Lettuce Wars: The Lettuce Awakens - Show Notes

May the Force be with you! The Lettuce Podcast travels to a galaxy far, far away to chat about Star Wars: The Force Awakens in this all-moderated episode. Charlotte, Tori, and Laura discuss the characters both old and new, how Episode VII fits into the Star Wars and Disney franchises, and the use of technology in creating the look of the film. Charlotte and Tori talk about their love of the character Finn, while Laura finds him less likeable. Tori talks about the new Cantina song and its composer, who also wrote the musical Hamilton. Laura mentions her relief that a love story was not forced into the story. Charlotte shares that she found the use of 3D technology more enjoyable that most other films. What made Kylo Ren turn to the dark side? Is the character of Rey too perfect? Is Poe Dameron more than just a smarmy pilot? All these topics and more are up for debate in this week's episode!

The ratings sections bring a good showing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The average rating out of 5 Chards was 4.25! The Fun & Games segment brought a fun quiz to the table: Which Color Lightsaber Would You Wield?. Take the quiz along with us and tell us your result! Lastly, a round of Kill, Marry, Pity Date closed out Fun & Games. 

It was a very eventful Shout-Outs segment! Laura and Charlotte read comments 
from friends and family who wanted to share their thoughts about Episode VII. A special thanks to Rich, Laura (Charlotte's sister), and William for sharing their thoughts in this section. 

The winners of The Lettuce Podcast's first giveaway were also announced. Congratulations to our winners! Please send an e-mail to thelettucepodcast@gmail.com with the address to which you'd like your prize sent.

Our Star Wars Podsnack was Princess Leia Cinnamon Buns made by Tori. The Podtail was a Qui Gon Gin & Tonic made by Laura.



Lastly, a special announcement was made: Tori will be returning to school starting this spring semester and will be taking more of a backseat in The Lettuce Podcast car as a result. She'll still be stopping by to act as a guest or guest moderator from time time, but Charlotte and Laura will be taking the helm. We're happy to be able to help Tori achieve her goals, but sad that we'll be a seeing a bit less of her. Good luck!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will be moderated by Laura. She'll be getting TLP into the Batman universe starting with Batman Begins, the first in the Christopher Nolan directed trilogy. She and Charlotte are both excited to embark on this new Lettuce Leaf. There are a lot of new things coming up for The Lettuce Podcast in 2016 and we're excited to share them with you. Until then...
Arugalater!

Fan Lettuce - Show Notes

Merry Christmas! The Lettuce Podcast presents a special bonus episode for your holiday listening pleasure! The girls return to the world of Harry Potter to celebrate fan produced projects inspired by the beloved series. Tori moderates this episode where she, Charlotte, and Laura enter a world where Harry Potter sings, dances, is a vampire, has a romantic relationship with Draco Malfoy, and myriad other scenarios. First, the girls look at visual works including Starkid's A Very Potter Musical and the viral video series Potter Puppet Pals. Next, the hosts explore the strange world of fan fiction. They all read sections of the famed My Immortal, known as the worst Harry Potter fan fiction ever. They also each read a short fan fiction, sharing a summary of the work and their reaction to it. Was My Immortal real or an elaborate internet prank? Why do people make fan art? Why is Harry Potter such a popular world for fan art? Listen to find out The Lettuce Podcast's take on all these subjects and more!

In the spirit of the subject, the hosts of The Lettuce Podcast have an extra creative Fun and Games segment. Tori challenges each host to come up with their own Harry Potter themed fan fiction. She, Laura, and Charlotte each pitch fan fiction ideas and then choose a name for the story. The Lettuce Podcast's fan fiction titles were: "Witchy Shades of Grey", "The New Three's Company", and "Mad Under Cover".  Afterwards, a round of Kill, Marry, Pity Date is played - but with a twist! Characters could be chosen from any of the entertainment topics covered by TLP in the past. Each of the girls also attempted to pick their KMPD choices as a version of Harry Potter for an added layer of fun!

