Peanut Brittle and Movie Monday

I'm feeling Christmasy! We got the lights on the house hooked up from last year, and they look great! I put up a few lights inside, and played with chocolate while listening to Christmas music! Now I'm writing to you and watching the old stop motion Rudolph! Please tell me you have seen this! Yes, it's old, but it's such a classic! I can't do without it each year. I have to hear "Holly Jolly Christmas" (and maybe sing along), and see the island of misfit toys! If you haven't seen this, it's a must! 

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We didn't really watch many other movies this week. Just two.

Movie Monday

Better off Dead- This is a 1985 John Cusack movie. That should be all you need to know! His girlfriend dumps him, and he spends his time either trying to kill himself, or thinking of ways to get her back. It was pretty bad, but definitely funny, and very '80's. Fun to see once.

Princess of thieves- This was terrible. If we hadn't been so tired, I'm not sure that we would have watched the whole thing. Keira Knightley plays Robin Hoods daughter. She wants to show her absent father that she's as good as a son, so she dresses like a boy and follows him on his adventures. Terrible acting in general, less than fantastic costumes, very predictable and simple story line. I could have skipped this one, and you should too!

Ready for another candy recipe? This one just comes from good old Betty Crocker. My husband loves peanut brittle, so we tend to have it every year. I made a big batch to sell at the craft fair too! There's not much to it, and it has such a great flavor!

Peanut Brittle

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cup light corn syrup

3 Tbs butter

1 pound shelled unroasted peanuts

Butter 2 cookie sheets (or use a silpat). Mix baking soda, 1 tsp water and the vanilla: reserve. Mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup in 3-quart saucepan. Cook over edium heat, stirring occasionaly, to 240* on candy thermometer (or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water). 

Stir in butter and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, to 300* (or until small amount of misture dropped into very cold water separates into threads that are hard and brittle).

 Watch carefully so mixture does not burn. Immediately remove from heat: stir in baking soda mixture (it will bubble a bit, so be careful!). 

Pour half of the candy mixture onto each cookie sheet and quickly spread about 1/4 inch thick: cool. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

You should probably taste some. Immediately. Not to say that's what I did...but it could be. Or I could have tasted a lot of it. Whatever. 

What was left after the tasting got packaged up for the craft fair.

It was one of my best sellers at the last one, and I'm hoping people will like it this weekend too!

Well, Rudolph just ended, and this post is over too! Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, and a good night! 

Movie Monday

Hi guys! Our power has been out for hours, and I had given up on getting anything posted today. Instead of worrying about that, I've been lounging around in my PJ's and slippers, listening to crazy wind and rain, and reading Kitchen Confidential. I'm almost done. It just keeps getting better, and, unfortunately, makes me want to get back into a restaurant kitchen. Flitting thoughts of pastry chef jobs, raunchy kitchen banter and cocky friends with knives stream through my head as I read. But then I remember that I get to work at a bakery, and that I make all kinds of fun stuff, every week! That's the place for me! It is a good book though ;)!

Here's a quick rundown of our movies for the week.

Movie Monday
Elf- This has become on of my FAVORITE Christmas movies!!! Will Ferrell plays Buddy the elf, who's actually a human raised by elves. He goes to NYC in search of his father. This is hilarious, cute, and very festive. It makes me want to answer the phone "Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?!". A must see, if you haven't already!

Miracle on 34th ST.- This is a Christmas classic! If you haven't ever see this movie, well, I'll claim I don't know you, you deprived child! This one is from 1947, and is black and white. A movie in the true Christmas spirit, about a man who claim to be the REAL Santa Claus, is put on trial for being insane, and who is trying to win over a mother and daughter who "don't believe". Love this one!

Dr. Dolittle- I'm talking the 1967 Rex Harrison version here, none of that Eddie Murphy crap. This is long, and a bit hokey, but i love it! There's an unfortunate amount of singing, but the cute animals strewn throughout the movie make up for it. There's also some hilarious things like the pushmepullu, the giant pink sea snail, and the lunar moth! Harrison is Dr. Dolittle, a vegetarian veterinarian who doesn't do well with people. He's out to find the giant pink sea snail, and takes a few friends, a talking parrot, and his chimp along for the ride. Worth seeing at least once!

