Starring the incomparable Rosalind Russell (ie the star of His Girl Friday and many other fast talking classics), Auntie Mame is a long time personal favorite. Initially set during the Prohibition era, the film follows bohemian socialite Mame Dennis, who is granted custody of her …
“With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang …
I could spend days talking about Everything Everywhere All At Once. I can’t remember the last time I saw a film this original, while still being relatable and intensely relevant. A24, you did so good.
Everything Everywhere follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh, brilliant), a disgruntled and exhausted owner of a laundromat who is being audited by a surly IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis, hilarious). Her loving husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, inspiring) is a cheery annoyance, and her difficult daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu, badass) is desperate for acceptance that will never come from Evelyn as she is now. But here’s the kicker– there are a million other Evelyns in an infinity of universes whose experiences the OG Evelyn can tap into. That’s where the sci-fi fantasy stuff comes in.
In the middle of an IRS meeting, Evelyn is snatched from her own universe by Alpha-Waymond– a much more capable version of Evelyn’s husband who knows how to obliterate an army of security guards with kung fu moves and a fanny pack. Alpha-Waymond tells Evelyn about multiverse super villain Jobu Tupaki, who is building a mysterious “something” capable of destroying everything, everywhere– and, as it turns out, this OG Evelyn is the only person who can stop her.
What ensues is an absurd, trippy, hysterical journey full of “‘verse jumping”, epic martial arts choreography, and google eyes. Visual metaphors abound, and (without spoiling the ending) viewers are left with this profound message: even when you feel like nothing makes sense, that you’re being sucked into a whirling black hole of nihilism and apathy, IT’S GONNA BE OK. The most important thing is to be kind, especially when we don’t know what the heck is going on. Because nothing and everything matters. All at once.
I can’t explain it better than that.
Luckily, the Daniels included delicious looking foodstuffs in Everything Everywhere, so creating a brunch-y menu featuring quasi-traditional Asian dishes was easy. Just no hot dog finger recipes, you sicko cannibals. Ha ha ha ha.
The Movie
The Menu
Google Eyes Boba Tea
Yield: 3 Cocktails, 1 for each Wang
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
NO MORE GOOGLE EYES.
Except they're so good. Especially with whiskey. Drink enough and it won't matter that your clothes never wear as well the next day and your hair never falls in quite the same way. Life's a silly mess anyway.
Ingredients
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 tapioca pearls
2 cups prepared Oolong Tea
1/2 cup whole milk or half and half
3 shots whiskey, divided
Edible black glitter or activated charcoal, for the rim
Instructions
Start by making simple syrup-- in a small saucepan, heat water and sugar and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a larger sauce pan, bring roughly 8 cups of water to boil. Add the tapioca pearls and cook for 5ish minutes, or till your pearls reach your desired softness (I like mine a little more firm). Drain the pearls and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to chill. Gather your reamining ingredients.
Once chilled, drain the pearls once again. Pour half of the simple syrup over the pearls, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until almost ready to serve..
To assemble your drinks-- wet the rim of three lowball glasses and dip into black sugar/glitter/charcoal. Divide tapioca pearls into your glasses and top with a scoop of ice (enough to get your glasses to half full. badum bump). Add tea, then whiskey, followed by 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of simple syrup into each glass. Flavor with more syrup and dairy, to your taste.
Extra Lucky Longevity Noodles
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Longevity noodles are a traditional, very popular dish eaten during Chinese New Year. AND eggs are considered especially lucky-- so eat it ALL. It's especially yummy for breakfast, as Gong Gong prefers.
Ingredients
1 egg
Soy Sauce, to marinate egg (about 1/3 cup)
6 oz Yi Mein/Longevity/Long Life noodles **SEE NOTE
⅛ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp regular soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce **SEE NOTE
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp white pepper
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
1/2 cup sliced scallions, white and green parts divided
1 tbsp chives
Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add your egg and boil for roughly 7 minutes (don't go too much longer or you won't get that yolky jammy texture everyone loves so much). Once time is up, remove egg from the water and allow to cool. Peel, and add to a ziploc together with your soy sauce. Seal and refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 24 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, both soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper-- make sure all of your sugar is dissolved. Gather the rest of your ingredients.
In a large pot, bring about 8 cups of water to boil. Cook your noodles according to package instructions-- somewhere between 7-8 mins. Check to make sure they are al dente, no one likes overcooked noodles. And remember, these babies are LONG.
Add 2 tbsp of veggie oil to a wok or non-stick skillet over high heat. Toss in white parts of the scallions and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the noodles and stir fry for another 30 seconds, tossing to coat in oil.
Pour in your sauce mix and stir fry for another minute or so, continuing to toss. If you need to, add the remainder of your veggie oil to prevent your noodles from sticking to the pan. Just try not to break them up-- you want to keep your noodles long for longevity and prosperity! Add the green parts of the scallions as well as your chopped chives to the pan. Mix until they turn bright green, just another minute or so.