This extra special bonus Christmas episode had presents! Tori, Charlotte, and Laura each exchanges some small Lettuce Podcast gifts. To any of our listeners who celebrate during this season: we hope that your holiday is safe, happy, and peaceful! If you don't celebrate anything this season, we hope your December is spectacular!

This episode's Podsnack was provided by Tori: festive holiday cupcakes to celebrate this festive holiday season. The Podtail was the quintessential Harry Potter beverage: warm Butterbeer made by Laura.

The Lettuce Podcast is doing it's first give-away! We're giving away a Harry Potter shirt (women's size M -  click here for sizing chart) and a concert program signed by Brad Ellis from Glee. Want to know how to enter? Just rate and review us on iTunes OR tweet us @TheLettucePod between December 25th and January 3rd. We'll put all the usernames in a hat and draw names until both prizes are given away. Good luck!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will be ANOTHER bonus episode dropping on New Year's Eve (December 31st). We'll keep the topic a secret for now, but it is SURE to enchant you. Check our Facebook page for some clues! Until then...
Arugalater!

Glee to the Third - Show Notes

The Lettuce Podcast dons their show dresses and character shoes for another round of Glee! Tori moderates this episode, guiding Laura and Charlotte through the third season of the series. The girls chat about the best/worst characters, their favorite/unfavorite musical numbers, and the finalists/winners from the compensatory reality show The Glee Project. Tori praises the performance of "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" for being the most realistic glee club performance in the show's history. Laura expresses her utter disdain for Rory, a The Glee Project winner. Charlotte explains her frustration with Rachel choking during her college audition. Tori, Laura, and Charlotte discuss all these topics and more while also asking (and trying to answer!) some truly important questions. Was Kurt really cheating on Blaine? Is Brittany dumb enough to believe that Rory is a leprechaun?  Was the show's use of a transgender character positive or was it more of a farce? Listen to this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast to find out!

For Fun & Games, the girls played an extremely competitive round of Glee Bingo throughout the recording. The Glee Bingo squares were made up of likely comments, topics, or situations to occur during the episode recording. All three hosts were able to get a full card, but who was able to complete theirs first?  This episode of the show also brought back the game House Hogwarts. Tori, Laura, and Charlotte took turns sorting their favorite and unfavorite characters into the most appropriate Hogwarts House: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. 

Charlotte provided this week's podsnack: Cheddar Bay biscuits! She was inspired by the Glee kids' favorite restaurant Breadsticks, and saw a similarity between the fictional restaurant and Red Lobster. Charlotte also provided the red solo cups (inspired by Sam's rendition of "Red Solo Cup") in which hard root beers were poured as our podtail. We sampled both Not Your Father's Root Beer and Coney Island Breweing Co.'s Hard Root Beer.

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will be a special bonus episode releasing on Christmas Day (December 25th)! We'll be returning to the world of Harry Potter one more time, but this time we'll be exploring some of the fan-created works including StarKid's A Very Potter Musical, fan fiction, and more. Until then...

Arugalater! 

SPECTRE (SPinach Escarole Cabbage Tatsoi Radicchio Endive) - Show Notes

The Lettuce Podcast is going rogue for a mission with 007. Laura moderates this episode about the latest installment in the James Bond movie franchise: Spectre. She, Tori, and Charlotte also welcome their first guest, Dan, to the podcast. They sit down to chat about MI6, gadgets, villains, Bond Girls, and more. Dan talks about his expectations and reservations regarding Spectre, and the relationship of Spectre to the three other Craig-era Bond films. Laura rejoices at the return of Blofeld and talks about how much of a pleasure it was to watch this character. Tori talks about the struggles of understanding this movie without the basis of the preceding three films. Charlotte draws a comparison between Q's gadget lair and Batman's Bat Cave. Is Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" the worst Bond theme in history? How much time did Blofeld have to create plans to thwart Bond? Should Mr. Hinx have been a more complex character? All this and more on this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast!


