Recipe: Spring/Easter Nest Treats

As Easter was approaching, I didn't know how to celebrate (food-wise) besides eating jelly beans. But I remembered as a kid eating some edible nests. I found a recipe online at AllRecipes.com, and they turned out great! I think this is a Kosher recipe, so you could make them for Passover, too!

Ingredients

(Makes 12 servings) 

• 3 drops green food coloring
• 1/2 teaspoon milk
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 6 ounces white confectioners' coating
• Bag of your favorite jelly beans or  malt ball eggs

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix food coloring with milk; add coconut and mix until evenly tinted; set aside.
2. Melt confectioners' coating over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring every 15 to 30 seconds until smooth. Mix with coconut mixture and place by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Shape mixture like a bird's nest, making a slight indentation in the center of each one.
3. Cool completely and decorate by placing candies in the center of each nest. 

Note: The coconut definitely sticks together better with more confectioners' coating. So use a lot! Also, you can see from my photo that I made green and pink nests, and some I combined the two colors, so have fun with it!

Movie Review: Gigli [Spoilers]

Image from: http://www.impawards.com/2003/gigli.html

Okay, I realize that Gigli came out AGES ago when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were actually dating in real life. I remember that it got horrible reviews and was a total flop. So I never watched it. But when I saw it was on Netflix Watch Instantly, I figured I'd judge the movie for myself.

I actually didn't think it was that bad! I mean, yes, there were some awkward scenes, like when Lopez' lesbian lover shows up and slits her wrists, or when Lopez tortures Affleck's libido by talking explicitly about why she prefers having sex with women to men (i.e. how the lips around your mouth and those around the vagina mirror each other) while doing yoga in a sports bra and spandex shorts on top of that. So there were some weird parts. And I agree this movie was not award-winning material, and both actors have done better work. But I thought Justin Bartha (the lovable side-kick in National Treasure) did an amazing job playing a mentally-handicapped person (ugh, how can I say that in a politically correct way?! I mean no offense by that term or by complimenting Bartha on his acting skills). Plus, seeing Bennifer together is hot.

Movie Review: Draft Day [Spoilers]

Image: http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/draft-day-poster.jpg

Last night I went to see Draft Day. I mean, who can resist a Kevin Costner sports movie? And he didn't disappoint. This was another fun movie for sports fans and movie goers alike. But I will say, I thought it was pretty predictable. I mean, sleeping with your co-worker (played by Jennifer Garner, whom I can't stand to begin with because of those teeth, but also is just too young for him) is so cliche. And the whole plot of the movie is all about the tension of who you're going to pick at the NFL draft. But I knew who he was going to go with. No way is Costner going to go for the All-American dream rookie quarterback: that would be too easy! In the end, everyone is happy with whom they picked for their teams. And Costner and Garner stop hiding their secret-not-so-secret relationship, mainly because she's knocked up. How irresponsible. Blech. But still, good movie. Not great classic like some of his others (see below), but still entertaining.

Other Costner sports movies (in case you've been living under a rock):
Tin Cup
Bull Durham
Field of Dreams
For Love of the Game

Cherry Blossoms in DC

Everybody knows about the cherry blossoms in spring in Washington, DC. The trees were a gift from Japan, and these pretty pink and white trees surround the tidal basin near the monuments downtown. I've lived in the DC area for two years now, and grew up in Maryland, but this was the first time I actually went down to see the trees. My boyfriend and I had a picnic near the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and mused beneath the trees there. Here are some photos (these aren't my best ones):

Flowers are one of the reasons why spring is my favorite season (not just because my birthday is in April). How can you not be happy while looking at trees? They make me smile. Like this:

Movie Review: Dom Hemingway (Spoilers)

 

Image Source: http://thesource.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/dom-hemingway-poster.jpg

As others have noted, Dom Hemingway is the British version of The Wolf of Wall Street. There's drinking, drugs, sex, and cursing galore in this film. I think it may even be filthier than DiCaprio's movie, even if it doesn't use the F-word in particular as much. First of all, the movie opens with Jude Law's character getting a blow job, and during the act he just goes on and on about how "exquisite" his "cock" is. If I had been sitting in an aisle seat, I would have walked out right there. But alas, I was right in the middle of the row, so I was stuck in the theater for an hour and a half listening to foul language, watching half-naked women swimming or playing ping pong, and following along this sorry excuse for a man, a criminal who deserves what "shitty luck" he gets.

Perhaps there's some symbolism or deeper meaning that eludes me.  Is the picture of a monkey behind this man supposed to say he's really just an animal? I don't know.

I'll admit, I can be a prude sometimes, and I watch movies at a surface level. But I think many people would cringe at the vulgarity of this film, whether there is a hidden message in it or not.

 

Movie Review: Lone Survivor (Spoilers!)

Image from imdb.com

I just watched this last night, and this movie is intense. Just like I said in my blog post about Captain Phillips, the suspense and action of these films is extreme because they are based on true stories. Don't get me wrong: the Die Hard series is action-packed, and Bruce Willis' character John McClane gets shot at and beat up, but you know it's pretend. Marcus Luttrell (the man who is the "Lone Survivor") actually LIVED that horror. He and three other Navy SEALs were shot at, hit with bullets (and whatever else), fell down cliffs and broke bones, and still kept fighting...All of that actually happened. Not to mention the helicopter that came to save them and was blown up, killing many other men. I did not read the book that Luttrell wrote about his experiences, but I hope he feels this film did him and his "brothers" justice. I greatly admire and respect the men and women of our armed forces, and movies like Lone Survivor remind us of the sacrifices they all make to keep the rest of us safe. Every night I pray for our soldiers and their families, and this film made me pray even harder. We must never forget the soldiers who have risked and perhaps lost their lives in order to protect us.