"Up in the Air" about Movies

Happy New Year! We had our usual quiet New Year's Eve at home. We're not ones to go out on the road to celebrate this occasion. I stepped out onto our front doorstep with a noisemaker at midnight and hollered Happy New Year to the empty street while hubby laughed at me from inside the house. It was perfect!

We just got home from seeing "Up In the Air" starring George Clooney. He plays a "terminator" who goes around the country firing people for various companies that don't want to do it themselves. He is a more-than-frequent flier who feels like he is providing a valuable service, helping to let these people go in a face-to-face personable way. With all of his traveling, he doesn't have a home life ... or even a home. It was a fascinating movie, especially if you like to ponder the psychology of people and situations. It is very thought-provoking but I am a happy ending kind of girl and this one didn't cut it. I usually gauge how much I liked a movie by whether or not I'd like to see it again as I'm leaving the theater. This one, not so much.

One of my favorites this year was "The Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. If she doesn't get an award for her role in this, I'll be sorely disappointed. It is the wonderful true story about a well-to-do white family in Texas who takes in a homeless black boy, Michael Oher, and wholeheartedly makes him a part of their family. He goes on to college as an All American football player. This was a heartwarming story of love and encouragement that I am looking forward to seeing again.

If you've read the Twilight books, you know "New Moon" is the second in the series and the movie was terrific. They did a nice job with the supernatural changes, turning people into werewolves on-screen. This ongoing saga of a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, and whose best friend just happens to be a werewolf, is fairytale great. Looking forward to the third one.

We saw a few animated movies with the Granddaughter, including "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and "Up." The Chipmunks movie was just plain fun. There was a lot more to "Up" than just a cartoon, including love, death, mourning, trust and loyalty. Definitely an all-around great cartoon for kids and adults. Carl's voice (the senior citizen in the movie) was done by Ed Asner, who I've always loved. I once stood in a long, long line in Las Vegas to meet him and have a photo signed by him. (Not sure where it is right now, but it's here somewhere!)

And, of course, my favorite, favorite movie of the year was "Julie and Julia." We rented it recently and I fell in love with it all over again. It just makes me smile. I now have my own Blu-ray copy on order from Amazon and when it gets here, I'll happily watch it again.

We saw other movies this year, but those were the standouts.

So, New Year's resolutions anybody? I have a few ...

Continue to get organized. Sometime during 2010, I will have gone through every single drawer and cupboard and closet in this house and cleaned. We keeping using the word minimalist, which means a lot more donating and garage sale-ing, as well as just plain throwing stuff out.

Work on my zen. I will let things go, dismiss those that aggravate and frustrate me, and just be happy ... in the moment.

Eat more salads. And that's as close as I'll get to the word diet.

Take more walks. And that's as close as I'll get to the word exercise.

Happy New Year!

Hocus Pocus

For at least the last 5 years, the granddaughter and I plan one night a year to watch "Hocus Pocus." It gets us mentally ready for Halloween and fees like Fall. My youngest daughter joined us this year and we had our annual "Hocus Pocus" extravaganza.

This movie is so much fun and so campy. I love all three of the witches played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, it's about the Sanderson sisters, three witches who have been put to death for sucking the life out of children. A curse they had made will allow them to return to life when a virgin lights a candle in their house on Halloween -- All Hallow's Eve. It takes 300 years for this to happen and they make the most of their night.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the witchy sisters are escaping from the school and their special brooms have been taken by some trick-or-treaters so they fly away on a broom, a mop and a vacuum. Cracks me up every time. The music is fun, too. I find myself channeling Bette Midler, singing "I Put a Spell on You" for days after viewing.

So we made a pot of tomato soup and some wonderfully gooey grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Then tried a brownie mix I had a coupon for -- Pillsbury Brownie Minis. Perfection. Then we dipped caramel apples, although we were all too full to eat them right away. Used Concord Foods Microwave Caramel Apple Kit, which is great. Comes with sticks and a tub of caramel. Couldn't be easier.

On a knitting note, I finished baby sister's birthday shrug. It is very cute and very warm. First long-sleeved shrug I've made. This one is completely hand-knit but I think I've figured out how to do most of it on the knitting machine, which is so much faster; then I'll add the collar ribbing and maybe the cuffs by hand.

Her birthday isn't until the end of November, but I think I'm going to have to send it in advance. It's chilly enough to wear it now so why wait?

Although the yarn is so dark it's hard to see the detail, here is a photo of my youngest daughter modeling it.

Howdy, Partner

The granddaughter and her auntie went to see the Disney/Pixar 3D double feature "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" this week. Made me remember an incident at Blockbuster Video.

The granddaughter was about 3 years old when "Toy Story 2" was released on video. Hubby and I took her to Blockbuster to rent movies and just as we walked in the door there was a big display of toys for "Toy Story 2." She snatches up a pull-string talking Woody doll, hugs him and looks up at us with those big blue eyes. Of course, we were going to buy it for her!

We select movies and I get in a long line with them. She is running around the store on her chubby little legs with hubby right behind her. She decides she doesn't want to hold her doll anymore and trots up to me. At the top of her lungs in her high-pitched little girl voice she says, "Nana, will you hold my Woody?" Of course, everyone in the store heard her and laughed.

I get up to the checkout counter and the teenage boy helping us holds the Woody doll over his head and yells to a co-worker, "How much for this Woody?" The other kid yells back, "Is it a 6" or a 9" Woody?"

At this point, we are all rolling on the floor. It was so innocent and so suggestive and completely hilarious!

