hillary, tori and i just got home from the midnight eclipse premiere! i didn't watch any trailers for the movie, so i was glad tonight FINALLY arrived!!
we went to the theater pretty early and were happy to be first in line for our theater. while we were waiting there was a sneak peek showing of the last airbender and one of the managers let us go in for a couple of minutes and watch "as long as you just kinda stand on the side and don't sit down." it looked really awesome! we are going to the midnight premiere of it tomorrow night and we're really excited about it. (if you're confused as to why we took an interest in this movie, jackson rathbone is in it. and we're going to the premiere because it's my birthday week!)
a new harry potter trailer came out yesterday, but i didn't watch it because i just knew they would show it before eclipse. getting to watch it on the big screen was AH-MAZING!!!!!!!!!!! i was leaning on the edge of my seat and had goosebumps the entire time.
was anybody else kinda confused as to whether the movie had started or it was another preview? for a split second i wondered but then recognized riley and after a couple of seconds understood what was going on. just wondering.
on to the good stuff!!
LIKES
1. either i'm used to watching kristen stewart play bella, or she learned how to act.
2. the hair and make-up looked much better! except esme's hair was a bit dark.
3. the cullens were so present and active throughout the entire movie, which was wonderful after they were absent for most of new moon.
4. i loved all of the music throughout the entire movie, which for me was a first out of the 3 twilight films. (the song at the end of twilight doesn't fit to me and in new moon the music that plays after bella gets her paper cut and jasper freaks out is horrid)
5. we got to see jasper in his element!!! a texan accent, longer hair, a soldier's uniform and newborns to kill did him good.
6. there were a lot of lines straight from the book, which i'm always a fan of.
7. the short second life of bree tanner added a lot to the parts of the movie that showed riley and the newborns.
8. the battle scene was FREEKIN AWESOME!! better than i expected, and i was expecting it to be really cool. emmett headbutted somebody!
9. bella and edward are getting married! congratulashayla you guys!
10. rosalie told bella why she hates her - turns out it's just envy.
11. once again, anna kendrick did a great job! she really makes you want more jessica, which i think would be unheard of had anybody else played her.
12. the movie started and ended with edward and bella in the meadow. my favorite quote from the new moon premiere night was dabney saying "are they gonna lay in the grass and look at each other again?"
13. the guy sitting next to the girl that was beside me really cracked me up. he had a great laugh, which was often set off by the junior high girls, but he also laughed at jacob being such a bonehead and edward being so dramatic. when bella told edward "yes" in his bedroom all the girls went "AWWWW!!!!" and he kind of held back a giggle and then busted out laughing. this got me going so hard i was leaning over and had tears in my eyes. (all of the laughter i speak of was done quietly)
DISLIKES
1. i did not care for the junior high girls that screamed and went crazy every time taylor was on the screen.
2. i did not care for the parts with jacob, but they were unavoidable.
3. i don't really like it when they take a line straight from the book but have a different character deliver it in the movie. i think it's a pointless change.
4. i would have loved to see the part where bella decides to elope with edward and alice lays a guilt trip on her about planning the wedding.
5. my bitterness toward summit for firing rachelle was renewed. bryce did ok, but she's not nearly bad a enough to be vicoria. she could have easily played esme and would've looked much more the part. (not that i want her to)
6. when bella and jacob said goodbye and she said "until my heart stops beating" and he said "maybe after that." NO.
7. the werewolves and vampires uniting to fight at the graduation party could've been a bit more true to the book.
definitely my favorite so far! if only we could skip the next few months of waiting for it to come out on dvd!
