The Girl Who Ate Everything

Yesterday, Kåre and I finished rewatching all six Star Wars movies over six consecutive nights in preparation for seeing The Force Awakens. We watched the original trilogy first, followed by the prequels. (I realize now we should've finished with Episode VI if the whole point was to prepare for the new movie, but whatever.) Then I found out someone came up with a recommended viewing order for optimal Star Wars absorption called Machete Order. WE DID IT WRONG.

I can't watch that video without thinking of Max. We may not work together anymore, but his legacy continues to haunt inspire me.

If you like Star Wars but don't know about Machete Order, this guy's post is an interesting read. Here's the abridged version:

IV, V, II, III, VI

But you should check out the post! Unless you've never seen the movies before and/or know next to nothing about the story, in which case you should go straight to watching the movies. Like my friend who's only seen Episode I. She has yet to watch any of the other movies because after watching Episode I, she had no interest. Because that's what Episode I does to you. IT DESTROYS. As you may have noticed, Machete Order excludes Episode I altogether. I daresay this may call for a...

Or maybe you don't want to watch any of the prequels again. That's cool too. At least watch the Auralnauts versions, where you should start with Episode I:

It's the dubbed retelling of Episode I you've always wanted! Darth Maul is a regional manager of Space Hooters! Jedi battle through the power of prolonged lightsaber-enhanced dance fights! And C-3P0 wants flesh so very badly! In later episodes he'll try to destroy all mankind. C-3P0/Creepio is the main reason to watch all the episodes, but the Jedi dance fights are good too. Plus the original music. I'd point out my favorite, but you should discover it on your own in STAR WARS EP 3: Revenge of Middle Management.

Kåre and I watched all four episodes in one sitting. Since then, we've been incorporating the phrase, "You promised me flesh!" into our daily conversations. Or if not in conversation, perhaps yelled at each other from different rooms. We are very good at the romance.

Being married is cool.

A few months ago I recommended Dominique Ansel's banana bread recipe to a friend. It's a recipe that alchemizes minimal effort into cake gold: a light and moist crumb encased in a crackly crust of caramelized hallucinogenic magic. The source of that magic is 2 cups of sugar and 14 tablespoons of butter. To some people, myself included, 2 cups of sugar and 14 tablespoons of butter translate to "I TASTE REAL GOOD, YOU CAN TRUST ME, WITH ALL YOUR SECRETS, AND YOUR FUTURE BABIES." To others, they translate to "HELL NO, I PREFER A LIFE WITH LESS BUTTER AND SUGAR FOR SOME REASON."

My friend is in the latter group. I wasn't completely surprised he balked at the ingredients, knowing his food preferences, but I was still disappointed. I mean, we're good friends. I trust this guy. ...Or do I?

He looked up another banana bread recipe online, one less buttery and sugary, which is probably every other banana bread recipe in existence. Kåre and I were at his apartment when he baked it. We tasted the banana bread together, fresh from the oven.

"It tastes kind of...healthy."

"...Yeah."

[Everyone continues chewing]

"..."

There wasn't much else to say after that. He sent Kåre and me home with a chunk of the banana bread that we may or may not have eaten. I don't think we talked about it after that. We love our friend, and the friendship is better off that way, I think.

Don't make my friend's mistake. Try Dominique's recipe and let me know what you think. I don't think it's too sweet, but if you're concerned about the sugar content, according to this blogger you can use 1.5 cups of sugar and still get the amazing crust.

Unfortunately, that amazing crust doesn't last forever. Ideally you'd consume the entire loaf within hours to get maximum crust action before it becomes a moist husk of its former self. But nausea would probably kick in at some point and stop you. I know from experience. Without the magical crust though, the cake is still moist and delicious and will stay that way for days.

Here are some other recipes I've made in the last few months that have made me think, "Man, this is a good recipe that I should tell other people about someday when I'm less lazy."