Sunday, October 11, 2009

Good, Better, Best!


-Good= Whip It! Now, if you thought Kitty Pride and Juno Maguff were tough then you haven't met Bliss Cavender. Just a small town girl, living in her lonely world, she took the midnight train (or station wagon) to Austin, TX to flex her woman guns in the Texas Roller Derby. Big deal, you say? Well, answer me this... have you ever seen an actual derby? Unles your from the pan-handle then the answer is probably no... i feel sorry for you. They should sell depends at the door with the way these women intimidate the crap out of you (literally). Hollywood has ruined a sport via film before (thank you Semi-Pro) but this one definitely did the derby some justice. Keeping the girls tough and feminine simultaneously. Not to mention a stellar cast. Please allow me to drop some names: Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore (who also directs) and Juliette Lewis just to name a few. May be a bit female heavy... but this is no Waiting to Exhale. There is plenty of Testosterone to go around. Not to mention the message is one that really hits home for a lot of people. How many of us have felt trapped in a cage waiting for inspiration to get out? How many of us want to just "Be our own hero"? (*raises hand)

-Better= Zombieland keeps the testosterone flowing with a comedy that will also leave you a little startled. Granted, this bad boy was no Shaun of the Dead, but how many movies can say they are? I mean... other than Shaun of the Dead. Anyway, Woody Harrelson is indeed a natural born killer once again pumping out enough man juice to make Angela Landsbury want to pick up an Uzi and blow the head off a flesh eating zombie. Couple that with the comedic delivery of Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) and you have a recipe for an awesome movie-cake. And, lest we forget, our own Little Miss Sunshine Abigail Breslin who is proving time and time again that she will not only tug at your heartstrings but also wail in the Air Guitar of awesome! There is also one of the best cameos ever, but you have to see the movie to figure out that one. Speaking of Cameos... i have never left a movie theater wanting a twinkie more. Again... another reason to see the movie, and another idea for the most awesome pancake yet. While there were a couple times where the story gets a bit 'zombie movie commonplace' and there are also some scenes where Eisenberg makes me want to blow my own head off (THERE IS ONLY ONE MICHAEL CERA SIR... I APOLOGIZE!) this movie is still a must see for both the die hard and the occasional zombie fan.


Best!- GUESS WHO IS OUT OF THE PANCAKE RUT?! No.... not Alton Brown, seriously??? Bobby Flay?!?! You think Flay? I have finally cracked the matrix of making a vegan pancake that not only has a good amount of nutrition.... but is also tender and light. However, note that these will strick to your ribs.. I had the last batch about 4 hours ago and I am still feeling them. The trick is All.Purpose.Flour. Thats right... Regular old flour that i know you have a bag lurking in the pantry right now. See, ironically, while Whole Wheat flours are much healthier and are good for those seeking to keep a trim figure... they do go far in terms of keeping the pancake heavy (IRONIC!). Thus... no matter the level of aking powder the pancakes would come out dense and heavy. Now, this is not a bad thing at all... in fact i kind of like the Lumberjack sensation of wolfing down some flapjacks before work... but there are some times where Gelato is better than fro-yo and a muffin is better than a cookie. What am i saying? There is a time and a place for everything, yeah that's it. Now, dont get me wrong... there is no need to go balls to the wall when it comes to AP flour (i do still agree that it is almost totally devoid of all nutritional value). But, adding a bit to the batter (about 2 tbsp per 1/4C Whole Wheat Flour) will keep the batter from getting too heavy and results in the kin of panckes we remember Grandma making at 7am on christmas morning.


What was done with this new information/experiementation? Well, i give you....

Chicken Pot Pancakes!

A savory blend of Whole Wheat and All Purpose Flour bursting with the flavor of Black Pepper and swanson broth (who saw that one coming). These offerings are perfect for the savory breakfast and the perfect go-to dinner. Whether the diner hails from the Bible Belt or the 13 original colonies... they are sure to make these a new favorite.

Well, there you have it. Also be sure to check out the Rachel Ray show tomorrow morning as she tried to take the "Cake-Master" title. My apologies Rach... but your kung fu is not strong. Until next time, this is Panclayke reminding you that pancakes are, indeed, a little better when they are a bit refined (flour, that is.)

2 comments:

  1. You are a genius!
    I've been craving some pot pie like crazy lately, it must be the cooler weather. And honestly, most baked things you purchase or buy at restaurants, even when "whole wheat" will be a mixture of grains because you do have to compromise texture and taste when doing all whole wheat. And don't get too caught up in hype that white flour is totally DEVOID of nutrition. It's not, it still has all the healthy energy, vitamins, minerals, b-12's and whatever else grains are supposed to have, it just has less fiber, which unless you have a problem in that area (tmi?) is not a big deal.

    I recently saw both of those movies too, I had high hopes for whip it and was a bit dissapointed although it really made me want to roller skate and Ellen Page is adorable. And I thought I was going to hate zombieland but the boys I hang out with made me watch it and the story was actually quite funny once I got past the gory grossness.

    I hope you are doing well my darling Clay and have a wonderful week! :*

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  2. Believe it or not, I actually have no AP flour in my pantry. When I want to keep things light (which is almost always, I'm sick of WW flour), I use spelt flour. <3 it!

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