Laura, Tori, Charlotte, and Dan each give a rating out of 5 Chards to Spectre. The average rating was 3.75 Chards. Listen to find out who rated it high and who rated it low. The Fun & Games segments has the hosts and their guest taking a BBCAmerica Quiz called Which James Bond Are You? This personality quiz determined which James Bond from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig best fit each Lettuce Head. The second game brought the return of Madlibs! Laura asked Charlotte, Tori, and Dan to fill in words to two James Bond related paragraphs. The end result was full of laughter!

Our Podtail was provided by Dan (what a great guest!): americanos! Fans of the movie franchise will know that martinis are the favorite drink of the film character, but did you know the book character favored the americano? If you'd like to drink like a 007, you can find a recipe for americanos here. Tori was inspired by the imagery in the opening credits sequence and made Octo-cookies. She used a basic spritz/cookie press recipe for the dough and some creativity to form the octopus shapes.


The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The love of espionage will continues on The Lettuce Podcast. Charlotte will moderate the next episode, which will feature the first season on the animated series, Archer. She, Tori, and Laura will discuss the characters, animation style, and missions in this outrageous spy-spoof series! Until then...

Arugalater!  

A Game of Lettuce - Show Notes

Winter is coming! The Lettuce Podcast features the first book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series: A Game of Thrones in this week's episode! Charlotte moderates this jam-packed show about her favorite book and television series. She, Laura, and Tori sit down on the Iron Throne to discuss the Houses, character development, character relationships, and Westeros' kings in A Game of Thrones. Each host shares their experience with the Game of Thrones phenomenon. They also chat about their favorite and unfavorite characters, and compare the book to its companion T.V. series. Charlotte talks about the growth of Samwell Tarly from admitted craven to Jon Snow's knowledgeable sidekick over the course of the book. Laura explains why Cersei is terrible as a person, but amazing as a character. Tori points out certain traits of House Stark that remind her of Scandinavian culture and folklore. All three hosts share a love for Tyrion Lannister and a dislike (read: hate!) for Joffrey Baratheon. Do impulsive decisions and unfair treatment of bastard children make Catelyn Stark an unlikable character? Is Robert Baratheon's party-all-the-time personality suitable for ruling a kingdom? Is Loras Tyrell a figure skater stuck in a Medieval world? All these subjects and more are brought to the table in this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast!

Charlotte introduces a new Predictions segment, where she challenges Laura (the host with the least familiarity with A Song of Ice and Fire) to guess certain plot outcomes/twists in the series. For the Fun & Games segment, the girls bring back an old favorite: Kill, Marry, Pity Date! Listen to find out who gets betrothed and who gets beheaded. The second game, called House Hogwarts, find our hosts fusing the GoT and Harry Potter worlds. Charlotte, Laura, and Tori each sort a favorite and unfavorite character into one of the four Hogwarts Houses. Comment on this post to tell us where your favorite GoT character fit in at Hogwarts!

For the podtail, Charlotte mixed the official drink of Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish: Jack Rose! The podsnack was lemon cake (Sansa's favorite), provided by Laura. If you would like to mix your own Jack Rose or other Game of Thrones cocktails, you can find some great recipes here: 10 Cocktails Inspired by the Men of Game of Thrones. To make your own lemon cakes, check out this recipe or the recipe from the official Game of Thrones cookbook A Feast of Ice and Fire!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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On the next episode of The Lettuce Podcast, our hosts set out on another mission with James Bond. Laura, Tori, Charlotte, and special guest Dan will be discussing the latest addition to the 007 franchise: Spectre! Get your guns and gadgets, hop into your Astin Martin, and come along on this spy adventure! 

Arugalater!

 

Jurassic Lettuce - Show Notes

The long awaited and twice advertised Jurassic World episode of The Lettuce Podcast is finally here! Tori, Charlotte, and Laura do round-robin Group Moderating for this prehistoric podcast. Charlotte opens up the show, shares how many of the Jurassic Park movies she's seen, and asks her co-hosts to share the same. Tori explains how she got introduced to the franchise from a video game. Laura talks about how scared she was when she saw Jurassic Park in the 1990's. Tori leads the Discussion Topics segment where the characters, the Indominus Rex, and the Jurassic Park series are examined. Charlotte and Laura butt heads about the inclusion of a romance between main characters Owen and Claire. Tori talks about the classic Jurassic Park themes that appear in Jurassic World and how that helps it fit in to the franchise. All three hosts discuss the good and bad aspects of the plot and whether a good plot was necessary to enjoy this film. Is it believable that the military would want to include trained raptors in its forces? Is it believable that Claire can outrun a T-Rex in her pumps? Is any of this believable? All these questions and more are up for debate in this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast!

