Favorite 251 Movie List

I'm sure all y'all out there are dying to know about my tastes in movies. Who wouldn't be? It probably will tell you more about me than I could tell you.

The list started as an idea from a friend on Facebook. She posted her top 350 movies a few at a time over  a series of a week or two. It got me thinking, "Huh? I wonder what my list might look like." I thought maybe I could compile my favorite 100. I wasn't completely sure I could think of 100 movies I like, but I figured I'd try.

I searched through my Netflix ratings list, my friend's Facebook list, several online "Top Movies" lists. Some movies spurred the ideas of other movies. When I looked at the list I had over 250. I weeded it out a little bit and came up with my top 250. Now I know I said 251 in the title. That's because I forgot one very important movie franchise I had to add back in in its rightful place later on. George Lucas would have been so hurt.

All of the titles are not necessarily great works of cinematic art. Some are. Some are ones I think were groundbreaking... brave... insightful... moving. Some I will never watch again for those exact same reasons. However some of the movies are ones I have watched over and over. Ones if they were on TV I would stop and watch. Ones I care to own the DVD of. Still others are childhood favorites. Ones I watched a dozen times as a kid and still bring up fond memories. The list would be a much longer if I wrote out all of "series" by every title. In an effort to keep it more reasonable, most franchises are listed as one item.

So here it is, my favorite 251 movies:

