Thoughts on Avengers: Endgame

I saw Avengers: Endgame yesterday and I'm going to talk about it at length here, so spoilers abound. These are just my initial thoughts, so things could change but here they are!

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
My overall feeling on the movie is I liked it, but I did not love it. Maybe I expected too much. I don't know; I really didn't expect much beyond possibly some time travel, an epic battle scene, and for Iron Man to die. All of which were delivered. I'm going to break down what I liked and talk about some of the things that kept me from loving it.

Things I loved:

• Literally every time Loki appeared. He was perfection. Every time. 

Things I liked:

• Hulk/Banner - I liked this new version of the Hulk/Banner; they were much more interesting to watch and I feel like the character now can do a lot more. I wish this had happened earlier in the series, but I understand why narratively it wouldn't have. 
• Captain America's ass (America's ass). That joke never got old.  I also liked when the Captians America were fighting themselves and the past CA says, "I can do this all day," and the present CA responds something like, "oh I know," with a sigh.  
• In general, the comic relief was good (as always) with one storyline joke exception (more on that below).
• All the tear-jerky scenes with Iron Man. Man, they laid that on thick throughout the movie, and I was totally there for it. "I love you 3000" is going to be on tote bags and tattoos, I've no doubt.
• I have never seen any of the Spider-man movies (the only Marvel movies I have missed), but I love that kid, and the reunion scene with him and Iron Man was perfect (this is really a sub-point of the above Iron Man point, I guess). 
• The moment when all the yellow Strangelove space/warp circles appeared and all the fallen appeared ready for battle. This was epic. And awesome. Expectations met!
• That the Ant-Man movies really mattered and he was an integral part of the plot.
• The scenes between Captain America and Black Widow. I know we're supposed to ship her and Banner, but I just never have. I think she and CA are where it's at and he needs to get over Agent Peggy Carter.  But alas...that seems to be a moot point now!

Things I didn't love:

• Not enough Captain Marvel. Or maybe enough, but the last few movies & the previews really made it seem like she would have a larger role. I'm fine that she didn't; I just feel mislead. 
• When Thor cut off Thanos's head - that was awesome- but everyone's reaction "what did you do?!" was super lame. He killed this asshole that should have been killed long ago- thank him!
• Not enough Bucky.  I loved the scene between Sam and Cap (although not everything about how it was happening), and I get that it would have been too much to have another heartfelt scene, but damn, Bucky gets like no real love and only a couple of lines in the whole movie. They keep teasing that he's going to be a bigger part of the story, but that just doesn't seem to be happening. 

Things I found....problematic (with some burning questions thrown in)

• We need to talk about Thor. So, I would have liked to see a story-line where he dealt with his depression or PTSD or whatever he was going through in a way that did not involve fat jokes. Or play alcoholism up for laughs. The scene when he is revealed to now be fat with a huge beer belly was played for laughs - laughs where fat Thor (AND FAT PEOPLE IN GENERAL) were the butt of the joke. Not funny. And the jokes were there throughout the movie. I love Thor, - he might be my favorite Avenger -  and I felt this storyline did a real disservice to his pain and also caused harm to those who deal with fatphobia and fat oppression on a daily basis (because movies do impact real life & representation matters).   His friends, instead of seeing the pain he was in and trying to help him, looked at him with disgust and disdain for "letting himself go."  Not okay. 
• I'm not really sure how the Captian America living his life in the past and becoming old in the present works. Time travel is always messy; the laws of time travel even when well explained usually are flawed, and I thought this movie had finally figured it out so the story would all "work."  But then that last scene... no.  It messes it all up. If it doesn't mess it up, please explain it to me - if Cap time travels back to 1950 (or whatever) to live out his life with his Peggy, then how is he also the same Cap in our present? Shouldn't he be in another timeline? Ugh. They should have left that be and just had Captain America retire (which also doesn't make ANY sense for his character) or die. Or have him just never have come back from his time travel expedition and we could wonder. 
• Black Widow dying for the Soul Stone.  One, Hawkeye didn't sacrifice her, she sacrificed herself, so does that even work by soul stone rules? Two, hasn't the "woman (super)hero" sacrificing herself for the greater good been done to death? I'm not talking Marvel, I'm talking the history of film. It's a tired plot device.  Also, why didn't Nebula give Hawkeye and Black Widow a heads up about this?
• The scene during the epic battle when Scarlet Witch is battling Thanos (which was awesome), then he starts to win and says something about her being alone and ALL the women superheroes appear and say she isn't alone. I mean, yeah, it was cool, and I got the feels, but then I recognized that scene for the empowerment breadcrumbs that it really was.  

