/a
HEALTH QUOTIENT: n/a, unless youre into eating trees
VERDICT: 5/10, for lack of terrifying Carrie judge and bizarre four-level pineapple tree topper that will never leave my nightmares

8:01pm
THE SHOW: Paulas Cookie Swap
THE HOST: Paula Deen
THE CONCEPT: Friends and family of the Deenster are dropping by with their favorite cookie recipes. Jamie and Bobby are here! Finally, yall!

8:02pm
Paula 2009 is SO MUCH MORE GLAM than Paula 2006. Whereas Paula 2006 probably enjoyed bridge and 60 Minutes, Paula 2009 would wear leather pants and tour with the Scissor Sisters.

8:04pm
Time for another multiple choice question! Paula is wearing:
A) a brightly-colored shirt
B) Jimmy Buffet
C) several pomegranates
D) a Polynesian barbecue

8:06pm
Paula 2009 is the kind of grandma youd introduce to all your friends, and then take to a champagne bar/drag club to hang out with ladies with names like Barbara Ghanoush and Honey Crisp. The next day, shed disappear back to Georgia and youd be sad for like, 100 years.

8:11pm
Hee. The lady cooking with Paula now is named Mrs. Susie Butts. In college, I worked making cold calls to hundreds of people with (really real) names like Warren Peace, Homer Simpson, John F. Kennedy, and Mrs. Shitrit.

8:14pm
Also, theyre toasting nuts. Hee. Toasted nuts.

8:22pm
The further we get into this show, the more apparent its become that Paula might be partaking in some Christmas spirits. I wish I could join her, but there are EIGHT HOURS OF BLOGGING LEFT. Eat your heart out, Jerry Lewis.

8:29pm
Seen today: Ina, Giada, Bobby, Tyler, Rachael, lots of Paula
Unseen today: Mario, Ace, Sara, Anne Burrell, Santa Claus, James Bond

8:32pm
Jamie and Bobby sighting! Theyre making ... sand tarts? What the hell are they saying?

8:33pm
How do the Deens have so many family recipes? It seems like every dish has been in their family since the beginning of time. We have one family recipe, and its for wallpaper paste.

8:38pm
If our first child is a boy, were naming him Paul Dean. He will be Southern, super gay, and totally delightful.

8:44pm
Crossover alert! Paulas brought in Bobby from HGTV. Hes teaching her how to wrap cookies all pretty-like, with ribbon and such. History Channel wishes it was this riveting.

8:48pm
Yall, were not done yet! Paulas decking the halls in a tasty way. Or something. Its late, and I just ate two pounds of sesame noodles.

8:52pm
Reader Robyn has an excellent question: "What happened to the lady who won the last Food Network Star?"

8:53pm
Paula is calling her decorator out for bringing store-bought cookies to the swap. The decorator looks mortified, like you just told her she has toilet paper stuck in her teeth.

8:54pm
Michaels here! Hes dressed in a Santa suit to enhance his natural Santa-ness, and even in the jacket, its apparent hes lost significant weight. Paula has too, come to think of it. Anyone know what theyre doing?

8:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none - but the bird of paradise blouse made up for it
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: n/a
HEALTH QUOTIENT: below absolute zero
VERDICT: 10/10 - insanely entertaining, yall

9:00pm
THE SHOW: Throwdown
THE HOST: Bobby Flay
THE CONCEPT: The Chef of note challenges a renowned Chicken Cacciatore cook to discover whose version is best.

9:01pm
New York City firehouse chef Keith Young is 6-foot-6, and has a Long Island accent thats almost as big. He loves "protectin prah-petty" and "caw-melized onions." I love his bald head.

9:06pm
Do you have a distinctive accent? Does it get worse when youre around your family? Mine does, and Bobbys is too, the longer he hangs out with these New York fiighters.

9:10pm
Chicken cacciatore literally translates into "hunters chicken," or "chicken that you caught with a big gun and then soaked in tomatoes until its bloody-looking."

9:12pm
Big difference between Bobby and Keiths cacciatore: Flay uses red wine, while the fiighter opts for white, figuring it goes better with chicken. I think I have to go with the Iron Chef here, folks. Red wine + tomatoes = party in my mouth, and everyones invited.

9:15pm
Bobby walked into the firehouse to propose the challenge and Keith ate him. It was awful.

9:18pm
Oh, how I jest. Both men are still alive. Their fight will be fought in an arena of food.

9:19pm
But seriously, Keith ate him.

9:20pm
If my ears doth not deceive me, Keith just called his poultry "chicken bosom." Im using that from now on and claiming it as my own. No one will ever know. MUAHAHAHAHA.

9:22pm
Bobbys adding honey to his tomato sauce. Ive never seen that before. Italian grandmamas that read this blog: does this happen?