Reading the "Twilight" Series

I love nothing more than reading a series of books, one after another. It enhances my enjoyment and escapism so much longer. It's like taking a mini-vacation or having an extended visit with someone delightful.



In 2008, I finally read the original "Twilight" book by Stephenie Meyer. It came out in 2005, but I waited a few years to buy it for several reasons. The granddaughter just turned 12 last year and I knew she was *sigh* leaving her Junie B. Jones series behind for more grownup reading. She, of course, loves "Twilight" and loved the movie when it came out. And while I am pretty fond of the supernatural genre, vampires have never been at the top of my list. But we're talking about a beloved local author -- Ms. Meyer lives in Arizona -- and I'm all for supporting local talent. (Visit her website at www.stepheniemeyer.com.)

So the granddaughter asked me recently to buy her the second book, "New Moon," which will be out in theaters on November 20th. I think she's already standing in line to see it. :-)  Then all of a sudden, and very surprisingly because she hates anything supernatural, my youngest daughter decided she wanted to read the series. She sends me an urgent text about how she is nearing the end of the second book and will I run out and buy her the third -- "Eclipse" -- so she can just keep reading. Being the absolutely awesome mother that I am, of course I did. Then she decided to finish the series and bought the fourth book, "Breaking Dawn." She really enjoyed them all.

So here I am, with all of the books in my house, a total of 2,444 pages of reading bliss! I picked up "New Moon" and just got lost in it. I read in bed at night and a lot on the weekends (all knitting screeched to a halt). I managed to blast through "New Moon" and "Eclipse" in one week. My eyeballs were literally burning. Had to slow down some on the last one because of our house painting project, but finished "Breaking Dawn" in a week.

They were so great! I enjoyed every second. Escaping to their diverse world of humans and vampires and werewolves was like being on a supernatural vacation for several weeks. Even when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the books and the characters and wondering what was going to happen next. I swear there were moments when I could smell the woods and hear the crunching of leaves underfoot in Forks, Washington.

So thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for the entertainment and for sharing your wonderful imagination with the world! And, please, keep on doing the amazing thing that you do ...

What's Cookin' - Boeuf Bourguignon

After reading the book, "Julie & Julia," and then seeing the movie recently, I was determined to attempt at least one of Julia Child's famous recipes. So I warbled my way through a good 4 hours in the kitchen yesterday making Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (page 315 in my copy).

Assembling the ingredients

It is truly delicious, although I used nearly every pot and pan in the kitchen -- and some of them twice.

Sautéing the bacon and beef

It's not a difficult recipe, just time intensive. Everything is cooked in a different skillet or sauce pan before all coming together in one dutch kettle at the end.

Sautéing the carrot and onion

I chopped and sautéed and braised.

Braising the pearl onions

I had a glass of the burgundy while I cooked. Peeling all those little pearl onions took some time.

Sautéing the mushrooms

We served it over long grain wild rice with dinner rolls and a glass of wine and, yes, it was absolutely wonderful! I loved, loved, loved the mushrooms sautéed in butter, of course. And the sauce is amazing.

Boeuf Bourguignon over Rice

After all is said and done ... and eaten ... and cleaned up, here are some thoughts:

• This is a dish to make when you have lots and lots of time.
• This is a dish to make for people you love more than anything or very, very special company.
• According to Julia, "...you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated." I would definitely make this the day before company is being served.
• It is rich and satisfying -- I would classify it as comfort food.
• For being a home-cooked meal, it is not inexpensive to make. I think the ingredients ran around $25.

I know this will probably sound weird, but I love going outside and coming back into the house after a meal like this -- the fragrance is fantastic and the house continues to smell like heaven for hours and hours!!!

Movie Review: Julie & Julia

Went to see "Julie & Julia" starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. I read the book about a year ago and had heard they were making a movie. So often when I have read the book and then eagerly await seeing the movie, I am sadly disappointed. This was not the case.

684 pages of recipes
plus 32 pages of index

They did a beautiful job! Meryl Streep was absolutely wonderful playing Julia Child. She really had her warbling voice and mannerisms down. Stanley Tucci was so terrific as Paul Child. I remember watching Julia Child cooking on TV years ago and it never once crossed my mind that she had this beautiful romance and sex life going on. They were truly made for each other.

Amy Adams as Julie Powell and Chris Messina as her husband, Eric Powell, were so endearing. What a supportive husband he was through this project. The way he dived into her dishes as she cooked her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was adorable. It is so great to cook for someone who appreciates it -- and will try anything!!! And, oh, we women can be so dramatic. The scene where she ends up laying on the kitchen floor in despair looked like something that may have happened in our house a time or two. Totally believable.

I loved the way they moved back and forth between 1960s Paris and 2002-03 New York. The scenery in Paris was beautiful and the quaint little apartments. How the hell did they turn out such amazing meals in these miniscule kitchens with such tiny, tiny ovens? I am so going to make the Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew in red wine with bacon, onions and mushrooms) and I'd like to try the Pate de Canard en Croute (boned stuffed duck baked in a pastry crust). I don't think I've ever even had duck -- I wonder if you can substitute chicken for the duck ... is this culinary blasphemy?

When we got home from the movie theater, I grabbed my copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" off the shelf. I bought it on October 2, 1995. I know this because I try to always stamp my keeper books with a book plate stamp for my name and I record the date. I guess I hope that my daughters and grandchildren and so on and so forth will someday look inside the cover of an old cookbook and think Nana bought this so long ago ... it's an antique!

All I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and can't wait to have it on DVD so I can watch it over and over. It really made me want to cook something! Bon Appetit!!!