Saturday, May 21, 2016

Saturday, May 21, 2016

What the Beck???

After the Rain came the Flooding

 I was on my way to Bed, Bath, and Beyond when 
I noticed that the field was really full of water.

 And then I glanced up and saw that it had crossed 
the road and was very deep!

 Wow!  That is one heck of a lot of water!!!

Bucket List Update

Academy Award Nominated Movies

1954     On the Waterfront

starring: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod           Steiger

plot – Brandon works on the docks and prize fights on the side. His            boss is awful and makes him throw a fight and set up his friend        to be murdered. A trial eventually happens and Brando comes          up against his boss (Cobb).

This was a pretty famous movie, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

1955     Picnic

starring: William Holden, Kim Novak, Susan Strasberg, Cliff Robertson

plot – A hobo comes to Kansas and spends the Labor Day Picnic with          an old friend. The women in the town all have issues that                somehow relate to him.

This was a pretty good movie. It was funny to write the word hobo, because it is a word that isn’t really used any more. This movie had some pretty famous actors in it and it is worth watching

1956     The Ten Commandments

starring: Charleton Heston, Yul Brenner

plot – An outstanding motion picture about the life and times of Moses       and his freeing the people of Israel.

I think I saw bits and pieces of this movie, but was surprised at the scope of the move for the time it was made. It is a classic and is fabulous.

1961     The Guns of Navarone

starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas,                 Richard Harris

plot – This is a WWII war movie. A team of men are sent on a mission          to take out the guns that kept our side from sailing up a channel        in the Aegean Sea.

This was a great movie. My Dad loved war movies and this one was well done.

1962     The Longest Day

starring: Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sal Mineo, Eddie Albert, Red               Buttons, Richard Burton, Henry Ford, Paul Anka, Arletty, Sean           Connery, Fabion, Steve Forrest, Peter Lawford, Roddy

          McDowell, Edmund O’Brien, George Segal, Rod Steiger, Robert           Wagner, Stuart Whitman

plot – The movie was set in France in 1944. General Eisenhower          sends the Allies to land on the beaches of Normandy.          General Cot takes his troops to Omaha Beach, and even          though they lost many men, they did get into the French          territory. The Germans were not prepared for this                        invasion.

This was a great movie. I remember watching a portion of this movie with my Dad. I loved seeing all of the familiar stars, and the story was excellent.

1963     Tom Jones

starring: Albert Finney, Suzannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans, Joan           Greenwood

plot – The setting was in the 1700s, in England. A baby is found and            raised by a squire. Tom falls for a girl, but they can’t marry due        to social standing. Tom Gets kicked out and eventually reunited        with the girl. It was a comedy and won Best Picture for 1963.

I really don’t see how this movie won when it was up against Cleopatra and Lilies of the Field.  I didn’t love it at alls.

1965     Doctor Zhivago

starring: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, Geraldine Chaplin,              Alec Guiness, Tom Courtnay

plot – A complicated love story of Yuri and Lara during the Russian            Revolution.

This was a fabulous movie. I loved learning more about the Revolution, but the acting and the storyline are what made this movie a winner for me.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Thursday, May 19, 2016

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Pumpkin Dump Cake

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pumpkin-dump-cake.html

I figured out that there are 260 calories plus whipped cream calories, if 8 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

I absolutely loved this cake.  It was interesting to make a cake in a crock pot.  That was a new one for me!!!  I passed on the whipped cream to save the calories, but loved the cake just the same.  It does differ from the other dump cakes in that it the pumpkin did not really mix in with the cake because the cake is more vertical rather than spread out in the pan. This is wonderful!!

 Here are the ingredients that I used to make this recipe.

 I began by mixing the pumpkin and sugar.

 I added in the pumpkin pie spice 

 Next, the kosher salt

 I mixed it all together

 and poured it into my crockpot.

 I smoothed it until it was even.

 Sprinkling on the cake mix was the next step.

 The butter needed to be melted,

 and then carefully spooned over the cake mix.