9:27pm
The fire chief/eree has an incredible handlebar mustache not unlike this Emperor Tamarin.

9:28pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none - will the mustache suffice?
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: surprisingly relevant - there was a budgetary aspect to the challenge
HEALTH QUOTIENT: uh - okay, I guess
VERDICT: 7/10, for the mustache

9:30pm
THE SHOW: Throwdown
THE HOST: Bobby Flay
THE CONCEPT: Bobbys challenging a priest for the Best Fajita crown. Expect a lot of holy plays on words.

9:33pm
Leos a breakdancing Catholic priest who loves cooking and has a third-degree black belt. He also has many, many religious cooking puns in his back pocket. Bobby is a dead man. And his soul isnt too safe, either.

9:38pm
A haiku about Father Leo:
Awesome ninja priest
preaches peace but will nunchuk
you if provoked, dude.

9:41pm
We have entered Hour 12 of the blogathon. There is a butt-shaped jello mold where my actual butt used to be.

9:43pm
Father Leo is a ham of the highest order. Can I say that? Will I still get into heaven?

9:48pm
Father Leos secret marinade ingredient: "holy water." And he was taught to chop by Mother Theresa. What a cool life, Batman.

9:52pm
Dear Pope Benedict,
Hi there! How are you? So glad you seem to be doing well. I was just wondering - is there a way to incorporate more fajitas into the average mass? I promise I would go more often.
Hugs,
Kristen
P.S. I understand if you dont want to dignify this with a response.

9:58pm
The bed music sounds like its excerpted from Rocky 16: Rocky Goes to Crate & Barrel.

9:59pm
End of show. Father Leo won, duh.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: none
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: pretty high
HEALTH QUOTIENT: fairly high, I guess. Im flustered
VERDICT: 9/10, for avoiding the obvious holy cow jokes

10:00pm
THE SHOW: Dinner Impossible
THE HOST: Robert Irvine
THE CONCEPT: The Chef has to feed 1000 volunteers in Biloxi, Mississippi. He has nine hours.

10:03pm
At the end of the show, theyre giving Brenda keys to her renovated home, which was ruined in Katrina in 2005. Yknow, weve been looking at pictures from the hurricane for three years now, and its still infuriating and sad.

10:12pm
Robert is squaring off/doing a dance of love with the local soul food restaurant owner. If theyre not making out by the end of this, I will eat my own socks.

10:14pm
Does everyone in Mississippi play banjo or blues guitar? Is that a prerequisite to live in the state? On Long Island, you have to know the lyrics to every Bill Joel song.

10:17pm
This show ends in 13 minutes and no ones started cooking yet. Theyre about to have some very angry Habitat for Humanitarians on their hands. And they have hammers.

10:24pm
Ooo - I lied. This is an hour-long show. Irvine is safe ... FOR NOW.

10:31pm
Sweet and sour sauce spill. Back in a minute.

10:36pm
Our brown rug is now a brown rug with red spots. Merry Christmas!

10:38pm
The manufactured drama in this show is freakin killing me. Have they ever not finished in time?

10:40pm
In regard to Bobby Flays repeated Throwdown drubbings, reader Kat writes: "Challenging anyone and everyone to a Throwdown is getting slightly embarrassing, especially when you lose every dang time. Im only trying to protect you, man."

10:42pm
Irvine is hilariously reluctant to yell at his fellow volunteers. Its like watching a pit bull with a Barbie jump rope tied around its muzzle.

10:47pm
Fill in the blank! There is a disturbing amount of food _____:
A) stitting outside without rigeration
B) in close proximity to the ground
C) being prepared by men whose primary talent is sweating

10:57pm
Miss Brenda just got a look at her new home, and shes stunned. The dining room almost knocked her over. What a sweet lady.

10:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: 0
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: pretty high - theyre volunteers
HEALTH QUOTIENT: theyve been working out, so its okay
VERDICT: 6/10, for the lack of yelling.

11:00pm
THE SHOW: Good Eats! Finally!
THE HOST: Alton Brown!
THE CONCEPT: Cooking nerd schools us, is generally pretty great.

11:02pm
Alton is explaining flour, and hes uncomfortably close to the camera. He has 257 eyebrow hairs.

11:05pm
This is brilliant. Altons given us the show recipes ingredients, but hasnt revealed the name of the recipe itself yet. We have to figure it out ourselves. He is the Will Shortz of TV chefs.

11:09pm
Oh! Hes buying a popover pan. Hes making popovers. Im a genius. All hail me.

11:12pm
Have those popover signs been popping up throughout they whole show? They have, havent they? Im not a genius, then. Im merely brilliant.

11:15pm
The popovers are being filled with all kinds of disturbing things - fruit, ice cream, broth, etc. Wheres the butter? Wheres the jam? They are afraid and alone. Unfrozen Caveman Popovers.

