Sorry-- this was supposed to be a follow up to htracey's music post.

Oh, how could I forget Sara Moulton, Alton Brown and the 2 Fat Ladies! Sara comes across as sincere, down to earth and neighbor-like. I like her cooking style but not a lot of her recipes. Alton Brown and the Two Fat Ladies have very few recipes I'd want to try, but find the shows very entertaining and often informative. Dotmom, Justin Wilson was at one of the sports shows many many years back and a friend and I went to wander around and of course see his show. Well, as it turned out he had JUST left the show as we got in there and wouldn't be back for about quite a few hours. I thought he'd at least be out signing autographs or something but that wasn't the case. We wandered around and waited. Debated about how long to stay but finally gave up. That close. About the only person I've really wanted to see in person. Thought it would be interesting to talk to him a few minutes if it was allowed. Sadly he's gone, but a few of his shows are on YouTube. The ones I saw on there I remember watching. Justin's measuring salt in his hand, throw in a little extra - just shows it's not a science. I got to the point I could smell something and tell if it needed salt. Some friends laughed at me when I measured with my hand and I said If Justin can do it, so can I and they said yeah right, so I took a measuring spoon and poured it in. 1 teaspoon exactly. He also got me using fresh ground pepper on garlic bread. And it are good, I garontee! I have a couple of his cookbooks. Received them as gifts. Not that I really needed them because I copied down a lot of his recipes that interested me. I still use them as a base for others. I just modify to suit my tastes. As a cook should. And I enjoyed his speech. Sort of a Cajun Norm Crosby. And unlike so many, he poked fun at himself rather than feigning offense at every opportunity. Refreshing. And the Two Fat Ladies were fun to watch. It was so obvious they didn't get along. Not sure how they got paired up. They'd snip at each other occasionally and was entertaining. I also like the way ALton Brown interjects some humor and, like America's Test Kitchen, include some of the science and why, for example, some cookies are soft and some are crunchy. One other I forgot is Nathalie Dupree. Again, the older shows were so far superior to those of today (and Alton & 2FL are old shows IMO)

Nuked two hot dogs in the microwave and used slices of wheat bread for buns. Just didn't do it for me, they weren't very tasty at all. And as far as whole wheat breads, I like them; but a good ole' white bread hot dog bun would have made them taste a little better. My stomach is protesting already.

The membrane removal is something I dread, but it really is easy so I don't understand my dreading it. I start at the narrower end and wipe it dry with paper towels (I use a lot of paper towels making ribs), use a spoon or butter knife or something to get the membrane started, use a paper towel to keep a grip on it and the trick is pull slow and keep steady pressure. If you yank, it usually tears. Once you start, don't stop. Similar to teachings on putting a pizza in an oven with the peel. Once you start, don't stop! Shambo, I too have found that simple gives a lot of flavor too. Onion and garlic powders and either something like Jane's CMUS, or a BBQ seasoning or some black pepper and chili powder. Lemon pepper is a common add for me too. I just look at what seasonings are handy, see what I feel like, if I want them "hotter" maybe some chili powder although I usually prefer Louisiana Hot Sauce. Tender ribs is tasty schtuffs. 1/2 a rack is pretty standard gruntfare and when hungry... SQUEAL!