The TV Chef who got fired for licking her fingers

Meet Monica Sheridan, Ireland's feisty first celebrity chef. This photo seems to convey a sense of her personality, doesn't it, positioned in Ireland's version of the Brady Bunch house, smoking a cigarette and swinging a large alligator bag?

Here are a few more shots of Monica.

Make note of the turkey as you read on.

Monica is quite young in this picture. 

And still looking wonderful lifting lids in this one.

But what's the story about getting fired? This video hilariously tells the tale 20 years after it happened.

There aren't a ton of videos available for Sheridan, so I'm not sure if the sassiness in this one was typical, or if she just got fiery with age. But if you watched it, you'll hear her complaining that she was stuffing the worst, purplest, most disgusting turkey she'd ever encountered. Clearly not the charmer of the previously noted bird. 

And after manhandling it, I certainly hope she didn't lick her fingers.

In the video, Sheridan says she got sacked for doing just that on her show (though probably not after stuffing a turkey), but according to this story, she was fired for other reasons.

Apparently supporting Pigs and Bacon was controversial.

But that didn't stop her from seeking other sponsorships, though Cup-a-Soup feels controversial for other reasons. (I mean...she's a chef, for crying out loud.)

You can watch a video of that ad here: https://ifiarchiveplayer.ie/royco-soup/

I encountered Sheridan's work through a wonderful old cookbook titled The Art of Irish Cooking. 

It was an entertaining read, but I never expected to discover that the author was a rebel, a pioneer, and a dedicated finger licker. 

The sauce is the thing

 

Barbecue grills and smokers have become a hot commodity over the last decade, which means it's gotten harder and more expensive to keep up with the Smoky Joneses. But how much difference does the device make? Isn't it really all about the sauce?

The groovesome dude above sure thinks so. And apparently so does Andy:

He's not the only celeb from yesteryear doling out saucy advice. Here's Dick:

Apparently no one told him it's not about the thickness, it's about the magic in the bottle. This company did get the memo:

He's got the mumbo, ma'am. Now make like a light switch.

Did you know that magic isn't just for meat? 

Mmm mmm, each bite a curly mouthful of sweet and salty smoke sauce! 

Be a careful consumer whether you're pouring it in a noodle kugel or on a brat, because "Original" flavor is habit forming:

Kraft is crafty. They don't want you to crave just barbecue sauce, so they created a culturally inappropriate spokescharacter to get you hooked on another great product: 

The Whiz of Cheezez.

Whether you're meat grilling, beer swilling, cheese whizzing, magic wielding, or thickness bragging this Labor Day, be sure to sauce your barbecue up!