Hot Guy of the Day:

Theirry Pepin

30 years Old

from Canada 

IN MEMORIAM

Melissa's Grandmother passed away Sunday, April 24th. My thoughts

are with you and your family during this time of sorrow.

A Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry

I am not there. 

I did not die.

Chef Bio: Alton Brown

Born July 30, 1962 is a chef, author of several cook books, actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats and the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and he is the host of Iron Chef America.


His show Good Eats was one of the first shows on Food Network, he mixes science and cooking together and he is very funny. He has won many awards for his teaching and Good Eats. I have cooked a lot of his recipes and they have all turned out great, which is something you can't say about a lot of 'celebrity recipes'


His cookbooks reflect his show in many ways, lots of science and humor and information.

I highly recommend him as the best thing a food network

Hot Guy Wednesday!!!

I'm so excited! I didn't even have to think about who would be first. I was first introduced to him only a few months ago, and I'm still trying to find all of his movies to watch them (and re-watch them and re-watch them, as the case seems to be), but I've been a hopeless case since An American in Paris. That's right, you guessed it! The very first Hot Guy for F.A.P. is... GENE KELLY!!!   

  Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1912, and from his birth to his death in February 2, 1996, his life has been devoted to entertainment, dancing especially, tap dancing religiously. In his life, he was an actor in about 45 movies, a dancer, singer, choreographer, director, producer, T.V. show host, father, husband, and drool-worthy fantasy obsession. 

As I said, my personal obsession with this great man started with An American in Paris, which was immediately followed by Singing in the Rain. I've now seen The Pirate, Summer Stock, Anchors Away, On the Town, and Take me out to the Ballgame. I know you're thinking I'm inexperienced in G.K. Movies, and you're right, I am! I've spent hours going through every classic movies section in almost every store in town. Jeff can testify to my OCD. But, let's be honest. Do you really need to see EVERY Gene Kelly movie to fall hard for him? Heck, no! Pick a movie, any movie, and he either ends up being a man you can admire, aspire to be, or lust after shamelessly (except The Pirate, that one really is a "hit-and-miss" type of movie, not everyone gets it).

 And so, even though all my hopes of finding even half-naked pics of him are non-existent, even though he has passed on from this world, he's not just a hottie, he is a hotter-than-the-sun, say-what-you-want, you-know-you-can't-deny-it Super Hottie!! To Gene Kelly!!

Marley's Mello Mood

First let me start a rant on energy drinks:

I hate them, maybe because they don't do a damn thing for me, I have a high tolerance level for one thing, it takes a lot of medication for it to work and energy drinks do absolutely nothing for me. On top of that they taste nasty, I mean whens the last time you heard someone say, "Mmmmm, that Red Bull was tasty!"

And most people only drink them because everyone else is drinking them, that goes especially for Red Bull, which has a nasty aftertaste by the way.

Don't get me started on that  5 hour energy shot, it might as well read "The Hangover helper!" because people seem to think it actually helps.

In the immortal words of  Monty Python:

Off my soap box and onto something else.

Imagine my surprise when I go to my convenience store and amongst an orgiastic array of energy drinks and super sodas this pops up in the cooler:

I kid you not! This drink is supposed to relax me. My first thought was, "Yeah right!"

There is even a warning on the label:

Recommended usage: This product may cause drowsiness. Do not exceed 2 bottles daily, consumed several hours apart. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after consuming this product. Do not mix with alchohol.

Even the cashier warned me, it will make you sleepy. Whatever...nothing effects me.

Boy was I wrong, this stuff is amazing, forget high dollar sleep aides, over or under-the-counter, forget marijuana. This stuff is cheaper and works so much better. In fact it will knock you on your arse!

All the ingredients are organic, but the ingredient of note is Melatonin. It is made my mammals and plants alike. In humans it is produced by the pineal gland, a gland about the size of a pea, located in the center of the brain but outside the blood-brain barrier. The melatonin signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature.

In other words it helps you go nighty-nite and a possible side-effect is vivid dreams!

This it comes in black tea and green tea with honey, it actually tastes good! I recommend trying it a couple of hours before you go to bed.

This stuff is awesome!

Pho Vietnam

Don't let appearances fool you, from the outside it's a former gas station. While you can't fill your car here anymore you can fill your stomach instead. I admit it looks like place you might not want to walk into, but trust me when I tell you that you would be making a huge mistake.

This is easily one of the best places to eat in Fort Smith, Arkansas. As the name implies they serve Pho here, a type of soup that originated in Vietnam and can contain a variety of broths, meats and vegetables. My personal favorite there is the chicken curry.

As you first walk in the smells from the kitchen hit you and its wonderful. And don't wait to be seated you do it  yourself here. Immediately they bring you hot tea, this is free by the way, but you can order anything from iced coffee to bubble tea here as well. There are close to 125 items on the menu and according to the cook they came from her mother who ran a store/restaurant back in Vietnam when she was a little girl.

The appetizers here are cheap, the cream cheese egg rolls they had were only $2.50 and the main courses themselves are cheap as well. My large bowl of chicken curry only cost six bucks. What is also amazing here is that they give you a dessert free, when I was there last it was a warm banana dish in a light caramel syrup drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and sprinkled with crushed peanuts

With money being tight an average spender can get out of  here spending less than ten dollars for their lunch or dinner and feeling good about what you ate.

If you are passing through or looking for a different place to eat I recommend this highly.

- Jeff

And here's my little additive to Jeff's delightful first post.

I FRIGGIN' LOVE PHO VIETNAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To understand the capitalization and excessive exclamation marks, you'll have to understand a little about me, Melissa.

First, I'm a spaz. If I like something, I'm suddenly four.

Secondly, I don't really like soup. I'm a solid food eater. Broths? Bisque? Usually, those words are followed by a firm "No, thank you." So, believe me when I say Pho Vietnam's soup, or just Pho (because there is no other), is absolutely delicious. Here's my advice. Once you get your menu from the owner (yes, that quiet, unassuming older gentleman is your server AND the owner), open the menu, flip a coin to decide which side to use, close your eyes and put your finger on the menu. Whichever mouth-watering dish your finger is on, rest assured it will be flavorful and soothing. A strange calm will come over you, and you'll suddenly be smiling. That's Pho, as Jeff and I know it.

And with that, our blog has begun. WOOT!

:-) Melissa (-: