Over the weekend, we visited T's aunt and uncle in Oklahoma. His aunt loves cooking and made a delicious fruit salad that I really wanted to replicate. She mentioned the dish had both cream cheese and sour cream (say what!?) so I did a quick Google search and found Better Homes and Gardens' recipe using both ingredients. After reading the BHG recipe and seeing yogurt listed as an alternative to sour cream, I immediately decided to switch it up and try it out.
Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese, 8 ounce, fat free
vanilla Greek yogurt, about 10 ounces
1/4 cup brown sugar, Splenda variety
1 tsp vanilla
1-3 tbsp milk
fresh fruit
Directions:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth with electric mixer. Add yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla and continue to beat. Add milk until mixture meets desired consistency. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Serve with various fresh fruits.
T and I both were pretty happy with how this turned out. I don't think I beat the cream cheese enough, but T advises he likes the texture it created. Also, we opted to add enough milk for the fruit dip to become a sauce to drizzle over our fruit. Delicious!
12/31/2012
Les Misérables - Movie Review
About a week ago, my future husband T and I Les Misérables. One word: ah-maz-ing.
Les Misérables, a musical based on a French novel, tells the story of Jean Valjean who goes from being a prisoner in a slave camp to being a parole violator who is constantly on the run from Javert and a business man who seeks to help those in need. The most notable person Valjean aids is Fantine who has lost everything and become a prostitute to support her daughter Cosette. While Fantine is on her death bed, Valjean promises to find Cosette and care for her as his own. The story continues with Valjean living under a different name due to his parole violation and Valjean becoming a family to young Cosette. Some time passes and Cosette meets the love her life who is joining a revolution against the French government. Valjean, who is still running from his past life and Javert, offers aid to the revolution and to Cosette's soul mate.
Prior to seeing this wonderful movie, I knew nothing about the storyline. In fact, my fiance described it simply as an opera based during the French revolution. I was most excited about it being a musical as I love, love, love music and theatre-based movies. As we sat in the theatre waiting for the movie to start, I was slightly worried that I didn't know enough about the plot to really enjoy the movie. Luckily, I was wrong!
Stars of the movie include Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. Of the four, Amanda Seyfriend is the only one I recall hearing sing. But they were fantastic! I was highly impressed by their singing talents and am disappointed when I read reviews that state otherwise. I've since read that the songs were not pre-recorded and dubbed over the film, but instead were filmed live which I find incredibly impressive.
Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe play opposite each other in many scenes. I loved them together and feel they both did an excellent job of portraying their respective characters.
Anne Hathaway, who is winning all sorts of awards and nominations for her role, was stunning. Her transformation from a gainfully employed woman to a poor and destitute prostitue was incredible. She did such a wonderful job expressing the sadness and misery her character was certainly feeling.
Amanda Seyfried is no stranger to musicals having starred in Mama Mia! While Les Misérables was a great undertaking for anyone, Amanda Seyfriend did an amazing job and was definitely an asset to the film. I love her voice and most movies she's been in and am glad this was no different.
Other notable actors include Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. This is the first movie I've seen Sacha Baron Cohen in. To be honest, I typically avoid movies he in as I always think of Borat and how every clip I saw looked terrible. But together, he and Helena Bonham Carter, brought life to the characaters they played and did an incredible job.
Overall, I would highly recommend this movie. T loved it as did my aunt, uncle and cousins who saw it with us. Although the movie ran longer than I would prefer (two hours, forty-five minutes) and there were some heavily emotional moments, I loved it and will definitely be seeing it again.
Les Misérables, a musical based on a French novel, tells the story of Jean Valjean who goes from being a prisoner in a slave camp to being a parole violator who is constantly on the run from Javert and a business man who seeks to help those in need. The most notable person Valjean aids is Fantine who has lost everything and become a prostitute to support her daughter Cosette. While Fantine is on her death bed, Valjean promises to find Cosette and care for her as his own. The story continues with Valjean living under a different name due to his parole violation and Valjean becoming a family to young Cosette. Some time passes and Cosette meets the love her life who is joining a revolution against the French government. Valjean, who is still running from his past life and Javert, offers aid to the revolution and to Cosette's soul mate.
