Over Easy; 6006

Funding for overeasy is provided by this and other public television stations and by some company now. Hello and welcome to over easy as you might guess from my surroundings here today we're going to spend some time at our overeasy kitchen. David is going to have to turn me into his assistant. What are we having. Yes indeed we're going to do a stuffed breast of veal and you're really going to do all of the cooking. We're.

Also will be visiting with an old friend of mine everybody's favorite weatherman water and scotch and with an old friend and Jerry's friend of Mary's Ed Lester who is founder and general director of both the Los Angeles and the San Francisco a light opera company. First though let's meet a man who's not doing anything about the weather except talking about it. Let's to the delight of millions of his fans. We caught up with one Scot recently in New York for someone who gets up at 4:30 in the morning he was bright and chipper as ever. Listen you and I have known each other longer than probably both of us want to remember that. You've been very successful in your whole career I've lived with you through several incarnations Ronald McDonald pozole and play weatherman in Washington and I was in politics. Now you have become a national celebrity. One of the best known people in show business in the country. How has it changed your life or or has it. Well that just shows you how far the taste in the country has gone by it's changed my life you know what I did in Washington basically I do the same thing on the Today show and I

guess if I'm smug about anything it's the fact that I took that little act pitiful as it is. Same thing I did for 16 years and washing in the local weather basically unchanged I'm not quite as far out to wild as I was in Washington because the Today show is a little more straight get a little more you know dignified I guess in one sense. But I'm thrilled to death that it's gone over it to the extent that it has I mean I'm not a legend in my own time but at least I walked on the streets of Portland Oregon people say I think I know you. That's a thrill. I think I enjoyed it more than anything. You know I'm very subtle fellow and. I love the recognition you know little of a lot of people recognize I get the biggest kick out of it going to restaurants and people I do like that very much. Well let me ask you a couple of things. You were a rug to pay when you're on the air. That's when you go out you don't wear it at all. What what's the deal with all of you guys it PBS had been so cheap for 50 bucks more at a one dayer. But their

travels ever that there is fighting is what I was going up to make a speech in Minneapolis and American Airlines had my baggage and we switched planes in St. Louis and they are never got the money as. You know it as a way to dragging it out and you know that there's been places I just thought it was a question. Of why you wear it sometimes and why you don't wear it at the time. All I think that's almost at least traditionally for me was as a gimmick. You know I don't really care one way or the other I personally prefer my own natural but if you wear it then you can take it off once in a while. We remember Channel 4 we used to write messages on my head we write you know Happy New Year and New Years and I don't really care. I mean it doesn't matter it's a good year where did the tradition start. Where in the flower you always have a flower. Yeah that was another everything in my life been done like an accident it was in Channel 4 in Washington when I first started the weather an elementary school bus as an elementary school in Bethesda Maryland sent me a carnation as a matter of fact. And they said a lot has been said would you wear this

flower plug to school carnival. And I did and ever since and I've worn a flower and been played in carnivals ever remember when you first came to Washington I said I wanted to do a campaign hearts and flowers for the hearts and they just and that's all they'd have as a hearts and flowers and it theme at that. Yeah but I'll let you know there's another thing there's a softness about flowers and they're sort of coming back men are already good and there's I think a little more than they used to but there's a certain gentleness about flowers that tells people something you know the fact that you like them and appreciate them and I do love flowers back last couple of weeks back I did a show from Los Angeles and they said I didn't know they had the largest flower market America downtown L.A. they have this huge flower market and I did the whole well you must've gone crazy and now when it was so beautiful it really was. Before I knew you and I didn't know this somebody told me this that you briefly considered a career in the ministry. That's hard to believe. Harder for you to believe the mayor. That's right.

