Doctor Who Favorites Tag

Trivial Pursuit: Doctor Who

When Pines and Palmettos was posting her series on Doctor Who, I had to read along. I love the show! The Boy and I watch each episode together, and we can't help but discuss our own fan theories, even though we know we can't get inside the writers' heads. If you watch the show, enjoy reading about some of my favorites. If you don't, umm, please get on that.

Note: This may contain minor spoilers, but mostly linked to my opinions. I use character names and episode titles, but I don't mention storylines.

Favorite Doctor
Nine - no question. He drew me into the show and I was the saddest when he left. Also, I just liked the way he played the Doctor. I've only watched the reboot, so I can't say much about the older Doctors, but here's my ranking of those I know well: 9 (Eccleston), 12 (Capaldi), 11 (Smith), 10 (Tennant). I sometimes wish there was more Eccleston, but also I think he left after giving us so much amazing material. It's better to go out with a bang than fade away.

Favorite Doctor Who Story
The Girl in the Fireplace is just beautifully written, and it gets me every time. It really shows the implications of time travel, and I also love the slight throwback this episode gets at the beginning of Series 8.

Honorable Mentions: I mention a few from my favorite series' below, but others I love to watch are: Midnight, Vincent and the Doctor, Turn Left, and Human Nature/The Family of Blood.

Least Favorite: I absolutely hate Love and Monsters. Ugh, this episode is intolerable. It's straight up awful. Does anyone like it?

Doctor Who: Who-ology | Character Encyclopedia | Dining with the Doctor

Favorite Companion
Rory is my absolute favorite. First of all, he's perfect. There is no man on this Earth who is as incredible as Rory. Amy (who is borderline insufferable without him) does not deserve him. Also, he gets some of the best lines. Not to mention, it's interesting the see the dynamic of the Doctor with a male companion. I've always been a fan of the concept, and Rory did it best (Sorry Mickey!).

Honorable Mentions: Donna got some fun storylines, but her arc was devastating. Also, I didn't like her at first and she took some warming up to. Rose is the companion I best relate to, and I felt as though she has the strongest audience connection, which I like and think is the main point of the companions.

First Doctor Who Story You Watched
The beginning of the reboot: Rose. I was hooked pretty much as soon as Eccleston said "Run." I recommend anyone that has never seen Doctor Who before to start here as well. I know some people would say to watch Blink first, but I strongly feel that getting the whole rebooted story in order is worth it. Plus, Blink is so much better when you know a bit about the characters.

Favorite Series or Era
I love the first series, plus Nine+Rose are amazing. The subtlety of the overall arc was perfect, and not as in-your-face as some of the later series. Not to mention, it had great stories like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and Dalek.

However, I was also a pretty big fan of the most recent series as well. Clara and Capaldi have a great chemistry, and while Danny wasn't my favorite character, I liked the storyline with Missy, and I thought the series overall had some amazing episodes like Listen and Flatline.

Least Favorite: Series 2 because It took me a long time to warm up to Tennant, and many of the episodes were just unbearable: Love and Monsters and Fear Her for example.

Custom shirts made The Boy's sister! I'm clearly the clever one.

Favorite Pre- or Post-Regeneration Episode or Story
"This is a fighting hand!" Yeah, even though Tennant is not anywhere near my favorite Doctor, I did like his transition. I don't want to give too many spoilers away, but that line I quoted makes the whole thing fantastic!

Favorite TARDIS Desktop Theme
This was tough, as there's so much amazing fan art out there and I don't really utilize any of it as much as I should. However, I am in love with the Exploding Tardis Van Gogh painting. I even have the mug! So I definitely had to go with a version of that. This one is my favorite, but any are gorgeous.

Exploding TARDIS mug

Favorite Villain or Monster
Vashta Nerada are my favorite because they scare me the most. Something lurking in the shadows? Oh man, that's terrifying. Who isn't already a little bit afraid of the dark? After seeing Silence in the Library for the first time, I could not sleep. These little guys are absolutely petrifying.

Honorable Mentions: The Silence are amazing and have a brilliant defense mechanism. I hope we get to see more of them one day. Daleks are my favorite carry over villain from Classic Who. They are fun to quote, and I like how just sincerely evil they are!

Reactions
This was so much fun to fill out! It was super tough to narrow down a few of the categories to just one option, which is why I've listed a bunch of honorable mentions. Are you a Whovian too? Steal this survey and post it on your own blog. Leave me a link in the comments!