Laura runs the Fun & Games segment and introduces a new standard game for The Lettuce Podcast: Madlibs! Using paragraphs from Wikipedia's Jurassic World summary, Laura removed certain words and asked Charlotte and Tori to fill in the blanks. The result was a hilarious and fun re-telling of the Jurassic World plot using spaghetti, race cars, and a porous, radiant T-Rex! After the laughter subsided, the girls took MoviePilot.com's Which Jurassic World Dinosaur Are You?. Play along with us and post your results in the comment section of this post!

This week's Podsnack was made by Laura - Snickerdoodles with Dinosaur Prints! She used the snickerdoodle recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and stamped the feet with a toy dinosaur. Tori mixed up the Podtail - a Melon Ball! Not only was the Melon Ball a delicious, fruity treat, but it's bright green color made it a perfect companion for this dinosaur-themed podcast!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!
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The Lettuce Podcast's next topic is a favorite of Charlotte's: Game of Thrones! She'll be hosting this jam-packed episode all about the first book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series and the first season of its companion television series. Join us next time to see who wins and who dies in a game of thrones!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Lettuce/HP Wrap Up - Show Notes

It's been a long journey, but we're finally there! Through trolls in the bathroom, basilisks in the basement, an escaped prisoner, the Triwizard Tournament, a battle at the Ministry of Magic, the death of a beloved professor, and the hunt for horcruxes - the Lettuce Podcast has been through thick and thin with Harry Potter. This week's episode is not only about the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but also serves as a series wrap up! Tori, Charlotte, and Laura all take turns in the moderator chair to guide us through the final Harry Potter adventure. During the HP7 discussion segment, Tori professes her love for Neville's face-off with the Death Eaters in the movie (pt. 2). Charlotte points out the frustrations The Golden Trio have towards Dumbledore for not leaving them enough information. Laura questions how James Potter became a good guy. The discussion then focuses on the whole Harry Potter series as the three hosts discuss the transformations of both Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. Charlotte talks about Hermione's huge arc from a bossy bookworm to a treasured and talented friend. Laura wonders whether Snape would return to the Dark Arts if he had lived. Tori triumphs in bringing Charlotte and Laura into the Dumbledore as Master Manipulator camp. Is Harry a third wheel now that Ron & Hermione are together? Whose deaths in the series were the saddest? Is Dumbledore as gay as a Christmas tree? All these topics and much, much more are discussed in this extra special episode of The Lettuce Podcast.

Charlotte, Laura, and Tori take some time to read and discuss a few iTunes comments and then rate the Harry Potter series. It's the highest rating to date with an average of 4.35 out of 5 Chards! For the Fun & Games segment, the three hosts take a Buzzfeed quiz called Would You Have Survived The Battle of Hogwarts? to see what their fates would be in the Harry Potter world. Then an old favorite returns - Kill, Marry, Pity Date. This round of KMPD gave each host a chance to choose between The Golden Trio!

This episode's Podsnack was lemon sugar cookies with the Deathly Hallows symbol in our Hogwarts House colors (yellow & black for Hufflepuffs Charlotte & Laura; green & silver for Slytherin Tori). The Podtail was a delicious sangria made by a local Maryland winery.

Above is a picture of the Deathly Hallows symbol that Laura sees on a regular basis. Listen to find out where she sees it!
 
Though there was much happiness and enjoyment during this episode, The Lettuce Podcast also took some moments to discuss a more sombre topic. On September 1st, 2015, Charlotte's father passed away after a long battle with kidney cancer. He was a cherished, loving father and also The Lettuce  Podcast's #1 fan. Charlotte takes some time to talk about this sad event. During the shout-outs section, Laura reads an e-mail that Charlotte's dad sent with comments and compliments about the Dr. Lettuce episode. We love and miss him. As the end of the year approaches and charitable donations are being planned, please consider donating to the Kidney Cancer Association in memory of Cliff Kaufman.

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will be the first music podcast. Laura moderates this episode about 90's music. She, Charlotte, and Tori will celebrate 6 albums that were released in 1995 and are now celebrating 20 year anniversaries. They'll also talk about all things 90's from movies to television to specialty candy! It'll be totally tubular!

50 Shades of Lettuce - Show Notes

Get your contracts in order; you'll need to commit to this episode in writing! Things get sexy on The Lettuce Podcast as the controversial book 50 Shades of Grey steps into the spotlight. Charlotte moderates this episode and guides Laura and Tori through a world of plot holes, inconsistent characters, and lots of crap. The "Source Ma-Tori-al" segment returns as Tori shares the relationship between 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight fan-fiction. She also explains her views on the book's attitude toward touch-aversion. Laura shares her feelings on why the book is "so bad it's good" and her frustrations with the character Kate. Charlotte discusses the commercial reception of the book and how she feels some have uninformed opinions about the series. All three hosts share their feelings about the portrayal of women and how it affected their ability to feel connected to Ana Steele's character. Is Christian Grey's interest in the BDSM lifestyle a result of psychological damage? Is his character an insulting representation of the BDSM community(Spoiler Alert - YES!)? Are Ana's subconscious and "inner goddess" cover-ups for a critical case of Multiple Personality Disorder? All these subjects and more are up for discussion on The Lettuce Podcast. 

After the Discussion Topics segment, the girls each give their rating of 50 Shades of Grey. The average score between Charlotte, Tori, and Laura was 2.33 out of 5 Chards! The Fun & Games section allows some discussion on the use of "crap" throughout the novel. Laura administered a homemade quiz called "How Much Crap?". Many times in the story, Ana was met with situations which caused the reaction of "crap", "double crap", or "triple crap." Ten of these situations were read to Tori and Charlotte, who both had to guess which amount of crap was assigned to the event by Ana. The second and final game was a Lettuce Podcast favorite: the Alphabet Sentence! Charlotte, Laura, and Tori worked together to build a story one-word-at-a-time while also following the order of the alphabet.

 

This episode's Podtail was Indulgent, a chocolate-red wine made by a local winery. Indulgent was delicious and was wholly representative of both the indulgence of 50 Shades' subject matter and the indulgence of reading a sexy romance novel! The Podsnack continued the theme of indulgence - chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate croissants! 

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will conclude our journey through the Harry Potter series. Tori, Laura, and Charlotte will rotate moderator duties to conclude the Harry Potter saga in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! There will be a lot of ground to cover and this episode may be a little longer than others. Not only will the hosts discuss the 7th Harry Potter installment (book and both movies), but also the series as a whole. You don't want to miss the extra special episode of The Lettuce Podcast!

 

Lettuce Perfect 2 - Show Notes

The Lettuce Podcast presents its first "Insta-cast" where Charlotte, Tori, and Laura watch a movie and immediately record a show afterwards. The girls take turns in the moderator chair to host this episode about Pitch Perfect 2, the sequel to the popular a capella comedy. They explain how a trip to the movies with the intention to see Avengers: Age of Ultron resulted in a free screening of Pitch Perfect 2. They share their experience with the movie franchise, their thoughts about the sequel, and the use of music and comedy throughout the film. Tori, Laura, and Charlotte also share their favorite musical numbers from the movie. Laura explains her appreciation for the movie, but also discomfort with some of the racially-based humor. Tori expresses glee over the inclusion of Daily Show regulars in the Sing-Off scene. Charlotte, being the only Lettuce Head who had scene the first movie, gives context for some of the happenings in the sequel. Can the Barden Bellas win the World A Capella Showcase and reinstate their good name? Will Beca's internship at a recording studio keep her from contributing to the group? Can an original song really win an a capella tournament?

