Julie & Julia

My husband gave me the DVD of "Julie & Julia" for Christmas and I watched it today. It wasn't a bad movie, but probably not one that just anyone would like. I have always been a fan of Julia Child and still watch reruns of her cooking show when PBS has them on. Between being a fan and loving to cook, I figured this would be my kind of movie.

I wasn't aware that besides chronicling Julia Child's life, it also told the true story of Julie Powell, who in 365 days prepared every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. While doing this, she wrote on her blog each day about her cooking experiences. Due to the blog, she earned notoriety and became a published author.

I felt a connection with Ms. Powell since I have a food blog. Wow, don't I wish I could have her success with this blog? I also think that Meryl Streep did a pretty good job portraying Julia Child. She known for her ability to do different accents and she hit Julia's perfect. The movie also told the story of Julia's love for her husband. I had always heard that she and her husband had a very deep love for each other and it came through in this movie.

I think my husband did a pretty good job getting this movie for me. I'll have to cook him a special dinner to thank him, maybe even something from Julia Child's cookbook.

Carol

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. It looks like I will be snowed in for Christmas this year with 1-3 inches of snow predicted. Normally, I have a 4-wheel drive truck and can get out from my country home, but this year all I have is a front-wheel drive car that belongs to my mother. I won't take a chance on getting her car in a ditch.

I'll be baking a ham for us this year. We've already had three turkey dinners in November and, as much as we love turkey, we wanted something else. I haven't decided what to fix with it yet, but it will come to me. It better come to me because I will be doing the grocery shopping tonight.

Anyway, enjoy your holiday, hug your family, and stay warm. For my southern California followers, stay dry.

Carol

Chocolate Lava Cake

I'm cheating today. I don't have one of my own recipes, but instead am going to direct you to one that I can't wait to try myself. I love chocolate and who doesn't, so when I saw this recipe my mouth started watering. If you're hosting a small dinner party soon, this would be the perfect dessert. The recipe doesn't say it, but I read other recipes that say that once baked, you can freeze the cakes and thaw in the oven later when you're ready to serve. My problem is that I don't have that many custard cups or small quiche dishes. Oh goody, I may have to go shopping.

Anyway, you can find the recipe for Chocolate Lava Cake here. This is one of my favorite sites to find new recipes.

Enjoy,
Carol

Substituting an Ingredient

In October, I posted a recipe for Hot Apple Cider. I'm planning on making this next week for a Christmas party, so I've been shopping for the ingredients. What I wanted to tell you is that if you make this, you may have a hard time finding the Apricot Nectar. I had to go to four stores, including Walmart and Kroger, before I finally found it in a local grocery chain store.

What I would suggest, if you cannot find it, is to substitute Peach Nectar or Juice, if you can find it. When I thought I wasn't going to be able to find the Apricot Nectar, I bought V-8 Fusion Mango-Peach flavor. I think it would worked fine, but luckily I found the original ingredient. As I said in the original post, this drink is so good, it's addicting. If you need to supply a holiday beverage, I highly recommend making this one.

Carol