If a Tree Falls

Movie still found here

I have been having a series of hectic mornings lately and as such I have been missing out on my morning news program which left me itching for a documentary. It lost out to "Undeated" at the Oscars this year, but being nominated landed it in my Netflix queue. Ben and I have grand plans for tearing down two trees in our yard so this film seemed fit the zeitgeist. 

The documentary focuses on the story of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a radical environmental group that the FBI has dubbed America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat'. Seeing the destruction of forests in the West as well as the brutality of the police against protesters was incredibly heart-wrenching and hard to watch at times. If you have a minute, check out this PBS video clip from the movie about a particular protest in downtown Eugene.

The film also focused on Daniel McGowan an ELF member facing a life-sentence for his arson crimes. In my opinion, the movie was split into two halves, the second half focusing too much on Daniel McGowan's feelings about incarceration and not enough about the cause itself.

Movie Rating: 

Plot: 3 stars

Cinematography: 2 stars

Acting: 3 stars 

Average: 2.66 stars 

 This amazing pot of fresh herbs was a wonderful housewarming present! Thank you Joan!

Radicchio with Linguine and Fresh Oregon-o

Recipe adapted from the one found here

INGREDIENTS

2 head radicchio, cored and julienned

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/4 pound pancetta, julienned

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound fresh linguine

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and brown, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add onions. Season with a little salt (not too much as the pancetta is already salty) and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until inions are translucent, about 5 minutes more. Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add radicchio to the onion mixture and cook, stirring, until radicchio is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add pasta and reserved cooking water, mix well. Finally add 1/2 the cheese, the oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a little cheese on top.

We both though this was quite the tasty dish! But with the slightly bitter radicchio and salt pancetta, we couldn't help but wonder what it would taste like with something sweet such as golden raisins added.

Dinner Rating: 

Movie Relevance: 3.5 stars

Taste: 3.8 stars

Average: 3.65 stars

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Image found here 

First Movie Night in the new house! Still trying to figure out how this stove from 1952 works and still have most of my kitchen packed up in boxes, but it doesn't get any easier and delicious than this recipe (below).


Ah Humphrey Bogart. What can I say? I just dont get it. Am I supposed to swoon for you? I can't understand a bleeping word you are saying. Playing a drunk is definitely your forte and that just makes you even more unappetizing. The best part of this movie was the ongoing side commentary by prospectors Ben and Barb. I do wish that I could whistle through my teeth while I talk like they can. The gist of the movie (if you must know and still feel like watching it after reading this) is that Humphrey hitches up with another dude and an old Prospecting dude to go mining for gold. Which they find and then some! Its the keepin' it that's the thing...

Movie Rating: 

Plot: 3.75 stars

Cinematography: 2.5 stars

Acting: 2 stars 

Average: 2.75 stars  

recipe found here 

Mexican Chorizo & Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces chorizo

1 pound brussel sprouts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 package yellow rice (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Remove chorizo from the casings and fry in a medium sauté pan until fully cooked. Meanwhile, clean and trim the brussel sprouts and cut them into quarters.

When the chorizo is cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Making sure your pan is hot, drop in the sprouts and stir to coat in the chorizo drippings. 

Cook for about 8–10 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure they don't burn, but not too much as you want them to become nicely caramelized. 

Add the chorizo back in along with the olive oil for another 2 minutes until the flavors have blended. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Dinner Rating: 

Movie Relevance: 5 stars

Taste: 5 stars

Average: 5 stars

Harvey

Image found here 

This is a blog post for a movie we watched around Easter this year. I would not normally highlight my extreme posting delinquency except that this 1950's film stars James Stewart playing Elwood P. Dowd opposite his co-star: a 6-foot imaginary Rabbit named Harvey. This plot is certainly unique plus gave us an interesting insight into 1950 cinematic portrayal of a mental institution. Elwood P. Dowd was an endearing character who seems harmless enough-which begs the question: Is there anything really wrong having an imaginary pal? Perhaps he describes himself and his pooka (a benign but mischievous creature from Celtic mythology) best:

"Harvey and I sit in the bars... have a drink or two... play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they tuen toward mine and they smile. And they're saying, 'We don't know your name mister, but you're a nice fell.' Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments."

I love that this bizarre little movie came out in 1950 and I would love to see this remade today, maybe by the Wes Anderson??

Movie Rating: 

Plot: 4 stars

Cinematography: 3 stars

Acting: 2.5 stars 

Average: 3.1 stars  

Spring Egg Sandwich: Poached eggs, Asparagus & Pickled Onion

adapted from the recipe found here

INGREDIENTS (serves 2):

1/2 bunch asparagus

2 small baguettes

2 eggs, poached (we used poach pods again!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons diced raw onion

2 tablespoons French mustard (aka dijon!)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

lemon juice to taste

fresh dill

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Trim the asparagus by cutting off the woody ends and cutting the spears in half length-wise. Cut the red onion and place it in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and set aside.

