I’m a Brooklyn Gal…Afterall

If you live in Dallas, follow my reviews on Yelp....

www.havonnah.yelp.com


OMG! I love, love, love Brooklyn's. The sign read, "Old Neighborhood Style Pizzeria." I am into "gourmet" pizza, but I wasn't expecting much since it was sold by the slice. Brooklyn's in McKinney is nestled in a strip mall next to a nail salon and a Kroger. Pretty nondescript and it doesn't have the curb appeal that screams, "come in for a meal that will make ya smile." There were no white table cloths or even chic casual decorations. I just wasn't expecting much.

The cashier was patient and helpful, as I indecisively asked about every pie on their menu. She convinced me not to substitute or alter their pizza, as I wanted to add chicken. I settled on the Margarita, a thin crust delight with fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic and mozzarella. I am not a vegetarian, but I promise I didn't miss the meat I almost ordered. The tomatoes that taste like they were plucked from the ground two minutes before the pizza hit the oven. It came out fresh, smelling wonderful and tasting better. My mouth was doing the happy dance! (Think of Chandler Bing from the sitcom Friends) If you're not familiar it's a dance with no particular rhythm or ounce of coolness, but if done properly it looks like you're having a small seizure with an occasional pelvic thrust. Dramatic I know, but the pizza was that good!

What's odd? I am neither into thin crust nor veggies, but this by far is the best darn pizza I've had in Dallas. I've tried Sal's, Fireside Pies and Goodfella's but I'm sold on Brooklyn's. While Fireside and Goodfella's have great toppings, the crusts are weighed down and usually the pie comes out a bit soggy. As I polished off the meal, I felt I walked into an Italian grandmother's kitchen that was transplanted straight from Sicily to the Big Apple. She doesn't have to sell you because she's confident that her home cooking will have you hooked. Oh and did I mention they deliver and serve wine and beer? I will be going back.

A SHORE SHAME

Run right out and get Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's masterpiece today. She begins her tour in Los Angeles to promote her first well, uh..... wait for it...novel. Let’s do the math, shall we? College Dropout earns (and I use that word loosely) $30,000 per episode , $20,000 per party and an average of $100 a minute for her time. Not to lecture, sing or dance but to fist pump, drink and party. She won't show up from less than $10,000 folks. Nope, there not even a New Jersey cousin hookup or tanning sorority discount. Sorry. This young lady admits she’s read two books in her 23 years on earth, yet she’s penned her experiences on the boardwalk in “A Shore Thing.”

It’s not that I am bothered by her take on life:

“I am tanned; I like being tanned, B***H”

“I feel like I’m gonna be like a tornado. I’m just gonna go from place to place like destroying it."

He had an okay body. Not fat at all. And naturally toned abs. She could pour a shot of tequila down his belly and slurp it out of his navel without getting splashed in the face.”

I actually find her mildly amusing. She's branded herself as outrageous, cute and funny. Someone thought that's worth a book deal. (Maybe I should write a book on my dog's gas or how to wash my hair without drying it out and see if it would sell) In fact, I LOVE the book cover! I just have a hard time understanding why people would be fascinated enough to actually pay $24 to read what she has to say. Clearly Snooki-ism’s are quite valuable. Believe it or not, I don’t usually have a stick up my rump. I’ll even admit, I’d love to interview the petite foul-mouth overnight sensation. Maybe real writers and television personalities can take tips from her on how to rake in the cash… with sass minus class. Happy New Year to my readers and a heartfelt "Good Job" to Miss Snooki! Hey... If you can’t join them, might as well congratulate them!

Betty White - 10 Most Fascinating People 2010

                        Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People

Well, I should start by saying I find Barbara Walters’ fascinating. I am on page 171 of her 598 page memoir and wow. She is open, candid and doesn’t shy away from talking about sex, her personal life and the apparent politics that are ever-present behind the scenes in TV News. I don’t mind someone asking Oprah and anyone else deeply personal questions, if they too share insecurities and human frailties.

