Hungry? Games?

Guess what i just saw... The Hunger Games!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH. Listen, i've been waiting for this movie forever. Forgive the enthusiasm. But! i saw it today, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Stanley Tucci is just perfection (well, when isn't he?) and even Woody Harrelson was surprisingly awesome. Go!

Did you know Kumquats are not in season? Well i didn't... which sucks because i know where to get some but was not in the mood to drive forever. Anyway this squelched my first blog plan, then i was gonna knish, but we got home from the movie and Nanc was like, THE KITCHEN IS MINE, whatever. She's making potato leek soup:

Since we don't waste in the Pappas house she boiled the ends of the leeks in the water for broth:

before sauteing the others that actually go in the soup.

 Also Phil practically shoved coldcuts down our throat because, "they were about to go bad" but also because he already set them out, and we were like, "sorry, not hungry." and he was like, "Um, yeah you are." So we each unnecessarily ate a sandwich.

So meanwhile since i'm not allowed to cook i was like, "dad, want to play gin rummy?" and he was like, "duh." then mom was like, "deal me in!" and i was like, "didn't you just kick me out of the kitchen because you wanted to make soup?" and she was like, "i can do both!" We'll see.

So i made us all Gin and Tonics because we're playing Gin, except dad wanted to drink the left over beer which has attended 3 different bbq's and has been iced and re-warmed about that many times. We call in "Popou Beer." But i guess dad felt bad and thought he needed to take care of a couple (I got these suction cup drink identifiers for Christmas that we try to use as often as possible).

He's pointing out the beer, in case you couldn't tell which one it was. So when i comes to Gin i prefer Bombay Sapphire, but Nanc is a Tanquery fan, so guess which one we keep in the house: 

Anyway, we start to play, and dad's like, "Lauren, what are my top 5 movies?" and i'm like, "Casablanca is #1, then Notting Hill and Sabrina are in there." and mom's like, "Gone with the Wind!" and Dad's like, "I love it, but i can't watch it over and over again, so it didn't make the fab five." then Nanc is all, "Just deal already."

And i'm like, "take a chill pill Nanc." But really, "What are you favorite movies mom?"  So:

Nanc:

1. Out of Africa (Haven't seen)

2. Dr. Zhivago (Haven't seen)

3. Gone with the Wind

4. A Fish Called Wanda

5. The Birdcage (except if you're fancy: La Cage Aux Folles)

Phil:

1. Casablanca

2. Notting Hill (ha!)

3. Johnny Agar (though could not find on google)

4. 

5.Sabrina

 Lauren:
1. Amélie
2. Moonstruck

3. Gosford Park

4.

5.

If you noticed the font change, it's because i don't know how to spell Amelie. Nobody actually asked me what my favorite movies were, but i thought i'd just share (oBvi i'm undecided). Then the conversation turned to Robin Hood (as it inevitably will) and Phil was like, "I've never seen the Kevin Costner Robin Hood." Um, i call B.S. on that one Phil, but regardless that turned into the plan of the night.

So the soup...

Yeah, we'll just have to wait until tomorrow on that one folks, turns out playing Gin and making soup simultaneously isn't as easy as it sounds. No worries though, cause we were force fed sandwiches after watching a movie about starving villages. And hey! Now tomorrow we can have Leek Knishes and Potato Leek Soup! I mean what pairs better together then the exact same ingredients? Nothing.

St. Gym-main

Yesterday i came home and went into the bathroom, and there was Nanc (she doesn't believe in locks). So i went to the other bathroom, and while i'm in there there's a knock on the door:

Me: Yes?
Nanc: I'm done with the other bathroom if you want to use it.
Me: No, i think i'll just stay here.

How nice has the weather been? I mean beautiful. Last night when i was going to bed (at, like, 7) we all decided that tomorrow we'd sit outside and have cocktails. So today i made one of my favorites: The St. Germain Cocktail.

I get home from work and Nanc is like, "I'm going to the gym with Eileen and Carol at 5." and i was like, "Ok, we can have cocktails when you get back." and she's all, "Why wait? we can have a quick one now." Oh that Nanc.The she was like, "Make the quiche while i'm out." ...thanks.

Fill some glasses with ice:

But first! slice your lemon (of if you forgot to buy them, lime) twists. Like a pro!:

 or just hack away at a lime until you get three decent looking ones, oBvi fruit cutlery is not my specialty (with the exception of peaches, i can fucking cut those like a boss). Pour 1 1/2 part St. Germain (or a little more if you love is), 2 parts Champagne, and 2 parts club soda into a glass. Stir:

 Don't have any club soda?  No problem, just omit the ice and you've got yourself a St. Germain and Champagne! Which, is equally delicious but slightly less refreshing. Anyway... add twist, and: Wha-la!

Fucking delicious, right Phil?

Right. Harvey could care less (she probably didn't have any club soda). 