You can find legit longevity noods at any Asian market, but in a pinch lo mein or even thin spaghetti noods will work. You just won't have any good luck ya lazy bum.
Similarly, dark soy sauce can be found at most Asian grocers-- and trust me, it's worth it.
Black Hole Bagel
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours25 minutes
"I got bored one day, and then I put everything in a bagel... everything. All my hopes and dreams, my old report cards, every breed of dog, every personal ad on Craigslist, sesame, poppy seed, salt, and it collapsed in on itself. 'Cause you see, when you really put everything on a bagel, it becomes this... the truth. Nothing... matters."
Unless you serve it with scallion cream cheese. Scallion cream cheese changes everything.
Ingredients
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp brown sugar
2/3 cup warm water, + a few more tbsp on reserve
1 1/2 cup bread flour (I used OO flour)
1/4 cup dark rye flour
1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup everything bagel seasoning
3/4 cup cream cheese, your preferred fat percentage (I'm not judging, get fat, nothing matters anyway)
1/3 cup sliced scallions
Instructions
Dissolve your sugar into 2/3 cup warm water, then add yeast-- you'll need to wait about two minutes for the yeast to "bloom", ie get all foamy. Add flours, salt, and cocoa powder to a separate mixing bowl while you wait-- the cocoa powder is what will guarantee a rich, dark pumpernickel color.
Mix dry ingredients until they are fully incorporated, and pour in your bloomy yeasty sugar water. Mix until you get a rough dough ball, adding a couple more tbsp of water as needed to get all of the flour into the dough ball. Let sit for 10 minutes-- then, on a floured cutting board, knead the dough for a minute or two until smooth.
Lightly brush a large mixing bowl with oil, add the dough, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour and a half-- the dough should double in size. You'll know that it's ready when you press the dough with your finger and it doesn't bounce back:
Punch the dough down and, on an unfloured board this time, roll it into a ball. Coat a finger with flour and create a hole in the center, stretching it out roughly 2 inches in diameter. Cover with the same damp towel and let rise for about 20 minutes while you bring a big pot of water to boil and preheat your oven to 425.
When your water is boiling, carefully lower your bagel in-- boil for 2 minutes, flip, and boil for another two minutes.
Remove the bagel from the hot water and immediate coat with everything bagel seasoning.
Bake for 25 minutes and allow to rest for at least 15 before cutting. While you wait, mix sliced scallions into your cream cheese and when ready... MMMMMM DAIRY. In some universes cows don't even exist anymore, so relish it.
Just don't look too long or too closely-- you might get suuucked. Intooooo. the Baaaaagel...
Notes
Did you know: soldiers in China were making their own version of bagels 400 years ago, completely independently of what was going on with hole-y breads in Europe.
Except the Daniels actually did make a Raccacoonie-- and it is possibly one of the more bizarre and hilarious homages in Everything Everywhere.
So, here is what I think Raccacoonie would have done with traditional ratatouille ingredients. Teppanyaki style.
Ingredients
1 cup Japanese or Chinese Eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup Zucchini, cute into 1 inch cubes
1 cup Yellow Squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup Thick Sliced Red Onion
3/4 cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into chunks
3/4 cup premium soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 inch ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
Place chef hat over the raccoon controlling your every movement and collect your "ratatouille" veggies. Mix up the remaining ingredients for the marinade (oil and sesame seeds occluded).
Marinade veggies for 30 minutes in a sealed ziploc.
Heat oil on a large flat griddle pan (or a large non-stick if that's all ya got). Add the veggies and cook, tossing every once in a while to ensure all sides are equally browned. You should be done in about 5 minutes, barring any glitches with the hair/hand connection.
Raccacoonie, I don't know what I'd do without you...
Be Kind Almond Cookies
Yield: 12 Cookies
Prep Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour45 minutes
A traditional Chinese cookie recipe for when you fuck up your income taxes real bad and you need an IRS agent to forget the butt plugs. It's strategic and necessary.
Ingredients
2/3 cups almond flour, lightly packed
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
Hefty pinch kosher salt
3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 large egg, whisked slightly and divided
24 almonds
1 tbsp powdered sugar
3 drops water
5 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Add almond flour, salt and butter to one bowl-- sift all purpose flour, sugar, and baking soda into another.
Beat the almond flour mix on medium until just incorporated, then add half of your whisked egg and almond extract. Add all-purpose mix next, continuing on medium speed until you have a doughy consistency.
Scoop 12 dough balls onto a piece of parchment paper using an ice cream scoop. Chill for at least an hour, covered.
