Monthly Archives: November 2011

I am thankful for Thanksgiving

Posted by

0

There are only two years in my life I have missed Thanksgiving with my family, and this was one of them. The first was in 2007 when I was studying abroad in Madrid, Spain; my group and I went to a restaurant that prepared us a special Thanksgiving-style meal of turkey and mashed potatoes. It tasted nothing like American Thanksgiving dinner, but it was delicious!

This year I attended the Baltimore Bieretz family Thanksgiving dinner, and it was lovely.

The Menu
-o- Bieretz family Artichoke Dip
-o- Mozzarella, oven-dried marinated tomatoes and homemade roasted red peppers with crostini
-o- marinated olives

-o- Roasted Turkey
-o- Grilled Bourbon and Cider- Glazed Ham
-o- Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
-o- Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Coconut-Pecan topping
-o- Roasted baby yams
-o- Assorted Grilled Vegetables with Dijon-Shallot vinaigrette
-o- Boston Lettuce Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Avocado
-o- Cornbread and Bacon Stuffing
-o- Garlic Bread

-o- Pound cake with Toasted Almonds
-o- Cheesecake
-o- Pumpkin Pie
-o- Apple Tart
-o- Chocolate Chip Cookies
-o- Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies

a few photos

Anti-capitalist or anti-crapitalist?

Posted by

0

Is the Occupy movement’s plan to impede Black Friday shopping anti-capitalist in nature? Not at all, according to their Occupy Black Friday website – rather, the impulse is anti-crapitalist.

Those planning to participate claims that this retail holiday furthers the interests and fattens the pockets of the 1%, and therefore must be stopped.

All I know is I won’t be there to see it! There are online specials too, guys…

Here’s CNN’s item on the Occupy Black Friday plan.

Finalists for the Literary Review’s “Bad Sex in Literature” Prize Announced

Posted by

2

It’s time! The Literary Review has announced its finalists for the Bad Sex in Literature prize, designed to isolate the worst sex scenes novelists have dreamed up in the past year.

Here is the list of nominees:

  • 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
  • On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry
  • The Final Testament of the Holy Bible by James Frey
  • Parallel Stories by Péter Nádas
  • 11.22.63 by Stephen King
  • Ed King by David Guterson
  • The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
  • The Affair by Lee Child
  • Dead Europe by Christos Tsiolkas
  • Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller
  • Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy
  • The Great Night by Chris Adrian

Stephen King’s nomination is for this passage:

“She was wearing jeans. The fabric whispered under my palm. She leaned       back and her head bonked on the door.

‘Ouch!’ I said. ‘Are you all right?’”

Yeah, that’s pretty bad. And I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed King’s work – though I’ve never read a King-crafted sex scene.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Check out the Huffington Post article on the awards; here is the National Post‘s take.

Dinner Tonight: Baked Garlic Lemon Shrimp

Posted by

2

-o- Baked Garlic Lemon Shrimp -o-

Ingredients:

1 lb. medium or large shrimp, unpeeled and deveined (frozen, defrosted, or fresh)
3 tbsps. unsalted cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon (put the lemon in the microwave for 20 seconds to yield more juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fresh or dried parsley

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375. If your shrimp are frozen, rinse to separate and remove most of the ice. Mine had been defrosting in the fridge for a few days so I skipped to the next step: spread the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mash/stir remaining ingredients. Drizzle mixture over shrimp; toss to evenly coat.

Bake for 8-10 minutes if fresh or defrosted; bake for 25-30 minutes if frozen or partially frozen.
I was super hungry and so enjoyed these peel-and-eat style, but with some nice fresh crusty bread would also be tasty.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Inspiration: The Pioneer Woman’s Spicy Garlic Lemon Shrimp. This awesome chef used a bunch more fresh parsley and used a food processor to create the buttery topping  - she also didn’t use any oil. And she has great pictures!