But Nanc is appeased. Then Harvey started acting adorable:

And i was like, "Pose for the camera Harvey!" And she was like:

...thanks.

So there you go! The perfect refresher after a long day at work or right before you go to the gym.

Danger! ...pie.

 We've been watching a bunch of Woody Allen movies lately. It all started when Nanc was like, "Let's watch all the Academy Award movies before the ceremony!" Then we watched Midnight in Paris, and Nanc was like, "Let's watch all the Woody Allen movies!" and the Oscars were thrown out the window... true story. Anyway if you haven't seen Midnight in Paris do yourself a favor and go watch it right now. Drop everything. Seriously. (accept finish my blog first, duh.). Anyway tonight we watched Manhattan Murder Mystery and were feeling dangerous, so I made this pie (that's really a lie because i've been planning on making this pie for the past 2 days and i was stranded in the kitchen molding candy anyway, so i was like, "now's a good time." But really we've been planning on watching the movie for a week so i mean which came first? This is all very interesting, i know).

 I spent a large part of my weekend on this site called Pintrest that Tracy Willow introduced me to. If you want to throw away 5 hours of your day and make it feel like 2 seconds go to this site (or meditate). I found this pie called Banoffee "Danger" Pie (presumably because it's so effing delicious) and was like, I'm gonna do it! Also it contains Condensed Milk, which i've recently discovered to be the best sweet thing in the world. And then this conversation happened.

Me: I found this new pie recipe where you boil the shit out of some condensed milk, it's Irish.
Nanc: Oh Banoffee pie?
Me: You've had it before?
Nanc: We all had it when we went to Ireland. 
Me: Oh, I don't remember it.
Nanc: Also Eileen makes it sometimes.
Me: Does she.
Nanc: Yeah, you've had it a few times.
Me: I think you're wrong.
Nanc: No. Only she uses two cans of condensed milk, and it's seriously good.
Me: I see.
Dad: Pick up some ice cream when you go to the store.
Me: I'm making pie for desert.
Dad: There's always midnight.

 So boil the shit out of a can of condensed milk for 2 1/2 hours and then let it cool for four hours, then right before you're done have your mom come in and tell you to use two cans, if you're "serious." But you're a fucking nutter if you think i'm going through six hours of a can shaking wildly on the stove top with the warning: Keep can fully submerged at all times, or lid might explode, again. Danger! Culinary adventures. 

For the crust melt a stick of butter and mix with 1 1/2 cups ground graham crackers.

Slice up three bananas and add the "toffee."

Refridgerate one hour.

Spread with whipped cream, and shave some quality chocolate on top. Or if you're Nanc, and a rule breaker, shave chocolate onto pie before refrigerating, then put whipped cream on each slice individually... Yeah right.

This shit is fucking ridiculous.

Seriously though. You'll have a sugar high for like seventeen days, but sooooo worth it. 

Also i'm pretty sure i've never had this pie before, but through in a cup of coffee and it's so heavenly you might forget who you are, let alone what pie you ate.

the perks of reading

This weekend i read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which inspired this blog.

Which i randomly picked up off of LK's bookshelf, and wasn't able to put down after. Apparently everyone read this book in high school except Lauren Pappas. But i read it now and am glad i did for many reasons, one of which is that it finally got me to put down the Game of Thrones series, which was sucking my life away. Those are the types of books that distract you from the real world, which you need sometimes. But Wallflower was more like the kind of book you read as you're living, and it gives you a different view about it. Like when Popou asked me to help him fix his VCR again today, and it's been getting to the point where i hate doing that, but then i thought, "well he's not always going to be around to ask me to do it, and then i'll miss it." and then i laughed at the situation, and realized i completely forgot to do it until a minute ago when he came in and was like, "so about that vcr..."   

Anyway it also made me feel nostalgic, which you need every once in a while. Which is why i got this other book by John Greene (apparently i'm only reading autographed copies these days):

Who also writes young adult books that are all pretty much the same story line with some different parts. But good reads none the less. I think John Greene lives a little too much in his high school days, though, because that's all he seems to right about. I think that's silly, because you can write in the same style, but not about high school. That's why every few books i change up my reading styles. Everything in moderation, like this lady told me a couple years ago when she was buying a ton of healthy food and then i wrang up a candy bar and she was like, "Well we all need a little sweet, or what's the point? Everything in moderation kiddo..." Which made me laugh, and then she started to walk away and loudly said, "Except sex! make sure you have plenty of that!" Which also made me laugh but also feel uncomfortable because she got to walk away after and i didn't. I like old people who just don't care anymore but are also not bitter about life. I hope one day i can be as cool and unyielding with my advice as that lady.

