Mmmmmmm

This recipe is SO good! Yum:

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage (such as hot links or Kielbasa), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2- to 16-ounce cans kidney beans
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked rice

Preparation
Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic and sauté until onion is brown, about 15 minutes. Mix in kidney beans with their juices, broth and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until flavors are blended and mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Divide cooked rice among large shallow soup bowls. Spoon bean mixture over rice and serve.

Another Look I Love

Oct2
Originally uploaded by andreaiscool

This is so super cute. Wardrobe Remix is such a wonderful inspiration.

So Romantic

I adore this outfit spotted on flickr. Its so pretty and wearable and yet kind of looks like she just stepped out of some wonderful period piece.

Readings and Watchings

Reading this book had me enthralled. All about teenagers and vampires and drama. I'm giddily awaiting my turn in getting the next one from the library - you know after the 100 people on the list in front of me finish it.

I like Nick Bantock. Loved his Griffin & Sabine books more than I can say. This one was alright. The story and the art - good but nothing stunning. What is stunning is his North African collages.

This book was so hard to put down. Its about the city where the dead live and how they relate to those still on earth - all the while a devastating plague is running rampant among the living. Fascinating story.

I'm determined to watch all the movies Cary Grant ever made. The last one I saw was Once Upon a Honeymoon starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. Its a comedy....set as part of WWII....part of it takes place in the Jewish ghettos in Poland. Not the best idea for a comedy I think.

The Giver is a really interesting children's book that seems timely to me. It points out the dangers of security when a community takes it too far. Seems fitting in our day of wire taps and terror headlines and stupidity.

I watched Note on a Scandal last night. What's not to love? Judi Dench! Cate Blanchett! A creepy suspenseful storyline! Very good movie.

Prodigal Summer was so good. Three storylines about people in a tiny appalachian community. I cracked up a few times over Garnett Walker, fell a bit in love with Lusa, and loved the descriptions of Deanna's surroundings. It made me want to live on a farm again for a brief moment - and that's pretty nutty coming from me who lurves living in a city. Very good read!

My cures for bummed-ness

Bound to work for the grown-up blues!

• Snuggle puppies (if no one you know has one, take a trip to the local shelter or pet store). Breathe in their puppy scent.
• Go sit by a playground (either outside or in a mall) and watch kids act like uncontrollable monkeys. Make bets on what they will be when they grow up.
• Get a bottle of bubbles and use them.
• Get a big box of crayons and use them.
• Happy hour with your fave girlfriends.
• Go to the racetrack and make $2 bets. Tear up tickets dramatically when you lose. Try to figure out who the spy is in the crowd. (According to movies, race tracs are the favorite meeting spots for spies and criminals).
• Watch Amelie. Or Little Miss Sunshine.
• Roll down a hill. Try not to hurt yourself - this was much easier as a child.

Hope it helps!

9 Crimes

Super oddball of a video, but suck a lovely song:

Old Fashion Glam

I watched A Letter to Three Wives a few days ago. Can I just say that Linda Darbell was insanely beautiful?! Plus its a pretty good movie.

And yesterday I watched All About Eve which I liked even better.

Love Bette Davis' dress above.

And I read The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Pure fluffy fun!