Brini Maxwell Videos

Hi people! Brini here and this week we have a delicious stew for youâHungarian goulash! As stews go, itâs very simple â very easy. Hereâs how: Youâll need: 2 lbs stew beef cut into 1â cubes 3 Tbs. flour 2 Tbs. vegetable oil  cup chopped onion 1 bay leaf 2 whole cloves 1  tsp. salt  tsp pepper 1 Tbs. paprika 1 cups beef stock Begin by coating the beef with the flour. Heat the oil in a sauce pan or electric skillet over medium heat and add the beef. Cook until brown on all sides, then add the onion. Stir for about 5 minutes until the onion is tender, then add the remaining ingredients. Blend well while bringing to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Let cook for 2 to 2 hours or until fork tender. Serve over buttered noodles or boiled potatoes. This dish is just great for the last chilly days of winter. Perfect for warming up after a blustery afternoon outdoors! Iâm so glad Whatâs Up Doc was such a success! Itâs one of my favorite films, and itâs nice to know that so many of you enjoyed it too. The next film weâll be discussing in our NetFlix series is completely different! Weâll be talking about Rear Window â Hitchcockâs delightfully ghoulish (not goulash) classic featuring Jimmy Stewart and a beguiling Grace Kelly. If you donât have it you can always find it on NetFlix, and by joining through my site you help support this show! Thatâs all for this week! Let me know what you think about Rear Windowâ

Hello people, it's all about cards today! On the show I'm showing you how to make delightful card themed sandwiches. I put them together for a bridge luncheon we had on my original cable access show. They're ever so simple. Here's how: You'll need: Suit shaped cookie cutters Thin sliced sandwich bread Deli meat Thin sliced cheese Leaf lettuce Sliced olives Toothpicks Start by stacking your sandwich, then place your cookie cutters on top and press down very firmly until you've separated the shape from the rest of the sandwich. Open top tin type cookie cutters work best for this because they're sharp enough to cut through all layers. Remove the sandwich from the cutter and trim off any stragglers with a scissors. The bottom of what you've just cut will be the top of the sandwich. Finish by garnishing with a sliced olive speared with a toothpick. These can be made with all different types of cookie cutters for all different occasions. Keep in mind, however, the more elaborate the shape the more difficult it will be to cut the sandwich - the club is the most complicated of the suits to cut. Hint: If you want to add condiments to your sandwich, do it after they're cut. The layers slip around too much if you've dressed it before you attempt to cut them. This week on my NPR podcast we're featuring a bit of archival Brini with some tips for your kitchen. For those of you that haven't heard it before, enjoy! For those of you that have, we'll be back next week with an all new episode. Also, don't forget to make your reservations for Mondo Lounge Atomic Frolic! It's the 26th through the 28th of January in Las Vegas. I hope to see you there!

Well, it's time once again to settle in to a post holiday schedule. Many people release the stress of the holidays by getting a cold. My show this week is all about caring for someone in that situation. Here are some tips for making the circumstances easier. Reading material like magazines and books can be kept in a new wastepaper basket. The corralled publications can be easily pulled up on the bed to be retrieved or put away. Instead of a tray, use muffin tins for serving meals in bed. The cups are perfect for holding the various courses of the meal and things won't slide around or spill. If the flavor the medicine is less than appealing an ice cube on the tongue will numb the taste buds and make medicating less unpleasant. Standard sized newspapers can be a bit much to handle when stuck in bed. Split them down the middle to make them easier to deal with. One of the least pleasant aspects to being incapacitated is the difficulty of bathing, and forget about washing your hair. This can be accomplished more easily by putting your subject in a plastic rain poncho. Place it on them backwards so the hood can be used as a pocket for the shampoo and conditioner. Then attach a sprayer to your kitchen or bathroom spigot and you're all set. As you saw in the show I let my self get a little carried away these tips to the expense of Mary Ellen's sanity. I would advise you to keep your head about you, even though the circumstances of taking care of a cranky sick person can be a bit trying at times... This week on my NPR podcast I'm talking about candle making. It's a delightful craft that can be fun and even profitable. There are several internet resources for candle making that you can explore, including candletech.com and candlemaking.org. See you next week!

