Addictive Cracker Spread

Hacked this from our favorite "organic" restaurant in Fullerton. Came pretty close to their recipe. Served it to Donna's bunco group tonight, they loved it.

Holiday Cracker Spread

1 brick cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
3 oz roasted, salted pecans –ground in food processor
4 oz dried cranberries – chopped in food processor
½ tsp. cinnamon
Orange zest (from two large oranges)

Mix all ingredients together.

Mexi-Mac and Cheese

(note above dish made with Penne pasta instead of macaroni)

2 cups uncooked macaroni
half stick butter, cut up
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sour cream
1 10 oz can condensed "fiesta" cheese soup
1 7 oz can chopped green chilis
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta for 6 minutes, drain. Over medium heat, melt butter then add cheese until melted. Whisk in milk until smooth. Add eggs, sour cream, soup, chilies, and salt and pepper. Stir in pasta then pour into buttered 9 x 12 baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and brown another 10 minutes. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheap, Easy, and Kinda-Healthy - Chinese Sausage and Green Beans

Made this for lunch today. Took about 20 minutes. All four of us loved it.

Ingredients:

Package of 6 to 8 cooked polish turkey sausage, sliced crosswise 1 inch

1 lb fresh green beans

1 medium onion, sliced

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs vegetable oil 2 tbs Hoisan (Chinese BBQ) sauce

Chicken bullion cube dissolved in ½ cup water

Heat oil in wok over medium high. Add onions and garlic, stir two minutes. Add beans and stir fry another two minutes. Push to one side of wok and turn down heat to low. Add sausages to brown (see photo). Add bullion water then cover with large lid and return to medium heat – cook another five minutes, or until beans are done. Add Hoisan sauce and stir. Serve over white steamed rice.

Up In The Air - My two cents

Okay this entry is not food related, rather my attempt at a movie review. Believe me, this movie is so good, I felt writing about it was worthy of crashing my own site. It's in a limited run, so Donna and I braved the storm and drove out to Woodland Hills to see it.

Director Jason Reitman first got my attention as one of the revolving directors of TV’s “The Office” Now hes’ in the process of becoming the most important movie director of our time. He’s got a knack for shining a different light on conventional wisdom while also poking fun at Political Correctivism. He takes us into the hearts of characters. Whether a pregnant teen in Juno, or tactless lobbyist in Thank You For Smoking – Reitman makes us sympathize with people we’d hope to avoid in real life.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham who flies around the country firing people (his agency is hired by corporate executives who hide in their ivory tower while somebody with a spine performs the dirty deed). Ryan’s home is the airports and hotels of America. He’s single and takes pride in his simple and efficient life style. Between firings, he holds seminars at whichever hotel he happens to be staying in - encouraging others to live like him and shed all unnecessary responsibilities - including people. His ruthless boss at the agency (Jason Bateman) beta tests a tele-commuting program that threatens to ground him. This is where we find Ryan, and the people and events that force him to examine his life.

Clooney is expected to win an Oscar for this role. Personally, I found his acting no better than what he’s delivered in recent movies. Don’t get me wrong – he’s a great actor. But in this movie, it’s the supporting actors that bring out the best in Clooney. There is one reason this movie is a contender for best picture - the story. It takes place right now - in the smoking aftermath of a bursted bubble. Watching this movie, one can’t help but reflect on personal values. Reitman, Clooney and the cast simply did an excellent, Oscar-worthy job of delivering the goods.