My Ultimate Christmas Playlist

I love a lot of other songs, too, but these are my particular favorites...

Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant. Let's just face it.  No one does it like her.
Agnus Dei- (also by Amy)  While this technically isn't a Christmas song, it's the prettiest arrangement I've ever heard of this worship song.  And it works.   
All is Well- Heather Payne (Point of Grace)  Apparently she was singing this while POG was on tour with Michael W. Smith, and she got to record it.  It's so pretty. 
Welcome to Our World- Michael W. Smith.  A nice song, and a great message.
New Favorite: Christmas Must Be Something More- Taylor Swift.  Awesome message. 
Let it Snow- POG's arrangement
Let there be Light- POG
For Unto Us- POG
O Come All Ye Faithful (Amy again.)
O Holy Night - POG has an interesting arrangement, since they're a group.  It's my favorite to sing.  
(And of course...) The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole.  Enough said.

(Official Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for lush orchestrated arrangements. Can you tell?  Amy and POG do them well.)

Breaking Dawn- A Postscript

Since the 18th, Mom and I have been back to see Breaking Dawn once more.  I kind of didn't "enjoy" it the first time (as much as I thought I would), because I'd mentally hyped it up so much.  But going to see it a second time- it was much better.  It didn't seem quite as rushed. 

And, there was no flashback during the wedding-  it was during Bella's transformation.  (sorry.)

We don't have too much longer to wait to see it again, because it's supposed to come out on DVD mid-February.  With a longer version.  (Not quite so official... but here's where I got the info: Breaking Dawn Movie.org; they got their info from Hypable.com.)

Breaking Dawn: An Intimate Epic Film

 

Today Mom and I went to go see "Breaking Dawn." I'm giving my review with as much detail as possible (or as much as I can remember), so if you don't want any spoilers, just skip this.  If you don't care either way, keep reading.  

My first impression was that it was fast-paced, but not quite rushed, at the same time.  And, if you are not into Twilight, you will not get this.  Let's just get that straight right now.

The wedding scenes were very good.  It wasn't just a wedding straight through.  It was cut nicely.  Bella's dress was beautiful.  Yes, I was honestly starting to tear up.  (Mom was like, "Are you crying?")  The speeches were funny, and fit the characters giving them (honestly, they could have done without Jessica's).  The honeymoon was okay; not as flashback-needy as I thought it was going to be.  

The Twi-nostalgia is still here.  If you listen very carefully to the music, you'll notice "Bella's Lullaby" is woven through the whole film.  During the wedding you see flashbacks from the other films.  

There were some very slight plot changes from the book, which worked out okay by adequately tying ends up.  Irina, one of the Cullens' "cousins" is still mad at them for the wolves killing her friend (this takes place in New Moon, and *should* be explained in pt. 2).  This was actually pretty plausible.  (In the book Irina completely skips the wedding.)  The filmmakers also switch around some of the wolves' story elements.  This still works in favor for the movie.  The wolves' voice-over sequence was kept very short, so this was one time where the editing worked in the film's favor.  One scene that actually was really cool was the nightmare sequence, which was altered from the book.  But it still gets the point across, and visually it stands out the most.  Really well done.

(I still wish they'd included Rosalie's "dog food" sequence.  Oh well.  We wait for the DVD.)  

The birthing scene was more graphic than I thought it would be.  At one point I was like, ewww.  From interviews I had seen of the actors discussing this scene, it seemed to me like the effects weren't going to be that good (in terns of the baby), but they were.  

Imprinting- Just. Perfect.  Exactly how I thought it was going to be.  Maybe someone read my comment somewhere. 

The ending- It was also perfect- just what we wanted. (It's another light-filled scene.)  I was like, yay!  The thing Mom and I both agreed on was that it left us wanting to see part 2.  In two or three weeks we'd like to go see it again to get stuff that we might have missed.

The parts that I'd hoped would be good, were good.  I wish they'd slowed down just a smidge, but it would have been worse if the movie dragged on.  All in all, I'd give it a B+.

My Breaking Dawn Wish List

Back in June I made a list of what I wanted to see in "Breaking Dawn."  So, a couple of days before the film opens, I thought I'd share it with you. 

A great wedding- based on what we've seen in the trailers and pictures, it looks like we're going to get it.

