Monday Movie Challenge

Week Three:  A Movie That Makes You Really Happy...

That would be Grease!  It came out during a happy time in my childhood, the music was awesome and who DIDN'T have a crush on John Travolta?!

Song Challenge Saturday!

Week 10: A song that you like to sing in the shower. 

Annie Lennox's Cold.

Actually I love this entire album by her called Diva.  Plus, who doesn't like to sing in the shower?  Even if you can't carry a tune to save your ass, everybody sounds great in the shower.   The acoustics sound excellent!

Monday Movie Challenge

Week Two:  Most Underrated Movie...

This would have to be The Exorcist III, for me.  It really didn't do that well at the box office but I loved it.  To me its a great scare the shit outta ya movie.  In fact, when I first saw it at the theater, a kid behind me DID shit himself during a scene.  It was a bunch of teenagers and the movie was rated R so they should have been 17 or over.  After this particular scene, everyone jumped.  The guys behind us started cracking up and one of the guys left.  One of the other guys asked where their friend went.  One of the guys said "He shit his pants...literally!"  

I laughed so hard that I almost pissed myself!

Here is the scene...

If you've never seen it, get it!  Do NOT watch it alone though.  To me, its just as scary as the first one.  (George C. Scott is phenomenal in it)

Song Challenge Saturday!

Week 9: A song that you misheard the lyrics of for years. 

Manfred Mann's "Blinded By The Light"

I used to think the lyrics wen't ♫Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche..♫  lmao!.

I can imagine my parents cracking up at me as a little kid singing that.

Monday Movie Challenge

I'm starting something new here.  I'm doing a 30-week movie challenge.  I figure when the 30-weeks are up I can do something else pertaining to movies.  So, let's get started!

Week One:  Best movie you saw in the last year.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  I thought I would be bored with it, especially with it being a bit on the Sci-Fi side.  Nope, I really liked it.  You can definitely tell its a Spielberg movie, though.  If you have seen it, you will notice that there are elements from most of his movies in this one.  Some kids find a map (Goonies), they are up against the military who is after an alien (E.T.), townsfolk look to the local sheriff for directions (Jaws), and the town must evacuate because of a fabricated disaster (Close Encounters).

But for me, it works.  Its not a rip-off of any of the aforementioned films.  Also, there is a young actor in the movie named Gabriel Basso who plays Martin.  Don't know if we're related but it was kinda cool to see an actor with my last-name. 

Song Challenge Saturday!

Week 8: A song you like to blast on your car stereo when it comes on. 

Well, this would be a bit difficult right now since I don't have a vehicle and haven't for quite some time now.  (Like over two years)  However, I did drive a little bit Saturday.  (Sshhhh, don't tell)  I had a cd in the player and I think I recall turning this up...

Red Hot Chili Peppers-Tell Me Baby

Marinara Sauce Recipe

Here it is!  My family's fourth generation Marinara sauce...or meatless spaghetti sauce, red sauce.  Whatever ya wanna call it.  I have my Nona's Bolognese recipe too but I make this sauce more often.

Basso's Marinara Sauce

½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium Vidalia onion

4 large garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed (fresh cloves are best but use 2 ½ Tbls garlic powder if you need to substitute)

2 Tbls Oregano

2 Tbls Basil

(Try to get fresh herbs and chop them yourself. The dried stuff doesn't hold its flavor very long.)

1 tsp Sea Salt (or 2 tsp of regular table salt)

½ tsp paprika

2 Tbls sugar

1 tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves (do not chop these-add them whole and then you will pull them back out once sauce is finished)

1 finely chopped celery stalk

1 finely chopped carrot

28 oz crushed tomatoes

8 oz tomato sauce

10 oz tomato puree

Asiago cheese (grated)

My Nona would also add 1 tsp of crushed red pepper seed. I don't, can't handle spicy stuff.

*If you have people who would freak out over the celery and carrot, just omit the carrot. You can substitute 1 Tbl of celery seed for the stalk. Make sure that its celery seed and not celery salt-or you'll be on salt overload! Ditto for the garlic powder. Like I said, fresh ingredients make the best sauce but sometimes they're hard to find. Fresh tomatoes make this sauce absolutely delish. Use ripe garden tomatoes or Roma tomatoes in place of the 28 oz crushed tomatoes when in season.

Saute the vidalia and onion in the olive oil over med-high heat until the onions are translucent. (about 10 minutes) Add the celery and carrots and saute it for about 10 minutes.

Dump your sauteed mixture and the rest of your ingredients into a large pot. Heat it up until its bubbling-splattering everywhere. Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir every so often to keep it from sticking. The sauce can be ready in about 2 hours. However, I prefer to simmer it all day. (8 hours or so) If you're not going to be home to “babysit” the sauce, put it in a crock-pot and let it simmer all day on low. The Asiago is a matter of taste. If your sauce seems too thin-add more grated Asiago.

Don't forget to remove your Bay leaves when sauce is finished. MANGA!

Song Challenge Saturday!

Week 7: A song you have seen an amazing live performance of. 

Stone Temple Pilots-Crackerman

This is NOT the live version that I was at; however, it sounds pretty much the same.  I chose Crackerman because for a time it was rare for STP to perform the song at live shows.

Thank God That's Over!

I am so glad the holidays are over with.  Mine were totally shitty-but then again I kinda figured that they would be.  I guess I just didn't realize exactly how shitty they would be and how bad I would feel.  Kinda fell into a two-week funk...one of my lovely depressions that hit this time of the year.

I didn't get to see my kids and I wasn't even able to get them anything.  All I could do was make them a scarf with my new-found crocheting talent.  (Which isn't all that great just yet)  I still haven't been able to give it to them.  I'll probably just mail Bam-Bam's to him.  He went back to his dorm a couple of days ago.

I slept most of the day-afternoon and part of the evening Christmas day.  Knew it was going to be crappy so I just slept.  Pretty much did the same thing this past weekend for New Years.  I was up at Midnight to ring in the new year.  Sat here with the BF and his mom watching Dick Clark.  It figures, the ONE time that the BF actually wanted to go out, I didn't feel like it.  He kept pestering me about it too.  Wanted me to figure out somewhere we could go to celebrate that wasn't going to have a bunch of drunks or alcohol being served.  Duh!  NYE and a place not having alcohol or drunks...good luck with that!  Only place I could think of was an AA meeting or some kind of AA sponsored party.  I wasn't in the mood for any of that shit either.  

I kept getting pissed because I'm usually trying to get him to do something every damn weekend.  Usually all he wants to do is sit on his ass all weekend!

Oh well, 2011 is gone...on with 2012.  Hopefully making some major changes for the better this year.  And hopefully be in my own apartment for the holidays next year.

Song Challenge Saturday!

Oops, this is three days late.  I had already written this post but had scheduled it to post on December 31st.  Snafu and it didn't post but here it is now...

Week 6: A song your parents played on road trips when you were young. 

I was fortunate enough to have parents who liked to take a lot of drives and vacations.  Also lucky that my parents were very musical people.  One of my favorites that would come on the radio a lot when I was a kid was Elton John's Philadelphia Freedom.  (I think he originally wrote it for Billie Jean King)  I loved it because when it came on, my mom would crank it up.  She and I would be singing and "car dancing" down the road...much to my dad's chagrin.  LOL

Elton John-Philadelphia Freedom