TV Dinner {The Mindy Project}

Here’s another episode of my TV Dinner series. This one is dedicated to one of my ultimate feel-good shows The Mindy Project. It’s snarky, it’s sparkly and super fabulous. I’m a devoted fan of Mindy Kaling (read her book if you haven’t already) and the other actors in the cast, especially Chris Messina and Ike Barinholtz make the show what it is.

I love that Mindy is a strong woman who’s not afraid of coming across as aggressive or superficial or incredibly smart. She’s also a woman who’s not shy about eating.

TV dinner {Parks and Recreation}

If you want to be my friend, you have GOT to watch Parks and Recreation. Or at least pity-laugh at all my Parks & Rec references. This is one of the few shows I’ve actually watched since its beginning and stuck with… and I still laugh at every episode, old or new. And since the season premiere airs tomorrow on Thursday, September 26 at 8/7c, I had to make a dish to commemorate one of my (dozen) favorite shows. Welcome to the Low-Cal Calzone Zone!

In Season 4, the ever-adorable Ben Wyatt has a bit of a meltdown. He finds himself unemployed and directionless (like being in your 20’s). Instead of moping about, however, he decides to pursue his “hobbies”… claymation and a new restaurant concept he calls, The Low-Cal Calzone Zone. The claymation… turns out to be a dud. The calzone endeavor also proves to be a dud, but it does provide the genius for the second installation of my TV dinners series!

TV dinner {Breaking Bad}

I came to my Breaking Bad obsession late in the series, around season 4 or so. Way after all the hype had been built with massive critical and audience acclaim. But as any Breaking Bad fan knows, this is actually ideal because there’s nothing better than holing yourself up to a Netflix binge weekend with Walter White and Co. Each episode is so full of suspense, so agonizing with fear and turmoil and panic and… well, I hate to use this word but, DRAMA. Not the petty kind where you find yourself consoling one of your girlfriends as she bursts into tears over brunch, but the well-crafted, deliberately timed drama that can only come from good acting and fantastic writing.