The birthing scene- maybe it could be, stylistically, like a flashback/life-flashing thing.  (Like when Edward's taking the venom out in Twilight.)

Imprinting- Maybe it could be in the same tone, just for Jacob.  (Think: the sequence for "Armageddon" when Bruce Willis detonates the nuclear bomb.)

The last scene- Bella opens her eyes as a vampire, close up.  (Like "Avatar")

And, while we're at it, let's talk about Part II...

Bella- Please, please have her as the confident, "I-am-vampire-hear-me-roar" wife/mommy.  Although, when I think about it, she's not really that way in the book.  But oh well.  

Bella arm-wrestling Emmett.  From what I've heard, we're going to get this.  

A "rock music montage" during the fight-training sequences.  

Call me crazy, but I've always thought that The Band Perry song "If I Die Young" would be a good fit during the Volturi confrontation just when Bella's about to send Renesmee off.

And.... this is one of my "goodies" that I talked about.  I'm pretty proud of it.  My other idea just totally bombed.  I've got the lion charm (for Edward), the wolf (for Jacob), and the stone is for Bella. 

Six Days to Go

OK, folks!  We've got six days to go until "Breaking Dawn"! Yay!  We got a little tidbit from the director that we might not want to leave right after the movie's over [all together now: Ooooh!].  He's been really great about keeping the fans informed during the whole process with "teaser" pictures and stuff like that.  One of the fan sites [TwilightersAnonymous] even got to see it, and gave a little review.  She (the reviewer) didn't give too much away, and it made me more excited for the movie.

The soundtrack came out.  I love Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" and Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain".  I also loved the musical piece "Love Death Birth."  I have a thing about movie scores.  But that won't play on my computer.  Have to wait until the score's released next month.  

Getting my Twi-Goodies ready to go for the big day... I'll post pictures as soon as they're done.  And of course, I'll post my review. 

I do have one small gripe, though...  I've been to Hobby Lobby, been to Michael's... how come there isn't any Twilight scrapbooking stuff??

Cake Pops Bombed

This week I'd had the bright idea to make cake pops, after having some great ones at Starbucks. 

I guess there's a reason they have theirs shipped in. 

I used french vanilla cake mix with vanilla frosting.  One recipe I used said to use 1/3 cup frosting, so I did.  It didn't seem like enough, so I doubled that.  This was probably my first mistake.  I mixed the two together, let it chill, and used about a tablespoon of "dough".  You then roll them into balls, and let them chill again in the fridge.  Finally you dip them into the melted chocolate/candy, etc., and harden in the fridge again. 

The next to last stop was where I got frustrated.  (This is not a recipe for the easily frustrated.  And I get easily frustrated.)  I guess the cake balls were too heavy, and the candy coating was too thick, and when I *really* tried to dip the pops into the coating, they came apart.  (And yes, I pre-dipped the sticks).  I just finally gave up and rolled them- without the lollipop sticks- in the coating. 

They do taste good, though.  But they're kind of a hassle. 

Worst Movies Ever

"Down with Love"- This had Renee Zellweger in it.  I don't remember why it was bad.  It just was.

"Vampires Suck"- As you know, I am a "Twilight" fan.  And I'm sure there was a good way to spoof our Twilight love.  This just wasn't it. 

"The Fourth Kind"- This movie has an agenda against owls.  It makes the "Independence Day" aliens look like humanitarians.

"2001: A Space Odyssey"- This is *my* pick for my worst movie.  It could have been a good movie.  A movie that made sense.  My apologies if you liked this.

Autumn in New York- just plain, stinkin' sad.  I don't think Nicholas Sparks wrote this.  My apologies if you like Nicholas Sparks.  (Spoiler alert: He tends to kill off people.)

The Core- this makes Mom's list.  To me, it's not that bad.  I guess it didn't help that I watched this film once or twice during a trans-atlantic flight.  Just your typical disaster movie that kills its' heroes in "new" (if not drawn-out) ways. 

The Happening- Even though this is an M. Night Shyamalan movie, and I usually like his movies, you just can't make a movie about suicide and expect it to be good.  Major creep factor here. 

North- I watched this old Elijah Wood flick after a several-year "hiatus."  Unfortunately I remembered why.  The movie depends on stereotypes for survival.  Oh, wait, I guess it didn't.  Survive, that is.   

Deep Impact-  Also depressing.  It barely even tries to be an uplifting movie.  Maybe it's not supposed to be.  "Armageddon" was way better.

