Amy J. Bennett

Cooking with The Pioneer Woman: Weekly Update

May 24, 2010 by Amy 5 Comments

Spicy Pulled Pork

What shall I say about this? Let’s see. Well, first, this one is notable because it was the very first recipe in my Dutch Oven. It did quite well even though it nearly broke the wire racks because it was so heavy. Wowsers. What else? Let’s see…hmmm…what else can I say before I give this a not so fantastic review? Oh, let’s just get to it.

I think this recipe gave me high hopes! Really high hopes! It’s called spicy and man, did I want spicy. As in, I hope this pork is so full of spice and flavor that Lexi complains and I have to eat her leftovers. Well, it was not so. It is not that the pork was bad. Because in fact, it was yummy as far as pork shoulder goes. All the kids ate it and it received compliments. I rather enjoyed squeezing the limes over it and felt like the Austin-ite that PW described. But I don’t know, it surely was not spicy and except for the pieces that were on the outside it was barely flavorful. I also find it quite tedious to pull the uber-heavy dutch oven out every single hour to turn the meat. I guess what I’m saying is I’d rather just stick a Boston Butt in my crockpot and call it a day.

Iny’s Prune Cake

This, my friends, is what you need to go buy the ingredients for and make TONIGHT. Seriously. I just laughed a little as I read PW’s post and she said the exact same thing. But we’re serious, folks. It is SO GOOD. And before you go, I should tell you you can find prunes in a can where all the dried fruits are. That will save you about 15 minutes of shopping the fresh fruits and vegetable aisles and then asking a cashier about them.

Overall this cake was super easy to make. The hardest part is figuring out when to quit cooking the caramel topping but it is so worth it. So. worth it. The caramel seeps in to the cake and makes it so moist. Everyone had seconds and sometimes thirds for dessert and I might have eaten it for breakfast as well and we might only have one piece left. It’s in her breakfast section in the cookbook but had there been an eat any time, all the time of the day section, this would be in it. Go make it. Now!

Only 4 more to go!

Lexi-ism: Because Sometimes She Can’t Hear From the Back Seat

May 24, 2010 by Amy Leave a Comment

Emma: Mom, why does that yard have a Beware of Dog sign?

Me: Probably because they have a dog that bites.

*silence*

Lexi: Why does the dog fight?

*silence*

Me: BITES, Lexi. Not fight. They have a dog that BITES.

*silence*

Lexi: Then why do they have a frog?

*silence* … and then laughter when we realize she thought I said they have a “frog that fights”

Fighting Frogs. Scary indeed.

LOST: The End

May 24, 2010 by Amy 9 Comments

Because I can’t not blog about LOST.

I watched LOST from day 1 but not every day since day 1. I gave up towards the end of Season 1 and picked back up in Season 2. Most of Seasons 3-5 were spent hounding a coworker for whatever answers he had since I missed a lot. Only after a re-watch of Season 1 and most of Season 2 with Scott did I really understand most of it. I’ve always considered myself a Lostie although hard core fans would probably laugh at my missed episodes.

Anyway, with 13 million other Losties I spent 4.5 hours in front of the TV watching the recap and then finale of LOST. At the end of the episode my conclusion was that it was a beautiful episode and finale but that overall people wouldn’t be satisfied with the storyline and answers. I think I still stand by that.

My biggest complaint is the resolution/explanation of the alternate timeline. And it’s not that it wasn’t Biblically based or that it didn’t tie in with the island (although I could complain about that ) but mostly how come everyone got off the LAX plane and into this purgatory type place at the same time if they didn’t die at the same time? Why the action/drama in LA at all if they are supposedly dead? It doesn’t make much sense to me and certainly didn’t help answer many series-long questions. I had hoped that the alternate line would somehow make more of an impact and converge with island time more than it did.

However, I enjoyed so much about last night. I got weepy a few times and then was in an all-out ugly cry the last 30 or 40 minutes. While the mythology and all has kept me interested for sure, I would say I’m more in the character-driven camp. So seeing everyone come full circle with their constant and see everyone go in to the bright light together satisfied me to great depths.

The parts that made me ugly cry:

Jack telling Hurley he would be the new protector made me openly weep. Because Everybody Loves Hurley. I wasn’t expecting this in the least and to see Hurley follow Jack again and then Jack trust Hurley who at many times hasn’t been trusted to live in the “normal world” much less protect the island it was heart warming to say the least.
Vincent showing up with Jack made me weep on top of my weeping. Throughout the series, everyone was always checking Vincent. Is the dog ok? It’s the mystery of utmost importance! Not only was Vincent ok but he was there for Jack to end his journey as well as begin it.
Seeing everyone in the finale. In the moment I wasn’t sure what the church meant and why everyone was there but it was the final farewell and everyone knew it. Part of weeping was grieving. It was sad to know that was the last and only 1 of few that everyone was together.

The parts that made me weepy:

Charlie recognizing Claire and then being there for the birth. It was just so good to see the old Charlie again.
Jack and Kate kiss on the cliff.
Jin and Sun seeing their baby.

