Annie - The Sunflower Seeds Will Come out Tomorrow Pate and Little Ginger Cutie Pies

The first time I watched this movie, it was during the first theatrical release and I was 3 years old. I don't remember this, but apparently this movie had a huge impact on my little 3 year old self. As I'm told, when I exhausted my parents from taking me to go see it, I started hitting up extended family members to take me. Who knows how many trips I made to the movie theater, but that plus vhs viewings growing up and now dvd viewings as an adult, I think it's safe to say this is my most repeatedly viewed movie. Even more so than my favorite movie (to be revealed in a future post). What is it about Annie that turns her into an obsession for little girls?

A good documentary to watch before or after this is 'Life After Tomorrow.' It includes interviews with the girls who played orphans and the girls who played Annie in the Broadway production. The filmmaker herself was one of the orphans. Make it a double feature.

Although there are several movie versions of Annie, to me there is only one! Annie 1982...

The Sunflower Seeds Will Come Out Tomorrow Pate

1 and 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds (soaked for at least 2 hrs)

juice of one lemon

1/4-1/2 cup water

2 TB finely diced red onion

3 TB nutritional yeast

1-2 TB (eye-balled in your hand) of each - fresh diced chives, roughly chopped tarragon and flat leaf parsley

1 garlic clove

1 tsp salt to taste

In a food processor, chop up the onion and garlic and set aside. Put in the sunflower seeds, lemon juice, water, N-Y, and salt. Blend until creamy smooth. Add the water a little at a time. Stir in the herbs, onions and garlic. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

"No one cares for you a smidge, when you're in an orphanage... "

"Hey hobo man, hey dapper Dan... you both got your style but brother you're never fully dressed without a smile"

"Someday I'll step on their freckles, someday I'll straighten their curls."

"Red lights holler, deep depression, what do we care? Movies are there! Only happy endings, that's our recipe. Welcome to a lovely M-O-V-I-E!"

Little Ginger Cutie Pies

Fairly basic fruit-filled pie, but the ginger and pears make it special. I made the pies little to go along with my concept, but really one big pie works out the best. I used bartlett pears and a good amount of ground ginger for the filling. Along with sugar/brown sugar, lemon juice and vegan butter.

If you don't have a rolling pin to roll out your dough, use your Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom pint glass... No! J/K, don't do this, go and get a rolling pin.

The sun will come out tomorrow pie

"You're the most presuming... dog that a human could know"

This is fun, the little girl who played Annie, Aileen Quinn, in present day...

Moonstruck- A Big-A-Pizza Pie Topped w/ Sugar Snap Out of it Peas

This is a movie I grew up with and it makes it classic and fun regardless of how cheesy and over the top it can be. My favorite chz moment is when Ronnie Cammerari knocks over the table that Lorretta is sitting at, picks her up, and while carrying her to the bed, yells, "SON OF A BITCH!" I actually make a point to do my Nicholas Cage impression whenever I am moved to say son of a bitch. The movie just wouldn't have the same impact if it were made with higher standards. If this goofiness were on purpose, it's genius, because it's hard to make bad good unless it's on accident. It does have it's great cinematic elements all throughout though. Olympia Dukakis for one. One of my, oh... top 30 favorite movie scenes is with her and John Mahoney in the Italian restaurant. Everything about that scene is cinematic perfection. The dialogue, the character chemistry, the arch within the scene. I always look forward to the part when they are standing outside Rose's house and he is trying to imply that he wants her to invite him up. He shivers and says "I'm a little cold" she replies "You're a little boy, and you like to be bad" It's such a great line and a phenomenal moment. So, from 1987 I present Moonstruck along side A Big-A-Pizza Pie Topped w/ Sugar Snap Out of it Peas and Manicotti... because we can't leave out the pasta.

A Big-A-Pizza Pie topped w/ Sugar Snap Out of It Peas

The Crust

1 packet of active dry yeast

3 cups flour

1 and 1/4 cups of warm water

1 TB sugar

1 tsp salt

1 TB olive oil

This is your pretty standard pizza dough crust. Put the sugar in the warm water , then add the yeast. It should start to look "active" shortly. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Then add your active yeast mixture and knead a good 5-10 minutes. set in a bowl coated w/ olive oil, cover bowl with a wet towel and allow to rise (30 minutes). Knead again, place in bowl, allow to rise. Keep repeating this process until you can't stand it any longer. Dough is really awesome after a whole day process of this. Then you can toss it in the air like the pros. just make sure you have a clean floor in case you drop it, you can just pick it right back up again and keep tossing. When you are ready, roll out the ball of dough to form your pizza crust.

Loja (aka cashew chz)

1 lb. raw cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4-1/2 cup water

2 TB fresh lemon juice

1/2-3/4 tsp salt (to taste)

2 cloves of garlic chopped

Soak cashews 2-4 hours, add everything except the water into the food processor or blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend. Add more water as needed. Set in fridge until ready.

The other stuff

I used Trader Joes sauce :/

about 4-5 cloves of garlic chopped

2 dices roma tomatoes

small handful of fresh basil

about 8 oz. of sugar snap out of it peas

1-2 TB balsamic vinegar

3 TB olive oil

a little cornmeal

Coat a thin layer of olive oil on your pizza stone , then sprinkle some cornmeal. Place your dough on the stone and spread the sauce on it. Wet your hands and grab a glob of loja, flatten it between your hands and place on the pizza. Continue this until pizza is covered. finely dice the basil and mix with the tomatoes, sprinkle on top. Bake at 475 for about 10-15 min.

In a pan, add snap peas, balsamic vinegar and a touch of oil and begin to saute, moving and flipping frequently until the vinegar is reduced and the peas are slightly browned. When you are just about ready, add 3 TB of olive oil and your chopped garlic. It will take less than a minute to cook the garlic perfectly, be careful not to burn it or it will turn bitter. Take the pizza out and drizzle all of the pan contents over the pizza.

A Big-A Pizza Pie...

Sauteing the sugar snap out of it peas...
"Chrissy, over on the wall, bring me the big knife... I'm gonna cut my throat!"
When the moon seems to shine like you've had-a-too much wine...
Ronnie: A bride without a head!

Loretta: A wolf without a foot!

Manicotti

If you have left over loja, or you want to make more. Buy some manicotti shells and cook them in boiling water for about 6 minutes. Stuff them with loja mixed with some italian herbs. Put a layer of sauce in a baking dish, lay the stuffed manicotti on top, put a layer of sauce on top and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Priest: What sins have you to confess?

Loretta: Twice I took the name of the Lord in vain, once I slept with the brother of my fiancee, and once I bounced a check at the liquor store, but that was really an accident.

Priest:Then it's not a sin. But... what was that second thing you said, Loretta?

Happy Accidents

Happy Accidents- DuCuke, Iowa

Sandwiches & Lemon-Thyme

Traveler Cookies

Happy Accidents is a sci-fi indie rom-com, if you will. The sci-fi aspect is more of an intellectual backdrop balanced with a plot which is ultra character focused, in true indie spirit. The unique genre blend is crafted in perfect harmony. A little quirky, romantic, funny and puzzling- from one moment to the next you will be perplexed as to how it’s all going to turn out in the end. This is in my movie catalog filed under ‘old friend’ movies. This category is for those nights when I don’t want to get into anything new, I just want to relax and reminisce with something familiar.

A little clarification on the menu- Sam (Vincent D'onofrio), Is from Dubuque, Iowa. But not from our Dubuque, he's from HIS Dubuque... it's different. Sam's Dubuque has an Atlantic coast and won't exist for about another 471 years. You see, Sam is from the future, from the year 2470... Or is he?

So let's travel back in time to 2001 to watch Happy Accidents :) Oh, and it's currently streaming on Netflix!!!

DuCuke, Iowa Sandwiches

Pumpernickel bread

8oz. Toffuti cream chz.

About 1/2 cup freash chopped dill

One large cucumber

Time traveling can be exhausting, so no labor-intensive meal tonight, just a quick and little one. Peel and slice the cucumbers very thin. Mix the dill in with the toffuti cc. Spread some of the mixture on the bread (both sides) and lay the cukes on top. Depending on how thick or thin your cukes are, you'll have either one layer, or several.

The DuCuke, Iowas all peeled and sliced...

Almost ready...

I like mine with the crusts cut off and cut diagonally...

Lemon-Thyme Traveler Cookies

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 tsp salt

zest of about 1 large lemon

2tsp thyme (dried or fresh)

Juice of one lemon

3/4 cups softened vegan butter

Mix flour, sugar, salt, thyme and zest. Add vegan butter and lemon juice and mix into a dough. For best results, let the dough chill for about an hour, then roll out about 1/4 inch thick and with your heart cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. I didn't have a cookie cutter, so I just rolled some dough into a ball and formed it into the shape of a heart. It worked pretty well. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.

