A Room with a View

So my favorite book is Undaunted Courage, well my favorite movie is A Room with a View.

A Room with a View is a 1985 British drama film directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. The film is a close adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel of the same name, and even uses his chapter titles to divide the film into sections.  (This info is from Wikipedia.)

A lovely, romantic movie.  Enjoy!

Undaunted Courage

The Hunger Games Triliogy is very popular right now.  Each child received one of the books in his/her  Easter basket.  Caroline is reading them all for the first time.  Mary Elizabeth and Thomas are rereading them. The Hunger Games movie came out a few weeks ago and had the best opening weekend of any movie.  We've all seen the movie now.  It was good, but the book is better.

Want to see a funny spoof on the Hunger Games?  Google "The Hungry Games."  Hysterical.  It's a spoof of the movie trailer.  It's fun to watch the spoof and then watch the true trailer for the movie.

The Hunger Games is not my favorite book. 

Mary Elizabeth asked me what my favorite is.  I would say my favorite book is Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West  by Stephen Ambrose.

(The description below is from Amazon.com.)
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis was the perfect choice. He endured incredible hardships and saw incredible sights, including vast herds of buffalo and Indian tribes that had had no previous contact with white men.

He and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a colorful and realistic backdrop for the expedition.

Lewis saw the North American continent before any other white man; Ambrose describes in detail native peoples, weather, landscape, science, everything the expedition encountered along the way, through Lewis's eyes.

Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years.

Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jefferson's.

There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century.

Historical non-fiction can be so dry.  NOT so with Stephen Ambrose.  His style of writing is fluid and interesting.  He brings this history to life, engaging the reader as any good novelist will do.

If you're looking for a good read, this is it.  It will take you longer to read than The Hunger Games.  But don't let that stop you.  Go get a copy and read it now.

Easter Coca-Cola Brisket

In 2002, our local paper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, had several brisket recipes published for Passover.  I decided that that year I would make brisket for Easter lunch.  It was a huge success, and I've been making it every year since.

The best thing about this brisket is that you cook it the day before, then the next day, slice it all up and warm in its juices and serve.  De-lish.

Start with a 3 pound brisket.  (Mine above is actually almost 7 pounds.  I'm doubling)  Put it in a deep pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Next you need 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of paprika, 1 package of onion soup mix, and 12 ounces of Coca-Cola.  (I have only used Coca-Cola with this recipe.)

Sprinkle all the dry ingredients over the top of the beef, then pour the Coca-Cola around the meat into the pan so you do not wash the seasonings off.

Seal the pan very well with foil and bake for 3 hours.

After the brisket has cooked, place the entire pan in the refrigerator overnight. 

Remove any congealed fat from the pan, then place the brisket on your cutting board and slice it into very thin slices.  This takes forever and makes your arm feel like it might fall off before you're done. I always wear an apron for this job. It can be splattery. 

After you've sliced it all across the grain, return the meat to the pan and reheat in their juices in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  (Heat until just warm...)

This year we had a vidalia onion pudding, mashed potatoes, squash casserole, spinach salad, green beans and rolls to go along with our brisket.  Too good.

Golfing with Dad

I love that Tom likes to take the girls to play golf.  Here they are ready to head out.  Today is par 3, nine holes.  Have fun!

Sciatica and the Chiropractor Part II

Every time I had this calf pain, I'd talk about how I needed to "see the chiropractor" and the pain would disapate and I'd think "I'm okay now."  This went on for 3-4 years!  For the past while, the pain was always there, maybe just a dull pain, but never pain free. 

Since my mom and my sister and I are planning a fabulous trip to Europe, I thought it would be a best practice to get this checked out.  We'll have long spells of sitting and sight seeing.

On the morning of my appointment I was a little nervous.  I had a little bit of discomfort in my leg, but no real throbbing pain.  I also recalled the two other times I mentioned this ailment to these two other MD's, and they blew it off.  Plus I had never been to a chiropractor and had no idea what to expect. I really don't like new things.  I wish I had someone to go with me.

The chiropractor's office was very close to home and free parking.  Great!  It seems like everything in Atlanta is 30 minutes drive away and you have to pay to park.  Good start.

I checked in, filled out a little paperwork, and went right in to see Dr. DelFavero. 

Dr. Nik put me at ease right away, asking me what I was experiencing.  I told him what I had told the other doctors.  He checked me out by having me bend, touch me toes and other stuff like that.  He called it "sciatica" and told me he could help me with that.

Yippee!  It has a name!  I had self-diagnosed myself at home and called it that. 

He told me that he would like to see me for 3-6 visits.  No xrays or anything, yet.  He would use ART to treat me, along with other procedures.

Active Release Technique (ART) Treats Soft Tissue Injuries, Relieves Pain, And Restores Normal Tissue Function

ART is a new and extremely effective approach to treating soft tissue injuries and the resulting pain.

That is not me in the picture on the left, but that is some of the technique.
He started treatment immediately.  I felt relief almost immediately.

I have now been 3 sessions for the sciatica and feel much better.  Not pain free yet.  I still need a couple more sessions.

Sciatica and the Chiropractor

Okay, for the past 3-4 years I've been suffering with this calf/leg pain.  It all started about 3 summers ago when I was driving all over the southeast...Florida...multiple trips to North Carolina to see my dad who had had a stroke.  It is the type of pain that comes and goes.  I never knew when or how severe the pain might be.  This past year it's gotten worse.  I've felt weaker my right leg and have an almost constant dull pain in my calf, sometimes stabbing pain.  For the past 3 months my feet have been bothering me.  Stabbing pain in my big toe knuckles.

Well, in a couple of months, my mom and sister and I are traveling to Europe for a week or so and I do not want to be in pain on the trip.  I was telling my sis and her husband about my leg.  Well, bro-in-law tells me about his "voo-doo" doctor that healed him of a running related injury. He said this doctor practiced A.R.T.  I'd never heard of that, but Jonathan was singing his praises.  He told me to google chiropractor on Lawrenceville Hwy Atlanta.

http://1stchoiceonline.com/ is what popped up at the top.  These are certified sports chiropractors.  Jonathan's guy was Niklaus A. DelFavero.  I called and made an appointment.

As a side note:  I remember that my dad used to visit the chiropractor every now and then.  I have been saying for the last couple of years that I was going to visit the chiropractor for this pain but have just never taken the time to do it.  Two years ago I mentioned the pain at a physical I was having, but that doctor blew it off as a muscle strain.  Last year I did see another doctor.  At the time of making that appointment I was in pain.  But when the appointment rolled around, I had no pain, so that doctor blew it off, but said he would take xrays if I wanted...I didn't.  I had pain again.

So, how did my appointment go?  I'll tell you...

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

I think this is the yummiest way to cook cauliflower.

Wash and cut up cauliflower into florets.
Put cauliflower on baking sheet and drizzle olive oil all over it.  Toss around to coat completely.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake in 350 degree oven until browned along the edges (15-20 minutes.)

Mmm.  So good.  So easy.  Don't ever steam it again!