Date Night

We've all seen The Office, right? Completely ridiculous, but all together hilarious! So when I saw Steve Carell and Tina Fey (the ever famous Sarah Palin mocker) paired in Date Night, my first impression was, "Decent comic relief, but not really interested." And so, I made no attempt to rush off to the theatres or even grab it at RedBox for that matter. But my opinion has changed since catching the flick this past weekend with my in-laws.

I must say, for two very goofy, comedic actors, they did an exceptional job with this movie. And I should add, it was not at all what I expected. It's a tale of a boring New Jersey couple stuck in the routine of life. But after discovering their friends are getting a divorce, not because of marital woes, but rather because they are nothing more than "great roomates" the couple decides to spice things up with a spontaneous date night in the city. But a mistaken case of identity leads them on a crazy chase throughout New York city. All the while they realize how much they appreciate their not so exciting life and in the end Carell says to his wife, "I would do it all again (meaning their life). I would choose you everytime." Super sweet ending!

Overall, a good amount of funny without being overdone.

image/thedirectorscut

Top Seven Favorite Movies

Last weekend we had some friends over for dinner and somehow got on topic about our favorite movies. It's had me thinking all week about what mine really are. I had a difficult time narrowing it down because 1) I LOVE movies and 2) the list is constantly evolving. So after much thought on what I would call my true favorites (the ones I could watch over and over and not get sick of)I came up with this modest list of 7!

The Count of Monte Cristo~Because it is the best movie of all time and I will never get tired of watching Edmond Dantes win back the girl!


Pride and Prejudice~A very close contender for first place and a wonderful classic to satisfy my inner romantic. I saw this for the first time when it came to theatres in England while studying abroad and have been hooked ever since. And I also have a secret movie crush on Mr. Darcy!


Charade~Because I am a sucker for both Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant! If you've never seen this, you simply must go watch it today! It's smart, funny, sweet and totally intriguing. The Truth About Charlie is a modern version of Charade and also a good movie.


You've Got mail~Because it is an incredibly sweet story and I adore everything about Kathleen Kelly's sweet little shop! Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks really do make a lovely on-screen couple!

Breakfast at Tiffany's~Becaue Audrey Hepburn is timeless.


Mrs. Doubtfire~Because it will always make me think of my husband! In the 7 years we have been together, he has endlessly quoted this movie and it never fails to make me bust out in laughter!


Elf~Because this ridiculous movie gets funnier every time I see it! And after we watch it, the quotes keep coming for days!

What are some of your favorites?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Hi friends! Sorry I've been away most of this week. What started out as a stomach flu last weekend turned into a super busy week of playing catch-up, and sadly, blogging had to wait a minute. But I wanted to drop in and share something fun with you.

As we often do about once in the middle of the week, Mr. Hansen and I cozzied up and watched a movie last night. And since we couldn't mutually agree on one before Chris went to pick it up, he surprised me with the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Having absolutely no expectations about it, I was surprised at how entertaining it ended up being. I would definitely recommend it, for light-hearted comedic relief if nothing else!

Hope you're having a delightful week and come back soon because my little blogging break is over!

Summer Blockbusters

It's almost that time of year when the box office will be full of new releases! If you haven't already figured it out, Chris and I LOVE movies! In fact, a big thing we loved about living in Abilene was that we could justify going to the movies much more frequently because they were so much cheaper. Those were the days! Nowadays, a movie has to look really good to be deemed "theater worthy", otherwise we just wait to rent it on Redbox.

But there's something about the summertime that gets us there a bit more often. While watching previews a few weeks ago for the Back-Up Plan, it happened; that wonderful excitement that comes from wanting to see every movie previewed! In fact, being the list maker and total and complete geek that I am, I jotted them down in my little notebook, so not to forget a single one.

While I am absolutely positive more will be added to this list, here is a quick rundown of the Summer blockbusters I'm itching to see.

Sex and the City 2~yes it's true, I indulge in this guilty little pleasure! I absolutely loved the first one as it captured everything I wanted it to and tied up all the loose ends from the tv show. I can't wait to see what new adventures Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda are up to this time around! It will be fabulous!

Eat, Pray, Love~ while I didn't have much interest in reading the book, now seeing the previews for this flick, I feel it must be read before I see the movie! Not at all what I thougth it was about. A big plus, Julia Roberts, one of all time favorite actresses plays the lead!

Iron Man 2~ and not just to please my husband, I actually loved the first one! We will most likely be seeing this one in the next week or two!