251	Chocolat
250	Explorers
249	Freaky Friday (the original)
248	Stanley and Iris
247	Mr. Holand's Opus
246	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
245	10 Things I hate about You
244	Doc Hollywood
243	American President
242	Face/Off
241	Murder By Numbers
240	The Bone Collector
239	The Last Starfighter
238	Liar Liar
237	About A Boy
236	Mr. Mom
235	Mrs. Doubtfire
234	Tootsie
233	League Of Their Own
232	Almost Famous
231	12 Monkeys
230	Flatliners
229	Point Break
228	Double Jeopardy
227	Along Came a Spider
226	True Lies
225	Parent Trap (the original)
224	Dances with Wolves
223	Hook
222	Departed
221	Abyss
220	The Good Son
219	Romancing the Stone
218	Gremlins
217	The Neverending Story
216	Grown-ups
215	But I'm a Cheerleader
214	Under the Tuscan Sun
213	Never Been Kissed
212	The Village
211	The Devil Wears Prada
210	Awakenings
209	In The Line Of Fire
208	As Good as it Gets
207	Hangover
206	Jewel of the Nile
205	Ghost
204	Twister
203	The Joy Luck Club
202	Fracture
201	Dirty Dancing
200	Tarzan, the Legend of Graystoke
199	Basic Instinct
198	Secondhand Lions
197	The King and I
196	Backdraft
195	Groundhog Day
194	Thomas Crown Affair
193	Robinhood (Disney cartoon)
192	Remember the Titans
191	Annie
190	Popeye
189	Big Business
188	Goonies
187	Meet the Parents
186	Galaxy Quest
185	Primal Fear
184	Ghostbusters
183	Last of the Mohicans
182	Dead Poets Society
181	China Syndrome
180	Places in the Heart
179	Oliver
178	Footloose (the original)
177	Erin Brockovich
176	Top Gun
175	Sound of Music
174	Space Cowboys
173	My Left Foot
172	Songcatcher
171	The Last Emperor
170	Rebel Without a Cause
169	Mississippi Burning
168	ET
167	Fried Green Tomatoes
166	Clue
165	Secret Window
164	To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything
163	Down Periscope
162	The Truman Show
161	National Treasure
160	Patriot Games
159	Finding Nemo
158	Alice in Wonderland(Disney cartoon)
157	Crocodile Dundee
156	Monsters Inc
155	Chicago
154	Moulin Rouge
153	Gypsy
152	Mary Poppins
151	Jurassic Park
150	Karate Kid
149	Fugitive
148	Night at the Museum
147	Pelican Brief
146	Sean Connery as James Bond
145	Nightmare Before Christmas
144	National Lampoon's Vacation
143	Cityslickers
142	Girl Interrupted
141	Funny Girl
140	Good Will Hunting
139	Fatal Attraction
138	Glory
137	Big
136	Carrie
135	The Right Stuff
134	Philadelphia
133	Green Mile
132	Ghosts of Mississippi
131	Empire of the Sun
130	Cast Away
129	Close Encounters of the Third Kind
128	Apollo 13
127	Julie and Julia
126	Aladdin
125	Sweet Home Alabama
124	Love Actually
123	My Big Fat Greek Wedding
122	Music and Lyrics
121	Incredibles
120	Legally Blond
119	The Talented Mr. Ripley
118	Gorillas in the Mist
117	Supersize Me
116	Angels and Demons
115	Anger Management
114	Of Mice and Men
113	Paranormal Activity
112	The Odd Couple
111	Independence Day
110	Greece
109	Ice Age
108	Spiderman, the series
107	Steel Magnolias
106	Batman, the series
105	Hunt for Red October
104	Great Gatsby
103	Princess Bride
102	Purple Rose of Cairo
101	Rabbit-Proof Fence
100	Toy Story
99	Some Like it Hot
98	Witness
97	Wait Until Dark
96	Howard's End
95	The Sting
94	Indiana Jones, the series
93	North by Northwest
92	Harry Potter series
91	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
90	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
89	True Grit (the orignial and new)
88	Transamierica
87	The Shining
86	Bridget Jones Diary
85	In and Out
84	Iron Man
83	LA Confidential
82	Lilies of the Field
81	Room with a View
80	Walk the Line
79	The African Queen
78	Rain Man
77	Shipping News
76	Office Space
75	Exorcist
74	Miss Congeniality
73	What About Bob
72	Men in Black
71	Insomnia
70	Shrek
69	Analyze This
68	The Others
67	Tea with Mussolini
66	The Maltese Falcon
65	Memoirs of a Geisha
64	2 Weeks Notice
63	50 First Dates
62	Father of the Bride
61	Dogma
60	Election
59	Chuck and Larry
58	Oceans Eleven
57	Midnight in the Garden of Good&Evil
56	Calendar Girls
55	Breakfast Club
54	Misery
53	The Gods Must be Crazy
52	DaVinci Code
51	Religulous
50	Gone with the Wind
49	Being John Malcovich
48	Inherit the Wind
47	Blowdry
46	Best in Show
45	Pirates of the Caribbean
44	One Hour Photo
43	Final Cut
42	Seven
41	Bourne movies with Matt Damon
40	About Schmidt
39	Gods and Monsters
38	Capote
37	Shawshank Redemption
36	Shutter Island
35	Lord of the Rings trilogy
34	Star Wars, the series
33	The Sixth Sense
32	It's a Wonderful Life
31	Rear Window
30	To Kill a Mocking Bird
29	Wizard of Oz
28	The Matrix
27	Four Weddings and a Funeral
26	Notting Hill
25	The Great Dictator
24	Young Frankenstien
23	Chaplin
22	Midnight in Paris
21	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
20	The Birdcage
19	Back to the Future, the series
18	Poirot, all of them with David Suchet
17	Birds
16	Flawless
15	Frida
14	Driving Miss Daisy
13	84 Charringcross Road
12	The King's Speech
11	Memento
10	Lost in Translation
9	12 Angry Men
8	American Beauty
7	Casablanca
6	Brokeback Mountain
5	The Usual Suspects
4	Psycho
3	Silence of the Lambs
2	Schindler's List
1	Enchanted April

Menu 4

Now that the holidays have passed, it's time to get back into my routine. Keep working on knocking off these extra pounds. I mostly made my goal for the holidays. I wanted to maintain my weight from Halloween to New Year. That I did do. Sadly I was down a couple of more pounds somewhere in the middle of that time, but that part I didn't keep off. Bummer. Oh well! Back to the program.

Here's my plan for this week. I get most of my recipes from EatingWell.com and Skinnytaste.com. The links are all there.

