Summer Movies 2009

This summer, I finally managed to see most of the movies on my list. Here are the ones I saw and a quick review of each. If they're not in the theater anymore, I would recommend all of these on DVD.

District 9

Many of my friends didn't like this movie, but I thought it was interesting. I'm a sucker for alien movies, and this one had some good ideas. Granted, there were holes in the plot, but it's an action movie, after all.

Watch the trailer here.

Inglourious Basterds

I love that the title is spelled incorrectly and Tarantino won't tell anyone why. Another fine installment from one of my favorite directors. No one else can craft a conversation like him.

watch the trailer

(500) Days of Summer

This was my birthday movie this year, and it did not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. A nice little story about relationships, music, art, and karaoke.

Trailer:


In The Loop

This was the smartest, funniest movie I've seen in years. Why aren't more people talking about it? So many great lines, I wish I would've had a notebook and pen with me in the theater. My favorite, "difficult difficult lemon difficult".

Trailer

Not Julia Child

The movie "Julie and Julia" inspired me to encourage my friend to flip the 6 egg omelet we were making for breakfast. Most of it ended up in the sink. The photo shows the remaining eggs.

Should have practiced with toast in the pan first!

Brunch with the Girls

I am trying to catch up on all of the food I've managed to photograph this summer. During the spring, my friend and I hosted a lovely brunch at my house. The following photo montage displays our efforts:

Grandma's Sticky Buns Before Oven


Grandma's Sticky Buns After Oven


Fruit Sculpture Courtesy of Friend's Awesome Dad


Quiche and Ina Garten's Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Eats and Treats in Phili

A few weekends ago, I ventured to Philadelphia to visit friends. We being the foodie types, the weekend revolved around the eating a preparing of food (as well as a trip to see Julie and Julia).

We started out our Saturday at Carmen's Country Kitchen, a funky little restaurant in South Phili, where we ate in the back of their pick up truck located in the street. What a fun experience! People were stopping to talk with us and there was a case of mistaken identity. The food was fantastic as well. Here's a photo recap:

Pancakes and waffles with caramelized corn, zucchini, and dates:




French Toast with fruit and strawberry fluff:


After brunch, we started working on dinner. After a quick trip to the Reading Terminal Market for ingredients (and Bassett's ice cream), we headed back to the house to start prepping for grilled pizza.

What emerged was this masterpiece...grilled pizza with roasted butternut squash, Gruyere cheese, and fried sage leaves. Beautiful.


We also made a roasted pepper and goat cheese pizza, but I forgot to photograph it.

After dinner, we went to a showing of Julie and Julia, a must see for anyone who loves food.

A great ending to a fantastic day in Philadelphia.

Carmen's Country Kitchen is located at:

1301 S 11th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5601
(215) 339-9613

Get there early as they only have about 3 tables inside. If you're lucky, you'll get to sit in the back of the pick-up truck.

Sweet Treats in Boston

Last weekend, the husband and I travelled to Boston to visit friends, eat food, and take in the sights. Last year, I went to Kickass Cupcakes, which were just ok. This year, we went to Sweet for some of the best cupcakes I've ever bought. These rival those at Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Magnolia Bakery in New York City. I tried the Pink Lemonade (pictured above), Boston Cream Pie, and Vanilla Buttercream. They were all fantastic. Perfect, moist cake, with a not too-sweet icing. And they are so pretty!

If you're in Boston, do buy yourself one (or five) of these awesome treats.

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 12

Victoria's Gastropub - Ellicott City, MD

Victoria's Gastropub offers up one of the best burgers I've eaten in quite some time. Everything was fantastically prepared and presented. Their duck fat fries are some of the best I've tasted. The inside of the restaurant is cozy, you can hardly tell it used to be a Bennigans.

The burger was well flavored and cooked well. The bun did tend to get a bit soggy after a few minutes, but that is the cost of a juicy burger.

If you're in Howard County, I would definitely recommend stopping by this neighborhood joint for a burger. You will not be disappointed.