DINNNER AND A MOVIE: German Noodles with Brown Gravy AND In Bruges

Here is the first of the new feature I'm starting: Dinner and a Movie. Every weekend I'll post one recipe and the review of a movie I watched this week. Mostly its going to be movies that I enjoyed and you can give it a try as well. My husband and I watch a lot of movies. We hardly watch any TV. We have the blockbuster online subscription and we keep it going all the time.We love anything as long as its good: foreign films, action, comedies and I'm also a sucker for chick flicks. And of course how can any movie be watched without something hearty and comforting to eat. If its Friday night mostly I make something super easy (i.e when i'm not getting take out) and the german noodles featured here fall in that category.

O.K so first with the dinner:
This is not a recipe. Its an idea for a very easy yet comforting dinner. My boss is from Germany. When he had Nits and me over for dinner he made these traditional german noodles with gravy. It turns out these noodles are made in his home town of Spaichingen and sold here in the US in our grocery store, which pleased him immensely by the way. I had never eaten these noodles and especially never with gravy. His gravy mix was from Germany but I think our gravy mixes taste pretty much the same, at least to my taste buds. I really liked the combination. The noodles will go well with steak/chicken and a salad. I prefer to eat it just like that as a meal.

Ingredients
Serves 2
Black forest Girl brand German noodles (egg noodles,extra broad)-1
Brown gravy mix package-1

Cook noodles according to package directions in water with salt and a little bit of oil. Make gravy according to package directions while noodles cook. Add noodles to a bowl. Drizzle with gravy. Eat away! Isn't that easy?

Next up: The Movie

In Bruges is the movie of the week. It stars Collin Farell, Brendan Gleesan and Ralph Fiennes. Movie is set in Bruges (pronounced Brooje) in Belgium and is the story of two assasins hanging out in this small quaint belgian town after a kill. Both are awaiting a call from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) for another job.

The movie is a dark comedy and the dialogues are exceptionally hillarious at times. The acting was amazing by both Collin farrell and Brendan Gleesan. I think the reason we enjoyed this movie was that we had not heard of it and had very little expectations from it. It turned out surprisingly enjoyable. Collin Farrell cannot stand Bruges and sees nothing in the town contrary to his partner Brendan Gleesan who loves historic architecture. However Collin Farell has a sad history which he can shift to from his annoying brooding character and you find yourself feeling sorry for him. Well I can't give everything away here or you won't watch it. If you're into these kind of NON BLOCKBUSTER kind of movies do give it a try. It was a welcome change from the usual. I give it a 4 star rating!

West Indies Black eyed Peas with Pasta

Today I went to the library and got myself a vegetarian cookbook. I wanted to try making some fancy new dishes that were healthy as well.I brought home "The complete Vegetarian cookbook" by Chris Hardistry. In this book I found a spicy black eyed peas recipe that I was drawn to for two reasons. One, it said spicy and being Indian that draws me to it right away. Secondly it said black eyed peas and I had a can on hand. I read the recipe and knew I might have to change the spice proportions a bit and also add an extra kick to it. So here is my modified version of the recipe served with healthy high fiber pasta (I prefer Smart Taste pasta as it tastes a lot better than whole wheat pasta). This is a delicious, simple and super easy recipe.

Ingredients

Smart taste Rotini
Water and salt to cook pasta.

1 small can black eyed peas, drained and washed. Reserve drained liquid.
1 tblsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground pepper
salt to taste
2 tbslp tomato paste
2/3 cup drained bean liquid plus added water
1 tblsp soy sauce
chopped parsley

Method

Fill a large pot 3/4 with water. Season water with salt. This is the only chance you can actually season the pasta so add salt to the water. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. I use 3/4 package of the pasta. Meanwhile heat oil in a non stick pot. Add onions and garlic and saute till onion turn transparent. Add all seasonings and black eyed peas. Saute. Add tomatoes, soy sauce and tomato paste. Stir and heat through.Then add liquids and cook till sauce thickens up. Add chopped parsley. When pasta is cooked, drain the pasta. Add pasta to a large bowl. Pour a generous helping of the sauce onto it and serve immediately.