The Trailer...

Pineapple Express

Baked Pineapple & Potato Chip

Munchie Balls

I had to do a holiday post for today. Though I don't celebrate in any way aside from the munchies part, I'm feeling very festive today for those who do. There are so many stoner movies to choose from, but this one really inspired me. Actually it did half the work for me because there's food already in the title. What's great about this flick for starters, well... Franco, Franco and more Franco is always welcome in my living room. This guy just makes himself more awesome by the minute and to top it off, he's on General Hospital now, c'mon. Also, I love that it's an action movie and a stoner movie coming together in perfect harmony. Love it and i'm about 20 minutes away from watching it myself with my baked pineapple.

Munchie Balls

1 and 1/2 cups corn meal

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

about 2 chopped jalapenos (seeded)

1 cup soy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

about 3 handfuls of vegan bbq potato chips

Mix dry ingredients, including onion and jalapeno. Add vegan milk mixture and stir into a batter. Stir in the chips, crunching them with the spoon a bit. Take some more chips and crunch them into crumbs in different bowl. Take some batter and form into about a 1 inch ball. Coat the ball with chip crumbs and place in frying pan, with about 1/4 cup oil on medium heat. Roll the balls around in the pan occasionally so there is a nice even brown coat. (about 10 minutes).

Extra Fancy Sauce (for dipping)

1/4 cup veganaise

1/4 cup ketchup

juice of half a lemon

2 TB melted vegan butter

Mix them all together and let chill in the refrigerator for about 15-20

Folding the chips into the batter...

Coating the munchie ball mix with potato chip crumbs...

Ready to be served up with Extra Fancy Sauce...

Baked Pineapple...

1 20oz can of crushed pineapple in juice

1 TB cornstarch

1 TB water

1/4 cup + 2 TB soy milk + 1tsp apple cider vinegar (sit for 5 min)

4 slices of white unbleached bread (cubed)

3 TB flour

2 TB vegan butter (melted)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and water and add to milk/vinegar, then add butter. Add wet to dry and stir. Stir in cubed bread (I used one and a half Trader Joe's white buns). Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, then bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

Stuffed Yellow Submarines

The Beatles

Yellow Submarine

Stuffed Yellow Submarines


Blue Meanie

What a cool night I planned for you. The Beatles Yellow Submarine is a classic psychedelic cartoon for grown-ups. Watch the guys save pepperland from the blue meanies as you munch on your very own yellow submarine peppers. Treat yourself and munch on those blue meanies for dessert atop your Marmalade Sky Cookies. And if you have a friend named Lucy or Eleanor, all the better, invite her over. Listen to Beatles records while you prepare dinner.

Yellow Submarines

I've discovered after moving to the west coast that there are no Hungarian wax peppers here :( There are other yellow peppers that you can sub if your town doesn't have them, also, you can use anaheim, they are green which messes up my concept, but they also work well. Hungarian wax peppers can pretty much be as hot as you want. If you take out all the ribs and seeds, they will be very mild, leave them all in they will be extremely hot. I recommend somewhere in between. And you may want to wear gloves, your hand may burn from handling the peppers so much. Don't be intimidated by how much work this looks like. It's not that bad and it is assuredly worth it.

about 12-15 Hungarian wax peppers

one 8oz package of tempeh

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

about 2 cups of loja (aka cashew chz, recipe follows)

1 lb. raw unsalted cashews

1/4-1/2 cup water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 cloves of garlic (grated)

1/2-3/4 tsp. salt

Juice of about 1/2 lemon

Soak the cashews for a couple of hours, put them in a blender with the nutritional yeast, salt, garlic, lemon juice, and add the water last, then blend all at once. You want it to be pretty thick, so if you can avoid adding more water, but sometimes it’s necessary to add a touch more here and there in the blending.

For the tempeh sauce -

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 TB water or veg stock

3 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB safflower oil (just about any oil will do)

1 TB tomato paste

1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar

1 big clove of garlic - grated

1 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Crumble the tempeh into a bowl with the sauce and let sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the top of the body off of the peppers and de-seed and de-rib to your desired level of spice. Do yourself a favor and wear gloves when handling the peppers, they can really make your skin burn if the oils get into the cracks. Mix crumbs, walnuts, and one half cup of loja with 1/4 cup soy milk or water. Saute the tempeh and all of its marinade until browned, then toss with the quinoa mixture. your stuffing is complete, now stuff it into the peppers. When all peppers are stuffed, top them with the remaining loja and garnish with paprika. Have the oven pre-heated to 400 degrees and bake for about 15-20 minutes. you don't need a knife and fork to eat these, you can eat them with your hands if you want.

