I Watch Movies, Read Books, and Eat Food

Happy Oscar Day, everyone!  Here are my favorite films of 2013!  I hope everyone enjoys the show and I hope the movie stars don't get too cold and wet tonight! *My comments may have what some might consider spoilers.* 10. Don Jon I still refuse to like Scarlett Johansson.  I didn't have high expectations for this one.  I expected it to be amateurish because it was Joseph Gordon Levitt's directorial debut, but I shouldn't have underestimated him!  It's not a particularly original movie - it's about a porn addict who tries to have a normal relationship, but his addiction creates problems - but it's executed very, very well.  It's funny, it's charming, and it's surprisingly human.  The script is really good, and the acting is good as well.  Yes, even Scarlett is good...but I still don't like her! 9. Saving Mr. Banks Snubbed, I tell you!!  Snubbed!!  I understand why Tom Hanks wasn't nominated, I mean he was good, but maybe not the ...

The Oscars this year completely took me by surprise!  For some reason I thought we had one more week!  But no!  It's THIS Sunday!  Which means it's end of the year list time! 10. Pacific Rim This movie wasn't BAD, exactly.  It just didn't do anything for me.  It was supposed to be an over the top summer popcorn movie - and I usually LOVE over the top summer popcorn movies - but Pacific Rim was just lacking!  The action scenes were only okay.  I think I have a real problem with robots fighting.  That's why I don't like any of the Transformers movies.  I like my action to involve people.  I feel a real threat for their lives when human characters are doing something dangerous.  Giant robots fighting other dimension alien creatures?  Not so much.  Yes, I know the humans are inside the robots controlling it, but I still didn't buy it.  I didn't end up caring too much about the robots or the humans.   ...

If you know me, you know that I don't bake.  I love cooking, but baking is waaaay beyond me!  I don't like it, I'm not good at it, and every time I try to do it, I mess it up somehow!  But I felt inspired today and I decided to bake bread! Here is where I found the original recipe: Seasons & Suppers: Soft Cheese Bread 2 Ways The only other time I ever made dough, it turned out hard as a rock, and the bread was even worse!!  It was like biting into a bone!  But the dough for this bread turned out great!  Soft, smooth, not sticky - just like the recipe said!  The recipe makes two loafs: cheddar & herb and Parmesan garlic & herb. I was afraid of the shaping part, it looked super advanced!  But surprisingly, I did it! First you lay out the filling on top of the rolled dough. This one is the cheddar & herb one: Here's the Parm garlic & herb one (before adding the cheese): After rolling it up jelly roll style, yo...

Between March 2010 - March 2011 I gave up fast food.  It wasn't so bad.  To this day I very rarely eat fast food.  Maybe five times a year.  Now I wanna step it up a notch and be pescatarian for one year.  Why, you ask?  A few reasons. 1. I never thought this would happen, but I feel guilty for eating meat.  I've read all the books (Omnivore's Dilemma, Eating Animals, Fast Food Nation) and seen all the documentaries (Food, Inc, Super Size Me, Forks over Knives, Vegucated, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead) and they all say the same thing:  Eating meat is bad!  It's bad for the animals, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for society, and above all, it's bad for our bodies!  Maybe if I was alive 100 years ago when farms were actually farms (as opposed to factories) and the food industry wasn't the disgusting monster that it is now, eating meat would be fine.  But today it's not fine, and I don't want to be a part of that. Yeah, I get a...