What I've been cooking...Three bean chili with corn and corn bread

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 16 oz. cans of S&W 50% Less Sodium black beans
2 16 oz. cans of S&W Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 10 oz. cans of Rotel Tomatoes
1 32 oz. can of SunVista Pinto Beans
1 16 oz. can of DelMonte Whole Kernel Corn - No Salt Added
1 15 oz. can of Ralph's Tomato Paste
1 yellow onion chopped
1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper chopped
1 jalepeño gutted and minced
3 tblspns chili powder
1 tblspn minced garlic
1 tblspn garlic salt (optional)
1/2 tblspn black pepper
1/2 tblspn cumin seed
1/4 tblspn cinnamon
1/4 tblspn sour cream (to taste)
grated cheddar cheese (to taste)


One of the first things I learned to cook in a CrockPot is chili and it's still my favorite ways to make it. I started from a Bush's recipe for 'Three Bean Chili,' and over the years, I have modified it to a perfect pitch of spices and extras that everyone who tastes it seems to enjoy. This is a low-sodium, high-protein, robust and flavorful chili. Perfect for Fall and Winter months!

First, cook and brown the ground beef. I always add pepper, then before I take it off the fire, I add a little garlic to flavor the meat. (Don't burn the garlic because it will taste bitter.) Toss cooked meat into the CrockPot. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, beans, garlic, garlic salt, black pepper, cumin seed and cinnamon.

Add sour cream and cheddar cheese to taste.

Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Slow cook for 6-7 hours
High cook for 3-4 hours

CORN BREAD

For an extra kick of flavor, I added freshly baked corn bread, along with the chili. It was easy, too. Two boxes of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, 2 eggs and 2/3 cup of milk. Whisk well. I added crumbled feta cheese to my mix, but that's totally up to you.

Because I lined the cake pan with non-stick foil, it was easy to lift the corn bread from the pan, peel back the foil and cut it into 9 squares (I used an 8-inch square pan). Because you used two boxes, the corn bread will be nice and thick.

Make sure to let the mixture sit and rise for about 5 minutes after you scoop it all into your foil-lined pan before you put it in the oven. If you use a toaster oven, you will want to cover the top lightly with foil to prevent burning.

Add butter or margarine before serving.

Photoshop 101: Organized Files

(L) Unorganized layered Photoshop file.
(R) Organized and labeled layered Photoshop file.

The simplest things can make the biggest difference when working in Photoshop and something like keeping your files organized is a great example.

It is important to keep your Photoshop files organized, labeled and grouped thoughtfully and efficiently to save time, money and problems down the road. There is nothing worse than getting someone else's Photoshop file(s) and they are not labeled, organized or efficient. It is a waste of time for the artist working with the unorganized file(s) and it is a waste of money for the company at which they work.

Label the layers as you build your files. Be thoughtful when you group layers together. Try and group layers by moveable sections. In other words, think about how someone (the client or another designer) may want to change something or move something around. Make sure your groups make sense for making this possible.

Group objects together that you can move as a whole and label your layers with all the pertinent information. Some layers are obvious but others are not. For example, a noise layer is obvious at a glance for several reasons: it's close to the top and it's easy to tell a noise layer from an art layer. However, it is not enough to simply label your noise layer as 'noise.' It is important and helpful to label your layer by how much noise you use, whether or not the noise is uniform (uni) or gaussian (gaus) and if you chose monochromatic.

Example:  Noise 10 Gaus

This tells anyone else looking or working on your file exactly what you intended with your noise layer, in case there is a problem and something needs to be changed in the future.

Another example of a layer that should always be labeled is a 'high pass' layer (the high pass filter helps to sharpen areas of your artwork). When creating a high-pass layer, it is important to label it by the amount of pixels you gave your high pass layer. Otherwise, no one will know whether it seems like too much or not enough.

I've worked with creative directors who insist that you label ALL of your layers, including the adjustment layers, with what you intended to do with said adjustment (e.g., lighten background, darken hair, etc.). This seems like overkill to me because you can usually tell what the artists' intention was by clicking the adjustment layer off and on. However, if you tend to use adjustment layers a lot, it could be helpful when it comes to small areas that could possibly be unnoticed and deleted because someone couldn't tell what the adjustment was for.

