Every Sunday here is an American football TV day. This means that from 9am or 10am in the morning until late evening, there are MULTIPLE football games! For me, this means being a football widow somewhat, since I’m not into watching sports on the TV, but Winston definitely is! His iPAD definitely comes into its own here, otherwise I’d be pretty bored. So, Sundays for me are currently ‘Watch Good British program series’ days! The Sunday before last, I watched all the episodes of ‘Misfits’- that’s 2 series worth, 7 episodes per series. Last Sunday, I watched all 6 episodes of ‘The Fades’, and this Sunday, I plan to watch as many episodes of ‘Being Human’ as I can. These are all award-nominated or award-winning series, and if you haven’t seen them already, you should! They are all of a supernatural bent, and if you like to see how British producers are dealing with the restrictions in their programming budgets, these are great showcases for showing how creativity and imagination can be used to maximize low budgets. For example, Misfits uses a mostly barren city/estate area for filming with a small number of regular cast members per episode. This isn’t noticed so much because of a good script, editing, and the use of special effects and makeup only to emphasize and enhance the script when necessary. At least, that’s how I see it!
Reading what I’ve just written makes me look like a sad, sad person, but have you ever considered how many hours a day the average person devotes to TV? I hardly watch a lot of TV most days- I prefer to read as you well know- so it’s nice to have big TV binges every now and then!
I heard time recently went back for the UK by one hour. British wintertime is officially here, and the prediction at present is that a milder Christmas without snow might occur in December 2011: http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?MENU=Seasonal-outlook. Weather forecasting is not an exact science, and I admire weather forecasts for doing their best to predict the weather, but I also admire Mother Nature for having a sense of humour and can imagine her sticking two fingers up at predictions and saying ‘HAHA! (like Nelson Muntz on the Simpsons) Fooled you!!!!!’
The good thing about time going back is that the time difference between London and California is now only 7 hours, making for better Skype chat scheduling. Yester-day was mainly a Skype day, and seeing family and framily (friends so close they’re like your family) was brilliant! If you haven’t used Skype before, then you should try it! Soon, however, time will go back in California too. I’m not sure when that will occur since I find the weather to be quite sunny and warm, and I can’t see how time going back could be justified!
Which leads me to tell you about a film I saw recently, called TIMER. Winston bought it to my attention, and it doesn’t contain any easily recognizable celebrity stars, but it is actually a good film! The basic premise is that in the future, an implantable device called a TIMER will be available to everyone for an implant fee of $79.99 plus tax, with small monthly subscription payments. This timer works off body heat, and counts down the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until you meet your one true love. If such a device existed in real life, I reckon it would be pretty useful!! But then, where would the excitement of being in a relationship go if you knew right at the beginning they weren’t the one for you? Obviously, there are those who are Pro-TIMER and those who are Anti-TIMER, but it is watching the situations that occur with such people that are interesting. Try and watch it if you can! We watched it via streaming through Netflix, but I don’t think Netflix is available on the UK, so see if there is an alternative available.
Anyhow, I now know that I can’t live without a comb (a brush is optional for me). I took my detangling comb back in London for granted, and didn’t bring it with me to use in the US. Finger combing is only good up to a certain extent, and if, like me, you like styling your hair, a comb is an invaluable tool for spreading product on. Even the boyfriend has a brush, but I’m not going to use that since he uses hair gel. So, I bought myself a CONAIR branded brush and comb set that says it is specifically for use on thin or fine hair. Ideal for me, as I don’t want to lose too much hair especially since I’m getting older, hehe!
One last thing: I made tortilla chips from scratch the other day! It takes a bit of time, but baking tortilla chips from scratch is a lot healthier then the tortilla chips you buy in the supermarket here in the US. The majority of tortilla chips both here and in the UK are deep fried to given that crisp texture.
In order to make them, you need corn masa flour. That’s ground corn that has been limed during production to allow corn niacin to become bio-available for the human body. This flour is then mixed with water and a bit of salt to make a soft dough, and the dough is divided into small round balls that are rolled out flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. These are each cooked in a dry pan on medium heat until the identifiable heat spots of cooked tortilla show up. I turn the tortilla to ensure the other side is cooked, and put the tortilla aside on a plate. Once all the tortillas are cooked, I cut them up with scissors into tortilla chip shape, spray or coat liberally with oil, and then spread them one layer thick (no overlapping edges) on a baking tray to cook at 176 degrees C (or 350 degrees F) for 12 to 15 minutes. Once cooked until crisp, I coat them with seasoning while they’re fresh out of the oven.
My first attempt at making these was ‘M’eh’. My second attempt was a bit better, but it took a while to get the heating right for each of the batches until I researched online to find out the best average temperature for baking tortilla chips at. Below are pictures of my second attempt, with first batch at wrong temp, second batch at almost the right temp, and third batch at right temp! My discovery: cooking at the wrong temperature makes tortilla chips too chewy!
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| First Batch- Wrong Temperature |
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| Second Batch- Almost the right temperature |
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| Third Batch- Right temperature at last! |
I also discovered that onion powder used for seasoning shouldn’t be put on chips until they are cooked as onion powder can burn. That’s why you can see dark spots on the tortilla chips above.
If you can find the right flour and have the time, try making them. I prefer them because I know what’s in them!
Until next time,
Jen :)
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