It Started with a Journal

The Movies Part

Lots of movie watching going on. Some good, some okay, none bad (yay).

I have rewatched: Julie & Julia, The Time-Traveler's Wife, The Joy Luck Club, Terminator Salvation, and Star Trek 2009. Sadly none of these movies were as good on rewatch, especially the last two. To be honest I only watched TS again for Sam Worthington. As for J&J, it's even more torturous to have to watch the Amy Adams parts the second time around (though the Meryl Streep parts are just as charming), and as for TTTW, it loses ... something. I don't know what. It's still a lovely and touching story, but it didn't quite take my breath away the way it did the first time.

As for new movies, I've watched: Up in the Air, It's Complicated, Precious, and Inglourious Basterds. ( Spoilery stuff, including for the Golden Globes. )

The Food Part

Actually the most memorable parts of Inglourious Basterds and It's Complicated, for me at least, was two food scenes. >.> I'm totally a one-way road. For IB it was the scene with the strudel. My God at all the decadent whipped cream spooned on top! I had to make some immediately! Well it turns out, making true strudel dough is quite as complicated as making croissant dough. I mean, according to Rose Levy Berenbaum, I need a 48" round table, because you have to roll the dough out sheet thin to that size. O.o Yeah, I am not ready for that. So I had to fake it by using refrigerated phyllo dough. It might not have been true strudel, but it was a good enough substitute (soooo delicious with the whipped cream on top).

Second was the croque monsieur that Jane made for Adam. I was like, what is that cheesy bread goodness that she is serving him?! Turns out that croque monsieur is French "fast food" -- basically a grilled cheese sandwich with ham, and the cheese is usually gruyere or emmenthal. Leave it to the French, even their fast food is superior. You can turn it into a croque madame by adding a fried egg on top, or a croque provencal by adding slices of tomato. Whatever croque you prefer, it will be delicious! I had the original croque monsieur for dinner tonight (using Beecher's cheddar as that's what I had on hand), along with Caesar salad. Soooooooo good! Next time I need to either broil the cheese or place the rack higher up, in order to get more browning to the cheese. Oh, and I think there's some debate as to whether a true croque monsieur is an open-faced sandwich or has two slices of bread (like grilled cheese), but since Jane served it open faced in the movie and that's what made my mouth water, that's the way I prepared it. And did not regret it one bit!

Yeah so tonight I ate 2 slices of croque monsieur, a Caesar salad, half an avocado, and a generous portion of apple strudel with a giant mound of whipped cream. My diet isn't going so well.

The Other Stuff Part

I've gotten a new haircut (realllly needed one). I don't think I like it. It's not that it looks bad, but I don't think it looks good either. Certainly not better than the way I usually wear it. I've got side bangs now and I'm just not used to hair touching my face so it's driving me a little crazy.

I made two apple strudels but don't want to eat both, because ohmygod at the butter involved. Tomorrow I have a physical therapy appointment, but everyone there is super thin so I think the apple strudel would not be appreciated. I could bring it in to work, but technically I work from home so I'd have to make a special trip there JUST to drop off the strudel. Times like these I wish I had one of those TV show neighborhoods where everyone is all nice and friendly with each other, I could give it to a neighbor.

I don't want to work tomorrow. It's not fair that we don't get MLK day off. :(