 

This episode's Podsnack, French vanilla cupcakes, was inspired by the international theme of the World A Capella Showcase. The Podtail was chosen due to the inclusion of the Green Bay Packers in the Sing-Off: Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, which is made in Wisconsin!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will focus on the controversial book and movie 50 Shades of Grey. Charlotte will be our moderator as she signs a contract with Tori and Laura to discuss this literary phenomenon!

Arugalater! 

Harry Potter and the Half-Lettuce Prince - Show Notes

The Lettuce Podcast is off in search of Horcruxes! The latest episode focuses on the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Tori moderates with Charlotte and Laura at her side. The girls also have their first ever "Peanut Gallery" as friends Steph and Kyle sit in on the recording to join in on the laughter, commentary, and snacks! Tori leads a discussion about the fascinating backstory of Tom Marvolo Riddle. Charlotte notes Hermione's anger regarding Harry's use of the Half Blood Prince's book. Laura thinks Snape might be a subpar Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Steph pipes up to express her thoughts about the nature between students and their most influential teachers. A listener question about broom flying is also discussed. Is Horace Slughorn's interest in young and famous students a little creepy? Was Snape's potential diminished by being forced to hold a teaching position that he hated? Could Ron and Hermione be any more like stereotypical teenagers? All this and more in this episode where both our three heroes and hosts say goodbye to the most powerful wizard of all time, Albus Dumbledore.

Tori, Charlotte, and Laura play a game called Create-A-Spell, which was inspired by the Half Blood Prince's knack for inventing his own spells. They each come up with a spell, it's incantation, and effect! After that, the Alphabet Sentence Game returns and has the three hosts making up a one-word-at-a-time story all about Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!  

  

Everyone was feeling pretty lucky as they sipped on the Podtail: Felix Felicis! You can find a recipe for this truly delicous drink here.

 

Charlotte organized her own Slug Club and served fancy hor d'oeuvres: chipotle-lime shrimp and chocolate & raspberry pastries.

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast is about the box office smash Jurassic World! Charlotte, Tori, and Laura will be sharing the moderator love on their first ever Group Moderated episode. They will also be welcoming former "Peanut Gallery" member, Steph, as their first Guest Host!

Arugalater!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Lettuce - Show Notes

Educational Decree Number Thirty: Charlotte, Tori, and Laura must join up with Dumbledore's Army! Episode 9 of The Lettuce Podcast finds the three hosts battling both the tyranny of Dolores Umbridge and the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as they talk about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Charlotte returns to the Moderator post to lead Tori and Laura through discussions about character development, relationships, and the film adaptation. Tori brings up her interest in Professor Umbridge as a Dark witch who is not a Death Eater. Laura points out Snape's misguided anger issues during his Occlumency lessons with Harry. Charlotte sees the immense growth in Neville's confidence and skill levels. All three hosts have a friendly debate about Harry and Professor McGonagall's relationship. Despite his distance from Harry throughout the book, does Dumbledore's affection for Harry cross a line? Why wasn't Harry chosen to be a prefect and was Ron the best choice? Are the Weasley Twins natural business geniuses?

A game titled "How Many O.W.L.s?" has Charlotte testing Laura and Tori on their wizarding knowledge using the Harry Potter OWL Exam by allthetests.com. Play along with them to see how you would score on your O.W.L.s! As  usual, a game of Kill, Marry, Pity Date ends the podcast.

 

Charlotte puts a dose of Veritaserum into the Kamikazis she serves Laura and Tori for this week's Podtail. Learn to make your own kamikazis here.

  

Tori made delicious Canary Creams both to use as the Podsnack and her application for a job at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes!

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, feel free to leave a comment on this or any blog post. You can also help us reach a wider audience by rating and reviewing The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast continues the HP saga! Tori will host this episode about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Arugalater!

