TV Series Review: Castle, Season 2

My wife and I slowly made our way through the 5 discs of season 2 of "Castle". We finished last night. We kept each disc for about a week, which is why there haven't been any movie or TV reviews lately. Though, with my new TV and the Netflix app on the TV, I see more reviews in the future.

"Castle" is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. In fact, I'm debating whether it is better than "Psych", but right now, I think it's a close second to "Psych". "Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a mystery writer who is following NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) around, because she is the muse for his new book series. With the success of the first book, Castle is back with Beckett for another season of solving murders and playful banter.

The cast of "Castle" is just terrific. Nathan Fillion is one of my favorite TV actors, ever since "Firefly." Stana Katic, who I'd only seen in a "Librarian" movie before this is really good as Detective Beckett. At home for Castle is his teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) and his sometimes live-in mother Martha (Susan Sullivan). They add a nice dimension to the show without overwhelming it.

Each episode is interesting, but usually either my wife or I has pegged the murderer by the end, so it can be somewhat predictable. What keeps the show good is the banter between Castle and Beckett and the side story that is usually going on in the Castle home. The semi-predictability of the plot doesn't ruin it is my point.

This is just a really good TV show...5 stars! I can't wait to watch season 3...and the best part is, I have 10 episodes of season 3 waiting on the DVR.

Banishment!

Our first Christmas as a married couple was an exciting one. We had been married almost 12 months, and we were expecting our first child in early December. Around Thanksgiving that year, my wife and I went to K-Mart in Brookings, SD to purchase a small Christmas tree, some lights and some basic ornaments. We were unable to go visit family because my wife was due in about 2 weeks. At K-Mart, we bought a Denver Broncos tree ornament, among other things, that I have proudly hung on our tree for the last 10 years.

This year, I banished that ornament. I find that I am so disappointed by the Denver Broncos organization that I couldn't bring myself to put it up. It's not just that they are losing, but it's the way the organization has conducted itself since the firing of Mike Shanahan. Bad decisions, bad examples on the field, and a cheating scandal off of it. I thought there was nothing that could ever taint my love for my team, but it's tainted this year. I still care, but I find that they are just disappointing me too much, so I have sort of shut down so as not to open myself up to further hurt, shame and disappointment.

I know, I know, some of you are saying, "Jake, you told me you were working on caring less about sports," which is totally true. I didn't cry or curl up in the fetal position or anything. I just made a rational decision to banish the ornament for this Christmas. I do sincerely hope that the Denver Broncos get their act together and earn my trust again. When they do that, the ornament will return to my tree. Until then, it will remain in a cardboard box in my cold garage.

The Art of Scrambled Eggs

Who knew I had been making scrambled eggs wrong my entire life? Today we had another family over after church for brunch. The husband/father of this family is one of my chief mentors in cooking. In fact, my father-in-law getting me hooked on Food Network, and this friend's cooking are probably the 2 biggest influences in me wanting to cook more.

So, for today's meal, my wife made a French Toast Casserole, which was awesome, by the way. I was in charge of eggs and bacon...pretty easy stuff. So, I was mixing the eggs for the scrambled eggs like I always do, and my friend said that I needed to me more aggressive. He then took the bowl and the whisk and demonstrated for me. The point of the more aggressive whisking is to get air into the eggs, making them more light and fluffy. He actually tilted the bowl and created an egg whisking vortex. It was magical! Who knew there was such an art to this stuff?

For the 2nd batch of eggs, I applied this method (not nearly as well), and they were the best scrambled eggs I had ever made. They were light and fluffy, and the most yellow scrambled eggs I had ever made...apparently I had never gotten them really well mixed before.

I know this friend reads my blog sometime, so thanks for the continued tips and techniques in cooking.