Twilight.

(Made you look.)

Abduction (AKA 3 Degrees of Taylor Lautner)

I saw "Abduction" this past week; it was pretty good.  Taylor Lautner was good in it; it was a fast-paced film.  I think he can hold a lead role (you know, apart from the Twilight franchise). 

Oh, yeah, speaking of.... they showed the "Breaking Dawn" trailer!  I was happy, as I was hoping to see the trailer on the "big screen" before actually seeing the film.  It came on *just* when I was about to leave the theater to inquire as to why "Abduction" was starting late.  It's a good thing I didn't leave; I would have been pretty mad at myself. 

I also got Taylor Swift's DVD "Journey to Fearless" and got my T. Swift overload until her live CD/DVD next month.  "Journey's" a really good deal- two (or more) hours of songs and footage.  I had originally seen it on the HUB network.  It's what made me a fan in the first place.  (She and Taylor dated at one time- hence the connection.)

If Hollywood Ran the Government

This entry was inspired from an article in Entertainment Weekly, called "Obama Asks Hollywood for Help."  So that got me thinking... What if Hollywood ran the goverment?

Ok, here's my lineup.  This is just meant to be a funny, tongue-in-cheek thing. 

Bill Pullman- He can be the President. We know he can do the job, and fight off aliens at the same time! (See Independence Day)

Bruce Willis, as Secretary of Defense.  Good at fighting crime and terrorism (plus he stopped an asteroid). Backup: Will Smith.

Meryl Streep, Vice President. (Two words: Manchurian Candidate. Countries would suddenly leave us alone. Like that.)

Surgeon General: Peter Facinelli, aka,Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Talk about a lifetime appointment. Backup: Dr. Quinn, aka Jane Seymour. If we need a board, there's the entire cast of ER.

Ben Affleck- head of the CIA. His achievement: stopping nuclear war at the 11^th hour. (See The Sum of All Fears) 

Anyone else have any picks? 

My Favorite Blogs

For reasons which I'll elaborate on at a later date, I'm not baking so much right now.  So I thought I'd make a list of my favorite food blogs to share the food love.  Mom got me started on collecting recipes, and I've scoured the web in search of good food blogs-- good food, and good blogs, at the same time. 

Vanilla Sugar - She has some good recipes and really nice pictures. 
Deep Fried Kudzu - Some good Southern/Jewish-inspired recipes.  I'm dying to try that matzo-collard greens soup.
CPB Gallery - A must for anyone who loves chocolate and peanut butter.  Like me.
Baker's Banter - King Arthur Flour's blog.  Really good, thorough explanations, great pictures, and really yummy stuff that I want to try. 

I'll post more later, but I wanted to get the top blogs that I look at for right now.  I have a ton of other blogs and recipe sites that I've bookmarked. 

From One Virus to Another...

Today Mom and I saw two movies.  One was "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."  When I first heard about it, I was like, "Eh."  But then I heard how much dough it made, and saw the trailer, and thought it looked pretty good.

It was pretty good.  The special effects were neat, and the storyline was easy to follow.  It got me thinking as to how far primates can go with their intelligence.  I know the speaking thing was pretty off-the-mark, but still.... (And, no, there are no redwood forests on the other side of the Golden Gate!  They're at least 3 hours away!) The ending was left totally open for a sequel.  Do not leave the theater when the credits roll.  Which leads me to the second movie... (yes, the two are linked by this small but significant thread; those who have seen "Apes" know what I'm talking about.)

"Contagion."  It's part drama, part documentary (sort of).  The cinematography is good, and so is the acting.  What's good is that it doesn't go from start-to-finish.  It skips around.

[Disclosure warning] I am slightly germophobic, and probably for good reason.  I nearly had a panic attack while watching this movie.  I thought I was going to be sick (the *other* kind of sick).  But I enjoyed it, as much as one can watching this type of movie.  It's quite good.  Perhaps that's why it was good.  It's scary.  It's scary because it could happen.

And on a happier note, look what I found... :)

Trailers and Tacos and Movies, Oh My

This evening, we Twihards finally got what we'd been waiting for.

The official Breaking Dawn trailer.

Man, did they deliver.  It was pretty stinkin' cool.  Thank you, Bill Condon.

http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/

I'm even more excited now to see it.

