It's hard to pick, but if you were on a desert island, what show would you want to stream?
To me, it's not even the matter of being my favorite show. To me, the most important shows, are the shows that give you the feels. You flip to the episode and can envision exactly where you were while watching, what you were eating, and who you were with. For me, I was sitting in my bed in my sophomore closet of a dorm room, trying desperately to penetrate the block of greek yogurt I decided to freeze to make "ice cream," with my best friend, and fellow roommate Angela.
If I was stuck on a desert island, I would want to watch The Nanny. I would bring a volleyball, paint a face on it, and call it Fran Fine. To evoke the terms of the youth these days, Fran Fine is Queen. My knowledge of The Nanny has a history in itself. The Nanny ended in 1999, which means I was 8. My Mom used to let us climb into her bed, and watch tv episodes until it was time to go to bed ourselves. Even as an 8 year old, I liked this show. I like that lady's voice. It wasn't annoying. It was unique. As we watched the finale of The Nanny I felt, for the first time, that strange lump in your throat. I'm chocking, I thought. But, no, I was literally tearing up witnessing the end of an amazing series. That was round 1.
Flash forward ten years later and The Nanny had resurged on Nick at Nite. I was engrained in rehearsals for our school play, and would get home at 11pm, only to sit in my bed, and watch the re-runs of The Nanny until I fell asleep. I don't care what anyone says, Fran Fine's voice put me to sleep. This was how round 2 occurred.
Round three. I lived in a place called Myles Standish, in a literal closet that held a mysterious door to a staircase, (#help) while my roommate and our friend shared a spacious double. My room was so small that I had to relocate my stand alone closet/dresser into the other room so I could walk. Despite the fact that the other room was essentially six times the size of mine, Angela and I huddled in my abode to watch The Nanny every single night. It was a saving grace. It helped distract us from the time one of us (name not to be revealed) got a 10 on a test. It helped us overcome the fact that our other roommate kept a lit cigar on her bed stand for multiple days. It also helped us overcome the time, when that roommate went psycho and we eventually had to move out, to the other side of campus. We transitioned to the new high rise apartments on campus. Measly Sophomores, in a Junior/Senior dorm but our Nanny reruns never stopped. Throughout the years of college, wannabe film students came in during our sessions complaining about the pixels per second of the show (true story). Others came in demanding we go out for "Thirsty Thursday." It always remained the same. 9pm - 11pm every night, every weekday, was for The Nanny. I don't even want to admit that the segment played from 10pm - 11pm one night was the same episodes played from 9pm - 10pm the next day, but we still watched. I can't imagine what college would be like if I didn't have The Nanny moments. If through these tumultuous, character building times in my life, there wasn't that every day constant.
The options of relating The Nanny to food are endless. Fran's double layering pizza technique, her childhood sneak outs to eat bacon, or the ongoing appearance of the kissing waiter delivering Chinese. However to talk about Fran Fine without mentioning shrimp would be a crime. After all, she weighted the options of seeing Bette Midler or not, because there would be no shrimp offered.
Although I rely on the insights of Fran Fine for most of my decisions in life, I think I would have idolized shrimp with our without her input. It's delicious, it doesn't have negative health side effects, and it can be added to almost any kind of meal. Shrimp and rice...jambalaya. Shrimp and pasta...scampi. Shrimp and broccoli...well call up Eddie the kissing waiter because we have Chinese food. This recipe is the ultimate shrimp recipe and it only requires five ingredients and it's packed with amazing flavor. Serve up these garlic shrimp over a pasta or serve them alone, with a side of crusty bread as an appetizer. Or, if you're really feeling adventurous, eat them standing up, in your sweatpants, with a fork, like I did this afternoon. I add wine to this shrimp which makes it definitely more liquid and gives the butter sauce a more broth like consistency. If you are just looking to cook up some shrimp, without a sauce, omit the wine.
Ingredients:
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 cup or 1 stick salted butter
6 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
In a medium sized skillet heat butter until fully melted over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant and browned. Add in shrimp and toss to combine with the butter garlic mixture. Cook for 2 minutes and add in the white wine. Let shrimp cook until fully pink on all sides. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes (if desired).
Ingredients:
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 cup or 1 stick salted butter
6 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
In a medium sized skillet heat butter until fully melted over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant and browned. Add in shrimp and toss to combine with the butter garlic mixture. Cook for 2 minutes and add in the white wine. Let shrimp cook until fully pink on all sides. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes (if desired).