Mama Mia Itza Pizza and Some Flicks

GR&DF wowzers the sweet comments and super emails about Rico's pizza where just fantastico!! Our "Old family" recipe for deluxe deep dish pizza is very simple and when the time and energy is there we think it is worth the little trouble to make a nice homemade treat. Well, the recipe is basically things we keep in the pantry - for the crust we start off with a Pillsbury "Hot Roll" mix. We keep this on hand because it is all pre-measured and a sort of dump and mix thing. It is really only flour and some yeast - but the convenience is top notch. On the box is an adjustment to make it into a pizza dough and it works a treat!! For the sauce we once again go to the pantry for convenience. If we are not making a fresh sauce over the stove then we reach for Contadina "Pizza Sauce." I really like these products and have used them for years - and again it is on the shelf and a very good substitute for homemade. The toppings for this (and most pizzas we make) where what was on hand and can be anything - On this particular one was some left over hamburger from some tacos, some cut up veggies from a salad and some cheese that I had left over from a macaroni and cheese I made a few days ago. It was a kind of clean out the leftovers - you can really put anything on it that you have. Last night we had the pizza again with a green salad and it was the bomb!! We tried a new dressing Ken's "Honey Mustard" - it was on sale at the Safeway when we made the weekly trip over the weekend and was simply delicious!! Usually Rico likes poppy seed dressing and I like Blue cheese, but when something is on sale we branch out a bit and try something new. So there you go some on hand things and leftovers made for two super meals and kept the grocery budget in check!!

Last night I worked on charting up some bits for the double bands on the Alpha Sampler. This piece is really coming along - as I have been throwing a few bits of floss into it each night. I didn't get a snap and may just wait until Monday as I have a feeling that it might just get finished up this weekend!! How super would that be.

The flickers have been numerous, but I will keep it shortish.

Lets start off with "Smart Woman" - 1931 - starring Mary Astor, Robert Ames and Edward Everett Horton. In this film Astor is a loving wife who returns from a trip to Europe only to learn that her husband plans to divorce her. She learns this info from his sister and his business partner, who become her partners in thwarting him. He invites his gold-digging girlfriend and her bossy mother for a weekend at their country home. To help expose the fiancee Astor invites a very eligible nobleman she met on shipboard and she and her cohorts collaborate to make it seem that Astor has now fallen is in love with him and more than glad her husband has found someone else. The girlfriend is treated humorously and the happy ending is not forced. Everything works out. The bad are dispatched, the good reunited.

Next up would be "Shane" - 1953 - starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon de Wilde and Jack Palance. A beautifully shot picture with exceptional performances by all the actors. The story revolves around an ex-gunslinger trying to break with his past. I was really surprised by this film as I had heard lots about it - and often a flick falls far from the accolades it gets. The film is justifiably great but leaves lots and lots of questions for the audience from the start to finish.

A film Noir that I caught was "The House Across the Bay" -1940 -starring George Raft, Joan Bennett, Lloyd Nolan and Walter Pidgeon. Gorgeous lounge singer Bennett marries underworld figure Raft. They are completely in love and have a perfect life, for a while. Until other criminals want to rub out Raft. Bennett steps in to keep her husband "safe." She accomplishes this by helping the FBI put him away - for what she thinks is a short term, but she is duped by Nolan (who is in love with her) and he gets a very stiff sentence!! Raft is to serve his long sentence behind bars at Alcatraz - so Bennett moves to San Francisco so she can be near him. The story unfolds with all the treachery unraveling and the evil Nolan "getting whats coming to him."

Another Jean Arthur flick I saw was "Only Angels Have Wings" - 1939 - starring Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth and Thomas Mitchel. This super Howard Hawks film was another I hadn't seen and was pleasantly surprised!! Hawks got great performances from both Grant and Arthur and this was Rita's first big part in an A film. Set in South America this is a solid "adventure-romance" film that anyone can enjoy.

I also saw another Cary Grant film "Wedding Present" - 1936 - starring along with Grant was Joan Bennett. This film had the potential to be a really good film but was a bit scattered. It seemed that the story line got distracted. Some good lines and some quality parts but over all an undistinguished film as a whole.

Last night I caught a film that I have loved since childhood - "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" - 1968 - starring Dick van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. This is a film that makes Rico crazy, but I love it and catch bits and pieces all the time on cable. Here is a clip of the title song...



....and here is a clip of one of my favorite songs from the film... sung by Gert Frobe playing Baron Bomburst and Anna Quayle playing the Baroness....




There you go sports fans. Thank you again for stopping by and for your super comments!! Do come again.

Take care,
edgar