I know you’re expecting me to put Sayid and Shannon or Juliet and Sawyer and while they were beautiful moments, I’m not a huge fan of Juliet or Shannon. So no weeping there

The parts I liked but didn’t make me cry:

Jack killing MIB
Rose and Bernard showing up

The parts that made me laugh:

Miles: “I don’t believe in a lot of things but I do believe in duct tape.”
Frank: “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a pilot.”
Jin and Sun laughing at Sawyer as a cop.

Other notables:

I loved all the mirror moments of the episode like Kate delivering Aaron
I liked how everyone was dead by the end but in general, there weren’t a lot of deaths in the episode. Grey’s fans you might know how I’m feeling about seeing a lack of murders.

Questions I still have:

Eloise? Widmore? Still not sure how they fit in exactly.
Walt?
Still don’t get that looking glass thing.
I’m pretty sure I can’t even think of all my questions. I probably need to look up some LOST fan site that has them listed and see which I really care about.

I think in general, I’m MORE than satisfied with the character development. I think what’s interesting and what speaks to the success of the show is when we were at the end of the show, we cared about every single character that was in that church and even some that were outside of it. There are not many shows where I care about so many character and even couples. I mean, even 2 episodes ago I was becoming sympathetic to MIB. I’m so happy with Jack’s role as the leader and savior and movement from Man of Science to Man of Faith. That alone make the series enough. And to put Jack and Kate together at the end for me, is just icing on the cake.

As for the mythology, I’m a little disappointed in the how and why of everything. They made it so general and I almost would have liked to have seen them commit to a Christian or even Egyptian theology instead of just general good/evil/heaven/purgatory/light/darkness but then it would have alienated so many. I think in their attempt to be general though, you never really satisfy anyone.

But no one can argue about the ride it took us on. For those that may be asking for their time back I would suggest that sometimes the destination doesn’t make the trip worth it, it’s simply the journey (cue Miley with The Climb, please). Questions and more questions, love and hate, tears and laughter.

Book me for Oceanic Flight 815 because I’d pay for that again.

Check out more LOST reviews at Rocks in my Dryer.

Farewell, My Friend

May 22, 2010 by Amy 4 Comments

The same iPhone that stared at me from the bottom of the toilet and sustained heavy but not fatal damages from our driveway is now officially dead. As of today, it will not hold a charge. It went dead and can not be revived.

I’m up for a contract/upgrade but I’m holding out for the new iPhone in another 4 weeks. That’s the only way I’m willing to get one. Mom offered her old Nokia to hold me over. What will I do without email, twitter, weather, words with friends, storm sounds, iPod etc and etc for 4 weeks though?! I know there’s a lot worse that could be happening but I’m not gonna lie. This is going to be different.

Book Review: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

May 21, 2010 by Amy Leave a Comment

I don’t know how I missed out on reading C.S. Lewis my whole life. I feel really, really behind in posting this but I must. I am hoping there are others that are not familiar with him and his books in introducing him a bit. He lived in England until the 1960s as an author and faculty member at Oxford and considered himself an atheist until his early 30s. You will probably recognize The Chronicles of Narnia before you recognize any of his other works.

I had often seen and liked quotes from C.S. Lewis on Twitter, Facebook and even in other books so when Pioneer Woman had it on her recommended list at Joseph Beth’s during her signing, it seemed like the right thing to buy it.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I liked this book. Lewis is witty and plain-spoken and easy to understand and even funny. In a nutshell it is a Christian theology book walking the reader from understanding that there is higher power all the way to talking about a new life in Christ. He talks about prayer and divorce and drinking and war and so many things that I think Christians mull over. He seems to have a way of explaining them I think the way Christ would (and did). He uses many metaphors and stories to explain his point in a way that turns on a light to the truth. In some cases he has no answers and has no problem with admitting that and relying on faith to answer them one day. He doesn’t push his point on the reader but simply offers them as a help and even suggests that they be thrown aside if they do not.

I particularly liked the chapter about Time. If you read my two posts on Prayer and Predestination you will know why it meant so much. In it, it seems we asked the same question and then he chooses as well to use a book to answer. It was like this confirmation for me that I wasn’t off my rocker in my answer to my own question and I wanted to say, hey, we must be talking to the same God! It was a very uplifting moment finishing the chapter. I wanted to give a high-five to Lewis knowing all the while that God was and is the one that had revealed these answers to us. He is so faithful to us with inquiring minds.

This book certainly goes down in my Top 10 favorite books of all time and I’m looking forward to reading more of his works.

So there, I am at least caught up to 1960.

Austin: Saturday Hodgepodge

May 20, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

Saturday morning the weather was still not cooperating and the disc golf got canceled. We used the day for Austin sight-seeing and pool time. Just a few notable moments for Saturday.

Notable Moment #1: At breakfast, Brad and Drew ended up sitting at the table next to us. Kyle was with his family and came to visit with Brad. Nothing exceptional happened but it was just one of those surreal moments like, “Oh, we’re eating breakfast next to some FNL folks.” Also notable? The pecan syrup on the bar. It tastes every bit as good as it looks.

Notable Moment #2: Visiting the University of Texas Co-op. Want an orange t-shirt?

