library bulletin

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

prince of thieves


"robin hood is the most famous outlaw, and most skillful archer the world has known..."

and...

the prince of thieves...

one of my very favorite heroes and my very favorite version of robin hood is this one...
with russell crowe and cate blanchett


i loved this movie so much and especially mark strong as godfrey...




he is the best bad guy ever...


but prior to the movie coming out in 2010


my favorite version was this one...


robin and marion


with sean connery and audrey hepburn...


 





robin hood's realization that he is no longer a young man haunts him and he is looking for one last blaze of glory...

sean connery is at his most adorable and as an added bonus...
you get to see his bare butt:)
more than once...
(don't worry guys,it was in 1976, he was beautiful)

matt and i watched it this weekend and it is bittersweet and beautiful.
and of course matt hated it...
you can borrow it from me if you want:) 

the ultimate thief

bye...
more later...

Saturday, May 26, 2012

mexican train and peanut m&m's





in "the book thief" liesel's foster family is very poor and one of ways they pass the time is by playing dominoes....

the images of dominoes also plays a big part in most of physical description's associated with this book...
i know it's one of the images i place with the book...

when my little family goes to torrey, we often play 
"mexican train"
with grandma dallyne...
it's a version of dominoes that is like UNO
it's really fun and perfect for a lazy afternoon in torrey....
next time you are there, 
ask grandma dallyne to play with you... 
it's fun...



learn to play mexican train here


you could enjoy some of these while you are at it...


remember these just sitting on the pantry shelf...


torturing us...

meaney...

bye...
more later...

Thursday, May 24, 2012

bean and bacon

dallys made the recipe i posted here
and sent this picture...

 

she used garbanzo beans instead of northern white and added 4 beef bullion cubes and said it was so good!

you should really try this soup...
it is so easy and so delicious...
i posted the recipe on cafe' melba 
a few days ago....







you might have noticed the goodreads tab added on the top lefthand corner of the blog...
follow me and dallys on goodreads...

and also "the daily tea" added on the right hand side of the blog...
that's my "instagram"...
it posts my latest photos and 
if you have a smart phone or iPad , download the free app
and follow us..
we are having some fun and next month, when the theme is letter writing,
we will be playing a game with instagram and we want you to follow along...

and i am posting this...


because it's
just so pretty...

bye...
more later...



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

death and chocolate


                  "Part 1: DEATH AND CHOCOLATE
First the colors.
Then the humans.
That's usually how I see things.
Or at least, how I try."


the very first words in "the book thief" are

"death and chocolate".

since they were very poor and chocolate was a luxury and very scarce,
(and lets face it, our family is a little in love chocolate:))
i thought it would be fitting to show you my favorite
candy bar...

i am more than a little "in love" with this candy bar...



           
you should try it....
what is your favorite?
i would love to know.......
bye...
more later...

Saturday, May 19, 2012

grandma j's buttermilk rolls and a pretend party:)


grandma j's buttermilk rolls

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water 
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons shortening
2 1/2 cups flour

combine warm water, yeast and sugar; set aside for 10 minutes.
warm buttermilk until just warm, add soda, sugar, salt and shortening.
when lukewarm, add yeast mixture and flour to make moderately stiff dough. knead until smooth and satiny. cover and let it rise about 45 minutes until double. punch down and roll two round sections. cut into wedges and roll up. let it rise to double again. bake in a 375 deg. oven for about 15 minutes.

p.s...dallys added about 3/4 cup of sourdough starter to these and she says they were wonderful. she put grandma dallyne's merlot jelly on them. (next time any of you stay with her in torrey, ask her for some of her wine jelly. it is amazing and super easy to make. we will do a post about it someday:))


                                             




since we are not the kind of book club that meets and has a party, i though we could pretend to have a "the book thief" themed party. jk

anyway, here is a clip from studio 5 about ideas for that very thing....
click the arrow to watch....



it sounds like it could be a fun party....

