Movie Monday: To Save a Life

Okay, so I have my next movie recommendation for y'all! You need to watch To Save A Life! It was loaned to me by a friend and after months and months I finally found time to watch it while I was flying to Michigan for a cousin's wedding. (gotta love portable DVD players!) This movie suprised me for being a 'B' movie. I ended up crying in the airport baggage claim waiting for my parents and aunt to arrive. This movie is about what it's like in high school for kids who aren't 'popular'. Many people don't realize how our actions affect those around us and how reaching out to someone can change their lives. People want to feel accepted and just because they don't fit into the cookie cutter mold of what they should look like or act like doesn't mean they aren't valuable. The differences in others is what makes life exciting. People can add things to your life that can be unexpected. Take my husband for example. You couldn't find two more polar opposites! Sorry eharmony but you'd have never matched us up in a million years. But guess what? We are what makes the other a whole. He is what I am not and I am what he isn't. Though it makes for some knock down drag out fights...ha ha...we have broadened our horizons so to speak because of what the other has taught us. This goes with friends. Don't be afraid of what others think because when you 'grow up' those things don't matter any more. Get outside your box of comfort and reach out to those who could use a friend. Don't forget, while you're thinking "If they wanted to talk to me they would" they're thinking the same of you. So YOU make the first move! It's hard, but can change a life, including yours.

She-crab Soup

Okay, so here's a recipe I found from Hurricane Mo's, a restaurant on the island I grew up on. I found this on the OBX cookbook and changed it a little bit. Technically, she-crab soup is made from female crabs and gets the pink color from their eggs. However, this recipe just used picked claw meat instead and old bay. I don't know what it is, probably a mental thing, but I don't like the idea of eating crab eggs...lol. Needless to say, I am not a big caviar fan either. Anyway...I freeze this in portions like the rest of my soups and I enjoy it months later. If I don't eat them sooner. We would have this with dinner some time if anyone in my family wasn't afraid of change, but since they are meat and potatoes people...I get to enjoy it ALL by myself. Hey, at least I don't have to share! :)

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2  red bell pepper, chopped

1 T. parsley

1 T. Old Bay

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 cup + 2 T. sherry (divided)

1 cup flour

½ gallon whole milk (divided)

1 cup cream
2 T. Texas Pete

1 lb picked claw crab meat

Saute onions, celery, and red pepper in butter until tender. Don't skimp on the butter people! No margarine, please.

Add parsley, Old Bay, and white pepper.Add 1/8 cup sherry and reduce for 20-30 minutes.Do not scorch.

Thicken with flour and stir roux until well blended.Add 1 quart milk and texas pete and cook on lowest possible flame and stir constantly until thickened.Add 1 more quart milk and keep stirring periodically until thickened

.When thickened, finish with cream, remaining 2 T. sherry, and crab meat. I got my crab meat from Walmart in the refrigerated section where you'd find other seafood. It was surprisingly pretty tasty. Although I haven't had fresh crab meat in years, so I'm sure there is a big difference. It was still delicious for those of us who don't live by the ocean anymore.

Serve it up with some oyster crackers and enjoy!

Click Here to Print the RECIPE ONLY

Movie Monday: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Okay, so I decided to try and give y'all some recommendations of some of my favorite films. I like new movies and I love old movies. My taste is quite eclectic ranging from Star Wars to You've Got Mail to Butterfield 8 to Good Fellas. I like chic flicks, comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, & westerns. Pretty much anything but documentaries, and some of those I could watch depending on the subject matter. I could watch Turner Classic Movies all day if I had the time. However, please keep in mind, I am no film buff and I don't sit there and pick apart a movie and analyze every sentence. I just love good movies. They often speak to places that are not always in the forefront of my mind but the whole dimension of the movie is there, I just may not be able to tell you what it is that I exactly loved.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for example. I have seen that movie at least 5 times and I've loved it every one of them. I have it saved on my DVR and DH knows not to delete or he's in trouble..lol. The movie stars Paul Newman as Brick, Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie "The Cat" and Burl Ives as Big Daddy. Well, Brick is a former high school football star and married to Maggie. In the beginning of the film Brick gets injured drunkenly trying to relive his glory days. They end up back at his father's  estate where his wife, Maggie, his half brother and sister-in-law and their kids are waiting to celebrate Big Daddy's birthday. Brick and Maggie are having issues and Brick's brother and sister in law are jealous of Big Daddy's love for Brick and Maggie even though they have no kids. I really don't want to give away what the movie is about. The whole fun of it the first time I watched it was that I had no idea what was going to happen. You can read the plot on Wikipedia if you'd like but I would rather you just watch it. The movie is pretty intense and deals with a lot of deep issues like adultery, alcoholism and infertility. For a 1950s movie this was no small feat. The actors in it were amazing and passionate and I was on the edge of my seat, so to speak for most of the movie. Paul Newman and Liz Taylor are two of my favorite actors and they didn't disappoint me in this. I loved Paul in Cool Hand Luke which was a great movie too...but I'll save that for another day...After watching those two movies I definitely developed a love for Newman...those gorgeous blue eyes didn't hurt either! {I think I must have an affinity for blue eyes because that's one of those things I love about my DH:)} Anyway, I would certainly recommend this to everyone. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?

Calm My Crazy: What's Up With Lyle?

Okay, so this is my first Calm My Crazy Friday. I am linking up with Denise from According to Denise. This is a place where I can write about things that brighten up my day. When things gets crazy and chaotic, what grounds me and makes me appreciate this little life of mine. Feel free to link up with her! Click the button :)

So, today I was at work (I teach 2-year olds part-time and let me just say...they take LOTS of patience) and for the most part it was a pretty okay day. One thing about me though, I teach the way I mother. I am stern but show them that I love them also. In my class, and home, I am the boss...for the most  part...ha ha...Well, anyway, sometimes you gotta just take a chill pill and have some fun! Because I have to remember they are just kids and I need to let them be kids. So I had to get out of my rut of a routine and get goofy. I don't know if you've ever watched Veggie Tales but I just love them. I think they've gotten better and better. So we have this one episode which is in my top favs called Lyle the Kindly Viking. It's a musical and sort of a play off of Pirates of Penzance and I love the song What's Up with Lyle. It's so silly and Olaf (aka Nebby K. Nezzer) has this super deep voice. So when I was tucking in my little ones for nap time I started singing in a deep voice and giving all the kids hugs and pretend kisses. I mean, what two year old doesn't love a little lovin'? They are so stinkin' cute and loved every bit of it. Things like that make me put things in perspective. I'm so busy making sure they are learning their ABCs, numbers, shapes and colors, learning to follow instructions, not hurting each other that I forget to just be a big goober just to make them smile. Don't get me wrong, I act like a nut often (you've got to with little ones), but every time I do and I see the genuine smiles of joy on their faces, it makes all I do worth my while. 

So what makes you stop and smell the roses?

Btw...I've included the video of the song so you can get a picture of the silliness:)

What Do Y'all Think??

Okay, so what do y'all think of my new look? A friend helped me with the new header design. Doesn't it look great? I tried to simplify the sidebars and add my about me. Not lovin' the pic but I can change that as soon as I find one I do love :) Anyone want to take a nice pic of me?? I kinda liked the wood because it makes me feel like y'all are on my front porch for a chat {even though my front porch isn't wood anymore:( }Give me some feedback! Please :)

Honey Mustard Chicken

Okay, so I discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com and was so excited because my entire family LOVES it! The only thing I do differently is add some garlic powder. At first I was a little nervous to have the honey and basil combo because I had never tried it, but  they really do well together! The chicken is really tender and moist and when I serve them with mashed potatoes, I actually like to add the honey mustard over my potatoes. This is great as leftovers too!

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs., boneless chicken breast halves, trimmed
• salt and pepper and garlic powder, to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 
  
• 
  
• Directions
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Next, sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

3.  In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.

4.Next, bake for 30 minutes, uncovered Turn the chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

I love to serve this with a side of steamed broccoli or green beans and garlic cheddar mashed potatoes. The green beans are actually pretty amazing in the sauce as well. Sooo delicious! And a kid pleaser!

To print the RECIPE ONLY Click HERE

My New Step Garden!

Okay, so let me just say...I am one blessed lady! Seriously. My husband rocks!

Why? Well, I'll tell ya. Back in December DH and I purchased a new home which we love, BUT it has one drawback. The back yard has a big hill in it. We are pretty lucky though because it somewhat levels off and we have a swing set and shed. Anyway, I don't know about you, but I like having a vegetable garden.We had one for a few years at our other house. It's a fun hobby and we love the fresh produce. However, the only spot that gets sun most of the day in our new backyard is that doggone hill! So, being the 'genius' that I am, I came up with the great idea of building a step garden in the hill. So smart. I know. (pats self on back) LOL. Well, wouldn't ya know, the genius has NO idea how to actually build one AND I had a difficult time finding a tutorial online. SO, I went to my wonderful hardworking handy carpenter of a husband and asked him oh so sweetly to do it for me. And as every married couple assumes, yes, he literally jumped for joy!...right...Well, being that he must actually love me, he did decide to build it for me even though he's never built one before and had to make it up as he went along. SO.... here's my awesome hubby working his tail off. Don't let him know these pics are on here...It's our little secret. He started it  Mother's Day right after church and just put on an old shirt and never changed out of his dress socks. He hates these pictures...so SSHHH! He spent at least 12 hours all together between building it, helping me stain it, picking up and unloading compost and topsoil. Again, my husband is AMAZING....today...lol...just kidding...he is always amazing...sometimes I forget and it's things like these that put it in perspective. Love him more than anything! So without further Adieu....

Directions:

Marry a carpenter or hire one because I don't know what else to tell ya! Sorry!

Building the first box. We figured out that it is probably better not to build the box first because not only did we have a vertical angle, but we also had a horizontal angle to deal with. 

Here's Princess2...seriously...Isn't she adorable?

Mommy, enjoying a gorgeous Mother's day with my sweeties while my DH works. Feeling loved today... :)

Remember...you never saw the socks or old shirt! ;-)

Finding where level is...He's so smart!

Bracing the wood.

Level?

3 out of four...this was the 2nd day. And it was drizzling. 

Almost finished with the building process...yay!

He was much happier with this outfit. He just got home from his real job. So these are his real work clothes.

All done! He is quite exhausted. I owe him big time!

I got a solid outdoor stain which is a waterproofer and sealer in one. So I just needed two coats. It was called "Barn Red"

Here it is with all of the compost and dirt for this year. I will add more next year, but by the time he had finished unloading the dirt from his truck, I just didn't have the heart to make him go get more. So he can be done...for this year...lol. 

My zucchini...they have their own home since they don't like to share their space very well...