Email is back online & Friday Faves: Movies

Thanks for your patience while my tech crew got it sorted out!

Apologies for the blog silence - I'm laying low, trying to fight off a cold (hey, it got down to like 25 degrees here in Florida, it's no wonder people are getting sick left and right!

On to my Friday faves - movies!

I'm one of those kind of people who has a new favorite movie (song, food) every other week or so, so if you ask me my all time favorite movie ever, you'd get a different response if you ask me again later. But in the spirit of faves, I give you my two favorite Vegas movies ever:

Leaving Las Vegas
Oh I know, it's depressing as heck, but it's a powerful story and it's beautifully filmed. Plus, for some bizarre reason, I've always found Nic Cage kinda hot (I know, ew).



Casino
Gruesome? Well, yeah. Talented cast? Heck yeah! And again, amazing cinematography and really strong story. Plus, I have a slight obsession with all things old-school Vegas.


So there ya have it! Happy weekend ya'll!

Friday faves: Food!

Food, glorious food! I may not have the most refined or discriminating tastes, but I know what I like! My ideal meal? It's so hard to pick just one thing, so here's a few I'd mix and match!

Appetizers
Stuffed Mushrooms
Shrimp Cocktail
Fried Olives
Clams on the half shell

Main Course
Sushi - a Maui roll, a spicy tuna roll, a spicy lobster roll and a little edamame on the side
Prime Rib
Snow Crab Legs

Desserts
Bananas Foster over a big ol' chocolate brownie
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Sorry for the abbreviated version, I'm still playing catch up from yesterday!

Friday faves - TV shows

I admit, I'm an addict. A TV fanatic. And it's generally not good TV either. It's the junk food kind. The latest and greatest in my TV faves?

Gossip Girl
The OC (another guilty pleasure!) meets NYC. In prep school uniforms. The guys in my high school never looked like this!

I've already professed my love for Project Runway. I'm in, Heidi. And I grin like a fool every time Tim says, "make it work" or "carry on". I don't have a clear favorite yet for this season, so I'm curious to see how things play out.

Good Eats

Alton Brown is the man. He's a riot. He can make science interesting (to someone like me who glazes over at the mere thought) and he can cook!

Rock of Love with Bret Michaels I was totally rooting for Jes; she was one of my favorites from the beginning, but it just didn't work out. Which is good news for me, because that means there's a season 2!! And yes, I confess, I was a hair band junkie back in the day.

Curse you writer's strike! Do I really have to go without Lost this year? Heck, it's been so long, I don't even remember where we left off!


So enlighten me. Am I missing any of your must watch shows?

Friday favorites: Christmas

Today marks the start of a new blog series - Friday faves! Call it a self-indulgent brain dump if you will, but I love reading other people's blogs and finding new "things", whether it be a product, a band, a book... or a really expensive camera lens to lust after. You get the idea!

And since tomorrow is the first day of December, what better topic to start with than Christmas!

Hear
How can you go wrong with Mannheim Steamroller? It's Christmas music that's guaranteed not to grate on my nerves by December 24.

Smell
With all my allergies, I'm pretty sensitive to smells and for the most part, avoid things like perfumes and scented lotions. But when I do indulge, I prefer food smells over flowery ones. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Philosophy's The Gingerbread Man!

Watch
How can you not get nostalgic over A Charlie Brown Christmas? Without fail it's my absolute favorite holiday show.

Though, since we've been married, my husband and I have started the tradition of watching A Christmas Story on Christmas night once we get home from visiting the relatives. Fortunately TNT indulges freaks like us and airs it for 24 continuous hours starting on Christmas Eve!

Watch it, or you'll shoot your eye out, kid.


Taste
Best. Cookies. Ever. At least that's what my husband tells me (and believe me, he'd tell me if he didn't like 'em!) This oatmeal cookie recipe is a favorite in our house and it's so simple that even you non-bakers out there can whip up a batch!

3 cups of butter, softened
3 cups packed brown sugar (I used an equal mix of light and dark)
3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking soda
6 cups of quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup of sugar

Cream the butter and brown sugar. In a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients except the oatmeal. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture then slowly incorporate the oatmeal (it gets thick and sticky!). Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and flatten on the cookie sheet with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Those are my Christmas faves. Drop off a comment and tell me some of yours!