Make New Friends, But Keep the Old September 16, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food, Friends, Movie.Tags: Corn on the Cob, Dinner and a Movie, Salad, Sweet Potato Fries, Turkey Burger
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My dear friend, Lindsay, finally managed to escape the clutches of Gross Anatomy to visit Boulder for a dinner and a movie night! We decided to go with an end of summer theme for dinner… think turkey burgers, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, and a side salad.
Lindsay whipped up some magic spices into the ground turkey, so I’m not actually sure what ended up into the patties. All I am confident of is that there were onions and… wait for it… brie. That’s right, brie. Let me tell you, these beauties were FANTASTIC.
Chris grilled them to perfection. Just the right amount of char. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them!
I kept myself busy by shucking corn and chopping veggies. We even added in some of my home grown tomatoes- they are the teeny, tiny ones in the picture.
We ended up watching Ocean’s 11… definitely an oldie, but goodie. How can you not love a cast that includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Robert? Definitely a great way to spend a great evening with a great friend!
It’s All Greek to Me June 29, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food, Friends, Movie, Uncategorized.Tags: Chicken, Couscous, Falafel, Feta, Greek, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Olives, Pita
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Chicken+Olives+Couscous+Falafels=Greek Goodness.
What’s better than going Greek? Having Greek with great friends! Another movie night combined the two perfectly. Our concoction was delicious!
It’s always fun just putting ingredients together and testing to see if they work together. This was one of those times that it definitely worked! Imagine a Greek taco. We put the chicken, olives, feta cheese and lettuce on a pita. On the side: falafel and couscous. Fantastic!
The movie: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ is always fun to watch. It’s so fun to see which parts you relate to the most, which bits make you cringe, which spots make you glad that you have your own family, and the parts that make you wish you were Greek. Such a fun, sweet movie that’s fun every time you watch it!
Using It Up! May 30, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food, Movie.Tags: Bean Burrito, Lord of the Rings, Perfect Day
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I have apparently been in a mood for Mexican recently. Last night we had cantina style tacos. Today I’m trying to finish up the left over veggies. I really wanted to get in more vegetables tonight after my lunch of nutella crepe.
I decided on a bean burrito. Definitely a delicious, easy option with all of the ingredients just waiting for me!
Definitely a tasty meal… if not a bit messy! Black beans, peppers, onions, home-made salsa, lettuce and a dab of sour cream. Just what my taste buds were looking for!
We’ve just settled in to watch The Two Towers (after watching The Fellowship of the Ring last night). This definitely makes for a great day in my book!
G’Day, Mate! May 5, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food, Friends, Movie.Tags: Australia, Movie Nights, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Shepard's Pie, Veggies
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Sometimes brilliance strikes in surprising ways. It did just that during our movie night. Australian food meets The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. For those of you who might not know, Lindsay and I have both been to Australia. We decided to combine our knowledge and come up with a dish that represents that great country. It is ridiculously difficult to think of a food that encompasses an entire continent. There are so many Asian influences, British influences… it’s hard to figure out what true Australian food really is!
We thought about meat pies, kangaroo (but that’s hard to come by here) and decided on a Shepard’s Pie.
I realize that it doesn’t look terribly delicious in the pictures, but I assure you that it really was! We made a veggie version with zucchini, peas, carrots, green beans, a bit of veg gravy, mashed potatoes and cheese on top. You really can’t go wrong with melted cheese!!!
The movie was fantastic to watch. Hugo Weaving and Guy Pierce as two drag queens crossing the desert to get to a remote gig.
It could have been an incredibly silly film, but the story really moves the viewers. I really liked that they wrote characters that are sympathetic and you feel for them as they travel throughout Australia. They make you laugh, and cry… they make me want to go on a roadtrip! Besides, in how many movies do you get to experience Hugo Weaving belting out “I Will Survive”??? Just one. Good on ya, Priscilla!
All American, All Around April 21, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Family, Food, Friends, Movie.Tags: American Beauty, Apple Crisp, Asparagus, Broccoli, Macaroni and Cheese
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It’s movie night, so Ruth, Lindsay, Chris and I chose an All-American theme for tonight’s dinner and a movie: Macaroni and Cheese, Apple Crisp and American Beauty.
Dinner was delicious, if I do say so myself. Macaroni and cheese is one of those great dishes that can be made ahead of time. It is always great to take a bit of time the night before in order to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. Now, I can’t give away the recipe as it’s my Mum’s secret, but I will say that when you’re making it be sure to use sharp cheddar cheese to make sure it’s a nice cheesy flavor. We had good amounts of green on the side… broccoli and asparagus. Just to balance the cheesy goodness.
For dessert, Lindsay found a recipe for healthy apple crisp.
The Recipe:
- 6 Macintosh Apples
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tbsp promise light
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375*F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Slice and core the apples, then layer the apples in the baking pan. Add all of the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and crumble over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
It was certainly tasty, but a little drier than crisps usually are. We tried adding in a bit of water in the middle, but that didn’t seem to do much. However, dry or not, add a bit of vanilla ice cream and it turns to something outstanding.
For our film portion, we watched American Beauty.
As you can see, it did well at the Academy Awards in 1999. I’ve spent quite a while thinking about why it was such a big hit. Really, it was a sad look at American family life and the frustrations that can tear people apart. A lot of the film seemed to be revolving around the idea that everyone in suburbia is hiding something in order to keep up appearances.
Basically, I came out of the film thanking my lucky stars that my life doesn’t resemble the lives of those characters. The husband and wife who can’t stand each other, but are staying married because they look like a perfect couple and like that image. The military father who is willing to beat his son for any imagined infraction, only to discover it’s because he can’t stand himself.
All in all, I’m not sure that it was a great picture of what American suburbia life is like. If that was its goal, I hope that it misrepresented most people’s lives!
Healthy Heath 