Singin' In The Rain

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 we watched the classic musical Singin' In The Rain (1952) and made Good Mornin' Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream and Turkey Sausage Patties accompanied by grapefruit halves and orange juice.

In this Technicolor masterpiece, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor combine their talents in one of the best musicals ever made. When Hollywood attempts the transition from silent movies to talkies, matinee idol Kelly hopes to make the cut. Jean Hagen stands out as a silent-movie queen with a fingernails-on-a-blackboard voice. Musical fare includes "Good Morning," "Make 'Em Laugh" and the title tune.

The pancake recipe was a bit involved but came out delicious! And to think we almost forgot about the cinnamon cream--mmm! Homemade turkey sausage patties were yummy too, and whole foods had juicy, sweet grapefruit. All in all, a memorable and delicious evening.

In attendance: Lindsey, Barb, Eric
Ratings: Movie = 4.75, Dinner = 4.75

Pride of the Yankees

Tuesday, May 19, we watched Pride of the Yankees (1942) and made Chicago vs. New York Hotdogs. We also whipped up a potato salad with green beans and classic lays potato chips-yum!

Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig, the first baseman for the Yanks who suffered from a crippling and incurable disease. Even when Gehrig was a student at Columbia University, the press had already pegged him as a top ballplayer. Soon the New York Yankees selected Gehrig for their lineup, and he became an overnight sensation on the baseball diamond. But this dedicated player–who had never missed a game once he stepped onto a Major League Baseball field–suddenly fell ill with a mysterious disease. As his body began to fail him, Gehrig had to say good-bye to the fans who idolized him and to the sport he loved so dearly. The film's final scene is a deeply moving portrait of human courage. Also not to be missed is Babe Ruth's cameo appearance as himself. Cooper's performance is outstanding, measuring up to the drama that surrounded the real-life events. The Pride of the Yankees remains one of the greatest biopics ever filmed, in addition to being perhaps the best sports film of the 20th century.

We probably shouldn't have had TWO hot dogs each...but who could resist trying both styles? The NY was fantastic with the hint of cinnamon in the onion sauce and the dill pickle plus tomato made the Chicago style dog really juicy. In the end, I would have to guess that NY was the winner.

In Attendance: Barb, Lindsey, and Julia

Ratings: To come
Gary Cooper plays Lou Gehrig, the first baseman for the Yanks who suffered from a crippling and incurable disease. Even when Gehrig was a student at Columbia University, the press had already...

Unforgiven

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 we watched Unforgiven (1992) and had Cowboy-Style Beef with Onion Rings.

Long-retired gunslinger William Munny (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes one last job -- and even more reluctantly accepts a boastful youth (Jaimz Woolvett) as a partner. Together, they discover how easily complicated truths are distorted into simplistic myths about the Old West. Gene Hackman (who won an Oscar) and Richard Harris stand out as old foes who have an unhappy reunion. Other Oscars include Best Picture and Director (Eastwood). This was one of Eric's favorite movie night movies of all time!

The beef had good flavor but was disappointingly dry tasting. And the onion rings were trying too hard to be healthy (read: sprayed with cooking spray and baked, rather than deep fried) and ended up somewhat floury and lame. Oh well. The beef recipe follows:

Espresso Braised Beef
2 TB finely ground espresso coffee beans
1 TB sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 TB coarse salt
2 TB olive oil, divided
3 lb beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 c strong brewed coffee
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1/4 c dark molasses
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
2 whole cloves
3 TB orange marmalade

Mix the ground coffee, sugar, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub all over the brisket, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

Heat 1 TB of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the brisket on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, starting fatty-side down. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the remining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the brewed coffee, vinegar, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Pour over the brisket and throw the cloves into the liquid. Cover the cooker and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Skim the fat from the surface of the juices in the cooker and remove and discard the cloves. While the brisket rests, heat the juices on high for 10 minutes and stir in the marmalade. Slice the brisket across the grain and arrange the slices so they overlap on a large platter. Ladle enough sauce over the top to moisten and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

Schloss, Andrew. "Espresso Braised Beef." Recipe. Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2008. 102-3.

In attendance: Eric, Lindsey, Barb
Ratings: Movie = 3.5 Dinner = 2

The Fall

Wednesday, May 6th, we watched The Fall (2006) and we made Toasted Spice Salmon Burgers with Orange-Apricot Glaze and Curried Mustard Mayo along with a side salad of greens, oranges, red onion, and beets.

The Fall was a visually sumptuous fantasy world of exotic bandits, evil tyrants, dream-like palaces and breathtaking landscapes. It was shot on location in 28 countries around the world! While young Alexandria is recuperating from a fractured arm in a Los Angeles Hospital, she befriends another patient, Roy Walker, who tells a variety of tales, including one about Emperor Alexander, and the second story of six men: Luigi - an explosions expert; a Native American Indian; A runaway slave; an East Indian swordsman; a masked bandit; and Charles Darwin - all on a quest to kill oppressive Spanish Governor Odious for individually inflicting atrocities on each and every one of them. She soon becomes embroiled in this tale and starts mixing fiction with reality not realizing that Roy is using her to procure a drug for him.

Cramming 3 chefs into my new small kitchen was definitely a feat. But we managed to make an amazing dinner-we just didnt want it to end! I would highly recommend making these burgers and this movie.

In attendance: Lindsey, Barb, Stacey, and Eric

Ratings: Movie = 4.175 Dinner = 5

The Terminator

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 we watched The Terminator (1984) and had "I'll Be Back" (for seconds!) Pasta with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

It was great to see the original Terminator movie, one only Eric had seen! We all agreed this is Arnold's best character. In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to 1984 to snuff Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior (Michael Biehn) to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

The recipe was tweaked a bit to accommodate what we had on hand: farfalle pasta and a lack of fresh basil (which would have made it even more delicious!). I'm still enjoying the leftovers for lunch.

In attendance: Lindsey, Eric, Barb

Ratings: Movie = 2.75, Dinner = 3.75