Last year Sarah and I set out to watch 31 scary movies in October. It was ambitious and a lot of fun. This year we've been a little more lax about it, but we've still committed to watch 13 scary movies before or shortly after Halloween. I figured I'd give an update on what we've watched so far now that we've seen a few (and Halloween is two days away).
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Loved the movie. The book was more fulfilling and spookier, but this was a great adaptation.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
They were showing this in IMAX, so we took advantage of it.
Psycho
Masterpiece. It was also being shown in theaters—$5 a ticket, too.
Red Riding Hood
This was pretty much panned when it was released, but I like it anyway. Visually very appealing.
The Boy
Delightful and creepy.
The Forest
We thought about watching this in our tent on a camping trip, but decided against it and watched it at home later. Very glad we didn't watch it while camping.
Coming up there are a few on our lists that we want to get to, including a couple old monster movies (definitely B-movie fare), Stonehearst Asylum, Hocus Pocus, The Birds, Rear Window, and Signs, but I'd welcome any recommendations of stuff we have and haven't seen.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Cooking update
A new element of this blog that I'd like to introduce is a record of the recipes I try and the dishes I make. I've been cooking more often this year and experimenting with recipe recommendations and opportunities. If anyone has cool recipe suggestions (for literally any type of food/meal), let me know in a comment!
Here are a few I've saved in drafts for a while. Generally my recipes serve two with a few leftovers, but I'm not super particular about making a note of the yield when I keep track of them because I just adjust for the situation.
Peanut butter cheesecake ice cream alternative
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 tsp. agave nectar
Blend until smooth. Freeze for an hour. Remove and stir. Freeze for another hour.
Pretty simply, not terribly unhealthy, and it tastes similar to peanut butter cheesecake ice cream. I'll probably try it with cocoa/dark chocolate too next time.
Chicken-peach salad
2 peaches
2 chicken breasts
1 bag of spinach
crumbly cheese (feta is particularly good, but anything similar will work)
Slice up the peaches and soften them over medium heat. Dice the chicken and cook it with the peaches. (Optional: rub the chicken with sage first.) Split the spinach bag in two on some big plates. Top the spinach with the peaches, the chicken, and the cheese to your liking. (This has turned out to be one of Sarah's favorite meals, and she's requested it a number of times since I first made it.)
Black bean cabbage jamboree
1 head of cabbage
salt
lime juice
1 can black beans
white rice
cumin
avocado
tomato
queso fresco
Thin slice the cabbage and toss it with salt and lime. Half-drain the black beans and heat them until soft (optionally with a chipotle pepper for flavor). Cook however much rice you want with some cumin. Slice the avocado and dice the tomato. When everything's ready, put rice into a bowl, then tomatoes, then black beans, then cabbage, then everything else to taste.
Caramel apple cheesecake
1 green apple
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons caramel syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 sheets of graham crackers
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese/Neufchâtel
4 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg white
Phase 1: Chop apple into small cubes. Cook over medium heat in a saucepan. Add in some water to soften the apples, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and the caramel syrup. When apples are soft, add in brown sugar, mix well, and remove from heat.
Phase 2: Crush graham crackers. Mix with melted butter, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and a dash of brown sugar. Dump mixture into an aluminum foil–lined glass dish, spread out evenly, and then bake for 5 minutes.
Phase 3: Mix cream cheese and Greek yogurt (I just did it with a fork). Add flour, white sugar, and egg white; mix well. When the apple mixture from Phase 1 has cooled, mix it with this one until well blended. (The apples have to be cooled or they'll curdle the Greek yogurt.)
Phase 4: Pour the mixture into the dish over the graham cracker base. Add a little caramel syrup on top if you'd like, then bake at 350ºF for about 30 minutes. When it's done, freeze for 2 hours, then refrigerate and eat when slightly softened.
I made this about a week ago. I cut it into 9 pieces at about 212 calories each, so not a bad dessert option, and they turned out really well. Very delicious. In fact, there's still some in the fridge...
Shepherd's pie and cauliflower mash
1 celery stalk
1 cup carrots
1/2 medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1/2 head cauliflower
3 ounces cheese (I used Welsh Red Dragon, but any favorite cheese works)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
dash of salt
chopped green onions
Prep a mirepoix of the celery, carrots, and onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Add ketchup, basil, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic salt. Sauté for a few minutes. Add beef and brown it. Add water and Worcestershire and simmer. Let it cool in a glass dish.
Microwave the cauliflower for 6 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, cream, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and green onions. Blend until at desired consistency. Dump it into the dish with the beef filling, then bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, then slice up and serve.
*
I've got a handful of recipes saved to try, so I'll update with new posts whenever I get around to making one of them.
Here are a few I've saved in drafts for a while. Generally my recipes serve two with a few leftovers, but I'm not super particular about making a note of the yield when I keep track of them because I just adjust for the situation.
Peanut butter cheesecake ice cream alternative
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 tsp. agave nectar
Blend until smooth. Freeze for an hour. Remove and stir. Freeze for another hour.
Pretty simply, not terribly unhealthy, and it tastes similar to peanut butter cheesecake ice cream. I'll probably try it with cocoa/dark chocolate too next time.
Chicken-peach salad
2 peaches
2 chicken breasts
1 bag of spinach
crumbly cheese (feta is particularly good, but anything similar will work)
Slice up the peaches and soften them over medium heat. Dice the chicken and cook it with the peaches. (Optional: rub the chicken with sage first.) Split the spinach bag in two on some big plates. Top the spinach with the peaches, the chicken, and the cheese to your liking. (This has turned out to be one of Sarah's favorite meals, and she's requested it a number of times since I first made it.)
Black bean cabbage jamboree
1 head of cabbage
salt
lime juice
1 can black beans
white rice
cumin
avocado
tomato
queso fresco
Thin slice the cabbage and toss it with salt and lime. Half-drain the black beans and heat them until soft (optionally with a chipotle pepper for flavor). Cook however much rice you want with some cumin. Slice the avocado and dice the tomato. When everything's ready, put rice into a bowl, then tomatoes, then black beans, then cabbage, then everything else to taste.
Caramel apple cheesecake
1 green apple
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons caramel syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 sheets of graham crackers
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese/Neufchâtel
4 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg white
Phase 1: Chop apple into small cubes. Cook over medium heat in a saucepan. Add in some water to soften the apples, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and the caramel syrup. When apples are soft, add in brown sugar, mix well, and remove from heat.
Phase 2: Crush graham crackers. Mix with melted butter, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and a dash of brown sugar. Dump mixture into an aluminum foil–lined glass dish, spread out evenly, and then bake for 5 minutes.
Phase 3: Mix cream cheese and Greek yogurt (I just did it with a fork). Add flour, white sugar, and egg white; mix well. When the apple mixture from Phase 1 has cooled, mix it with this one until well blended. (The apples have to be cooled or they'll curdle the Greek yogurt.)
Phase 4: Pour the mixture into the dish over the graham cracker base. Add a little caramel syrup on top if you'd like, then bake at 350ºF for about 30 minutes. When it's done, freeze for 2 hours, then refrigerate and eat when slightly softened.
I made this about a week ago. I cut it into 9 pieces at about 212 calories each, so not a bad dessert option, and they turned out really well. Very delicious. In fact, there's still some in the fridge...
Shepherd's pie and cauliflower mash
1 celery stalk
1 cup carrots
1/2 medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1/2 head cauliflower
3 ounces cheese (I used Welsh Red Dragon, but any favorite cheese works)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
dash of salt
chopped green onions
Prep a mirepoix of the celery, carrots, and onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Add ketchup, basil, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic salt. Sauté for a few minutes. Add beef and brown it. Add water and Worcestershire and simmer. Let it cool in a glass dish.
Microwave the cauliflower for 6 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, cream, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and green onions. Blend until at desired consistency. Dump it into the dish with the beef filling, then bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, then slice up and serve.
*
I've got a handful of recipes saved to try, so I'll update with new posts whenever I get around to making one of them.
September 2016 music roundup
It's time for the long-awaited September music digest...
I mean, I know no one really reads these, but still. It's high time I got September's up so that I can get back on track for October.
September was a great month. Lots of new music, since as a full-time writer I basically have 8+ hours a day to just listen to music. I tend to split that time evenly between stuff I already know and stuff I don't. So yeah, that racks up pretty quickly. (I should probably put a link to my Last.fm profile on this blog somewhere, since I try to scrobble whatever I can there.)
Favorites from September
Releases from 2016: Relient K's Air For Free, Crown the Empire's Retrograde, Sabaton's The Last Stand, Bastille's The Wide World, Lindsey Stirling's Brave Enough, A Day To Remember's Bad Vibrations, Scandal's Yellow, Tarja's The Brightest Voice and The Shadow Self, Silent Siren's S, Carly Rae Jepsen's E•MO•TION: Side B. (Pretty much the only 2016 release that didn't make it on the list was Bon Iver's newest. I liked it, but the different between this one and his two others is so stark that the new one is going to take some work to digest.)
Older releases: The Hype Theory's Captives and Glory Days, BAND-MAID's New Beginning, Too Close To Touch's Nerve Endings, and Taking Back Sunday's self-titled. Also, literally everything by Silent Siren, Scandal, and Screaming Orphans.
