If you live in the Chicagoland area, you watch WGN news and you’re familiar with weekend anchors Bob Jordan and Jackie Bange. I know they are two of my favorites.

What you’re probably not familiar with is their 2 minute and 40 second choreographed dance that takes place during the first commercial break of each broadcast.

That is one seriously choreographed routine and I absolutely love how Bob Jordan jumps right back into the broadcast.

Four Foods on Friday pulled an HDMI switch on me this week by changing the format! This week, instead of answering four questions, I’m going to share four recipes based on the first four letters of the alphabet. I don’t know a lot of recipes, but thankfully, there are two options for each letter. Lets see what I come up with…

A – asparagus, applesauce

I had the best salad at a little local restaurant in Rome, Georgia, a few weeks ago that was spinach, asparagus, egg, and bacon with a sweet vinaigrette dressing. I think it’s something I can wing at home.

B – balsamic vinegar, bread

I’m pretty sure the asparagus salad I mentioned above has balsamic vinegar added to the dressing and it had crusty Italian bread as a side, of course.

C – chicken, cinnamon

I can’t find the exact recipe I’m looking for, because it was given to me by a friend and I think it was a family recipe, but this is close.

Cinnamon Chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Six 4-ounce skinless chicken thighs
One 14 1/2 -ounce can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups rigatoni noodles

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinna­mon stick, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring as needed, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Add cooked and drained noodles. Stir until combined.

D – dressing, dumpling

It may not technically be a dumpling, and it’s a stretch to consider it a recipe, but my Nana used to make stew in a crockpot, and cover the top with canned biscuits for dumplings, and it was delish.

For those of you that don’t know, Mike and I had quite the untraditional beginning to our marriage. I lived in Indianapolis for three years while Mike lived in Chicago, which meant that we became very familiar with the stretch of I-65 that cuts through Indiana.

When we eloped, we were both committed to another nine months on our leases and Mike was still in paramedic school. That meant that neither of us could move and we spent the first nine months of married life living approximately 200 miles apart. The marriage therapists in Livermore could probably have a field day with that scenario.

Things fell into place around Christmas, and I was able to secure a new job and move to Chicago, which means that even though we’ll be married a year this month, we’re still getting used to living together. I’m a proponent of couples therapy to help us work out the kinks, relieve some of the tension, and make our household run a little more smoothly. We’re both still very independent, and having a hard time compromising.

There’s lots of reasons why couples seek therapy; they may fight, not feel the same spark as they did when they first got together, or be in the midst of a real relationship crisis. Whatever the reason, there’s no shame in seeking out help, especially when it can save something as important as a relationship.

When I was a sophomore in college, my roommates and I used to take turns picking each other up from class. One of us would hop in the car, make a swing through campus to pick everyone up from class, making another swing through campus to check out who was wandering around, and then head home. Without fail, when it was Lana’s turn to pick everyone up, she’d come barreling down the main stretch through campus in her purple Grand AM blaring Gypsys, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher.

Gypsys, tramps, and thieves
Wed hear it from the people of the town
Theyd call us gypsys, tramps, and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down

We thought it was hysterical and knew all the words by the second week of class, but people on campus looked at us like we were nuts. Apparently they didn’t appreciate the wonder that is Cher.

Now that I’m a little older and have gotten into the entire Cher catalog, I can’t wait to see Cher Las Vegas. She’s taking over for Celine Dion at Ceasar’s Palace this year, and when I heard her interviewed about her show, the reporter asked her how good it was and she told him “I’m Cher, that’s all there is to it.” and I believe her!

We’re slightly Las Vegas obsessed in our family, and are always thinking about what shows to see when we are in town, and Cher tops everyone’s list!

Britney, please ditch the Sketchers and the scrunchie socks. They make you look short and stout and nobody has worn scrunchie socks since 1991. Send your assistant out for a pair of Nikes and some ankle socks, and you’ll miraculously stretch by at least 12 inches.

Oh, and put out that cigarette. Ick.