Gracie’s Tried and True Treats
Gracie offers some tasty and DIYQ (do it yourself quickly) recipes for a picnic or potluck while summertime is in full swing. Grab a blanket or beach chairs and head out to your favorite spot for some sunshine or sunset viewing, or just some people watching at the park. Also delicious while on the couch enjoying some movie magic!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. each Frank’s red hot sauce,
- bleu cheese dressing &
- bleu cheese crumbles
- 2 – 9.75 oz. Canned chunk chicken breasts, drained
Mix all in baking dish. Bake 350 degrees, 30 minutes. Slip into a heated picnic pack or wrap in dish towels for your picnic basket. Serve with your choice of chips/crackers/bread. Serves 4 – 8 famished foodies.
Redneck Caviar
- 2 cans black eyed peas, drained
- 1 can white hominy, drained (or garbanzos)
- 1 c. diced tomatoes
- 1/2 c. green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 c. red onion, chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced thin
- 3 hot peppers of your choice, chopped
- 1 – 8 oz. bottle Zesty Italian dressing
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Mix together, chill 3 hours. Serve with dipping chips or as a side salad. Serves 6 – 8 hungry surfers.
Magic Chocolate Mousse
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- Pinch salt
- 3/4 cup HOT cream
Blend top 4 ingredients in blender, add hot cream, blend until chocolate is melted. Pour into paper/plastic cups, cover with plastic wrap. Chill for two hours or overnight before picnic packing. Add dollop of whipping cream before serving. Serves 2 – 4 chocoholics.
Enjoy! Comments welcome at benicialove20@gmail.com
Little Miss Sunshine
2006
Comedy/Drama
1 hr 41 min
Rated R (mostly for language)
Prime, Hulu, Max, Apple TV
Seven year old Olive (Abigail Breslin) is an aspiring beauty queen.
Her dad (Greg Kinnear) is an unsuccessful motivational speaker. Teenage brother, Dwayne (Paul Dani) has made a vow of silence until he achieves his dream of becoming a test pilot for the Airforce. Uncle Frank (Steve Carrell) was just dumped by his girlfriend and is contemplating the meaning of life. Grandpa (Alan Arkin) was recently dismissed from his retirement home for doing drugs and sleeping around. Now, he coaches Olive on her dance routine. Olive’s mom (Toni Collette) is very busy trying to hold this family together. They all pile into a VW van for an eventful 700-mile road trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach to reach the beauty pageant that Olive has her heart set on.
This is a gentle, quirky family satire about dreams, the roads to reach them and the inevitable detours and illusions along the way. So much humanity, so much reality and yet, pricelessly funny throughout. There’s a bit of pain and a bit of heartbreak…but it’s sweet and hilarious all the while. The acting is stellar, the cast is perfect. Alan Arkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor and the movie was Oscar nominated for best picture. With no special effects or bombastic action scenes, this movie will charm your socks off.
Movie Magic gives Little Miss Sunshine 4 1/2 Moons out of 5.
In memory of Alan Arkin, an incredible talent. 1934 – 2023
