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Best Lines from Bravo’s new Odd Mom Out

June 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

Last night’s debut of Bravo’s new scripted comedy, “Odd Mom Out” may have made you laugh out loud, but it was the jokes between the lines that sent me to the potty more than once before I wet my pants…

Here’s the Cliff Notes version: Jill (bet you can’t figure out which one she is above) has an interesting perspective into the crazy world of the Upper East Side—where money is no object to her peers and normal every day issues consist of how to get your child into the best private school, which elite cycling class you should attend, or when to add a “Von” to your name to move up a class. Jill navigates the social scene; one awkward moment at a time.

Now that you’re up to speed, here’s a few moments that will have you clicking over any minute now to the online episodes (they already have three online) or at rewatching if you didn’t catch them the first go around!

Your New Anatomy Lesson…Because I bet you didn’t know that’s was it was called.

Before you had kids you probably had thighs and a nice derriere, but as moms know, you sacrifice a lot – on the inside and the out – when you have kids. Sometime after birth, these two once-prominent regions merge together to be your Thass. While this is funny, make sure to wait to laugh big or you’ll miss the next reference to the Holland Tunnel… and that’s definitely one I’ll let you find on your own. [Watch it now]

Get ready to get your “SoulWheelz on” to support the newest Upper East Side charity, N.A.C.H.O… or not…

Beyond the irony of the fundraising efforts called “N.A.C.H.O. happening at a trendy cycle studio, there’s the fact that the acronym stands for “New Yorks Against Childhood Obesity.” Before you spend too much on that – watch to see how Brooke defends why the Y is missing from the name. [Watch it now]

“Sometimes I walk around and it sounds like someone is stirring mac n cheese”

Probably my favorite line from the show took me a few moments after the episode ended to realize what she was talking about and then to laugh about it only as mom would. I don’t think I need to go into this too much (but if you need to ask me, feel free to tweet me) but give yourself a second to snicker, laugh loud and then realize “you aren’t the only one.” [Watch it now]

[Tweet “What do they mean about Mac N Cheese on @BravoTV’s new #OddMomOut? #spon https://ooh.li/7b18ac8”]

And make sure you follow each week until June 29 to learn the secret hashtag, tweet it at @BravoTV and you could win $20,000 with the Tune it to Win Sweepstakes!

In the UES, that’s enough to get a on the waitlist for a Birkin, right?

Watch the episodes now – including the not-yet-aired Episode 3!

Make Your Best Cake Tips

April 3, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 4 Comments

Baking the perfect cake isn’t just cooking. It’s a mix of art and science – and some experience in knowing the best cake tips!

You know that expression “have your cake and eat it, too?”

Unfortunately when it comes to making them, most of us just skip to picking one up at the grocery store so we can take it home to eat it. And if we do make one, well, it probably came from a box and lovely icing from a rounded container.

Face it: cake making isn’t easy, but with a little patience and few of these best cake tips, you can make your own little piece of sweet art a lot better than you ever thought possible. And when you’re done, you don’t even have to share. But I will share a few tips that will take you for basic to Betty Crocker in just one cake.

However, cake making isn’t just cooking; it’s art, it’s a science and actually a little lesson in history.

I love to read cookbooks and actually I own probably about 100+ of them and sometimes just love reading the ingredients, recipe names and my favorite, the descriptions, especially on old cookbooks (like those made from local women’s groups!) One of my favorites growing up were the red-gingham covered (affiliate link included) Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Filled with tips to setting your table, to how to make Sunday dinner for your inlaws, this cookbook was the gold standard cooking staple for most women in the 50s as they either practiced for marriage or worked to “create a home” after the wedding. I love the tips they include as well as all the handy conversions. Just for cakes the section there’s a nifty tip sheet for all the things you did wrong with your cake and how to fix them next time. While looking for a little something to make for Easter, I actually ran across a recipe called “Easter Dinner Cake.” Since it was found in the sponge/pound cake section and made with orange juice, the recipe sounded perfect for Easter dinner. And with 11 egg whites, I had to know how this was going to turn out.