More Burning Questions:

• So....is Loki still dead? Because I need him to be alive. I'm hoping that something in all the time travel stuff means that he somehow will be alive. Unlike with the Captain America storyline, I will be totally fine if all laws set for time-travel logic have to be upended to make this happen (sorry, love is illogical).  He has a show coming out (which means I will have to get a Disney streaming subscription), so what timeline will that be set in? 
• Am I going to have to watch Guardians of the Galaxy to get my Thor on?  I hope not.
• Black Widow is dead, but I thought she had a movie coming out?  So, I guess similar question as the one about Loki.
• Does Captain America's time-hopping new life also mess up Agent Carter's choices and character motivations? Is it all part of the past/present/past/cycle and it's fine? 

Oscar 2018: The Highs and Lows

The Full List of Winners!

The Oscar Highs:

• Francis McDormand's Acceptance Speech (Actress, 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
• Not sure what an "inclusion rider" is? Here you go!
• Jordan Peele winning Best  Original Screenplay for Get Out (YAY!)
• Maya Rudolf and Tiffany Hadish were the funniest part of the night. 
• Also Kumail Nanjiani is my favorite, so here is a clip of him presenting with Lupita Nyong'o being funny and talking about Dreamers. 
• The first Native (Cherokee) presenter in all of Oscar history: Wes Studi. And he spoke in Cherokee!
• Sign Language at the Oscars - Rachel Shenton signed (and spoke) her acceptance speech for her Short, The Silent Child. 

The Oscar Lows:

• Generally boring and unfunny. And as if it wasn't long enough, there was this whole "let's go across the street and surprise 'real people' by having actors give them candy" bit.
• The in memorial- give us some context for how we know these producers, old actors, writers, etc. They used to show scenes from movies people worked on, but now it's mostly just a head shot and a person's name. Such a let down.

Oscar  Disappointments:

• Neither Get Out or Lady Bird winning Best Picture. 
• Neither Jordan Peele or Greta Gerwig winning Best Director. 
• Daniel Kaluuya not winning Best Actor (Get Out)
• Willem Dafoe not winning Best Supporting Actor (The Florida Project)
• Icarus won Best Documentary? WHAAA? No. I blame Russia. 

Oscar Watch 2018!

I set out to watch 39 of the the nominated movies for this year's Academy Awards, and I was able to see 36 of them!  I don't think I could have done it without my MoviePass subscription!

Here is my run down of who I'd like to win each of the categories. I do not recommend using any of this to fill out any Oscar-watch Ballots though. I pay zero attention to reviews/buzz, so although I also give predictions, they are largely meaningless.
**Please forgive misspellings of names, of which I'm sure there are more than a few!
**Also my not wanting someone to win doesn't mean I think they did a bad job; just that they aren't who I want to take home the award for some reason or another.
**I did not list the super technical categories because I really don't have an opinion on them this year!


Best Picture: 
Want to Win: Get Out or Lady Bird
Would be fine if they won: I, Tonya, Shape of Water, 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Don't Want to Win: Dunkirk, Darkest Hour, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread, The Post.
Who I think will win: probably someone from my "don't want to win" list.

Best Animated Picture:
Out of the 4 I saw,  Coco is the clear winner here. I don't see how any of the others can beat it.
Other animated movies: Ferdinand, Boss Baby, Loving Vincent, Breadwinner (Sadly, I didn't get to see this one!)
Who I think will win: Coco

Best Documentary:
I saw 4/5 of these as well. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail has my vote. I also really like Strong Island.
Other nominated Documentaries: Icarus, Last Men In Aleppo, and Faces Places (I didn't see this one).
Who I think will win: Strong Island or Last Men In Aleppo

Best Actor: 
Want to Win: Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
Would be fine if they won: Denzel Washington (Roman J. Isreal, Esq), Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)
Don't Want to Win: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Daniel Day Lewis (Phantom Thread)
Who I think will win: Daniel Day Lewis

Best Actress:Want to Win: Frances McDormand (3 Billboards), Saorise Ronan (LadyBird), or Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
Would be fine if they won: Sally Hawkins (Shape of Water), Meryl Streep (The Post)
Don't Want to Win: n/a
Who I think will win: Frances McDormand

