I am not sure how many people out there have watched one of my favorite Christmas love-comedies, Christmas in Connecticut, but I suggest all of you to rent it this lovely season. I watched for the first time several years ago and fell in love.
I love the plot and the characters and especially the settings. This is the only movie that I can take Barbara Stanwyck in because she is actually charming and likable as a “Martha Stewart” kind of character. In fact, her job in the movie is something I had always wanted to do, writing articles and recipes for a magazine from her country home. In fact, while watching the movie this year (I watch Christmas movies all year around) I realized that I do indeed have that dream job through my blogging, Sweetie-licious newsletters, cookbook, and occasional magazine articles. And I write it all from my country home’s living room, just like Barbara’s character, Elizabeth Lane was supposed to be doing.
My home is hardly the Connecticut farmhouse depicted in the movie as there is no huge fireplace or vast living room and I have no cow in my barn nor do I have a hired cook in my kitchen. I do however, have a lovely gas fireplace in my small living room that I can see while I write and I do frequently see my chickens roaming about our barn, and I am certainly the only cook in our kitchen. Nevertheless, my country home is perfect to write my thoughts and recipes and I am so grateful that there are some of you out there that care to read them.
If you are a Christmas lover, a Foodie or love a screwball comedy, this movie is for you. The characters are quirky and charming and the plot is completely fun. Of course, there is some dated material, but it is still adorable. The movie’s message of food and its inspirational power, friendship and kismet love all under the guise of Christmas and laughter is perfect for this time of year.
I am not sure how this blog ended up being a movie review, but somehow it kind of did. J
Merry Christmas, I love those two words put together, and Happy Holidays!
Eat pie, love old movies, Linda xoxo
I am melancholy today with the news that Hostess Bakeries might be closing forever! I am so sad for all of the employees who are out of work, and for all of the devoted customers saddened by the thought of no more Twinkies and Fruit Pies! I, for one, have been a huge fan since junior high school, when I discovered their tastiness at Walter French Junior High's lunch table. My good friend, Ruthie, came up to the table, while sporting a cowl neck sweater and eating a Hostess apple pie. My face must have been obvious, as she quickly offered me a bite. I took a bite of the cinnamon, apple filled, sugar-crusted piece of heaven and was immediately smitten! From then on, through high school, anytime I had some extra money from babysitting, mowing lawns etc, I would buy a Hostess Apple Pie. There were many flavors to choose from; cherry, chocolate, lemon, but apple was always my favorite!
As it was, I started to make my own pies, and the Hostess goodies fell out of favor for me. I hadn't had one in years, but somehow, on a whim, picked one up at the grocery store the other day (I know, you would think I have enough pie!) Magically, the love was still there, as I am always amazed the way food takes you back into a kind of “time machine”. With the first bite, I was transported back to junior high with low self-esteem, braces, and a bad pixie haircut. Nevertheless, I was still in love with all its pie goodness, and smiled the entire time I was eating it. For it made me so happy that I had a better haircut and knew how to make an even better apple pie!
Eat pie, and be confident in your passions! xoxoLinda
Happy Birthday to one of our most beloved of culinary personalities, Julia Child!
I have very fond memories of watching Julia on our black and white television set with my mother in the late 1960's. While mommy ironed our clothes downstairs in our family rec-room, I would sometimes pretend I was Julia and cook with my play dishes and Easybake oven. Mostly though, I was fascinated with the food she made, so I watched very closely while she created her magic with roast chicken and cheese soufflés. However, she never made enough desserts for sweet-toothed me, and I would always be a tad disappointed by the end of the show... BUT because her food always looked so lovely, I never let my brothers turn the channel to Gilligan's Island!
As I look back, it clearly was her passion for food and humble, kind persona that charmed us all. As one of America's first celebrity chefs, she wasn't arrogant and full of her own pedigree, money, or social status. She was just smiling Julia, doing what she loved, sharing her gifts with others, and understanding the importance of delicious food in our lives. I think we all should be more like Julia.
Eat Pie and Love Life xoxolinda
It has been almost two months since my beloved daddy passed on. As difficult as it has been, I knew from past experiences that time will indeed heal all things. As expected, my heart is gradually filling with contentment and gratitude rather than its former mourning emptiness.
Thankfully, my gratitude for my daddy is something I have always had, as I always knew how special he was to me and so many others. I have also felt very grateful for my friends and extended family; however, I did not know how humbled and comforted I would be by their thoughtfulness during this time.
Clearly, no words, no flowers, or no casseroles can take the pain away from losing a loved one, but I believe that caring deeds do truly help mend broken hearts. My family was overwhelmed with the generosity of the cards, the charitable contributions, and the flowers, but the food, the food was truly comforting. I believe it fed my family's soul when it was starving for comfort.
While my family gathered around our old dining room table to write his loving obituary, knocks at the door brought carafes of hot coffee, warm cinnamon rolls, various bagels, cream cheese, and bowls of fresh fruit! All through the weekend of funeral preparations, pans of cheesy lasagna, homemade casseroles, sloppy joes, steaming soups, and homemade pies came parading through my kitchen like we were in a restaurant's galley.
In a weekend, my kitchen transformed into a vast buffet table from the finest of home-cooked kitchens. No fancy restaurant could compare to the love and sentiment cooked or baked in each and every dish.
As family members gathered, and pictures were sorted; tears and laughter flowed harmoniously while eating delicious plates of stuffed pasta shells and bowls of spicy chicken chili. Fruit, relish, and cheese trays were munched while old home videos were lovingly edited into the night. And pans of brownies, buckets of ice cream and an immense dessert sideboard fulfilled my family's once saddened sweet-tooths, as we reminisced about my daddy's own sweet-tooth that we all so proudly inherited.
Let it be said, that each and every casserole, tureen of soup, and cinnamon apple pie you send over to a house of mourning is appreciated more than you know. When you think that they have enough food or that they don't want to be bothered, know that they need you. Know that your sweet face of sympathy, your thoughtful sentiments, your cards and flowers, your prayers and your pan of lasagna comfort them deeply and profoundly.
As I think back at the raw wounds my family was suffering, and the powerful medicine of hope that the food magically provided, I am astounded at its healing power. For somehow, the creamy goodness of a plate of macaroni and cheese and/or a slice of cherry pie, encouraged our sad hearts with happy pangs of love and hope - and that is the ultimate comfort food for the soul.
Eat Pie, and be Comforted. xoxox Linda