Movie Preview - "Hitchcock"

Hi everyone! Just a quick post today and since it's Monday that means it's movie day! I want to give you guys a sneak peak at the upcoming film Hitchcock.

The name Hitchcock is synomous with movies - in particular horror and suspense. His use of camera angle to heighten suspense, anxiety, and fear along with innovative plot twists revolutionized the genre. The shower scene in the movie Psycho stands as one of the most memorable and famous scenes in cinema history. He's best known for the movie Psycho along with The Birds, North by Northwest, and Strangers on a train.

In his career, Alfred Hitchcock established himself as the greatest director of his time and his legacy has lived on since his death in 1980. His groundbreaking work has inspired past, present, and future directors of all kinds.

Scheduled to be released on November 23rd, Hitchcock is the new feature film starring Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. Giving a glimpse into their lives during the time Hitchcock began working on the film Psycho and the turmoil and sacrifices they both endured to create it. I have to say, the preview alone is making me think both Hopkins and Mirren will be remembered when the nominations of awards such as the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Screen Actor Guild are given in a few months. Here is the trailer for "Hitchcock".

Apple Orchard Vinaigrette

 This is a great salad dressing for autumn and winter. The sweetness of the grated apple and the brown sugar won't overpower the dressing but add a great depth of flavor. If this sounds like a strange combination of ingredients don't worry - most people thought that too until they tasted it. My favorite salad to serve this over is just some Boston lettuce, some dried cherries, walnuts, sliced apple, and crumbled goat cheese. You can always add a breast of grilled chicken over top and serve this as the main course!
 
Makes about 1 cup of dressing

3/4 cups of Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 shallot (Grated)
1 half of an Apple (Grated)
2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of cinnamon

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk together. The Dijon mustard acts as an emulsifier. If you see that the dressing isn't quite coming together, add a touch more mustard and continue whisking.

Stuffed Pork Roast and "What Lies Beneath"

I'm a sucker for bread stuffing! It's my favorite dish on a holiday dinner table and I could make a meal alone out of it. The other day I woke up with a craving for it but instead of stuffing a chicken or a turkey, I thought I'd make a stuffed pork roast. Being in the last full week of October, I wanted to still take advantage of the delicious apples I'm able to find at the Pennsylvania orchards. Pork and apples are a classic combo so why not add some right into my stuffing? Sweet, savory, and delicious this pork roast is a great meal for any night of the week and any time of the year. I also have a great movie recommendation for you this week. Hey, we are a week away from All Hallows Eve so of course I had to pick one that might make you sleep with the light on for a night or two.

Stuffed Pork Roast - serves 4 to 5

3lb boneless pork roast
7 tablespoons of butter
1 large apple (diced)
2 shallots(diced)
1 clove of garlic (diced)
1 stalk of celery
5 slices of fresh bread cut into cubes
1 cup of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of Freshly chopped Parsley 
Salt and Pepper

Start by melting 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized skillet over medium low heat and sauté the apple, shallots, and celery until they’ve become tender – this will take about 10 minutes. Add the diced clove of garlic and cook for just about a minute. Next, add the freshly cut bread cups into the pan and mix everything together. The bread will quickly absorb the melted butter and all the flavors from the shallots, apple, and celery. Add the fresh parsley and stir in the chicken stock. Stir together so everything is incorporated and turn off the heat. Take a little taste of your stuffing and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Set the stuffing aside for now.

To prepare the pork roast:

Step 1: Slice about a half inch down from the top and make an incision almost completely across.

 

Step 2: Where the first cut ended, make the same kind of cut but going in the opposite direction.

Step 3: Your roast should look almost like an open book. Season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.

 

Step 4: Spread the stuffing onto the pork roast and roll the roast up starting at one end and ending at the other. Secure the roast by either using kitchen twine or sticking a few toothpicks where the edges come together. Season the top of the roast with a little more salt and pepper.

 

 


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and melt 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron frying pan over very high heat. Take a few paper towels and pat the pork roast dry - this is very important because the meat won't sear properly if there is moisture. Once the pan is hot, carefully place the roast down on one side and leave it set. We are looking to get a nice golden brown crust on the meat, this should only take about a minute or less so watch carefully. Do this to all 4 sides of the roast and then transfer into your preheated oven. Roast the pork for 30 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 and roast for another 30 to 45 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test the meat, if it reads between 150 and 160, remove the roast and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before you start to slice. Don't forget to remove the toothpicks or twine before serving!

