October Dinner and a DVD
Column No. 4
SGVN
Sept. 30, 2005
By Kyra Kirkwood
MOVIES:
1. Film: Desperate Housewives
Studio: Touchstone Television
Summary: A six-disc collection featuring all of the yummy, snarky, dirty-laundry filled episodes from the first season of the catty new weekly TV series. A group of women living on the picture-perfect Wisteria Lane are host and witness to a series of secrets and scandals.
Review: What can I say? I'm addicted to watching dysfunctional people screw up their lives on television (perhaps explaining my fascination with reality TV?). From the annoying antics of Susan (a too-skinny Teri Hatcher. I just want to feed her a Big Mac) to the delicious pre-incarceration-Martha-Stewart Bree (the always stunning Marcia Cross), the characters' troubles and toils kept each week fresh, funny and failure-free. And of course, the comebacks of Lynette (Felicity Huffman) are worthy of noting. "Desperate Housewives" on its own is a keeper of a series; add the extras, and you've got a must-have package for any fan of the show.
Extra Highlight: To get more dish, check out the unrated, extended episodes.
What to serve for dinner: Buck the system and eat something truly fattening and truly appropriate: apple fritters (courtesy of recipiegoldmine.com). Sure, if you feel guilty, have a salad and Diet Coke first. Then dive right into these gems, topped with powdered sugar and ice cream.
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 medium apple, peeled, cored
and
chopped to
make 1 cup
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Oil for deep frying
Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to
375 degrees in a deep fryer or pot. Combine egg and milk in a large mixing
bowl, stir in apples and cooking oil. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, 1/4
teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Add to wet mixture, stirring until mixed.
Drop by tablespoonfuls into oil
and fry about four minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Remove with
slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Roll in a mixture of confectioners'
sugar and remaining 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Serve warm, perhaps with ice cream.
What to talk about over dessert: How desperate are some housewives? How well do you really know your neighbors? Why does everything think Eva Longoria is the hottest of the group? Why do actresses think they need to weigh 85 pounds?
2. Film: Kingdom of Heaven (R)
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
Summary: In this passionate epic set in medieval Jerusalem, a young Frenchman (Orlando Bloom) finds honor and redemption on a valiant quest as he strives to fulfill his destiny as a true knight.
Review: It's long, very visual and intense in its battle scenes. Yet Bloom proves that he can be a leading man, and not just an (adorable, yet deadly) elf. The film is beautifully shot, with medieval settings that look fantastically real. Director Ridley Scott ("Gladiator") is no stranger to shooting historical epics, and he doesn't disappoint here. The running theme of religious wars between Christians and Muslims is there, but so are the facets of personal power, individual faith and heroics. "Kingdom of Heaven" is a heavy film, but not as much so as the trailers led us to believe.
Extra Highlight: The first-ever interactive production grid that allows viewers to tailor the perspective and timeframe of making-of materials to their own specifications and areas of interest. Definitely cool.
What to serve for dinner: Go all medieval with turkey legs. This recipe (from Derrick Riches at www.bbq.about.com) throws in a bit of Southwest flavor for variety.
6 turkey drumsticks
1 can cranberry sauce
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice
3 chipotle peppers minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Place drumsticks in a large
baking dish. Combine cranberry
juice, 3 1 tablespoon tequila, 1 teaspoon lime peel, 2 tablespoons lime juice,
and garlic in a small mixing bowl.
Pour mixture over drumsticks, cover, and allow to marinate in
refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
Preheat grill for medium-high
heat. Place remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to
simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove
turkey and place on grill rack.
Discard marinade. Cover and
allow to cook for 50-60 minutes.
Brush with prepared sauce throughout cooking. Once turkey is cooked, remove from heat and serve.
What to talk about over dessert: What makes a true hero? Is
chivalry dead? Were the Crusades justified? Would you have wanted to live during
this time? What would you do if Orlando Bloom rode up to you on a horse?
3. Film (with rating): Cinderella (G)
Studio: Disney
Summary: A fairy godmother helps an oppressed and unloved woman transform herself, find a loving prince and escape her horrible life.
Review: It's the classic 1950's animated fairy tale that so many of us grew up watching. What little girl didn't bounce around her bedroom, shaking a twig at her stuffed animals and singing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?" (Oh come on! I'm not the only one.) Despite all of its antiquated women-need-men-to-save-them stuff, it's still a classic story the whole family can watch together, focusing on the more universal message: dream big and big things can happen.
Extra Highlight: This long-awaited Platinum Edition collection is a true gem. The huge slew of extras would take hours to fully enjoy. Start with the "Cinderella Stories" presented by ESPN Classics.
What to serve for dinner: Complete
and utter fairy tale food, all pink: strawberry milkshakes with pink marshmallows,
strawberries with pink whipped cream and strawberry-jam sandwiches.
What to talk about over dessert: What lessons do fairy tales
teach young girls? Would a film like this survive if made in today's market?