Labeling your Photoshop file correctly and efficiently will set you apart from the Photoshop novices. I can't tell you how many times I will get someone's Photoshop file and nothing is grouped or labeled accordingly. How unprofessional.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

If you're a true Harry Potter fan, you've probably already seen 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,' the grande finale of the Harry Potter series. But, if you haven't seen it, put it on your list of things to watch because you won't be disappointed.

I had the pleasure of watching it in IMAX-3D – although I had heard so many complaints about the post-production process, I found it to be a lot of fun in 3D!

This grande finale of the Harry Potter series has it all, from magic to action to emotional triggers, and it is beautiful to watch – especially on a big, big screen. It was hard to believe that the series of films is over because so much time has past. But this last installment neatly wraps up the story of Harry Potter and Voldemort, as well as giving us some insight to their futures.

One thing the Harry Potter films share, without question, is quality movie making and storytelling, at its best. As viewers, we have peaked into the world of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the others, to witness the growth of a young boy who grows up to become a good man. He always resists evil and is deeply loyal to his friends. We have had the pleasure of watching Harry and all of his friends and teachers grow. And, this is the final showdown.

The movie begins where Part 1 left off – Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their journey to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, the mystical items that keep him alive. But, when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the final showdown begins and nothing will ever be the same.

Make sure you put Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on your holiday list this year. The perfect ending for a perfect series.

Expected release date: November 2011

New Fall 2011 shows on television

One of my favorite times of the year, in terms of watching television, is the fall and I look forward to all the new programming the studios have to offer. I grew up watching television and in the last decade, I have worked in television marketing and advertising. I enjoy watching television and its entire process – from concept through completion – and what it takes to make, sell and air a television series.

This fall season is no exception. There are a slew of stellar new shows to add to your must-see list of shows to watch. Click here for TV Guide’s Fall Schedule at-a-glance. Some of my favorites are the two new Mad Men-esque series, ‘Pan Am’ and ‘The Playboy Club’; a new twist on a classic favorite, ‘Charlie’s Angels’; the dinosaur drama ‘Terra Nova’; the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar in ‘Ringer’; the return of Simon Cowell in ‘The X Factor’; the seemingly very funny ‘Suburgatory’ and ‘Whitney’; the bewitching ‘Secret Circle’; and, many, many more.

As reported earlier this year, I had the pleasure and honor of working at Sony Entertainment for L.A. Screenings 2011. During my stint at the studio, it was my job to watch pilot episodes of the shows I might be working on. While I was there, I was able to catch the pilot episodes for both ‘Pan Am’ and ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ to name a few. All I can say is that I can’t wait for some of the new shows to start!

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SHOWS TO WATCH

Charlie’s Angels – ABC, Thursdays 8pm

One of my favorite shows in the late 70s was the always glamorous ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Both films were amazing and were produced by Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and will also serve as Executive Producer on the new series. It’s gonna be great!

The pilot episode introduces us to the new ‘Angels’ as we tag along on a mission that ends in tragedy, but the Angels must avenge the death of their colleague. The action is fun without being over-the-top, like the films. The soundtrack is amazing, as well. The music is practically non-stop and fits the Miami scene where the series is filmed. Of course, the girls are beautiful, too.

Pan Am – ABC, Sundays 10pm

ABC’s new period drama ‘Pan Am’ is one of the new must-see new shows to watch this fall. Starring the always interesting Christina Ricci, in the glamorous world of a Pan Am stewardess during the height of the company’s success.

The pilot episode takes place on the day of the maiden voyage of Pan Am’s first-ever jet flight from New York to London and the writers do a terrific job at introducing us to the main characters – the flight crew of the new jet plane. They fill us in quickly on who the characters are and how they came to work for Pan Am.