Dish up your plate with a side fresh green beans or any of your favorite vegetable. For my green beans I simply blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes and shock them in some ice water to stop the cooking. I saute a diced clove of garlic with some olive oil in a small pan and toss the string beans right in there. Just cooking them enough to heat the green beans through again. Season with salt and pepper. Serve this pork roast with a nice chilled glass of white wine and fire up that DVD or Blu-ray player because we've got a great movie to watch this week! I'm really excited to review and recommend one of my very favorite movies, What Lies Beneath.

What Lies Beneath is the 2000 film starring the great Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, What Lies Beneath is a mystery/horror film that will leave you on the edge of your seats. When a series of strange events begin happening at the couples lake front home, Michelle Pfeiffer's character, Claire, believes her house is being haunted by a woman's spirit. Claire's husband Norman, played by Ford, doesn't believe his wife and fears the stress of their only daughter going to college is causing her to imagine things. Soon the events become more intense and Claire begins searching for the identity of the spirit that has evaded their home.

I'm not a huge fan of the horror movie genre, and while this movie might not be the most frightening film you'll ever see it still gave me a sleepless night or two after my first viewing. Pfeiffer and Ford are two of my very favorite screen actors and they both give great performances in What Lies Beneath. One thing I will say about this film is if you haven't seen the movie already - DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. Remember last Monday's movie post about how some movie previews give up way too much information?? Yup, this one falls into this category and gives away major spoilers. So instead of showing the trailer for the film like I usually do, here is a quick clip of one of Michelle Pfeiffer's encounters with her haunting spirit. 

Music and Movies - A Brief History

Before motion pictures were able to incorporated dialogue, music was used to add another element of entertainment with the images people were viewing on screen.

Prior to the 1926 film Don Juan, which is credited with being the first movie to have synchronized sound, live musicians would play music inside the theaters. It's believed this was done, at first, to cover up the sound of the noisy film projectors of the era and to cover up any uncomfortable silences that might have occurred in the audience while watching silent characters on screen.

As technological advances continued to be available to the pioneer movie makers, the importance of music in films became of great importance and has evolved to what is has become today.  Whether you've seen one movie or thousands, it's hard to imagine them having the same impact on us without the incorporation of music.

Like big named actors are pursued to star in the next big blockbuster, musical composers such as John Williams and Hans Zimmer are sought out to create magical and memorable musical pieces to be a part of today's motion pictures. Scores for mega hit films like Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Driving Miss Daisy, The Godfather, James Bond, Jurassic Park, and so many more have become a part of pop culture. They are often just as loved and recognizable as the actual films themselves.

Here is an interview from 1989 where the great John Williams discusses his thought train as he composes music for a film.

"How easy was that?"

Happy Friday everyone!! Just want to thank all my readers and the great comments you've been leaving me!

One of my readers asked if I would be doing any cookbook reviews and another left a comment asking for a good cookbook for a beginner cook to start out with. So today I thought I'd address both of those comments by recommending a book by one of the Food Network's most beloved stars - Ina Garten.

Better known as The Barefoot Contessa, Ina has charmed viewers and stimulated their appetite with her delicious recipes for cooks of all skill levels. Her cookbook Barefoot Contessa At Home is filled with recipes and tips that can aide a seasoned cook or a novice who can't tell a whisk from a butter knife.

With recipes ranging from a roasted pork loin with fennel to the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted! Ina writes her recipes in an easy to follow format that is ideal for beginners. Along with recipes and pictures that will literally make you say, "Oh man I have to make that!" Ina gives tips for creating a grocery list, hosting a dinner party, planning a menu, and so much more. After whipping up some of these dishes, you'll be in your kitchen stealing Ina's catch phrase by saying, "How easy was that?"

The best advice I can give to someone just starting to test their skills in the kitchen is not to be intimidated and don't get discouraged. Start off by finding a recipe you'd like to try and follow it word for word. That's how all cooks start off! Once you've mastered one recipe move on to another and before you know it you'll be developing your own recipes.

I really think you'll all enjoy Ina's cookbook and find some great dishes and helpful ideas - I sure did! Hope you guys have a great weekend!

Autumn Squash Soup and "Hocus Pocus"

Take a look around your grocery store and farmers markets this time of year and I’m willing to bet you’re going to find more squashes than you know what to do with. Acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and of course pumpkin are just a few. I have a fantastic recipe for you that will turn roasted pumpkin and butternut squash into a creamy and delicious Autumn squash soup. Slightly sweet and savory, this soup is perfect for those chilly autumn nights.

This recipe is going to make a lot of soup, enough to serve at least 8 to 10 people. But I love making a big batch while the squashes are in season, inexpensive, and readily available. Don’t worry about any leftovers – it freezes really well!

Autumn Squash Soup

1 Medium sized pumpkin

2 Medium sized butternut squash

1 Large or 2 medium Yams

2 carrots

2 medium yellow onions

4 cloves of garlic

2 large apples (peeled and cored)

¼ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of honey

3 14.5oz cans of vegetable stock

1 stick of butter at room temperature

Extra virgin olive oil (about ¼ of a cup)

2teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

1 quart of half and half

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Start by peeling the pumpkin, the carrot, the apples, the yam, the onions, and the butternut squash. Cut the pumpkin and squash in half down the middle so you can scoop out the seeds and “gunk” inside. Cut the yams, pumpkin, carrots, and the squash into pieces that are as close in size as possible, this will ensure an even cooking time. Toss into a large mixing bowl. Cut the onions into quarters and the do the same with the apples, reserve about half of an apple and half of an onion however as we’ll need them for later. Peel the cloves of garlic and toss into the bowl of squash along with the apples and the onions.

 To the bowl of vegetables - add the brown sugar, the honey, salt and pepper, the cinnamon, and ¾ of a stick of butter, and the olive oil and toss together. Clean hands are the best tool for doing this, get down in and there and get messy! Make sure everything is coated well – if not add a little more olive oil.

Dump everything out on a large baking sheet, you might actually need two. Just be sure that everything is in a single layer and not piled up on top of each other. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast for about one hour, checking on them every 10 to 15 minutes. This step may take more or less than an hour but the big thing here is to make sure everything is roasted until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Once everything is nice and roasted, take out of the oven and set aside. (You may notice there is celery on my baking sheet in the picture. The reason it's not in the recipe is I found even when blended the celery was still stringy so I chose to omit it)

Remember the half of onion and apple we saved? Dice both of them and sauté in a large stock pot with the rest of the butter we didn’t use from before. You want to do this over medium low heat and stir often for about 10 minutes. After sautéing the onions and apples, add the vegetable stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Carefully add the roasted vegetables into the pot and mix together along with the half and half and turn off the heat for now.

Take a whisk or a hand held potato mashers and start crushing the roasted vegetables. We’re going to add the soup to a blender or food processor in a moment but doing this just gives the process a little head start. Ladle out a few scoops of soup and pulse the mixture until it’s very smooth. Do this in small batches until all of the soup is creamy and smooth. Bring the soup back up to a simmer, add the fresh nutmeg, and give one final stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper and dinner is served! Or…

Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with soup?? I sure do and here is a gourmet twist on the classic grilled cheese! Take your bread of choice, butter one side of each like any grilled cheese, put a few slices of sharp white cheddar, thinly sliced apple, and a few pieces of salty bacon or prosciutto. Grill to perfection in any pan or a panini press and this sandwich will go perfectly with our creamy Autumn squash soup.

Grilled Cheese and soup was one of my favorite meals as a kid. October itself always takes me down memory lane and the magic of being a kid. Tossing leafs into the air after our parents took the time to rake them into neat little piles and thinking about our Halloween costumes and all the candy we’d get trick-or-treating. While dinner might take more to the adult flavor pallet, no reason we can’t be kids again by watching a fun filled movie about Halloween - Hocus Pocus.

Hocus Pocus is a classic 1993 Disney movie starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters - three witches who are looking to steal the youth from the children of Salem. 300 years ago the, the sisters were hanged after sucking the life from a young resident of Salem. Now in the modern day, three teenagers will mistakenly bring the witches back to life. With the aide of cursed talking cat named Binks, They’ll have to find a way to stop Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson before they succeed in their evil plans 300 years in waiting. Hocus Pocus was one of my favorite childhood movies and one that hasn’t lost any glimmer to me as the years have passed. Better Midler gives one of her best comedic performances and it’s not a surprise this film is beloved by so many. Whether you’re remembering this film from your youth or discovering it for the first time – Hocus Pocus is agreat movie and one I’m sure you’re spell-bound to love!