Yeah I majored in philosophy and religion in college at American University now I didn't know that you didn't know that even I know that's right. Well I was. I always wanted to be a radio when I was here. And by the time I was 15 I had a job as an NBC page in Washington and when I was in college I had a staff announcers job at the television radio station and it seems silly to major in radio television and my second interest was religion. So I majored in religion and I sort of thought at one time that I might migrate that way I was raised a Southern Baptist. There's a little bit of preacher here. Oh I think the basic I don't think that's right. Why don't we take up a collection at the end of this. Crew is leaving. I want to ask you about some of the some more serious. If I get to be serious for BN. You've had a problem for a good part of your adult life that a lot of people have. She always been overweight you've been a big you're big man you're six three just about sex for a year but you tried unsuccessfully for years a

lot of different diets. Tell us about what you've gone through to try to lose weight and what's happened to you recently. Well we left here about to go to the people that have never seen me before say what kind of a diet I don't want to touch it with all the man is a beast. But I've got to forty five and six three so that's not completely above you know beyond the realm of being a human being I don't have to get my license renewed every year like I used to. I weigh 285 at one time and I've lost about 45. And basically when on the Nathan Pritikin diet although I'm not a purist I may be a 60 70 percent are. And that's where you eat the carbohydrates and place of red meat. The biggest thing the thing I did and I'm really thrilled about this I still knock off a glass of wine with my meal. But as you know I enjoyed my cocky tail hour and I gave up I gave up cocktail hour. I substituted Bram I've substituted tomato juice watered down. Go suck on a cactus anything to see if I like a lot like Pavlov's dog. Half of us I think your

condition is five o'clock it's to go into the thing and rattle some ice and I rattle the ice and I put lemon juice in it and some water or something but basically it's salt and most cheese and red meats. Oh I still need a good steak. What would you try to bet every diet the world before that. Yeah but I never had the real motivation. I got to be honest and say to me that that the absolute key has been salt and booze. There's no two ways about it. What happened was I what people think I completely lush I never did never drank that much. But I would drink three drinks a night cocktail hour then I would eat everything they've gotten the way I did some canned dog food. I know I've got to get in there. I got that here as just a little tab you wouldn't bet on crackers or sour but I'm not. I knocked off the munchies. And if I watched the same thing a horse does and I really think it's better for you but beautifully for me it's work. We used to call him disposal. You turn a cam or turn me loose in his kitchen. They didn't even ask me in the dog

fight for the scraps. How did you how did you get involved in the weather business and be frank about it well it's you know that as I said earlier everything good that's ever happened I'm including meeting it was just by old dumb luck. I've never had any desire to do two things that were the most important part of my career. One was to do children's shows on television I never sat out and had an aim is a perfect just the opposite I stay clipboards like this you know and I'd write program ideas out not having typed up and pay somebody 15 bucks to make a nice neat presentation I'd give the program director never see him again. Every program I've ever submitted everything I thought was a good idea has been disastrous. So the weather wasn't assigned but when I was a staff announcer I used to read a five minute weather show and obviously radio at 6 month old radio had the news blocked like television series to seven. And this five minute show with it was so as the devil in my life we used to say at the other show this program is written and produced by Ripper E. And of course what I did was rip it off the wire and read it and read it. And

so whoever thought because of reading and doing that whether for 20 years at some point the meteorologist at the sister television station decided he didn't want to work nights anymore. So they said Scott you feel until we get a meteorologist Well I filled in for 16 years and it became my mainstay. And then what I came up to the Today Show it was again one day Bill Small the news bureau chief came in and said How come you've never been on the network I said nobody ever asked. He said How would you like to do the Today show I said great. And two weeks later I was up here and it's been beautiful. You're in the ME AND lot as a speaker when you do a lot of charity things. I know that. How do you decide you know which charities that you want to support and which you can contribute to your time talents. Well when I did the local station in Washington that was pretty easy because you did all of your other work that many of the actual 71 a week and you write in the March of Dimes marathon the next week and then. Here I try to do one a month.

