The Christmas House - Holiday Movie Musings

by Monday, November 21, 2022

I loves me some sweet gay couples in these movies, and this one delivers, at least in side characters.



Our main character is a star of a popular TV show, returning to his family home for their traditional (and final?) Christmas House celebration. They decorate like the Dickens (get it?! I made a funny!), and are known around the town as the place to be for the holidays to see lights, decor, and displays inside and out. But this year, Mom and Dad reveal they are selling their house, like…super soon. And this is the last Christmas House, forever!

Other storylines: The brother and his husband reveal they are trying to adopt. Main character reconnects with this best friend and never-was love interest from his childhood. There is magic (literally, with Chris Gaultier of Eureka fame playing a local magic shop owner) and heartache and family and joy. Can’t say I was riveted, but I was entertained. 

Oh and while I expected the Christmas House to be dressed up excessively, I was not expected for a completely different house to have every surface decorated, including FOUR Christmas trees (that I counted in the background). Who casually decorates their personal home with this intensity? Intervention time.

And I just learned that there is a Christmas House 2 that came out in 2021; and Chris Gaultier is in that, as well as a movie called Three Wise Men and a Baby which I now have to go find and watch as well, naturally.

#Hulu #HallmarkMovies

#HolidayMovieMusings

Falling for Christmas - Holiday Movie Musings

by Sunday, November 20, 2022

Falling For Christmas: AKA Overboard for Christmas, but without the moral complication of purposefully hiding the amnesiac and pressing them into laboring for you against their will.


The opening of the movie did its job. Man, I was cringing at Lohan’s character and everything she said and did. Good job making us unsympathetic to that character. But later, I was reminded all the talent Lohan still has for being gentle, funny, and charming. So yeah, it’s hard not to gawk at her plastic surgery at times, but when they soften her image and makeup, and let her play someone “real”, I was drawn right in.

Chord Overstreet (Glee) did a fine job as well. Jack Wagner continues to look like he has magically slowed aging, and fun to see Lohan’s sister Ali play a role as well.

Side comment: well played having Lindsay sing along to Jingle Bell Rock. #meangirls

#HolidayMovieMusings

Holiday Date - Holiday Movie Musings

by Saturday, November 19, 2022

Holiday Date, another Hallmark movie based on a woman who can’t bear to face her family without a man on her arm. I mean, HOW EMBARRASSING!


Female lead is Brittany Bristol, who seems to be an actress who does movies Like These. All the Hallmark, Lifetime, etc type movies. Her bio is filled with them. Male lead is Matt Cohen from Supernatural. Bonus Bruce Boxleitner (Tron) and Teryl Rothery (Stargate SG-1). 

Actor dude is convinced to go home and pose as small town girl’s boyfriend (who broke up with her less than 24 hours before Christmas. Whataguy!). Romance ensues. I liked it well enough. Check it out.





The Christmas Train - Holiday Movie Musings

by Thursday, November 17, 2022

 Holiday Movie Musings begin!!



I'm starting one week early because frankly there are so many new free available holiday movies this year. I have work ahead of me.

The Christmas Train is first, with Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Joan Cusack, and Danny Glover. This is an all-star lineup by Hallmark movie standards!

Live comments:

2017 and it shows kids sledding on the Capitol lawn in the opening credits. It's already so so old.

He is just now getting on a cross country train for a trip to California. Did no one tell him this week take FOREVER?! (Okay, three days, but his girlfriend thought he was flying, so that’s LIKE forever.)

This guy is quite the Chatty Cathy. He’s met, like, everyone on the train in the first 2 hours. I know he’s sniffing for a story, but this train seems like it is chock full of friendly extroverts. What a nightmare.

These are the fanciest train cars. Wowsa, so much room! And the conductor lady is so attentive!

Wait, are people really standing around watching at chess match in the bar car and applauding moves? No that couldn't possibly be a thing they decided random people do on trains.

That ending. Wow. His California girlfriend is the most understanding and helpful lady ever, apparently. What an alarmingly expertly executed plan by Danny Glover’s character.

Yeah, I recommend it. It’s cute enough for one watch.

#holidaymoviemusings

Dutch Oven Whey Boule Using Poolish

by Monday, September 12, 2022




First, the recipe as originally written, from this PDF. I have transcribed it at the end of this post, in case the link ever dies.