Recommendations: Okay, I'm going to take this by category, and all of these recommendations apply to each band's entire discography in these cases, since they're all fantastic. (But if you're just looking to sample, go with each band's newest release, I think.) Poppy stuff? Go for Relient K, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lindsey Stirling, and Bastille. Emo/screamo/post-hardcore? Crown the Empire, A Day To Remember, Too Close to Touch, and Taking Back Sunday. Metal? Sabaton, BAND-MAID, and Tarja. J-pop? Scandal and Silent Siren. Irish pop-rock? Screaming Orphans. (They nearly rival my love for my all-time favorite band, The Corrs.)
The Bottom Line
Listen to Screaming Orphans, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Silent Siren. Right now.
Full September list
399. The Hype Theory – Captives [2013] ++
400. Tigress – Human EP [2015] ++
401. The Hype Theory – Glory Days [2011] ++
402. The Hype Theory – The Hunted EP [2014] ++
403. Reachback – Wake Up EP [2011] ++
404. Reachback – Adventureland [2014] ++
405. Reachback – Hello Paradise EP [2016] ++
406. Relient K – Air For Free [2016] ++
407. BAND-MAID – New Beginning [2015] ++
408. Silent Siren – Start → [2014] ++
409. Silent Siren – 31Wonderland [2014] ++
410. Silent Siren – Silent Siren [2015] ++
411. Crown the Empire – Retrograde [2016] ++
412. Sabaton – Heroes [2014] ++
413. Sabaton – The Last Stand [2016] ++
414. Socks in the Frying Pan – Socks in the Frying Pan [2012] ++
415. Bastille – Wild World: The Complete Edition [2016] ++
416. Lindsey Stirling – Brave Enough [2016] ++
417. Scandal - Standard [2013] ++
418. Screaming Orphans - Dance With Me EP [2015] ++
419. Screaming Orphans - Ballads Rule OK [2015] ++
420. Screaming Orphans – Toy Theatre [2013] ++
421. Too Close to Touch – Nerve Endings [2015] ++
422. Tiger's Jaw – Charmer {2014] +
423. Teen Hearts – Heart Beat EP [2008] ++
424. A Day to Remember – Bad Vibrations [2016] +
425. Svartsot - Mulmets Viser [2010] +
426. Dead Letter Circus – This Is The Warning [2010] +
427. Almôra – 1945 [2006] +
428. Teen Hearts – Best Kept Secret [2010] ++
429. Teen Hearts – Maybe Someday EP [2011] ++
430. Teen Hearts – Heart Shaped World EP [2014] ++
431. Screaming Orphans – Sliabh Liag [2013] ++
432. Tove Lo – Queen of the Clouds [Blueprint Edition] [2015] ++
433. Scandal – Yellow [2016] ++
434. Scandal – Hello World [2014] ++
435. Tarja – My Winter Storm [Deluxe Edition] [2008] +
436. Screaming Orphans – Lonely Boy [2011] ++
437. Scandal – Queens are Trumps [2012] ++
438. Tarja – What Lies Beneath [2010] ++
439. Screaming Orphans – The Jacket's Green [2011] ++
440. Rediscover – Call Me When You Get This [2006] ++
441. Rediscover – Out of Touch [2005] ++
442. Rediscover – The Ocean Is Calling Us EP [2004] *
443. Dan Gibson's Solitudes – Echoes in the Glen: Celtic Aires and Ballads [2013] ++
444. Scandal – Encore Show [2013] ++
445. Tarja – Colours in the Dark [2013] ++
446. Tarja – Left in the Dark EP [2014] +
447. Screaming Orphans – Belle's Isle [2009] ++
448. Scandal – Scandal Show [2012] ++
449. Tarja – The Brightest Void EP [2016] ++
450. Tarja – The Shadow Self [2016] ++
451. Lady Gaga – The Fame [2008] +
452. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster EP [2009] +
453. Lady Gaga – Born This Way [2011] +
454. Lady Gaga – Artpop [2013] +
455. Dan Gibson's Solitudes – Gentle Harp [2014] ++
456. Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett – Cheek to Cheek [2014] ++
457. Silent Siren – S [2016] ++
458. Bon Iver – 22 A Million [2016] +
459. Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday [2011] ++
460. Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION: Side B [2016] ++
I mean, I know no one really reads these, but still. It's high time I got September's up so that I can get back on track for October.
September was a great month. Lots of new music, since as a full-time writer I basically have 8+ hours a day to just listen to music. I tend to split that time evenly between stuff I already know and stuff I don't. So yeah, that racks up pretty quickly. (I should probably put a link to my Last.fm profile on this blog somewhere, since I try to scrobble whatever I can there.)
Favorites from September
Releases from 2016: Relient K's Air For Free, Crown the Empire's Retrograde, Sabaton's The Last Stand, Bastille's The Wide World, Lindsey Stirling's Brave Enough, A Day To Remember's Bad Vibrations, Scandal's Yellow, Tarja's The Brightest Voice and The Shadow Self, Silent Siren's S, Carly Rae Jepsen's E•MO•TION: Side B. (Pretty much the only 2016 release that didn't make it on the list was Bon Iver's newest. I liked it, but the different between this one and his two others is so stark that the new one is going to take some work to digest.)