Saturday (Total calories for the day 1498)

Breakfast: Egg sandwich with a 100 cal sandwich round, ½ cup egg beaters, and 1 oz reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese (258 cal)

Snack: Apple (125 cal)

Lunch: Turkey Chili Taco Soup (1.25 cup, 200 cal) with BLT and avocado (292 cal)

Snack: popcorn (100 cal)

Dinner: 6 oz Tilapia fillet pan cooked with tomatoes and garlic (250 cal), kale sauteed in a little olive oil and chicken broth (1/2 cup cooked, 80 cal), maple roasted sweet potatoes (96 cal)

Snack: 100 cal dessert and tea

Sunday (Total calories for the day 1496)

Breakfast: Egg sandwich (258 cal)

Snack: Canned mandarin oranges (3/4 cup. 105 cal)

Lunch: Turkey Chili Taco Soup (1.25 cup, 200 cal) with BLT and avocado (292 cal)

Snack: Popcorn (100 cal)

Dinner: Hamburger Buddy (326 cal), 1 cup cooked carrots (45 cal), 1 cup lettuce with 1 t olive oil and 2 t lemon or vinegar (50 cal)

Snack: 100 cal dessert and tea

Week days:

Breakfasts for the work week: Breakfast Burritos made in advance and frozen (recipe below, 255 cal) and 80 cal yogurt for Wednesday-Friday

Morning snack: Banana (105 cal)

Lunches for the work week: Shrimp Cobb Salad (273 cal), 1.25 cups Slow Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup (152 cal)

Afternoon snack: 100 cal popcorn for Monday and Tuesday, 24 almonds (164 cal) for Wednesday-Friday

Evening snack: 100 cal dessert and tea

Monday Jan 7^th (Total calories for the day 1534)

German potato salad (3/4 cup, 171 cal), rotkohl (3/4 cup, 116 cal), pork chop cooked in a pan (4 oz meat, 218 cal), green beans (1 cup, 44 cal)

Tuesday Jan 8^th (Total calories for the day 1534)

Leftovers/Freezer meal, late night at work

Wednesday Jan 9^th (Total calories for the day 1544)

Kale, sausage, and potato salad (2 cups, 419 cal)

Thursday Jan 10^th (Total calories for the day 1545)

Slow Cooker Stout and Chicken Stew (1.33 cup 366 cal) with a small green salad (50 cal)

Friday Jan 11^th (Total calories for the day 1545)

Leftovers

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

10 (24 g) flour tortillas (tortilla+medium+(approx+6"+dia))

5 eggs

10 egg whites

1 cup frozen hash browns

1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup scallions

1 cup spinach

1/2 pound sausage

Cook the last 8 ingredients together. Wrap in tortillas. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to three months.

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi recipe

Ohmigawd! The most amazing gnocchi I've ever had and so super easy to make. I actually hadn't intended on blogging about this recipe. It was the first time I had ever tried making anything like gnocchi. I've never homemade pasta or anything. But it was so easy and so good, I had to share. I wouldn't say it was a quick recipe, but it is worth the effort.

A friend and I enjoy cooking together. We try to make creative, fun, and interesting things. For the day after Christmas, gnocchi sounded like a good afternoon's entertainment. (We also made some amazing key lime pies. I'll have to save that recipe for some other time.) I don't have a potato ricer which seemed important to making light, fluffy potato gnocchi, so ricotta gnocchi was a good alternative.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI
INGREDIENTS
16 oz container ricotta
1 cup finely ground Parmesan
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Salt to taste (I didn't add any and it was fine)