Ghost Writer- Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor star in this drama/mystery about a writer who is hired to finish the memoirs of a former prime minister. Things get dicey as more information is uncovered, and McGregor starts to worry that he'll go the way of his predecessor who supposedly committed "suicide". Great story line, good acting, keeps you on edge and wondering! This is a pretty smart movie, and Ben and I both liked it. Nothing amazing, but a good movie.

Easy A- The always charming Emma Stone stars in this high school comedy about a girl with a virginal reputation, who accidentally starts a bad rumor about herself. Things snowball from there, with some hilarious results! Yeah, it's another high school goofy movie, but it's smarter, and is pulled off rather better, than lots of others. Great entertainment value! We liked it a lot!

Shrek Forever After- I liked this one better than the third shrek, but not nearly as well as the first two. This time around Rumplestiltskin tricks Shrek into never being born, creating an alternate world where Rumple rules with the witches. It's still funny, but is nothing spectacular. If you really liked the other movies then you would probably enjoy this. If not, then you can skip it. Nothing new here.

Sherlock Holmes- This is the 2009 version. I bought it on blu-ray, cuz we liked it so much! Good action, good acting, interesting storyline, and great use of the books characters. This is an exciting, adventurey, big budget movie.Lots of fun!

What movies did you guys watch this week? Anything good that I should check out?


Congrats on surviving you Monday! Good night!

Movie Monday and Some Chocolate!

Heeey, look! It's actually Monday! I remembered! I think it's a miracle. Anyway. We've been having lots of crazy weather here. Temperatures below freezing, snow flurries, and some really strong winds! Everything is pretty cozy though, and we're actually enjoying the excitement!

 The power is amazingly still on, despite a few brown-outs and flickering. The fire is roaring and there are lots of fuzzy little bodies napping in front of it.

I have hot tea, slippers, and a good book. Plus a little chocolate! I am enjoying some of the chocolate that was sent to me from Alter Eco Fair Trade, and it is delicious! There is a plain 85% dark chocolate, and some dark chocolate with crystallized orange peel.

Both have a nice snap when you bite into them, and a very creamy and silky texture. I am totally a fan of dark chocolate in general, but the flavor of this, especially the 85%, is really intense while not at all bitter. The dark chocolate with orange is the perfect mix. The fresh flavor of orange is strong but not overpowering, and the little nuggets of crystallized orange peel create an interesting texture with a flavor burst.

 Just a little bit goes a long way, so it's perfect for my "behaving myself" dessert nights. I love finding new chocolate, especially when it's really good. You guys should try this. You won't be sorry! Check out their website to order some of your own!

We've all been sick/fighting the flu, plus all of the crazy weather, power outages, and the craft fair this weekend. Needless to say we haven't watched as many movies as we usually do. Nevertheless, here's the list!

Movie Monday
Ella Enchanted: This stars Anne Hathaway when she was younger. It's definitely made for young girls, but I have to say I enjoyed it anyway. Ben didn't even complain. Go figure. Ella is under a spell that causes her to always be obedient. She has funny friends, goes on a quest, and meets a handsome prince. Magic, singing and comedy fill out this cute little movie. It's a fun lightweight watch.

Mission Impossible 3: This one wasn't as good as the other two. It still had good action, an actual plot, and reasonable acting, but it didn't suck you in as much as the first one. Ethan Hunt now has a girlfriend, and doesn't go on real missions anymore. He's asked to do just one more, and of course it gets bigger and more involved than anticipated. It's a good one time watch action flick.