Tonight was a late taco night.  Mom and I had crunchy tacos; they were good.  Hadn't had them for a while.  By the way, Walmart, kudos to the Marketside Guacamole in the produce section.  It's really good.

I picked up "X-Men: First Class." I'm not quite done with it.  I was a little worried as to how it would go, considering none of the original cast (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, et al) is in it, but it's good.  I like it.

I'm kind of tired, considering it's close to one in the morning. Signing off.

With Great Power...

...Comes great air-condtioning. (Sorry, Spider-Man.)

If you've been in Houston the past 24 hours, you know we've been having some problems with power.  It started last night at about 8:30.  I was at work when the lights first went out.  The registers were able to keep running for about a half an hour longer, then they quit.  The customers were ushered out of the store, and we (the employees) started sorting in the dark, until the power came back on about forty-five minutes later.

Today we had power issues again, along with a good amount of wind.  It started about noon, and for my place it went off and on a couple times.  The second time it went off, I thought I'd go to work to see if I could get a couple of things.  Alas, work was closed, and they were ushering people out again.  So I went to Food Town, where everything was working... for a while.  The lights went out there, too, but no one seemed to be in a hurry to leave yet.  Everyone seemed to be making the rounds to whichever store was open in the area.

On I went to Target.  All seemed to be well there. 


Oh, man.  The lights went out after a couple of minutes.  Then they came back on.  Then, they just went off.  The employees let us keep shopping for a while, although I was told by an employee that they would have to kick us out eventually to avoid theft.  Employees were also mentioning closing off the frozen/refrigerated food sections soon.  I heard mumblings about "flashlight apps"; indeed, some people were using theirs. 

I left eventually and went back to Food Town; it was still dark-- and pretty busy.  That was really my last stop of the day.  When I was on my way home Mom called to say that we had power again.  Maybe I should write a book: The Survival Guide for People in Weird Situations, or something like that.


So... here I am, doing this blog- with power and A/C (!!).


For right now, anyway. :)


And, yes, I did get a flashlight app.

Movies and More Musings

"Dear East Coast,
Please don't hog the rain.

Sincerely, Texas."

I'm still reading "The Confession."  It's good- still good.  I also picked up "The Sookie Stackhouse Companion", by Charlaine Harris, to read next.

Here's some movies I'd like to see:
-"The Debt"
-"Contagion"
-"Abduction"
-"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (having skipped the first one- or is it two?)
-And this little movie called... wait, you know what it is already.

Here's a handy tip: be careful about what time you set up your phone.  You just might inadvertently call someone at two am- like I nearly did.

Rice Krispies Treats / The Host

I made Rice Krispy treats today.  I got the idea from the Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery .  They got their recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/crispy-rice-treats-recipe/index.html .

All went well until I was stirring the peanut butter into the marshmallow mix.  I stepped away for a few too many seconds, and I think the peanut butter started to cook.  But I rescued it in time.  After the treats had cooled in the pan, I dipped them in some chocolate and let them set in the fridge for a few minutes.  They came out very chewy.  Mom liked them.  I thought they were just okay.

Next time I'll try to make something "savory," instead of a dessert.

I finished reading "The Host" a few days ago.  It's kind of like a kinder, gentler version of "Invasion of the Body-Snatchers," if you've ever seen that.  Except, we know that these "beings" are here, and there's one person who won't let the "soul" (the book's term) move in. We're just trying to make your planet better!  Seriously.  We are!

I had a really hard time with this book.  The first third was rather confusing.  I was about ready to just chuck it.  It wasn't until I got into the second half that it got interesting.  Instead of the "soul" trying to control the human, the situation is in reverse.  The last third and the ending are really great.  But does a great ending mean a great book?  Not necessarily.  "The Host" may be heading to Half-Price Books soon.

A movie for it is in the works.  Maybe a simplified film version will be easier for me.    

I was pretty glad to start reading John Grisham's "The Confession."  Only a chapter in, and it's good. 

The Help

Mom and I saw "The Help" yesterday.  It was good; pretty close with the book.  The actresses all did a really good job.  The little girl who played Mae Mobley was very good.  When I was reading the book, I had always pictured actress Lois Smith playing Skeeter's mother (Smith's been in a ton of movies, inc. "Minority Report," "Twister," and "Fried Green Tomatoes").  They all have good chemistry.  Sissy Spacek has a small but good part as Hilly's mom.  Bryce Dallas Howard is Hilly, and it's one of her best roles.

