I write too much about the things I love.

This might work better if I put my favorites in the post title.

The Proposition *****

Um, wow. This came out of nowhere for me. Unlike 3:10 to Yuma, which I feel like I heard about everywhere I went, I hadn’t heard about this film at all. A friend made the recommendation and, seeing it on Watch Instantly, I am so glad I checked it out.

The Proposition is set in Australia in the 1880s. It’s about a man, Captain Stanley, trying to civilize the place; in order to do so, he has to capture and deliver justice to the Burns brothers’ gang.

It feels like a Western, but a modern western (despite the period and setting). With a script and soundtrack by musician Nick Cave, the film is weighty, brutal, stunningly shot, and really quite awesome. I loved it. There’s a lot going on and a lot I missed (like lots of Christian allegory and metaphor, lots of which I’m sure I didn’t pick up on); definitely something I wouldn’t mind watching again.

Watch it if you liked 3:10 to Yuma or any other Western but want something that is also AWESOME.

Katt Williams: Pimpadelic ***

From what I’ve seen, I like Katt Williams a lot. I had read this New Yorker article on him and was intrigued; the DVDs on Watch Instantly are a good intro. This is mostly all stand-up I’d seen on another DVD, with some in-limo commentary, but still good even the second time around. Watch if you like to laugh and if you haven’t already seen Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles: Pt. 1 (also on Watch Instantly).

Super High Me ***

I’ve talked before about how much I love I Love Movies, and I’m pretty excited that Doug Benson is coming to Austin to the Capitol City Comedy Club next month. I think his stand-up is more pot- than movie-based, so I decided I should probably watch this movie before I go see him. It was pretty good. Watch this if you like to get high. (Watch Instantly)

The Hurt Locker *****

Fuck I am already almost planning on not watching the Oscars because I’m afraid this motion picture won’t win as many awards as it should (i.e. all of them). This was so intense and made me feels all sorts of weird about everything, but god. Succeeded where so many war films don’t. Not preachy, not a message movie, just really really solid. Watch this if… well, I think everyone should watch this.

Inglourious Basterds **

I am not a Tarantino basher. I don’t care that his movies are an almost unending pastiche of obscure movies that he likes. I never found his movies too annoying. I was absolutely delighted by Kill Bill. I even watched Deathproof and although I didn’t like it (at all really), it was short enough and the ending was satisfying and redeeming enough that I didn’t feel too pissed off.

But Inglourious Basterds…ugh. I found it entirely too smug and self-congratulatory and I felt really annoyed at myself every time he worked a chuckle out of me. I really wanted more scalping and less everything else. Also I know that his sound clips probably come from a thousand random obscure old movies, but it really sounded like he just found odd bits of discarded sound clips that were themselves clips of clips he used in Kill Bill.

But Christoph Waltz, yes, he was every bit as amazing as everyone said he was.

Watch this if you’re still not jaded, as I now apparently am.

Eastern Promises ***

I liked this but it didn’t command my complete attention. It was just good. Naomi Watts was pretty good, Viggo was really good. Watch this if you’d like to see Viggo in a really good performance as a Russian mobster. Also watch if you’d like to see way too much of Viggo.

This was the best easy meal I’ve made in a long time. I’ve made it twice in the past two weeks – the first time over mashed potatoes (meh) and the second time over brown rice (yum!). The leftovers are great as well, either as-is or wrapped in a tortilla with some cheese. This recipe is adapted from Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks, which is a bargain on Amazon right now for only $9.

• One head of kale (~1lb.)
• 1 lb. sausage (I used bulk Italian)
• One medium yellow onion, chopped
• One clove garlic, minced
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 cups chicken stock

1. Wash the kale, separate the leaves from the stem, and cut/tear into forkable pieces.
2. In a dutch oven (I have a 7 qt.), start cooking the sausage a bit, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, to render some fat. Just until the sausage is no longer really pink, about 10-15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl, and dump out all but 2-3 tbsp of fat.
3. Cook the onions in the sausage fat over med/med-low heat, til they’re nice and starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Add red pepper flakes to taste.
4. Add the sausage and cook until nice and browned. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock. Scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the kale – if it doesn’t all fit at once, add some, put the lid on for half a minute until it wilts a bit and then add the rest.
5. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 35 minutes, covered.
6. I recommend this over brown rice, although I’m sure it would be great over pasta too. The “pot liquor” (what that liquid is called) makes for a nice sauce.

I don’t really remember my food resolutions from last year, but I’m pretty sure I had some. From what I remember, eat fish once a week (HAH!) and eat vegetarian at some frequency (followed much more closely) were in there. Here are some things I’d like to do with food this year:

• Continue to eat mostly vegetarian meals, with chicken as my main meat, pork sometimes, and beef at max four times per month (I’m being realistic here). I think I’ve been following this pretty closely, especially within the past few months. I usually think that I rarely eat beef, but I forget about how salami and sausage get the best of me sometimes.
• Up my fish consumption. There’s no excuse. I’ve only cooked fish twice since I moved, and both times it was great, but I need to start aiming for at least every two weeks (hopefully more).
• Cook for myself. Cook food for myself even when I don’t feel like really cooking. Eat something made at home instead of going out. I’ve been doing a good job with not eating out for lunch, but I need to start throwing together something quick for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking, instead of going out for tacos or a burrito. I just bought The Pleasures of Cooking for One, so hopefully I get some good ideas for that.
• Do more disciplined meal planning. This will help with the fish and with eating at home. I’m starting to keep lists of easy meals, favorite meals, and staples to keep in the house (using Evernote). I think I need to try to make a weekly meal list with one or two dishes that require something really fresh, and then the rest that can be made with mostly pantry/freezer staples. In the past I’ve gotten excited to do this, but then I’d plan like a full week’s worth of meals that required all new, fresh ingredients, and then not feel like making anything. I think I’ll aim for one fish dish and one chicken dish, some veggies that can be used throughout the week, and mostly other things that can come from the cupboard or freezer.
• Start making and freezing staples. I started to do this a little while ago and need to keep it up. Beans, soups, sauces. I also want a bigger stock pot. This will help with meal planning. I also need to remember to make notes to myself to take the stuff out of the freezer so I’ll use it. Speaking of which, does anyone have suggestions for dishes to make using mushroom soup?
• Start eating better breakfasts. Steel-cut oats, frittatas, breakfast burritos, muffins – things I can make ahead.
• Like the following foods: red peppers, egg yolks, pickles. Try more vegetables.
• Cook with tofu and seitan.
• Get over my fear of cooking Indian food.
• Remember to take pictures of the food I make.

There were lots of things I did do over the past year that I was proud of. I cut way down on meat. I made ravioli, focaccia, pizza dough, mayonnaise, and lots of other things without cheating. I made Thanksgiving dinner. Looking forward to making lots more this year.