Using your fingers, press dough into rounds roughly 2.5 inches in diameter (they should be at least 1 inch apart, they will spread as they bake!). Press two almonds into the top of each round to make eyes, and then use a small glass or measuring cup to impress a smile into each cookie. Brush with remaining whisked egg.
Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Check at this point and, if you need to, re-impress your smiles into the dough. Continue to bake for another five minutes until cookies turn a pale gold, and remove from oven. Allow to cool on a baking sheet.
Whisk your sugar, water and food coloring and use this red mix to paint in your smilies. Remember, red is also good luck! Just lookit how happy these little dudes are, and I think they would be even in a stupid, stupid universe where we have hot dogs for fingers.
Epilogue
A few scattered takeaways after watching Everything Everywhere All At Once:
If you REALLY want to cook the hot dog fingers, here’s a recipe I contemplated adapting. But I couldn’t get past the idea. Mine just looked so lifelike… I think it was the nail polish.
I haven’t seen Marcel the Shell yet but it also seems like an A24 poignant work of genius and I’m very excited about it.
This month has become an unofficial celebration of Ke Huy Quan on Two Crumbs Up (see Temple of Doom and The Goonies). And it’s the below interview that pushed me over the edge. I’m so happy Ke is back in front of the camera, and that A24 created such a quality film celebrating AAPI talent and storylines. Watch if you want a pickmeup– he’s the best.
Better Off Dead is one of those 80’s movies that a number of people don’t get. It’s surreal, fantastical, slapstick-y, absurd, and yes, there is a claymation hamburger that sings along with Van Halen. It’s f*cking funny you guys. Better Off Dead focuses on Lane …
His Girl Friday– the film that crushed the 90 word per minute standard for humans with a whopping 240 word per minute average. Per Director Howard Hawks: “we wrote the dialog in a way that made the beginnings and ends of sentences unnecessary; they were …
If you are reading this at the beginning of April– here is a not-so-traditional movie menu for Easter! At first you may not think Monty Python and the Holy Grail fits the spring holiday vibe, but think again. You’ve got religion (God be praised!), gatherings of friends and family (with routines and chorus scenes with footwork impec-cable), and not one but TWO rabbit appearances (the second with NASTY, POINTY TEETH).
So everyone else can keep their deviled eggs and insipid peeps. I’m happy with dismembered chicken, thank you very much!
Is Monty Python and The Holy Grail the funniest movie ever made? I honestly think it might be. Co-directed by the two Terry’s (Gilliam and Jones) in 1975, it is the Monty Python troupe’s first real journey to the cinema after years of sketch comedy for television. The story is of course focused on King Arthur and his legendary quest for the Holy Grail, and makes amazing use of historical and cinematic source material for medieval gags. Together with his following of incompetent/irrationally violent/not so brave Round Table knights, King Arthur must contend with snobbish French aristocrats with out-RAGEOUS accents, irritable peasants with too firm a grasp on economics, sorcerers, monsters, and the British police. The Dark Ages were a bitch.
OK, let’s GET ON WITH IT. “And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large chu–” Skip it. I did not make those things. But I did make other delicious things you could eat for lunch OR dinner. Please do enjoy, together with a side stitch-inducing screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Special thanks goes to Moose trainer Yutte Hermsgervørdenbrøtbørda as well as “Ralph” the Wonder Llama.
The Movie
The Menu
Elderberry Fizz
Yield: 2 Cocktails
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
YOU'RE MOTHER WAS A HAMPSTER, AND YOU'RE FATHER SMELT.. OF ELDERBERRIES!
Who knew Elderberry syrup was widely available online, and good for your immune system to boot?
Ingredients
3 tsp Elderberry Syrup
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Agave Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 oz Gin (optional)
Champagne or Club Soda
Instructions
Mix your first four ingredients-- top off with chilled gin and champagne (if you're a wicked, bad, naughty Zoot) OR club soda (you're such a Galahad, you prude).
Scottish Rarebit
Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
No I didn't cook real rabbit-- I'm not a monster aaaaaaaaaagh. But trust me when I say that this Scottish version of rarebit (the historical poor man's rabbit in the UK) is a scrummy alternative. It's basically cheese on toast with a BITE (get it?).
Now for the recipe. Follow! BUT-- follow only if ye be men of valor!
Ingredients
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
1 tbsp Whiskey
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Heavy Cream
2 cups Grated Scottish Cheddar
2 slices Sourdough Bread, cut in half
Instructions
Begin with a roux-- melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until foaming, then add flour. Stir and allow to cook for a minute or two, until the smell of flour fades and you have a popcorn-smelling wet sand texture.
Add your remaining ingredients (except the bread, you silly K-nig-hts), and stir over medium-low heat until melted.
Keep your cheese mixture warm while you lightly toast your bread. Pour cheese sauce over bread and summon fire without flint or tinder-- ie toast the cheese with a blow torch or under a broiler. To avoid burning the toast, I suggest counting to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
And now, brave knights! If you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth...
