Desperate to know what’s cooking on Wisteria Lane?

After being named Golden Globe’s Best Comedy Series for 2005 and 2006, getting 29 other trophies and 72 nominations (truly a great harvest for a television series that started only in 2004), Desperate Housewives is indeed a blockbuster weekly show with an audience of 21 million in the United States alone. It goes from number one to seven of AC Nielsen’s weekly ratings depending on the month of the year (not when American Idol, currently number 1 and 2, is on).  

Interestingly enough, creator Marc Cherry wrote the pilot after a discussion with his own mother who confessed that raising him and his siblings with her husband away most of the time made her feel desperate at times. He peddled it to the networks as a comedy but was turned down by several big ones like HBO. Before Cherry became desperate himself, ABC booked it, but only after converting it to a combination of dark comedy and drama.

The tandem of Cherry and ABC spelled magic as Desperate Housewives became a blockbuster hit with all female leads getting acting nominations yearly and three taking home awards (Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Marcia Cross). Even Oprah Winfrey loved the show so much that aside from guesting the housewives, she even did on her own show a 15-minute episode with her on Wisteria Lane snooping for neighborhood secrets.  

Wisteria Lane’s famous housewives include Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), a divorcee and single mom who’s always looking for love; Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), who became a widow in season one, perfect homemaker battling alcoholism and rebellious children; Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), an ex-model who has everything she thought she wanted — a rich husband and a big house but sadly not a good marriage; Lynette Scalvo (Felicity Huffman), an advertising whiz who struggles balancing work and family pressures; and Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), the neighborhood’s real estate agent with a sizzling and adventurous love life.

Wisteria’s Kitchen Secrets

Enamored real housewives can now feast on the same dishes served on Wisteria Lane through The Desperate Housewives Cookbook, featuring 125 recipes inspired by the interesting characters of the neighborhood (available at National Book Store and the new store Bestsellers in Galleria). What makes it more an interesting read are the still shots and fun trivia that make the fictional neighborhood so real.  

Bree is Wisteria’s Martha Stewart. A perfectionist, she has the best garden and the best kitchen. My first encounter with her is a basket of muffins, a perennial peace offering of hers on the show. The book offers recipes for three kinds: blueberry, buttermilk corn, and pineapple bran. In her home,"anything worth doing is worth doing right," as she said a dozen times. Who would forget her serving osso bucco that takes all of three hours to prepare (even scene dialogues are captured for posterity in the book) to children who do not appreciate cuisine? 

The shopping list on her fridge door includes organic unbleached flour, fresh broccoli, wheat bread, Ty Nant bottled water, fresh salmon, brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, unsalted butter, among many others.  Bree’s section of the cookbook is composed mostly of recipes for those who, like her, love to entertain. 

The first episode established clearly that Susan was a bad cook, so her collection of recipes contains simple-to-follow and primarily vegetable dishes (perhaps why she and her daughter are lean). Busy and always-stressed Lynette shares fast and healthy meal recipes while Gaby offers Mexican dishes and healthier choices for those always conscious of their figure. 

From their grocery lists, recipe collections to their kitchen tips, the cookbook delivers the same cultural and character diversity that have made the show tick. It does not likewise disappoint fans of other Wisteria Lane residents as it features recipes from the kitchens of plumber Mike, nosey neighbors Mrs. McCluskey, Mrs. Huber and sister Felicia. 

Takes On Healthy Snacking

A housewife with a household bent on losing weight? Try serving six small meals a day.  Here are some interest-ing recipes to snack on:

Bree’s Dressed-Up Deviled Eggs:

You will need 12 extra large eggs, half cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (go for light or fat-free), 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and hot red pepper sauce (optional). For dressing, you need bright green dill fronds, drained small capers, paprika, anchovies cut lengthwise into thin strips, pitted black or green olives cut into thin strips, and bottled pimientos cut into thin 1 inch long strips. 

Boil the eggs for 11 minutes covered by three inches water. Pour out hot water and let cold water run over for three minutes. Roll eggs gently one at a time on a hard surface. Peel shell and cut eggs lengthwise across the yolk. Place whites on paper towel-lined tray, set aside yolks in a bowl. 

To make filling, mix yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, and red pepper sauce. Beat with mixer until light and fluffy. Spoon or pipe filling into egg whites and decorate with a variety of toppings such as a curled anchovy, a pimiento or capers. 

Lynette’s Look-Ma-No-Hands Mushroom:

For a quick side dish or a snack for very busy moms with a household full of high-adrenaline kids, you’ll need 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 20 ounces of fresh cremini or white mushrooms (wiped clean with a damp paper towel).   

Preheat the oven 450°F. Stir all ingredients together, except mushroom, in a baking dish. Trim mushroom stems and cut them into quarters. Toss in mix and coat as evenly as possible. Roast the mushroom dish, stirring once about halfway through for 20 minutes or until brown and tender. Serve hot or cold.   

A caffeine junkie, Lynette also has a frappe recipe that can be made light by substituting soy or skim milk for the whole and evaporated milk. You will need 3 coffee ice cubes (made from leftover brewed coffee frozen on ice cube trays), 1⁄2 cup whole milk, 1⁄4 cup reduced-fat evaporated milk, and one tablespoon fine sugar or 1 packet artificial sweetener. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend in high speed until smooth. Serve in tall, chilled glass. 

Gabrielle’s Fruit Salad With Yoghurt-Honey Dressing:

A former model, Gabrielle learned to eat simple and healthy. Since sliced fruits are readily available in most supermarkets, this snack only takes five minutes to prepare. In a bowl, whisk 1 cup vanilla yoghurt, 1⁄4 cup orange juice, 1-1⁄2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds until fully blended. In a separate large bowl, toss peeled, seeded, and cubed papaya, pineapple, honeydew or cantaloupe with peeled kiwis sliced lengthwise, strawberries cut into strips, and any other fruits you fancy. Mound the fruits in serving plates and drizzle with dressing. 

Susan’s Slow Roasted String Beans:

Recipes must be fool-proof for Susan, who’s never a darling in the kitchen. She tosses one pound string beans with trimmed ends, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 8 garlic cloves sliced, and a sprinkling of salt to taste. Bake for 40 minutes or until brown and tender in a 375°F preheated oven. Stir two to three times. 

Incidentally, the book reveals that the favorite snack of Gabrielle is boiled peanuts and her primary health tip is to eat a lot of pomegranate. She eats the seeds for their high vitamin C and E contents. The juice has three times the antioxidant charge of either green tea or red wine, she vouches. 

Grab a copy of the book if you are a fan. It is a sure and fun way to pretend we are also residents of Wisteria Lane.  It is a great scrapbook for followers of the show looking for trivia, photos, and snippets of memorabilia.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph