Movie Review: Avatar

One of the top grossing movies that I hadn’t entirely seen was Avatar.  The first time I attempted to watch it was a year ago.  Allie was only 6 months old and I think I was so tired that I wasn’t completely paying attention and I went to bed early.  It didn’t keep my interest then, but that all changed the second time around.  I didn’t want to miss a scene and I loved the storyline (even though I thought it got a little corny at the end).  I wouldn’t say that it’s James Cameron’s best film (that would go to Titanic), although some of the visual effects were really impressive.  I would give the movie 4 and a half stars.

101 in 1001: New recipe one night a week – Task Complete!

Week One: Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells
Week Two: Chicken Parm Meatball Subs
Week Three: Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers
Week Four: Banana French Toast
Week Five: Tofu Nuggets
Week Six: Cantaloupe Bread

The products of my new recipes were definitely much better at the start of the task than at the end! I’ve linked up to the meals that actually turned out well. 

The Taco stuffed shells were easy to do and perfect for a hosting a dinner with friends.  I changed the recipe up a little bit by substituting ground turkey for beef.  I also used a taco seasoning packet instead of salt and chili powder.  And I didn’t top with sour cream or onions because I simply forgot.  I don’t think I missed it though.  One tip if you’re making this recipe:  cook more than 18 shells because you’ll probably fill more than 20 and some of your shells might break.

The chicken parm meatball subs were my favorite!  I will definitely make them again!  Nothing to change about this recipe, it’s pure goodness. That Rachael Ray has never steered me wrong!  I served the subs with homemade oven fries which were delish too!  Winning! 

The actually delicious turkey burgers were actually delicious, although I’ve never met a turkey burger that I didn’t like.  I chose this recipe because I wanted to use up some leftover fresh parsley that I had in the fridge.  Turned out well and I think I’ll keep this recipe in the turkey burger rotation.

Now for the banana french toast.  Sounds yummy, but just wasn’t working out.  The mashed bananas weren’t mixing well with the rest of the ingredients and the bread (which I made too) wasn’t soaking it up well.  I didn’t finish my plate that night and that is a sure sign that this recipe is not a keeper!

Speaking of NOT keepers… moving on to the tofu nuggets.  These should be renamed “the tofu nuggets that never were”.  I started making these and then abandoned ship.  I’m counting it toward my 101 in 1001 because it was definitely an attempt, but these babies were not happening.

I’ve left the most interesting recipe for last.  Cantaloupe bread.  I got this recipe from a friend who is a big advocate for “clean eating”.  She has a blog with many recipes and tips on how to eat “clean” and I thought I’d try one of her recipes that she and her two young boys enjoy.  It was definitely easy to do because I have a breadmaker and it made my house smell wonderful while it baked!  For the most part, the bread was good, but the crust came out strange for me.  Almost rubbery.  I just cut the crust off and ate the inside.  I must agree with her, though – it is toddler approved!

Restaurant Review: Brindisi’s – Saratoga, NY

Kevin and I had a date night last weekend and we decided to grab dinner and then go to Saratoga Casino and Raceway to try our luck on the slot machines.  Turns out we weren’t so lucky.  With dinner or the slots.  It was a cold, windy night, so we parked the car and then chose the first restaurant that looked good.  We ended up at Brindisi’s on Broadway St.  We arrived at 5:30 on a Saturday night and were the only table for a good 20 minutes.  That should have been our first clue.  Although, there were many other clues - the inside of the restaurant appeared to still be decorated for Christmas, the bartender dressed like a cheap hooker, and the bathroom had a strange sign above the toilet that read something like this:  “our toilets are environmentally friendly. for lighter jobs, flush once. for heavier jobs, hold the handle down”.  I think they’re just trying to sugar coat the fact that their toilets are crappy (no pun intended).  Now, typically at Italian restaurants you get your bread before your meal.  Apparently, our waitress thought we’d like our bread with our meal and then never offer the dipping oil to go with it (as I saw other waitresses do).  Major let down.  Kevin seemed to enjoy his meal (Chicken Riggies), but my meal (NY Strip)came with really salty mashed potatoes.  At the end of the meal, our waitress asked if we were interested in dessert and when I asked to see the menu she informed me that they only had two choices – tiramisu or lemon bars.  Not much variety there!  They did have quilted toilet paper though.  That’s all I have to say.

