What Would Jane Austen Do?

Finding New Movies for the Fam

2013-06-04T07:11:00.000-05:00

Asha had a good post up the other day, reminding us to flex our library cards this summer when looking for DVDs. I'm having some luck finding titles at the library that were mentioned on GKids.

GKids is the site of the New York International Children's Film Festival. They feature foreign movies made for children that didn't get a wide release in the US. They're big on Hayao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli movies, like Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service, of course. I think this might be where I first heard about A Town Called Panic, which is funny and quirky and beloved in this house, yet absolutely not something I would have known about without GKids.

Now, if Letitia were here to keep me honest, I would have to admit that the kids aren't always enthusiastic about the movies I pull up from that site. Chiefly they are resistant to any movie without a Happy Meal tie-in, or not titled Shrek 4: Yet More Booger Jokes. That's why we had to institute a 10-minute rule: you watch it for 10 minutes, and if you still hate it, you can opt out. [Why yes, I have found a way to make movie time a chore; did you doubt that I had it in me?]

Also, I am probably the last person to know about this, but I've recently started using Commonsense Media's site to figure out if a movie is appropriate for my kids. For example, I was sure E&B would love Moonrise Kingdom, because I loved it so much--and there was really only one (potentially) objectionable scene, in my memory. But looking over their review, I realized that they will probably enjoy it much more in a couple of years, so why not save it?

I resisted Commonsense Media for a while, because I thought it might be run by insane fundies, but it turns out that's not the case. The site has also been helpful in pointing me toward some iPad apps that I didn't know were out there.

Finally, yes, we're seeing movies at the megaplex, too. I'm not trying to be this guy. Last week Papi took one for the team and escorted E&B to see Epic. This was poor planning on my part--it means I'm on the hook for Smurfs 2.

Kari's Skeleton Swimsuit

2013-05-23T17:37:00.001-05:00

We are watching last week's Mythbusters. Kari is wearing an amazing swimsuit for some kind of sauna test (not to worry about exploitation, of course: Grant and Tory are naked). Anyway, Becca and I are in love with the suit. Somebody asked her about it on Twitter--it's from an Australian company called Black Milk.

They have lots of goth suits. I guess Becca's set for her teens.

N.B. to Sara--There's a Steampunk version, too:

Catholic Cuisine

2013-05-22T05:38:00.000-05:00

This was a very exciting discovery. I am not Catholic, but I have long admired their dedication to celebrating the saints of the church through pastry and fried foods. Of course I had heard of King Cake for Epiphany, but how about:

Pentecost Pie

Probably less tasty, but visually way impressive, FLAMING Pentecost cupcakes

Or these Pentecost brunch ideas. All red food!

And the Cocoa Krispie Treat grotto for Our Lady of Guadalupe? Oh yeah.

FWIW, the Feast of St. Nacho is on July 12.

Secret Menu Items

2013-02-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

There was a great thread on Reddit last week: "Fast food employees: what is the best thing on your restaurant's menu that no one ever orders?"

Now I ask you, is that most-Reddit question ever? Anyway, it pointed me to my new favorite thing: Pineapple Dr. Pepper from Sonic. There is REAL pineapple in it! I mean, it's life-changing. [The Pineapple Diet Dr. Pepper, fortunately, is also good.]

Sonic wants you to use this as your wallpaper.

Vinegar Valentines

2013-02-14T12:14:00.001-06:00

I don't know if this is the same one.

Over at Collector's Weekly there is a post today about Vinegar Valentines. I never heard of them before today, but I think that must be what my Grandmother received one year as a kid. She told me that her maternal grandmother gave her a Valentine that said something about being an Old Maid. It broke her little heart so much that she remembered it decades later. Can you even imagine doing such a thing to a little girl? And listen, my Grandmother was no pansy, either.

Just in case you ever thought that the Internet invented rudeness.

HT: Sarah Pavis @ Kottke

What mamacita is...

2013-02-09T22:12:00.000-06:00

Reading

Girl Walks Into a Bar

Did you see Rachel Dratch on Billy on the Street? Hilarious.

Watching

The Real Husbands of Hollywood

It's a sendup of Real Housewives shows. Robin Thicke: gorgeous AND funny. And JB Smoove is always a plus.

Listening to

Thrift Shop

Water skiing + fur coats = best video EVER

Spin magazine had the dumbest review ever of the song. I don't know about you, but any time a music writer uses the word sustainability, I start looking for the exits.