Here's a little hangover cure for those of you who indulged a little last night...

Well, it's almost 2007! What better occasion for a cheese casserole? This week on the show I'm making one of my favorites - the Crown Roast of Cheese. It's just delicious and so simple: You'll need:  cup of butter 7 slices of bread (about  inch thick each) 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 tsp salt  tsp paprika Pinch of cayenne  tsp dry mustard Preheat the oven to 350. Start by buttering both sides of all slices of bread with half the butter. Cut two into triangles (cut across the slice in an X pattern) and cut the rest into cubes. Then line the bottom of a buttered casserole dish with a handful of bread cubes and on top of that toss a layer of grated cheese. Repeat until you've used up all the cubes and cheese. Place the triangles of bread around the outside of the dish to create your crown and set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients except for the remaining butter in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture over the casserole, then dot with slices of the remaining butter and bake for 25 minutes. Serve immediately. This dish is just delish with a lovely dry white wine. On my NPR podcast this week I'm talking about what to do with all that great smoking paraphernalia now that smoking is off limits. Be sure and have a listen! For those of you on the west coast I'll be in Las Vegas for the Mondo Lounge Atomic Frolic talking about how to live the retro lifestyle. I hope you'll join me!

Hello people, and Merry Christmas... It's just around the corner! On the show this week I have a few last minute holiday ideas. In a quandary about what to give a girlfriend? How about making a pair of matching aprons from an old vintage tablecloth and giving her one? You'll have matching aprons! You'll need: 1 vintage tablecloth Scissors Thread to match Sewing machine Cut the tablecloth in half across its shortest dimension and from each half cut a strip along the cut edge that is 3 wide. That strip will be your waistband. Cut a notch at the center of the strip and a notch on each side where you want the apron to end. (You can put the waistband around your waist and mark the side seam of your clothing on one side, then fold it in half and notch where you've marked). Also notch the center of the apron body. Then run a gathering stitch along the cut edge of the body and shirr it up. Match your notches and stitch the waistband to the apron with a half inch seam allowance. Then press the waistband up. Fold the right sides together along the top edge and stitch the waist band ends together, then turn them inside out and press. Fold under the seam allowance on the waistband and top stitch it down and your apron is finished! You can face the waistband with ribbon or trim the apron with braid or rickrack, attach pockets or a bow and it's ready to give. Another last minute gift idea is a set of tassel ornaments. We made tassels on a previous episode and they make lovely Christmas ornaments. Make a set of 4 or 6 tassels in red yarn with sprigs of artificial holly, jingle bells or metallic yarn accents. Using your imagination for holiday giving can net you ooohs and aaahs from your recipient. This week on my NPR podcast I'm discussing creative gift wrapping ideas. Once you've made your gifts have a listen and I'll give you some ideas for presenting them! Have a wonderful holiday and look for a little bonus episode in the NPR feed this weekend.

