Movies & Eating


When I feel stressed or worried, cooking & baking make me feel better. I continue to do a lot of frozen dinners for Dad but even those and iron shots have not made his iron levels better. His bloodwork shows other deficiencies too so it looks like he is no longer absorbing certain nutrients. Actually not a big surprise given the state of his stomach & esophagus and how long he has lived with this. The thing is, he's always trying to hide stuff from me because he doesn't want me to worry or to think he cannot take care of himself and make decisions. I already have a secretive Mother and now I have a secretive Father. Oy!


Lately I've been thinking about how I miss having a significant other. I really do miss that feeling of having someone who has your back and who you know is there for you. I've always loved that feeling of being with someone and knowing he's enough, I don't need to look elsewhere. Not sure what has brought that on but it's okay, I like my life and I'm not depressed! I'm not settling and I'm not feeling desperate - lol.


I'm behind in posting pictures of things I have made over the last little while (food-wise). Here they are (in no particular order):

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes from a Nigella Lawson recipe for a friend's birthday party. These were yummy. Not very sweet because I used 70% Dark Chocolate. The insides also had morello cherry jam.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream in my Ice Cream Maker. Creamy goodness. I might try Cherry Ice Cream next. Or I have a recipe for Beer Ice Cream.

I tried Fergus Henderson's recipe for Pickled Cabbage, which you have to let ferment for 2 weeks. Here it is going into a pot before I add a Pork Hock and Bacon to be popped into the oven. Hmmm, I didn't love this. Despite rinsing everything, still found the dish too salty for me.

I made these for 先生's BBQ. Chocolate cups filled with crumbled homemade sponge cake, cherries, blueberries and raspberries, sprinkled with Sherry and then topped with whipped cream and dahlias from my Mom's garden. In front is a 茶碗 of 抹茶 prepared by moi. I'm getting pretty good with my whisking though I'm missing the requisite little 山 in the middle.

Another Nigella Lawson recipe for Cherry Pound Cake which I made for my BFF. But I used sour cherries instead of glace cherries because I thought those would be way too sweet. It worked.

I watched Sharon's Baby (The Rank Organisation 1975), also known as The Devil Within, It Lives Within Her, Evil Baby, The Monster, among other titles, because sometimes I just like to watch really bad campy horror films and get a good laugh. Evidently this movie took itself seriously when it was made but it is SO bad, it's almost too good (humour-wise). Basically Joan Collins' Lucy (uh, what? So why is this movie called Sharon's Baby then?) spurns the advances of Hercules, the dwarf, and he decides to curse her first born baby. Flash forward and when Lucy gives birth, it appears her baby is possessed by Hercules and does some very bad things. Like kill people. There is some terrible acting in this film, but you know what? I enjoyed it for what it was. I got quite a few laughs and it was fun watching a 40-something Joan Collins.

I finally watched The Impossible Years (MGM 1968) because my BFF bought it. I wanted to have a picture from the movie with Chad Everett included because he was a highlight of my viewing, I must say! Just so you know, Leonard Maltin ripped this movie to shreds and called it, "the most obscene G-rated film of all." Aw, lighten up Leonard! You're right, this is no Oscar winner but it was pretty hilarious and dealt with (gasp) teenage sex in a pretty forthcoming & explicit way for its time. David Niven's Jonathan & Lola Albright's Alice are at their wits' end dealing with their older teenaged daughter, Linda, played by Cristina Ferrare (yes, she's the one who was married to John DeLorean). She protests on campus, she smokes (IN THE HOUSE, in  front of her parents and it doesn't seem to be a big deal), she has boyfriend(s) who she makes out with, she gets traffic tickets, she skips Gym class. What are her parents going to do? But their biggest challenge comes when they find out Linda is no longer innocent and has become a woman. Who is responsible? Let me say, I called it right from the start and my BFF was laughing her head off because, of course, she already knew the answer having watched this film probably 5 times before. I liked it. And to top it off, my BFF gave me David Niven's Bring On The Empty Horses at the end of our visit. In it he shares stories of 1940s Hollywood. Right up my alley as I think the 1920s to the 1940s was probably my favourite period for Hollywood films. Looking forward to reading it.


Another thing my BFF and I did together was revisit The Bionic Woman (Universal 1976 - 1978) and The Six Million Dollar Man (Universal 1974 - 1978) although BFF never watched either because her older brother and sister never let her. I, of course, LOVED Jaime Sommers as a kid and never missed that show. Years later I can say, she was probably an excellent role model for a young girl at that time. Strong, independent and with super physical strength! BFF & I were loving her wardrobe too, while watching.


The most hilarious moment of watching these TV series though, was Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin's "love song" which was sung by Lee Majors. Wait, I should say spoken by Lee Majors because he sure as hell can't sing. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to have this song played throughout slow motion scenes of Jaime & Steve bionic running or riding horses together, in love and all smiles. SO PAINFUL. Also, not sure why Steve Austin always wore his jogging suits with the top unzipped down to his navel while running, exposing his chest for all the world to see. BFF & I decided it was aimed at the Mothers of the kids watching the show, who may have been a tad sexually frustrated and welcomed the sight of a bare chested Lee Majors every week. Of course, I NEVER NOTICED at 6 years old!


So for your viewing pleasure, here is Lee Majors singing, Sweet Jaime:



Hahahahaha! And *you know* I'm going to watch Bionic Ever After? (CBS 1994) on YouTube!