Monday, August 10, 2015

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:  Key Lime Pie

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

Page: 214 - 215   Copyright:  2013 Harper Collins

Also found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

I figured out that there are 363 calories,  if 10 servings are made or 453 calories if 8 slices are cut. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

       This was a light summery dish, but it was very “limey." I personally liked it, but the reaction from some people was that it was pretty tart. I cheated on this one and used a store bought pie crust, because I had it in “my store” and needed to use it up. It is a quick pie to make as long as you don’t mind grating and squeezing a lot of limes.  Another good recipe.

I totally forgot to take the photos!  YIKE!

Bucket List Update

1948  Johnny Belinda

         starring: Jane Wyman and Lew Ayres

         plot – This story is set in Nova Scotia. Wyman plays a deaf girl who               is taught to communicate (sign) by a new doctor. She is raped               by the town bully and later accused of his murder.

         Jane Wyman is one heck of an actress.  I can’t imagine portraying          someone who is deaf. She did such an outstanding job that at times I          truly believed she was deaf. The story is a great one, too.

1948  The Red Shoes

         starring:  Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook

         plot – a young ballerina becomes famous, but things get                        complicated when her director/composer says she should               only worry about dancing and leave love out of it.

         I liked the story. I think it is because the actors made me angry that          they were trying to make her choose between love and dancing. This          is set at a time when women were frequently controlled by men.

1948  The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

         starring;  Humphrey Bogart, John Houston, and Tim Holt

         plot – a story of prospectors who are searching for gold in the                            Sierra Madre Mountains.

         This was a good movie that looks at the dark side of searching for          gold in the hot, humid setting of the Sierra Madre Mountains.                        Hunting for gold can bring out the best or worst in some people.

1949  All the King’s Men

         starring: Broderick Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge

         plot – an honest man wants to be a politician. He goes from honest               to terribly dishonest in his new job.

         This was a great movie, and Broderick Crawford was amazing in          the roll. I dislike talking politics, but I truly enjoyed this movie.

1949  Battleground

         starring: Van Johnson and Ricardo Montalban

         plot – A war movie about the 101^st Airbourne at the Battle of the               Bulge.

         This was a great old war movie. This is one that my Dad would have          loved to watch. He was a WWII movie buff.

Stupid photos
     How do these pictures happen?  I am focused on my target and then suddenly something goes wrong!  Please tell me that I am not the only person that this happens to each time.

Great - I don't even love the shoes, and have
no idea how or when I took this picture

I know this is a photo of my niece,
Maddie, because I recognize the dress.
She even looks good in the dark.

Never take a photo in a dark room facing the light.
A new lesson learned.

Lovely grain, but what the heck???

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Family Picnic

     This is a special day event that occurred this summer.  We had our yearly family picnic at Wheeler Park in Geneva.  This is the picnic for the relatives on my Mom's side of the family. I only took a few pictures, because I was having a great time.

This is my Godson Shane, and
his wonderful girlfriend, Josie.

My nephew Cory and great nephew, Wyatt

My niece Lindsay, Josie, and
Shane and Cory in the background.

Shane, Cory, and my stepfather Ron

This sweet boy is my great nephew, Nick

My sister, Kim, and our cousin Julie

My adorable great nephew, Wyatt,
and my sister Susan

My cousin Linda and her son, Scott

Here I am with my brother-in-law,
 Greg and my niece Lindsay

Way tooooooo close!
Sorry Shane and Wesley

My last picture of the day

Thursday, August 6, 2015

What the Beck????

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:  Pumpkin Cream Pie

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

I figured out that there are 363 calories  if 10 servings are made or 453 calories if 8 slices are cut. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

         This one is not only creamy, but dreamy! Yes dreamy, because it is light and down right yummy. I love pumpkin a lot, but this cream pie is great for summer or Thanksgiving. It has a great deal of flavor, and I loved it. When I make it again, and I definitely will do this, I will even add the extra graham cracker crumbs for garnish. I was being really calorie conscious, and skipped the final beautifying step, but next time I will do a little splurge and add the little bits of goodness.

I totally cheated and used a store bought crust. I had two in the basement, and this was a great way to use it up.  Sorry, Ree.

It would have looked better with the
graham cracker crumbs on top.

I wish I had a bite of this one now.

Bucket List Update

1935  Ruggles of Red Gap

         starring: Charles Laughton and Charles Ruggles

         plot – A trained English butler comes to the United States to work               for a cattle baron.

         I loved this movie! The premise is great – coming from a formal                      English home to a cattle ranch. It has humor and drama, and I loved          every minute of the show.

1936 San Francisco

         starring: Clark Gable, Jeanette McDonald

         plot – The story of two men who want the same woman. One of the                men is a saloonkeeper and the other from Nob Hill.

         This was another surprising movie with great special effects. The          earthquake seemed so real and horrible. It is amazing to me that          people wanted to live there after such a devastating event.

1938  Jezebel

         starring:  Bette Davis and Henry Fonda

         plot:  Davis plays a spoiled, wealthy young Southerner. Her                        behavior causes her problems.

         This was a great movie and I loved watching Bette Davie. She is a          true actress. I felt she originally got what she deserved and I liked          that she wanted to redeem herself and win him back.

1940  The Philadelphia Story

         starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart

         plot – Hepburn prepares for her second wedding. She is pursued by               her ex-husband and a reporter, who are both making                        advances toward her.

         I really liked this movie. I found it funny and entertaining. The three          lead actors are such professionals that it is a joy to watch all three          of them.

1943  Heaven Can Wait

         starring: Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, and Marjorie Main

         plot – a  man is sent to Hell, but once there he has to prove that               that is where he belongs.

