Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Thank Goodness for the Mute Button

I am not sure the quality of TV programming has improved with the quantity. We have all these channels on our cable, yet we can’t find anything that grabs our attention. We used to look forward to news anchors like Walter Cronkite, but now it seems the evening news has been hijacked by entertainers, and mostly partisan “newscasters.” In other words, Tabloid.
Even worse is the slow news day when the 24-hour news stations are covering things like paint drying and celebrity on-goings.  Will the newscasters please give the Kardashians a rest? Enuf already.
We used to be able to channel surf during commercials, but no more.  All the stations run their ads at the same time so there’s no way to escape them.  There’s no avoiding the same boring commercial because it’s on four different channels at the same time.
Many people are subscribing to NetFlix as an alternative to cable. NetFlix offers hundreds of old movies and TV reruns commercial free. Just think, 120 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show…TV Land Heaven!.
I can no longer watch a program in mixed company without previewing it first. I want to save myself and others the embarrassment of steamy sex scenes that were once taboo. The program directors have pushed the envelope so far as to leave no room for the imagination.
Give me the days when Lucy and Ricky slept in twin beds. And the word “pregnant” was never spoken when she was expecting Little Ricky. We know the facts of life and don’t need it spelled out in graphic terms.
Remember the early days of television when the whole country stopped to watch “I Love Lucy” on their little black and white TV sets? The whole family, plus neighbors, who hadn’t yet bought a television set, would watch together with no fear of having to leave the room during certain scenes, which may have caused an uncomfortable moment. We loved Lucy then, and still do, and laugh just as hard in the same places. (Who can forget her hilarious “Vitameatavegamine” commercial?)
Name me one current TV show that will have the staying power of some of the early TV programs. Fifty years from now, who will remember some of the shows that glue TV addicts to the small screen today. Is there a Rockford Files. Rowdy Yates, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Palladin, Mary Tyler-Moore Show, and a myriad of others, that hope to be as memorable as these quality shows? Maybe a few, but very few.
I place the blame on the big corporations that own the TV channels for dumbing down what we see today.  They must consider us mindless lemmings who have to take what they offer because we have no control. But we’re smarter than they give us credit for.     
I get back at them by pressing the mute button every time a commercial comes on. That’ll show ‘em..

Who can resist a cobbler with fresh ripe peaches? This one is good served warm.

Cinnamon Peach Cobbler
4 C. sliced peaches
1/2 C. sugar
1 Tbs. and 2/3 C. Bisquick
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 C. cold butter or margarine
3 Tbs. milk

In bowl, combine peaches, sugar, 1 Tbs. Bisquick, and cinnamon. Pour in greased 8-inch square pan. Combine the brown sugar, and remaining Bisquick. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk just until blended. Drop by rounded Tbs. onto peach mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. This can be doubled in a 9×13 pan.