Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

What the Beck???

Sur la Table Class #3
"Flavors of the South"
Part A: Chile-Spiced Collard Greens


 Chef Kiley Fields

 This monstrous leaf is a collard green
Who knew???
This leaf was boiled in hot salty water for three
minutes and then cooled.


After getting all of the water was out, the greens 
were rolled and cut into thick strips. 

After preparing the collard greens, we 
cut up the bacon, and fried it up..
What could be better in any recipe than bacon???

The next step was to dice up the onion


We fried up the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes.

After we added the onions we added in the collard greens,
chicken broth and apple cider vinegar.


Pepper and sea salt were the final additive

I can't believe that I am going to say this, but....

THESE WERE FABULOUS!!!




Sunday, May 29, 2016

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Sunday 29, 2016

What the Beck???

Ghosts in the Lawn???


Yes, I created ghosts in the lawn.
My Mandevilla tropicals cannot be open to
cold evenings.  That's all we had that week,
and I had already planted them in the ground.


This is what they will look like if
they don't freeze to death this year.

At first, Willow was afraid of the six ghosts

The ghosts came in all sizes
skinny and wide.


Bucket List Update
Academy Award Nominated Movies


1995     Sense and Sensibility
starring:  Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman
plot – A very British story of two sisters who are still single                   and need husbands after their Dad dies.
This was a pretty good movie.


2008     Frost/Nixon
starring: Frank Langello, Michael Sheen
plot – This is a reenactment of the David Frost interviews of 
       ex-disgraced President Richard M. Nixon.
This was a great movie. Langello is great in the role of Nixon and has his mannerisms down cold. These interviews were extremely important after Nixon left office. 


2009     The Hurt Locker
starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraaghty, Christian            Camargo
plot – A heart wrenching story of what USA bomb experts go through          in Iraq. Every day is life or death. This is a real accounting of            how war is hell and what our soldiers are living through daily.
This was an outstanding movie.  I had never seen the procedures that bomb experts have to go through to keep our troops safe. Defusing a bomb needs expertise and extreme patience.


2010     The King’s Speech
starring: Geoffrey Rush, Colin firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce
plot – The King’s brother, who is second in line for the British          throne, becomes King when his brother steps down. The          new King has a stuttering problem, and sees an unorthodox            speech therapist.
This was an amazing movie. It was interesting to watch the therapy methodology used to try to help the new King be able to address his subjects without a stutter that embarrassed him.


2011     The Artist
starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell,           Penelope Ann Miller
plot – A silent movie that won the 2011 Best Picture Academy Award.          The setting is 1927. A silent movie star refuses to change to            talkies. His life steadily declines.
I am shocked that I didn’t totally dislike this movie. I so dislike foreign films and silent movies, but the plot of this one was interesting.

1928     Wings
starring:   Clara Bow, Richard Arien, Charles Rogers, Gary Cooper
plot – This was the first movie to ever win an Academy Award for best        Picture. It is a silent movie, which shows two men going off to          war as airmen to fight in WWI.  Clara Bow is the girl they left            behind. She becomes a driver of supplies in the war effort.
This was a pretty good movie considering that it was silent. There was not too much dialogue, and the storyline was good. I didn’t really enjoy the dog-fighting scenes, but to film those planes at that time was a real feat!


1929     In Old Arizona
starring: Warner Baxter, Edmund Lowe, Dorothy Burgess.
plot – The Cisco Kid is wanted and is being chased by a sheriff.      Cisco outsmarts him.
This was a pretty boring movie to me. I remember watching the Sunday shows about the Cisco Kid in the 60’s, and they were much better than this early version.


Friday, May 27, 2016

Friday, May 27, 2016

Friday, May 27, 2016

What the Beck???

Maddie May's Baby Shower


Throughout the year I buy girl baby shoes, because 
they are darn cute.  I knew that eventually someone 
would have a girl, and I could share these adorable shoes.
I took this picture at home before the shower.


 This is my Godchild, Maddie, who is 
due in July with our first girl!


 The Lehman girls

 Regina, Josie, and sister Diane.


 Nieces Brandy and Heather


 Sisters Kim and Susan

 and again


 My Mom, Norma


 This is a gift that I had never even heard of before this day.
I knew what a baby monitor was, but this is a
video baby monitor.  My world is spinning!