Here is the list:

Justin Bieber (Singing sensation who hasn’t finished puberty)
Sandra Bullock (Blind side actress who was blindsided by her cheating husband)
LeBron James (Cavalier/Heat B-ball player who played the owners and media with Hoopla leading up to “The  Decision”
Jennifer Lopez ( From in Living Color to American Idol)
Kate Middleton   (The perfectly groomed soon to be a princess)

Sarah Palin (Former Alaska Governor who is currently a reality star)
David Petraeus (U.S. General)
Betty White (Golden Girl)
Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook Founder)
The cast of Jersey Shore (smush-ing 20 something reality stars)

I would re-order and remove people from this list, but this isn’t Havonnah’s world yet so here are the highlights from Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People of 2010.   I love, love, love Sandra Bullock but my favorite on this list by far is

Betty White

 

• Barbara: Does one still have sex at 88?
• Betty: I suppose one does if one gets lucky.

It simply doesn’t get better than that! My mother always says, “Give me my flowers while I can see them.” Simply put, we tend to honor people after they’ve passed away. Betty White, is in the winter of her life, like she said 2010 wasn’t a comeback but people just wised up and can now appreciate her. I’m glad they did, while she can enjoy it. Now from the best on the list to the worst.  Drumroll PLEASE …

Jersey Shore. Really? I MEAN REALLY? Just because a section of the population finds them fascinating are they? I was blown away that these self-professed partiers make $30K an episode! I’m gagging. I appreciate Barbara Walters’ vocabulary lesson on their language, and her overall versatility but I don’t find Snooki or her homies interesting. Why do we so enjoy watching train wrecks? No it’s not rhetorical. Why?

I didn’t find J-Lo fascinating nor did I think her interview was juicy. I was also disappointed the Facebook Mania Zuckerberg didn’t bother to send a quote to at least tell ABC to go to hell. Silence is overrated. Lebron James wasn’t worth another 20 seconds of film; no matter how great he is at his job (sorry). I’ll leave General Petraeus alone and uh will say good luck to Princess Kate! I did think the tutorial on how to snag a royal was rather amusing…

The next jolting revelation from the special was second runner up Sarah Palin. (Who in my opinion was only mildly fascinating last year, yet this is her 3^rd year in a row on this list!) Did she actually say (out loud) she’d run in 2012 if there wasn’t anyone more suitable to do it? WOW! She called the GOP

                               GOP  =   Impotent and weak…

 Whoa there soccer mom. Not that she is interesting but people are fascinated by her. I covered her Going Rouge book signing in Dallas last year and watch the mayhem…

 

So, next year's list should be pretty interesting. Prediction? There will be at least 2 people we have never heard of! See ya next week!

Welcome to the H List

Thanks for reading the H list. The eventual goal is to divide the blog into individual sites based on your feedback. Chances are, if you’ve landed here you know my story and know that I’m a journalist so no need to bore you with those details.  We will use this space to chat and react to what you see in the 10 o’clock news or what should have been there because you are talking about it. And if it’s a slow news week we will talk about food, booze and theatre. Bear with me, as I have a ton of recipes and pictures to upload.  I’ll always give my take on what’s trending on yahoo and the net during the week. But this isn’t Perez Hilton so I will also give you a different feel and even answer tough coverage questions like, “Why does the news cover this or why didn’t the media ask that?” 

This isn’t just news but a review of my favorite things (that a reporter will never say on air). Let’s explore new wines, restaurants and plays… I’ll do movie reviews and would love your feedback. This is going to be jam packed juicy fun! I’ll start by leaving you with this recipe my best friend asks for every holiday…I think I’ll get her a recipe book for Christmas so here ya go Crystal! Happy Thanksgiving!

Zesty Easy  Broccoli Casserole

1-2 fresh lemons

2 heads of raw brocoli

2 (10 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

 1 can of onion straws or pack of your favorite crackers

1 lb. Cheddar cheese

 Directions

1.      Season then boil fresh broccoli for 3 minutes ( don’t let it get  limp)

2.    Tip: cheese and crackers have salt so be careful when you season!

3.    Meanwhile, heat cream of mushroom soup in saucepan until bubbly and not chucky

4.    Use olive oil cooking spray to mist a 9 inch Pyrex pan

5.    Mix together broccoli, soup and handful of cheese, put in pan and spread evenly

6.    Sprinkle with lemon to cut salty taste and for zest- I use a lot! Do this to taste

7.    Cover with onion straws. If you use crackers crumble them with a rolling pin or while in plastic bag, til they are crumbly

8.    Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F

9.    Enjoy the continuous praise from family!

10.  Check back next week and tell me how yummy it was!