Movie Monday

A recap of this weeks screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.


Trekkies 2 (2004):  Pretty good.  The best part was the Star Trek tribute bands.  I am a fan of TOS, but haven't really watched any of the other shows.

Parks and Recreation (2009): Watched the newest season (4).  If you haven't seen this show, it's an all around good comedy.

Sunset Boulevard (1950):  I've probably seen this 3-4 times, and it's always good.  It's a cult classic, so give it a watch.  Often imitated but seldom done so well.

George Carlin (1977):  I actually watched three George Carlin stand up specials, which were all good.  His first special aired on HBO in 1977 and before I came on this lady spent 10 minutes warning people that the language and subject matter was going to be strong and controversial.  It was pretty tame by today's standards though!

The Big Lebowski (1998):  What can I say?  It holds up!  I giggled throughout.

Love and Death (1975): Woody Allen spoofs 19th century Russian love story (a genre I enjoy).  This movie wasn't very strong though... something about it was off.  Maybe too disjointed..

Clockwise (1986): John Cleese stars... this was a sort of amusing light comedy that had its good parts, but it's no A Fish Called Wanda.  Of course I love John Cleese and would watch him in almost anything.

Cutthroat Island (1995): I watched this beast of a movie one morning.  What a spectacle!  As I was watching it I kept thinking, "this must have cost half a billion to make."  Well, apparently it was one of the biggest box office failures ever.  I thought it was pretty entertaining, but was Hollywood at its most garish.

Cold Comfort Farm (1995):  I watched this movie with little expectations, and ended up pleased.  My favorite thing was Kate Beckinsale's wardrobe.  I want that wardrobe!

Ginger Snaps Back, the Beginning (2004): 4.5 out of 10 modern horror film.  Set in the 1880s (I think) but the dialog and delivery was 21st century.  The sets were nice though.  I could have been totally fine never seeing this.

Children of the Corn (1984): I forgot how corny this movie is.. it's really bad.  Most things about it are bad.. everything about it is bad.

Erik the Viking (1989):  Terry Jones movie with a very Python vibe.  I enjoyed this one. 

Sleeper (1973):  Probably my favorite screening all week.  This is why I love Woody Allen.  He was channeling Buster Keaton a little bit.  Not in physical comedy (who could) but visually.  It's kind of a silent film with sound set in the future.

A Casual Book Review: Palliser's Model Homes 1878

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Palliser's Model Homes 1878, Published 1972 by Glenwood Publishers.  Hardback, no dust jacket, 1st edition




This is a casual book review of Palliser's Model Homes 1878.  (and by casual I mean little effort and less qualifications)

The bright pink and bold cover was hard to miss at the library book sale.  This book called out to me--- "Don't be a tight wad; give the lady a dollar and take me home!"

This is a faithful reproduction of the book that the architectural firm Palliser and Palliser published in 1878.  At the time, small town citizens rarely consulted an architect when building a new home.  The firm saw an untapped market and offered the service of designing beautiful and functional homes.

 

 

There are about 80 pages of beautifully drawn houses, blueprints, and a detailed description of the design.

The endpapers have illustrations as well--- this book was owned by an architectural company (note the stamp).  I wonder if they used it for inspiration?

The last few pages are advertisements for faucet heads, door hinges, wainscoting, and all the things needed to furnish and accent your new home.

This is a great little book.  It's fun to flip through, and I'm not really an architecture fan.  I like looking at the blueprints and wandering through the houses...'do I take the back staircase to the kitchen or go through the parlor?'

Mixed Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Mixed Fruit Smoothie Recipe

1 overripe banana (the blacker the better)
1 overripe peach
3-4 strawberries
handful of blueberries (frozen is fine)
handful of raspberries
handful of blackberries
1/4 cup apple juice
Two scoops of whey protein powder
Tbls agave syrup
8-10 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.  Enjoy!

NOTES: The fruit combinations are very flexible, just use the fruit you have on hand.  The only fruit I keep in is the overripe banana.  Just use several handfuls of whatever fruit you have on hand, the riper the better. 

A little agave syrup goes a long way!

 



Mixed Fruit Smoothie

Peanut Butter and Jam Cake

Peanut Butter and Jam Cake

I made this cake yesterday... delicious!  Very, very sweet though...

A white layer cake with rasperry preserves.  Peanut butter buttercream frosting (try saying that 3 times fast).   Tastes just like the name suggests. 