The Man in the Iron Mask: I just finished reading the book, by Alexandre Dumas. It was a pretty good book, although I liked the first two better. This movie is supposedly based on the book, so I waited to watch it until I was done reading the original. No need. This was nothing like the book at all. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the king of France, and the man in the iron mask. It's a pretty good movie, but not fantastic. Good period drama, nice costumes, alright plot considering it's all new. The main thing that bothered me in this was John Malkovich. He's a good actor, but he really is wrong for period pieces. Every time I heard him talk it ruined the scene. All in all, it was entertaining, especially if you haven't read the book!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: We both really liked this one! Nicholas Cage is Balthazar, one of Merlin's three apprentices. He looks for a thousand years for a special boy, and finds him in modern times. Dave is a goofy science nerd, who now also happens to be a sorcerer's apprentice! Funny, light, with a unique twist on the original story. It also has a great throw-back to Mickey and the brooms! This is a fun one!

The Muppets' Wizard of OZ: This was probably my least favorite muppet movie ever. Don't get me wrong. I still watched it, and enjoyed it too. It just wasn't up to par with things like Muppets' Christmas Carol, or the Great Muppet Caper. Ashanti is the star of this, and I can't say that she is a great actress. She does have a great singing voice though! There is the usual muppet hilarity, great characters, and the expected songs. It's a fun one timer, but I don't think I ever need to see this one again.

That's it for tonight folks! I just finished reading The Man in the Iron Mask, and I just started reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It's great so far! Time to curl up in front of the fire with all of those dogs! G'night!

What day is it? Movie Monday-ish

Ok, I know I just put up a post, but I just realized something. It's Tuesday. Right now. Uh, that means that yesterday was Monday. Follow me so far? That also means that for 2 out of 3 weeks, Movie Monday has been on a Tuesday! Seriously? Am I losing my mind already?

I don't want to call it Movie Tuesday, cuz that just doesn't sound as good! I guess I'll just have to try harder, and actually pay attention to the days of the week. Huh. What a concept! ;)

Movie Monday:
Mission Impossible 2: Neither of us had ever seen this one before. It's surprisingly entertaining for being a sequel! Lots of good spy stuff, action, and more Tom Cruise. I have to say that I liked it!

Joe vs the Volcano: I saw this once a really long time ago, and didn't remember it much. This is one of the odder Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movies that I have seen! It's from 1990, and looks it! Meg plays 3 different characters, and does it rather poorly, but she's so cute that it doesn't matter. She does best when she just plays herself. That aside, this was pretty funny! Worth a watch.

Quantum of Solace: Hmm...what can I say about Daniel Craig? Hot, muscely, hot, good actor, hot, looks good in a tux, hot, and HOT! Oh, right...the movie! Typical James Bond flick. Good plot, lots of action, Bond wooing the ladies, and more action. This is one of my favorite Bond films of all time! If you haven't seen it, you need to. And I'm not just saying that because it's got Daniel Craig. But he is hot!

The Princess Diaries: Ann Hathaway plays a school girl, not with the in-crowd, who finds out she's a princess! Cute, funny, and very well done for this type of movie! I watched it by myself, but Ben actually said he'd seen this when it came out (!!! The things you find out about your husband! Wow!!!) and liked it too! Ha!

Joe's Apartment: This is an MTV movie, and is hilariously bad. Yes, it was funny. Yes, it was stupid. We laughed a lot, but often while cringing. Joe moves to the big city, and everything goes wrong. The roaches in his apartment can talk, and they decide that they like Joe, and want to help him out. It's all about Joe trying to get the perfect girl...with cockroach commentary and songs. Weird. I know.

Return to OZ: No child should ever watch this movie! Creepy! Dorthy Gail has been odd ever since the tornado, so good old Aunty Em takes her in for some electro shock therapy! Thanks Aunt Em! Sheesh! Dorothy ends up back in OZ, of course. She has all new friends, even odder than last time. The wheelers are out to get them (scary clown/bell boy looking guys with wheels instead of hands and feet). Plus this super scary lady who collects heads and can change from one to another runs around yelling "Dorothy Gail! Doorooothy Gaaaaaiiil" Yeah. Creepy! This is what I'm telling you! Anyway, I remember it from my childhood, (it's from 1985) and I do like it. I just don't know how I survived it without nightmares!

