Ponyo

Took the kids to see Ponyo, the new Miyazaki film. Think an eastern take on the Little Mermaid. Everyone gave it a thumbs up - which is pretty good for the 6, 9, and 12-year old. It's hard to find a movie that they all agree on these days. Oh, yes. I liked it too.

Rainy Day

It's been so long since I've felt like cooking. It's been one hot, dry summer. I've definitely grilled. There have been days where it was too hot to even grill. But today it's a mild 68 and rainy. And I decided to cook!

Nothing special. Nothing even from a recipe. Just whatever I had in the fridge. Bacon and scallops sauteed with spinach. French potato salad with green beans. And the before mentioned bruschetta (I threw in some fresh mozarella). Not too bad if I say so myself. I'm stuffed.

Oh, and for tomorrow morning some homemade granola.

Julie & Julia

This movie combines my 2 favorite things. Oh, wait -- make that 3! Julie and Julia is a movie about food, love, finding your passion and Paris. I shall always remember how sweet the line is, "you are the butter to my bread."

Normally a matinee on a Saturday at Lincoln Square is pretty quiet. But on this day, and in one of the larger theaters, it was packed, packed, packed. We even had to sit in the front section. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. It made me want to discover Paris all over again. I think a certain kind of person can win over the French. And Julia Child was one of those people. The French are just waiting to be charmed. There is this scene where Julie makes and eats some bruschetta. I was not going to be satisfied until I had some - which I did tonight. It was delicious. I didn't even use a recipe. Just threw together some tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basalmic and fresh basil from my nephew's herb pot. Delicieux!