Houston Mini Maker Faire

2013-02-06T00:51:00.000-06:00

We went to the Houston Mini Maker Faire last month. The kids had fun. Papi and I were SO excited about it. We planned everything in advance--maps and tickets loaded on our phones; clothes and backpacks laid out the night before. I was expecting there to be a massive crowd, because it was going to be full of fun and educational stuff, but it was definitely not overwhelming. Their loss!

Personally, I was mostly interested in the food trucks: Monster PBJ, Coreanos, Waffle Bus, Bernie's Burger Bus.

Monster PBJ has, hands down, the best graphics. Becca requested a Classic PB + strawberry jam on white with sliced strawberries and Nutella, cut into FOURTHS thankyouverymuch. She would not so much as let me look at it until she got bored with eating it. I can confirm that the crust was tasty.

I was really looking forward to trying Coreanos, but I was a little disappointed in what I got. It turned out to be one of those humongous burritos that can't even fit in your mouth, and it wasn't anything special.

Waffle Bus made great waffles. I got a single bite of Emmet's. Bernie's Burger Bus I've had before, and it's really good. Great buns.

So anyway, the Maker Faire/ Aspie Convention:

I was mentally keeping track of entries in the Nerdiest T-shirt Contest.

This guy was an early favorite.

But I finally had to go with this one.

There was a booth featuring souped-up Nerf guns and a firing range.

Which gun do you want to try, Rebecca?

The biggest one, of course.

This one is a little more manageable.

Emmet liked the robotics. These kids were in a competition to build a robot that could shoot a basketball.

The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir art car made an appearance. "What can be more annoying than an animated singing fish? Try 250 of them bolted to a Volvo and singing opera." All the kids LOVED this.

I'm so glad we went, even though I wasn't really in my element. If your little nerdlets need to find their people, get them to a Maker Faire near you.

What are we making for the Super Bowl? Part II

2013-01-31T11:36:00.004-06:00

photo via

I emailed my pal Emily for some advice about San Francisco food. Here's what she said:

How fun is this! Let's think...hot crab dip with sourdough? Anything Chinese, pot stickers? Shrimp cocktail, artichokes, oysters. We are also the home of green goddess dressing, red vines, Irish coffee and the mai tai. Rice a Roni :) And garlic fries!

I also found recipes for cream of artichoke soup and cream of Anaheim pepper soup, which are sometimes combined at this restaurant outside SF. I think I can get on board with that.

So we will have:

Cheetos with Old Bay (B)
Cream of Artichoke / Anaheim pepper soup (SF)
Ricearoni (for Emmet) (SF)
Crab cakes (B)
Garlic fries (SF)
Berger cookies (B)

I think I can scare up an Anchor Steam beer, but Natty Boh might be a little more difficult.

What are we making for the Super Bowl? Part I

2013-01-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

So, we have San Francisco vs. Baltimore in the Super Bowl. I asked my friend Meg of Pigtown*Design for advice about what they eat in Charm City.

Mamacita:

I was disappointed to discover just how much love your fair city has for mayonnaise. It's in everything! I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to this subject of Super Bowl food. The Pit Beef recipe looked intriguing (until I saw the Tiger Sauce recipe with m-a-y-o). The crab pretzels also looked good up until the m---- part. One time I made Berger cookies, but I was a little disappointed with how they turned out. Maybe it was a bad recipe?

Meg:

First, looking at your Pinterest board, no one knows anything about Smearcase. To me, it sounds like some ghastly OB/GYN sort of problem.

Second, what's the matter with mayo?! Food of the gods - especially Duke's or Hellmans.

photo via Roopa's twitter feed

Third. Here's the secret recipe: CHEETOS + OLD BAY! Yep, that's it. I've given you the secret of the known universe and now you can entertain with abandon. Everyone here puts Old Bay on everything, and many years ago, we discovered the secret of happiness: Old Bay on Cheetos.

You'd probably hate hot crab dip, given that it's about 1/3 mayonaise, but it is at every.single.bloody.party I've ever been to.

The Cheetos + Old Bay actually sounds good. And I forgot all about Southsides, which I heard about from you and loved. Thanks, Hon!

Latest Kitchen Hijinks

2013-01-25T22:53:00.003-06:00

On Monday I wanted to make Hawaiian food in honor of the President's inauguration. After rejecting spam masubi and macaroni salad (hurl), I decided that I had everything on hand to make chicken katsu.

