Last Friday was a holiday here in the States. Today we're back on schedule with Friday Fry.
Speaking of Thanksgiving I came across this read at The Food Section. Many of you may have read this already but it is too funny not to share. It's a review of current food magazines and their Thanksgiving approaches. Spot on laugh out loud stuff.
Willy Wonka Your Room is Ready German artists have created a Biedermeier-style room out of 1,764 pounds of chocolate and 440 pounds of marzipan to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Germany's oldest chocolate factory, Halloren. Dishes, cups, cutlery,and a rocking chair were also created. Oh yes, the room is air-conditioned.
OOMPA LOOMPA Tim Burton is currently working on a new film adaptation for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory due in July 2005. The Ronald Dahl book was the inspiration for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but this time around Burton is committed to doing a more faithful adaptation of the book. The 1971 film was made to be more subversive and darker, more adult than the book. Gene Wilder is amazing in this film. It's a classic and one wonders why it needs to be remade. The film will feature Johnny Depp as Willy; Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Buket. Stories from the set include a camera falling into a vat of chocolate and of Nestle creating actual chocolate bars as props including, Nutty Crunch Surprise and a Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight. One can only hope that Depp does what he does best.
Celebrity Ego Gone Wild In the not-related to food but is good dinner conversation category is the recent NPR Terry Gross interview with Madonna. I'm all for reinvention and letting your muse be your guide but if you want us to do know is believe you are this high-brow serious writer you are going to be walking a very long road. Migrating from the pop world to the children's book world to joining the cultured set is going to be fascinating to watch. And what the hell is up with the faux English accent? Painted Matter sums up what is at first a disorienting interview and moves quickly toward absurd interview:
This woman is besotted with self-regard — pathologically dissociated — she appears to think she is being daring and controversial, like the good old days, but now wants to add seriousness to her personality portfolio — a New Age fuzzy religiosity; Madonna wants to claim spirituality as her very own.
Madonna is a living example of what happens when a celebrity ego goes wild; when sycophants are the only reality check for a privileged individual; when narcissism is unfettered by common sense. As just one example, with no awareness of how she sounded, Madonna managed to diss Judaism and Catholicism just before the break. Terry Gross had to help her out of the hole she had dug herself — it was never clear if Madonna understood what was happening in Gross’ attempt to clarify the emission.
There are gems throughout the 30-minute interview. It's really bloody incredible.
Cookiegate The Clinton Library opened a few weeks ago. In an effort to raise fund the Clinton Center Cookbook, which was sold last year to offset the $165 million library construction project. One of the included recipes is Hillary's chocolate chip cookies which will also be available in the library's cafe. I've included the recipe at the end of this post. NPR has a Cookiegate refresher for those that forget the hub-bub.
Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Family Circle's Election Bake Off
Makes 7 Dozen
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F.
Brush baking sheets lightly with vegetable oil.
Combine flour, salt and baking soda on waxed paper. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer till creamy.
Add eggs and beat till light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in rolled oats and then chocolate chips. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheets.
Bake in 350F oven for 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes.
Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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