Supporting Actor:
Want to Win: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project)
Would be fine if they won: Richard Jenkins (Shape of Water), Sam Rockwell (3 Billboards), Woody Harrelson (3 Billboards)
Don't Want to Win: Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) -- only because I didn't see it.
Who I Think Will Win: Richard Jenkins or Sam Rockwell

Supporting Actress:
Want To Win: Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Laurie Metcalf (LadyBird), Octavia Spencer (Shape of Water)
Fine If They Win: Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread)
Don't Want to Win: n/a
Who I think Will Win: Allison Janney

Director:
Want To Win: Jordon Peele (Get Out) or Greta Gerwig (Ladybird)
Fine If They Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water)
Don't Want to Win: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread)
Who I think Will Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water)

Adapted Screenplay:
Want To Win: Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game)
Fine If They Win: Virgil Williams & Dee Rees (Mudbound)
Don't Want to Win: James Ivory (Call Me By Your Name), Scott Frank & James Magold & Michael Green (Logan), Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (Disaster Artist)
Who I think Will Win: Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game)

Original Screenplay: 
Want To Win: Jordan Peele (Get Out) or Greta Gerwig (Ladybird)
Fine If They Win: Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick)
Don't Want to Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (3 Billboards)
Who I think Will Win: Martin McDonagh (3 Billboards)

Cinematography:
Want To Win: Shape of Water or Mudbound
Fine If They Win: Dunkirk
Don't Want to Win: BladRunner 2049, Darkest Hour,
Who I think Will Win: Shape of Water

Orig Score:
Want To Win: Phantom Thread (Jonny Greenwood) or Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)
Fine If They Win: Dunkirk (Hans Zimmer), Three Billboards (Carter Burwell)
Don't Want to Win: Star Wars: Last Jedi (Jon Williams)
Who I think Will Win: Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)

Orig Song:
Want To Win: Stand Up for Something (Diane Warren & Common, Marshall)
Fine If They Win: This is Me (Bemj Pasek & Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman), Mighy River (Mary J. Blige, Mudbound)
Don't Want to Win: Mystery of Love (Sufjan Stevens; Call Me By Your Name)
Who I think Will Win: I have absolutely no clue.

One Word 2018

It's January, so I suppose New Year's Resolutions are in order.

I don't usually make resolutions, and I find that my big declarations for self-betterment or changes tend to not pan out. Not because I never better or change myself, but because they are often too lofty or too empty. I'm not sure.

I recently saw that a couple of my friends are choosing a word to focus on (like gratitude or kindness) throughout the year. I like this idea; it's simple, yet if you choose a word wisely, it can probably have a big impact.

A word I often use to describe how I'm feeling is "overwhelmed," and yet I continue to live a life made to overwhelm.  With that in mind, my word for 2018 is:

Simplify

Meal Prep Mania!

I hate to cook when I come home from a long day at work. I won't do it. I just won't. I refuse. Even if I plan to do it, I won't do it.  Additionally, as a single person, when I do make a meal, I often have to eat if for days. This bores me, and before I know it, it's 555-PZZA to the rescue.  I end up spending more money than I have on food that is easy, but not especially tasty or good for me.

To combat that, this year I cooked up a storm over Winter Break, and I froze everything in individual portion sized bags, giving me enough dinners for about 3 months of weeknight meals.  So, if I stick with my plain I will have healthy meals each night that I can heat up in less time than it takes to order a pizza!

Here's what I made (linked recipes where available):

Budget Bytes Black Bean Quesadillas (vegetarian):
This is probably my favorite meal. I could eat it daily. The recipe makes 8-10 quesadillas. I swapped out frozen corn for peppers because I had some in my veggie drawer that I needed to use; they seem to freeze and reheat well.

One Pot Spicy Thai Noodles (vegetarian).  This is another one of my favorite recipes. It makes a ton of food, and I've yet to meet someone who didn't love it. SO GOOD. Even skeptical meat-lovers loved it. You could easily add meat to it, but I don't think it needs it.   I decided the zucchini won't freeze and reheat well, so I swapped it out for frozen peppers and green beans. I also barely cooked the veggies, so when I reheat, they will cook the first time (I hate overcooked veggies).

Turkey Kielbasa Lentil Soup:
I've blogged about this before; it's one of my favorites. I added a bunch of crushed red pepper to make it more spicy and added another half of a package of turkey kielbasa. Delish!

Crockpot Ziti
So yummy! And easy. I used a combo of Italian sausage and beef. You could make this meat-free and use mushrooms instead, but I think the meat flavors really takes this over the edge as one of my favorite new recipes.