-meghan
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
magic in the kitchen with meghan
i've been in alabama the past few days (hillary had to come home for a wedding, and plus it was father's day) and vicki and i have done a good bit of cooking. we made A LOT of tasty stuff, and a few things were too good not to share.
my first favorite new dish we made was asparagus casserole. we saw the neelys make this on their show one day and cooked it the following day! i loved it and it lead me to a new discovery - panko bread crumbs!! i'll be using these from now on instead of regular bread crumbs or crackers. these bread crumbs are so good because they are extra crunchy, and to me that means extra delicious! the neelys mixed them with some melted butter and paprika, which gave them a really good color and a touch of flavor.
another favorite was blueberry bread pudding that we found in this cooking magazine. for some reason i've always thought bread pudding would be such a fuss to make, but it was really very simple, and if i may say so myself, it looked very impressive. it's not exactly what you would call healthy, but it's so sweet and filling that a little bit goes a long way and i can't imagine eating very much of it in one sitting. the next time i make it i plan to add some lemon zest and juice to the pudding and use less of the white chocolate in the pudding.
pudding:
3 eggs
4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh (recommended) or frozen blueberries
1 pkg. (10 to 12 oz.) white baking chips
1 loaf (1 lb.) french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
sauce:
1 package (10 to 12 oz.) white baking chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. stir in blueberries and baking chips. stir in bread cubes; let stand for 15 minutes or until bread is softened. (ours sat for a couple of hours)
transfer to a greased 13X9 baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.
for sauce, place baking chips in a small bowl. in a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil pour over baking chips; whisk until smooth. serve in side dish.
since we were in a cooking mood, the vickster and i thought it would be a good idea to make a couple of things that hillary, tori and i could freeze and take back to nashville with us. we're leaving tomorrow and i just got around to cooking our take-home dinners! i've got one in the oven right now that i'm sure will be great, but the one i just finished making is so very scrum-didley-umptious!!! it's called baked mostaccioli and the recipe came from this cookbook. i made a couple of substitions in this one. we used whole wheat penne and ground beef instead of the first two ingredients the recipe called for. i also omitted the onion and added a can of cream of mushroom soup. this dish became a favorite when A. i didn't miss the garlic i wanted to add to it B. i didn't miss the extra cheese i wanted to add and C. i didn't have to salt it on my plate.
8 oz. uncooked mostaccioli
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (i used italian)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups (16 oz) fat-free cottage cheese
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 cups (6 oz)shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cook the mostaccioli according to package directions. (i undercooked mine since it goes in the oven for a while) meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water (i used pasta water), oregano, salt and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
drain pasta. in a small bowl combine cottage cheese and marjoram; set aside. (i did this in the container the cottage cheese came in)
spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into an 11X7 baking dish coated with cooking spray. layer with half of the pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. top with cottage cheese mixture. layer with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
since i really feel like i'm on a cooking show right now, i'm going to share a few tips/facts about what goes on my kitchen:
1. whenever browning ground meat i almost always put some worcestershire sauce on it, mainly because i like the way it tastes, it gives the meat some flavor, and i like saying the word "worcestershire". my old roomie megan taught me how to say it and everytime i use it i hear her telling me "imagine an old black man saying 'what's-dis-here-sauce?' and you'll be able to say it."
2. i put cream of mushroom soup in my spaghetti sauce so the tomato sauce won't taste so much like...well, tomatoes. that's a trick i got from my aunt becky, who makes fantabulous spaghetti.
3. the best way to serve casseroles is with an old fashioned ice cream scoop - the kind with the bar that scrapes across the scoop to get all of the food out. this makes it easy to portion it out, doesn't make a mess traveling across the table to plates and keeps the casserole looking presentable (for when you're trying to impress company).
4. if you like spicy food then you need to try mccormick chipotle chili pepper powder on anything.
that's all for now! i'm off to clean up the kitchen, the downfall of my love for cooking.
