PBS, Movies, Weather, A to Z.

I think I told you that a week or two back we were watching a great documentary about Oscar Hammerstein II. For years we have meant to join PBS (WNED out of Buffalo) and this time we decided to do so. Our gift of thanks was 12 DVDs of Rodgers and Hammerstein movies. In fact there are actually 6 movies and then 6 discs which I presume are all about the movies. Haven’t checked it out yet, they arrived in Thursday’s mail so, in the evening, we watched South Pacific. We also have Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Carousel, State Fair and The King and I. All old shows but the music was and is fabulous. Most of it we know word for word and I usually end up crying and the sad bits. When I was younger I absolutely adored Rossano Brazzi, I found I wasn’t so gaga about him watching the movie. Maybe because I later fell for Yul Brynner. That reminds me, we were talking about Judi Dench and I was staggered to find she is 79, I should look so good, also I was very surprised to find she was a Quaker. Not something you hear about much in England.

Being Thursday, we went bowling, the less said about it the better. Not a good day for us. However, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. A  lot warmer and the sun was shining beautifully. In fact our apartment got too hot. We are told it is going to be 1°C on Saturday with possibility of rain. With all the frozen snow, that could cause quite a bit of flooding in the area. One of the owners at the bowling alley was concerned about his eaves which are loaded with frozen snow and ice and which could well break from the strain if it does rain. So glad we don’t have to worry about such things. It’s at times like this when one can really see the advantages in living in an apartment building.

Would you believe I have already started writing blogs for the A to Z in April? One idea I have had since last April shortly towards the end of that blogfest. Amazing I even remembered it for this long. Still got to find 24 more ideas though, not to mention appropriate recipes.

Here’s a recipe from WebMD which is right up my alley. Not sure about the frozen yoghurt, think I would opt for whipped cream..

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Serve this dense, fudgy pudding cake with vanilla frozen yogurt.

Ingredients
 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cups hot strong coffee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk, egg, oil and vanilla in a glass measuring cup. Make a well in center of the dry ingredients and gradually pour in the milk mixture, stirring until combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
3. Dissolve brown sugar in coffee; spoon over batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes; serve hot or warm.

Have a great day

Morituri, Dancing with the Stars,

How odd, I have nothing particular to do today. I don't believe it, our lives seem to be filled with appointments of one kind or another, particularly medical ones, groan. Then there's a lot of bowling and selling Avon and so on, just seem to be on the go all the time. Of course we do have an appointment to play cribbage tonight so our day is not totally clear. Last night we watched a movie I had never heard of, Morituri, made in 1965. starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did Matt. Its a second world war story - a German living in India is blackmailed by the British into posing as an SS officer on a German ship carrying a valuable cargo of rubber which the allies would like to get. Brando is tasked with the job of disarming the scuttling charges so the captain cannot sink the ship when encountering th Americans. Brynner is the captain. If you get a chance to see it, I recommend it. Good movie. Morituri is from the Latin phrase "Morituri te salutamus" or 'those who are about to die salute you' which is supposed to have been said by the gladiators to Caesar in the arenas.

Matt, who has been a devoted fan of Good Morning America for years, said he is going off the programme. Some of it is because of the topics being covered such as Bachelor or Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars. None of which holds any interest for us. Also, they have little chat sessions during the programme where everyone is talking at once and it is difficult to distinguish what people are saying. Probably more difficult for older ears. That is one of the reasons I have never been a follower of The View because they all talk over one another. However, it is something we all do - a convivial bunch of people all talk at once and one has to tune in to the things which are of interest to you. Talking of Dancing With the Stars, I am staggered to find the astronaut Buzz Aldrin in included this year - he was born in 1930 for goodness sake, he's 80, plus its a very energetic performance. The other surprise was Kevin Lysacek the guy who won the gold in men's figure skating a week ago. He shouldn't find it a problem.

