Life in our household has been humming along without much to speak of. Work. Dinner. Sleep. Swim workout. Clean the house. (*Repeat cycle.) Well, a little bit more than that, but you get the idea.
So, since there's nothing too inspiring to share, I thought I'd just share a few recommendations: 2 movies and 1 recipe.
I rarely feel strongly enough about a movie that I would post it here, but our last 2 Netflix picks have been winners. The strange thing is that both choices did not receive a lot of hype when they were in theaters. In fact, I don't think either of them was in the theater for very long. So, here goes on my movie reviews.
Movie #1 - Amazing Grace
Synopsis: This movie chronicles the life of William Wilberforce, a member of the English parliament in the late 1700s/early 1800s. He converted to Christianity as a young MP, and in light of his newfound faith and convictions, he dedicates his political lifework to the abolition of the British slave trade. His efforts required persistence because he was opposed by the vase majority of MPs, at least initially. His mentor was John Newton, the former captain of a British slave ship, who in repentance and remorse for his vile occupation, wrote the hymn Amazing Grace (hence, the title of the movie).
My thoughts on this movie: This was a really well made, interesting and insightful movie about a man who made an incredible impact on our world. What would our world look like without the work of William Wilberforce to abolish slavery? One person can certainly make a huge difference.
Movie #2: Fracture
Synopsis: A psychological thriller about a brilliant engineer (Anthony Hopkins) who murders his wife after discovering that she is having an affair. Not only does he blatantly commit the crime, but he weaves together an intricate plan to exploit legal loopholes (such as the presumption of innocence, the requirement for the state to prove the element of the crime with EVIDENCE, exclusion of evidence obtained from over-zealous police tactics -- ya know...loopholes) (**Erica says: Thanks, Andrew, for that legal color) in order to remain a free man. It echoes Hopkins' insane genius role from Silence of the Lambs, but minus the creepy serial killer/cannibal part. His opponent in the court room is a plucky young hot shot in the DAs office looking to cash in by moving to a big law firm where he'll be a very small cog. Needless to say, he can't resist the temptation to try to take down this madman. Will the DA be able to convict this mastermind?
My thoughts on this movie: This movie is rated R (for the murder scene), but was mostly a courtroom thriller otherwise, so it was relatively clean. I liked this movie because it keeps you guessing.
Recipe Recommendation
My third recommendation is a recipe that I tried from the January issue of Cooking Light (thanks Katie & Kevin, I'm really enjoying the magazine). This recipe is a twist on the classic French potato leek soup. It is easy to make, delicious, and perfect for a cold winter day.
Golden Winter Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (I used 1 1/2 bags of frozen pre-cubed butternut squash to avoid all of the chopping)
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half (I used 2% milk to make it more healthy)
12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
3 tablespoons chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile, arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with gruyere cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
Yield
8 servings
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 329(30% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 6.2g,mono 3g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 12.8g; CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 217mg; SODIUM 813mg; FIBER 4.8g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.7g
As to our mental health, you can judge for yourselves. As for our physical health, that's another story. Yesterday, Andrew and I participated in the 2008 United States Master's Swimming "One Hour Postal Swim". In this event swimmers see how far they can swim in 1 hour, while a teammate logs their distance and lap splits. Essentially, we swam for a whole hour without stopping. I had imagined that I'd be about ready to hurl on the pooldeck at the end of a non-stop hour, but surprisingly, it was a really fun, relaxing (now you think I am postal), and invigorating swim.