The Power of the Preview

Being the movie buff I am, I love to watch movie trailers. I absolutely HATE being late when I go to the movies with friends and family. They never see it the same way I do though. They're all like,"Whats the big deal?? All we're going to miss are a few previews." It's a big deal to me!! I look forward to the previews as much as, if not more, than the movie we're going to see. A good movie trailer is like the smell of Turkey and Pumpkin Pie coming from your kitchen on Thanksgiving morning.

However, not every preview is able to capture a films essence in a short two minute clip. I've even seen some where I felt like they showed too much of the movie and that there is no need to go and watch the full length feature. One trailer circling the internet and movie theaters right now that did not commit this crime is for the upcoming film, Cloud Atlas. 

Based off a novel by David Mitchell, which I just started reading, Cloud Atlas stars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. The plot of the story is that all of us are tied together through different lives and time periods. I have to say they did a fantastic job putting this trailer together. I am completely intrigued by this film and can't wait to see it. Check out the trailer.

"Miz on what????"

Mise en place, pronounced "Miz on Plas", is a traditional french cooking term which means "Putting in place". To put more directly, it means get all your ingredients near to your cooking station so they are prepped and ready to use when you need them.

I can thank celebrity Chef Anne Burrell for teaching me this trick on her Food Network Show, "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef".

How many times have you been reading through a recipe as your cooking and then come to a road block because you can't find the ingredient you need next. Been there done that!! One time I was making beef bourguignon and went to deglaze my pan after I sauteed the bacon with some cognac. Well I couldn't find the cognac and by the time I did - guess what? Yup, charred bacon. Luckily it was the first step to the dish so I didn't loose much time or any ingredients other than a few slices of bacon.

Getting everything out in front of you, chopped, pealed, and washed before you start cooking will make the process quicker and simpler.

Meatloaf and "Pleasantville"

Meatloaf gets a bad reputation if you ask me and I’m not sure why. It’s one of those down home comfort foods that I love to have after a really bad day or as weekend family meal. I have a simple glaze recipe that will take any meatloaf to the next level. A serving of garlic mashed potatoes on the side and you’ve got one hearty and tasty dinner. Here’s what you’ll need to serve about 6 people:

For the Meat Loaf

2lbs of Ground Meat (I use ground Chuck)

½ cup of Seasoned Panko Bread crumbs

2 large eggs

¼ cup of half and half

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 medium onion

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt

1 teaspoons of fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon of fresh chopped Rosemary

¼ cup of freshly chopped parsley

¼ cup of ketchup

For the Glaze

1 tablespoon of butter

1 medium sized Shallot

1 ½ cups of Ketchup

¾ cups apple cider vinegar

¾ cups of brown sugar (light or dark)

Canned Chipotle pepper (optional)

Mashed Potatoes

4-6 large Red Potatoes

2 cloves of garlic

6 tablespoons of butter

½ cup of heavy cream

Fresh Parsley

A friend of mine turned me onto the idea of making a glaze for my meatloaf rather than just using ketchup like my family and I have done in the past. He said just mix some brown sugar and apple cider vinegar into the ketchup and it’ll make a fantastic glaze for your meatloaf– boy was he right! I made a few of my own touches to his recipe and I’m pretty sure you could spread this stuff on cardboard and it would taste good. I start by sautéing one diced shallot in a tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan for a few minutes on a fairly low heat. Once my shallot is cooked, I add a ¾ of cup of apple cider vinegar, ¾ cup of brown sugar, and 1½ cups of ketchup. Stir that all together and bring to a simmer. You can stop here and have an awesome sauce to go with your meatloaf but I love the combination of sweet and spicy flavors so I add a little canned chipotle to the glaze. Chipotle peppers are something I always keep on hand. They have a great smoky and spicy flavor to them. Add as much or as little as you want here, I add very little at first and then give it a taste. I don’t want the chipotle flavor to take over the glaze, just enough to give it that tiny kick. Remove from the heat and set the glaze aside for now.

The Meatloaf itself couldn’t be easier. With meatloaf you can really use any kind of ground meat that you like. For the most part I usually just used ground chuck but you can use a mixture of ground chuck with ground pork and/or ground veal as well. Start off by sautéing the onion in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion just until it’s starting to turn golden brown. Add the garlic and stir constantly for one minute – garlic burns really quickly! Once the minute is up, stir in the salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. In small bowl, whisk together two eggs with the half and half and the Worcestershire sauce. Gently mix together the onions, egg mixture, ground meat, ¼ cup of the glaze, and ¼ of ketchup, the fresh herbs, and bread crumbs together. Careful not to mash up the meat too much or else we’ll have a dense meatloaf – we just want everything to be combined. Form your meatloaf with your hands on a large baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Brush a little bit of the glaze on top of the meatloaf and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size or until the inside temperature is 160 degrees.