Anyway, being a free day, I need to go and do some cooking for the freezer. Things like spaghetti sauce and Marinara Sauce for instance. I might even make the following:

I got an email talking about vegetable stews so I checked some out, this is the first one from Eating Well which I thought sounded delicious. Fragrant Chickpea Stew Source: © EatingWell Magazine 4 servings,

When time is of the essence, this hearty stew makes a quick meal. It has a complex, almost beefy flavor that develops when the onion and garlic are cooked until dark brown. Accompany with steamed rice or whole-wheat flatbreads (chapatis). Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 medium red onion, chopped (1 cup) 5 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground (see Ingredient Note) 1 cup water 1 red potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 19-ounce or 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided 1 medium tomato, cut into 1-inch cubes Ingredient Note: Coriander seeds are tiny and yellowish brown; they are produced when cilantro is allowed to seed. They smell slightly citric. Their flavor does not resemble, in any way, that of cilantro. DIRECTIONS Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook cumin seeds for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until dark brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add coriander; cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Stir in water, potato, chickpeas, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the potato is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add tomato, increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro and serve.

Have a great day

Yul Brynner, Bowling Successes, Christmas

There hasn't been a lot on TV lately, so last night I watched an old movie which I have on video, one of my favourites, The King and I. I cried a lot. I always loved Yul Brynner; read about him at Wikipedia. Quite a talented man and certainly an attractive man. I loved him in Anastasia too, of which I also have a copy. He died of cancer in his early 60's which is such a shame as that wasn't very old. He won awards for all his stage performances of The King and I as well as for the film version. Monday was bowling day and I was pleased to discover I had won a shot glass for bowling 100 pins above my average. Also, my partner and I won the High Low Doubles with some 660 pins above our combined average (over several weeks) which means we go on to another round although we are not sure where yet. We kind of collect shot glasses. We had one or two so someone decided we collected them and started buying them for us, then I bought one or two when we were travelling, now we have maybe a dozen. We have ordered me some bowling balls too - I bought some for Matt, one year, for a Christmas present, he is returning the favour. Not sure when I will get them though. Talking of Christmas, having got all my Christmas cards ready, I discovered I could order my Christmas stamps on line, so I did that. No delivery charges. When I was down in the lobby of this building, they were decorating trees and hanging things for Christmas decorations. I think its too soon, we will probably be doing it at the beginning of December, but its only the middle of November for goodness sake. Some of the streets are already decorated and a lot of the stores are. Maybe its earlier because they are hoping to attract buyers. They are expecting low sales this year due to the economic crisis. North Americans buy their kids far too many presents anyway, although I think they are doing the same in the UK these days too. I guess next week they will be having the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Not my favourite parade as it mostly consists of giant balloons which may be impressive if you are there, but not when you see it on TV. However, it spawned one of my favourite old films, in fact there are now two versions of Miracle on 34th Street. I make sure I see one of them every year, wouldn't be Christmas to me without it. A lot of people feel the same about Its a Wonderful Life which doesn't mean a lot to me. Christmas Carol is another one people enjoy at Christmas time. We haven't made a hard and fast decision, but I think we are going to be staying home for Christmas this year. One year we went to Rushes which is a local restaurant. They did a wonderful buffet with a turkey, a ham and a roast of beef being the centrepieces. There was stacks of food from starters to desserts, but, for us, being on our own, it wasn't so much fun. It really needs a party of people. We went to a similar "do" in England a few years ago and it was a lot better. They had a performance, following the meal, by the staff, which was great. They had a Santa giving out little gifts and then they played music for dancing. We had a great time, although still just the two of us. At Rushes its gobble, gobble, gobble and go home. I will probably get another turkey breast and brine it, the same as I did for Thanksgiving (Canadian one). I already have some home made pudding in the freezer so I think I will defrost it and moisten it with rum or brandy for a week or two. I like my pudding with Rum Butter which not many serve any more as it is very rich. One very often finds people serving it with cream. Or just rum flavoured sauce. Maybe I should go mad and make some mince tarts too, just what I need for my diet. I don't make cakes any more as Matt doesn't like them and I don't need them. I have just come across a Lemon Mascarpone Custard to serve with a Christmas Pudding. Something I have never come across before but just might try instead of Rum Butter. It comes from a little book I was sent called Best Christmas Ever. Lemon Mascarpone Custard Serves 6 2 Tbs custard powder 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup orange juice 1 cup water 1/3 cup mascarpone 1/3 cup lemon butter (basically unsalted butter, lemon juice and sugar) 2 Tbs cointreau Combine custard powder and sugar in medium pan, add orange juice and water, stir until combined. Stir constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens, boil for a further one minute. Add mascarpone, lemon butter and Cointreau, stir until heated through. Unsuitable to freeze. Have a great day.