SAUCE:
2 Italian sausages
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1) Put a large pot full of salted water on to boil. If you use the sauce recipe here (following), make it first so it will be ready for the gnocchi.
2) Mix the first three ingredients well. (I used my hands. No better utensil.) Add 1 cup of flour. Then continue to add flour a little at a time until a stick ball of dough forms. You don't want it to be dry, but it should hold together in a ball.
3) Flour a clean work surface. Divide out 1/4 of the dough and roll it into a long snake (just like you did with playdough as a kid). Cut it into little 1/2 inch dumplings. Place the little dumplings on a floured pan, not touching. Repeat the step until all of the dough is cut into gnocchi. Flour the top of the gnocchi and toss lightly. 
4) At this point decide how much you want to cook. This recipe makes about six good servings. If you don't want all of it, freeze the portion you don't want right on the pan. When they are frozen, seal them into a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
5) Gently drop the gnocchi one at a time into the boiling water. They will rise to the surface when they are almost done cooking. I found mine weren't done as soon as they started floating; they needed about another minute or two to be cooked through.
6) Scoop them out of the boiling water and drop them right into the sauce. Toss gently.

There are tons of other sauce choices to pair with gnocchi. The one here is just one suggestion.


SUPER EASY SAUCE
1) Crumble two spicy Italian sausages into a pan, brown, and cook through.
2) Pour in frozen peas. Cook until defrosted.
3) Pour in can of diced tomatoes juice and all. Heat thoroughly.

Christmas photos

I'm not a big holiday person. I know that's almost an un-human thing to say. But there is a long and complex explanation for it. I as 20 when my son was born. The first few years of his life, we did some basic Christmas things at home, but we had to split our holidays between Christmas Eve at the in-laws and Christmas day at my parents', so we never really developed our own holiday traditions. When my son was about five, I started sharing custody with my now ex-husband. This meant every-other-Christmas I didn't even have my only baby with me. So I got accustomed to traveling over the holidays. The years I did have him, we went to my family's Christmases. When The Boy was about 10 or 11, I had him full-time but I still liked the holiday travelling. So, even if we had did have Christmas at home, it was usually a simple low-key affair because we had either just traveled to somewhere or we were going somewhere in the next day or two. 

The first holiday season I owned my own home, my son was a freshman in high school. I actually did up a nice Christmas with decorations, a tree, Christmas cookie and presents. My family came to my house for Christmas meal. It was really the first time I had had my own traditional-type Christmas.

Our Christmas tree when we first put it up

This year when I asked The Boy what he wanted to do about Christmas, he said he would like to have a nice Christmas at home, with all the decorations, a nice meal, and not travelling anywhere. So in early December, we bought a tree and decorated the house. We made Christmas cookies I gave to my staff as Christmas gifts. The house looks so cute and festive. It makes me wonder why I don't do this every year.

The tree on Christmas Eve

My immediate family is pretty small. Besides The Boy and myself, there's my parents. I have one brother who lives in the Midwest. I have some aunts and uncles and cousins. Everyone always seems so spread out. They all have their own families and things to do. For holidays it's usually just a small group.

On Christmas Eve my parents came to stay the night and spend Christmas together as a little family. They filled under my tree with gifts and my frig with foods and snacks. We had a really nice Christmas Eve with pizza, and The Big Bang Theory, and card games. It was one of the nicest times I've spent with my parents.

Maxwell

Abigail

The Boy in a new gift

My new coat

Yes, that's me in the picture. I know I haven't posted one of myself until now. Christmas day we opened gifts, hung out, ate too much good food, and generally just enjoyed ourselves. It was very nice and relaxed. My mom and I did lots and lots of cooking. She made breakfast. I had a whole french menu planned for our Christmas meal at The Boy's request. For appetizers we had mini-quiches, crudites, and baked brie. Dinner was slow roast duck with a port wine and cherry sauce, potato gratin dauphinois, roasted carrots with herbs de Provence, and braised green beans. Dessert was bittersweet chocolate and orange pots de creme with real whipped cream. This was the first time I have ever cooked duck. I've eaten it several times, but never roasted one myself before. It was all a huge hit. 

Christmas buffet, small family style

Christmas dinner: roast duck, port wine cherry sauce, gratin dauphinois,  roasted carrots, and braised green beans. All very yummy.