-meghan
my first favorite new dish we made was asparagus casserole. we saw the neelys make this on their show one day and cooked it the following day! i loved it and it lead me to a new discovery - panko bread crumbs!! i'll be using these from now on instead of regular bread crumbs or crackers. these bread crumbs are so good because they are extra crunchy, and to me that means extra delicious! the neelys mixed them with some melted butter and paprika, which gave them a really good color and a touch of flavor.
another favorite was blueberry bread pudding that we found in this cooking magazine. for some reason i've always thought bread pudding would be such a fuss to make, but it was really very simple, and if i may say so myself, it looked very impressive. it's not exactly what you would call healthy, but it's so sweet and filling that a little bit goes a long way and i can't imagine eating very much of it in one sitting. the next time i make it i plan to add some lemon zest and juice to the pudding and use less of the white chocolate in the pudding.
pudding:
3 eggs
4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh (recommended) or frozen blueberries
1 pkg. (10 to 12 oz.) white baking chips
1 loaf (1 lb.) french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
sauce:
1 package (10 to 12 oz.) white baking chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. stir in blueberries and baking chips. stir in bread cubes; let stand for 15 minutes or until bread is softened. (ours sat for a couple of hours)
transfer to a greased 13X9 baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.
for sauce, place baking chips in a small bowl. in a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil pour over baking chips; whisk until smooth. serve in side dish.
since we were in a cooking mood, the vickster and i thought it would be a good idea to make a couple of things that hillary, tori and i could freeze and take back to nashville with us. we're leaving tomorrow and i just got around to cooking our take-home dinners! i've got one in the oven right now that i'm sure will be great, but the one i just finished making is so very scrum-didley-umptious!!! it's called baked mostaccioli and the recipe came from this cookbook. i made a couple of substitions in this one. we used whole wheat penne and ground beef instead of the first two ingredients the recipe called for. i also omitted the onion and added a can of cream of mushroom soup. this dish became a favorite when A. i didn't miss the garlic i wanted to add to it B. i didn't miss the extra cheese i wanted to add and C. i didn't have to salt it on my plate.
8 oz. uncooked mostaccioli
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (i used italian)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups (16 oz) fat-free cottage cheese
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 cups (6 oz)shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cook the mostaccioli according to package directions. (i undercooked mine since it goes in the oven for a while) meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water (i used pasta water), oregano, salt and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
drain pasta. in a small bowl combine cottage cheese and marjoram; set aside. (i did this in the container the cottage cheese came in)
spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into an 11X7 baking dish coated with cooking spray. layer with half of the pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. top with cottage cheese mixture. layer with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
since i really feel like i'm on a cooking show right now, i'm going to share a few tips/facts about what goes on my kitchen:
1. whenever browning ground meat i almost always put some worcestershire sauce on it, mainly because i like the way it tastes, it gives the meat some flavor, and i like saying the word "worcestershire". my old roomie megan taught me how to say it and everytime i use it i hear her telling me "imagine an old black man saying 'what's-dis-here-sauce?' and you'll be able to say it."
2. i put cream of mushroom soup in my spaghetti sauce so the tomato sauce won't taste so much like...well, tomatoes. that's a trick i got from my aunt becky, who makes fantabulous spaghetti.
3. the best way to serve casseroles is with an old fashioned ice cream scoop - the kind with the bar that scrapes across the scoop to get all of the food out. this makes it easy to portion it out, doesn't make a mess traveling across the table to plates and keeps the casserole looking presentable (for when you're trying to impress company).
4. if you like spicy food then you need to try mccormick chipotle chili pepper powder on anything.
that's all for now! i'm off to clean up the kitchen, the downfall of my love for cooking.