Killers~while Chris will most likely not be joining me for Katherine Heigl's newest romantic comedy, I will absolutely be making my way to see it (possible girls night?)! If for nothing else, to see Katherine Heigl in all her cute outfits!

Just Wright~classic (read possibly cheesy) romantic comedy. As much as my hubby hates it, I love watching movies that are somewhat predictable. What can I say, I like knowing a happy ending is in sight!

How about you? Any new flicks you're looking forward to seeing?

Our Weekend Plus Some D-licious Cupcakes!

Happy Monday! While I'm sad to see our fun weekend come to an end, at least I can say it was a delightful one!

Our Friday started earlier than usual because Chris left work a few hours early, giving us a chance at a fun afternoon! We ended up going to see Edge of Darkness, the new Mel Gibson movie. We would definitely recommend for an edge-of-your-seat flick. Very good!

Saturday morning I took a bootcamp class at my new work and besides kicking my butt, it was fantastic! I had an opportunity to meet the two part time trainers and also some regulars to the class. Let me just say, I love the whole environment and the people and am so excited I get to work with them!

We also had some yummy sushi with our friends, the Hookers, cleaned a lot, ran a lot of errands, Chris cleaned our cars, and we ended up having our friends Brad and Laura over for the Superbowl.

And that brings me to the one thing I was actually looking forward to about the game, making these delectable Dark Chocolate Stout Cupcakes!

I found this recipe several weeks ago on my fave food blog, Pinch my Salt, and have been stowing it away especially for the Superbowl. I just knew Chris would love them!

They are ridiculously moist and not super sweet, but the cream cheese frosting takes care of your sweet tooth for an amazing combination that is just oh-so-scrumptious!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain, thick yogurt, at room temperature
6 oz. dark stout (I used Guinness), at room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tub cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake papers; spray the whole thing, cupcake papers and all, with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop, then set aside.
In a large bowl, preferably with a pouring spout, whisk together eggs and yogurt. Add beer and vanilla whisk until well combined.
Sift all the dry ingredients together (cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon) into a separate bowl.
Add about a third of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and using a hand mixer, blend well. Add the rest of the flour mixture, a third at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all ingredients are blended, add the melted butter then continue mixing until very well combined.
Pour batter into the twelve cups, filling each only about 3/4 full.
Bake on center rack of the preheated 350 degree oven and for approximately 25 minutes.
When cupcakes are done (toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake will come out clean), remove the pan to a wire rack. Let cool for ten minutes then remove cupcakes from pan and let them cool completely on wire rack.
Frost cupcakes once completely cooled.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

This Christmas I was given a gift that is woven into my childhood patchwork. My Aunt Judy gave me 40th Anniversary edition of The Sound of Music! But more than that, she promised to watch it with me (Chris can't stand musicals, although I feel sure he would have a change of heart if he would only give this one a chance!).

So last night Aunt Judy and I sang along to every last note together, only wishing that we too, could be roaming the hills of Austria, singing to our hearts content!

And all morning, my husband has had the pleasure of hearing various tunes like, "Do a deer, a female deer, Re, a drop of golden sun..." and "I am sixteen, going on seventeen, I know that I'm naive..." and "The hills are alive with the sound of music, a-a-a-aaa..."!

And that my friends, is the stuff great movies are made of!

Million Dollar Idea

I've always wanted to be one of those ingenious minds who comes up with a really cool, practical idea or invention. Since we've been married, Chris and I have become huge fans of Redbox. Huge fans may even be an understatement! We will go through periods of renting 3 or 4 movies a week, especially when it's rainy and cold outside. And the best thing is, it is ridiculously cheap and right across the street from us. Although, if you know about RB, you know that you can rent a movie at one machine and return it at a totally different machine (more on that in a minute). Think about it, how brilliant: one movie, one night, one dollar! Who really needs a movie for more than one night anyway? Why didn't I think of that?!

You are probably thinking, "Yeah, yeah, Kate. We all know about Redbox." But here's where the real genious comes in. While we were traveling on Friday, I really wanted to watch a movie on the plane, but they cost a whoping $8! Seriously?! Obviously we didn't pay the grossly overpriced fee. But, while waiting for our flight on Tuesday Chris discovered a Redbox in the airport. Brilliant I tell you! So we were able to rent and watch a movie on the flight and return it when we got home. So next time you are traveling with your laptop, you know where to find cheap entertainment!