Hello people, it's time for some more ideas and tips from Brini! This week I'm making a delicious holiday recipe that's perfect for Christmas breakfast. It's called Mattie Belle's Cranberry Bread and it's very easy to make. You'll need: 2 cups flour  cup sugar 1  teaspoon baking powder  teaspoon soda  cup butter  cup orange juice 1 egg 1 tablespoon grated orange rind  cup walnuts 1 cup halved cranberries Preheat the oven to 350. sift flour, baking powder and soda and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together, add the egg, then add the flour mixture in parts, alternating with the orange juice and blend well. Then mix in the orange rind, walnuts and cranberries. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and crack the door slightly to let the bread slowly cool down. On my NPR podcast this week I'm discussing another holiday confection - fruit cake. This much maligned holiday tradition has quite a royal history. Here's my grandmother's recipe: You'll need: 2 cups light raisins 2 cups dark raisins 2 cups walnuts 1 cup blanched almonds 1  cup butter 1  cups sugar 6 eggs 3  cup sifted all purpose flour 1  tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 tsp cloves 3 tsp cinnamon  cups finely cut packaged citron  cups finely cut moist dried pears 1  cups diced candied orange peel  cup drained crushed pineapple 2 tsp vanilla  tsp almond extract Rinse raisins, drain and dry, chop walnuts and almonds, cream butter, add sugar and cream thoroughly, blend in beaten eggs, sift flour with salt soda and spices, add to the creamed mixture blending well. Coat the nuts, citron, dried pears and peel in flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom, then stir in raisins, nuts citron, dried pears, peel, pineapple and flavorings. Place in a greased, paper lined 9 tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Place a pan of water on the lower rack to keep the cake moist. Test with cake tester or pick before removing from oven. Soak cheese cloth in rum or brandy and wrap cake in the soaked cloth, then wrap in foil and let marinate for a few days. Unwrap and repeat as many times as desired. Be sure and administer a sobriety test before you send your guests home in their cars after eating though.

Hello people, This week on the show it's all about gifts we make ourselves. I'm making two different gifts on this week's episode - tassels and apricot cherry cordial fruit sauce. Tassels are very simple to make. You'll need: Yarn in different colors A card that's about an inch longer than the length of your finished tassel Scissors A latch hook or crochet hook Start by winding your yarn around the card until you have a good hank of it collected. Cut off the tail and slide the hank off the card keeping the center open. Then reel off a good long piece of matching or contrasting yarn - at least 4 feet - and double it twice and twist it until it starts coiling back on itself. Grasp the center between your teeth and fold it in half and let it twist into a cord. Tie it in a loop and loop it through the center of your yarn hank making sure the knot is lost among the yarn in the hank and pull it tight. Tie matching or contrasting yarn tightly around the top of your hank close to the hanging loop and then begin to wrap it around snugly until you have about a half inch of it evenly girdling the tassel. Cut and then tie the end of the yarn to the tail left when you first tied the yarn on the tassel, then with your hook pull the tails up under the wrapped yarn. Apricot Cherry Cordial Fruit Sauce is quite simple as well. You'll need: 1 cup dried apricots cut in quarters  cup sugar 10 oz jar maraschino cherries 1 cup vodka Combine the apricots, sugar and cherries with their juice in your blender until well blended, then add the vodka and blend again. Remove the mixture to a jar and let marinate, inverting the jar regularly, for two weeks or until all the sugar is dissolved. Present in a tall pointy bottle with a white pompon on the cork to create a Santa hat. Here are a few other projects that are perfect for holiday gift giving: Trimmed Towels Wine Charms Trimming Fruit Applique Tote Bag Terrariums Chow Chow Yum Cake On this week's NPR podcast I'm talking to Barbara Bitela the author of The Art of Regifting. She has some great ideas for those gifts that you don't quite know what to do with. Along those lines, here are a few more projects that don't let anything go to waste: Repurposing My Christmas show is Sunday night. I hope to see you all there!