What I Actually Did

Overnight poolish (ingredients for one)

  • 250g all purpose flour
  • 250g cool whey (straight from the fridge)
  • 1g Active Dry Yeast

Remaining ingredients 

  • 240g bread flour 
  • 30g hard white wheat flour (stone ground) 
  • 8g salt 
  • 6g Active Dry Yeast 
  • 125g warm whey (microwaved until warm to the touch)
  • 50g honey 
  • 50g butter, softened 

Let poolish rest under cling wrap in a bowl for 14+ hours up to 24 hours. Warm whey in microwave at half power until warm to the touch, not hot. Add honey and yeast and stir to incorporate. Let rest 10 minutes. Measure out other flours and ingredients into large tub so there is room for the rise. Add softened butter to melt in warm whey/yeast mix. Incorporate whey mix and poolish gently into the flour and salt in the tub. Mix and squish until dry ingredients incorporated well. Does not need to be perfect, will be pretty shaggy and sticky. Using water on your hand helps, but still this stuff sticks. 

Cover and proof over 3-4 hours. In first 90 minutes, stretch dough every 30 minutes, pulling up edges and folding into middle. Then just let it do its thing until you're ready for the final rest. It will double or triple in size beautifully!

Pre-heat French or Dutch oven in 500* degree oven (475 is fine, I usually account for lost heat during the time I transfer the dough, keeping the oven open for a minute or so). 

For this final rest, gently transfer dough onto floured surface. Stretch gluten cloak however you like. In this recipe, it pulls from the edges up to the middle, putting the "pretty" side on the bottom. You can also do it more traditionally, pulling the edges under, so the stretched gluten cloak is on top. So, too, when putting in a proofing basket, you can do it pretty side down or pretty side up. When transferring to your French oven, you can do it either way as well. 

HOW I DID IT: I did as the recipe called for, pretty side down to stretch and proof  in the basket on a well-flowered cloth. When turning out, I turned it pretty-side-up onto a piece of parchment paper. I sliced the top in a swirl with a wet knife. Using the parchment paper, I lifted it gently into the French oven and covered with the lid.

Decrease temp to 475 after transferring the dough. 35 minutes lid on, 10-15 minutes lid off until deep golden brown. Remove from French oven using the parchment paper as a sling, remove parchment paper and let rest on a cooling rack for 10-20 minutes. Don't cut in too early! You want it to cool enough that the crumb settles. This last bit of steam from the oven needs to stay trapped in there to have the bounciest crumb.

* Bottom of my bread turned a burned color, but did not taste overly burned. I think I would just have it at 475 the whole time after all, so the bottom doesn't get heated so much.

*************************************************

Original Recipe


Overnight poolish (ingredients for one)

  • 250g strong white flour
  • 250g cool whey 
  • 0.5g dried yeast or 2g fresh yeast 

Remaining ingredients 

  • 175g strong white flour 
  • 60g strong wholemeal flour 30g 
  • dark rye flour 
  • 8g salt 
  • 2g dried yeast or 6g fresh yeast 
  • 125g warm whey (40ºC) 
  • 50g honey 
  • 50g butter, softened 

Method 

The evening before mix the poolish ingredients in a large bowl so that the mixture will have 12 to 14 hours fermentation at around 20/22ºC. 

Next day start by dissolving the yeast and honey in a little of the warm whey and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile weigh out the remaining flours, salt and butter. Add the remaining flours, salt, butter in small pieces and warm whey to the poolish and mix by squishing between your fingers. Wet your hands first so the dough doesn’t stick. 

The dough is going to prove now for 3 to 4 hours, kept warm and covered. At the start of this time give the dough 3 folds at 30 minute intervals. Make the folds by going round the dough (in the bowl) pulling the dough up and out as far as it will go without tearing then folding it back into the middle. 

At the end of the proving, ease the dough out onto a floured surface. If you are making two boules now is the time to divide the dough. Go round the dough pulling an edge gently away from the centre then folding it lightly back into the centre. Do this till you have a neat high mound of dough. 

Lay the dough, pretty side down in a well floured proving basket or bowl lined with a well floured tea towel. Let it prove for about 40 minutes in a warm and moist place (covering the dough bowl with a larger bowl works). Around 20 minutes in advance heat the oven to 240ºC with the casserole plus lid. Gently tip the dough onto floured work surface. 

Take the (VERY HOT) casserole out of the oven, pick up the dough with well floured hands and ease it into the pot. Replace the casserole lid Bake at 230°C (fan 220ºC) for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes. 

Overnight poolish ingredients for two: (literally just double all ingredients)


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