Turkey Tortilla Soup:
I used leftover Christmas Dinner turkey, and it's pretty tasty. Not my favorite, but it's a cheap way to make turkey leftovers stretch. I just threw everything in a crock pot and cooked it all day,.

Pinto Bean Soup (can be vegetarian): 
Swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth to make it vegetarian (seems silly not to; I had left over chicken broth from another recipe, so I didn't). I also added a package of taco seasoning on my friend's recommendation, and it gave it some zip! That said, I don't think I'll make this recipe again, although bean soup is so easy and cheap, so I'll keep testing them out.

Budget Bytes Country Breakfast Bowls (Breakfast For Dinner) (vegetarian): 
I'm most skeptical about this recipe's ability to reheat well, but BudgetBytes has never steered me wrong before. Fingers crossed!

Chili: 
No recipe because I didn't make this; my mom did, and I snagged a couple of portions of it because it was so tasty. She used fire roasted tomatoes instead of regular diced, and it really took the chili up a notch. No recipe, but I recommend that tip!  My favorite vegetarian chili recipe uses quinoa, which sounds bonkers, but actually is really good; I'm sure I'll make a pot of this before winter is done.

Meatloaf:
No recipe, but it's hard to mess up meatloaf. Just throw beef, breadcrumbs, onion, ketchup, mustard and some seasoning together and cook it. So easy. So delicious. I can't believe I didn't like it when I was a kid; what was wrong with me?

My friend's Pasta Sauce (vegetarian):
No recipe. I made this vegetarian by swapping out the meat for more portabella mushrooms. Smelled delicious, although it all went into the freezer, so I'll have to update later!

Goodbye, 2017

Whew, that crap of a year is over. Goodbye, 2017!

okay, so it wasn't all bad. Highlights in pictures:

I helped organized the St. Louis Women's March. It was an incredible learning experience, and so amazing to see how many people turned out for this, and for marches across the world. It also pushed me into more direct activism in my community, and for that I am thankful! #ResitTrump #ResistRacism #Resist!

I adopted a new cat! Anya is a beautiful and sweet calico. She has yet to realize she is food secure, so no man's plate is safe while she is on the loose, but she is a sweetheart when she's not hunting.

My first trip to the beach. Me and 4 fabulous friends visited Puerto Rico. A trip of many firsts - first real beach vacation, first time paddle boarding, and first trip the a rain forest. It was wonderful.  Sadly, a few months later the catastrophic Hurricane Maria hit.  Half of Puerto Rico is still without power.

Fun times at the farm with the family. Cooper was in heaven :)

Hiking! This fall was unmatched for it's beautiful colors. It was gorgeous.

2015: my favorites

Well, I dropped off the blogwagon... Here's my 2015 recap of things I loved:

• Frank Turner. I'm pretty sure I would not have survived the last couple of months without this British folk singer. He has a punk and pop vibe (I realize that doesn't sound like it should go together) and if you have not heard him, click on his name and be ready to fall in love. His songs are catchy, but if you listen closely they can also pack a punch.
• NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts - how did I not know about this? 
• Kayaking. I got back on the water this year. Not enough, never enough. But more than I had in a while. Perhaps 2016 will be the year I buy a kayak!
• Luther - Yes, I'm behind the times on this one. I've loved Idris Elba since The Wire, but somehow this show never made it to my queue until recently. Season 1 is absolutely AMAZING. I love it all. But season 1...damn. Watch it. 
• True Blood - another show I was late to watch. I had resistance to this show, but once I actually started watching it I couldn't stop. I was a True Blood watching maniac. If you are looking for a show to marathon on your next break, it's perfect! It probably helped that I was playing a vampire role-playing game at the time. Which leads me to...
• Vampire - this role playing game. By far my favorite RPG to date, although Shadowrun is still up there. 
• Juicing - not for some bullshit detox diet, but just as a tasty way to deliver more veggies to my belly. Seriously - all those veggies you don't want to eat? Juice them, add a banana, and viola!
• Climbing - okay, this one isn't new, but something kicked in this year, and I am just better. My technique is seriously improved, and instead of being stuck in place because of some of my weaknesses, I've adapted my form to work around them. 
• Traveling with my students to DC and NY. It was so cool to go to the museums and watch them get so excited about what they were seeing. I hate that we lose our sense of wonderment as we age (or maybe just I do).  Also, these kids were just awesome. It was a great time.

I'm sure there are more new things I found this year that I love, but those stand out at this moment. 

2014 in review

I don't usually really sit down and reflect much on each year as it passes, but 2014 was a bit of a doozy, so I feel it warrants some reflection.