 The pecans went atop the butter

Now it just cooks for hours.  

Then serve it up!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

What the Beck???


Mother's Day Dinner at Salernos

We celebrated Mother's Day the day after to 
avoid to crush in the restaurants. We always do this 
so that we never have to wait for a table.  It was great 
because we were all present (except for Wendy 
who lives on the east coast).
We had a very nice dinner.  I hadn't been to Salernos 
in a long time.  

(top row)  Me, Diane, Kelly, Kim
(seated)  Babette, Mom, and Susan 

Bucket List Update

Academy Award Nominated Movies

1941     Citizen Kane        

starring: Orson Wells, Dorothy Comingore

plot – Charles Kane, a very rich man inherited some money and then          made millions in Colorado gold and many enterprises. The              media pursues his final words upon his death “Rosebud”

This was a classic, but I really disliked it. I remember thinking that they were all thinking Rosebud was going to be something so important, and it was just the name of his childhood sled.

1944     Double Indemnity

starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson

plot – MacMurray plays an insurance salesman who helps a woman kill        her husband. He succeeds and then can’t live with what he did.          He confesses. She can’t be tried again for the same crime.

This was a pretty good movie. Fred MacMurray plays a totally different type of character from what I have ever seen. This is definitely not Robbie and Chip’s Dad.

1947     Crossfire

starring: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Paul Kelly

plot – A movie about the death of a Jewish man by a soldier. This was a       hate crime movie.

This was a good movie. It was interesting to see Robert Young as a cop, but to me he will always be Marcus Welby.

1952     Moulin Rouge

starring: Jose Ferrer, Colette Marchand, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Claude Nollier,            Suzanne Flow

plot – The first story of the short life of Toulouse Lautrec. His growth          was stunted due to a childhood fall. He became a painter. He            painted average people in the taverns and clubs in Paris. He            struggles with alcoholism and was a womanizer. There is a              newer version done much later.

This was a good movie, but I felt it was a little too long.

1953     Shane

starring: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon DeWilde, Jack               Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanen, Ellen Corby

plot – This was a great western about a cowboy who becomes a ranch          hand and helps with a range war.

This was a great movie. It is definitely a classic and the relationship the ranch hand has with the family is wonderful.

1969     Anne of the Thousand Days

starring: Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas, John Calieas,            Anthony Quayle

plot – The story of Henry VIII and his many wives.

This was a pretty good movie. Apparently movies about Henry the Eighth are blockbusters as this is the third movie I have watched in a short amount of time.

1969     Z

starring: Yvres Montand, Irene Papas

plot – This movie is based on true facts. It is about what happened            before the assassination of Greek, Gregoris Lambrakis. He was a        politician and physician and a pacifist.

This movie was not in English!!!  I became bored and couldn’t stomach reading the captions for all two hours and fifteen minutes. I must say the actors were quite passionate in delivering their lines.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Sunday, May 15, 2016

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Cherry Chocolate Dump Cake

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

OR

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/dump-cakes.html

I figured out that there are 312 calories, if 12 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

I loved the taste of the cherries and chocolate together. This is one of the best dump cakes that I have made so far. Mom liked it so well that she is going to make it for her bridge group.

 Here are the ingredients that I used to create this recipe.

I sprayed the pan with nonstick spray first.

Then I poured the cherry pie filling into the 9 x 13 pan. 

 I spread them around the pan.

 Using a cute spoon, I put the cake mix atop the cherries.

 I leveled the pan off with the back of the spoon.

 I cut the butter into small pieces and put them all over the cake.

 This is so yummy and decadent!!!

 Make it a.s.a.p.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Friday, May 13, 2016

What the Beck???

A Night out with "The Guys"

"The Guys"
(L to R) Gary, Bill, Dan, Jeff, Jim, & Buzz)

 On May fifth, Gary called and said we were going to 

get together with the guys at the Filling 
Station.  I had such a good time!

