Movie Interlude

Is it weird that I'm watching the BBC miniseries State of Play (very good, so far) and counting the actors I recognize from Doctor Who? I'm up to six so far, I think. I had to look up a couple to make sure they weren't in Doctor Who. Matt even caught one I missed, and he usually makes fun of me for playing "name that face" (but, I needed to figure out that the snotty Miss Bingley from the BBC Pride and Prejudice was the Vice-President of the Galaxy in the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie!)

My list of Who actors so far:
John Simm
Bill Nighy
David Morrissey
Marc Warren

and Rebekah Staton, who looks very different as a blonde. 

And on top of all the Who people, add a really young James MacAvoy and also, Kelly MacDonald, LOVE HER. Not to mention The Hound from Game of Thrones. Weirdly stacked cast. Almost distractingly so. But this was also pretty early in a lot of their careers and they have gone on to bigger and better things. So, um, good for them, I guess is my point. 

Matt was making fun of me for watching modern BBC with no Mr. Darcy involved but I am home with a stuffy brain and a semi-cold and I just watched the first three of six episodes in one sitting and am going to be waiting by the mailbox until Netflix sends me the second half!

Edited to add: also one of the cops was the alien leader in the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw. I guess if you do British tv, it's either Eastenders or Doctor Who, is what this really means.

Update (Fruitcake Edition)

I managed to get some During photos for once but then forgot the After. This one got gifted on Christmas day after about 3 weeks of marinating. I forgot that this recipe makes a double batch so the partygoers got to sample a slightly fresher one on the 16th.

This is Alton Brown's Free Range Fruitcake recipe - it uses dried fruit (not candied, except for the ginger) which you then macerate overnight in your liquor of choice. This year it was dark rum because it was available, good-quality and vaguely festive. Past years have involved applejack or brandy but I am not married to any specific tipple for this recipe so far.

It was a hit at the party, too. Nobody knew what it was so I sliced it up into chunks and it disappeared with nary a fruitcake/doorstop joke to be found. Although that may have been partially because my dad spotted it and started telling everyone "Don't eat this" so there would be more for him.

Fighting With Blogger

Let's see if I can post this, maybe Blogger is just anti- pictures of fruitcakes.

So the party was lovely, everything was a hit except the couple of things that got forgotten in the fridge, and we got to have leftover cookies and cider for ~1.5 days, which is reasonable.

Christmas was also fun, we went and had a delicious cioppino at the house of some of Matt's Italian gourmand cousins. I brought a tiramisu as it is my only recipe that will stand up ti ANYONE's scrutiny, no matter how fancy their tastes.

And now I am at work and it is DEEEEEEAD because it has been pouring rain and nobody is worried about their plants being happy when they are worried about their trees blowing down. So I am using up all my data on my phone farting around online instead.

House Update and the Beginning of the Party Planning Lists

I inherited some stuff from a parental cleanout this weekend, the annoying office rug that never stays flat under chair wheels is getting Craigslisted and the old vaguely Persian rug that is in way better shape is now residing under my wheels as I type. Also my mom's knockoff Herman Miller-ish desk chair that she never used. So my office is fancy now! House tour update is still pending, I swear.

I have also been swapping art around on walls and it is still not where I want it to be. Grr. However, good art is everywhere and is even sometimes incredibly cheap - I am thinking about buying the digital download of this amazing thing and hanging it over the bed, which would be one nice big thing to center that room around. But not right away as framing is still not free. Maybe after the holidays.

Party Thoughts: the party is two weeks from today. I need to dig out the entertaining box from the garage, it is the magical place where all spare paper cups and napkins hibernate until needed, as well as the big coffee percolating urn thing that gets filled with cider and keeps it hot and on tap for me. So here is the list/plan so far. A Costco trip is pending as of next Tuesday.

Sweet
Cookbook's amazing bourbon balls

Peppermint bark

Nut/shortbread bars (I am addicted to these and am only allowed to make them once a year)

(possible new recipe) Smitten Kitchen's lemon bars from the new cookbook

Gingersnaps 

Some kind of thumbprint cookie to use the insane pineapple guava jam I made from free pineapple guavas, or at least some kind of shortbread sandwich cookie for the same purpose. Trying to decide if it could work in ischler, which are Hungarian sandwich cookies made with ground almonds (may test this with hippie almond flour as they can be dense) and chocolate on top.

Savory
Cut up veggies with hummus (possibly two kinds, last year it was roasted garlic vs. roasted red pepper)

Baguette with cheeses (this is another potential place to serve that bonkers pineapple guava jam)

Spiced nuts

Baked brie with cranberry sauce for something hot and holiday-ish

Trader Joe's mushroom tartlets (I usually forget to serve anything warm so this is one thing)

This highly exciting savory version of hamentaschen, but I need a filling other than mushrooms if I do the TJ's stuff. Or maybe I should do these instead and go with the mushrooms? They will get a test run next weekend, they just look sooooo good to me

Korozot, my grandmother's highly addicting Hungarian blue cheese based dip

Mini bagels with shmear (korozot is also good here) - this was a random thing my mom brought last year and it was a HUGE HIT

Smoked salmon (great with the tiny bagels)

Antipasto plate with olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, salami and prosciutto, possibly with the little mozzarella balls...