How about something else orange?

It was basically a two story Burnt Orange Wal-mart.

Notable Moment #3: Visiting Sandra Bullock’s bakery. I got a pistachio chocolate marshmallow thingie. It was yummy.

Look at that Texas Cream Puff! Everything is bigger in Texas!

Notable Moment #4: Allens Boots

Want a pair of boots?

These?

Or these?

Or maybe these?

It was actually tough trying to find a “normal” pair of cowboy boots. All starting at about $400. I saw one woman walk out with 4 pairs. Me? Going to need to call Suze back on this one.

Notable Moment #5: No pictures to speak of but we spent the evening at the pool which included a hot tub and lazy river. Ah, we were living the life. Especially since we had plopped down across the way from Drew and Heather, Tinker and Brad. Oh hi, FNL cast, it’s just the Podcast Chicks over here.

That pretty much wraps up our time in Austin. My goal was to keep a smile on my face and I daresay I exceeded my goal for days to come.

Austin: Beyond the Lights Charity Dinner

May 20, 2010 by Amy Leave a Comment

Friday night’s dinner consisted of a silent auction, live auction, dinner and concert with Stonehoney.

Notable Moment #1 – We get to meet Matt’s singer/song-writer wife Michelle Armstrong who is just as sweet as her hubby Matt. I tell her I have a little fangirl crush on him and she laughs and says she does too. She tells us that they sat with their family and listened to our interview with him on the podcast on the surround sound system because that was his first big interview. Kaitlin and I sort of melted right about then. They also decided to sit at our table and proceeded to make my crush turn into a full blown couple crush on them. Forget Brangelina or TomKat, folks. Matt and Michelle are the real deal. To make it even better, Michelle confesses Matt says he feels like we’re their buddies. And funny enough, I think we really are.

Notable Moment #2 – Someone bidding on an item insists that they want Kyle’s Bahama shirt in order to place their bid and Kyle proceeds to strip himself of said shirt and swing it in circles above his head. He did have a white polo shirt on underneath for the record. HOWEVER, the auctioneer then says Dallas Cowboy Terence Newman has agreed to strip his shirt for a bid to be placed. He strips down to no shirt and then proceeds to hug Kyle’s wife shirtless for the bid. To say there was hooting and hollering at this point is an understatement. Those were probably the craziest moments of the night.

I have to say we saw a presentation of the charity recipient Gridiron Heroes and ask that you please support them if you can. They are doing awesome work for spinal cord injuries.

Notable Moment #3 – Watching Drew Waters “Wade Aikman” and his wife Heather throw down on the dance floor. They were doing some kind of two-step dance that involved a lot of turning and flipping which was impressive and fun to watch.

Notable Moment #4 – Getting a picture with Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson’s ex-boyfriend Tony Romo. Oh and also, I think he plays some football 😉 Too bad it’s fuzzy!

Notable Moment #5 – Getting a proper picture with Kyle Chandler

Man, what a way to spend a Friday night!

Austin – Golf Event

May 19, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

The golf tournament was the big draw of the weekend but of course, Kaitlin and I didn’t sign up. Tee time was 11 and we were doing our set visit and lunch while the golfers were supposedly making their rounds through the course. We got back to the resort about 1 and decided to check in the club house to see what was going on as it had begun to rain. We ran into our podcast friend Mark and he gave us the low down, saying they were waiting a bit to see what happened. At the end of the conversation he points out Jesse Plemons “Landry” that is just down the porch hanging out. We were able to meet him, get pictures and chat. It was great when he remembered our interview from the podcast. I have to say Landry is not Landry-ish at all (funny how that works). First, physically, Jesse was much taller and broader than I thought. Also, he’s much more laid back in a cool and not stuttering/dorky kind of way.

At this point the golf event gets canceled and they’ve brought in the food from the course for everyone to eat. We meet Stacey Oristanso “Mindy” who is as sweet as she can be and drop dead gorgeous.

Jeff Rosick who will play a 15yo Buddy Jr. in season 5.

At this point, Kaitlin and I sit down with Jeff and Darren, the equipment manager at a random table at the club house. They announce that they’ll be raffling off the golf prizes at a mic that just happens to be set up in front of our table. At this point, Tinker and Jesse decide to hang out at our table as well. Kyle, Brad, Rex Lin of CSI and Stacey are in front of us raffling stuff off.

In walks in none other than Matt Lauria “Luke”. You should listen to our interview with him just to hear how sweet he is. Definitely a charmer! I had been so excited to meet him since our interview. Well, Darren introduces us to him and Matt runs around the table and gives us big hugs. He ends up grabbing some food and plopping down at the table between Kaitlin and I. At this point, Kaitlin and I are pretty sure we’re living someone else’s life.

Look at that smile! We legit were having fun with them.

After the raffling was done we also met Derek Phillips “Billy Riggins” who recognized and called us the “Podcast Chicks”

And Kaitlin recognized Steve Walters “Glenn” who we were able to chat with for a few. For the record, Steve was congratulating Matt on the pick-up of Matt’s new FOX show Ride-along.

That afternoon definitely goes down as one of my favorite Friday afternoons ever.