Bucket List Update

Academy Award Nominated Movies

I did a 2013 Movie Marathon this week.  I watched all of the nominated movies. Whew! 

12 Years a Slave

starring: Chiwetel Eriofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dickie Grovois,             Adepero Oduye, Brad Pitt, Scott Jefferson

plot – Based on a true story and adapted from a book written by               Solomon Northup. This is the story of a black New Yorker who is       kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.

This was a great example of the inner bravery and strength Solomon demonstrated as a slave. He had to brave a lot of cruelty, and suffered greatly.

Gravity

starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

plot – Bullock and Clooney are two astronauts who initially survive a          space ship disaster. Eventually they are separated.

This was a great movie!!!! Bullock and Clooney do an excellent job keeping the movie interesting and suspenseful. This movie won the Academy Award for 2013.

American Hustle

starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner,             Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena,               Elizabeth Rohn

plot – Based on a true event, two con artists help the FBI setup and             catch Congressmen taking bribes.  There is an unexpected twist         at the end.

This was a pretty good movie. I hate the idea of con-men, con-women, but I know they really do exist.  It takes lot of effort and planning, but they were successful.

Dallas Buyers Club

starring: Matthew McConaughhey, Jared, Leto, Jennifer Garner, Craig             Borten, Dennis O’Hare, Steve Zahn, Dallas Roberts

plot – In the 80’s in Texas, a roughneck cowboy named Ron Woodroof          learns that he has AIDS. He has just 30 days left to live, but              refuses to give in to his disease. He starts the Dallas Buyers Club        which for $400 per month gives the buyer the drugs they need          for the month. Woodroof finds alternative therapies and                smuggles unapproved drugs into the country.

This was a great movie. McConaughhey is wonderful in the role of Woodroof. He lost a lot of weight for this role because he looked emaciated. Why is it easier for guys to lose it than woman???  Darn hormones!!!! Gartner is also primo as a doctor who questions the drug trial she is a part of at the hospital. This was a movie to see.

Her

starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde,              Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johannson

plot – Set not too far in the technological future, a man has a                 relationship with an operating system on his computer.

This was a good movie. It was a little frightful that this might be our future as computers become able to learn. I was bothered as all of the people walked around talking into computers everywhere they went.  I see it a lot already now. People cannot just sit still without looking at some device.

Philomena

starring: Judy Dench, Steve Coogan

plot – A young girl becomes pregnant and is sent to a convent to have          her child. Once she gives birth, she has to work to pay off her          debt to the convent for four years. She is allowed to see her            child once a week. The child is sold to a wealthy American              couple without the girl’s permission. This movie shows the              woman grown and wanting to locate her son. Fifty years after          giving birth, she obtains the assistance of a reporter to find the        boy.

I think this is a fabulous movie. I was appalled that young girls were hidden away in shame. It was awful that she had no say in what happened to her child. I loved the hunt for her son.

The Wolf of Wall Street

starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot          Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreaa,            Jean DuJardin, Christine Eberstol

plot – The story of stockbrokers and their rise to being wealthy selling       penny stocks and starting up a new successful company.

I hated this movie! It was just blatant sex scenes in the office, drug use, and offensive swearing. It was so unrealistic that it seemed like it was all for shock value. I wonder how much of it was accurate, because it was based on actual characters and events.

Captain Phillips

I reviewed this previously

Nebraska

starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach

plot – Dern plays an elderly man who believes he has won a million            dollars in one of those mail contests. His son humors him and          they drive from Montana to Nebraska to check his ticket. This is        the story of a father and son growing closer and creating a              positive bond. It has many funny scenes when they stay at a            relative’s home in the father’s hometown.

This was a great movie!  Dern is amazing as the confused father. Will Forte is excellent as the supportive son, and June Squibb is hysterical as the negative wife and mother.  I enjoyed every minute of this one.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Banana Bread Donuts with Nutella Glaze

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

I figured out that there are 209 calories, if 16 donuts are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

These donuts were good.  I shared them with the Serpico family who liked them, as well as my Mom and Ron, and Susan and Wyatt.  I had a hard time looking at a chocolate covered donut that was banana.  I must say that we all “LIKED” them. Nicole said it best. It would have been better as a muffin.