It's funny how things can trigger memories.  During one party scene there's a pitcher in the kitchen that both of us recognized as Depression glass.  I was debating as to whether or not it was real or a prop.  We should know.  We have about a million pieces.  (Thanks, Nan.)  [You can see a little of it in this pic- Picture ]

And, yes, if you're wondering, the book's two most outstanding scenes are in the movie.  I've never heard a bunch of people laugh so hard.

So-- see the movie or read the book?  Do both.   

A Book and a Movie (AKA, By the Book)

Recently I've been discussing on Facebook what I've read. I just finished reading “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett, which is really good. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie (which I might do tomorrow).

It got Mom thinking back to when she read “Not Without My Daughter,” by Betty Mahmoody, in which a woman and her daughter escape from Iran in the mid-1980s. If you haven't read it, please do. It is very well-detailed, and very thick. Mom read the book (which she could barely put down), and then saw the movie. She wishes she had done it in reverse.

I'm not knocking the movie. The acting is good. They cut out some stuff; I know that's what you have to do on a budget, time constraints, simplicity, etc. I liked the book, too. You have to give the filmmakers credit for making it 2 ½ hours long, when a lot of films were just 90 minutes during that decade. I think a remake would be warranted, but it would probably never happen.

A friend of mine had a similar complaint with “Water for Elephants.” It's another richly written book, but the film version cut out one of the main characters, something I hadn't realized until after she brought it up. I thought the movie was pretty good.

That's the concern with “Breaking Dawn” fans (yes, here's my Twilight mention!). A lot of people are wondering what scenes from the book are going to be in the film, what's going to be cut. From what we've heard so far, it seems pretty faithful with the book. So far. Good thing it's in two parts. It's another stinking long book (but sooo worth it). [No tomatoes, please!]

There is a movie in recent memory where it is very similar with its' written counterpart: “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.” If you haven't read this book, please do so. It is one of the most delightful books I've ever read. (And I don't throw around “delightful” very often.) The movie was cute, although they left out a scene from the book that I would have loved to see. (An absolutely hilarious scene where one of the older daughters baby-sits.)

Which would you rather do? Read the book first, then see the movie? Or see the movie, and be surprised by the book? I am curious to see how they treated “The Help.”

PS: I'm currently reading Stephenie Meyer's “The Host.” It's kind of confusing. :-/

PPS: We're now into the double-digit days of the "Breaking Dawn" countdown, folks! Yay!

"Fun-Da-Middles" Not so Fun / Culinary Cheating

Okay... you may have seen those Betty Crocker (might be wrong on the brand) cupcake mixes where you put the creme in the middle then bake.  Kind of like Twinkies, and they've made other varieties.  I used the vanilla mix / vanilla creme one; they also have chocolate/vanilla, and vanilla/chocolate.

You mix the cake mix, then put 2/3rds or so in the tins, squeeze a dollop of creme in, then put some more batter on top.  Mine weren't so precise, though they came out okay.  There are exact instructions on how to put the creme in (DON'T let the creme touch the sides).  Bake, and you have your own Twinkies, Hostess Cupcakes, whatever.  They taste good.  They're fine.  They'll cure your sweet tooth.  Honestly, I won't buy these too often. 

If someone from BC ever reads this, try putting a frosting tip mechanism with the creme.  It'll go in easier; the user will have better control. 

Round 2: Me v. Roasted Cauliflower.  I won.  It came out much better this time.  Kept the temp much lower- about 300-325 deg.

So... I was buying stuff at the store today when Another National Brand (who shall remain nameless) came out with their own whoopie pie mix.  Picked up the box, looked at the instructions, and thought, "I could copy this myself." (And I'm sure at least a few dozen other people have.)  So I snapped a picture of the instructions, bought my own cake mix and frosting.  I'll be attempting this in the future.

Brownies vs. Marshmallows

"What a marshmallow!"- Jacob Black, New Moon

(Ha ha.)

The newest recipe that I have tried most recently involves brownie mix.  It was based on taking cookie dough, putting it in muffin tins, and when it was pretty much baked, you put in a Hershey's Kiss, mini peanut butter cup, etc.-- thus creating a "cookie cup."  So I wondered: can it be done with brownie mix?

