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Yummy Links: From Food-Related Movies to Meat-Free Meals

partysugar — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:50:28 PST

Julie & Julia isn't the only food-related movie to win a Golden Globe; here's a complete list of foodie winners. - Eater
Tom Colicchio and Mario Batali are producing a movie that looks at hunger in America - Daily Dish
Why it's always a good idea to have chickpeas on hand. - The Epi-Log
The founder of Taco Bell, Glen Bell, has died. - Serious Eats
Not surprising news of the week: doctors recommend Alicia Silverstone's cookbook over Paula Deen's. - Grub Street NY
Learn how to make your favorite meat dishes, meat free. - Chow

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:30:18 PST

Want a new movie to curl up with this week? Today's DVD releases offer something for everyone. (And If you've seen a film you love lately, give it a review in the Movie Reviews Group - I may even feature it on the site!)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
With anticipation building for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - did you check out my sneak peek? - I fully intend on watching the most recent chapter one more time. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hasn't been my favorite movie in the series, thus far, but I still enjoyed it due to the special effects and the raging hormones between the main characters, which was fun to watch. This time Harry is coping with his godfather's death and the pressure of Hogwarts, so the themes are decidedly darker (and at times, even scary). If you're a fanatic, check out the two-disc version which includes a peek at Universal's "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park. I've already seen a short preview of the place, but I'm excited for a more in-depth look!

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Two more DVD releases to check out when you

read more. Public Enemies What better way to spend your weekend than with Johnny Depp? He's the big draw of Public Enemies as a rebellious 1930's gangster in Chicago trying to escape from FBI agents, particularly Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). While I didn't love some of director Michael Mann's techniques which often felt too Hollywood-slick, Depp (and Marion Cotillard as his love interest) make the film well worth watching. Even as Depp wields his gun and takes lives, you question whether his bad-guy motives aren't so bad after all - the sign of a truly good performance. The 2-disc version includes several behind-the-scenes featurettes. 67%
Julie & Julia Director Nora Ephron's Julie & Julia tells the parallel stories of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams) who tried to recreate every recipe in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking over the course of a year. It's a cute movie, but the main reason to watch is for Streep. She's completely charming as the larger than life chef, and in my opinion, she turns in one of the best comedic female performances this year. The only downside: Adams's Powell plot gets overshadowed. As for special features, I bet YumSugar will appreciate this: the Blu-ray version includes a tour of Julia's kitchen and cooking lessons! 75%

Who Is the Best Comedic Actress of 2009?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:30:05 PST

Funny ladies of the big screen always make me happy; they can roll with the best of the boys and manage to be completely captivating doing it. This year's romantic comedies and girl-power anthems gave Hollywood's women plenty of chances to be silly, so let me know who you thought was the funniest this year. And don't stop voting there - check the rest of my Best of 2009 polls!

Buzz Gift Guide: Mommy Dearest

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:30:44 PST

What to get the woman who raised you? She may not be as hard to shop for as grandma or dad, but I still have a few ideas. Mine is a Dancing With the Stars fanatic, so I'm snatching up their new workout DVD. Also on the list: Valerie Bertinelli's memoir and a cute Liz Lemon tote to take to the grocery store. I'm considering a TiVo, too - that way, she doesn't have to decide between The Amazing Race and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday nights anymore. (Really, it's like Sophie's Choice.)

But if my suggestions don't strike your fancy, check out all of the gift guides across the Sugar network. You're sure to find something!

Carly Simon's Never Been Gone ($10)	Dancing with the Stars: Dance Body Tone ($10)
Tote Bag ($17)	Finding It by Valerie Bertinelli ($18)
Julie & Julia ($18)	Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert Box Set ($43)	TiVo HD DVR ($300)

Yummy Links: From German Beer to Pabst Blue Ribbon

partysugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:50:51 PDT

What you should know about German beer. - Chow
On Chez Pim's cookbook: What really is a foodie? - Eat Me Daily
Meet the revuelto, Spain's answer to scrambled eggs, but with more veggies and less eggs.- The Atlantic
The movie Julie & Julia doesn't translate well with the French.- The New York Times
There's nothing more simply delicious than spaghetti alla carbonara. - Serious Eats
Soul Food Farm recently experienced a crippling fire. Here's how you can help. - Eater SF
Reusable produce bags get rid of the need for plastic. - The Epi-Log
More and more hipsters are drinking PBR. - Grub Street

Source: Flickr User soylentgreen23

Get the Look: Julie and Julia

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:00:21 PDT

Aside from a desire to get cookin', Julie and Julia has left me with a reinvigorated appreciation for traditional design. I always ooh and ahh over movies and television showcasing modern design, but it really doesn't get any better than an elegantly set dinner table dressed with a classic candelabra, or a set of truly charming gingham panels. Let's take a look at how we can get the look of Julie and Julia in our own homes - and kitchens.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Do You Own a Julia Child Cookbook?

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:15:51 PDT

Currently Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is on top of the New York Times best seller list. But that's not the only book she wrote, Child has authored more than 10 other cookbooks. Is one of her works on your bookshelf?

Sole Inspired by Julia

partysugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:30:30 PDT

Whenever I chat with someone about the film Julie & Julia, it seems the famous recipe for beef Borgignonne enters the conversation. However, when I watched the movie it wasn't this dish that stood out in my mind. It was the sole meuniere - the life-changing fish that Julia enjoyed upon her arrival in France - that I long to taste. Since I have a copy of my grandmother's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I went home and looked for Julia's recipe.Unfortunately it's not in the book, so I hit the Internet in search of a buttery white-fish recipe. Although it's not necessarily a classic sole meuniere, I experimented with this sole and herbed white wine lemon sauce. The final result wasn't a culinary revelation, but it was decidedly delicious. If you're looking for a light, filling meal with fresh flavors, why not channel Child? For the recipe, keep reading.

Does Julie Powell Deserve All the Backlash?

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:45:56 PDT

In an article published last week entitled "Stop Hating Julie Powell, Please," Newsweek's Jennie Yabroff writes that the food blogosphere has misdirected its anger at Julie Powell. She traces the food writer's rise to fame, from relatable home cook and newfangled blogger to published culinary authority, and believes that all the criticism boils down to one complaint: that Julie Powell isn't a legitimate cook. She never claimed to be, Yabroff argues (something that Powell also reiterated when she spoke with us).

Whether you find Powell engaging and humorous or annoying and self-absorbed is a matter of taste, but it is her voice, not her cooking, that she should be judged by. Like it or not, her breezy, chatty, "let me tell you about my dog and my husband and what I did this weekend and oh yeah here's a recipe for fried squash blossoms" approach set the tone for most of the food blogs today, of which there are thousands . . . All owe her a debt of gratitude.

While I do think that there's a lot of resentment in the online world about Julie Powell's success, I can also see how her writing might be perceived as whiny and self-involved. How do you feel about it: should Julie Powell be criticized?

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:30:32 PDT

When Ms. Julia Child gets cooking, y'all start talking.

For this week's Caption It challenge, I chose a picture from Julie and Julia. There are a lot of hilarious captions, but here's what the finalists have to say:

"Just 3 easy payments of $19.99 for your very own 'Lean Turkey' exercise DVD guarantees you won't gain a pound this Thanksgiving!"
"Julia Child gives new meaning to the 'chicken dance.'"
"It is a little known fact that Julia Child briefly considered writing a Kama Sutra for poultry book."
"I love cooking THIS much!"
"Y-M-C-A!"

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures