Five Things I Love This Week

5. Kirk Herbstreit (Football Commentator)
I like a lot of the guys who commentate or anchor on ESPN - really, sports commentators in general - because it seems like they get to say pretty much whatever they want, and sometimes that includes making obscure literary references or lame jokes. College football commentators are my favorites because you can just tell that they wait all year for kick-off week. That being said, I especially love Kirk Herbstreit. He is cute and funny and he was a Big Ten quarterback. He's like the homecoming king of football commentating. If he asked me to the dance, I would definitely go.

4. Harper Connelly novels by Charlaine Harris
These books are even better than the Sookie Stackhouse vampire novels (at least writing-wise). Harper was struck by lightning when she was 15, leaving her with an uncanny ability to find corpses. Mayhem ensues. The third one was kind of icky (on several counts) but the first two were spectacular. Can't wait for the fourth. (If you're interested, check out Grave Sight - its the first one in the series.)

3. Cannoli
I always say tiramisu is my favorite dessert, but you know what? I lie. I'd considered cannoli a close second until this past weekend when my ricotta-chocolate chip cannoli from Mike's Pastry in Boston (see my last entry) vaulted the cannoli into first place. Besides, you've never heard tiramisu referenced in a mob movie (bonus points if you can quote the line and name the movie).

2. Soup/Stew/Comfort Food
I've gained a new appreciation for comfort food. I pretend that fancy food is my favorite to make and serve, but honestly, during a week that I have mixed up a pot of excellent onion soup and a most terrific beef stew, I beg to differ. The fancy stuff is good for showing off (which, let's not lie, I also love) but there's big-time satisfaction in stirring up a pot full of happiness. Plus, with the soups and stews, you can start out following a recipe until over time you have modified it into your own. These types of foods are perfect for fall and my favorite things to cook. Plus there's usually enough leftovers for lunch - an added bonus.

1. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (Tuesdays, 10:00 PM EST, Travel Channel)
Zimmern tops the list of people whose jobs I wish I had. He travels around the world and eats all the time. I honestly can not imagine a better way to make a living. I watch his show as preparation for our eventual trip to the Philippines (even though Noe assured me I would not have to eat any kind of wood worm after we watched that episode). My dream is to go to an open-air market in an exotic country. Some of my friends prefer Bourdain, but I'll take Zimmern's true enthusiasm for the food and the people serving it any day.