In some ways, it was an amazing year that brought me a lot of joy. But it was also a crappy year for many reasons:  loved ones (of mine or of people I love) have passed away, I've felt stagnant in some areas of my life, and I've been reminded that while some friendships grow, others, sadly, dwindle. And all of this was happening against the back drop of our community experiencing tragedy and unrest, filling many with hopelessness and anger.  It's really easy to dwell on the negative, forgetting that I actually have a lot to be thankful for. In an attempt not to forget, here are some of the highs of my year:

• Winter/Spring:
• I started a bunch of home improvement projects, these would actually continue through the year. My house definitely feels more "put together," and is a more pleasant place to be. Without the help of my awesome brother, this would not have been possible. He is super cool.
• Cooper and I had the opportunity to work with a fabulous dog trainer (Tovah) one on one for months. She helped me and my pup so incredibly much; her training has made our lives much happier. 
• I bought a new bike, and was able to hit the trails here and at the farm.
• Summer:
• I  traveled to see dear friends I haven't seen in years. Friends that my heart identifies as family. It was fantastic, and not to be traded for the world.
• I spent a day in Missoula, the city that breaths life in my soul.
• I ate huckleberries :)
• I watched my best friend full of happiness and love as she got married. It was a beautiful ceremony.
• I was able to travel to all these places to see friends for free because I won airline tickets in a raffle (yay!)
• I tried something new and terrifying:  rowing (ultra beginner stage), and found I absolutely love the peace that being on the water brings. 
• My niece (K) and I spent more time together; she is a ball of energy and makes the world better. She's hilarious, too. 
• My garden, especially my tomatoes and cucumbers, grew like crazy.
• Fall/Winter:
• I visited Boston (for free, again) and drank in the history and beauty of that city, meeting new friends while doing it.
• I cut 70-80% of the meat out of my diet. I feel better about my impact on the earth's resources in this respect.
• I found out Twin Peaks is coming back for a Season 3, with all episodes being co-written by Lynch/Frost (the only way it can work!)
• I was invited to a "surprise" wedding (the surprise being on us, the guests) by two of my favorite people. It was one of the best weddings I've ever attended.
• I, with a couple of friends, lots of community members tried to bring something positive  to our city in the midst of unrest and pain.
• I have a new fence that keeps my dog safely in the back yard. :)

So, what do I wish I'd done more of?

• hiked, climbed, biked
• cooked
• created less trash
• run (I couldn't, due to an injury.. hopefully I'll be able to this spring)
• gotten at least 7 hour of sleep a night
• made healthier choices
• spent less money/saved more money
• volunteered
• planted sunflowers

update on eating less meat

Week one was a success!  I really didn't miss the meat, and I savored it more when I did eat it.  One place I am going to have to watch out is eating too many carbs. I'm going to have to be carb smart about this. But, so far, so good, and if anyone was thinking of lessening their meat consumption, I think the 80/20 rule is a great way to start!

the 80/20 lacto-ovo vegetarian

Lately I've been thinking about decreasing my meat consumption. Although I think it is perfectly fine for humans to eat meat, I do think that many of us (especially in our high-protein crazed culture) eat meat in a quantity that is unsustainable and unethical, so I am cutting back.

My goal is to follow the 80/20 rule, where most of my meals are meatless, but I can enjoy turkey at Thanksgiving, a good pork steak at a St. Louis bbq, and I will able to eat anything served when I am a guest a someone's house for dinner.  Factoring 21 meals in a week, this means I can eat meat 4 meals a week if I want to. When I put it like that, it doesn't seem too difficult! Maybe I'll even end up going 90/10 meatless later.

As easy as it should be, it will be an adjustment.  For me, the best way to start is to start small. With that in mind, I've started with going vegetarian for breakfast (something that I do 98% of the time already) and for lunch.  That way, I only have to worry about meatless dinners 3 times a week at the start.  It's easiest for me to control breakfast and lunch, so I'm starting there. Of course, my 4 meat meals could be eaten anytime, so if you invite me over for brunch, don't worry if there is sausage in that casserole you made!

As expected, the first (& 2nd & 3rd) person I told about my plan was worried about my protein consumption. But guess what? Meat is not the only way to get protein. Also, I'm going 80% lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means eggs, dairy and all that jazz are okay*. But even if I wasn't eating eggs, I could still get good protein from veggies & such. 