That's what you call public service or charity thing. I guess a lot of factors go into it where it is if it's convenient time wise for me to travel to that point you know and do it and then Truthfully sometimes the show will assign me to do certain things. So it's sort of catch as catch can and if it works out schedule wise. I have some pets a couple children are very dear to my heart because I work with them for years and washing. These people are very very interested and very big into that because I think that's the volunteers do beautiful things. But it's tough to say what one is better than the other. You know those people that turn 100 years when you say happy birthday and I think that's wonderful but how do you know that you're not being taken in. I'm sure we've been duped. We try to call and check and verify. We had one not too long ago said Grandma you know Alice ding dong or somebody had just travelled across the country in a wagon and settled in Portland Oregon or something like that and some about the letter didn't ring true so I called up the birthday buddy for that morning as she was about 30 years old

got out of there to check it out when I got out. But she said yes it is my birthday but I'm 30 so take it I guess but not try to check anything. Come on nursing home or a church stationary or you can almost tell but I had already had one lady last week wrote me a letter. She's a hundred too good writer wrote the letter herself might turn into the greatest of what I got was my guy he was a hundred years old. He said that he still liked the girls but he forgot the. Hundred all the way and I hope I'll be right there with you right. On stop. Wonderful fun always entertaining. Earlier we told you that an old friend in Mary's was with us today at Leicester in fact I understand if you want to be your first and only audition early on and welcomed ovaries. If you.

Do you know this is his first time on television it's what I'm still talking. We've got that for you. The Story Of My audition is different for my audition is that I went to audition in 1938 before I did my heart belongs to daddy. And I got up on the stage and he said you have to sing high school you know I said I can't get out teaching and I got up and suddenly I played this scorning thing I see but not good enough. So I didn't get the job. That's not is what is your home she was I was very much impressed with the personality. And there was no necessity for the heart in the rule to be brought to him for. But I was really just slightly interested and I wanted to know just on the whole you heard what you could do. But the rule and afterward I said choose wrong fool. It was

a rule of the society girl and the nasty disposition. And I would. Change my mind. But it worked for the script. But it was Sweets sweets. But. He's such a part of my life and my entire career he brought me back later to step in and get your gun and then it was his idea to do. Peter Pan I have to do this fast because we never have time for all these things but this is the reason I had this long career. I don't know about the Peter Pan was that the first time like that. No it was always flying just traditional. Well Mary being fearless flaws like she had to do or did anybody else and she used to have the slide rules of the

backstage flowing and I came to her technical director and said you can't fly that hard and so she probably blues do work because she has all gone as fast as I would tell him not to. She said you know I want to perform that you never want to oh that is just fabulous well. I want to hear about your career you know about life. You started out over 50 years ago as a piano player when you played the piano or played earlier. I stopped playing piano. Yes 60 years ago how did you start out in California. Well actually the way the subject line up first started was always wanted to sing. And I sang very well as a boy. When the boys changed it went through a voice there. So from the

time I started trying to make the piano do when singing for me. And I carried on that way until circumstances came up. Family circumstances I had to stay in Los Angeles. So I stop when I go to go to jawbone. Got interested. Fortunately did well enough with it produced. Oh a show was always here. Well it was fun and I always wanted somebody who was singing for Buddy. Let me ask a personal question of Ed Lester How do you keep your marvelous mental and physical state. What's your secret. Oh I think just my good disposition. It is good living here very careful about your diet. I always have that. Well I know when somebody tells me that when a doctor tells Ridge something is not good for me. Leave it alone let's punish them sometimes but I do. And actually

I treated myself. And not to panic. I never. I lose my temper. Any important time. He only indulge in losing my temper with some little thing that I get really angry. But if it's important and it's important that I keep my poise and I keep quiet so another thing that really early was that I taught myself to eat. Whenever I was hungry even if it was five o'clock in the afternoon and I'd say well I'm going to have dinner a couple of hours or something might come up between Florida and so that would spoil it. So a little bit was a look at your your so you get your sandwich your fix for your cup of tea or something because when I was working in ter learn the movie now I want you to play for your supper. Oh never that's going to sing for my supper. You promise me that we could go over to the

piano cause I've not heard you play since or played my audition over 30. Well you haven't already. Yeah you're going up with the already playing you don't know how lucky you are writing what I write. Yeah go over here to the left something. I'll play something in the style Dick forgot about me. And rock with me only you know the shows three of the shoes that you did. For me. Yes. You know Ed Lester is one of those people whose accomplishments are an inspiration to all of us. Today