 Sister, Kim, and niece, Alaina

 and again

 The Battaglia family
Maddie's inlaws, and in front, niece Alaina



 (top row) sister Diane, Josie
(bottom row) niece Rachel, sister, Susan, Debbie and Regina 


Marty, Mom, Norma, sister Kelly, me, Abby, and Roland


 I love that Maddie loved my shoes.
I already miss them.

 Yes, it's finally out of my basement!!!
What is it you ask?????
The pink baby chair that I bought for a girl five years ago.

 I fell in love with this wrapping paper!  
What a great way to personalize a gift.
I wonder how long it took Molly to join
all of these 8 x 10 sheets together.
Molly - you are so creative and Maddie
loved the gift from Molly and Alaina.


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

What the Beck???


 Now that the weather is turning, I have been 
working in the garden edging and weeding.
Some days it is back breaking work!


 I'm gettin' there!

My little Japanese Maple is slowly
growing up and out. This is a great tree
for your yard IF you have a protected
area.  They are pretty fragile.


Bucket List Update
Academy Award Nominated Movies


1971     A Clockwork Orange
starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee
plot – A sexually explicit movie where a young man kills a woman after        breaking into her home. He is sent to prison and volunteers for a        new behavior mod program, which brain washes him to do no          bad. He attempts suicide, but lives.
This movie was pretty violent and I didn’t like it at all.


1973     Cries and Whispers
starring: Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Thulin, Harriet Anderson and Kari Sylwan
plot – This is set in Stockholm in the turn of the 20th century. One              sister is dying of cancer. Her two sisters are present, but are            detached and self-involved. The maid is the only one who cares        and helps her.
I hated this movie because it is another foreign film that has to be read. I like to hear the words, and reading the subtitles gives me a headache.


1978     The Deer Hunter
starring: Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl                 Streep, John Cazale, John Savage, George Dzundza
plot – Lifelong friends from Pennsylvania make a last hunting trip             before being sent to Vietnam. The war changes who they are and       affects their lives long afterward.
I had trouble with the violence and the inhumanity of war shown on the screen. I know a lot of people like to see it, but it is enough to know how awful it without witnessing it.


1979     Breaking Away
starring: Dennis Christopher, Barbara Barrie, Dennis Quaid, Daniel               Stern, Paul Dooley
plot – The story of a young man who loves biking. His personal
       ambition is to win a race between the college team and the              townies.
This was a GREAT movie. I didn’t anticipate liking a movie about biking, but it was a great story. This one is worth seeing.


1986     A Room with a View
starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, Maggie Smith, Judi                Dench, Daniel Day Lewis
plot – A very British love story.
This move was not for me. It was quite formal, very elite, but the acting was wonderful.


1990     Goodfellas
starring: Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul              Sorvino
plot – A based in truth movie about organized crime in the 1970s. The       main character was a mobster and informer named Henry Hill.           This had a great cast and seemed very realistic.
When I saw the list of actors, I knew that it would be a “mobster” film. I enjoyed the movie and knew that most people would love this movie.


1993     The Remains of the Day
starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Christopher             Reeves
plot – The setting is post WWII England. This is the story of a                 relationship between a butler and housekeeper. This shows many       events of the time. 
This was a very “Downton Abbey” type of movie. I really liked it and Hopkins and Thompson are believable in their roles.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Beth’s Brisket
Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog


I figured out that there are 403 calories, if 16 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

This brisket is very good. It seemed more traditional than her other brisket recipes. This one is covered with veggies and very hearty. This brisket was a big hit for the Veterinary Staff. I decided to deliver it to them for a luncheon sammies.
I got rave reviews from Mom and Ron on this delish dish.

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

 the beef brisket.
I put them in an enormous pan

 The first veggie to go atop were the mushrooms.
I cheated and bought them presliced.


 Then I added carrots.
I love these little ones that save cutting time, too.

 I did actually chop up the celery

 We added a lot of onion!!!

Now, on to the liquid.
The recipe begins with water


 into which I added the ketchup

 The brown sugar was the next ingredient

 Soy sauce was added to the mix, as well as

 apple cider vinegar, and


 Worcestershire Sauce


 I whisked the ingredients together.

 The last step was to pour it all over the veggies and brisket


 I covered the entire thing with foil, and 
put it in the oven to bake for many hours.
This brisket was a BIG HIT with my family.
I still have a few servings in the freezer, so
I can enjoy it for a few more days.