Older releases: The Hype Theory's Captives and Glory Days, BAND-MAID's New Beginning, Too Close To Touch's Nerve Endings, and Taking Back Sunday's self-titled. Also, literally everything by Silent Siren, Scandal, and Screaming Orphans.
Recommendations: Okay, I'm going to take this by category, and all of these recommendations apply to each band's entire discography in these cases, since they're all fantastic. (But if you're just looking to sample, go with each band's newest release, I think.) Poppy stuff? Go for Relient K, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lindsey Stirling, and Bastille. Emo/screamo/post-hardcore? Crown the Empire, A Day To Remember, Too Close to Touch, and Taking Back Sunday. Metal? Sabaton, BAND-MAID, and Tarja. J-pop? Scandal and Silent Siren. Irish pop-rock? Screaming Orphans. (They nearly rival my love for my all-time favorite band, The Corrs.)
The Bottom Line
Listen to Screaming Orphans, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Silent Siren. Right now.
Full September list
399. The Hype Theory – Captives [2013] ++
400. Tigress – Human EP [2015] ++
401. The Hype Theory – Glory Days [2011] ++
402. The Hype Theory – The Hunted EP [2014] ++
403. Reachback – Wake Up EP [2011] ++
404. Reachback – Adventureland [2014] ++
405. Reachback – Hello Paradise EP [2016] ++
406. Relient K – Air For Free [2016] ++
407. BAND-MAID – New Beginning [2015] ++
408. Silent Siren – Start → [2014] ++
409. Silent Siren – 31Wonderland [2014] ++
410. Silent Siren – Silent Siren [2015] ++
411. Crown the Empire – Retrograde [2016] ++
412. Sabaton – Heroes [2014] ++
413. Sabaton – The Last Stand [2016] ++
414. Socks in the Frying Pan – Socks in the Frying Pan [2012] ++
415. Bastille – Wild World: The Complete Edition [2016] ++
416. Lindsey Stirling – Brave Enough [2016] ++
417. Scandal - Standard [2013] ++
418. Screaming Orphans - Dance With Me EP [2015] ++
419. Screaming Orphans - Ballads Rule OK [2015] ++
420. Screaming Orphans – Toy Theatre [2013] ++
421. Too Close to Touch – Nerve Endings [2015] ++
422. Tiger's Jaw – Charmer {2014] +
423. Teen Hearts – Heart Beat EP [2008] ++
424. A Day to Remember – Bad Vibrations [2016] +
425. Svartsot - Mulmets Viser [2010] +
426. Dead Letter Circus – This Is The Warning [2010] +
427. Almôra – 1945 [2006] +
428. Teen Hearts – Best Kept Secret [2010] ++
429. Teen Hearts – Maybe Someday EP [2011] ++
430. Teen Hearts – Heart Shaped World EP [2014] ++
431. Screaming Orphans – Sliabh Liag [2013] ++
432. Tove Lo – Queen of the Clouds [Blueprint Edition] [2015] ++
433. Scandal – Yellow [2016] ++
434. Scandal – Hello World [2014] ++
435. Tarja – My Winter Storm [Deluxe Edition] [2008] +
436. Screaming Orphans – Lonely Boy [2011] ++
437. Scandal – Queens are Trumps [2012] ++
438. Tarja – What Lies Beneath [2010] ++
439. Screaming Orphans – The Jacket's Green [2011] ++
440. Rediscover – Call Me When You Get This [2006] ++
441. Rediscover – Out of Touch [2005] ++
442. Rediscover – The Ocean Is Calling Us EP [2004] *
443. Dan Gibson's Solitudes – Echoes in the Glen: Celtic Aires and Ballads [2013] ++
444. Scandal – Encore Show [2013] ++
445. Tarja – Colours in the Dark [2013] ++
446. Tarja – Left in the Dark EP [2014] +
447. Screaming Orphans – Belle's Isle [2009] ++
448. Scandal – Scandal Show [2012] ++
449. Tarja – The Brightest Void EP [2016] ++
450. Tarja – The Shadow Self [2016] ++
451. Lady Gaga – The Fame [2008] +
452. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster EP [2009] +
453. Lady Gaga – Born This Way [2011] +
454. Lady Gaga – Artpop [2013] +
455. Dan Gibson's Solitudes – Gentle Harp [2014] ++
456. Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett – Cheek to Cheek [2014] ++
457. Silent Siren – S [2016] ++
458. Bon Iver – 22 A Million [2016] +
459. Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday [2011] ++
460. Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION: Side B [2016] ++
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