Going veggie isn't totally new for me; I give up meat for most Lenten seasons. Even so, this is going to be a lifestyle change, so I've got some good sources of help.  100 Days of Real Food is a great website with tons of recipes and tips on clean eating, which translates very well to healthy vegetarian eating. Also, my friend & vegetarian just started a blog with great Bento Lunch ideas.  

Wish me luck! 

*yes, I realize my reasons for over-consuming animal flesh are applicable to animal by-products, but the idea of going vegan is too difficult for me to entertain. In an effort to start small & find success, this is where I'm starting. Who knows what the future holds (although a future without ice cream seems pretty bleak, indeed, so it probably still holds dairy products).

adventures in sewing: picnic blanket!

Today I decided to make a picnic blanket.  I've noticed several blankets with vinyl (or other water proof materials) on the bottom, and a cute print on the top. What a great idea, I thought!  So I headed to the fabric store.

I paired a neutral vinyl with a fun flannel pattern, and set to work. Pretty quickly, things took a turn.  Firstly, it is really hard to work with this much fabric. I had 2 1/2 yards of the vinyl, 5 yards of the flannel (because of width issues) and a table that was too small to accommodate it all. Also: vinyl sucks. Like seriously sucks.

But, all was not lost! I decided to try out using bias tape, as it would make super pretty edging and save me from having to fold over the vinyl multiple times, which my sewing machine (and I) would not have tolerated.

So, after a few bumps, the project turned out to be pretty painless.  I just sewed the two fabrics together (wrong sides together) and used bias tape to cover my pesky raw edges. Here is a really great tutorial I found on bias tape.  I also found that paper clips and clothespins worked much better than pins for this project. Binder clips would probably work, too!


The cherry on top: I have just enough umbrella fabric to make two small pillows, thereby turning my picnic blanket into a star-gazing blanket! :)

beauty and the beast, a 4 year old's perspective

The other night I watched Beauty and the Beast with my nieces (ages 2 and 4), my mom, and sister.  The 4 year old (M) did not like the Beast. This is understandable: the Beast locks Belle's dad in a dungeon, keeps Belle captive, and yells & grows at her a lot. He is actually pretty scary for much of the movie.  In hindsight, we should have anticipated M not liking him.

What I couldn't have seen coming was M falling for the charms of Gaston.  Bewildered, M asked why Belle didn't want to marry Gaston.  Then, when Gaston rallied the townspeople to attack the Beast, she began cheering, "Yeah! YEAH!!" and raised her arms in exclamation.  And later, while the Beast and Gaston fought, she chanted "NO BEAST! NO BEAST!" At this point, J (the 2 year old) leapt to the Beast's defense yelling "YES BEAST! YES BEAST!" :)

We tried to explain that Gaston was actually the mean one, but M was unconvinced. Hmmm, hopefully this is not an indication of M's future taste in men...

my nieces are delightful, exhibit a

Today, I got to read books and "talk about things" with my 3 (almost 4) year old niece, M.  We read two books: the Cat in the Hat and King and King*. 

At the end of the book M asked me "Why did the two princes get married?" To which I responded that sometimes princesses and princes fall in love and get married, but sometimes princes fall in love with princes, and princesses fall in love with princesses.  Side note: It's really difficult to say the plural of "prince" while also saying the plural of "princess" and have it not all run together. I should have said "boys" and "girls". Oh well, lesson learned.  :)

She seemed satisfied with the answer, and moved on to more pressing issues like: "Why do women have a uterus?"

After a very long talk about things related to the uterus (thankfully her mother fielded most of these questions), she then contemplated if she should have a baby. We told her she didn't need to make any rash decisions. She thought for a moment, and then must have concluded that she needed more information before deciding because she asked that a list of Dr. Seuss books be compiled. Very sensible.

My niece is awesome, by the way**.

* It's an okay book, although not as good as And Tango Makes Three, (M loved this book), which is about two boy penguins falling in love and raising a baby penguin
**I have 4 smart, hilarious, energetic and delightful nieces, they are actually all awesome, not just this one. 

pin 11: barley chocolate chip cookies

The Pin: Barley Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Verdict: Yum, yum, yummy. These definitely have an oaty taste, but I approve.
Nutritional Label

My barley obsession continues. I recently made a pot of stew and threw in some quick cooking barley for good measure, and it may have been the best part of the stew. Well, okay, maybe not, but it was darned good addition. Okay, on to the cookies!