A Day at the Park

We took Allie to the Crossings in Colonie to play at the playground.  She loved it!  It’s a great place to bring kids.  It has a large playground, picnic tables, a small lake with ducks, walking/jogging/bike paths and pavilions for rental.  We all enjoyed a little exercise and a bit of fresh air!

We also went to the park in Halfmoon to meet up with a couple of Allie’s friends – Ava and Julian.  It was a Thursday afternoon, so all the big kids were in school and there were just a bunch of toddlers and preschoolers playing together.  It was cute!

Mommy’s little helper

Our budding artist

 

Some recent photos

Since our 2010 New Years resolution has been completed, I haven’t been posting as many photos as I used to.  It’s not that we aren’t taking any though!  So here are some recent pictures of Miss Allison.

 

You’re doing the Mel Polka!

Book Review: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This past week, I finished reading the House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  THANK GOD!  It was agony for me which is probably why it took me 2 months to read!  I thought I was going to love it, because I recall really enjoying Ethan Frome which is also written by Edith Wharton.  At times, it held my interest, but for the most part, I couldn’t wait for it to end.  Fortunately, my kindle had a dictionary so I could look up some words that I’d never heard spoken in modern day English.  This is what I think it was about…

Lily is a young woman trying to climb the social ladder and marry a rich man.  She is very beautiful and charming, so some wealthy ladies take her into their social circle.  She is forced to “borrow” money from her friend’s husband (Mr. Trenor) to keep up her lavish lifestyle, but I think he expected something other than money in return.  She cuts ties with that relationship and takes a trip with another wealthy couple (the Dorsets) to Europe.  While in Europe, Mrs. Dorset was having an affair with a young man and was caught.  To take the attention off of herself, Mrs. Dorset accuses Lily of having an affair with her husband and Lily is cast out of high society.  Lily spends the next months trying to reestablish herself in society and maintain a high standard of living, but is eventually forced to live in a small room in a community house.  She comes to realize that lavish parties and expensive dresses aren’t what life is all about and tries to rekindle a relationship with an old flame, Lawrence Selden.  She visits him at his apartment, but he is not very welcoming.  The next day, he decides to go to her room to tell her that he loves her, but he is too late as she has overdosed on sleeping pills.  The end.

At least this book helped me sleep at night. 

So, after reading The House of Mirth, my reading total comes to 11 out of 50 books from the list of 1001 books to read before you die.  The other 10 are:

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I think I’ll read something written within the last century next time!

Door-to-door Salesmen…ugh!

 

Restaurant Review: Dinosaur BBQ – Troy, NY

I’m a bit late on this review, but on Kevin’s birthday we went out for dinner at Dinosaur BBQ in Troy, NY.  We had tried to dine there before, but the wait was always too long.  Fortunately, Kevin’s birthday fell on a Wednesday, but even so, we got the last table at 5pm.  I’ve heard the wait on the weekends can get up to 3 hours.  CRAZY!  I definitely don’t think the food is good enough to wait 3 hours for and I think it’s a bit over-priced.  I got the half chicken and it was good.  Just good.  I also got mashed sweet potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread.  The cornbread, I thought, was terrible!  I don’t even know why I ate it.  I saved until last like it was going to be the best part.  Little did I know, that the coleslaw would be the best part of my meal and I don’t even really like coleslaw.  The atmosphere is nice and it has a really nice bar, but it does get pretty noisy.  In my opinion, Giffy’s has the best BBQ in town.  This summer, when I’m craving good BBQ (and good cornbread), you can find me at Giffy’s!