Here are the ingredients that I used to create this recipe.

 Before I began, I melted the butter,

and sprayed the donut pan with nonstick spray.

 I whisked the dry ingredients together.

 I measured out the sugar and added it to the butter.

I whisked them together.

 It was time to mix the wet and dry ingredients.

 In went the eggs, and I mixed until they were barely combined.

 I love the smell of vanilla.

 I mashed the bananas with a fork.

 The bananas were added to the batter.

 Buttermilk was the last to enter the mix.

I mixed it until it was smooth.

 This is my new donut pan. 

It was sprayed and ready to go.

 I filled each one 3/4 full of batter.

 I put them on a cooling rack,

and made the glaze mix.

 They were so darn cute!!!

Ya gotta love sprinkles!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Monday, May 9, 2016

What the Beck???

Are we on Mars????

 I had dropped the dogs off at the vet in Sandwich, 

and pulled up behind this contraption.

Even as it turned I was unsure of its purpose.

I decided it must be a piece of farm machinery.

Who knows what this thing does?

It looked like something from another planet to me.

Bucket List Update

Academy Award Nominated Movies

1936     Anthony Adverse

starring: Fredric March, Olivia de Haviliand, Donald Woods, Edmund               Gwenn, and Claude Rains.

plot – Set in the early 1800s, an orphan gets a second chance.          He begins successfully, but follows a dark path to Africa,          where he becomes a slave trader. After a friend dies, he          returns to Italy, then Paris. He changes and reunites with          his wife, and this movie had a surprise ending.  Yeah!

I liked this movie.  I was frustrated when the main character made stupid decisions that changed the type of man he could have been all along.

1936     Libeled Lady

starring: Myrna Loy, William Powell, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy

plot – A newspaper is being sued for libel, so the editor comes          up with a scheme to end the lawsuit.

What a great cast!!  It is a cute movie with fabulous actors!

1937     Captains Courageous

starring: Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Melvin           Douglas, Mickey Rooney, and John Carradine

plot – Freddie is so great at playing a spoiled, wealthy brat. He is a rich        kid who falls overboard from a cruise ship. He is fished out of          the drink by a Portuguese fisherman. The boy learns the value of        hard work, honesty, and true friendship.

Wow!  This movie had an awesome cast.  The story is classic and the message is so important for everyone.  This one is a great and will last forever.

1938     Four Daughters

starring: Claude Rains, Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Gale             Page, and John Garfield.

plot – A man has four beautiful, musical daughters. Beaus begin                entering the picture, as does a composer. Chaos becomes the            norm for the family. 

This was a really cute movie. It is light and fun to watch. The typical overprotective father, and family members who definitely love each other.

1933     Dark Victory

starring: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine                   Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, Cora Witherspoon

plot – A fun-filled social butterfly is diagnosed with a brain tumor, but        her doctor and best friend keep it a secret from her. She                eventually finds out and becomes wild and reckless. She is mad        at the doctor and her friend. She forgives them, marries, and is          happy until the tumor kills her.

This was a great movie. It makes you wonder how awful it would be if people you love and trust kept something important from you. She did go way over the edge when she realized what they had done, but it ends well.

1967     Doctor Dolittle

starring: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Sir Richard            Attenborough

plot – A self-proclaimed veterinarian goes in search of the Great Sea            Snail

I thought that I was going to love this one, but I thought it was long (almost three hours) and painfully slow.

1967     The Graduate

starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, Norman Fell,          Alice Ghostley, Buck Henry, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton,          Elizabeth Williams

plot – A college graduate returns home and begins an affair with the          father’s partner’s wife. The graduate then falls in love with the          woman’s daughter, and eventually steals her away.

This was a good movie. It was a classic for the 60’s and was always talked about because of the older woman, younger man affair.