Avengers: Age of Lettuce - Show Notes

Put on your cape and mask - it's a superhero extravaganza on this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast! Laura hosts this show about the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron with Tori and Charlotte at her side. They each share their experience with the Marvel Universe movies and comics books (Spoiler Alert - None of them are comic book experts!). They also discuss their opinions about the movie, its relation to other Marvel movies, and the impact the franchise has had on the movie industry. Tori gives a report on Age of Ultron's relationship to the comic book source material in a new segment entitled "Source Ma-Tori-al". Charlotte explains why Hawkeye is one of her favorite characters and Iron Man is not. Laura wonders why the sun "gettin' real low" matters to the Hulk. What are the necessary Marvel movies to watch in order to completely understand the plot of Age of Ultron? Was the addition of a romance between two of the Avengers a benefit to the story? Is Thor funny? After addressing all of these questions and more, the girls each give a grade out of 5 Chards in a new Ratings segment! 

An extra special Fun & Games segment has Laura, Charlotte, and Tori using the Ultimate Game Name Generator to each determine their superhero names. They then develop back stories, special abilities, sidekicks, and whatever else they can think of for their superhero characters! Finally, a customary round of Kill, Marry, Pity Date is played.

Inspired by the end-credits scene in the first Avengers movie, Charlotte provided a classic Mediterranean snack: hummus (pesto and curry coconut flavors) with pita chips and pretzels for their podsnack. A delightful Roscato wine, which Tori bought, was enjoyed as the Podtail.

The Lettuce Podcast can be found on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher! If you like what you hear, help us reach a wider audience! Tell a friend and/or write us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, or Stitcher! Thank you for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast returns for a third round in the Harry Potter Universe. Charlotte moderates this episode about her favorite book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!

Arugalater! 

Never Been Lettuced (Glee S2) - Show Notes

Pray to the Grilled Cheesus for a win - The Lettuce Podcast is Nationals bound! Tori hosts this episode about the second season of Glee with Laura and Charlotte as sidekicks. They drown their sorrows about the absurdity of the show by playing a Glee-themed drinking game while recording. Things get intense as they discuss their growing hatred for Will Scheuster, the issue of bullying throughout the season, and the many relationship woes of the characters. Tori is overjoyed to discuss the introduction of her favorite character, Blaine. Laura gets frustrated over the Glee mash-up of two songs meant to celebrate her home state (New York). Charlotte appreciates Kurt's rendition of "Blackbird" by the Beatles, but still hates Kurt. 

Is Glee a comedy? Is Sam the most boring television character in history? Are waffles able to cure the tendencies of a juvenile delinquent? All the questions and more are addressed (and not necessarily answered!) in this week's episode of The Lettuce Podcast.

In addition to the episode-long Drinking Game, the girls play 2 more games. Tori administers a quiz entitled "Class of 2011". She presents a list of Glee characters to Charlotte and Laura and asks them to guess each person's grade (Freshman through Senior) during Season 2. Afterwards, the Alphabet Sentence game is back! The three hosts take turns building a sentence one-word-at-a-time following the order of the alphabet. The end result is truly silly paragraph of sentences all themed around Glee!

 

The girls paid their respects to Grilled Cheesus by enjoying a grilled cheese bar as their podsnack, provided by Laura. The grilled cheese bar included: cheddar, smoked gouda, brie, bacon, proscuitto, guacamole, raspberries, and sourdough bread. 

Season 2 of Glee features an episode in which Rachel hosts a party and serves wine coolers. In honor of this episode (and as a way to keep themselves from getting too crazy during the drinking game), Charlotte provided Seagrams brand wine coolers for the podtail! 

If you love or love to hate Glee, join in on the fun on iTunes, Podcast Addict for Android devices, or Stitcher! If you like what you hear, help us reach a wider audience! Tell a friend and/or write us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, or Stitcher! Thank you for your support!

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The next episode of The Lettuce Podcast will focus on the latest installment of the Marvel movies: Avengers: Age of Ultron. Laura dons a cape and tights to moderate this episode as the Lettuce tackles its most current entertainment topic to date! 

Arugulater! 

