Julie & Julia & Blueberry Pie

There is a quaint little three screen theatre on Summer Street in Maynard. The ticket prices are good and you can get a small bag of popcorn and a soda for 6 bucks. The popcorn is not popped in peanut oil specifically to accommodate their customers with food allergies. There is plenty of free parking directly across the street.



This movie was terrific; a must see for fans of Julia. But of course fans of Julia already know that. Meryl Streep was amazing. I can't imagine anyone else (excluding Dan Aykroyd)doing the role justice. Some language earned the PG-13 rating...and you should know that the ample doses of politics and occasional doses of cuss words should be attributed to the real Julie Powell and not to Julia. There is a scene in the movie where Julie's character, played by Amy Adams, learns that Julia was not a fan of her blog. The movie doesn't tell us why. Could it have been the real Julie Powell's politics and foul mouth? It could have been. I met Julia Child and she was all class.

Julie Powell

This story about Julia by Laura Jacobs in Vanity Fair is a good read. There are several annoying pop-ups soliciting your input for a survey and offering trial subscriptions in the beginning of the read, but they stop and you should not be disturbed for the remaining 3 pages of the 4 page article which was worth clicking through the pop-ups to read.


After the movie, we had blueberry pie with papaya ice cream. Yum.



Papaya Ice Cream

1 pint heavy cream
1 pint half&half
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pureed papaya
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

Mix all ingredients except the papaya and cornstarch slurry in a saucepan and heat, stirring regularly, to 170 degrees. Mix in cornstarch slurry just before removing from heat. Mix in papaya when cooled and refrigerate overnight. Into your favorite ice cream maker the following day and allow to ripen at least for a little while in the freezer before serving.

E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Contains Milk

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels


Here is a young Brooke who is a little bit nervous when having her picture taken with Julia.

Lunch at the Pru

Baked Beans

This dish has been a summer favorite for years. This recipe makes a good sized batch; enough for a party or enough to ensure lots of leftovers for the refrigerator. Heat leftover beans in a saucepan with a little water or chicken stock.

Ingredients

2 Qt chicken stock
1 pound bacon, diced
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 cup sugar syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
18 oz strained tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1/3 cup yellow mustard
kosher salt
2-3 bay leaves



Good ole' Oscar Mayer Bacon, diced, goes into a large pot to start this recipe. I like to dice the bacon with a cleaver on a plastic cutting board which goes right into the dishwasher afterward. Render the bacon stirring frequently until crispy. Add the diced onion and season. Add the beans and garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add remaining ingredients except the chicken stock and bay leaves and mix well.
Add 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour stirring occasionally and adding remaining chicken stock as needed. Beans should be covered with liquid throughout cooking. Add more chicken stock or water if necessary until the beans are tender, but firm. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Mmmmmmm. Bacon.

Don't forget to check those beans for pebbles, bad beans, etc., before they go into the pot. I have picked all sorts of stuff out of the dried beans.

Don't forget to take out the bay leaves. Bay leaves add wonderful flavor but they are not edible.

Grilled chicken cutlets served with rice and BrookeOK Baked Beans. A small bowl of liquid from the beans made a nice glaze for the chicken on the grill.

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh



Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Chicken Cutlets

Chicken cutlets with baked potatoes.

Unless you are a fan of microwaved potatoes, this dish combines slow cooking baked potatoes with fast cooking chicken cutlets leaving plenty of time in the middle for garnish, salad and perhaps, dessert. The potatoes can also be cooked ahead of time for a convenient side.

Notes:

Everything is better with scallions.
The best potatoes are Maine potatoes.

A new KlubUni is coming soon.

Who wants to eat?

Pizza done right

Twenty or thirty seconds in the microwave removes much of the grease from pepperoni slices.
Thank you to Cook's Illustrated for the tip.


Dough from Capone Foods "00" pizza flour with sauce made from milled Roma tomatoes. A little salt and fresh oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary or some Penzey's Italian Herb Mix adds authentic flavor. Rao's tomatoes are the best canned tomatoes. Fresh mozzarella is topped with a sautéd mixture of mushrooms, shallots and minced Small Farm garlic. Pepperoni and Canadian Bacon or ham are last to go on before the pizza goes into a hot oven.

A Birthday Request for Alton's Fried Chicken

GB&D

We stayed pretty close to Alton Brown's Fried Chicken recipe mixing paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt with the flour to dredge the chicken before frying in organic non-hydrogenated all vegetable shortening at 325 degrees F.

Doesn't take long and it beats the heck out of KFC.