David is back with us to prepare a special dish called Stuffed veal. And I'm here to help Marcy Let's get started. Really has a date. We're using a breast of 11 we just quickly scan the ingredients we're using a pound and a half piece of veal breast just a teaspoon of oil half an onion two cloves of garlic a carrot about a half bunch of spinach a quarter teaspoon of black pepper a half teaspoon of rosemary a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon two teaspoons of lemon juice four slices of toast that have been moistened and finally a cup of water. You k now we've gotten the jump on it and have the. Carrots the onions and the garlic already sauteeing there. Right now if I can get you to chop up this it's about a half bunch of spinach this like makes more sense and only the spinach plays as we will see then on and on there's a Band-Aid I did it last night. OK not today plays just coarsely chopped up chop in both directions and toss it in the pan to saute with that.

That's good. You know a breast of veal is a cut of meat that's that's a very very inexpensive and easy to prepare cut that for some reason we don't use very much Rick a little pepper. About a quarter teaspoon. And a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. You know you have this with your That's about accord wonderful. Sure that's good so I'm actually a little put another tiny pinch but don't tell me about it. All right good. That's wonderful. OK Rosemary. Be ever get there fresh rosemary we have some of them growing in our backyard and it's it's almost like pine needles just break off a little bit we want to buy a half teaspoon crumble it up in there a little bit. You could use dried rosemary of course which everybody can get at the grocery store that's plenty. OK. Okay now for this recipe we're using no salt at all we need about two teaspoons of lemon juice and you'll be amazed at how the lemon gives you the tart. Good stop. Really gives it accentuates a flavor in

such a way that we're not going to have any need for the salt whatsoever. All right now let me. Squeeze out this bread if you could bring that over I've got four slices of toast that I've Morse and then this is a little bit messy when you squeeze it out but in fact I've got one here that isn't. As Morse as I'd like it to be but just squeeze out the excess moisture. And mix it all together. And while you're mixing that together to make the dressing I'd like to show how we get a pocket in the veal to do the stuffing. Jim if you could hand me that small knife. Thank you very aptly at the thick end of this veal breast there's a sort of a natural pocket already forming just cut into that. And loosen that pocket and open it back as deeply as you can go and be careful not to cut through to the end of it. You can also sort of push your finger in there.

And open it up a little more. That's good. OK. Let's. Get it here just sort of scope it in. And. We want to sort of squeeze it and pack it in. I love cooking with you. And let me tell your restaurant. Any time are you kidding. That's wonderful. Now if we're running out of I think we're running out of room in this pocket before we can finish that. The idea now is to sew this up and if you could just use a a large needle and a coarse cotton thread and just run the stitches all the way around the outside to put it together I'd like you to finish sewing this if you will Jim I want to review the recipe and then we've got one in the oven that I'd like you to taste all right. OK. So you saute a half on you and that's chopped with two cloves of garlic also chopped one shredded carrots a half bunch of spinach. A. Flavor

that with a quarter teaspoon of black pepper you. Have teaspoon of rosemary and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. Remove that from the heat and add two teaspoons of lemon juice. Four slices of toast that are moist and stir well then trim a 1 and a half pound of veal breast and separated from the bone. Stuff the mixture into the cavity and sew it up. Now you want to roast it with the bone side down at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with a cover over it and then 45 minutes uncovered. And this is what it should look like now. The dressing sort of popped out of the end here and that will happen occasionally but not to worry about it. You want a nice stiff large knife. And they see the made a still nice and pink and I've got to take. One more slice here so you can get the stuffing in there right. And I think you've got a knife and fork right handy there. Let me give it a shot. OK. Table of stuff. Is that I wonder way if you skip the need for the salt the lemon house it was essential it

was those flavors taste fine. Bale is wonderful. Yeah nice and tender and wonderful. Nicely thank you so much delighted. Thank you as always. And thank you too for joining us here on ovaries and we're going to see you later.