Octoberfilmfest – VIFF

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF ) is in full swing until October 11th. I just saw two amazing Special Presentations.

Just Mercy

starring Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan & Brie Larsen

This is a true and thought provoking story about young Harvard graduate lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history making battle for justice in Alabama working with death row inmates at a time where the legal system was hell bent on not following the truth. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillan (Jamie Foxx) with a disturbing no mercy glance at how corrupt and unfair the people in power were at keeping an innocent man behind bars for a murder he did not commit. Powerful performances in this discriminating story of people and prejudice. Intense.

Motherless Brooklyn

starring Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe

This is an Incredible film set in the 1950’s written, produced and directed by Edward Norton who is also the main star. With outstanding performances from the whole cast and twists and turns at every corner, it is surely a worthy Oscar contender.

Lionel Essrog (Norton) is a private detective with an annoying infliction to his character. Although his mind is quick and his memory impeccable, he suffers from tourette syndrome which makes him twitch and say inappropriate things and act obsessively so he’s always apologizing for his behavior. At times it is quite funny and Norton carries this off in a superbly endearing manner. Lionel sets out to solve the crime of who murdered his boss and best friend P.I. Frank Minna (played by Bruce Willis) who pulled him out of an orphanage at six years of age. While trying hard to solve the mystery he deals with thugs and corruption at almost every turn.

The trail leads to Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin), a ruthless construction magnate with deep ties to the mayor’s office and a suspicious prowler (Willem Dafoe) who seems to know everything about him. He follows a beautiful girl from Harlem (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) whose fight against Randolph’s “slum-clearing” operations have targeted her and he must find out the reason why.

Stay tuned for more film updates

For more information and tickets please visit:

http://viff.org/

Feel-good Friday: Film

I know Fall is in full swing when the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) starts up again and ends just before Canadian Thanksgiving.

Can’t seem to wrap my head around upcoming Thanksgiving, let alone Halloween followed by American Thanksgiving and finally Christmas and another New Year. Ok maybe I’m jumping ahead but it’s all happening way too quickly. Summer just ended and Fall began the very next day. It’s the full circle cycle. I don’t know about you, but I’m surprisingly ready to make the change to cozy sweaters. Last weekend I spent in Whistler with a hot toddy by a log fireplace after soaking in a hot tub. It was the perfect way to transition to cooler weather.

Me and my pooches on a beautiful autumn afternoon. Queen Elizabeth Park – 09/24/19 Photo: Paul LeMay

Another great way to spend a chilly afternoon or evening is by spending more time at the cinema. Film Festivals allow you the opportunity to discover unique films from around the world. The Vancouver International Film Festival is considered to be one of the world’s most prominent film festivals and one of the largest in North America. I always look forward to getting my hands on a festival guidebook and taking my time to go through it and marking off everything I want to see,

I just saw the premiere Guest of Honour by celebrated Canadian director Atom Egoyan (Ararat, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter).

I started in theater and I wanted to write plays, but I never really found an original voice as a playwright. I still write plays. I still do theater and opera, but the moment I started making films, which I have to say I started in college because the college dramatic society turned down one of my plays, and out of spite, I went to the film club and said, “Okay, I’ll make it as a movie.” But the moment I held that camera, it just felt like “Oh, this is another character. This is someone watching the drama.” It was always a character for me. I think in the really early films, it literally is the missing person. It’s the person watching. So, it’s what I feel most natural doing. – Atom Egoyan (2014).

Guest of Honour

is a psychological head spin of a story. It definitely has its twists and turns. Jim, the main character (David Thewlis) is a government food inspector who has the power to close down a family establishment at the drop of a hat. It gets interesting where in one of the scenes he’s about to give a restaurant its closing papers, however the owner (played by Egoyan’s real life wife Arsinée Khanjian) talks him out of it by inviting him to a private reception being held at the restaurant. This is where she privately requests that guests treat Jim as “Guest of Honour.”

David Thewlis in *Guestof Honour* – **Opening Gala** Movie (VIFF)

It gets a little uncomfortable whereby after several glasses of wine he rattles on about some upsetting personal matters. Matters that include discussing his talented composer daughter Veronica (Laysla De Oliviera) who is incarcerated for a crime she didn’t commit yet insists she deserves to remain in prison for.

If I could sum up this movie in as few words as possible it would be a”beautifully, complicated, dysfunctional drama.” The best possible kind.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit:

https://viff.org/

Food + Drink

Food: Homemade Thai Yellow Curry

Fall calls for making a transition in cooking. Going from lighter foods to more hearty and healthy meals. The barbeque gets exchanged for the oven, slow-cooker and stove top. After a long break I recently got the urge to make curries again.

There is supposedly an art to making curry, however it’s really pretty easy to make a wonderful curry from scratch. Once you follow a basic recipe you can tweak it to your own liking. A little bit more of this and a little less of that. A few years ago I made Red, Green and Yellow curry pastes – the base for all Thai curries. Then I ended up freezing them in 3 Tablespoon increments and thawing to use when the urge struck. I find 3 Tablespoons is enough for a medium spice.