Prior to seeing this wonderful movie, I knew nothing about the storyline. In fact, my fiance described it simply as an opera based during the French revolution. I was most excited about it being a musical as I love, love, love music and theatre-based movies. As we sat in the theatre waiting for the movie to start, I was slightly worried that I didn't know enough about the plot to really enjoy the movie. Luckily, I was wrong!
Stars of the movie include Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. Of the four, Amanda Seyfriend is the only one I recall hearing sing. But they were fantastic! I was highly impressed by their singing talents and am disappointed when I read reviews that state otherwise. I've since read that the songs were not pre-recorded and dubbed over the film, but instead were filmed live which I find incredibly impressive.
Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe play opposite each other in many scenes. I loved them together and feel they both did an excellent job of portraying their respective characters.
Anne Hathaway, who is winning all sorts of awards and nominations for her role, was stunning. Her transformation from a gainfully employed woman to a poor and destitute prostitue was incredible. She did such a wonderful job expressing the sadness and misery her character was certainly feeling.
Amanda Seyfried is no stranger to musicals having starred in Mama Mia! While Les Misérables was a great undertaking for anyone, Amanda Seyfriend did an amazing job and was definitely an asset to the film. I love her voice and most movies she's been in and am glad this was no different.
Other notable actors include Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. This is the first movie I've seen Sacha Baron Cohen in. To be honest, I typically avoid movies he in as I always think of Borat and how every clip I saw looked terrible. But together, he and Helena Bonham Carter, brought life to the characaters they played and did an incredible job.
Overall, I would highly recommend this movie. T loved it as did my aunt, uncle and cousins who saw it with us. Although the movie ran longer than I would prefer (two hours, forty-five minutes) and there were some heavily emotional moments, I loved it and will definitely be seeing it again.
Turkey Tetrazzini
Good evening! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed your holiday celebrations! We had a wonderful Christmas! My brother came home from Las Vegas with his girlfriend and her two sons. We had a fantastic time visiting the zoo, looking at Christmas lights and other holiday celebrations. This past weekend, my fiance and I celebrated the holidays with his family. We also made a traditional turkey dinner. My fiance loves cooking turkey and all the trimmings, but it always leaves us with a ton of leftovers! Solution: Turkey Tetrazzini by Rachael Ray Magazine. Below is a slightly modified version that is easy to make and tastes great!
Ingredients
shredded turkey
garlic salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
6 tablespoons butter
1 tbsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated parmesan
1 package frozen mixed vegetables
bread crumbs
Directions
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, cook the pasta according to the package directions until just about done. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add turkey and season with garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add fresh time and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Transfer turkey to a separate bowl. Next, melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour, milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer while you grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and mixed vegetables. Finally, mix pasta, turkey and sauce together and transfer to the prepped backing dish. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake approximately 12 minutes until the sauce is bubbly.
12/25/2012
Merry Christmas!
May you all enjoy your time with your family and friends celebrating the Christmas season. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
12/21/2012
Mosaic Love
My fiance and I recently had one of our engagement pictures printed on canvas. I was so excited to hang it, but quickly realized the wall needed something else. I quickly decided a small shelf with something decorative was the way to go. But what would that something decorative be? I decided to head to Hobby Lobby and see what I could find.
Supplies:
Cardboard letters (see photo below) - they're 3D, heavier duty and perfect for decorating
Various sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper
Mod Podge, matte
Sponge brush
Directions:
I first tore off several small pieces of each scrapbook sheet and made a little pile of torn paper. Then I got to work glueing the pieces onto the letters. Modge Podge works as both a glue and a varnish so you want to make sure its both under and over the pieces of paper. Fill in each letter covering as much or as little as you'd like. Finish with one final coat of Modge Podge over the entire project. And voila!
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Supplies:
Cardboard letters (see photo below) - they're 3D, heavier duty and perfect for decorating
Various sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper
Mod Podge, matte
Sponge brush
Directions:
I first tore off several small pieces of each scrapbook sheet and made a little pile of torn paper. Then I got to work glueing the pieces onto the letters. Modge Podge works as both a glue and a varnish so you want to make sure its both under and over the pieces of paper. Fill in each letter covering as much or as little as you'd like. Finish with one final coat of Modge Podge over the entire project. And voila!