For my mashed potatoes I like to use red potatoes because you don’t have to peel them. Just give them a good rinse and cut any rough spots out. Dice the potatoes into same size pieces so they cook evenly and crush the two cloves of garlic. Boil both the potatoes and the garlic with some kosher salt in a pot filled with water until the potatoes are tender when you pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes, add the butter and heavy cream, whip together, and season to taste with salt and pepper and fresh chopped parsley. Plate your meatloaf with a drizzle of glaze on top next to a nice helping of mashed potatoes and dinner is served.

Now that dinner is set, time to kick back and watch a great movie to go with it. How many of us have watched the classic TV sitcoms from the 50’s and early 60’s like I love Lucy or Leave it to Beaver and thought about, “how great would it have been to live in a world like that”? In the 1998 film Pleasantville, Tobey Maguire plays a young teenager named David who wants noting more than to live in the seemingly perfect world of his favorite television show Pleasantville. One night while David and his sister Jennifer, played by Reese Witherspoon, are arguing over who gets to watch TV - they accidentally break the remote. Seconds later, a strange TV repair man appears at their door step. After learning of David’s love and knowledge of the Pleasantville show, he gives him a special remote control which he claims makes him feel like he’s in the show. Still at a disagreement over who gets to use the remote, David and Jennifer soon find themselves transported from their living room into the roles Pleasantville's Bud and Mary Sue Parker.

Trapped inside a black and white 1950’s world, David and Jennifer have to find a way to get home without disturbing the perfect world around them. It’s not as simple as it seems, especially with Jennifer not sharing David’s respect for the simple black and white world. Influences from the modern day world take their toll on the town and strange events keep occurring that none of Pleasantville's residents have ever seen. While some citizens of Pleasantville embrace the changes brought upon them, others will do anything and everything to cling to the simplicity that they've always known. William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels, and Joan Allen co-star in this creative script that shows us that not everything is as perfect as it seems. If you haven’t seen this movie I think you’ll really enjoy it! Let me know what you guys think of the Meatloaf and Pleasantville!

Check out the trailer for "Pleasantivlle"

WELCOME!! Foodies and Movie Buffs unite!

Foodies and movie buffs unite!! My name is Mark, I’m 26 years old and I am a writer and photographer from a small back woods town in Pennsylvania. Today is a pretty big day in this young writers life, I am starting my first blog and I hope that if you’re reading my words now, you’ll continue with me on my journey. So you might be asking, “What exactly is food for flicks?”

Ask anyone I know and they will tell you that I am a HUGE movie buff. I have an ever growing collection of movies in my room and I can literally watch my favorite films over and over again. If there is one thing I love more than watching movies, it’s suggesting my favorites to one of my friends or family members and having them watch it too. Another one of my true passions is food and cooking. I’ve been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember and to me making dinner is more of a past time than a daily chore. I love sharing my cooking and favorite movies with my loved ones and now I can’t wait to share them with all of you. Let's face it, it's not cheap to go out to dinner and see a movie so why not save some bucks and enjoy a great meal and a movie in your own living room!

So here’s the plan, unless otherwise noted, I’ll be writing three posts a week. Monday’s posts will be primarily focused on the film side of the blog. Maybe I’ll discuss a movie I saw in the theaters over the weekend or talk about a preview for an upcoming film I can’t wait to see. Wednesday will be the main post of the week. I’ll write out one of my favorite recipes and give you a movie recommendation to go along with it. Posting this on Wednesday should give you plenty of time to make sure you have all the ingredients for dinner and add the weekly movie to your online movie list or visit your nearby movie rental location to pick it up. Friday’s post will be sort of the opposite of Monday’s as I’ll write about food and cooking. Maybe suggest a new cocktail recipe I found or a quick desert you can whip up over the weekend. Bottom line is I want this blog to be as much fun for my readers as it will be for me.

Feel free to leave me any comments, suggestions, or questions at anytime along the way. I’d love to hear from my readers and hope you’ll come back often to get some tasty recipes and some great movie titles. With that, I hope to see you Wednesday!