RUN AWAAAAAY!
Dismembered Chicken
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
It's clearly not just a flesh wound...
This is a fool proof recipe inspired by Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight-- a spatchcocked, blackened, and dismembered chicken with a bloody delicious sauce. If you want to be extra on-the-nose, I recommend starting with the wings before moving on to the legs.
Ingredients
1 Whole 5lb Chicken, giblets reserved
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Paprika, divided
1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Flour
1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Blood Orange Juice
1/8 tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Spatchcocking a chicken is actually super easy. First, remove the giblets and set aside-- these will help flavor your sauce. Next, pat the bird dry with paper towels and place on a large cutting board, breast side down. Using sharp kitchen scissors, remove backbone by cutting along either side of it. Reserve the spine along with the giblets.
Cut a slit at the base of the neck to encourage the flattening process. Nevermind that the underside of the chicken looks like the incubator horseshoe crab monster from Alien-- that is another movie entirely and we don't have any time for non-Monty Python allusions.
Turn chicken over and lay out flat. Press firmly the breast with the palm of your hand to flatten the bird.
Mix 1 tsp paprika, brown sugar, oregano, salt and pepper, and sprinkle 1/3 on the now underside of the chicken, and 2/3 on the breast side. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours.
About an hour before you are ready to eat, take your chicken out of the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for about ten minutes. Next, heat your grill for 5 minutes on high. Clean and oil your grilling grate-- you don't want other nasty food bits sticking to your chicken.
Reduce the back burner to medium low heat, and reduce front to medium high. Place chicken, breast side up, on cooler side of grill, with legs facing toward hotter side. Cover the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 110F (about 35 minutes).
While chicken is grilling, make your sauce. Melt butter in a sauce pan with flour for another, loose roux. Add liquids, giblets and spine, onion powder and 1 tbsp paprika and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Now, back to your chicken. After you've reached your 110 degrees, flip your bird and place on hotter side of grill, skin side down, with breasts pointed toward cooler side. Press down firmly with a wide, stiff spatula to ensure good contact between bird and grill grates. Cover and cook until skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160°F, about 10 minutes longer.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. Hack into pieces and serve with strained sauce.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
A Shrubbery!
Yield: 2 Servings
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
A shrubbery for the Knights who saaaaay... NI! One that looks nice. And not too expensive. And a path running down the middle. And a vinaigrette made wiiiiith... A HERRING!
You might think that herring in a vinaigrette sounds cringe worthy, aka Ekki-ekki-ekki-ekki-PTANG, Zoom-Boing, z'nourrwringmm. But it's NOT. It works very similarly to an anchovy in a salad dressing, and you can dial it up or down based on preference.
So, start by mashing your herring filet into a paste-- I ended up with a heaping tsp, which was just enough for a hint of brine.
Combine with vinegar, lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil, until emulsified, and add more salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Now for your shrubbery assembly-- pile your greens high on both sides of a path (a path! a path!) of radish and cucumber slices, and drizzle with vinaigrette. A lovely little salad worthy of Roger, the shrubber. It's very easy-- oh no! I said it! oh no I said it again!
Huzzah! A solution for the put upon 5oz swallow (African or otherwise) tasked with carrying a 1lb coconut from tropical climes. Gone are the days when we ask our avian friends to simply "grip it by the husk!" Introducing this coconut cookie, a tasty treat from Nigeria light enough for birds of (almost all) air speed velocities.
Ingredients
1 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Self-Rising Flour, plus more for coating
4 Egg Yolks (medium eggs)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix together the coconut, sugar and egg yolks to form a stiff, dough-like consistency.
Take a little of the mixture and squeeze into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Coat with additional flour and arrange on a baking tray.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden in color, and serve inside coconut halves if you're fancy and only once you've finished playing horsie with them.
Notes
Splitting a coconut is surprisingly simple-- use a hammer to pierce the "eyes" and let the juice out, then hit the coconut with the hammer in a full rotation around the middle. A hairline crack will appear and then widen.
Epilogue
Undoubtedly there will be a Two Crumbs Up Monty Python and the Holy Grail Part 2. I really want to make some watery tarts. And a giant Trojan rabbit. But the above will do for now.
In the meantime, I’m now rewatching Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the fifth time in two days. This scene is still making me cackle:
UPDATE: The team at Monty Python just posted all of the above recipes on their official website. I’m floored. You can check them out here.
If you’re anywhere in my vicinity today, watch out– I’ll be doing a silly walk out of pure joy.
Hi, hello, and welcome to a screening of perhaps the scariest “kids and family” movie ever made: Return to Oz. Trust me, it’s on lists. You’ve got mental institutionalization, Frankenstein-d animal/vegetable/furniture hybrid creatures (sometimes with or without a head), the witch actress from Willow, evil rock …