11:20pm
We have suddenly jumped to Yorkshire pudding, as defined in the 1500s. We have gone Back to the Future, and Doc Alton Brown is our guide, Marty.

11:21pm
Holy ... the recipe for Yorkshire pudding is almost exactly the same as the recipe for popovers! This show makes everyone smarter. Is there any doubt its the best on Food Network?

11:25pm
How much I wanted to see "Its Complicated" at the beginning of the day: 54%
Number of commercials for "Its Complicated" seen today: approximately 30
How much I want to see "Its Complicated" now: -4%

11:27pm
Alton now preparing a Dutch Pancake, or, as its more commonly known, a Pancake That Pays for its Half of a Date.

11:29pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: zero - Weird Al Yankovic shirts is Altons perred look
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: sky high
HEALTH QUOTIENT: medium
VERDICT: 12/10, for being my TV boyfriend (with apologies to Tim Riggins).

11:31pm
THE SHOW: Oh god ... Unwrapped.
THE HOST: Marc Summers
THE CONCEPT: How boring mass produced food is boringly made.

11:33pm
The Husband-Elect and I have a private joke about this show in that sometimes, we have entire conversations using Marc Summers vocal inflections:
Me: "Hon, can you get me ... a cup of coffee?"
Him: "Would you like ... a little milk?"
Me: "Maybe also ... a paper napkin?"
Him: "Of course, Ill ... be right back."

11:40pm
Alternate names for Unwrapped: The Conveyor Belt Show, People in Hairnets, White Owners/ Non-White Employees, and Drippy Chocolate.

11:45pm
Its a quarter to midnight and Im drinking iced coffee. The hallucinations should start soon. My Christmas tree is already starting to look like a Tim Burton movie.

11:52pm
Unwrapped is profiling organic grocery store Whole Foods, a.k.a. Whole Paycheck, a.k.a. That Place Where I Cant Afford Apples. Theyre trying to "dispel the myth that organic has to cost more." Unmentioned: "sell $40 chicken legs."

11:58pm
Now profiling snackmakers Pirates Booty. Its the same damn conveyor belt with different food on it. You wont fool me, Summers!

11:59pm
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: nope
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: nope
HEALTH QUOTIENT: nope
VERDICT: 2/10, for infuriating me with ... factory line footage.

12:01am
THE SHOW: Oh no ... the same Throwdown we saw three hours ago.
THE HOST: Still Bobby Flay
THE CONCEPT: Still the Chicken Cacciatore thing.

12:07am
Oh man. Im gonna need a different angle for this one, fast. What if we made up a song to the tune of Bob Dylans "The Times, They Are A-Changin"?
Come gather round firemen
Wherever you drink
And admit that you left your
dish in the sink.
And accept it that soon
Youll be forced to think
About whose chicken
youre pickin.
So you better start eatin
Cause itll be done in a wink.
For the Throwdown, it is a ... goin down.

12:12am
Okay, maybe not that.

12:17am
Its now 12:17, and I dont have a bit for this yet. Unless this running bit that I have no bit is actually the bit. Oh crap. The Le Cordon Bleu commercial again. Have I fallen asleep without knowing it? Is this a nightmare?

12:20am
Okay. FN is airing repeats (Dinner Impossible, Paulas Cookie Swap, etc.) straight through 4am. SO, Im gonna break for a few hours and continue this then. Thats not cheating, right? I dont think so. Either way, thank god I JUST DRANK A CUP OF COFFEE.

4:01am
THE SHOW: Tasty Travels
THE HOST: Rachael Ray
THE CONCEPT: Rachael eats her way across the Northeastern seaboard.

4:04am
This narration is far too chirpy for four oclock in the morning: "For a true Kennebunkport experience, cast your net at Mabels Lobster Claw!" Its only missing a cheerleading pyramid.

4:06am
I woke up with "Do They Know its Christmas?" in my head. Tonight, thank god its me, INSTEAD OF YOOOOOOOOOU.

4:07am
Also on TV at 4:07am:
CW: Frasier
ABC: News
CSPAN: An old man complaining
TV Guide Channel: an infomercial for Dermawand, the stick you put on your face.
PBS: An old man complaining

4:11am
Holy cow! Its a commercial for The Clapper! This has to be at least 15 years old. Is that a cassette player in there?

4:12am
Back to Rachael, whos eating lobster at the Algonquin. It is, as you might imagine, "ahhhb-so-LUTE-ly dah-LISH-ous."

4:14am
My heats off. Is my heat always off now?

4:18am
Rachael is in Portsmouth (literally: "there is port in my mouth"), New Hampshire (literally, "there is a shire in my hamp"). Shes at the Muddy River smokehouse, where men are men and women are also men.

4:20am
Was that mean? I dont care. Its 4:20 in the morning.

