Tuesday, December 28, 2010

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.


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!

14 comments:

Christina said...

mmm love the chicken recipe! i love that you got a whole row to yourself! so comfy! i wish that happened to me on my way to italy! haha

Kacy said...

I love when flights aren't totally packed, but that is kind of crazy!

I love sweet and sour chicken and anything spicy.

Jess@atasteofconfidence said...

i really liked going the distance, too!

Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun said...

For Chinese I always love just getting tofu with mixed veggies in some brown sauce. It's simple, but always delicious.

And that is crazy for the flight. Looks like a great way to fly!

Erica said...

I'm just glad to hear you're home! Extra room on the plane? Fantastic. I made sweet and sour chicken a while back and both Josh and I loved it. I will have to give it a go for him again. My favorite chinese dish is usually their stir fry veggies.

Biz said...

Orange chicken or sweet and sour are my go to's - and when I don't care about too many points get cashew chicken - but ask them to make it extra spicy if we do take out! :D

Glad you got to spread out on the plane - that's my least favorite part of flying when you are crammed into the plane.

Tami@NutmegNotebook said...

Wow you had your own row on the plane!

That chicken dish looks amazing!

Sweet As Boys said...

I'm surprised they didn't cancel THAT flight because it was so dead. But it is nice to have a non-stressful flight :)

Your new recipe looks delicious!! :)

lee said...

I am sort of boring when it comes to Chinese food. I just like tofu or shrimp with mixed veggies.

Hope said...

That is awesome that you had your own row on the plane! That chicken looks amazing! I love sweet and sour chicken.

Danielle said...

I'm still reading Blame. I have the same feelings, nothing is really happening.

I'll put Going the Distance on my must watch list.

Hope said...

That is awesome that you had your own row on the plane! That chicken looks amazing! I love sweet and sour chicken.

Tami said...

Wow you had your own row on the plane!

That chicken dish looks amazing!

Biz said...

Orange chicken or sweet and sour are my go to's - and when I don't care about too many points get cashew chicken - but ask them to make it extra spicy if we do take out! :D

Glad you got to spread out on the plane - that's my least favorite part of flying when you are crammed into the plane.