-meghan
Sunday, June 20, 2010
joe bill
if you haven't met my dad before, it's really too bad for you, because he is a stinking hoot. one of my favorite stories for him to tell is where my name came from, and to this day nobody but him knows if it's actually true or if he made it up.
i was born at 12:45 AM on july 2. my parents didn't have a name picked out for me yet, and all my mom knows is that my dad walked into her hospital room a couple of hours after i was born and said "what about meghan murray?" murray is my grandmother's maiden name, but where he would have come up with meghan, she has no idea. however, here is the story you'll hear from good ol joe bill should you get to hear him tell it. he'll talk about how he was standing at the window of the nursery at the hospital looking at me when a tiny little cleaning lady walked by and started talking to him. she asked which little one belonged to him, and she replied "oh, she's so pretty, name her meghan!" when he pointed at me. then she started asking him about family names to peg down the middle name. "what's your wife's name? what's her maiden name? what's your wife's mother's name? and her maiden name?" the last question was what she was looking for. when he said "murray" the precious little cleaning lady replied "that's it, meghan murray. name her that."
whether it's real or made up, it's quite an entertaining story. he's a funny guy, and he passed on a good dose of his sense of humor to me. i also inherited the ability to belt out a monstrous burp, something which my mom is less than pleased with. joe bill can tell stories til the cows come home, but one thing i've never had to wonder about was whether he loved me or not. he is very self sacrificing, and should i marry that is a quality that i hope i see in my husband.
i love you daddy, happy father's day!!
-meghan
i was born at 12:45 AM on july 2. my parents didn't have a name picked out for me yet, and all my mom knows is that my dad walked into her hospital room a couple of hours after i was born and said "what about meghan murray?" murray is my grandmother's maiden name, but where he would have come up with meghan, she has no idea. however, here is the story you'll hear from good ol joe bill should you get to hear him tell it. he'll talk about how he was standing at the window of the nursery at the hospital looking at me when a tiny little cleaning lady walked by and started talking to him. she asked which little one belonged to him, and she replied "oh, she's so pretty, name her meghan!" when he pointed at me. then she started asking him about family names to peg down the middle name. "what's your wife's name? what's her maiden name? what's your wife's mother's name? and her maiden name?" the last question was what she was looking for. when he said "murray" the precious little cleaning lady replied "that's it, meghan murray. name her that."
whether it's real or made up, it's quite an entertaining story. he's a funny guy, and he passed on a good dose of his sense of humor to me. i also inherited the ability to belt out a monstrous burp, something which my mom is less than pleased with. joe bill can tell stories til the cows come home, but one thing i've never had to wonder about was whether he loved me or not. he is very self sacrificing, and should i marry that is a quality that i hope i see in my husband.
i love you daddy, happy father's day!!
-meghan
Friday, June 18, 2010
round it up to 30
it's almost my birthday (july 2) and i'll be turning the ripe old age of 26. i know you're just dying to get me a really cool gift, so here's a couple of ideas to help you out.
1. come visit me in nashville. my mom, her two sisters and LINDSEY(!) are coming to see me next month and i couldn't be more excited. that alone let's me know i'm going to have a happy birthday month.
2. a subscription to relevant, paste, or filter magazines.
3. amazon mp3 daily deals are a big part of my life. imagine how many $3 and $4 albums i could get with a gift card.
4. stockholm syndrome by derek webb on vinyl. this involves a bonus mp3 download of the album for you, so i highly suggest you give this one some real consideration.
5. make a donation to the university of michigan to benefit the cancer research U of M does on orphan cancers. the specific fund the link goes to was created in memory of one of my favorite musicians, spencer bell. after he abruptly passed away in 2006 of adrenal cancer his family has worked relentlessly alongside many others to find a cure.
i'm VERY excited about my first birthday in nashville!! and as if it's not already fun enough with my family coming right after, eclipse comes out a couple of days before!! it will be a very happy birthday to me!!
-meghan
1. come visit me in nashville. my mom, her two sisters and LINDSEY(!) are coming to see me next month and i couldn't be more excited. that alone let's me know i'm going to have a happy birthday month.
2. a subscription to relevant, paste, or filter magazines.
3. amazon mp3 daily deals are a big part of my life. imagine how many $3 and $4 albums i could get with a gift card.
4. stockholm syndrome by derek webb on vinyl. this involves a bonus mp3 download of the album for you, so i highly suggest you give this one some real consideration.
