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.