I want to be clear, just because these cookies are made with barley four instead of white flour, they are still cookies. So while they might be healthier than regular cookies, they are still in no way actually healthy. A lot of sugar and butter went into the making of these cookies. But, white flour did not! I made a nutritional label (linked above) for those curious about that sort of thing.

The dough smelled and tasted good  a( little grainy as opposed to smooth), and it was not as creamy looking as regular cookie dough - defiantly denser. In fact, when I put the dough on the cookie sheet I just used my hands, there was little stickiness.  They cooked up great, smelling wonderfully as they were baking, but did spread out a little more than I'm used to with my cookies.

I am often critical of chocolate chip cookies. So, I was wondering if these would meet my standards.  Luckily they did.

While they have a slightly different taste from normal chocolate chip cookies, it's a pleasant taste - almost like oatmeal cookies, but not quite that strong.  I would still make my normal cookies for parties or functions, but if I just have a hankering for some home-made cookies, I would make these again in a heartbeat.

**If you make this with margarine, it will cut the fat by 1/3. I usually use butter, but I know some people aren't picky and may like that information. **

pin 10: homemade pasta sauce

The Pin: Great Grandma's Pasta Sauce

The Verdict: Easy-peasy, basilriffic, yummy, but not the end-all-be-all sauce

Okay, I don't normally call out people's grammar or punctuation as I know my blog is filled with errors (my journalist friend Greg has said I could benefit from a copy-editor) as I often write in a hurry. BUT, this blogger hit one of my pet peeves with her misuse of the word infamous.  She wrote, "Jason’s grandmother makes her infamous pasta dish."  as everyone seems to like this pasta dish (she is recommending others make it), I believe she meant "...her famous pasta dish."  You see, infamous means something that is famously BAD. Okay, I'm done now.

On to the review:
Making this sauce is a snap. While you do have let it simmer for 2 hours, if you make it on a lazy day (snow day, Sunday, whatever), it seems well worth it. Then again, I'm a basil and garlic whore, and there is A LOT of basil and garlic in this recipe.  My house smells amazing!

Half way through the simmering process, I decided it needed a bit more zip, so added more oregano, pepper, and salt.

I made a batch of it, and will freeze it in single/double servings packs, so when I want some spaghetti I can just grab a pack and be done.

This sauce is tasty, and I will enjoy it more than Ragu. It is so easy, I will for sure make it again, using the recipe as a base and add whatever herbs I fancy. I recommend it for novice sauce-from-scratch cooks. :)

new favorite quick meal

So, I'm now obsessed with turkey kielbasa sausage. I want to eat it all the time. My new favorite quick meal is kielbasa and pierogie's. Add the veggie of your choice (whatever you have), and violia! A perfect meal in under 10 minutes. :)


**I promise, this is not becoming a cooking blog. I've just been on a cooking kick the last few days.*

what's in store for 2014?

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, and even more rarely do I follow them, but this year I'm going to try!

2013 brought with it a lot of stress, due mostly to over-extending myself, which in turn meant I gave my pets less attention than they deserved, spent more money, ate out (and unhealthily) more, and generally ran myself ragged, all while feeling guilty for not spending enough time with friends and family.

Of course, I did some awesome things, too: I trained for my 1/2 marathon, saw more plays, and made a point of seeing some of my old friends more often.

But, balance is key, and balance is something I did not have in 2013, so my resolution for 2014 is to achieve more balance in my life. 

Some ways I hope to do to achieve this balance include:

• staying home during the week more, so I can eat at home, play with pets, do my shit, & keep my house/clothes clean.
• say no to invitations sometimes (and not feel guilty about it), so I can actually enjoy the invitations I say YES to!
• Climb often & keep running :)

pin 9: whole wheat pizza dough

Pizza time! I have a pizza dough recipe I like (this honey wheat pizza crust),that I posted on my "Against the Grain" a few years ago, but I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and I thought it was worth a shot as I'm always looking for ways to make my favorite Friday meal healthier.

The Pin: 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
The Verdict: Mixed:  Easy to make, insane amount of prep-time, super yummy crust.

Apparently I should read recipes more carefully because I planned to have this Friday, until I read that the dough should sit in the fridge for 24-72 hours. Yikes! That's crazy; this better be the best pizza dough ever. I made the dough Friday morning (late) and made the pizza for lunch on Saturday, so it sat in the fridge for the minimum time suggested.