What memories do you have from the first time you saw "Cinderella?"
What would you ask your fairy godmother for?
4. Film (with rating): Herbie Fully Loaded (G)
Studio: Disney
Summary: A freewheelin' 1963 VW Beetle has a mind of its
own, and he tries to convince NASCAR racing legacy Maggie Peyton (Lindsay
Lohan) that she has what it takes to fulfill her dreams.
Review: This was not on my movie radar. I didn't enjoy the
original film that much, so I wasn't in a hurry to see its remake. But after
watching it, I had no regrets. "Herbie Fully Loaded" is a treat of a
film. The car is unbelievably real, and Lohan proves she's the princess of the
Disney classic remake. There's only one scene of lame computer imaging
involving Herbie, and that keeps the movie from taking on a comic-book tone.
Matt Dillon (still as fab as ever, and not a day older looking than his "Outsider"
days) spins his smarm as "the bad guy." Michael Keaton also lends his
acting talent to the film, which winds up being an entertaining romp on the
racetrack, regardless of age or NASCAR preferences.
Extra Highlight: "Bringing Herbie to Life."
What to serve for dinner: Go for something fun and hometown, like old fashioned corndogs, courtesy of www.recipegoldmine.com. You can use any type of hotdogs for this, even the meatless variety.
County Fair Corn Dogs
1/3 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 pound package of hot dogs
Flour
Oil
Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Combine
dry ingredients. Add egg, oil, milk and mustard. Mixing well. Insert wooden
skewers or sticks lengthwise into hot dogs. Coat with flour, then dip into
batter, coating well. Fry in deep hot oil for 2-3 minutes or till golden brown.
Drain on paper towels to absorb any oil. Keep in a warm oven. Serve with
mustard.
What to talk about over dessert: What was your first car?
Why does racing have such a huge following? Lindsay Lohan looks better thin and
blonde or curvy and red-haired? What is the craziest thing you tried to
convince your parents to let you do when you were a teen?
5. Film (with rating): Batman Begins (PG-13)
Studio: Warner Bros.
Summary: A look at how Batman, well, began. In the wake of
his parents' murder, industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) seeks the
means to fight injustice. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego:
Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an armory full of
high-tech gadgets to fight evil.
Review: It's dark and brooding and scaryÑand I loved it. It
fully deserved the $200+ million it banked at the box office this past summer. Bale
is perfect as a young Bruce Wayne/Batman, but Katie Holmes is beyond horrid as
the prissy, insipid Rachel Dawes. But don't let her holier-than-thou character
turn you off. The film is just littered with great performances from the other
supporting castmembers, like Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy.
The best part is discovering how, as the Joker character once put it in the
1989 "Batman," Batman gets all those wonderful toys. Another perk? The
2-disc deluxe edition comes with a special bonus comic book.
Extra Highlight: "Tankman Begins," a spoof on "Batman Begins." Or, for you purists, check out "Genesis
of the Bat," Batman incarnations from
the mid-1980s to present day.
What to serve for dinner: Roasted bat. OK, seriously, try something very metropolitan, very Gotham-like. How about sushi rolls (courtesy of mediterrasian.com)?
2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (like Koshihikari rice )
2 cups cold water
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons superfine (caster) sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Your choice of fillings (see Sushi roll variations below)
6 sheets nori (edible seaweed)
Japanese soy sauce
Pickled ginger (gari)
Wasabi paste
Place the rice in a colander
and rinse thoroughly until the
water runs clear. Drain well. Place the rice and the cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn
down heat and cover, cooking for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off
the heat and allow to stand 10 minutes more, still covered, then spoon the rice
into a large bowl. Mix together the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl until the sugar
dissolves, then drizzle over the rice. Mix gently to coat the rice with the
sushi vinegar, then set aside to
cool to room temperature. Toast each nori sheet very lightly by passing back and forth quickly
over stove-top hot plate (don't place it too close to the heat or else it will burn). Add rice, then
follow your choice of instructions (below).
Tuna and cucumber sushi rolls. Cut a 10 oz. piece of very fresh raw tuna into
thin strips. Peel and remove the
seeds from half a small-sized cucumber and cut the flesh into thin strips. Smear a small amount of wasabi in a horizontal line
across the middle of each
rice-topped nori sheet and arrange equal amounts of tuna and cucumber on top. Roll the sushi up and cut into 1-inch rounds
to serve.
Egg and vegetable sushi rolls. Cook an ordinary omelet using 2 eggs seasoned with
salt and pepper, then slice it
into thin strips. Cut 12 snow peas into thin strips and grate a small carrot. Smear a small
amount of wasabi in a horizontal line across the middle of each rice-topped nori sheet and arrange equal amounts of
each filling on top. Roll the sushi up and cut into 1-inch rounds to serve.
What to talk about over dessert: Who was the best Batman
ever and why? How great would it be to have a friend like Alfred? Do you think
toys like Batman's really exist? What is the deal with Katie Holmes?