Thank You, Julia

Rarely do I watch a movie more than once, unless a movie came out in 2004 and is being replayed on a lonely Saturday night, when there's nothing else to watch and I forgot what happened in the movie so it's brand new all over again :D Or...if the movie is REALLY GOOD. In which case, I may just see it more than once in the theater. Julie and Julia is the most recent movie I admit to seeing as a double feature. Well, a week or so passed between my viewings, and it was just as enjoyable the second time.

Part of the draw to this movie is the food, of course. I'm an eater, for sure. I love food! Maybe not quite in the same way that Julia Child or Julie Powell loved food, but I do enjoy food. Sometimes, on a slower day, I find myself living from meal to meal: hmm, what will I eat for lunch, or and what's for dinner, and uh oh is there anything for dessert in the house? So sitting in the theater for 2 straight hours, seeing the chocolate and almond cake, seeing the raspberry bavarian cream, seeing the bruschetta, even seeing the boned duck...it made me hungry! And it made me want to cook; I doubt I'm the only one watching the show who felt that way, though :D

Julie & Julia is an inspiring movie...an inspiration that really anyone can cook! After all, Julia Child wrote her cookbook so that anyone could follow the recipes and cook like the French do. Sure, some of the recipes are probably more challenging than others. But all you have to do is try, have no fear, confront the duck! Well, that's what Julie said at least.

Ironically enough, after watching the movie for the second time, I was confronted by an evening alone and a growling stomach at 5:30 p.m. When living on my own at school I was never terribly motivated to cook more than a quesadilla or a tuna melt, unless I had the help of my roommates. That was when I had no knowledge of Julia Child or Julie Powell! So I rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge and freezer, and located some important ingredients and I came up with a rather gourmet meal: Smothered Angus Beef with Jasmine Rice. Oh and of course, German Chocolate Cake for dessert.

Now please don't feel intimidated by any of this :D It's quite doable, really. Not everyone has premium steaks in their freezer, I certainly didn't, so I went with the very user-friendly Angus Beef burger patties from the frozen section of Costco. (So much better than those other grizzle-garbage patties they sell in a stack of 30 or something, yuck). 5 minutes on each side and you're good to go. The smothered part? Well if you're familiar with The Village Inn (like I am from many trips there with my grandparents), you'll know that when they say "smothered" they mean "with cheese." Tillamook, of course. Now for the jasmine rice. I was lucky enough to find a miniature packet of Mahatma rice in the cupboard. I won this single serving as a prize at the Bite of Oregon about a month ago; by spinning a wheel and landing on a particle slice, I was the lucky recipient of a personal pot of jasmine rice. Just add water, of course. And a slab of butter before eating. And as for the german chocolate cake. Come on, no one makes it from scratch. It was a late-birthday cake. I did choose to eat it cold because that's the best way to eat cake. And all of this with a glass of milk. My mother taught me well (and now it's a craving).

Sorry to disappoint. Not even the inspiration of Julia Child can bring out the real gourmet cook in me on such short notice. However, with a little preparation and a trip to the grocery store, I am now planning several meals that I will conquer. Maybe not lobster or those meat-gelatin-molds. But chicken crepes tonight...and beef bourguignon tomorrow :D

(And if Julia Child's recipes look a little complicated, here's some great sites I like: google "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" and "The Pioneer Woman" for some yummy recipes.)