And the Oscar goes to.....none of the above! Growing up we always anticipated the Oscar presentation. Being from Southern California, it was a big deal. Not so for me, anymore... While I do like to watch a good movie with a great story, it seems the movies of today lack originality or at least an inspirational story. Is it me, or is there too much violence, blood and guts? What ever happened to the kind of picture that had a lasting effect on you as you left the movie theater?
The first "grownup" movie I was privileged to see was Around the World in 80 Days. That was in 1957, I was five, and I'm sure my parents couldn't find a babysitter back then. The year I was born, An American in Paris won. When I was 10, West Side Story was all the rage. My older sister bought the soundtrack and that is all I heard for the next couple of months. Yes, I can sing all the words to all those songs! Then the Sound of Music hit the theaters! I can sing those tunes, also!
Flash forward to the 70's. Interesting times! The blockbusters of that era were, Godfather, Godfather II, French Connection, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rocky and my favorite, "The Sting". The movies of the 80's included Out of Africa, Platoon and Rain Man! Into the 90's we saw some record breaking movies, such as, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump and of course, Titanic.
After the Y2K farce, the epic Lord of the Rings swept the awards. As the years blended into the next a political theme permeated most new movies. In my opinion, the blockbusters are all but gone. Out of all the nominees this year, I have only seen Inception and Social Network. (Sorry, I'm not a part of the Academy.) I enjoyed them both. I believe the founder of Facebook was brilliant and whoever wrote the script for Inception has a "Beautiful Mind". How does one have such imagination to come up with these stories!
In all fairness, I do like movies, but would rather dive into and get lost in a gook book. Tonight, I won't be reading and I'll probably be the only person on the planet not watching the Oscar's. For me, it's AMAZING RACE time! Oh yes, and hazeltini time! So, I will mix a little hazelnut Kahlua with ice and vanilla vodka. Sounds good to me! Enjoy the Oscars and let me know how they turn out...
Some of my "all time favorites" include:
Dancing with Wolves
A River Runs Through It
Shawshank Redemption
Dr Zhivago
Life is Beautiful
Watch those, you won't be disappointed!
As I'm writing this blog we are receiving some much needed moisture in the form of snow. Last count, another 1 1/2 ft. It's falling at the rate of 1 inch every 15 minutes! I can't think of a better dessert for the circumstances. Bakes apples are so comforting, almost up there with bread pudding. Yum!
This recipe was adapted and revised from "Eat more, weigh less" book. That's a fact, if you follow it. So, it can't be all that bad, right?
Ingredients:
2 apples (I used Granny Smith, a bit tart, but good.)
1/4 cup raisins
2 T brown sugar
1 T candied ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey
1/8 c amaretto
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core and peel 1 inch from the top of the apple. Place in a baking dish. (9 x 9) Combine the raisins, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, honey and amaretto. Spoon mixture into center of apples. Pour about a cup of water in the baking dish and place in the oven. As it bakes, baste with the water. It will become syrupy towards the end. If it evaporates, add more water and keep basting. Cook for 40-60 minutes. Serve warm or cold with ice cream. I used frozen vanilla yogurt. I'm always looking for ways to squeeze the fat out of recipes but keep the flavor!
I really don't know what possessed me to create this kind of soup. I guess I'm still grasping for those tried and true French recipes. In all honesty, I do not like to eat my peas. They are my least favorite vegetable next to lima beans!
Growing up, fresh veggies were not readily available so people usually reverted to canned products. Yuk, canned peas. Next came those frozen bags of peas. Not too bad, especially if they were smothered in that white sauce, if you know what I mean.
I remember many times my parents would put that bowl of dreaded peas in front of us at the dinner table. Of course, we couldn't leave until they were gone! My sister and I thought we were so smart when we would sneak a mouthful of peas into our napkins, lower them below the table to our eagerly waiting German Shepherd/wolf mix, Laddie. Laddie loved peas! What a brainstorm! What a great way to dispose of eat our tasteless peas! To our chagrin, my parents were not as dumb as we thought and after they realized what we were up to, we'd be dished up some more. Then they threatened to save them for breakfast if not gobbled up. That never happened; they'd forget fix us a nice breakfast and send us on our way. But, to this day I cringe at the sight of peas and lima beans on my plate!
However, split pea soup is another story. Even though I didn't like it as a child, I have developed a taste for it now. Beans are so easy to incorporate into meals, especially soups. When it's Winter outside soup comes to the rescue.
Ingredients:
1/2 Hickory smoked ham shank, rinsed (Find one, it's worth it.)
1/2 c onions, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
5 cups water
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 c dried split peas
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 potato, peeled and chopped small
pepper
Using a large pot, saute onions in the oil until soft. Add garlic, carrots, celery, peas, water, ham shank, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer for about 2 hours or longer. During the second hour, add the potatoes and broth with a little pepper. (No salt is needed due to the saltiness of the shank.) You'll love this soup!
Congratulations, my friend from Greece, Katerina! Katerina is a fellow blogger who regularly visits. Even though she is a wife, mother and busy working gal, she continually comes up with such great mouthwatering recipes. The one that "hooked" me was her baklava. You can visit her blog site "Culinary Flavors" by using the link on the right. Katerina, please send me your address so I can ship your prize! (I tried your email but it didn't go through!)
Thanks to all who participated. It was fun to read your comments. The prize was a collection of my favorite spices....Lavender, Herbs de Provence and Fennel Seed. I can't wait to see how Katerina blends these in with her lovely recipes!
Tomorrow I'll be featuring a tasty thick Split Pea soup, just in time for the next wave of snow. (We're expecting another 2 feet, I've heard! Warm soup and snowy days go together well. Stay tuned..
This is the last post for my first giveaway. Thanks to all who've sent me comments. I've enjoyed hearing from you.
I wanted to continue to showcase by ancestors with this creation. Even though I am of French descent it would seem this chicken recipe with roasted fennel, mushrooms and garlic would be appropriate. However, after leaving the homeland of France, my ancestors arrived near Quebec, settled along the St Lawrence River and later (probably mid 1700's) migrated into the tip of Maine. During these hard times and after much research I found they cooked with pork instead of chicken. They used the chicken primarily for the eggs. They also made ployes, which is a type of pancake made from buckwheat flour. I'm continuing to track down more authentic recipes from those times. Any help out there?
Until then, I'll "pretend" this was a special occasion type meal prepared in Madawaska (where my people were from).
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
1/2 - 1 fennel bulb, cut up into chunks
1/3 onion, chunks
1 apple, peeled and sliced
4-5 mushroom caps
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
4-5 garlic cloves
1 T fennel seed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil
To assemble, simply place all ingredients in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, dot with a small amount of butter (optional) and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Baste every 15 minutes while cooking. Serves 4.
This recipe can easily be doubled to serve to your guests or larger family. Very nice flavors! Enjoy and don't forget to enter the giveaway!!