         This movie was good. I can’t think of a lot of the detail,s which says          it isn’t outstanding to me. I do remember a lot of girl chasing and          the like.

         

Road Trip

It was a down right rainy day.

But all I saw was wide open spaces

calling me to Kentucky

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

What the Beck????

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:  Lemon Bars

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

I figured out that there are 189 calories per serving, if 24 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

       I love lemon. It really doesn’t matter what it is, but I find lemon to be refreshing. I usually have a pitcher of lemon water in the fridge. These lemon bars were a hit at school and with the staff. This is another quick recipe that is a perfect summer dessert.  I know I would love in any season – but that’s just me.

I forgot to take photos of the steps
and ingredients. Oops!

These were so summery.
I loved them!

Bucket List Update

1935  Alice Adams

         starring:  Katherine Hepburn and Fred McMurray

         plot – A middle class Mom and daughter try to rise above their                  social status.

         This was a good movie. It was interesting to watch a very young          Katherine Hepburn act so starved for social acceptance. I felt a                        strong message about accepting who we are and our social          s              standing.

1937  Stage Door

         starring: Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, and               the young Lucille Ball and Eve Arden.

         Plot:  This is the story of a boarding house full of actresses and               their lives.

         I liked this movie because of the dynamics between all of the women.          They are supportive, and yet competitive. It was a great story about          women living together.

1938  You Can’t Take it with You

         starring:  Joan Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, and Jimmy Stewart

         plot:  Big business is trying to buy out an entire neighborhood. This                 is the story of an eccentric family.

         This was a fun, silly movie. I loved the eccentric family filled with          inventors, dancers, and more, as well as their friends. Jean Arthur is          the “normal” daughter who stands out in the crowd. This bizarre          movie won the award for 1939.

1940  The Great Dictator

         starring: Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard

         plot – Charlie Chaplan plays two different roles in this movie: a               Jewish barber and a Hitler look-alike dictator.

         This is one of the weirdest movies that I have ever seen. Charlie                      Chaplin is wonderful at depicting the two characters. He resembles          and sounds remarkably like Hitler, and that it almost made my skin          crawl.

1946  The Best Years of Our Lives

         starring: Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Hoagy Carmichael, Myrna                  Loy, and Virginia Mayo

         plot – three World War II veterans try to restart their lives after                returning home.

           I liked this movie. It was hard to watching the men returning home          and trying to adjust to the real world. One of the men is a banker          who favors vets. The second has a lot of trouble holding down a job,          and the third feels he is pitied by his girlfriend. I can’t imagine                        what they were going through at that time.

Such cute little babies!

Apparently, I am not ready for action shots,
or I need to take a photography class quickly.

These are several different families of geese

These two were so young and sweet

Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, August 2, 2015

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:  Mystery Rolls

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

I figured out that there are 86 calories per serving, if 28 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

         I ate one of these mystery rolls and fell in love immediately! There is nothing better than blue cheese. This is a fast, easy side dish that can be ready to eat in about 15 minutes. I was eating two of these in the middle of the afternoon as a snack, and they were amazing.  Another major Ree success!

Here were my ingredients

I melted the cheese and butter

Cut up the biscuits

Baked and ready to eat!

Bucket List Update

1953  From Here to Eternity

         starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Cliff, Deborah Kerr, Donna                            Reed, and Frank Sinatra

         plot – A story of Pearl Harbor that explores the relationship                                     between two privates and their sergeant.

         I have seen the famous kissing scene of Burt Lancaster and Deborah          Kerr on the beach before, but this is the first time I actually watched          the entire movie. I liked the antics of the two privates and enjoyed          the entire movie from beginning to end. A KEEPER!

1956 Giant

         starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean

         plot: This is the story of a Texas cattleman who deals with oil being                   found in the state, and wanting to stay a cattle rancher. The                            story also deals with racism in the 1930’s and 40’s.

         I just watched this movie, and I loved it from the beginning to the          end. Rock Hudson was wonderful in this role as was Elizabeth                        Taylor. James Dean, as always, was a great “bad boy.” I had a hard          time watching the racism directed toward the Mexican population in          this movie. It is hard to see such hatred. One of the best parts of the          movie was watching Rock and Elizabeth age from young to old                        in this flick.  This is a MUST WATCH!

1961  Judgment at Nuremberg

         starring: Spencer Tracy, Maximillian Schnell, Marlene Dietrich

         plot – Tracy is an American judge presiding over the Nazi war                            crime trials. The men are charged with war crimes against                   humanity.

         I was surprised how much I liked this movie. I knew about the trials,          but I can honestly say that I learned a lot watching this film.                         Amazing acting by Spencer Tracy!

1964  Dr. Strangelove

         starring: Peter Sellers and George Scott

         plot – this was a satire about an accidental nuclear attack by the                            United States against Russia.

         This was one heck of a strange movie.  It was so ridiculous and silly          that I had a hard time with watching it.

1972  The Emigrants

         starring: Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann

           plot – This is the story of Swedish immigrants who sail to                                   Minnesota after a famine forces the people to flee their country.          This was a very long, but factual movie about the Swedish                            immigrants to Minnesota.

A Mysterious Visitor

                                  One day I came home from work, 

and found this little friend. 

This is a view of the underside of this bug,
insect, prehistoric thing.....

This is the view from the top
Okay my brilliant Science friends,
WHAT IS IT?????????

    This guy stayed around for several days.  It looked like a leaf, and yet is wasn't too bright, because it had hundreds of plant choices to hide on, but it chose my window screen.