i have included the recipes the she used for this party and i think they sound delicious...
i am actually making this bean and bacon soup today since it is chilly here (and bean and bacon soup is what matt and i ate a lot back in the day when we had no money)and i thought it seemed fitting....

``````````
for more info on teri harman-check here http://www.book-matters.com/


she is one my inspirations:)

Food
Main Dish
The food should also be simple and humble, just like the food in the book. Instead of taking a dish directly from the book I suggest making the food more personal. A great way to make a story mean more is to connect it with something personal.
The Meminger family has very little money and they eat thin, unappetizing pea soup for nearly every meal. You could serve pea soup, of course, but I recommend, if applicable, thinking back to a time in childhood or life when money was tight. What did your family eat? Is there a meal that represents that time of life for you?
When I was young my family did not have a lot of money. My mother valiantly stayed home with six children and we relied on my dad's one income. For me the quintessential money-is-tight meal is Campbell's bean with bacon soup served with buttered white bread. To this day just the smell of it says childhood to me.
If you have a similar memory, use it and tell your guests about it as you serve them. Draw parallels to the book.
Of course, I wouldn't want to serve canned soup to my guests, so I came up with this delicious homemade bean with bacon. Here's the recipe if you want to use this instead of your own "poor" dish.
Homemade Bean with Bacon Soup
Ingredients:
3 cans white northern beans
4 cans water
1 small can tomato paste
4 - 12 strips smoked bacon
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup diced carrot
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tb olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
1 - In a large stock pot combine 2 cans beans with liquid, 4 cans water, 2 strips of raw bacon, thyme, red pepper and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
2 - While beans simmer fry remaining bacon. One strip per person to be used as a garnish for serving soup. Using kitchen shears cut bacon into small pieces before frying for quicker cooking.
3 - While bacon fries, dice all the veggies.
4 - When bacon is crispy, transfer to paper towel to drain and cool. Drain all the fat from skillet except about 1 Tb. Allow pan to cool slightly and then add about 1 Tb olive oil. SautƩ veggies and garlic over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add in tomato paste and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5 - Once the bean mixture has simmered for 20-30 minutes, add in veggie/tomato mixture. Stir well to combine and allow to simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
6 - Rinse and drain remaining can of beans and then puree in food processor until smooth.
7 - Once soup has finished simmering, remove the two strips of bacon that have been cooking in soup and discard. Then add in bean puree to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
8 - Garnish with crispy bacon pieces. Serve with crusty bread and butter or homemade corn bread and honey.
Serves 4-6.

The perfect complement to this soup or just a simple dessert is apple butter served with crusty bread or rolls. Also good with cheeses.In the book Liesel and her friend, Rudy, in desperate moments of hunger, steal apples and devour them. Any apple dessert would work, but this is easy and humble.And if served in small individual jars (I used baby food jars) can also be taken home by guests as an additional favor - if there is any left.
Easy Apple Butter
Ingredients
4 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 12 cups)
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
1. Place apple slices in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in sugar, water, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
2. Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Stir. Cool mixture at least 1 hour or cover and chill overnight.
3. Ladle apple butter into half-pint storage or freezer containers, leaving a 1/2-inch head space. Seal and label.Store 3 weeks in refrigerator or for 1 year in freezer.Makes 4 half-pints.
Note: You can use any kind or any combination of apples or any variation of spices, all according to personal taste.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

to catch a thief

my mom visited this past weekend for mother's day.
we had a wonderful time...

we played a little with instagram and photo booth...
(and on my new mac book air laptop)

and watched "to catch a thief"...





 
here is a little info on this alfred hitchcock gem..


The Cat Prowls Again?
Is it true, or just a rumor - that John Robie, former cat burglar of Paris before the war, is once again on the prowl? Fashionable resorts on the Riviera are being regularly looted by a skillful jewel thief. Robie, once a hero of the French Resistance Army, was said to have reformed - however, the style of this new crime wave is certainly his. Even if he's innocent, he'll need all his old adroitness escaping the suspicious opinions of a doubtful police.




Robie, wearing a black and white horizontally-striped shirt and a red kerchief (resembling a cat collar) is cutting roses in his outside garden - he is semi-retired, cultivating grapes and flowers. After hearing the screeching tires of an approaching police vehicle with five officials inside, he quickly runs upstairs to his bedroom. When the police arrive and surround his home, his maid Germaine (Georgette Anys) calls for him - he effeminately walks down the stairs where a few officers greet him, describe their accusations, and command him to go with them to Nice for questioning. When he returns to his room to change his clothes, he locks the door, fixes up a shotgun, and fires it. As the men break down the door, his car is heard roaring away - but he is on the roof looking down at the scene. When the police finally catch up with his car after chasing him through spectacular scenery [a similar car chase returning to Robie's villa symmetrically ends the film], and both cars are blocked by a herd of sheep, they realize that they have been diverted - Germaine is driving his car.

To clear his name, Robie realizes that the only way to prove that he ISN'T the Cat is a very dangerous proposition. He has to investigate by himself (as a very skillful policeman) and find the real thief who is imitating his crimes. By putting himself into the thief's perspective, by imagining and identifying himself as the Cat burglar, and by anticipating and outdoing the copy-cat burglar's next move, Robie will use his burglary experience to ultimately unmask the real culprit:
grace kelly is so gorgeous...


and cary grant is pretty
    handsome himself....


and they made a grace kelly barbie doll based on her character in the movie....





i want.... 
"What I can't understand is how this thief can imitate me so perfectly. It has to be someone who knew every detail of my technque. Maybe somebody in the police...He picks perfect victims and only the right stones. Goes up walls, over the roofs, down through the skylights. Leaves no clue and then disappears in the night...If somebody caught this imitator, we'd all be off the hook, wouldn't we?...No one believes me, but the police are chasing the wrong man. Someone's got to start chasing the right one...I've got to catch this imitator myself...I can anticipate him, try to figure out his next move, and then get there ahead of him and catch him with his hands right in the jewel case...The biggest problem is time. I've got to hit this copy-cat before he hears I'm after him. To catch him in the act, I need better information than he has, the kind that takes months to dig out.
here is the movie preview...(click on the arrow)



grab some popcorn and watch this movie...
it was so fun...:)

bye...more later

Saturday, May 12, 2012

the book thief-preview



the book thief


Part 1: DEATH AND CHOCOLATE
First the colors.
Then the humans.
That's usually how I see things.
Or at least, how I try.

***HERE IS A SMALL FACT ***
You are going to die.

I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations. Please, trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me
.














It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . . Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

if you get the chance, read this book...
its really good...



Sunday, May 6, 2012

Book Review on The Art of Racing in the Rain

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App 

{my adorable huge baby puppy dog Moses}

Wow! The month of April went by super fast! This is Chloe by the way. My sweet adorable mother asked me to write a book review on The Art of Racing in the Rain. Well me being the procrastinator that I am... have decided to write it right now! Hey, I wouldn't be me if I did it on time.

Let me just start of by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I laughed. I cried. I got angry. I got sad. I felt happy. I felt every emotion while reading this book. This book is told through the eyes of an adorable dog named Enzo. Enzo reminds me so much of my dog Moses and my childhood dog Cherry Pie. I don't know if that is the reason that I connected so much to this book, but I bet it played a huge part.

The beginning of the book actually starts with the end of Enzo's life. Enzo knows that it's time for him to leave this earth. He is actually looking forward to it though. He truly believes that since he lived a good life as a dog and learned as much as he could about the human race, that he will be able to return in another life as a man. The only thing that is holding him back from leaving is his owner and best friend Denny, and Denny's daughter Zoe. He doesn't want them to be sad and alone. But he knows that he has done on this earth what he was sent here to do.

Denny is a race car driver. It is his passion along with three other things. His wife Eve, his daughter Zoe, and his best buddy Enzo. Enzo watches Denny's life fall apart over the course of several years and stays by his side the entire time. He watches Denny's wife Eve get sick. He knows she is sick long before anyone else knows. He watches Denny go through some serious accusations with a minor and a custody battle over his daughter Zoe with Eve's parents. It is truly heartbreaking to see all the pain that Denny endures. Enzo knows more about it than anyone. He sees things that no one else sees. He develops a love for all Denny's passions as well. He becomes passionate about racing and wants Denny to succeed at it for the both of them. I don't want to give away too much about this book because I highly recommend reading it if you haven't yet.

So rather than tell the whole story I will give you some of my favorite quotes and analogies. There were a lot of great ones throughout this book. Here are a few of my favorites lines from Enzo:

"I will never tire of watching tapes with Denny. He knows so much, and I have learned so much from him. He said nothing more to me; he continued watching his tapes. But my thoughts turned to what he had just taught me. Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

"I had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but I never had because I was afraid. She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear. But a racer should not be afraid of the rain; a racer should embrace the rain. I, alone, could manifest a change in that which was around me. By changing my mood, my energy, I allowed Eve to regard me differently. And while I cannot say that I am a master of my own destiny, I can say that I have experienced a glimpse of mastery, and I know what I have to work toward."

"People, like dogs, love repetition. Chasing a ball, lapping a course in a race car, sliding down a slide. Because as much as each incident is similar, so it is different."

"The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles- preferably of his own making- in order to triumph. A hero without a flaw is of no interest to an audience or to the universe, which, after all, is based of conflict and opposition, the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object...... The sun rises every day. What is to love? Lock the sun in a box. Force the sun to overcome adversity in order to rise. Then we will cheer! I will often admire a beautiful sunrise, but I will never consider the sun a champion for having risen. So. For me to relate to the history of Denny, who is a true champion, without including his missteps and failings would be doing a disservice to all involved."

"She looked over and saw us. She was not a bad person, I knew then. One can never be angry at another driver for a track incident. One can only be upset at himself for being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Please. Go read this book. Any book review I could try to do, just wouldn't do it justice. Also, in honor of the rain theme for April, and another great book, I will leave you with this clip from The Notebook, or The Trapper Keeper as my husband Sean calls it...

check it out here  (for some reason it won't play on the blog so I had to link to it)


Oh gosh I just love the rain. Oh and Ryan Gosling is not too bad either... ;)