Image: d. king – blending the paste ingredients

Of the three, yellow is my favorite. Yellow curry paste differs from the others not only in color but also ingredients. It has ginger instead of the stronger galangal. It also has cinnamon, more coriander, turmeric and curry powder. When the dish is served, it is not garnished with kaffir lime leaves but with crispy fried shallots (optional). You can also use parsley or cilantro.

Image: d. king – tofu with added snow peas. I gently fried with added turmeric + a little black pepper.

Image: d. king – the paste being added to pan

This paste is enough for about 4 dishes (depending on how much heat you can handle – more is more) of beef, chicken, fish or veggies. This recipe comes courtesy of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Bangkok – tweaked by me of course.

Ingredients:

7 dried hot red chilies (long ones of the cayenne variety). You can find them everywhere now.

1 cup chopped shallots

1 Tablespoon *fresh lemongrass that has been thinly sliced, crosswise.

10 small or 5 large garlic cloves, chopped

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

½ teaspoon white pepper powder

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

½ teaspoon ground Cumin

1 teaspoon ground Coriander

½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground Turmeric

Original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon shrimp paste (or 3 anchovies from a can, chopped). I omitted this because I couldn’t stand the smell. It was still excellent nonetheless.

Assembly:

Soak the chilies in 5 Tablespoons of hot water for 1 to 2 hours (or; if pressed for time, put in the microwave for 2 minutes and then let them sit for 20 to 30 minutes).

Combine chilies together with their soaking liquid, into a food processor or a blender along with all remaining ingredients in the order listed above. Blend, pushing down with a rubber spatula as many times as necessary, until you have a smooth paste.

What you do not use immediately should be refrigerated or frozen and labeled.

For the Main Course:

14-once can coconut milk, left undisturbed for at least 3 hours.

2 Tablespoons peanut oil

3-5 Tablespoons (remember – 3 is medium heat) of curry paste

1 Tablespoon fish sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon thick Tamarind paste

1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Carefully open the can of coconut milk, without disturbing it too much and remove 4 Tablespoons of the thick cream that will have accumulated at the top. Stir the remaining contents of the can well and set aside.

Pour the oil into a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, add the coconut cream and the curry paste. Stir and fry until the oil separates and the paste is lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low. Add the fish sauce, tamarind paste, sugar, the reserved coconut milk, and 2 Tablespoons of water. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste for balance of flavors, adding more fish sauce, sugar, or tamarind paste if needed.

Add your already cooked chicken, beef or **vegetables to the pan and gently heat through for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with the crispy fried shallots and torn up basil leaves. You can add chopped cashews too.

*To make it easier a lot of Asians now suggest using frozen lemongrass (Yes; it’s perfectly fine). You buy it in a chunk and break off only what you need.

**For this recipe I used extra-firm tofu which I first sautéed on its own. I crisped up shallots in another frypan. The veggies were first oven roasted and then added to the pan at the end along with the tofu. Served over jasmine rice, it was superb.

***I buy cumin and coriander seeds and coarsely chop them in a coffee grinder.

If you make it let me know what you think. I know it’s a lot of chopping, etc. but totally worth the while. I’m telling you It will taste better than any store bought version on the market.

Girl Who Would be King

Monday Mood: Fall Ahead

What I’m Falling for this season:

Everything in the Fall 2019 Box of Style

Make a Statement

Fall calls for bolder jewelry like the gold plated Elisa statement necklace from DANNIJO which can dress up everything from a pair of jeans to evening wear.

JJ WINTERS Ivy leather crossbody bag in rich caramel looks great with everything from late-summer dresses to fall’s chunky knits and jackets. Crossbody bags are my go-to especially for hands-free dog walking.

Time to Make-Up

with Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer from Marc Jacobs Beauty. Insanely beautiful sheer colors that are non sticky and easily buildable to feel good on the lips. We were offered one of two choices but there’s more in the collection.

Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick in “One Mauve Time”
Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer in “Sugar High”

Fall calls for a change in skincare which for me, means going back to using a high quality serum. I love SHANI DARDEN’s Texture Reform Gentle Resurfacing Serum.

Even sensitive skin types can benefit from this gentle retinol serum. It encourages cell turnover, softens lines and reduces signs of sun damage which is especially important after the long summer months.

Time to VIFF

MOVIE MONTH begins

Looking forward to viewing some fascinating films and documentaries.

Time for COMFORT FOOD

I’m making pizza, roast chicken, pot roast, thai veggie stew, pasta dishes……and it’s only September.

What are you craving for Fall?

DESTINATIONS

Feel-good Friday: Where am I?

Recently I spent some time in a charming little town. From the following photos can you take a guess as to which city I visited?

If you look up “charming” in the dictionary, you’ll see that it not only has references to strong attraction, but to spells and magic. Sometimes you don’t have to go too far to find it.