RECIPE: Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook Easter Dinner Cake

As I started to think about Easter cakes, I remembered the one my mom made when I was young that had coconut, lime, lemons, oranges and all the other good stuff that still had me licking my lips for just one more bite 20+ years later. Luckily she knew exactly what recipe it was from her McCall’s Cooking School Cook Book binder, a mail-subscription service that sent you a few recipes every month to add to your binder until you had a full cookbook.

Of course, this was BW (before the web), so it was fun to wait to see what recipes you’d receive each shipment. I tried to find my own copy of the once mail-order binder cookbook, but from others looking for the same thing, it doesn’t appear you can find a copy unless you find one on Amazon from others willing to sell theirs. However, I’m reprinting it here for you (or until they realize it might be worth it to put these online!)

RECIPE: McCall’s Cooking School Coconut-Cream Cake with Lemon-Lime Filling

And it wouldn’t be Easter without Carrot Cake, right? I love this recipe ot just because it’s covered in Cream Cheese frosting, but because it is made with applesauce! You know I’m always about using applesauce in your recipes, especially baking, since it makes things lower in fat, higher in healthy ingredients and definitely much more moist! While you could use any applesauce, I like the cinnamon version from GoGo squeeZ to give it that little kick of sweetness. And then throw in a little 1/2 teaspoon of chile or chipotle powder and you’ve got a cake that won’t stop – at least not until you’ve finished every.single. bite.

RECIPE: Best Carrot Cake Ever

What’s your favorite cake?

Best Watermelon Recipes, Done Three Ways

July 24, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 2 Comments

That’s right, I bet you thought watermelon was just made to eat as a messy summer snack. Here’s three awesome watermelon recipes to make your summer even sweeter!

So to get us ready for cooking magic, I’ve a little music to get us in the mood. Remember this one? (If you can do the dance, give yourself two points.)

Now on with the show…here’s the clip from the segment with Chef Jackson and myself on Good Morning Texas showing a lot more than just watermelon recipes.

The most important step in cooking with watermelon is finding the right one. There’s nothing worse than a tough, underrippened or overrippened watermelon. So there’s a quick test.

1. It’s pretty. If it looks funny, it probably didn’t grow the right way and may have areas that aren’t ripe.
2. Its weight. A good watermelon is going to be full with water so therefore it should be heavy. If it’s not, then put it back.
2. Its dark spot. If there isn’t a nice dark brown spot where the watermelon rested on the ground, then you don’t want this watermelon.
3. Thump it. If it makes a thud or sound thick, then you don’t want it. You want it to sound hollow.

Now that we found the perfect watermelon, let’s get to it!

Grilled Watermelon with Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

3 (1/2-inch-thick) watermelon rounds, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons bottled balsamic glaze

Instructions

Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat.
Brush both sides of each watermelon quarter with olive oil, and season with desired amount of salt and pepper. Cut prosciutto into thin strips.
Grill watermelon quarters, without grill lid, 1 minute on each side or until grill marks appear.
Transfer watermelon to a serving plate; top with blue cheese, prosciutto strips, and fresh basil.
Drizzle watermelon with balsamic glaze.
Serve immediately.

Watermelon Goat Cheese Bites

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Grilled Watermelon with Blue Cheese and Proscuitto

Of course, there’s a lot more to do than just eat watermelon and apparently crawl either. That’s right, there are festivals and events you can attend this weekend and next to pay homage to the humble, all-American watermelon.

Donald Johnson Seedless Watermelon Festival in Knox City
The festival began 23 years ago as a point of communal pride. By official decree of the Texas Legislature, Knox City was the Seedless Watermelon Capital of Texas, thanks to the crops of the late Donald Johnson.
Parade, Pageant, Arts & Crafts and more!

The Melon Dash 5K & Fun Run
McKinney, Texas
Benefits North Texas Cat Rescue
Runners get all kinds of refreshments like watermelon, go go squeeze and more!
http://www.runproject.org/race/melon-dash-5k

Best Lines from Bravo’s new Odd Mom Out

Watch the episodes now – including the not-yet-aired Episode 3!

Make Your Best Cake Tips