Prepare the asparagus by blanching it in boiling water for a minute. Then, in a large skillet over high heat add a little oil. Sear the asparagus spears, about 3–4 minutes on each side. Split the two baguettes in half and remove a little of the doughy center so the egg can fit inside. Smear with some mustard and a little olive oil.

Poach the eggs. Add them to the top of the sandwich along with the asparagus, dill, a little lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper

Dinner Rating: 

Movie Relevance: 4.5 stars

Taste: 4.5 stars

Average: 4.5 stars

The Descendants (2011)

All movie images from imdb.com

"My friends on the mainland think just because I live in Hawaii, I live in paradise. Like a permanent vacation. We're all just out here sipping Mai Tais, shaking our hips, and catching waves. Are they insane?" —Matt King

In The Descendants (2011), George Clooney plays Matt King (in an Oscar-nominated role), who lives in Hawaii, and whose wife is in a coma as the result of a boating accident. He is wrestling with the role he's played in his family's life as he is forced into the lead role from being the "back-up parent" to his two daughters, Scottie (10) and Alex (17). Learning that Elizabeth will never wake from her coma, he tells his older daughter that they need to say their last goodbyes. Alex then reveals to her dad the affair her mom was having at the time of the accident.

Add to this weight the fact that Matt King also happens, along with all his cousins, to own 25,000 acres of undeveloped land on Kauai. Land that has been passed down through generations of his family and is held in trust for a mere seven remaining years. The family's decision on what to do with the land makes headlines regularly in the newspaper, and Matt King is the sole arbiter of the trust, meaning he holds the power to make the ultimate decision.

In the throes of his wife's final days, Matt King takes his daughters to Kauai to wrestle both with his wife's affair and whether to confront the man she was involved with (played by Matthew Lillard), as well as to revisit the land of his forefathers in the hopes it will guide his judgment. They go out to eat at Tahiti Nui, where Matt runs into Cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges) at the bar and drinks an Old Fashioned while his daughter orders him mahi at the table. Side note: Beau Bridges is an actual Tahiti Nui customer!

The movie was a definite tear-jerker. Lindsey and I both ended up with watery eyes at the end of this one, something that has rarely happened in Movie Night history. It also ended up winning one Oscar, for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay. It was also nominated for the best director, editing, picture, and actor awards.

Movie Rating
Plot: 4.75
Cinematography: 4.5
Acting: 5
Average: 4.75

Let me start by saying that we could have done a better job with our dinner prep. In a rush after a busy day, I bagged the idea of actually grilling our skewers outside over charcoal to save some time and hassle. Despite it being a beautiful day, under the broiler they went. I was focused on searching out Hawaiian recipes, and naturally, pineapple was an easy place to start. I've been craving red meat lately, too, and combining the pineapple on a skewer with teriyaki-marinated steak sounded really tasty.

Movie-wise, we could have had burgers, crab legs, mahi, Mai Tais, Old Fashioneds, and either (or both!) strawberry or mocha chip ice cream for apt tie-ins.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Beef and Pineapple Skewers 
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
For the teriyaki sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 TB honey
1 TB brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced (could increase to 2)
1 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 TB cornstarch

For the skewers:
2 large beef sirloin steaks
1 fresh pineapple
1/2 red onion, cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into skewer-able pieces
10 skewers (we used wooden)

For serving:
brown rice

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and vinegar over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a low boil. In a separate small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water, then add to the mixture in the saucepan. Simmer for 6–8 additional minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and cool.

Place the cubed steaks and half the teriyaki sauce in a resealable bag for at least 20 minutes (or up to overnight) to marinate. If you are making brown rice as an accompaniment, this is a good time to get it started.

Meanwhile, cut your pineapple: start by cutting off the top and bottom, then stand the fruit back up and make vertical cuts through the core to break it down into quarters. Slice off and discard the woody center and carefully cut the rind from the outer edges, discarding it as well.

Cube half the pineapple for use on your skewers and save the other half for another use (my fave other use for pineapple—completely off topic—atop greek yogurt with this granola and some honey).

Once the meat has marinated, assemble your skewers by alternating between beef, pineapple, onion, and pepper pieces. Grill the skewers, or roast them under the broiler, for about 5 minutes per side, or to until the steak is done to your preference. Serve with remaining teriyaki sauce, atop a pile of cooked rice.

Dinner Rating
Movie Relevance: 4.5
Presentation: 4.5
Taste: 4.25
Average: 4.4