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I decided only mosaic the tops and left all of the sides with their natual cardboard color. I did put a coat of Modge Podge for a slight varnish, but wanted the front to really stand out. I also decided that as much as I love these, they didn't fit well with the intended idea. They've now found a home on one of our bookshelves and we used vinyl lettering to finish our canvas instead.
Marinated Mozzarella
This week was our division wide Christmas luncheon at work. With over 250 invited, we needs lots of food. There's always plenty of potatoes, veggies, desserts and other salads, so I signed up to bring an appetizer of some kind. I spent some time browsing online for easy appetizers for hungry crowds and found a recipe for Marinated Mozzarella. Not only was it easy, but it was a crowd pleaser as well!
Ingredients:
18 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 jar green olives
toothpicks
Directions:
Mix olive oil and seasoning. Pour over cubed cheese and let marinate 8-48 hours. Using toothpicks, skewer one green olive and one cheese cube and put on serving platter. Enjoy!
I cubed the cheese and prepped the mixture on a Monday. I wanted to let the cheese have plenty of time to marinate. On Wednesday, when I opened the bowl, I was quite horrified. The chemical reaction of the cheese and olive oil soaking had resulted in a foamy texture of flavored water. Don't worry! I learned that one you have moved the mozzarella from the marination the condensation will disappear. Just allow for some time before serving and all will be well!
Ingredients:
18 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 jar green olives
toothpicks
Directions:
Mix olive oil and seasoning. Pour over cubed cheese and let marinate 8-48 hours. Using toothpicks, skewer one green olive and one cheese cube and put on serving platter. Enjoy!
I cubed the cheese and prepped the mixture on a Monday. I wanted to let the cheese have plenty of time to marinate. On Wednesday, when I opened the bowl, I was quite horrified. The chemical reaction of the cheese and olive oil soaking had resulted in a foamy texture of flavored water. Don't worry! I learned that one you have moved the mozzarella from the marination the condensation will disappear. Just allow for some time before serving and all will be well!
12/18/2012
Easy as Pie Blueberry Banana Cheesecake
So I'm a sucker for desserts. I love looking at them, making them, eating them. I enjoy it all! But my absolute favorite: cheesecake! Enter: Easy as Pie Blueberry Banana Cheesecake. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 package instant cheesecake flavored pudding mix, sugar free
Milk, per pudding instructions
1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana, sliced
Graham Cracker Crust
Lite Cool Whip
Directions:
Make pudding according to the box directions. Before pudding sets, add blueberries and banana slices. Add two spoonfuls of cool whip, if desired. Mix well. Pour into crust and let set for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
We enjoyed this delicious dessert last night after letting it set for a couple of hours. I just ate a piece and it was even better as it had set a little longer. I imagine this would be good with any fruit, chocolate chips or anything ingredients you would normally use with cheesecake. With it being winter, its more difficult to find fresh fruit, but I managed. My fiance advises he would like the pudding just as much by itself as he did in cheesecake form. I like the textural difference with the fruit and crust added in. Either way: delicious and easy! Two of my favorite things!
Ingredients:
1 package instant cheesecake flavored pudding mix, sugar free
Milk, per pudding instructions
1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana, sliced
Graham Cracker Crust
Lite Cool Whip
Directions:
Make pudding according to the box directions. Before pudding sets, add blueberries and banana slices. Add two spoonfuls of cool whip, if desired. Mix well. Pour into crust and let set for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
We enjoyed this delicious dessert last night after letting it set for a couple of hours. I just ate a piece and it was even better as it had set a little longer. I imagine this would be good with any fruit, chocolate chips or anything ingredients you would normally use with cheesecake. With it being winter, its more difficult to find fresh fruit, but I managed. My fiance advises he would like the pudding just as much by itself as he did in cheesecake form. I like the textural difference with the fruit and crust added in. Either way: delicious and easy! Two of my favorite things!
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