It's essentially a breaded, pan-fried chicken cutlet. Nothing too extraordinary, although I had never used panko before. Every recipe for the sauce said to mix ketchup with soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, but those instructions were a bit of a let-down. Also, I couldn't see just pouring ketchup all over the chicken like gravy, and that's what the pictures were showing. So I finally decided to try and make Japanese tonakatsu sauce, which involves applesauce, grated carrots, grated onions, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. And which ultimately tasted like grainy ketchup. Ugh.

More successful was dessert, which I didn't get a picture of. This is chocolate haupia pie. Haupia is a flan-like coconut dessert popular in Hawaii; some GENIUS had the idea to layer it on top of a regular chocolate pie. It was pretty good.

It's worth noting that my friend Cayce, who lived in Hawaii during middle school, suggested Huli Huli Chicken. She says that they sold it there for school fundraisers, the way we would sell barbecue here. Huli Huli Chicken looks way better than what I made. I didn't have the ingredients on hand Monday for the inauguration, but maybe on Sunday for the Pro Bowl...

It's colder than a welder's ass here

2013-01-16T10:25:00.002-06:00

I made this stew and now I'm telling everybody about it. You HAVE to make it. This is Ruth Reichl's Pork-Tomatillo-and-Dark-Beer stew. Now, let's all feel a little sorry for Ruth, because she has some labor-intensive stovetop method of making it. She doesn't realize that you can just put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and call it a day in the kitchen. Here's the lowdown (seriously make it SOON).

Pork, Tomatillo and Dark Beer Stew

1 pound of tomatillos, husked and cut into quarters
1 bottle of dark beer
12 ounces of fresh orange juice
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into hefty cubes
salt and pepper for the pork
10 cloves of whole peeled garlic (I used less—maybe 5 cloves)
2 large onions, chopped
2 whole jalapenos (take them out before serving)
1.5 cups cooked (or canned) black beans

Put all of this into the slow cooker and cook it until it’s done. Serve over rice, and if you like, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a dollop of sour cream.

Let's start with this

2013-01-09T16:07:00.001-06:00

I was on the Weather Underground site this morning (flash floods in Houston) and it turns out they have t-shirts for sale. Is this not the cutest thing ever?

Spotted at the Houston Garden Club Bulb Sale on Friday

2012-10-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I get to leave the house.

2012-10-04T12:23:00.001-05:00

When I was a kid, my mom made special efforts to get us all cultured and stuff. We went to any and every play that was put on in the Golden Triangle, and often when we went to Austin we would see something at Southwestern or at St. Edward's. Among the ones that stand out:

My first concert, Billy Ocean at the Beaumont Civic Center. Lots of fainting black ladies. I was saucer-eyed. I think I was 10.

The Wizard of Oz at the Port Arthur Civic Center, where mom says we watched the special effects guy much more than the play.

Some retelling of Hamlet featuring a flatulent Claudius, at some theater in Austin. There were maybe 20 people in the audience, and we were 6 of them, but we walked out during Act I.

And now, even though I have to remind myself to do it, I like getting out there to see what Houston has going on.

Rossini's Otello, presented by Opera in the Heights

So it turns out that Rossini's opera gutted the character of Iago, which is kind of a disappointment. In this case, it made the opera strain even more than operas normally do to make sense. Why does Othello believe Iago? Why is Iago such a meany? Why don't these people just talk things out like normal humans? But plotholes are a feature of opera, not a bug, I guess.

My biggest beef with the production was the director's choice of setting. She decided to "update" the story by setting it among mafiosi in 1985 Venice. I didn't think this added anything to the production, and it certainly had a deletrious effect on the costumer, who interpreted the setting with clothes from 1995 New Jersey. [Most distracting to me were Desdemona's d'Orsay pumps. How can you stomp around onstage for 3 hours in d'Orsays?] Lackluster sets, always a problem at Lambert Hall, did nothing to redeem the setting or the costumes.

In spite of this, I have to tell you that Opera in the Heights is almost a miracle. The singing is absolutely first rate, especially Elmiro, sung by bass-baritone Joseph Rawley; he was enthralling. I was also amazed at what they were able to pull off in such a tiny space. The 27-piece orchestra was crammed, cheek-by-jowl, at the side of the stage, and in order to get to the bathroom you had to walk between the harp and the piano. But all of the musicians played beautifully.

To be honest, I didn't even think I liked opera--I went along with someone out of a sense of obligation, and when I saw that the piece would run 3 full hours, I nearly bailed. But I enjoyed it immensely, and I will absolutely go back for Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi, opening in November.