'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' scene from the movie

Party Girl Falafel

"Can I get a falafel with hot sauce, side order of babaganoush and a seltzer please?"

Falafel...

Mustafa, her love interest and Falafel guy...

The trailer...

Some may argue, this is one of those films that is good just because of the time I saw it. That magical coming of age high school era, the idealistic time where anything was possible. There might be some truth in that. I'm a gen-exer, harboring some huge nostalgia for the early to mid 90's. part of that nostalgia is Parker Posey, the indie queen of the 90's, whom I am still in love with and who I still want to be my girlfriend. Aside from my huge subjective bias, if I can step aside from that for a second, This movie has heart. A female protagonists who's love life is a mere sub-plot appeals to me as a feminist. Her focus is on her own personal development. A Manhattanite party girl who throws parties in her loft with a cover charge to make the rent. (btw, If I had a phat NY loft like that, this would be my full time occupation) to a librarian who explores life below the surface for the first time. From 1995 - Party Girl. Currently streaming on Netflix!

Falafel

Fry or bake these

3 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)

One small onion

One cup loose packed flat leaf parsley

juice of one lemon

2-3 garlic cloves

1 and 1/2 tsp ground corriander

1 tsp cumin (the ground black cumin seeds if you got it)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt + more to taste

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 cup bread crumbs (panko if you got it)

Olive Oil

In a food processor, chop the garlic, then the onion and parsley then add the chick peas. Blend into a paste. In a mixing bowl combine your mixture with the rest of the ingredients. Heat some oil in a pan about 1/2-1 inch. Form into ping pong balls and place them in the pan, rotating frequently to get a nice even brown allaround. When finished transfer to some paper towels to soak up the extra oil. Serve in a pita, or on a salad, or alone. Good sauces for falafel are tahini cream- *tahini, lemon juice and salt in the food processor. or cucumber-mint sauce- *vegan yogurt, cucumber,lemon juice and mint, dash of salt in the food processor.

Makes 15 to 18 ping-pong balls

Black Swan- Black and White Cookies

Black and White Cookies

Inspired by Black Swan

I was pleasantly surprised. I have to say I underestimated how good this movie was going to be. Another thing I wasn't expecting was how much the film would skeeve me out. Try not to toss these cookies.

"Look to the cookie, Elaine... look to the cookie." Although I made these for Black Swan, they are perfectly suitable for a Seinfeld marathon as well.

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup safflower oil (or other light tasting oil)

1/2 cup vegan milk (I used soy) + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar- let sit 5 min.

1 tsp vanilla

For the icing

2 separate bowls- one bowl mix confectioners sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups with cocoa powder, about 1TB (add more later) mix with a little bit of water until it is a good glaze consistency. Add a dash of vanilla and more cocoa powder until it is a good chocolate-ness. In the other bowl do the same, only without the cocoa powder and about 1/4 ts vanilla.

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then add wet to dry and mix. form into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and flatten slightly between your palms. Bake at 350 for 12-20 minutes. Let cool, then ice.

Makes about a dozen

The Fighter - White Beantown Dip w/ CRACK-ers

White Beantown Dip w/ CRACK-ers

This dip is wicked awesome, as is the film. I made a huge spread for this year's Oscars, letting the nominees for best picture be my inspiration. This is one of my favorites of the night. This dip is garlicky, cheap, easy and of course yum. What more could you want?

-About 3 cups cooked white northern beans

-4 cloves of garlic

-Small handful of basil, chopped

-Juice of half a lemon

-1 plum tomato

-3 TB olive oil

-salt (to taste)

In a food processor, put in 2 gloves of garlic and chop it up. Add the beans, lemon juice, 1 TB olive oil and salt and blend until creamy. Scrape the mixture out of the processor and put in a mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped basil. Let chill for about an hour (semi-optional). When ready to serve, put the dip on a plate or in a dip bowl. Chop the tomato and the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a pan and place the chopped garlic in until fragrant (don't burn it). Top the dip with tomatoes, then drizzle the garlic and oil over the top. Top with fresh cracked pepper. Serve with crackers, bread or crostini.

• G-FREE (depending on what you use for the dipper)