It can.  Sort of.

It depends on what you want to put in it.  Peanut butter cups work beautifully.  Marshmallows don't, so much.  Those are the two variables I tried.  Both items I put in before the brownies were baked.  The marshmallows just seemed to float, melt, then simply toast on top.  The peanut butter cups just remain in their chocolate beds, slightly melting.  There's probably some good news for the marshmallow camp- the marshmallow develops an almost taffy-like consistency after it comes out of the oven.

[And now, an official disclaimer from Mom: she's making me say that I used one large marshmallow per tin.  I should have just mixed up mini marshmallows in the batter.] 

I'd like to try these in mini muffin tins.  The brownies came out soft and fudgy; I tried not to overbake them. 

Next up on my baking list and blog: the new bake-your-own "twinkies" that you may have seen in grocery stores.

Odds and Ends

Okay, I know I haven't written anything for a couple of weeks.  I haven't made anything new.  This will be a mash-up of different topics.

I appreciate the rain we've been getting.  Keep it coming!

I roasted brussels sprouts for the first time last week.  They turned out good- fresh ones cut in half, tossed in a little bit of oil, salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven until done.  They get a little soft on the inside, crispy on the outside.  Yum.  You may not like brussels sprouts, but I do. :)

There's a really cute bagel place near me, called The Bagel Cafe, in Houston.  Really good.  Mom liked the bagel chips; their sandwiches are tasty.

Have you seen the new brown sugar/cinnamon Ritz crackers?  I picked up a box.  They aren't that sweet.  Maybe a little on the bland side.  They probably would be good for some no-bake pie crust.

San Diego has Comic Con right now (convention for comic books, action movies, fantasy movies, you get the idea).  Yesterday was basically, albeit unofficially, Breaking Dawn day.  The director and actors had a Q & A time, and showed two clips from the upcoming movie.  One clip was of Jacob (Taylor Lautner) talking to two of the vampires, and then the pack of wolves.  I'm not going to rehash the details; it's on YouTube and probably every other news and fan site.  (I should mention that both clips were filmed "unofficially," and put on YouTube.)

Then we get to the other clip-- of Bella and Edward arriving at Isle Esme, where the honeymoon takes place.  That's where we have the problem.  Mom deduced that the "cameraman" (woman?) got cold feet at the last minute, and that was why we ONLY GOT AUDIO.

Really? Seriously?  There's a million other frustrated fans asking the same question.  I guess we have to wait for Summit to officially release it. 

You have to turn up your speakers, but it's there.  I have to say, I liked the music at the beginning.

The Alternate Universe

I knew it was coming.  I had about a few weeks left.  As much as I hated to do it, I needed to.  Sooner than later, I needed to venture to one of the most hated places on the planet. 

Here in Texas, it's called the Dept. of Public Safety- DPS.  In California, it's called the DMV.  You might as well call it purgatory.  I had to get my state ID. 

I got there at about 11:30 or so; Mom came with me.  I came prepared- with the paperwork, as well as the books "Water for Elephants," and "Breaking Dawn." (The latter was for Mom.  Alas, the book made her sleepy.)  There seemed to be two groups-- one to get the number to be waited on, and another (larger) group where you actually got waited on.

The security guard really did his job.  He routinely asked people questions, making sure they had all the documents to get that "Golden Ticket."  I was number 448.  The numbers were called by groups, rather than in order.

Then, once you get your number, you go to the much larger group to find a seat.  Or not.  And yes, we were by no means not the only ones there.  Mom got a chair, and I either stood, or sat on the floor until there was a seat available.  Around 2 1/2 hours in, I got a seat.  We watch the screen for our number to be called like brokers watch the stock market.  There are occasional cheers from various corners of the room when some numbers are called.  After a little while, people emerge from the counters with grins on their faces, like they had won the lottery.

All in all, we were there about three and a-half hours.   

Southern... Toffee?

I had wanted to make this saltine cracker toffee candy for a while.  Paula Deen has a recipe of it, but the one I used was from http://tammysrecipes.com/easy_saltine_cracker_candy .  It's pretty easy to make, all you need is crackers, brown sugar, butter, nuts, and chocolate chips.

You combine the brown sugar and butter, and bring it to a boil.  Okay, done.  Pour it over the crackers that you've laid out on a baking sheet.  Pop it into the oven for a few minutes, put the chocolate on it, let that melt, then put the nuts on top.  Let cool, then put it in the fridge to solidify.