David Mamet's November, presented by the Alley Theatre (sic)

David Mamet is known for being hilarious and profane. I heartily endorse this, of course. November is about a lame-duck US President on the eve of an election, trying to hustle money for himself and his campaign. There are only five members of the cast, and the Alley produced the play in the round, on the Neuhaus Stage. The dialogue was very funny. Some bits were groaners, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. One peeve: the audience felt like they had to titter every time an actor dropped an f-bomb. Grow up, people. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

I'm skipping Death of a Salesman at the Alley, mostly because it's such a bummer, and the hoary old Christmas Carol they do every year. I've also seen Santaland Diaries (and it wasn't half as fun as rereading the book), so the next thing I'll see at the Alley will be Clybourne Park.

Agatha Christie's Black Coffee, presented by the Alley Theatre (sic)

I saw this one in August. I thought that production was a little sloppy, and it definitely wasn't peak-form Agatha Christie, but it's always fun to see something in the Summer Chills series. And truthfully, the theater was glacial that night.

What mamacita is...

2012-10-01T10:08:00.000-05:00

Watching
It's the new Downton Abbey! Or so the Beeb would have you think. Did you watch it?

Family Movie Night

2012-09-27T09:39:00.002-05:00

The Karate Kid

The kids were soooo into it. Emmet kept calling the bad guy a "jerkwad."

What mamacita is...

2012-06-13T13:22:00.001-05:00

Reading:

I'm planning to read travelogues this summer. This one is pretty good.

Watching:

Light, sunny, perfect.

Watching:

I can't believe I hadn't seen this one before. Perfect, classic Woody Allen (how I miss him).

Pickled Shrimp

2012-06-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

I've been reading The Pat Conroy Cookbook, and let me tell you it is a great read. But at a later time; first: my story.

I was home (in BC) for Mother's Day. I was walking to my parents' house from my in-laws' house when I saw a woman wandering around the yard in a conical straw hat and a surgical mask. She was asking if anyone wanted to buy shrimp--her husband had been out on the boat that morning, and she had a pickup bed full of ice chests. I had to weigh my sister Peetie's warnings about botulism against $5.50/lb.

So I drove home with two adults, two kids, a yellow lab, 20 pounds of shrimp on ice and three buckets of iris bulbs from my mom packed into the Ford Escape. Man, I love my car.

The good news is that I haven't died yet--so far it seems that the shrimp are fine. And last weekend I finally got to make pickled shrimp.

Pickled shrimp are evidently a Low Country thing, but they need to be an everywhere-people-sell-shrimp-out-of-their-pickups thing, because they are delicious. I made took them to the swim meet on Saturday, which you might optimistically call a picnic but is actually more like sitting in a damn sauna for six hours. So yeah, serve chilled, with Lay's potato chips, frozen grapes and iced tea.

Pickled Shrimp

Adapted from The Pat Conroy Cookbook by Pat Conroy and Suzanne Williamson Pollak

1 onion, thinly sliced
4 bay leaves, crushed
One 2 oz. bottle capers, drained and coarsely chopped [Go ahead and add in the juice, too.]
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice [I put the spent lemon halves in the jar with the rest of the mix.]
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic [I interpreted this as "one clove garlic, peeled and smashed."]
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds large (21-25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Mix all ingredients except the shrimp in a large heatproof glass or ceramic bowl.

In a stockpot over high heat, bring 4 quarts abundantly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, about 2 minutes. (The shrimp will continue to "cook" in the marinade). [For real, 2 minutes is all it takes.] Drain and immediately toss in the marinade.

Bring to room temperature, cover tightly, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

Pinterest Pet Peeves

2012-04-18T10:01:00.001-05:00

I'm going to have to unfollow some people today.

1. A picture of a cup of tea sitting on a bare, painted table--why did you even pin that? It's just a stupid cup of tea. Yes, you're so very pure of heart and unmaterialistic. SIMPLIFY, as your innumerable wall hangings say.

2. Equal and opposite: freeze-ahead Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole sounds hella-gross.

3. Who the fuck buys dryer sheets*? And why would I want to know any "other" uses for them? *If it's you: stop it immediately.

4. Thanks for sharing your "Inspiration" board full of celebrity misquotes, but I evidently know more about men, love and life than you will ever learn.

I'm sure there are more. What are your Pinterest pet peeves?