The sets are amazing, too. The re-imagined Pan Am hanger at JFK is one of the more impressive sets from the pilot, but all are beautiful and incredible to look at. Another set worth mentioning, from a viewers' perspective, is a lobby in the corporate offices of the Pan Am building. Oh, and the soundtrack is pretty good, too. Music from the times.


The Playboy Club – NBC, Mondays 10pm

Another brand new period drama is NBC’s ‘The Playboy Club,’ set in Chicago at the first Playboy Club, ever. While it is set in the 1960s, like ‘Mad Men,’ producers have said that is where the comparison ends.

Starring Eddie Cibrian as a powerful attorney and part of Chicago’s elite. And Amber Heard, a young and talented actress/producer as the new bunny, Maureen, who finds herself in over her head.

Like Pan Am, The Playboy Club is a huge part of American industry and its history. After all, Mr. Hefner built an empire.

Terra Nova – FOX, Mondays 8pm

I had the pleasure of working on some artwork for a show on BBC called ‘Primeval’ – a high-budget series that follows Professor Nick Cutter and his team as they investigate anomalies in time found in the Forest of Dean where dinosaurs are moving through them and into the present. This show is very well done, in my opinion, and is very popular in the UK. Love it!

That being said, I am really excited about the new FOX show ‘Terra Nova’ – a megabucks production by Steven Spielberg – about a family from the year 2149 who travel back 85 million years to help reboot a civilization – promises to be bigger and better than the formerly mentioned series by a bazillion bucks.

TVGuide.com recently reported that the two-hour premiere was estimated to have cost upwards of $16 million dollars and is shaping up to be the most expensive TV show ever made.

The story is about an ex-cop who is jailed for breaking the 22nd century ‘family of four’ law which limits couples to two children, but manages a last-minute escape to join his family as they head back in time to a brave new world.

The series is filmed on the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia, in a large cow pasture that is now the Terra Nova settlement, literally the size of a football field.

I haven’t had the pleasure of viewing the pilot for this show, but I can’t wait to see it. From what I have read, and the bits I have seen online, this series will not be your average dinosaur story.


Ringer – CW, Tuesdays 9pm

Sarah Michelle Gellar is finally back on television and I am excited to see her. If you’re a true SMG fan, then you’ll be excited to see her, too.

In the new CW drama, ‘Ringer,’ Gellar stars as an ex-stripper/recovering addict who is about to testify in a murder trial against mobsters, flees to reunite with her wealthy identical twin Siobhan, who soon disappears in a boating excursion. In a desperate effort to avoid the police and mobsters who are now trying to locate her, she adopts Siobhan’s identity, but soon learns there is someone already targeting Siobhan, as well.

If you ask me, the series is based on a 1964 Warner Bros. film ‘Dead Ringer’ where the late, great Bette Davis played the twins – the wealthy one is murdered by her twin sister, who takes over the wealthy one’s identity. If this is true, it makes me want to see the new series even more!

Whitney – NBC, Thursdays 9:30pm

I wouldn’t be a true ‘Chelsea Lately’ fan if I didn’t give a shout-out to NBC’s new comedy, ‘Whitney,’ starring the hilarious Whitney Cummings, a round-table regular on the ‘Chelsea Lately’ show. I love the comedians of ‘Chelsea Lately’ because they are always making me laugh out loud at home at night. They crack me up.

NBC’s new comedy series, ‘Whitney,’ appears to be a comedic look into this goofball comedienne’s personal life – only with better lighting and wardrobe (have you seen her on ‘Chelsea Lately?’ NOT the best dresser!).

I’m looking forward to catching Whitney Cummings in ‘Whitney’ and I hope you’ll tune in, too. If she has anything to do with the writing and concepts of the series, it’s guaranteed to make you laugh.


There are lots of new shows premiering this month and I could go on and on about all of my new possible favorites. But, I should give some props to some of my must-see old favorites, like ‘America’s Next Top Model,’‘Project Runway,’‘American Idol,’‘Glee,’‘Modern Family,’ and ‘Hot in Cleveland,’ to name only a few.

What new shows are YOU planning to watch this fall? We want to know.

Sources: TV Guide online, NBC.com, ABC.com, FOX.com