Friday, July 17, 2009

Anticipation: Julie & Julia - The Movie


I am one of those people that has a problem paying full price for a movie ticket when I know I can see the same movie for a dollar in a few short months. Are you one of these people too? I think part of it is that most movies out these days just don't excite me.

All that changes August 7th. That's the day that Julia & Julia comes out in theaters. I am so excited about this movie! I can't decide what has me captivated more. Is it that it is a movie with roots in cooking? Is it that one of my all time favorite actresses, Meryl Streep, is in it? Is it that a blogger has her blog up on the big screen? For me it is all that and more!

To be honest, I am most excited about learning more about Julia Child. The trailer shows glimpses into her personal life and from what I have heard, Julia was a character.

It seems to me that it has been awhile since a good "chick flick" has been out. I shudder to think of the men across America that are living in dread at this very moment because they know they will have 2 hours of chick flick coming their way in August. Suck it up boys; football is right around the corner! My own sweet husband has mentioned that he can't wait to take me to the movie. What a sweetie!

So, come this August I will be shelling out some gosh awful sum of money to see a movie at the -gasp- movie theater! I am sure I will sneak snacks and bottled water into the movie my over sized purse.

So, are you going to go see the movie? Will you wait until it comes out on DVD? Julia's birthday is August 15th. I think I will celebrate that day by making something out of her Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. How awesome to have the movie premiere one week before her birthday.

And with that I will just say, in honor of Julia, Bon Appetit!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pecan Pie Muffins



I thought you might enjoy a little gem of a recipe. This came from a friend of mine whose daughter won a blue ribbon at the fair! I have played with the ingredient amounts as you will read below. The picture shown is when I was experimenting with different sized muffin tins so please excuse the un - uniformity! This recipe is great for a brunch. I prefer them best after they have had time to rest. In my opinion they just aren't as tasty right out of the oven. Enjoy!

Pecan Pie Muffins

2 c. Brown sugar, packed
1 c. Flour
2 c. Pecans, chopped (I load my batter down with more!)
1 1/3 sticks. butter, melted (original recipe called for cups)
4 lg Eggs, beaten

Combine brown sugar, flour & pecans; set aside.
Combine butter & eggs; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened.
Fill mini muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake 350º for 15-20 minutes or until done. (the best ones of mine took 17 minutes)
Remove from pans & cool on wire racks.

If you don't remove them from the pan they get cement hard once the sugar cools.

On a personal note, thank you to all of you that have written notes during my blogger leave of absence. I confess that my break away from the blogging world was longer than I thought it would be. I will be blogging now and then; as the spirit moves me so to speak.