5. make a donation to the university of michigan to benefit the cancer research U of M does on orphan cancers. the specific fund the link goes to was created in memory of one of my favorite musicians, spencer bell. after he abruptly passed away in 2006 of adrenal cancer his family has worked relentlessly alongside many others to find a cure.
i'm VERY excited about my first birthday in nashville!! and as if it's not already fun enough with my family coming right after, eclipse comes out a couple of days before!! it will be a very happy birthday to me!!
-meghan
Monday, June 7, 2010
sandra mccracken
life in nashville is wonderful!! we are working hard at getting our apartment set up and box free. i am scouting craigslist in hopes that i will find a wonderful family that needs a nanny. our apartment complex is awesome, there are kids everywhere!!
oh yeah, and while we were driving around town today we saw sandra mccracken!! her and her husband, derek webb, are two of my favorite musicians and it was very exciting to see one of them during our first outing!! i thought it fitting that my music monday be about her. if you haven't heard her before, you've really been missing out.
here is sandra performing the title track from her new album "In Feast Or Fallow".
i could go on and on (and on) about her, but instead i'm going to go unpack the kitchen. happy monday everybody!!
-meghan
oh yeah, and while we were driving around town today we saw sandra mccracken!! her and her husband, derek webb, are two of my favorite musicians and it was very exciting to see one of them during our first outing!! i thought it fitting that my music monday be about her. if you haven't heard her before, you've really been missing out.
here is sandra performing the title track from her new album "In Feast Or Fallow".
i could go on and on (and on) about her, but instead i'm going to go unpack the kitchen. happy monday everybody!!
-meghan
Friday, June 4, 2010
nashvillain
today is moving day! imagine me as ross, and maybe you can get some sense of my excitement.
-meghan
-meghan
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
fearful
hillary, tori and i had fun naming our fears tonight. funnily enough, we couldn't find a name for what started the whole ordeal - my fear of aquariums/large fish tanks. i'm okay with being in water, but i don't swim under it, i don't like to stand close to the big fish tanks at the zoo, and the thought of walking through a water tunnel makes my palms sweat.
not all of these are full blown phobias, but they all rang a bell with me:
hydrophobia - fear of water
nyctophobia - fear of the dark or night
phobophobia - fear of fear
phigerophobia - fear of choking
dystichiphobia - fear of accidents
some of the ones that i'm happy i don't have:
geliophobia - fear of laughter
helminthophobia - fear of being infested with worms
panphobia – fear of everything
melophobia - fear of music
jackson rathbone was recently in a movie called "dread" where his character, stephen, and some friends made a documentary about asking people what they were afraid of. being that it was a horror movie, of course everything that they feared the most started happening to them. i don't like scary movies, so i didn't watch it, but i did skip through the whole thing to the credits to hear a song by one of my favorite bands, the stevedores. getting to hear "fearful" play and seeing the guys' names was very exciting!!
here's a video of spencer, ben, jake, adam and shawn performing "fearful."
-meghan
not all of these are full blown phobias, but they all rang a bell with me:
hydrophobia - fear of water
nyctophobia - fear of the dark or night
phobophobia - fear of fear
phigerophobia - fear of choking
dystichiphobia - fear of accidents
some of the ones that i'm happy i don't have:
geliophobia - fear of laughter
helminthophobia - fear of being infested with worms
panphobia – fear of everything
melophobia - fear of music
jackson rathbone was recently in a movie called "dread" where his character, stephen, and some friends made a documentary about asking people what they were afraid of. being that it was a horror movie, of course everything that they feared the most started happening to them. i don't like scary movies, so i didn't watch it, but i did skip through the whole thing to the credits to hear a song by one of my favorite bands, the stevedores. getting to hear "fearful" play and seeing the guys' names was very exciting!!
here's a video of spencer, ben, jake, adam and shawn performing "fearful."
-meghan
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