Hello people, This week on my vidcast I have a delightful guest. Joe Ligamarri came on to show us his recipes for St. Louis Bars and Pizzels. Here they are: For St. Louis Bars you'll need: 1 yellow cake mix  cup (1 stick) melted butter 3 eggs 1 8oz package cream cheese 4  cups confectioner's sugar Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, lightly beat one egg, then add the cake mix and melted butter and mix until the dough is the consistency of play-dough. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the confectioner's sugar. Combine all the remaining ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth. Pour over the dough and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling doesn't move when the pan is shaken. Remove from the oven and dust with the remaining powdered sugar. Let cool completely and cut into bars. For the pizzelles you'll need: 1  cup flour  cup sugar 1 Tablespoon anise flavor 3 eggs 1 stick butter Preheat your pizzelle iron and sift the flour and sugar together. Add the anise flavoring and the eggs and butter. Stir until the batter is the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Drop a large tablespoon full of batter in the center of the pizzelle iron and close the top. The cookie should be done in about 45 seconds. These can be shaped over bowls to create edible vessels for elegant desserts. They can also be broken up into quadrants and dipped in chocolate or tucked into a bowl of ice cream. This week on my NPR podcast I'm talking with Barbara Bitela, the author of The Art of Regifting and she has some useful tips for saving a bundle this Christmas! Be sure and listen. Don't forget my holiday show is next weekend at the Cutting Room. We're almost sold out so be sure and book your tickets today!

Now that we're so firmly entrenched in fall it's lovely to cuddle up next to a nice warm fire. This week's episode was taped at a lovely home on Fire Island with a real fireplace. If you don't have the luxury of a genuine hearth you can create a facsimile with a product called sunjel. The little cans of jel will give off a flame that looks like wood flame but doesn't give off smoke so there's no need for a flue. You can also get log and grate sets that have boxes to hold the cans of jel that create the effect of a traditional fireplace. On this week's NPR podcast I expand on my fire setting advice and give you my recipe for hot cocoa. Here it is: You'll need: 1/4 cup Cocoa powder 1/2 cup Sugar Dash Salt 1/3 cup hot water 4 cups milk 1/8 cup Coconut, vanilla or orange rum Combine the cocoa, sugar, salt and water in a sauce pan and heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the milk and stir until heated, but do not boil. Remove from the heat and beat with a mixer until foamy. Add the rum and serve. This should make about 6 servings. If you're a tee totaler you can eliminate the rum and flavor the cocoa with extract instead. If you're in New York don't forget to come to my Christmas show! It's taking place on December 10th at the Cutting Room. You can still buy tickets at Theater Mania.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday - a time to reflect on our blessings and to reconnect with family and friends over a delicious meal. For most of us that meal includes the traditional turkey. It doesn't have to though. After spending time with one on my show I find them just a little harder to eat. My wild rice casserole is a delicious alternative to the tradition. Here's how: You'll need: 1 cup wild rice 1 cup ripe olives cut up 2 roasted red peppers cut up  lb grated cheddar cheese  tsp pepper 1 tsp salt  cup salad oil  cup white wine Soak the wild rice in hot water and leave over night. Preheat the oven 350. Combine all ingredients except wine in a casserole dish and mix well. Heat the wine until simmering then pour over casserole. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 6 as a side dish, 4 as an entree. This week on my NPR podcast I'm discussing the revival of a fascinating vintage photography trend - stereo imagery or 3D photography. It has such potential for Christmas gifts, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! You can see those photos I promised you here. Don't forget my Christmas show! It's coming up on December 10th. Tickets are on sale now at Theater Mania. Hope to see you there!

Cheese. It's one of nature's wonders, and one of my favorite foods. This week on the show we're making toasted sesame cheese wafers. It's a very tasty recipe that was originally featured in an episode devoted to the wonders of this delightful food. For the wafers you'll need: 5 oz processed cheese spread 3 Tbs. butter 3/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp paprika 2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds Preheat the oven to 400. Sift the flour and paprika together, and then blend in the sesame seeds. Combine the cheese and butter in a bowl and cream together. Add the flour mixture and stir until well blended. The dough will be stiff. On a sheet of wax paper work the dough into a log about 6 and one half inches long and an inch and a half in diameter and wrap in the wax paper. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour and up to one week. When chilled, unwrap the dough, slice thinly and bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges. Cheese, milk's leap to immortality, is one of the most versatile foods in any cook's arsenal. It can be used in savory or sweet dishes and has such varied flavors, as to confuse even the most devoted epicurean. Some of my favorites are: Cotswald: This is a cheddar variation from England. It's rich and robust with a delightful tang. I love it on hearty sourdough bread. Saga Bleu and Cambazola: These are brie/bleu combinations - both delicious with French bread or fruit. Gruyere: This is the prince of Swiss cheese. It's rich and nutty flavor are delightful in fondue or on crackers. I love having people over for cheese tastings. Putting out several cheeses on a board and letting my friends become intimate with them is my idea of a delightful Sunday afternoon. Try it yourself and see how much fun it can be! This week on my NPR podcast I'm discussing some ideas for customizing your wardrobe. With a few stitches, the touch of an iron here and there and some imagination your clothing can look like it belongs in a while new tax bracket! Be sure and have a listen. Don't forget to join me in the lounge at Pop Rocks this coming Thursday, November 9th. I have some delightful music for you to listen to. If you do make it, be sure and say hello!

Halloween is almost upon us and this week on the show we're carving jack-o-lanterns. Mary Ellen and I had such fun together carving that charming face. What do you do with the pumpkin seeds though? I toasted them and here's how: You'll need: Pumpkin seeds Olive oil or melted butter Salt Start by rinsing those seeds and removing any pulp, and then spread them out on paper towels to dry over night. The next day line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with raised sides with foil and preheat the oven to 250. Toss the dry seeds with the olive oil or butter, then salt and toss again. Spread the seeds out on the foil covered cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, rearranging the seeds every 15 minutes. This week on my NPR podcast I'm talking about hosting a Halloween blackout party. The blackout party originated with electric light - with electricity you have occasional blackouts and the camaraderie and spooky atmosphere that occurs when the lights unexpectedly go out can be recreated without the mishap of a true blackout. On the show I discuss several different ways to create a mood. One of them is a desilvered mirror with a ghostly image in it. You can create this spooky accent piece very simply with a frame with a clear piece of glass, an image of a face, silver leaf and plain gelatin. Start by finding an image to use - a reproduction of an etching or some other piece of art with a light background will work best - and trim it to fit into the frame. Then combine two tablespoons of gelatin and one cup of water in a small sauce pan and heat until completely dissolved. Using a small paint brush (with bristles, not foam) brush the edges of the glass with the gelatin, then dry brush out to the edges without applying any gelatin to the center. The effect we're trying to create is one of a gradient application of the leaf, transitioning from a clear center to a fully slivered edge. Apply the silver leaf to the glass and with a soft, dry brush and brush away the extra leaf. When the glass has been completely covered and all the unstuck leaf has been brushed away allow the piece to dry. Then place the picture behind it and put it in the frame. The overall effect will be a mirror that stares back at you. Perfect for a spooky, candle lit Halloween party!

Organizing is the subject of this week's vidcast, and cleaning and organizing are kissin' cousins. Straightening up a room doesn't have to be a daunting task. Organize the chore with these tips: Start by picking a place in the room to deposit all the things that need to be put away. It's best to pick a spot that will inconvenience you if you stop before finishing - like the sofa. Take everything that doesn't belong out and put it in that spot. Getting your belongings out of their comfort zones on the tables and counters will force you to actually look at them so they can be more easily put away. Once everything has been returned to its little home, you can simplify the task of cleaning by thinking of your room as a big clock. Focus on one hour at a time - work your way around from 12 back to 12 again and the task will fly by. Here are some related tips from the archive section of my site: Episode 102 Episode 103 Episode 104 This week on my NPR podcast I'm talking about keeping your car fresh and clean. It's important, not only for cosmetic purposes, but for safety sake. Have a listen!

