I Watch Movies, Read Books, and Eat Food

PAT & KIM'S JALAPENO POPPERS Pat and I didn't really measure when making these.  We just kind of went by feel/looks/taste.  So the measurements I put down are estimations. Yields 24 poppers 12 jalapenos, cut in half, veined, and seeded 1 package of bacon, cut in half For the filling: 1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup green onions or chives, chopped 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese Preheat oven to 350(ish). Mix all the ingredients for the filling together.  Stuff each jalapeno with the filling mixture.  Wrap each with the bacon.  They should look like this: Put them on a rack on top of a cookie sheet.  That way, the bottom of the popper will get cooked too, and it's not sitting in the bacon grease.  Mmmm...bacon grease.  Cook it in the oven for about an hour-ish.  Give or take 10-15 minutes.  At the v...

10. 21 Jump Street This movie shouldn't have been good.  In fact, it probably should have sucked.  But I found myself enjoying every minute of it!  I never really was a Channing Tatum fan until I saw this movie.  He always seemed pretty average to me, but I was really surprised to see him do comedy and to see him excel in it!  And of course Jonah Hill is hilarious.  I won't give too much away, but there's a pretty amazing cameo at the end that takes the movie from entertaining to awesome!  (It doesn't take a genius to figure out who the cameo is, but I was still surprised when it happened!) 9. Life of Pi I really hope my Uncle Ang wins!  Okay, he's not really my uncle....  But I do hope he wins!!  Spielberg will get it, I'm sure, but I'm rooting for Ang.  I actually heard some negative things from people about this movie, so going into it, I had relatively low expectations.  Turns out, I have vastly different taste from t...

I just want to be clear that these are my least favorite movies, not necessarily the worst.  In fact, there were very few movies last year that really made me cringe.  I would say the top four movies were the only ones I felt were truly bad.  The rest, I just didn't like. 10. The Master  The Master is not a bad movie by any means.  In fact, it's a good movie.  But it wasn't quite my cup of tea.  I don't think I'd ever want to see it again.  It was just so grueling!  But the cinematography and acting is awesome.  I am so glad that Joaquin Phoenix didn't retire from acting.  He is absolutely tremendous in this movie.  In fact, I want him to win the Best Actor Oscar.  I know, I know, Daniel Day was awesome as Lincoln, he's possibly the best actor in the history of the world, but he's almost TOO good, ya know?  To the point where it's predictable.  But Joaquin's performance was anything but predictable!  It...

I've always said that I wasn't a great cook, but I could follow a recipe.  Today, however, I decided to take off the training wheels, and experiment on my own.  The only rule was that I had to use what I already have.  I wasn't allowed to go to the store.  So, left to my own devices, here is what I came up with! First I browned some chicken in Marie Antoinette.  (I still can't believe how beautiful she is!)  I always have a bag of frozen chicken tenders.  I like them better than chicken breasts because they are a better size. Then I took the chicken out and put in sliced onions and garlic.  Enjoy the aroma! I cooked it until the onions got a little bit caramelized and limp. I took out the onions and garlic and set them on top of the chicken. Then I put in that much butter.  I never measure when I cook.  I just go by what feels right.  That amount felt right.  Plus, I only had that much butter left in my...

I'm not too thrilled about the Oscar race this year.  With the exception of The Help, I thought the crop of nominees seemed a little random.  I didn't see most of them, actually, so I guess my opinion doesn't  hold much weight....  I just felt like a lot of really great films were more worthy of a nomination.  That's where my list comes in! *Warning: may contain slight spoilers!* 10. A Better Life This movie totally made me cry!  Seriously, I was bawling at the end when the Mexican dad had to get deported, leaving his vulnerable teenage son (and US citizen) to fend for himself in the ghettos of LA.  I am so happy that Demian Bichir got a best actor nomination.  His performance was truly heartbreaking.  Politics aside, it's just wrong to tear families apart, and this movie shows the direct consequences of doing such a thing. 9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo In the beginning, I was very skeptical about an American version of a Swedish s...

I'm a little behind.  I usually get this list out closer to the beginning of the new year, but I've been lazy.  Anyway, as tradition, my top 10 best films list will be up Oscar night!  But for now, the worst! 10. No Strings Attached The OTHER movie about two friends who just have sex is MUCH better.  This one is just lame, boring, not funny!  Ashton Kutcher gets more and more obnoxious as the years go by, and I just couldn't buy Natalie Portman in this role.  She's far too good to be in this sad, sad movie. 9. The Rum Diary It makes me sad when a film with such a good cast is so disappointing!  I found this movie extremely dull and boring.  Nothing happens!  Seriously, nothing happens!  Johnny Depp's character is a writer hired to investigate something...I've forgotten by now...and you think he's on the verge to exposing this huge story, but then he doesn't!  Everything just kind of blows over, and then they visit a fortune ...