Some links in this post are paid through affiliate programs. If you click on them and then buy something, I can earn money at no extra cost to you! For more information, please feel free to ask me!

Super Bowl Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

I swear, I grew up thinking that bacon wrapped water chestnuts were a secret family recipe. We made them for any and every event, party, and potluck. And each time, they'd disappear, and magically transform into a pile of toothpicks. Seriously, if you can name a holiday that involves gathering, we probably made bacon wrapped water chestnuts.

 

This year, I made them for the Super Bowl. I also made an intense plate of nachos. Nobody left hungry. This was my first time watching the super bowl for real. I watched it last year in a bar in Chicago, on a business trip with a coworker. If it wasn't for the good craft beer on tap, we would have retired early to our cozy hotel beds.

But this year, we did the whole big party in someone's living room thing. I wanted to host, but our friend did a fine job, and I still got to cook. Maybe next year. For the first time, I watched the game actually knowing something about how it works. Not only did I understand, but I actually explained the rules and concepts to a few people. I was pretty proud of myself.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the teams, but it was good that the game was so close, right until the last play. It kept me involved. The halftime show was entertaining and spectacular, and I loved the cameo from Missy Elliot - what a throwback! The commercials were weirdly depressing, but I loved the Invisible Mindy for Nationwide and Liam Neeson's Clash of Clans.

I even got a few compliments on my fancy water chestnuts! It turns out they weren't a secret recipe at all, just really easy to make. My mom's method includes wrapping the chestnuts right out of the can with precooked bacon and then microwaving the treat until the bacon is crispy. For me, though, it's about more than just the two main ingredients in this appetizer.

I can't help but take advantage of the water chestnuts' ability to absorb flavors and signature crunch, and bacon's time-tested combination of salt, sweet, and fat. These two are so versatile that the real fun comes in the flavors. I used three very different marinades, and then proceeded to mix them all up while baking, of course. That's okay though; I like the surprise!

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Ingredients:

2 cans Whole water chestnuts (about 45 individuals)
Strips of bacon (half a strip for each water chestnut)
Toothpicks (1 for each water chestnut)

Ginger Teriyaki

2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Brown sugar
1/4 tsp Grated ginger
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Water
Sriracha to taste (optional)

Honey Mustard

1 Tbsp Honey
1/2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Ground mustard
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1/8 tsp White pepper

1/8 tsp Dill weed
2 Tbsp water

Maple Chipotle 
2 Tbsp Maple syrup
1/2 Tbps White vinegar
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chipotle powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Water

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl for each marinade, except the water (and Sriracha for the teriyaki)
2. Once they start to be mixed well, add the water until you have a thin mixture. For the teriyaki, add a few squirts of the Sriracha to your taste
3. Separate water chestnuts into three equal groups, and place each group in its own plastic container with a lid (old cold cuts containers work well) in a single layer along the bottom
4. Cover each set of water chestnuts with its respective marinade, being sure to cover the tops and sides of all the water chestnuts
5. Close the containers and refrigerate overnight (or about 6 hours if you're making these for the same day)
6. Remove the containers from the fridge. Place parchment paper over a large cookie sheet.
7. Wrap each water chestnut in a half strip of bacon, and hold together with a toothpick. Place on the cookie sheet so they are not touching
8. Bake at 400 for about 15-25 minutes or until bacon is to your desired texture. I like mine a little crispier, so I tend to leave them in a bit longer.
9. Let rest about ten minutes and serve immediately. If traveling, place in a sealable container, toothpicks up, in multiple layers. Reheat on a paper towel lined plate in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until warm.

Friday Five Things [07/05/13]

1. For the next two Fridays, I'll be in California! That's right, it's coming up on time for B's wedding and the whole family is packing up for our big west coast extravaganza vacation. A little bit of hanging out in San Francisco for a few days, including a farmers' market and dim sum. Then the wedding is Sunday. Then Monday through the following Friday I'll be in Disneyland with mom, dad, M and W, before taking the red eye back that night. One week in California - should be an adventure, right?

Introducing Fandoms

I hear it all the time from my friends, "I can't date him if he doesn't watch Firefly" or "How have you never seen Doctor Who - we're not friends!"

Ask anyone I know, and they'll tell you Disney is my biggest fandom!

This is one school of thought to which I just can't subscribe. See, the thing is, I love introducing people to new fandoms. It's a brilliant feeling watching them watch or play or just be a part of something I love.