Phyllo foe ...

Two weeks worth of input in one. Go nuts, my friends. Go nuts. 

FUGGIN' FOOD

Spinach, Feta and Tomato Quiche: I believe that I have made this before, but it was long enough ago that I was a lower level of rookie, and when I was faced with phyllo dough I ended up using it to swab my tears of frustration.

Before settling in with this recipe, I thought of VNick, who at one point told me a trick for working with phyllo dough. It was like "leave it out on the counter overnight so it thaws," or "clap three times and blow on it." I made a mental note of it when he told me, then lost that mental note.

Regardless, this turned out well. It helped that I used a really kickass brand of feta that a hippie once upsold me on at Whole Foods. He promised it was worth the extra three dollars and readers, he was right. The hippies are always right.

Anyway, this recipe is a keeper. Although it took longer than the 40 minutes advertised.

Xihongshi Chao Jidan (Stir-friend Tomato and Eggs): Let's call a spade a spade: This is just duded up* scrambled eggs made in a wok. Saveur's recipe calls for stirring the mixture with chopsticks. That's crazy talk, considering our utensil drawer runneth full.

Is it good? Of course. It's scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The only way it could be better is if I added chopped basil and feta. But how about a shout out for the sexy name I can't pronounce!

Tandoori Tofu: Sometimes when a recipe calls for using a grill, you should use a grill. This is probably a lot better grilled. As is, it was highly forget-able. Plus, I didn't feel like the marinade made enough marinade.

Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes: I'm confused. what is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin. And what if you take a muffin and add frosting to it? Whatever. This was not exactly what I wanted, but they were okay enough.

Chunky Artichoke and Chickpea Salad: I loved this. It's like Artichoke Dip, but it's also like a sandwich spread salad typically filled with egg or tuna. It made a nice, light, healthy dinner, and was even good the next day when I swabbed at it with pieces of bread and chips. This recipe doesn't include Veganaise, like the recipe I used. I'll give you one guess on if a Super One in West Duluth carries Veganaise.

Spring Vegetable Minestrone: This was really good and healthy and made me excited for vegetable season.

FILMY SURFACE
No Impact ManThis documentary about a NYC couple who tries to eliminate its carbon footprint is exactly the reason I like documentaries. It was just enough like reality TV. Not to mention that every time I've gone to the store since watching this, I've berated myself for not bring a reusable bag. Grr.

Restraint: Your classic small town terrorized by unpredictable trigger happy idiot and his slutty sidekick with a twist: When they take a local yokel hostage, they quickly learn he is agoraphobic. This means that in that scene where they all get drunk on champagne and vanilla ice cream and listen to first edition jazz records, he won't make a break for the door. No, he'll happily grind away on the slutty sidekick instead. This one had a Cinemax feel to it. Lots of boobs.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:  Best served with pizza.

The Hurt Locker:  Before my high school boyfriend went off to the Marine Corps, he made me watch "Full Metal Jacket." That's all.

READING
The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman: Silverman’s story is equal parts memoir and stream of consciousness. It has a dab of confessional, when she reveals bedwetting that lasted well into her teen years and a prescription that allowed for more than a dozen Xanax per day. How her dad coached her to shock and awe people with her adolescent potty mouth, and that time when she was five and bombed in front of her family with a joke about her dead brother.

Full review here. 

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis:  Before there was "This is your brain on drugs," there was a little novel by Bret Easton Ellis more jarring than any image of eggs sizzling in a frying pan.

In "Less Than Zero," Ellis's 1985 debut, Clay, a richie-rich from Los Angeles has returned to his hometown during winter break from his East Coast university. Nothing has been touched in his bedroom since he left four months ago, right down the Elvis Costello poster on the wall; His posse of trust-funders, male models and drug dealers is still running fast and loose. Clay and his old girlfriend Blair are re-defining "It's complicated," and his best friend Julian is MIA. 

Full review here. 


FOOTNOTES
* This past week I had to reintroduce myself to someone who I've met plenty of times. He told me he didn't recognize me because the last time he saw me at Luce I was "duded up." I took that to mean he didn't find my pony tail and fake animal fur hoodie on this day to be all that memorable. "Duded up." I'm going to use that.