Slight tweaks I made to the recipe: 

• I substituted honey for the white sugar
• After you take the dough out of the fridge, it should rise for an hour on the counter. My kitchen is usually cold, so I stuck it in a warm oven for 45 minutes.
• Sadly, I don't have a pizza stone, so I pre-baked the crust for 5 minutes before putting on the toppings. 
• Because I was just making 1 pizza (I halved the recipe), I didn't bother with the parchment paper, and instead just made the pizza on my pizza pan, but in hindsight, it would have been useful for faster clean up.

Crispiness:

On her blog, the author indicated that this pizza doesn't get "crispy," but I found mine got to a good crispness level.  Crispiness was an issue with my other recipe, but I had no such problems with this -- perhaps because I pre-baked the crust and/or didn't use the parchment paper? 

My sauce and toppings:
For my sauce I used the crushed tomato recipe (on the same blog post as the honey wheat crust) because it is still the best tasting sauce I've ever made. YUM. so easy. You should do it.

My go-to homemade pizza toppings are cheese, left over hamburger, and bell peppers, but this time I opted for basil leaves, turkey pepperoni & some left over bell peppers. I used mozzarella cheese (but I usually just use whatever I happen to have): I'm not a big cheese person, so her recipe called for way to much in my book. I probably used 1/2 a cup or so.

How does it compare to my Honey Wheat Crust?

• On the one hand, it has a lighter flavor (I taste more pizza than crust) and it was easier to get a crisper crust.
• On the other hand, I had to prepare the dough days in advance. LITERALLY (I'm really hung up on this).
• I think the 100% whole wheat is a better dough than the honey wheat, but not significantly better to win out over practicality. That said, if I plan ahead and just think to make the dough during a Scandal commercial break, I could make this a normal part of my menu. 

pin 8: chicken soup with lentils and barley

The heart healthy recipes continue! Fortunately, my parents gave me a small deep freezer and a super food saver for Christmas, so I will be eating well even when I'm busy. :)  Okay, down to business:

The Pin: Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barely*
The Verdict: Delicious! This is definitely going to be a staple in my meal rotation.

Just like the lentil and kielbasa soup, this is relatively easy to make, but it would definitely be too much to deal with on a weeknight. This is a perfect Sunday (or freezer) meal.

Changes to the recipe:

• I substituted leftover turkey from Thanksgiving for the chicken.  Having to cook meat beforehand for this soup would make the prep time on this a little much, so I highly recommend making it with leftover meat.
• I think it could have used more garlic and basil, salt & pepper. I used fresh (for both the basil and garlic), but could barely taste them. I also use low sodium everything, so found I did need to salt it. I pepper everything, so it's no surprise I needed to pepper it!

*Please note, one of the pins for this recipe (the one I pinned) only lead me to an ingredient list. From there, I had to Google the recipe to get the full thing. I linked to the actual recipe above. 

pin 7: lentil soup

Some of my readers know of my heart disease phobia,* and with that phobia in mind, I've decided to take control of my heart health in 2014. This means learning to cook with barely and lentils (among other things). As you can imagine, I've been pinning recipes on Pinterest like crazy, and this is the tale of one such pin.

The Pin: Lentil and Turkey Kielbasa Soup

The verdict: Pretty damn good!

I followed her recipe exactly, although I just bought the brand of turkey sausage that was on sale & I didn't accompany the soup with bread.  I have to say, this is a good winter soup. It is hearty (heh, pun intended), and the kielbasa makes this dish delish. It was also fairly easy to make: the prep time was minimal. 

A word about Lentils: I don't think I've ever eaten lentils before, and their flavor is strong, but not unpleasant. It is one that I think may take some getting used to, but overall, I like this dish, and will eat all 10 servings of it over the course of the winter. 

Things I might do differently:  Because the spice of the kielbasa is my favorite thing about the soup, I may play around with adding other spices/herbs - not much, just something to take it up a notch. I may also throw it in the crockpot, so the flavors can mingle a bit more.  I will also quarter or halve my sausage circles so I can have more bites that include the meat. My roommate, who likes things to have a carnival of flavor will likely say this is too bland for him.

For vegetarians: the recipe says you can omit the sausage and use all vegetable broth (rather than 1/2 veggie, 1/2 chicken), but I think you will really need to spice it up if you make this. There just isn't that much flavor outside of the sausage.

One last tip: After dinner mint recommended.

*My phobia began upon learning that women's heart attacks often present themselves differently from men's, and women sometimes have heart-attacks without knowing it, which can lead to their body being wrecked, or them being dead.  I spend about 30% of the time wondering if I'm having a heart-attack.  This PSA with Elizabeth Banks is both hilarious and terrifying; enjoy! (plays automatically)