star of the small screen

Many of you will remember my debut on the silver screen last year in Stranger than Fiction. Well, it was only a matter of time before I made my small screen debut, and folks, the time is nigh. Last week I got a call from the producers of Check, Please!, a notorious Chicago PBS show where regular, everyday people review different restaurants and talk about their experiences together on the show. It's moderated by this sommelier named Alpana Singh, and basically....I was dying to be on the show, being the foodie and restaurant fanatic that I am. I applied online in July and when I got the call last week I was ecstatic!!!! The only catch: They were calling me for their new extension of Check, Please airing on NBC -- which meant I didn't get any free meals (on the PBS show they pick up the tab for the places you are sent.) My job was to review a restaurant I had mentioned in my online application, Merle's BBQ in Evanston, as well as talk about Cafe Casbah, a mediterranean place in Lakeview that they wanted me to go try. So today I trekked out to the West Loop to their studio, wearing an adorable dress and my knee high brown boots, hair and makeup perfectly done (they informed me there would be no makeup on site). Once I arrived, I met the two producer dudes, Steve and Doug, who were really nice and gave me a little more info about what I would be doing. Basically, they are trying to take Check, Please! to other cities and are branching out by doing small segments on NBC. I was on camera all by myself in front of this painting of some grapes, and they asked me questions about the restaurants. For Cafe Casbah, I had to watch a tape of another reviewer's opinion and say whether I agreed or disagreed with their review and why. The producers liked me a lot, they said I had the best energy out of anybody they'd filmed so far! (Duh, it's my job as a performer to have energy). When they found out I was an opera singer, they asked if I would sing their web address for the new website launching November 1st. Of course I agreed, as all publicity is good publicity. So come November 1st, you can find me singing on www.checkplease.tv! And my restaurant review segments will air sometime in 2008. I will make a big announcement on the blog when it will air (although only my Chicagoland friends will be able to tune in). The producers are also going to put in a good word for me with the casting people of the PBS Check, Please!, so that hopefully I can get on that show too (and get some free meals out!)!! I will have a career in food and travel journalism yet!

Speaking of food, here is a yummy dish I cooked up last week:

Asian Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowls, courtesy of Rachael Ray, and my own recipe of Crab Rangoons! These were my first foray into rangoon making, and after several more tweakings, I now have it down. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package Wonton wrappers (found in the produce area of grocery, usually by the tofu)
1 8 oz container of cream cheese
1/2 a package of imitation crab (or crab with a "K", as Nick likes to call it)
scallions (to taste)
1 clove garlic
vegetable oil (about 2 or 3 cups for frying, depending on how big your pan)

Begin to heat the oil in a deep pan or skillet. Lay out wonton wrappers on clean surface. In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, crab meat, and chopped scallions (mostly white parts). Dollop small amounts of the mixture into the middle of the wonton wrappers, and pinch sides together to make a purse. Gently (I use tongs), place the wontons into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown.

Aaaaaaand, this weekend we added a gorgeous new piece of furniture to our home: a dining room table!!!! Here are some pics of the dining room now. I'm still needing things for the walls, but it's difficult with the way the crown molding is arranged in squares. I'd like to paint, but I don't know how long we'll be here and it is quite a bit of hassle and mess. We'll see.



As you can see, it's huge, and that's not even with the extra leaf in it! There are two more matching chairs at my parents' house that we plan to bring back as well. There's going to be some kick ass dinner parties happening here, folks!