Hi people, this week I have a lovely family recipe for you: date nut cake. It was my grandmother's recipe and I made it for Mary Ellen's birthday. It's just delicious. You'll need: 1 stick of butter  lb dates 1 tsp soda 1 cup boiling water 1  cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 egg  cup pecans Begin by putting the butter, dates and soda in a bowl and covering them with the boiling water then let them cool. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 12 baking pan. Then add the egg, flour, sugar and pecans to the cooled ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Pour into your greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. On my NPR podcast this week I'm discussing an innovative and ecologically sound wall treatment for your home that involves magazines. Many people have used the distinctive covers of New Yorker magazine as wall covering - it was quite a trend in the 1970's. I say why limit yourself to one particular magazine cover; why not use some of the beautiful editorial pages and even ads from a variety of publications? The possibilities are endless, from beautiful fashion layouts, to ironic statements using ads from Guns and Ammo or Popular Mechanics.

Chocolate fondue is delicious - a real glamour dessert. What's especially nice about it is that it's frightfully easy to make as well! The fondue we made on the episode is simply: 12 oz of bar chocolate, broken up 1 cup of heavy cream Melt the chocolate with the cream over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. For dippers we chose pineapple, pound cake and strawberries, but you can add marshmallows, kiwi, bananas, cookies, lady fingers, and pretzels. On the show on the Style network we made fondue with milk caramels. The process is similar: Combine: 12 oz milk caramels 1 cup milk Over low heat until melted. Serve with apple wedges. Speaking of apples, this week's NPR podcast is all about that delightful fall fruit. I discuss several recipes for delicious apple dishes, including apple pie, apple dressing and apple pancakes. Here's my recipe for apple strudel: You'll need: 1 sheet of pastry dough 3 apples (on the tart side) 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 beaten egg Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Defrost the dough. Slice the apples to about 1/4 and put them in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. Roll out the dough until it's a little larger then when unwrapped. Lay out the apples on the dough, then roll it up around the apples and seal with egg. Slit the top in several places and brush with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Now this is the basic strudel, there are lots of other options: browned bread crumbs, lemon or orange rind, rasins, currants and nuts are all wonderful in strudel. For an extra rich version, try drizzling melted butter over your filling.

Hello people! Margaret Cho will be with us this week, so I thought I'd upload a promo for the coming episode. It's going to be lots of fun. Be sure and watch! See you Friday

Matzo ball soup is such a hamishe dish. The repudiated cure-all is a Jewish staple and it's very easy to make. This recipe originates with Ilse Sander - my grandmother. It took a little effort for Mary Ellen to wrap her mind around the ethnic dish, given her Roman Catholic roots, but once she did she certainly found it to her liking - despite a slight mishap. Matzo balls should be nice and firm - you want them to resist your teeth and your spoon. This is achieved with ganzeschmaltz, more commonly known as goose fat. Here's the recipe: 1/4 cup matzo meal 1 egg 1 Tbs. ganzeschmaltz Pinch salt Pinch pepper Pinch nutmeg Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix until combined. Pinch off a small amount and roll into a ball between your palms. Repeat until all the dough is rolled. Cook in chicken broth until the balls float and serve. Makes about 10 balls This week on my NPR podcast we're repurposing your old sweaters into quilts, throws and pillows. Putting a sweater quilt together isn't difficult and the results are so homey and warm. I've detailed how to create a quilt and a throw in the podcast, but if you'd like to make a pillow here's how you can do it: Start by selecting your sweaters. You'll need at least two for this project. Decide what size pillow you'd like to make. I suggest at least 18 x 18 which means that the pillow faces should measure 19 x 19 before they're sewn together. You can then cut your squares out. For this pillow you'll want 4 squares arranged in a checkerboard pattern, so your squares should be half the measurement of your pillow - 9.5 x 9.5 for the pillow mentioned above. Cut the squares out of the body of your sweaters and finish off the edges with a serge or zigzag stitch so they don't run and then stitch them together into your larger square. Now, you'll want to back the sweater squares on a more stable piece of fabric so they don't stretch out of shape with the stuffing. Stitch them down around all four edges to a 19 square piece of muslin. Choose a complimentary woven fabric for the back of the pillow and cut a 19 square of that, then with the faces together stitch the two squares around 3 sides and stuff with your pillow form. Stitch the last edge shut with a slip stitch (if you prefer, you can install a zipper in one edge). Last but not least you can tuft the center of your pillow as I mentioned tufting the quilt by stitching through the center square with pretty, but strong yarn a few times and then tying it off on the face. These pillows make lovely gifts and beautiful fall accents to your home. It's also a wonderful way to use old sweaters you have lying around. If any of you are interested in podcasting you should have a listen to Robert Walch's Podcasting411 podcast. He intereviewed me a few weeks back and you can listen to the episode here.

