The Devil Wears Prada

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.29.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry.
My Monday book giveaway is the Coffee Cup Bible Study books by Sandra Glahn.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE GUY I'M NOT DATING and post the title for another book I'm giving away.

Movie! I finally saw The Devil Wears Prada yesterday with Shelley Bates. It was good! Good character arc.

Now I will confess that I have NOT read the book yet (Bad, Camy! Bad, Camy!). I have it on my TBR pile where it stares balefully at me. I just had too many other things to read.

But the storyline in the movie was great. There were only a few things that niggled me—like why she would want a job at a fashion magazine when she so disdains them all, and the cutie Christian-somethinglastname writer who suddenly (and rather uncharacteristically) turned into power-hungry-want-that-editing-job dork right after she sleeps with him.

And what was up with her boyfriend??? For one, he wasn't that handsome, I thought. For another, I think he could have been a little more sympathetic about her missing his birthday party. I mean, a birthday party? "Let me pout in front of the TV a bit because you missed such a momentous event."

What--did he expect her to just quit her job when it became too demanding and taking time away from him? Only rich people can afford to do that, honey.

And why were her friends so unsympathetic? They were nice enough when she was giving them free stuff like a coveted $1900 purse. But when her job started taking all her time, they almost made her lose her job by not giving her her phone. Did her friends and her boyfriend think jobs grow on trees? Come on, people.

And all Miranda Priestley's foibles were almost worth the FREE COUTURE!!! Let me just say that again: FREE COUTURE!!! All those fabulous clothes and shoes that didn’t cost Andrea a cent.

TMI:

Writing: I posted a book review of A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND over at the Fab Four Book Picks blog, another "Health and the Writer" post at WriterQuotes, and another synopsis tip at myStory Sensei blog.

I am desperate to get a sketch outline for my next manuscript. I don't know if I'm going to make the ACFW conference Early Bird deadline. Yikes!

Diet: I did okay considering I went out to eat yesterday with Shelley. Had a salad and soup—both terrific—at an Italian restaurant. But I didn't exercise—my surgery knee was bothering me after the movie, so I iced it down instead.

I roasted a chicken today since I had time, and I can't believe I haven't done this more often. Whole chicken is always so cheap and roasting is incredibly easy.

I used my mom's recipe for stuffing:

Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water.
Mince and sauté onions, garlic, celery, and the gizzards in butter.
Mince the mushrooms.
Tear 2-3 pieces of bread into small pieces.
Toss everything. If it's too dry, add some of the mushroom water.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff yer bird.

The chicken juices (read: fat) make the stuffing melt in your mouth, and the stuffing gives flavor to the meat around it.

I rubbed salt, pepper, and paprika on the chicken and roasted it breast side down. I didn't use a rack, and MAN the breast turned out really juicy. I wedged the chicken up with four potatoes (they turned out really good, too).

I didn't even have to baste it. I seared it at 450o for 10 minutes, basted once with butter, and then left it at 350o for 2 hours (4 pound chicken).

SO EASY! SO CHEAP! I should do this more often, since I have the time to roast it.