Huxtable Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

I grew up eating sweet potato pie during the holidays. As a matter of fact, my mother put me in charge of the baking two sweet potato pies this Thanksgiving. During the ninth episode of the sixth season, Denise, Olivia and Rudy were the pie makers. They had everything they needed for their pies...except for canned pumpkin. Unfortunately, Cliff was sent out in the wintery rain to pick up their canned pumpkin, eggs for the cornbread and nutmeg for the egg nog. He flubbed each time and had to retrieve the missing items from the store.

"You've got sweet potato pie. People don't know the difference between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. You just put some whipped cream on the thing and then they've got pumpkin pie." -Heathcliff Huxtable

Cliff was sent out multiple times, in the rain, to get ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner in S6E09.
He even dropped the eggs! 

Music Monday: Nancy Wilson

*This week's Music Monday is the work of guest writer Biff Huxtable.

Move over Clair and Camille, Nancy was first! 

Jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson and Bill Cosby share a storied past. Friends for life, Wilson first appeared as Cosby's love interest in his acclaimed 1960's television series "I Spy," from which Cos won many awards. Agent Scott was clearly crazy in love with Lori, Wilson's character.

Nancy Wilson graced television with her presence while playing Lori in
a 1966 episode of I Spy.  Wilson, center, is accompanied by Bill Cosby who
costarred as Alexander Scott. Photo courtesy of Complete Illustrated Guide to I Spy.

Music Monday: Moody's Mood for Love

Many are familiar with Denise's mother-in-law drama in "Grampy and Nu-Nu Visit the Huxtables." However, in the basement, Dr. Huxtable and Martin's father, Joe Kendall, reminisce and discuss great jazz albums. Mr. Kendall challenges the depth of Dr. Huxtable's jazz collection and mentions "Moody's Mood for Love." As Cliff begins to sing, he is interrupted by the beautiful voices of Clair and Lorraine Kendall (played by Grammy Award singer Nancy Wilson!), as they join their husbands in romantic slow dance scene.

The ladies join the men in singing and dancing to "Moody's Mood for Love"
in S6E10 of The Cosby Show.

Music Monday: Rudy and The Chiffons

I was watching "Shall We Dance?" (season 6, episode 7) the other day, and heard Dr. Huxtable make mention a singing group called The Chiffons. After an awkward interaction with her crush Clarence,
Rudy and her friend made their way to the Huxtable house.

Scenes of Rudy and Clarence from S6E07, "Shall We Dance?"

Peaches! Get Your Peaches!: Grandpa Al's Freestone Peach Bake

No melons! No strawberries! Freestone peaches!

It's the peach call, y'all. Most of us remember it. 

When Grandpa Al was little, he went to the farmer's market on the weekends to buy a bushel of peaches. He resold them for $.25 a basket. It can be assumed that he'd told the family the story many times before because Rudy and Cliff chimed in to chant his famous sales pitch!

Grandpa Al, Rudy, and Cliff singing the peach chant during "Clair's Sister." (S2E9)

I was at the grocery the other day and I couldn't resist purchasing peaches. Since I began Huxtablogging, I've wanted to do something with this amazing fruit. I made a peach bake; it's not quite a cobbler—I've already made one of those. (Check it out here!) This is easy to make because you can adjust to your skill level. It's also veeeeeeeerrrrrry tasty! (I can't stop munching on it.)

Music Monday: Joe Williams, Grandpa Hanks

Ah, Grandpa Al Hanks!

As I watched S2E9, "Clair's Sister," I wondered who he was. His voice is hard to forget, that's for sure. (The song duet he sings with Phylicia at the end of the episode is stuck in my head right now.) I did a little research on Joe Williams and would like to feature him today for Music Monday!

Joe Williams and Phylicia Rashad singing,
"We Belong Together" by Shelton Becton. (S2E9)

The Infamous Bacon Burger Dog!

I've been sick as a dog (pun intended) over the past few days—so please forgive my lapse in blogging. However, I intend to make it up by making one of The Cosby Show's most famous dishes: The Bacon Burger Dog! 

A Bacon Burger Dog is a hotdog inside of a hamburger that is wrapped with crispy bacon! There are plenty of versions of this recipe online, but I chose not to use any of them as my foundation; this recipe is based solely on my culinary creativity. Theo Huxtable was my only inspiration during this yummy journey!

If you don't remember this dish, it's okay. It's been featured a few times on the show; my favorite episode is "Theo's Holiday" (season 2, episode 22). Here are some shots!

The family shows Theo what it's like to live in the "real world." He has to get an apartment, a job, and a loan. He gets help from quite a few characters. (Mr. Weewax, Mille Farquar, Mrs. Griswald, and the wealthy Mr. Cockroach, just to name a few.)

Cliff's Deep Dish Sweet Potato Cobbler

I grew up eating sweet potato pie. But it wasn't until my junior year of college that I had a taste of true sweet potato bliss! Sweet potato cobbler is a dessert like none other. While I was watching "How Ugly Is He?," the ninth episode in the first season, I was so glad to see Cliff's gutsy attempt at this little-known dessert. It complemented Cliff's Salisbury steak, red beans and rice, and turnip greens. (I covered this meal in a previous post.)

Cliff displaying his cobbler in a scene from S1E9.

How Ugly Is He?—Cliff's Dinner for David James

I have many favorite episodes, but season one/episode nine (110) is at the top of the list. I decided to make the meet-the-parents dinner that Heathcliff cooked for Denise and her boyfriend, David James.  (David James was played by the very handsome Kristoff St. John.) Even though the dinnertime conversation took a turn for the worse, I'm sure the food was amazing! 

Clair complimenting Cliff's cooking in S1E9 (110).

Below are the recipes that I used to make Cliff's Salisbury Steak, Turnin' Out Turnip Greens, and Red Beans and Rice!

Music Monday: Dizzy Gillespie

In the true tradition of the great musical legacy of The Cosby Show, I wanted to dub the first day of the week, "Music Monday." Heathcliff Huxtable was a jazz aficionado and collector. Over the show's eight-season span, viewers are introduced to many musical artists who have created jazz classics. Today, the spotlight shines on Dizzy Gillespie. 

In season one/episode eight (109), Vanessa takes on the taxing job of practicing for her music recital. Her teacher, Mr. Hampton, played by Dizzy Gillespie, comes over to the house to giver he a brush up lesson before the big day. 

Twenty-nine Years of Huxtable

Friday, September 20, 2013, marks the 29th anniversary of the first episode! In other words, the Huxtables turn 29...kind of. 

There's no better way to celebrate my favorite television show than to dedicate a blog to it. This blog is a mixture of Julie and Julia-esque foodie content, crafty do-it-yourself projects, and The Cosby Show history and trivia. I'll watch the episodes (quite often, might I add) and find a way to make what I see so that I can share it with you.