Marinated steak with gorgonzola sauce

I grilled up some steaks with this marinade that I have to say was pretty tasty! So easy too.

1/2 hour before grilling, marinate steaks in 1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tsp. of brown sugar.

Serve up with a sauce of 2 tbs. gorgonzola, 2 tbs. buttermilk and a dash of Worcherstershire.

I grilled a couple of veg on the side and sauteed baby broccoli, which I have to admit was more fabulous than I expected.

Quick and delicious. I got this recipe from one of those healthy cooking shows so that also made me feel good about gorging on it. I had had some weird 36-hour flu that left me quite famished and craving steak. This was totally satisfying.

Triple Play

It was a 3-movie weekend. Those are my favorite kinds. All 3 exceeded my expectations and left me feeling completely satisfied. Oddly, I found Drillbit Taylor, a tale about a homeless guy who is hired by a trio of freshman nerds to protect them from the school bully to be really moving and sweet. I guess I love those stories where the underdogs prevail, lessons of life, love and friendship are learned and everyone lives happily ever after. Of course Owen Wilson is the perfect guy to play Drillbit -- perfectly imperfect. Teetering on jerkdom, his soft side pervails in the end. And my heart totally went out to the nerdy kids. Love the nerdy kids.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day. I heard good things about this, so it was no surprise that this was a winner. Sort of a modern day Jane Austen tale (where modern is the 1930's) where a woman who is not born into money has to do what she has to do to make her way in the world where a career is not an option open to her -- I guess she could be an actress, but i mean women were not expected or given many opportunities to make her own living outside of being a governess or something like that. I cried at the end. True love finds a way in the end and who doesn't like that?

Took the kids to see Horton Hears A Who. Now, I don't really remember this Dr. Seuss tale that much and I wasn't sure they could make a whole movie-length story from it, but it was quite brilliant! And sweet and heartwarming and yada yada. A lot of that going on this weekend. And yes, I may have even shed a tear or 2. Honestly -- go see it. It has a moral. It has relevancy. It reminded of the feeling I got when I saw War of the Worlds and witnessing one race try to obliterate another for what reason? Yes, it's cruel, heartless and painful to watch. In any case, i liked it, the kids liked it and the boyfriend liked it. What more could you ask? The animation was top-notch. The voiceovers also great. Jim Carrey and especially Steve Carrell were fantastic.

You should go. Really!

The Calcium Kid

Not yet available on DVD and never released in the States (?) The Calcium Kid is exactly the kind of movie I love. I love the mockumentary. This one takes aim at the boxing industry -- but in a way only the British can do. It stars Orlando Bloom like you've never seen him. Very natural and at home with the wry humor, he is both charming and exudes a wholesome optimism which is refreshing and sweet.

Filmed in 2004, Orlando looks fresh-faced in this low-budget, unpretentious movie. So, the way I got to see this is that it is one of the "see it now" films offered through Netflix. This is the first I've taken advantage of this feature -- it rocks! Nothing on tv....not in the mood for my other Netflix movies. What a great alternative. Now that I have the new laptop that actually works and have actual internet I can take advantage of such technology.

A movie about boxing that is charming? If anything, watch this just so you know it can be done.

My New Addicition

I've managed to get down to the Pike Place Market a couple of times in the last couple of weeks. I am now hooked on the beautiful cheeses at Beecher's. Cheeses are local and fa-bu-lous. There is a gorgeous camembert that is ooey-gooey delicious on a french baguette. And let me tell you, this brought me right back to my days in Paris. Then there is this Organzola that I have been enjoying on salads. I'm going to do a flank steak and make a sauce with the gorgonzola. I can't think of anything that sounds more tasty. We got some great recommendations this last time and some did some serious sampling. I love cheese.

Made In Kitchen

I've been wanting to try Made in Kitchen for some time. One of those upscale Vietnamese fusion joints, it's inviting and stylish on the inside. The menu is also inviting with dishes called "meatball treasures" and claypot catfish.

However, it fell short in wowing me overall. I have to say that I prefer Tamarind Tree down the street where they have fabulous cocktails and dishes that i have to say that I am unable to forget about because they were so good. My favorite being a version of the spring roll that is just delectable and unique.

Plus there was an odd scuffle outside during dinner where a bunch of little thugs got into a bit of a fist fight then tried to come in for a bite to eat. Weird and unsettling.

Movie Marathon!

It's been quite some time since I've done the double feature. I had a couple of short movies selected so it didn't seem like an all day event. But I enjoyed both quite a bit!

Semi-Pro. Nothing new here, but Will Ferrell does it so well. Nothing tops Anchorman in my book, but this movie had its moments. Taking us back to the 70's once again, he wears a 'fro this time. Go for a giggle.

Penelope. While it did not have all of the magic I had hoped for, it was still a pleasant movie about learning to love yourself. It will appeal to the romantic in you. And has the whimsey of a modern fairytale.

Daylight savings is already messing with me. I had time for a couple of dvds. Conan O'Brien's 10th Anniversay Special. At only 64 minutes, this was easy to fit in. Funny stuff. And I also watched Across the Universe. Over 2 hours, if you let yourself, you will become immersed in it. I found it absolutely moving and engrossing. It could have gone all wrong -- it's a fantasy reimagining of the 60's Vietnam war story threaded together with Beatles songs. It worked for me.

Season 6

Whoa. I just finished Smallville season 6. Is Lana really dead? And what about Chloe? Like every season, the last episode blows your mind. How is Clark going to get out of this one?

Highlights of season 6: the inception of the League of Justice with the Green Arrow, Aquaman and some robot guy (I don't remember him from the cartoon, but I never did read the comic books). Smallville remains true to its roots in that it pretty much follows the original storyboard --I think!

Jimmy Olsen is introduced this season. And the rivalry between Clark and Lex Luthor heats up. Lex is finally seen as a character plunging into the dark side who can not be saved by Clark's friendship. He steals Lana from him and it's irreconcilable.

It can be corny at times and yes, there is gratuitous cleavage at times (as well as beefcake) but I am hooked, even 6 seasons later.

Weekend Movies

So after the lovely crepes, we headed down to Pike Place Market and picked up some amazing cheeses to snack on for dinner.

Got some kind of runny cheese that was absolutely fabulous on a baguette. Some Oregonzola -- you can guess what I'm talking about. We put it on a salad of greens with sliced apples and cranberries. That was spectacular. And the Beecher classic, which I have yet to break in to.

So then off to the movies to see Be Kind Rewind. It turned out to be way more heartwarming than expected with an actual plot! It took a bit to get started, but once it did, I was charmed.

Then a couple of dvd's to go with all the cheese. Gone Baby Gone. A more complex plotline with some twists and turns than what I would have expected. A frustrating ending where there are no answers really. I could not understand what the characters were saying half the time because aside from the Boston accent being ugly sounding, it's also unintelligible at times. But more than I expected from the Affleck, since I generally see him as an untalented schmuck. Not bad, tho not really my cup of tea.

The it was Starter for Ten -- a surprise hit in my book. Charming coming of age comedy with James MacAvoy (I admit I rented it for this reason alone), but it was sweet and had a kick-butt 80's new wave soundtrack that really took me back. It was the movie John Hughs would have made had he been English.

Unicorn Crepes

This is my favorite new discovery in the I-District. It's sheer perfection and fun if you are looking for some tasty novelty crepes. I had the chocolate cream crepes with bananas and custard. And the Unicorn crepe, which was teriyaki chicken, eggs, cabbage and mayo. If if they didn't also have the best chai. So GOOD! The atmosphere was rad (fun music playing above -- i think there was some disco in there). The staff was friendly and decidedly Japanese and very hip. The crepes were delicious! The plastic display menu reminded me of my favorite thing Japanese. Ok, and he's the secret -- the bathroom is the most cool, unique thing you've ever seen. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it special. I can not do it justice, so you'll just have to go and see for yourself. I know I'm going back!

A Seafood Feast

Here's a picture of the seafood feast we made a few weeks back. We actually shucked our own oysters on the half shell (i'm very impressed by this) and made some mussels in a white wine/saffron broth. Can I just say that it was SO easy and tasted SO good! Top it off with a nice loaf of bread and a simple salad. Bellisimo!

My Birthday Cake

My sister made me my own little personal cake for my birthday. Too bad no one was well enough to help me celebrate! Plus, I was busy getting ready to travel for a work trade show. But the cake was so cute -- and my mom insisted that we light a couple of candles anyway and sing a song. I think it's completely darling! And the lemon glaze on it made it super yummy as well.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

This has been a hit this winter. Just throw a couple of cans of white beans, chicken broth, green chiles, diced chicken and monterey jack into a crock pot and turn it on. Voila! I've just discovered Trader Joe's corn bread mix. It is really good! Sweet, with whole corn -- I like it.