Lettuce Wraps - Hummus Edition

Hummus. A gift from the Levantine Gods! Hummus is one of both my and Charlotte's favorite foods. While discussing using hummus as a Podsnack for an upcoming recording session, we decided that it would be both fun and rewarding to learn how to make our own. I don't know about you, but in this modern day my first course of action when I'm seeking out a new recipe is to consult Pinterest. Pinterest is not 100% fail-proof and there are many websites and Buzzfeed articles that will back me up on that. Thankfully, in the case of hummus it did not fail. One quick search brought me to a great info-graphic called The Definitive Guide to Homemade Hummus. This graphic shows 14 different flavors of hummus to suit anyone's palette. They are shown in an extremely easy-to-follow and also easy-to-alter format. If you struggle with reading recipe directions, this recipes writing style might be for you! Charlotte and I browsed our options and selected 3 recipes to try: Greek (which we ended up calling "Spinach & Feta"), Pesto, and Tapenade. We used pita chips to test each flavor.

Hummus #1: Spinach & Feta (Greek). We followed the info-graphic's quantities to a tee. It was very simple: dump all the ingredients into a food processor (I imagine a blender would also work if you don't have a food processor) and blend until smooth. We ended up adding about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to get the creamy texture we desired. I quite enjoyed this flavor of hummus, particularly the cinnamon! Charlotte and I agreed, though, that 2 tablespoons of lemon juice made the lemon flavor a bit too strong.

Hummus #2: Tapenade. We altered this recipe quite a bit. I was not able to find roasted red peppers when I went ingredient shopping, so we decided to just up the amount of olives and make it purely an olive hummus. We also used kalamata olives instead of black olives. We reduced the amount of lemon juice to 1 1/2 tablespoons. We both LOVED this one! If you love olives, this is the mix for you!

Hummus #: Pesto. This recipe was also altered. Unable to find a decent amount of prepared tahini sauce (the grocery store was not my friend that day. :/.), I picked up Tzaziki sauce instead. We added about 1/4 of a cup of pesto as opposed to the 2 tablespoons suggested and about 1 tablespoon of the tahini to lighten the richness of the pesto. Once again, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice was used. This was another great mix! This was also a favorite when we brought our hummus into work to share the next day.

If you've ever thought about making your own hummus, my advice is to DO IT! It is so easy! If you desire more of a challenge, you can find a wealth of recipes that require more finesse. But if you enjoy the simplicity of dumping a handful of ingredients in a blender and having homemade hummus in minutes, look not further. It literally took us no more than 5 minutes to make each of these  recipes. Once you get the hang of it, you can start experimenting with your own blends of flavors. Each of these recipes also makes a larger amount of hummus than you'd buy from the store, so you'll have plenty to share with friends or serve at a party. If you make one of these recipes, lettuce us know your thoughts! Or if you have a favorite hummus recipe that you love to make, please share it with us in a comment!

Arugalater!

Laura

Lettuce Wraps- Golden Snitches

Snitches Galore

    So for today's podcast, I decided to try one of the recipes we have pinned on Pinterest. After looking through my options, I decided that I wanted to try to make the golden snitch cake pops. I bake regularly, so these seemed like they would be a challenge, while being familiar enough to be doable. Between my grocery store and my crafts store, I soon had all of the materials. One thing I will say up top is that if I were to make these again, I would bake the cake first, so that it had enough time to cool. The wings are by far the most time consuming part, and if my cake had been cooling while I made them, the whole process would have been much more efficient.

         Here you see the wings that I made out of gum paste. Since I am not an artist, I used graph paper to draw the wings, and then traced that onto card-stock to make my stencil. This was relatively simple, but since I was tracing each one individually, they definitely took awhile. 

        Here we are a little further into the process. The cake balls were made using a butterbeer cupcake recipe and the recipe for a butterscotch frosting. The two were combined to make the balls form, and then they were frozen. I melted chocolate in the meantime, and then used the chocolate to secure the lollipop sticks into the cakes. 

         Lastly I coated the cakes in the melted chocolate and let it harden. The last step was to secure the wings to the pops, again with the chocolate. These are the best of the best, and my roommate and I now have all of the lesser efforts to look forward to. They went over well at the recording, and fit well with our return to the Harry Potter series. Overall this was fun to make, and I would do it again, especially without the wings.