Yup, that's what we watched this week! I promise I'll try harder to remember which day is Monday! Next week! hehe.

Movie Monday, Even Though It's Tuesday

Hi everybody! I feel so silly! I told you last week that I'd probably forget all about movie monday, and then today I asked Ben what day it was and he said it was Tuesday! Doh! And then, to top that off, I just found out that I am out of space on my picasa web album thingy, and it won't let me upload pics to my blog! I am hopeless with computery things! How do I fix this?! Anybody out there know a solution? Do you have to upload pics to some other place like photobuckt and then upload again to your blog? I hope somebody out there knows what's goin' on, cuz I sure don't!

Well, enough of me freaking out. Hopefully you will be seeing my poorly lit pictures here again soon. Without further ado, here is movie Monday, even though it's Tuesday.

Movie Monday

Across the Universe: Yup, I watched that. I totally thought it'd be some goofy love story thing, but it really turned out to be a group of young people dealing with the Viet Nam war, doing drugs, and singing Beatles songs at each other. Not bad for what it was I guess, just not what I was expecting.

Chocolat: I totally loved this movie. Quirky and fresh, but with a quaint style, this is such a fun movie! A mother and daughter arrive in a sleepy stuck-in-it's -ways little town, and work themselves into the community through their chocolate shop! Seriously, how can you go wrong with a movie about chocolate?! Oh,and Johnny Dep is in it too. That's most definitely a plus!

Clash of the Titans 2010: I had seen this before, but I just bought it on blu-ray, and Ben and I had the house to ourselves over the weekend, so we watched it LOUD! Such a fun action movie! Plus, I loved the throwback to the classic version! Big budget film, lots of computer graphics and crazy monsters. Guys in short skirts. Even a plot! This was fun, and you know I'll be watching it again soon!

Inception: This was a crazy mind twister! Dicaprio does a great job. It's all about entering other peoples dreams, almost like alternate universes. Kind of a thriller, some good action, definitely some drama. A good movie, but once you've seen it, it won't be the same again. Kind of like watching the sixth sense or something.

Meet the Robinsons: This one was obviously my pick. I love computer animation, and this was such a fun and unique idea! Lewis is a young inventor, and things just aren't working out  for him. He meets a boy from the future, and takes a time machine to the future! Lots of fun and laughs.

Mission Impossible: Ben and I had both seen this once before, but a really long time ago. It still holds up to the new action stuff! Cruise makes a great spy trying to find out who the mole in his team was. Tons of great action, a few good plot twists, and lots and lot of TOM! The perfect actiony spy flick!

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: YES! This was SO hilarious! I personally like Michael Cera, and if you don't then this won't be your movie. A liking and a bit of knowledge of video games helps when watching this, but is not required. Scott wants to date this new hot chick, but to do so he must defeat her 7 evil exes! Plenty of awkward moments, crazy fight scenes, loud music, and hilarious outfits! A must see in my book!

The Expendables: This movie was a hilarious excuse for overly muscular guys (many of which are looking pretty damn old!), lots of stuff blowing up, lots of guns, everybody dying, and...oh yeah, more muscly guys! I'll admit, while there was almost no plot to speak of, it was still entertaining. The perfect funny, non-stop action, brainless kind of entertainment you want on a weekend. Worth seeing, if you like action.

Wild Target: An odd but funny movie! A hit man is hired to kill a young woman, but instead becomes her protector! Rupert Grint (ron weasly from the harry potter movies!) is a tag along goof. A bit of action, lots of laughs, and a real story line. Pretty good!

Ok, now the truth is out. You can tell that we don't have lives, can't you. Oh well. My non-life requires me to ride my bike to work tomorrow morning in the rain. Whatever.

Hope I figure out my stupid picture problems!!! It could be bad. Seriously. Send help!