I

Food + Drink

Grill Talk – a local recipe from a local gal

Angie Quaale is a champion for ALL things local. She is a best-selling cookbook author (“Eating Local in the Fraser Valley,” Random House 2018), a chef and an entrepreneur. Angie lives in Langley, BC and has owned Well Seasoned Gourmet Foods Inc. since 2004. Well Seasoned (in Langley, BC) is a specialty food store, cooking school and catering company with a strong focus on supporting and promoting local producers and suppliers. Her recipes are tasty, straight forward and aim to share the importance of eating local. Here’s a good one:

Mexican Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 small cooking onion, finely chopped

2 tsp Mexican chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 ripe avocado, cubed

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ a lime

Tortilla chips or taco shells

Preparation:

Preheat your BBQ to medium high, about 400F.

Create a double layer, approx. 8-inch x 8-inch tin foil pouch.

In a large bowl, combine the cubed sweet potatoes, beans & onions. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Toss to combine. Transfer the potato mixture onto the foil in an even layer. Fold the top of your tin foil pouch over the mixture and seal the edges tightly. Place on grill and cook for 18 -22 minutes until your potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the heat and carefully open the foil pouch, garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado, a generous squeeze of fresh lime, crumbled feta and serve with taco chips or warm tortillas.

Angie Quaale Tip:

This can be served as a side dish, a salad or as a filling for some killer tacos. Leave the cheese out to make the dish vegan and make extra. Transform the leftovers into a breakfast hash by adding a fried egg, guaranteed to cure even the most vicious hangover!

Angie Quaale is the 15-year owner of Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store

Girl Who Would be King

Monday Mood: Sunshine + Sunflowers

Mid-August Recap. Out and About Enjoyment.

Our friend Buchanan on a short visit all the way from Nigeria to pay his respects on the second anniversary of Don’s passing. With me (l) and Lisa (r).

My Nigerian Shirt. A gift from Buchanan made especially for me.

Enjoy the rest of your summer

Food + Drink

August: a Berry Delicious month

Thought I’d tell you about two local Foodie events taking place this month in the Fraser Valley

From Field to Table:

Celebrate our local, fresh and juicy strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in the best way possible: straight from the field!

It’s no surprise that BC berries right from the farm just taste so much better, therefore Well-Seasoned Gourmet Food Store has partnered up with traditional berry producer in the Fraser Valley, Driediger Farms, for a legendary and “berry” delicious Farm to Plate Dinner. This four-course, family style dinner will be prepared by Executive Chef Carl Sawatsky and Angie Quaale in the farm fields. Besides the food, guests will enjoy local drinks and live music. It’s going to be an evening to remember!

Details:

Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 6 PM (dinner served at 6:45 PM).

Enjoy a welcome drink, local cheese & charcuterie and one glass of beer or wine along with a delicious four-course menu prepared by Well-Seasoned Gourmet Food Store. Cost: $150 per person + GST. More BC Wine, craft beer and cider will be offered at a cash bar for guests 19+.

Buy tickets at wellseasoned.ca – HURRY, there are only 50 seats available!

Angie Quaale at the original Well Seasoned Gourmet teaching kitchen

Well-Seasoned Open House

From its humble beginnings on the Langley Bypass in 2004, Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store has not only established itself as the go-to for foodies in the Fraser Valley, but it has also gained recognition across the country for its vision, trendy food creations, and championing the support of eating local.

From the start, owner Angie Quaale’s goal was to make Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store a launch pad for small scale food producers and locally grown items. Over the last 15 years, Well Seasoned has supported hundreds of brands and even created many of its own. Now it’s time to celebrate all they have accomplished.

Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store is celebrating its 15th birthday! Join the party during the Hot August Nights Open House tasting event on Tuesday, August 13 from 6-8 PM , at the Well Seasoned store (#117-20353 64 Ave, Langley BC).

This free, giant open house is where you will sample and shop tons of delicious local products, meet with the makers, and wish Well Seasoned a happy 15th birthday. The more the merrier!

Check out the event on Facebook or visit http://www.wellseasoned.ca/happybirthday

Barbeque season is in full swing. I’ll be sharing some of Angie’s excellent recipes here on the blog in the upcoming days. Stay tuned.

Will you be participating in any local Foodie events in your area? Care to share?

beauty

beauty review: you glo girl

In the summer especially we should all be applying sunscreen.

Included in the summer box of style was a full-size bottle of glo skin beauty’s lightweight, hydrating SPF 40 face lotion. What I really like about it is exactly what it boasts…light, moisturizing and broad-spectrum protection. What more do you need? You can wear it alone as a moisturizer, not necessarily over your moisturizer, which means one less step.

Each season the box includes one skin-care and one makeup product that’s outstanding. You get to try something different with products that actually work. I love that.

Here’s what I also found out taken from their website:

Glo Skin Beauty vows never to test products on animals, allow others to test on animals on their behalf, use raw ingredients tested on animals or enter into business markets like China that require animal testing by joining *PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program and becoming a PETA approved brand.

China requires international brands that sell cosmetics in their market to test products on animals, regardless of where the cosmetics were manufactured. Cosmetics manufactured in China sold in the United States are not subject to the same requirements. In the United States, these types of tests are not required by law.

http://gloskinbeauty.com

*as opposed to “People for Eating Tasty Animals” – Mary Steenburgen’s line in the movie comedy “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” Sorry but I couldn’t resist.