There was one problem.  I probably should have doubled the recipe for the toffee, because it didn't really make enough to cover the crackers.  The mixture wasn't quite liquified enough, and thus, was not that "pourable."  I quickly learned that I didn't have enough chocolate chips on hand.  I tried to make do with a remnant of a chocolate bar.  The semisweet chips didn't melt that great.  Paula uses chocolate bars.

All in all, if you need a sugar fix, this is it.  One other thing-- Mom suggested putting the nuts on after the toffee, instead of on the chocolate.  (Some of the nuts had fallen off) 

If I try this recipe again, I would do a little bit of tweaking.

"We have no bananas..."

I don't really care for bananas. Let me clarify: I'm not crazy about eating bananas by themselves. I'm not really sure why.

That being said, I really like a recipe I came across once for banana bread cobbler. And, I do like banana bread. So I thought I'd blog about my attempt to make banana bread-- in muffin form.

I'm working off a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com. It's something Giada de Laurentiis featured on a show of hers. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giadas-weekend-getaways/flours-famous-banana-bread-recipe/index.html

One of the curious things I noticed was that you beat the eggs and sugar together. I'd never done that before in a recipe. I'm using a muffin pan because I don't have a loaf pan. There are 3 ½ bananas (mashed) in this recipe, and toasted walnuts. (Yum. Sprinkled a few extra on top. Mom and I like walnuts.) A little bit of cinnamon is included.

The batter seemed a bit thin, even with the bananas, so I was a bit concerned about the tins overflowing, But they were fine. These do not take nearly as long to bake. It seems like just under a half-hour is perfect. My oven runs kind of hot, so I'm lowering it some more for the leftover batch. These puppies are hot when they come out of the oven, even with a 2-minute rest period. They smell good, too.

The Verdict:

These are really good. They're moist, nutty, and have chunks of banana.

(By the way, the title comes from this old song that my dad had referenced to once in a great while. So I looked it up, and it has a pretty interesting history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes!_We_Have_No_Bananas )

24,266 Pages

I racked my brain last night trying to think of what to blog about.  I thought about baking something, but I didn't really want to, because I have a cold.  I thought about somehow analyzing books that I'd read, but considering the sheer number of them, that was less-than-anticipated.  Then, I found out that GoodReads.com had done it for me already.  Phew. http://www.goodreads.com is a site that helps you keep track of the books you've read.  It's right down my alley. 

So... just because I can't think of anything else....

I have 253 books listed on GoodReads.com.  209 of those are books that I've read- give or take one or two.  One I have listed as "currently reading", and 43 books that I want to read.  There are seven that I "seriously need to finish reading" (might as well start over with those). 19 are children's books, 25 are Christian, one's a cookbook, three are history, and 51 are biographies/autobiographies.  Rather consistently, biography is the genre that I've read the most over the past few years.  Seven have to do with movies and music, and fifteen are mysteries.  A lot of the books I've put into multiple categories. 

My first book listed is "Veil of Roses," by Laura Fitzgerald, on Feb. 3, 2008.  My most recent book listed is "Choosing to SEE," by Mary Beth Chapman, although technically the last book I finished reading last week is "A Love that Multiplies," by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

I've read ten books so far this year.  The longest book was "The Twilight Saga Official Guide."  The year where I've read the most books is 2008- twenty-six.  John Grisham's "The Client" was the longest that year.

To break it down by page numbers, there were 7619 pages read in 2008-- I had a lot of time on my hands.  6207 in 2007.  This year, it's 3447 so far.  But we're only halfway through.  And we're not counting the books I've reread.  These are just new books. 

The total of pages from 2007, until now, is 24266.  

It's all Mom's fault. :)  She started it.

Waiting for 2 Minutes

If you are a Twilight fan, you knew that last night was the premiere of the two-minute teaser trailer for "Breaking Dawn", part 1, on MTV.  The fans' collective response seemed to be "Eeeeeek," or "Aaaaahh!!"  Mine was more along the lines of, "Ooooh."  I thought it was pretty good.  For this first look, you got a little bit of everything, even Renesmee (Bella and Edward's' daughter) makes an appearance, albeit in utero.