On this week's episode Mary Ellen, Delta and I went on a little shopping trip. The east village here in New York City is full of delightfully off beat stores with eccentric merchandise. The store we visited was the Wandering Dragon on East 10th Sreet. It had such a curious collection of items, including out dated military paraphernalia, stuffed oddities like two headed calves and a plethora of artificial limbs. I m afraid it doesn't exist anymore, but if you find yourself in the neighborhood be sure and wander a bit yourself - you never know what wonderful little holes in the wall you'll find. After our foray into the odd we found our way back to my place where Mary Ellen produced what I believe is called a joint , or marijuana cigarette. It was my first experience with pot and I have to say it made me feel just as odd as that two headed calf. That accounts for my less than with-it performance in the kitchen while making our dish for the day - veal with olives. The meal was just delicious, however. I found myself enjoying it with much more relish than I usually exhibit at dinner for some reason. Here's the recipe: You'll need: 4 veal cutlets Salt and pepper 3 Tbs. butter 1/2 cup white wine 1/4 cup cocktail olives, sliced Start by pounding the cutlets to ensure their tenderness, then salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the butter in a large skillet and brown the cutlets on both sides. Add the wine and olives and let simmer, covered for about 5 minutes. Serves 4. Be sure and listen to my NPR podcast this week. WeÃ?ÃÂ??re talking all about the joys of needlecraft. I personally love needlepoint, embroidery and applique, but equally enjoyable are knitting and cross stitch.

Hello people, thanks for joining me! This week is all about flowers - edible flowers that is. Eating flowers sounds incredibly decadent - sort of like something that would get the Romans in trouble with the gods like plumbing with lead or Nero fiddling. It's quite respectable, however, and won't bring any lightning bolts down on your head. It's a wonderful idea for creative entertaining. I especially like serving flowers in salads. The bright oranges, yellows and reds of nasturtiums are so beautiful tucked among the variegated greens of the different lettuces. They also make a delightful conversational opener for a dinner party! Now, there are certain flowers that are just delicious and perfect for a nosh, including nasturtiums, violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, roses, orchids, chrysanthemums, and clover. You can find a complete list of edible flowers here. It's so important to know what you're eating, however. Certain flowers are poisonous and should be avoided - these include: daffodils, foxglove, crocus, azalea, rhododendron, lilly of the valley and wisteria. A more complete list of dangerous flowers can be found here. In addition to being used on pastries and in salads as demonstrated in the show, edible flowers can also be used as garnish or frozen into ice blocks and floated in your favorite punch or in small ice cubes for summer cocktails or candied with sugar. It's such a delightful way to liven up your meal. Try it the next time you entertain. Your dinner parties will never be business as usual again! If you're in New York, be sure and join me at Macy's, Herald Square on Saturday the 16th. I'll be doing a table top demo on the 8th floor. Hope to see you there! On my NPR podcast this week we'll be talking about making your own shoes. You can find out all about how to do it from Mary Wales Loomis. She wrote the book - literally. You can also work with some delightful custom shoe manufacturers like Beyond Skin and Beautiful Shoes to put together just what you want now-a-days. Custom shoes are no longer for the very, very rich! Thanks for coming by. Come back next week for some more fun!