Anyway, the movie stars John Cusack as a hit-man who goes back to his hometown to complete a job and ends up attending his 10-year high school reunion. Weird premise that made for a weird movie. I have to say, not my favorite John Cusack movie - and I usually really like him. Anyway, we'll get to the movie review later. First, the food.
We decided to go with a "school lunch" theme. Neither of us wanted sloppy joes, so pizza was the next iconic school lunch to cross our minds. Rosemary chicken pizza to be exact. This was not a pizza you'd normally find in a school cafeteria, but it tasted much better! We also had parmesan kale chips and oatmeal butterscotch chip cookies. I made the dessert, Matt made everything else. He's the blogging rockstar this week. I'll let him start with his recipes.
Matt: Some blogging rockstar...sorry this is a little late, everyone :)
Rosemary Chicken Pizza
Total Prep Time: Varies (Depends on your Bread Machine. Prep after dough is made is about 20 minutes)
Ingredients:
(Pizza Dough)
2 1/4 Cups Bread Flour
3/4 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Yeast
(Toppings)
2 Cups Chopped Cooked Chicken
1 Medium Red Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp dry rosemary leaves
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1. In your bread machine, mix the bread ingredients, and select the "Pizza Dough" setting. When done, take out and let rise an extra ten minutes on the counter while covered.
2. In the meantime, grill two chicken breasts until cooked. Remove and chop into small pieces. Cover.
3. Work the pizza dough into a circle, and spread 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top. Add toppings evenly, top with mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Cut into wedges and eat!
This pizza turned out amazing, and it smelled so good! The only suggestion that I would make is to make up a quick sauce for the pizza; it is a little heavy on the dough. But otherwise, it was great!
Parmesan Kale Chips
Total Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb Kale
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Chop kale stems off, and cut leaves into smallish "potato chip" size pieces.
2. Place leaves into bowl with olive oil. Mix well.
3. Lay leaves in a single layer on a foil covered baking pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, top with parmesan cheese, let sit for 2-3 minutes, then move to bowl and serve.
I LOVE KALE CHIPS YUMYUMYUM. I mean, they turned out okay...and by that, I mean we finished almost all of them before the pizza was done :)
1. Heat the oven to 350 F.
2. In your mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each one.
3. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Add it into the creamed mixture in 2 to 3 batches, mixing it until just combined. Mix in the oats until just combined. Add the butterscotch chips.
4. Using a spoon, drop portions of dough on a greased cookie sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until they get dark.
5. Let them cool on the pan, then transfer the cookies onto a plate for serving. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookies
from The Pioneer Woman Website
2. In your mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each one.
3. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Add it into the creamed mixture in 2 to 3 batches, mixing it until just combined. Mix in the oats until just combined. Add the butterscotch chips.
4. Using a spoon, drop portions of dough on a greased cookie sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until they get dark.
5. Let them cool on the pan, then transfer the cookies onto a plate for serving. Enjoy!
And now, Our Feature Presentation...
Matt: If you've met my wife, chances are you know that she's a huge John Cusack fan. I don't particularly care one way or another, but after watching Grosse Pointe Blank, I think I'm staying away from him for a while.
This movie's biggest crime is that its amazingly forgettable. The next morning after watching this, I couldn't remember any one line that stayed in my head, and I felt absolutely zero emotional attachment to any of the characters.
And its not like the movie develops any role besides Cusack's character. For example, Alan Arkin (the old man in Little Miss Sunshine) plays Cusack's psychiatrist Dr. Oatman...sort of. Mostly, Cusack just calls Oatman's voicemail, and we see brief reaction shots of Oatman going "Oh God!" The two NSA agents following Cusack suffer a similar fate (and are exterminated in an equally callous manner).
Bottom line: Grosse Pointe Blank is a cinematic quagmire of emptiness. It doesn't care, and we shouldn't either. Stay away. Stay far away.