After all of this rich, high calorie, fatty food and desserts, I go back on my diet. Holidays are a time for indulging. I have definitely indulged my stomach. I've done fair with keeping my goal of not gaining weight over the holiday season. As of yesterday morning, I'm still the weight I've been since November 1st. Another week of maintaining and then back to an actual weight-loss plan. My next goal will be down another 14 pounds by April.

Friends with babies (Creamy Chicken Enchiladas recipe)

A friend of mine had a baby on 12-12-12. How cool is that! That is one birthday I will never forget. I'm sure the boy's lucky number will have to be 12 for the rest of his life.

As most of us know, being a new mom is a lot of work, a lot more work than we think it'll be. So, like all good friends, I decided to bring her a dish. The problem always is, what do you make someone else that is generally liked by all, is easy to cook, and can be frozen if need be? The answer, creamy chicken enchiladas. So good, so easy, just bake and serve. It's also very freezer friendly. I've made one recipe into two smaller casserole dishes and frozen one for several months. Works great. Just defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and bake like regular.


To round out the meal and keep it simple, I made sure everything was in dishes that didn't need to be returned. I cooked a batch of caramel brownies, threw in a bag of salad mix with dressing and toppings, and added some chips and salsa. A family pleasing meal.

CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Note: If you want a quicker easier recipe, you can use rotisserie chicken from the store. Dice it into bite sizes. Use the liquid in the container in place of the poaching liquid.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup red taco sauce
1/4 cup Pepper Plant hot sauce
2 cups water
salt and pepper
(You can also add other Mexican type spices to the poaching liquid. Things like 1/2 teaspoon cumin or oregano would be good.)

1 16 oz container sour cream 
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can sliced olives, drain
1 small can diced green chilies, drain
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
10 flour tortillas

1) Place the first six ingredients together in a stock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and poach for about 1 hour.

2) Break up chicken into chunks with a spoon. If chicken does not break apart easily, continue to poach. If it does come apart easily and is cooked all the way through, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3) When chicken has cooled to warm, start the creamy filling. Remove the chicken from the liquid. Save the liquid. Dice the chicken into bite sizes.

4) Stir together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and poaching liquid. 
5) Reserve one cup of the cream sauce to the side. Spread another cup around the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
6) In the rest of the cream sauce, stir in the olives, green chilies  and chicken.

7) Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup of filling and some cheese. Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas. (Use 1 1/2 cups of the cheese inside the enchiladas.)
8) Spread the reserved cup of cream sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9) At this point, if you are bringing it to a friend, cover it with foil and include baking instructions. If you are fixing it for your family to eat, bake for 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees. The enchiladas are done with the cheese is all melted and the top if gold and bubbly. If you are freezing it, wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the frig overnight and bake as normal. It may take a little longer to bake if it isn't completely thawed.

Cauliflower Gratin recipe

This recipe is for JAZ. She loved my cooking. She would have loved this recipe. She loved my gratin potatoes and she loved cauliflower. She'da been all over this melding of the two. (I'm sure she would have wanted the full fat version, but I don't think you can tell.) JAZ passed away a month ago after a very long illness. She fought it for years and was determined to get her health in order. But her body gave out before her will. She will be missed every day.

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN

INGREDIENTS

1 small cauliflower head, cut into florets

1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Asiago cheese

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon Dijon or coarse-grain mustard

1 tablespoon chives or parsley

2-3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

nonstick cooking spray

salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) In an oven-proof pan, simmer cauliflower in 1 cup of milk, nutmeg, and salt for 7 or 8 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender. (I started with a lid on the pan and removed it about halfway.) 

3) Stir the flour into the other 1/2 cup milk. Stir the mixture into the cauliflower. 

4) Add half of each of the cheeses, mustard, and herb. Let the mixture simmer until thickened.

5) Sprinkle breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and the remaining cheese over the cauliflower. Do not stir. Spray with a little nonstick cooking spray.

6) Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are toasted.

Serve. Great cold weather side-dish. It might take the place higher calorie mac 'n cheese for me.