You can get the recipe for free here!
And the white layer cake recipe here.

Movie Mondays

A recap of this weeks screenings.  Proof in writing that I watch too many movies.


Charles II, The Power and the Passion (2003): I just finished reading the novel "Forever Amber", a historical fiction set during the reign of Charles II.  So this miniseries really hit the spot for me.  Also, I love Rufus Sewell.. I have a touch of the ptosis too.
 
Sea Wolf (2009): Miniseries based on the novel by Jack London.  At first I disliked this, mostly because Neve Campbell's voice was getting on my nerves, but it turned out pretty good.  I love Tim Roth (who was creepy good) and Stephen Campbell Moore had a Luke Skywalker thing going on.

Meet Wally Sparks (1997): Rodney Dangerfield being Rodney Dangerfield.  There were some pretty funny sight gags, but it's no Caddyshack.

Tuff Turf (1985): My husband and I MST3K'd this thing from beginning to end.  Even though it stars James Spader (good start) and a supporting role by Robert Downey Jr. (even better), this was unintentionally funny, starting with the opening sequence of the most improbable and un-menacing mugging ever.  It only gets worse...

Fritz the Cat (1972): The first cartoon to get an X rating, though Netflix has it labelled as UR.  This was very dated, but still pretty cool.  There were some good parts, and some disturbing parts, and lots of parts that are not PC. 

The Affair of the Necklace (2001): This movie stars Hilary Swank and is based on true events right before the French revolution.  Unfortunately, the true events have gotten the Hollywood treatment, with hokey and pandering results.  I found this blog about the real life lady, which is very interesting.

From Time to Time (2009): OK, so this was a watchable movie about a boy who visits Grandma and finds out all kinds of things about his ancestral home.  It stars a shocking amount of actors from Downton Abbey.  But... it's geared towards preteens, so be prepared to guess the plot of the story before it gets started.  I would have thought this was super cool when I was 14.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983): It had been awhile since I'd seen this one.  Love, love it!!  Graham Chapman towards the end as the American singer with the fluorescent white teeth-- too much!

 

Wilfred (2011):  I think this was on last weeks Movie Monday as well.. this is a good show.  I like Elijah Wood... Funny show.

Frontrunners (2008):  This doc is about the election for senior class president at an elite New York high school.  It was OK, but a pretty standard documentary.

Private School (1983): This is a late night comedy- which I normally love (I love exploitation films).  But this one was bad, even for the genre, which is in general bad.  It was 2 hours long!!  And it should have been 1:20. 

Mulholland Falls (1996): All star cast, 1950s gumshoe genre.  Pretty good- beautifully filmed.  Nick Nolte had a Spencer Tracy sex appeal going on.  It went on a little long though.. sort of rambled along to a rather disappointing ending.

From Dusk Til Dawn (1996): It had been a long time for this one too.  This movie is very aware that it is silly, and embraces it fully.  Good entertainment.

My Chauffeur (1986): This was hard to get through.  I disliked it from the beginning, and I could punch the lead actress in the face without any guilt.  The plot was silly and made little sense, a lot of the humour was hateful.  Truthfully, I did the dishes through a large portion of the this one.

Random stuff, mostly food related

Though we normally keep our distance,
we like to watch the ground squirrels and california quail together

My husband brought me some homegrown heirloom tomatoes.  They were delicious!  Juicy but firm and so flavorful!

Heirloom tomatoes; sprinkled with sea salt mmm..

I had a shock when I cut into an 'on the vine' tomato.  It wasn't rotten, in fact it was still very firm, but every seed had sprouted inside it!  There are always new experiences in the kitchen. ;)

Tomato with sprouting seeds

I fixed a sheet pizza for dinner tonight.  I am a pizza making maniac.  I have five pizza recipes I use regularly, from pan to thin crust to margherita to tart.  I love to make pizza!  This was the first time I made this recipe.  It feeds 12 people, so naturally I thought it was a good recipe for two! 
Tangy sauce, thick crust with a crispy bottom, and lots of cheese...


You can get the recipe here with a 14 day free trial.

I recommend checking out America's Test Kitchen's site, where you can get a 14 day free trial of all their recipes. I cook almost exclusively with Test Kitchen recipes, as they are always spot on.

Sheet pan pizza

Frida girl!