Monday, May 28, 2012

Naan of Your Buisness

Hey everyone! I've discovered a new recipe that my family and I enjoy. It's Naan! Naan originates in Central, east and southern Asia. I first tried it in an Indian restaurant in Greenwich, CT. That  was a few years ago and I forgot about it for a few years; until, I roasted lamb a couple weeks ago and thought it would be a lovely accompaniment to the meal. I know I certainly enjoyed it. I thought I'd share the recipe with you all. This recipe is courtesy of All Recipes.com. Happy Memorial Day!


















Ingredients
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
  2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  3. During the second rising, preheat grill, pan or griddle to high heat.
  4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill, pan or griddle . Place dough on grill, pan or griddle , and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, pan or griddle and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

First, I hope I'm not the only one who knows where the title of this post comes from, otherwise, it will make no sense. Second, because I've been busy I forgot to post the pictures of some children I get to babysit quite often. Enjoy!





Friday, May 18, 2012

Movie Melodies

     Hey everyone! I'm sorry, I know I've said this repeatedly, but life is so very busy. I will try to post as consistently as my schedule will allow. As some of you know, I was blessed with opportunity to attend the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival as well as the adjoining Academy. I truly enjoyed both and would highly recommend attending both if you are given the opportunity.      I thought for fun that I would post a few of my very favorite film scores. I've always had a love of music and though I my experience is limited with composing music the time I spent studying it have helped me to appreciate music all the more. One thing I enjoy about listening to film scores is picking out the main theme or themes and hearing how the composer elaborates on that theme. The theme, and how it is elaborated on, can tell you everything about the movie with you ever having to see it.
     The score for a movie can give life to a movie in a way that is often taken for granted. I encourage you to watch one of your favorite movies with the sound off and with subtitles. It's an interesting study if you've never tried it. There is only one movie I know of  that was intentional written without music; The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. I found it an interesting movie to study, but I'm not suggesting you see this movie without first doing research on it or asking a person who would trust to give you a thorough, biblical  review of this movie to help you deem whether or not it would be wise for you to watch.
     Below are few of my favorite selected pieces from film score or score suites. I'd love to know which are your favorites and if you have any suggestions for film scores that you think I should hear. Warning: I have not seen all of the movies which theses scores come from and, so, I cannot vouch for their content. I have seen several of these movies, but I am not promoting them as movies that I would recommend. I picked these soundtracks for their musical merit.


One of my all time favorites: The Pacific Suite by Hans Zimmer (one of my favorite film score composers)



And of course you can leave out Indian Jones (the theme of the suite) by John Williams


Braveheart Suite by James Horner (another of my favorite film score composers)




Stardust Suite (I adore the theme of this suite it makes me want to go on an adventure) by  Ilan Eshkeri


How to Train Your Dragon: Romantic Flight by John Powell


And just for fun Up: Carl Goes Up by Michael Giacchino ( this is a movie I would recommend, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, though there a few segments of film I could have done without. Again seek counsel on this movie from other sources, don't just "take my word on it".)