And, everyone wanted more.  This is just the teaser trailer.  My guess is that the full theatrical trailer will be out sometime in August.

If you would like to see it, it's right here on... well, it's right here. :)

http://www.imdb.com/features/movies/breakingdawn/

We Didn't Like Ike (One ten-piece order to go!)

June 1^st marks the beginning of hurricane season for the Atlantic. It's not just the East Coast that has to worry, it's the Gulf Coast region as well. From the first of June through the first of December (yes the season is that long), residents watch the news for any storm activity which could go one of two ways- on its' way to Florida and beyond, or the Gulf Coast. We are interested in a number of factors:

• Will this be a tropical storm, or will it develop any further?
• How strong will it be?
• Which way will it go?

If experience is the best teacher, then Mom and I got a crash course during our first year in Texas.

It was September 12, 2008, and Hurricane Ike was about to smack the Gulf upside its' head. Mom and I were staying in the southeast part of Harris County, and Ike was trying to make up its mind as to where itwould go. It was six hundred miles across-- the eye alone was 49 miles wide.

Mom and I were in a peculiar situation ourselves. We had no choice but to stay put.

And isn't it funny, that's right where Ike decided to go at the last minute.

My Walmart closed at seven that evening; people were boarding up the windows when Mom picked me up. That night we went to bed around 10. It was already raining and windy. Mom put in her earplugs and slept the rest of the night. She did wake me up around midnight to tell me the power went out. The eye of the hurricane hit around 3 in the morning, on the thirteenth. Then, we got a ton of wind and rain, also known as the “dirty side.”

We did get a much-loved, albeit brief, cool front, which meant the temperatures dropped to the sixties.a 

The Monday we had to go to a Red Cross shelter until power was restored, roughly five days later (there were approximately one hundred people in the church's gym). And, cleaning up Walmart was an experience in and of itself. After Ike, ice (as well as water) was very much in demand. The employees handed out ice at work. The only restaurant that was open nearby was Church's Chicken. The owner must have had a generator, and he made a killing. There were lines around the block all the time.

Now, nearly three years later, hopefully Mom and I are far enough inland that all we should have to worry about is rain. Of, course, we don't know how many hurricanes (if any) we are going to get this year, but we hope Ike is our last one.

http://www.click2houston.com/weather/17455610/detail.html- Details about Ike

http://www.khou.com/news/local/66174132.html- It seemed like a good idea at the time to blog about MREs. (NOT mine)

"Um... Vampires? Ehhh..."

If you'd have asked me a few years ago whether or not I'd have read the Twilight series, I'd have said no.

But there is, in this story, an unlikely suspect:

Mom. 

To be fair, it's probably not all her fault.  You see, in late spring of 2009, she was at a friend's house, and their girls were watching...  Twilight.  Mom started watching it, and she thought, "Erika might like this."  Later that summer, she had been bugging me to pick up the DVD.  But I held off, thinking, "Uh, vampires?  Ehhh."

Needless to say, I finally picked it up.  Hmmm... this is different.  This is pretty good.

And, I was reasonably hooked.  The film was, I found out, a love story.  The unlikely heroine, Bella, meets up with this old-fashioned, teenage guy, Edward.  Who I guess, really is... old-fashioned-- a little over one-hundred years-old vampire.  To top it all off, his selective diet doesn't consist of humans.  He and his family hunt animals-- they call themselves "vegetarians."  (Speaking of his family, his "sister", Alice, is absolutely one of my favorite characters.)  That was one of the things that I liked about the story

It's a good love story.  Like I said, Edward is an old-fashioned, morals-romantic-courting type of guy.  I won't bore you with the details, but I've read the other books, seen the films, and I'm really looking forward to the last two films, where Bella and Edward marry and have a baby. 

And, this, coming from a "vegetarian" Twilight fan.

About Me

Hello.  This is my second major attempt with blogging, the first being Myspace (what's that?) a few years ago.  And anyway, I thought I would get started again.  I was inspired by a family member. (Thanks.)

So... my name is Erika, I'm a child of the 80s, and an original California girl/transplant to southeast Texas.  I miss the cool weather, but we seem to get it here every now and then.

I love to read, watch movies, and read.  I like to cook and look for recipes.  I'm also working on my memoir.  No, seriously, I am.  I love country music, and contemporary Christian (mostly in the 1990-00s).

Well, I guess that's all for now. :)