Dinner Tonight – Simple Grill Pan Chicken and Sauteed Zucchini Medallions

Posted by

0

It’s a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so when grocery shopping I only purchased a few veggies and a few sources of protein: shrimp, asparagus, four small zucchinis, and chicken tenders. When all you have is your spice cabinet and some raw ingredients, you can still make a tasty and healthy dinner.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-o- Simple Grill Pan Chicken -o-

Ingredients:
Chicken tenders or chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
olive oil, for pan
a mixture of salts and herbs – I used rosemary, herbes de provence, Borsari Original seasoned salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper
grated/shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400.
After pounding, sprinkle raw chicken with seasoned or regular salt, herbs, pepper and red pepper flakes on both sides (or you could add some cayenne pepper and maybe some diced fresh green and red pepper). Heat a grill pan or frying pan over medium-high heat. Grill on one side for 4-6 minutes until golden. Flip and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Move chicken to center of pan and sprinkle cheddar cheese (if using) over top. Bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

-o- Sauteed Zucchini -o-

Ingredients:
Zucchini (I used four small for two people, with leftovers)
A mixture of salt and pepper and herbs – black truffle seasoned salt, freshly ground black pepper, rosemary and herbes de provence
Olive oil, for frying

Method:
Slice zucchini into 1/2-inch thick medallions. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini and sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt, pepper, and herbs. Cook for 10-12 minutes, tossing frequently. I sprinkled a bit of fresh lemon juice over the zucchini as it finished cooking, but you could also add a splash of red wine vinegar or a dusting of Parmesan cheese – or you could just leave it!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I am literally eating it right now (sadly Brian won’t get to have any ’til later because he is in class) and it’s delicious.

Top 10 Films of the Past 10 Years – Movie Geeks List

Posted by

0

Movie Geeks’  Top 10 Films of the Past 10 Years:

-o- 10 Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004), Quentin Tarantino
-o- 9 El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) (2006), Guillermo del Toro
-o- 8 Inglorious Basterds (2009), Quentin Tarantino
-o- 7 There Will Be Blood (2007), Paul Thomas Anderson
-o- 6 WALL*E (2008), Andrew Stanton
-o- 5 No Country for Old Men (2007), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
-o- 4 Children of Men (2006), Alfonso Cuaron
-o- 3 Memento (2001), Christopher Nolan
-o- 2 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Peter Jackson
-o- 1 Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Quentin Tarantino

See their Top 100 list here. Are there any movies you think should be here instead of these 10? Any that aren’t on the list at all?

I myself was surprised to see Juno (2007), Jason Reitman, at number 99; I think my list would have it in the top 50 if not the top 20. I also feel as though there is a fair amount of (not necessarily undeserved) hero worship of directors here – Tarantino has three of 10 spots. Finally, there is a definite bias toward American films here.

I didn’t like all the films on this list but I have seen them all. Thoughts? Comments?

10 Superb Book Last Lines

Posted by

3

When I posted 10 Superb Opening Book Lines, I received a suggestion to also provide 10 last lines.

On the one hand, this could be dangerous. For I HATE HATE HATE when famous book plots are revealed to me in media and art, though I understand that there is a point at which a certain amount of time has passed and the knowledge is now “common” or “general.” The Simpsons has almost ruined much for me, though I love the show. For example, most people know how The Empire Strikes Back ends, even if they have somehow avoided seeing it. More recently, the shocking ending of The Sixth Sense was revealed in an episode of Scrubs in a face-off between the Janitor and Dr. Cox. I even feel animosity toward book jackets that reveal an event that occurs a few chapters into the book (After the death of her mother…).

I have decided, however, that the title of this post will deter those who fear spoilers (as I do); additionally, most of the books I’ve chosen are at least fifty years old.  I have also taken the liberty of expanding the defintion of “last lines” to include up to five short sentences. Enjoy!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-o- “Clang. The gate was shut. Sam hurled himself against the bolted brazen plates and fell senseless to the ground. He was out in the darkness. Frodo was alive but taken by the enemy.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers (1954)

-o- “Thus around the shores of deserted earth, while the sun is high, and the moon waxes or wanes, angels, the spirits of the dead, and the ever-open eye of the Supreme, will behold the tiny bark, frightened VERNEY – the last man.”
Mary Shelley, The Last Man (1826)

-o- “Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”
George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

-o- “In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.”
Cormac McCarthy, The Road (2006)

-o- “Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1964)

-o- “The gunslinger waited for the time of the drawing and dreamed his long dreams of the Dark Tower, to which he would someday come at dusk and approach, winding his horn, to do some unimaginable final battle.”
Stephen King, The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (1982)

-o- “The cannons of his adversary were thundering in the tattered morning when the Majesty of England drew himself up to meet the future with a peaceful heart.”
T. H. White, The Once and Future King (1958)

-o- “Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

-o- “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.”
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

-o- “He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.”
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o