Kicking Television

So I was wrong, so very wrong, about a few shows this fall season, as I discovered throughout the weekend, as both days can be summed up thusly: Caught up on TiVo. The End.

Well, not really, of course, but it would be disingenuous to deny that a significant chunk of the evenings were spent lying supine on the bed beneath the pleasing glow of Top Chef (go Casey!) Dirty Sexy Money (Donald Sutherland? Love!), Life (House, but in cop form!), Bionic Woman (So bad. Run for your lives!) and, um, Back to You (ummm … will it do to say that I like Patricia Heaton and can’t help myself?).

This all points to the fact that I’m afraid I may be overextending myself this television season, because Friday Night Lights is coming back, and Pushing Daisies and … well, I’m overwhelmed, and I may have to quit my job to become a full-time television watcher. And after the week I had last week, it’s a bit tempting.

Honestly, we had a great weekend, and I’m crushed to see it end, as usual. We took Sunny out for breakfast on Saturday morning, and to a local park for some fetch, which actually means “lying in the grass and falling asleep while staring at a ball.” While it was lovely, it knocked her on her sad little puggy ass, and she’s done little but sleep ever since — in fact, she’s asleep right now, at 8:30, after sleeping until 11:30 this morning. Oh, to be a pug.

Completely unrelated, but you know, I got an e-mail last week from Saks touting the excitement of new! high-waisted! DENIM! And honestly, I know it’s coming back, but I have to ask: why? Why the hell? It’s not flattering on anybody, I don’t care who you are. I’ll grant you, the low-rise revolution created some issues in the ass-crack department, but the high waist creates a bit of a … well, it creates a gunt. I don’t know how more delicately to put it.

And with that, I’ll leave you with a recipe for my very favorite snack in the universe. We had a bit of a culinary disaster this evening (Adam this time, not me, and it involved a recipe for chicken rollatini gone horribly, horribly awry), and I’m currently holed up in our bedroom with a big bowl of Smitten Kitchen’s roasted tomatoes and onions over white beans (again, I add an entire head of garlic and roast it, too) and my snack is marinating downstairs. HOO BOY AM I EXCITED.

I am nothing if not enchanted by exceedingly stinky brined foods — pickled brussels sprouts are a favorite, and I even like pickled eggs, and if I wasn’t allergic to them, would be unafraid to order them in bars, or is that only a rural Pennsylvania thing, with the pig’s feet and pickled eggs behind the bar? Anyway, these radishes, I must admit, smell a bit like … well, they smell like toe jam. But oh, they are delicious! Peppery and sweet and slightly acidic, with the perfect nutty accord of sesame oil. I implore you, move beyond the stench and enjoy! I usually triple the liquid and use it with about two bunches of radishes, or one medium-ish bag of them, cleaned.

A few hours before you make this, clean the radishes and smash them with a mallet or rolling pin. Salt them heavily (HEAVILY) and place them in a colander or strainer over a bowl to draw out the water. Let them rest for at least two hours, so that they can soak up enough of the marinade.

- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 2 T dark sesame oil (I like to add a drop or two of the superhot variety, for spice, too)
- 1 tsp. sugar

Whisk together all ingredients and pour over radishes. Refrigerate and, most importantly, DO NOT EAT RIGHT AWAY. Oh my goodness, these are much, much better the next day and the day after that and after that and OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO STINKY AND GOOD.

Enjoy, and happy Monday!

*Wilco

16 comments September 30th, 2007