Book Review, Movie Review, New Chinese Recipe

Thanks you guys! I'm slowly catching up blogs and it seems like everyone had happy holidays, although a few of you had the flu - BOO! I hope everyone is better to prepare to ring in the new year! Sunday for me was all about relaxing and preparation. We got up early and got to the airport, where I read Blame. The new flight (in place of the cancelled one) was DEAD - like 28 people on a huge jet. We each had our own row for sure (like we were on row 19, no one was behind us and there were like 48 rows). We all relaxed and read, watched the in-flight movie and played on the computer.

I mean really, Delta - was this necessary?

I actually REALLY liked the movie, Going the Distance, I thought it was super cute and while i'm not a HUGE Justin Long fan, I liked the film, thought Drew was cute and real and loved Christina Applegate's character - she's hilarious! I'd definitely watch this little rom com again.We left the airport and went straight to the pups, who then went straight to the bath! We cleaned them, unpacked and before we knew it it was 8 p.m. and we were EXHAUSTED. I ended up finishing Michelle Huneven's Blame, here's my review: First, let me say that the synopsis had me.

A woman wakes up from a blackout drunk night to find that she's been arrested for a hit and run which resulted in the killing of a mother and child. WHOA. However, the story took a lot of twists. One, it dealt a lot with her in prison which was slightly mundane. Also, it wasn't in present-day - it was only in the 80's but it seemed like it was even longer ago as the characters all seemed wealthy and as if they were from another time. Three, it had a lot of ancillary characters that they told you enough about to where you were interested, but then not much happened. I kept expecting some big bomb to drop as there were so many opportunities, but nothing really happened. Regardless, it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen, and I liked the twist towards the end and how it was handled. I give it a 3.5/5. I think it would have been a 5 if it had been a bit more direct, explored at least one of the "bombs" it could have taken advantage of and, truth be told, ended on a better note.

Last but not least, my new recipe! We had this before we left town but I never got to post it! Basically - it's a new Sweet and Sour recipe. The last one used jarred sauce and there was no attempt at breading. This one, on the other hand, was much more authentic with a homemade sauce and a bit of breading - YUM.

Sweet and Sour Chicken #2
Recipe adapted from a My Kitchen Café Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 450 calories, 61 carbs, 9 fat grams and 28 protein grams.

Check out the recipe over at Healthified Kitchen!

That's all for now! I hope you're all having great Tuesdays - today was my first day back to work since Dec. 17 - I loved the break!

Q: Have you ever seen Going the Distance? Do you like Drew?

Q: If you like Chinese, what is your favorite dish? Austin's is sweet & sour, mine is truly just chicken fried rice! Really, I just like the brown sauce they make - yum!