90% of this can be made ahead of time, served at room temp. and eaten with fingers or toothpicks. Somebody is threatening to bring a crock pot o' meatballs and I have to figure out what that involves, utensil-wise. But I figure if the brie is warm as well as the mushroom tart things I can get away with mostly cold stuff other than that.

Next up, thoughts about decorating. I need to get a tree soon!

And because Eve Moneypenny had the best costumes in Skyfall and I want them all. 

That red outfit might be good for a holiday party...

Brain Dump

Happy post-American-holiday food coma! We went to the Sacramento area for the holiday and stayed overnight there, thus completely missing Black Friday (and when I say "missed" I mean "didn't miss it at all"). We went to my aunt and uncle's place (centrally located, big room for entertaining) and had a lovely time. I brought the apple pie I bring every year (don't mess with success, eh?) and it was demolished. Somebody else brought a pumpkin pie, the other thing I usually take care of, so I also made the almost no-bake pumpkin cream pie from Joy the Baker (Smitten Kitchen's gingersnap pumpkin tart with cheesecake swirl was the first test recipe but was not terribly interesting) and it was a massive success. Much lighter and fluffier than a standard cheesecake and the maple whipped cream is sheer genius.

Also saw the new James bond movie Skyfall. And is it just me, or is it becoming a progressively worse and worse gig to be a Bond girl? I just vaguely remember the Pierce Brosnan ones (showing my age, these were the ones I first saw in theaters), and while they were heavy on the camp and riddled with silly gadgetry by the end, they were also the ones with strong female characters that didn't just not think/sleep with Bond/get killed off ASAP. Yes, Xenia Onatopp was campy, but she was also a threat. And yes he was saving a lovely Russian but at least she was also some kind of scientist.

Daniel Craig's nu-Bond established Vesper Lynd as the be-all, end-all of women in Bond's world, killed her off, and decided that no other female gets to be the badass she was. Give me Honey Ryder or Pussy Galore and I will snigger at the name and then be ok with them. These new ones just kind of make me mopey.

New hipster Q, however, is adorable. 

Also, INSANELY GORGEOUS sets. The ruined island where the bad guy hides out? Chase scenes through Turkish markets? Bond's ancestral family home in Scotland? Good gravy. The whole thing was clearly shot with a loving eye and I enjoyed looking at every minute of it. Woof. Apparently they built the whole manor from scratch, which is also fun.

Also, Albert Finney! Bond's arc is pretty good, they spend a lot of time establishing him as aging and losing his knack and his interaction with the excellent Javier Bardem (it's another American movie, he must be playing a creepy bad guy) is so well done. And the car, sweet sassy molassey, the car. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say the first car scene makes the movie for me. Bond movies need a sense of humor if they're gonna fly. Daniel Craig is a good Bond but I think sometimes he gets a hair too serious.

And speaking of beautifully shot movies, we also rented Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, and it is also a visual feast. There isn't really a plot or much development of any kind, it's just this guy, he is a top sushi chef, and he talks about food, and his acolytes talk about food. Yes, he has acolytes. But man, talk about a pretty movie.

And more hipster Q. Happy long weekend, Americans! And happy Saturday, Canadians!

Go Vote (With Digression)

Last time I watched Mary Poppins it kind of made me sad that this was a throwaway scene. The whole movie makes it seem like Mrs. Banks should be spending more time with her kids, but in retrospect, this is so awesome. Everybody in America should be voting today if you haven't already!

Also, Glynis Johns (Mrs. Banks) and Elsa Lanchester (Katie Nana) are two of my favorite of Danny Kaye's ingenues. If you like a hilarious movie, check out the Inspector General with the amazing future Bride of Frankenstein.

And the possibly-even-better Court Jester where Glynis Johns does not get nearly enough screen time as the badass Maid Marion-esque love interest vs. Angela Lansbury's shallow, pretty princess.

Danny Kaye had it pretty good back in the day, eh?

I Need Some Exciting Things To Talk About

...because right now I am sans projects and fun things. I am accumulating lots of ideas though, the biggie right now is to do something about the laundry situation, right now the laundry area is in the garage, and that means it is grimy and there is no good work space because I stack stuff on top of the dryer for storage. So my plan is to slap a coat of paint on the wall in there and hang a cabinet on it. Then I can store soap and cleaning things in there. And I swear, there will be before and after pictures. 

I have plans to shoot a new house tour because things have gotten moved around and my inspirations and whatnot are all jumbled up. I have been helping a recently-divorced friend redecorate and it is making me want to rearrange my house. And since the size of the house limits rearranging quite a bit, that means mostly moving accessories and swapping around art.

So I swear, there will be pictures soon. Right now I am just brainstorming and lacking inspiration. And time.