Movie Mania

I know it's been a while, and I apologize to any of you who have checked for a new post, and there was nothing. So I guess it's time to give an update on what I've been up to. Not much really, but I have committed myself to seeing a lot of movies before Oscar night (February 25th, 2007). A few years back I would have considered myself a movie buff and by the time the nominations were announced for the Academy Awards I would have seen most of the nominees. I can no longer pronounce that to be true. Luckily movie fever has hit me, and I have already seen two movies in the last two days with more to come this week.

Friday I saw the Queen (It's been a while that I have seen a G rated movie). I really enjoyed the film...it didn't feel that I was in the theatre for almost two hours, time just flew by. Helen Miren is amazing in this picture. The movie is worth seeing just for her performance.

Last night I saw Stranger than Fiction which I don't think is nominated for any academy awards, but it has been on my list for awhile. Great movie! I love Will Ferrill and it was nice to see him in a film where he wasn't making an ass of himself to get some laughs. The funny thing about watching this film in a theatre, some people thought because Will Ferrill was on the screen that they should laugh, almost forced. There are funny moments is this film - but not the what I like to call from the belly laugh. I don't think some people knew how to react to him, playing a dramatic role. The only thing that was annoying about the viewing experience was that this one man insisted on laughing for the entire film. I felt bad for the person accompanying him. Then I thought, imagine you fell in love with someone who managed to not only embarrass himself everytime he was in public but annoyed everyone around him. Now that is true love.

Some meals I have had in the past week (all homemade by me or someone who cooked for me):

1. Spinach and cheese burritos with a tomato salsa

2. Ham and cheese strata

3. Cheddar and ale risotto with cherry tomatoes and broccoli

4. Vegetable Korma with basmati rice

5. Fettuccine with pancetta, white wine and spinach.

All delicious!

Cooking tip of the day: Read as many cookbooks as you can (if so inclined), not so much to imitate the recipes but to give you ideas for your own culinary masterpieces. A good place to pick up cookbooks for cheap, is in the bargain section of chapters/indigo. Often they have beautiful cookbooks for a fraction of the price. Last month I purchased 5 cookbooks and one novel for $26.00, all from the bargain section.