Anyway i think i like these books because there's still the hope of, "It'll all make sense when i grow up." But you know what? It doesn't usually. I think sometimes life is like walking through a dark room. Sometimes you know the room, sometimes you don't. You might get used to the dark, you might turn on nightlights as you go, but they can always burn out, and then you have to just keep going on bumping your way through it all, sometimes it becomes familiar, sometimes not. But sometimes, if you're really lucky, someone will have left a light on ahead to guide your way. These are the things i think about in Penn station waiting for the 1am train.

Anyway i think you should always be reading a book. Even if you don't get to pick it up for a while, it's pretty important. Like if you get depressed, or have a spare moment, or need to escape, or are even just bored. It'll always be there waiting for you, like your friends, except it's always on your schedule.

Sometimes after i've been doing a ton of stuff all weekend i just want to do nothing, read, and eat junkfood:

 

Then i buy all of this stuff, get home, and am like, "why did i buy this stuff? I don't want any of it." Then three days from now when i want a yodel my dad will have already eaten them all and be like, "Next time get Devil Dogs."

Tomato Eggs!

 So i woke up and was like, i need to make breakfast: stat. So i holla'd at my girl over at Smitten Kitchen (i browsed the sight) and she was like, um duh. Jalapeno Cheddar Scones for starts, then top that shit off with some tomato eggs. And i was all, "bitch say what? tomato eggs?" And she was like, "word." So there you have it. Jalapeno Cheddar Scones:

like a dream! And eggs poached in a tomato sauce i didn't simmer long enough.

I guess this is a laid back version of shakshuka, an Israeli dish. Which i'm def gonna make sometime because it's spicier and has feta. Enough said.   

but they were still pretty eff'in good. She served them with sauteed spinach in garlic, which would have been delicious but i was fresh out. C'est la vie. Just do us all a favor, and when you poach your eggs be patient and make sure all the white stuff is cooked, because that raw shit is nasty. 

61.

I'd just like to take moment for us to all recognize that i blew it. Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the one year and two day anniversary of I Like Making Things. Not only is it 2 days late, but i didn't even plan something to make, and let's be honest here, i missed an epic post.

But! no worries, no worries, because today's post is in fact #95, and i plan on doing something totally outrageously awesome for post #100... i'm just not sure what. Ideas?

Anyway by now you're probably thinking, why 61? Or you haven't looked at the title of this post and are thinking, 'what is she talking about?'

On January 8th my dear friend Eileen Specs turned 61 years old, so today me and Nanc took her out on the town... for tea. Sally Lunns, baby!

This is one of my favorite things on earth:

Strawberry scones with jam and clotted cream. AND Vanilla tea. No words.

Best friends! Eileen actually introduced my mom to my dad, so in i way i have to thank her for my existence. Also she's hilarious. She has to have knee surgery next month so she was asking my mom about this breath testing kit where you have to hold your breath for a long time so she could practice and would be able to do it after the anesthesia (which: oKay only person to ever practice that) and my mom's like, "it's not hard." and Eileen's like, "Easy for you to say, you were a swimmer. I practically drown myself in the shower." and we're like, "What?" and she's like, "Oh, i hold my breathe when i condition, but then i can't hold it long enough so i breath in through my nose and snort in a bunch of water." Just wonderful. I knew this girl in high school who would always have super red eyes when she got on the bus in the morning, and i'd be all, "Elise, were you crying?" and she was like, "No, i'm afraid i'll slip and crack my head on the faucet when i'm in the shower, so i don't close my eyes, ever." Talk about intense showers.

Then Eileen's like, "So after surgery i'll be considered a fall risk. Which i had to laugh at, because when haven't i been?" And then told us the story about how one time they gave her a cane for something, and instead of using the cane, she just carried it around with her, then one time tripped and was like, "What happened?" and realized that it got tangled in her legs, which is the opposite purpose of a cane. Then my mom told us of the time John (her hubby) tried to teach her how to ride a bike when they were 22, and how Eileen can now ride straight, but God help her if she tries to turn. I think everything about that story is adorable.

So after tea we went to some new age shop where they sell you crystals for certain powers, but advertised it as an art store. FAIL! They didn't even have any books by Starhawk (whom i've never read, but holds a small place my heart)!

What a gip. Nanc said they're trying too hard, agreed.

Last stop, Candy Barn:

Which apparently is now called, "Candy Shoppe" spelled in an attempt to be old fashioned kitsch like everything in Chester. Still just look at this place!

It's like being a kid in a candy store... clever.

Anyway we came home with a pretty good hall including most importantly candy watermelons and sour peaches.

And Eileen gave me a gift certificate for a massage, which i've never had before. Because oBviously everyone should give me things on their birthday, dUh.

The Saber!

Hey guys! Just wanted to say a quick Happy New Year. My KaBlogger tonight is the one and only DragonSlayer:

A well used gift from my Uncle Ed, circa 1989 (this is the first time it's been used).

For the record, this is my second Saber of the night, the first was flawless, but Scotty botched the video. Anyway, I think this one says it all...