Follow me, if you like.

April in ... Houston

2012-03-29T20:56:00.003-05:00

I have this nail polish on my toes right now. It's making me so happy to look at it, I even went totally crazy and did my fingernails, too.

Not my hand. Via.

Yes, it is ridiculously expensive, but it's not like Becca's going to college:

"Rebecca continues to struggle with appropriate school behavior. She has a discipline referral form in her backpack today. She was sent to the office for yelling in the hallways during STAAR testing. While in the office, she attempted to hit another student to “get some payback for [her] brother.” She then ran out of the office without permission when a parent opened the door and she thought she wasn’t being watched."

Family Movie Night

2012-03-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

This one is a lot of fun.

What I ate for dinner, in great detail:

2012-03-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

This is probably the first thing I've cooked in six months that I could get excited about. This morning I had about five minutes to get something in the crockpot before the entire day went off the rails, so I put a couple of pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in with an envelope of Wick Fowler's Taco Seasoning and a can of beer. Some time later we had chicken chalupas for Taco Night. I am a HERO.

In case you can't make sense of the photo: a chalupa shell, refried beans [Are you the person who keeps demanding that stores sell fat-free refried beans? Because if you are, I'm not sure we can be friends.], chicken, tomatoes, green onions, the cheese that Emmet didn't immediately filch from the plate, plain Greek yogurt (if you're not the dumbass who accidentally bought yogurt with honey, because that really wouldn't work),

and this Valentina hot sauce, which is awesome.

Serve on your finest Dixie plate with a beer, a Dark & Stormy, or you know what? fuck it: rum.

The Valentines Dance

2012-02-12T01:28:00.000-06:00

The PTA had a Valentine Dance fundraiser on Friday night. Emmet's "date" was another fifth grader, Sarah. She was on the t-ball team I coached years ago. She's also a member of the junior geological society. But here's the killer: she was so excited when she told me that she was wearing the lip gloss and the perfume she got for Christmas. OMG HOW CUTE IS SHE?!

Speaking of cute...Becca went solo, but she looked adorable, and I think she had fun. At dinner, after the dance, she showed us her new moves--the Chicken Dance and the Electric Slide.

Best Facebooks Statuses I've Read Today

2012-02-09T10:33:00.000-06:00

Because I can't make fun of these people on Facebook...

Angela F_____
I'll be glad when this rash is completely gone.

Mitch H______
A Communist, a Muslim, and an Illegal Immigrant walk into a bar.
The Bartender says.....
"What are you drinking, Mr. President?"
lol!!!!

Spoiler Alert: It's Superglue

2012-02-07T10:10:00.000-06:00

I tried this new nail stuff: NutraNail Gel Perfect UV-Free Gel-Color. I honestly think it's superglue. At least, that's what it smelled like. And the results?

Not good! I followed the package instructions on my right hand, and these instructions on the left. The polish looked okay, though it was a bit streaky, and maybe not as shiny as a salon manicure.

Unfortunately, immediately after I washed my hair two days later, all the polish started chipping off. It was obvious that water got underneath the polish. Also, in spite of already being perhaps 50% chipped off, it was still a bit of work to get the rest of it off.

Pros: at $12, it's cheaper than a Shellac manicure
Cons: at $12, it's still a waste of money.

What Would Jane Austen Do?

Finding New Movies for the Fam

Kari's Skeleton Swimsuit

Catholic Cuisine

Secret Menu Items

Vinegar Valentines

What mamacita is...

Houston Mini Maker Faire

What are we making for the Super Bowl? Part II

What are we making for the Super Bowl? Part I

Latest Kitchen Hijinks

It's colder than a welder's ass here

Let's start with this

Spotted at the Houston Garden Club Bulb Sale on Friday

Every now and then I get to leave the house.

What mamacita is...

Family Movie Night

What mamacita is...

Pickled Shrimp

Pinterest Pet Peeves

April in ... Houston

Family Movie Night

What I ate for dinner, in great detail:

The Valentines Dance

Best Facebooks Statuses I've Read Today

Angela F_____

I'll be glad when this rash is completely gone.

Mitch H______

A Communist, a Muslim, and an Illegal Immigrant walk into a bar. The Bartender says..... "What are you drinking, Mr. President?" lol!!!!

Spoiler Alert: It's Superglue

A Communist, a Muslim, and an Illegal Immigrant walk into a bar.
The Bartender says.....
"What are you drinking, Mr. President?"
lol!!!!