4:21am
"Locals are enchanted with the cuisine." This phrase is not used in Brooklyn very often. Here, its more like, "Locals will not shiv you over the cuisine."

4:23am
Next, Rachael goes to Gloucester, the Massachusettsiest of all the Massachusetts-sounding towns in all the world. It is wicked Massachusettsy. Red Sox.

4:24am
Commercials at 4:24am in the morning:
AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance
Hair transplants
... thats it. Its me and balding old people awake right now.

4:27am
Were now at Halibut Point restaurant, where Rachael is eating CHOWDAH next to FISHAHMEN. All this trip is missing is a Kennedy.

4:29am
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: I forgot to count. Its cold in here.
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: medium - she mentioned some numeric thingies.
HEALTH QUOTIENT: low - what?
VERDICT: 4:29am

4:30am
THE SHOW: Howd That Get On My Plate?
THE HOST: Sunny Anderson
THE CONCEPT: Unwrapped, but with fresh food and no ... Marc Summers.

4:32am
Sunny kicks off the show in an open field. If Martin Scorcese taught me anything, the only people in open fields at 4:32 in the morning are about to be whacked by the mob. Run, Sunny!

4:34am
Did you know: industrial garlic bulbs are peeled by something called a clove blower. In college, the words "clove blower" had a very different meaning. It usually involved a Phish album.

4:36am
Food Network is pushing the White House Iron Chef HARD. Do you think Mario and Emeril will accidentally bump tummies on the floor? Like jolly dueling Santas? Because oh, how Id giggle.

4:38am
In 2001, my job required that I pull into work right about now. New York is always eerily silent this time of the morning, but I did see a guy get jumped from my cab once.

4:39am
Was that story not riveting enough? My judgment of interesting stories is a little off right now. Im 20 seconds from babbling about the coldness of my nose.

4:41am
There is a vat of Bloody Mary mix being made on my television. It looks like the scene from Nightmare on Elm Street when the bed eats Johnny Depp. Did you know - and this is not a joke - that he was credited under the name "Oprah Noodlemantra" for his cameo in the sequel? ABSORB THIS KNOWLEDGE, YOUNG PADAWAN.

4:46am
Sunny is back at the garlic factory. You know how you come home sometimes smelling like work? That must be a genuine work hazard for people who work in a garlic factory.

4:48am
Now shes standing next to a 5000-pound garlic mountain. There are 5000 vampire jokes just waiting to be made here. Ill be a gentlewoman and let yall handle it.

4:52am
I can taste garlic in the air in my apartment all of a sudden. This means either this show is really effective, or theres an old pizza stuck in my walls. Both are equally likely.

4:53am
Sunny is currently wandering through a tremendous warehouse, stacked floor-to-ceiling with barrels of dried garlic. I assuming the Ark of the Covenant is also in there somewhere.

4:58am
Its roasted garlic hummus now, which has an inherently hilarious texture. You guys dont know what youre missing. But its okay - no worries. You can stay asleep. Thats why Im here.

4:59am
End of show.
3/4-SLEEVE SWEATERS: zero - Sunny stuck to overalls
FRUGALITY QUOTIENT: n/a
HEALTH QUOTIENT: astronomic - garlic is good for you, yall
VERDICT: Who am I? How did I get here?

5:00am
Folks, 19-1/2 hours later, we are DONE! Its been a trip. Im going to bed. Hasta la pasta.

How They Work

After we eat, cells in our intestines release a variety of hormones. One is called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). GLP-1, among others, increases insulin secretion which makes it part of a group of insulin-secreting, or incretin, hormones. The increased insulin works to lower blood glucose levels after a meal.

Our bodies also secrete another compound, an enzyme called DPP-IV (dipeptidyl peptidase-IV) which inactivates GLP-1, and possibly other incretin hormones.

The drugs under study are designed to inhibit DPP-IV, protecting GLP-1 from degradation.

Another plus - Since the amount of GLP-1 released from our cells is dependent on the amount of glucose made available from a meal, its presence doesnt lead to low blood glucose or weight gain - problems that dog a present class of diabetes drugs, the sulfonylureas.

Drugs Of This Type In Clinical Trials (Or Marketed)

• Merck: Sitagliptin
  
• Novartis: Vildagliptin
  
• OSI Prosidion: PSN9301
  
• Amylin and Eli Lilly: BYETTA™ (Exenatide)
  BYETTA™ went on the market in June of this year. You may remember this as the drug developed from the venom of the gila monster lizard. Its different from the three drugs above in that it mimics the action of GLP-1 instead of inhibiting its breakdown. Also, it must be injected where the drugs above can be taken orally.

A Few Good Overviews

Dipeptidyl peptidase inhibitors as new drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

New Insights Into the Role of Incretins in the Treatment of Diabetes.