The Bicycle Thief

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 our movie was The Bicycle Thief (1948) and we made Gnocchi with Creamy Tomato-Porcini Sauce.

The film, a foreign classic, tells the story of Antonio Ricci, who uses his beloved bicycle to get a job. The first day on the new job, his precious bicycle is stolen. Antonio and his young son Bruno set out to find the bike, tracking the thief into a number of questionable locations including the kitchen of a whorehouse. At the end of the film, Antonio and Bruno spot a lone bicycle in an alleyway. Antonio then must decide how to play his cards.

Our meal was easy to make--just what we needed after a long day at work! The recipe called for prepared sauce and frozen gnocchi. Reconstituting the porcini mushrooms was easy and the earthy sauce was delicious.

In attendance: Eric, Lindsey, Barb
Ratings: to come

All the President's Men

On 09/09/09 we watched All the President's Men (1976). For dinner: Deep Throat's Deep Dish Pizza!

All the President's Men stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (respectively), two relatively young investigative reporters working for the Washington Post in the mid-1970s. Their names have become perhaps the two most famous names in newspaper journalism for breaking the story of the Watergate scandal in the mid-1970s and doing all the legwork that eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon.

One interesting aside: In the film the reporters' boss refers to them as "Woodstein". Could this be one of the first documented occurrences of a "couple nickname" a la Bennifer?

The pizza was some of the best I've made at home. I stopped by our local pizzeria, Frank's, in East Falls to buy fresh raw dough--1.25 lbs for $1.50! It was definitely worth the extra trip. Two recipe tweaks: we used a 9" round cake pan rather than a 12" deep dish pizza pan and only baked it for 25 minutes. Perfecto!

In attendance: Lindsey, Eric, Barb
Ratings: Dinner = 4.25, Movie = 4.25

The Class (Entre les murs)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 we watched The Class and made savory crepes with sweet crepes for dessert!

The Class was:
a. About a teacher struggling to get through to his students
b. A story of teen student rebellion within inner city schools
c. A look inside the debate on how to discipline students
d. An inspiring story of daily perseverance on the front lines of education
e. all of the above

A+ if you guessed e. although that was really predictable...
This was a lovely movie that was inspirational at times, but most of the time truly frustrating. Definitely makes you appreciate your teachers and anyone you know that has chosen this courageous career.

The dinner was extremely labor intensive and I am sorry to report, not worth the work. It was a little too bland and yet too spicy at the same time. The best part was the dessert! Crepes with Nutella and bananas-yum!

In attendance: Barb and Lindsey
Ratings: To come

Moonstruck

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 we watched Moonstruck (1987) and made Love Triangles: Baked Chicken Samosas with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (chili sauce recipe to come).

In an Italian community in New York City, Loretta (played by Cher) finds herself in a rut after bad luck sieged her first marriage. Widowed and in her late thirties, she lives with her parents and dates Johnny Cammareri who proposes marriage at their local restaurant after dinner. Walking him through the proper procedure and even coaxing him to use his pinky ring instead of a proper engagement ring, Loretta eventually accepts--but is certainly lacking excitement. When Loretta's mother finds out, she asks her "Do you love him?" to which Loretta responds "No." Her mother says "Good. When you love them, they make you crazy because they know they can."

At Johnny's request, Loretta seeks out his brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage) and almost instantly falls in love. (Let's not forget the girl who works at the bakery with Ronny who is apparently in love with him too!) Ronny is passionate and full of emotion and brings life back into Loretta's life. The two of them enjoy each other's company while Johnny is in Sicily with his sick mother. Upon his return, he breaks off the engagement in a memorable moment around Loretta's family's breakfast table. Ronny is there too, and immediately proposes to Loretta.

Dinner was almost a total flop. Our samosa stuffing could have been made a day early to allow the flavors to meld, and I would probably pan fry them rather than baking in the future. Luckily, we made a last-minute sweet chili sauce that saved them from being inedible! Had we known, a perfect dinner would have been eggs in a basket with roasted red peppers, a meal Loretta's mother prepares during the movie.

In attendance: Lindsey and Barb
Ratings: Dinner = 2.5, Movie = 4

Diner

Tuesday, August 18, we watched Diner and made Meatloaf Sandwiches.

5 dudes in a Diner clinging to their youth. Steve Guttenburg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Daly play 5 friends that return their hangout at Christmas as they are dragging their feet over the crossroads to adulthood. Ah, typical boys: the playboy with a gambling problem, the groom-to-be with cold feet, the married friend stuck in a rut, and the nice guy who knocked a girl up who just doesn't like him. "If you don't have good dreams,... , you got nightmares." In the end, they all accept their lives and move forward-well, at least until next Christmas...

These meatloaf sandwiches were well worth the wait! We used bacon instead of pancetta, but the sauteed onions and grilled tomatoes are must-have toppings.

In attendance: Barb and Lindsey

Ratings: Movie = 3, Dinner = 4.5!

The Big Chill

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 our movie was The Big Chill (1983). We dined on a Chilled Dinner of Tuna Niçoise Sandwiches and Gazpacho.

In The Big Chill, a group of college friends are reunited at a funeral. One of the group has committed suicide and they all struggle with why, what they could have done differently, and how to keep from falling out of touch again. Several couples intermingle in interesting ways but everyone comes out on the other side better for having spent that unexpected weekend away, reconnecting with people who really mean something to each other. Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close, William Hurt and Kevin Kline star. It will make you want a new pair of sneakers.

On to dinner: Mmm. These were the best tuna sandwiches we have had! The only substitution was tuna packed in water rather than in oil, and I would make it this way again. Definitely take the time to press the sandwich and let it stand--it was even better the next day for lunch when all the flavors "cured" together. We also made the gazpacho, which I have to say, we were not keen on. The manchego cheese was delicious to snack on though!

In attendance: Eric, Lindsey, Barb
Ratings: to come

The Big Easy

Wednesday, August 5, we watched The Big Easy and made New Orleans Red Beans and Rice.

I'm going to make this post very brief because this movie night was a FAIL! After all my effort to soak the beans overnight and then cook them in a crock pot all day... they never cooked. And let me tell you, trying to dance around eating red beans in a red beans and rice dish is just far to much effort. The andouille sausage was yummy though!

Much like the dinner was a "fail," so too was the movie, even though this film came highly recommended by a good friend of ours. I am going to have to disagree with her. I just couldn't get past Dennis Quaid's muddled accent. Here is a short synopsis of the film:
Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) is a detective in a New Orleans Police Department that has some shady goings-on involving drugs and murders. Ann Osborne (Ellen Barkin) comes in as the beautiful attorney investigating the corruption within the department. The two have a steamy, film noir romance (which i found to be poorly written and not believable). The end.

In attendance: Barb and Lindsey
Ratings: to come