Eat & Watch: Homemade Tuna Casserole & Manhattan Murder Mystery

Manhattan Murder Mystery is one of Woody Allen’s funniest movies – it’s filled with classic Woody Allen one-liners, a healthy balance of comedy and crime, and humorous and easy banter between Diane Keaton and Woody Allen. In this 1993 film, Woody Allen is a book editor named Larry Lipton who is married to Carol, a free spirit who is open to trying new things. Carol becomes suspicious when their neighbor’s wife dies, and she wants to investigate to find out if it was her neighbor who killed his wife. Larry, in the typical Woody Allen way, doesn’t want to leave his apartment. Ultimately, the two start looking further into what happened, with a couple of friends joining in along the way.

Woody Allen’s films are always packed with one-liners that usually prompt laughing out loud. One subtle line in particular is when he casually says, “Here, taste my tuna casserole and tell if I put in too much hot fudge.” It was this one line that inspired me to make tuna casserole from scratch, without any hot fudge, of course.

This homemade tuna casserole is comforting, filling, and loaded with flavor. You’re going to help yourself to seconds and thirds. I used fresh ingredients such as mushroom, onion, celery, and milk instead of using canned soup as a base. Even though the tuna casserole is made from scratch, it doesn’t take more than an hour and a half to make. Super doable with plenty of time to watch Woody Allen and Diane Keaton humorously solve a crime.

Homemade Tuna Casserole Recipe

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Apartment Envy

 {Sex and the City}

There are certain homes in television and movies that give me serious apartment envy. I am partial to cozy, eclectic apartments that depict the characters’ personalities, such as Carrie Bradshaw and Mindy Lahiri’s apartments. It’s always interesting to see how characters in movies and on television live, and getting a glimpse into their homes gives you a great sense of who they are. Notice Holly Golightly’s couch, which is half of a bathtub. Awesome.

P.S. Movie kitchens I adore.

 {Breakfast At Tiffany’s}

{Melinda and Melinda}

{How to Marry a Millionaire}

{The Mindy Project}

{Big}

{Friends With Benefits}

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}

Summer Movies to Watch

Summer officially began on Saturday! As with every season, it is time for the roundup of movies that look great for the coming months. With the hot heat, escaping to the cool theater will be welcomed with open arms. These are the six movies I can’t wait to watch:

1. Third Person – July 20

2. They Came Together – June 27

3. Begin Again – July 11

4. Magic in the Moonlight – July 24

5. Lucy – July 25

6. What If – August 7

What movies are you looking forward to watching this summer?

The Tony Awards: From Screen to Stage

Just as we see with books, there are many crossovers from Hollywood to the theater. This year’s Tony Awards has nominees that started as films which were then adapted for the stage, as well as musicals that were adapted for the screen. It’s pretty cool seeing the same essence of a story told in various ways, whether it is in the theater, in the pages of a book, or on the silver screen.

1. Disney’s Aladdin went from the screen to stage and is now nominated for Best Musical.

2. Hedwig and the Angry Inch went from stage to screen and is nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

3. Les Miserables went from (book to) stage to screen and is nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

4. Bullets Over Broadway went from screen to stage and is in the running for Best Book of a Musical.

5. Rocky went from screen to stage, and lead Andy Karl is nominated for Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Which Tony Awards nominee are you rooting for?

That’s a Wrap!

I’ve slowly started to get back in the habit of blogging, and it is such a happy feeling. While I never stop thinking of ideas or brainstorming for posts, making the time to actually sit down and write them (let alone cook, bake, photograph, edit, etc.) has been a little harder to accomplish. I promise you I am working on this. I can’t believe that when I started this blog and was in college I published a post every single day. Whew!

This week I saw Captain America, and it was great. It was funny, action-packed, emotional, and it, as usual, left a great cliffhanger for the next movie. I randomly watched the first Captain America movie last fall and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Maybe that’s why I was so eager to see this one. I have caught up on all of my shows…just as the season finales are airing. I hate waiting for the next season to find out what happens.

I am on the hunt for healthier recipes, mainly to balance out all of the sugar-loaded desserts I bake. If you know of any good quinoa or chickpea recipes, please let me know! I’d love to hear your recommendations. For now, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* Attempted making a healthy breakfast (quinoa, coconut, cinnamon & honey), but I think I’m going to need more practice with quinoa.  [photo above]

* Excited for Ina Garten’s book to come out at the end of October!

* Meg Ryan‘s big comeback?

* The life of a sourdough apprentice.

* Girl Scout cookies & wine? Um, yes please.

* Can’t wait any longer for this movie to come out! It is currently set for a July 2014 release date.

* Key and Peele make me laugh hard, too.

* This cinnamon and vanilla cashew milk looks super refreshing.

* Now You’re Cooking. Simply stunning visuals.

Have a wonderful weekend!

{Photo by Lauren}

Happy Birthday, Woody!

Yesterday, December 1, was Woody Allen’s birthday. He turned 78 years old. I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m a huge Woody Allen fan. It all started halfway through college when I wrote about him for one of my film classes. I quickly became hooked on his writing, films, and humor, and I ended up writing a 50+ page paper about him, his life, and his films and writing. It was one of my favorite papers to write, and it never once felt like ‘work.’ He is a fascinating man and if you haven’t seen one of his movies, you’ve got a lot to choose from. Get started! I’m almost jealous if you haven’t seen any of his work because that just means you get to discover and watch his talent for the first time. With over 50 films, there are so many to enjoy. Having thoroughly enjoyed his recent films (Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine, in particular), I can’t wait to see his next film, Magic in the Moonlight. Happy birthday, Woody!

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Quote of the Week

I’d be lying if I said I disagreed.

{Photo and graphics by Lauren}

That’s a Wrap!

I finally saw Blue Jasmine this week, and having seen every single one of his films, I can confidently say that this was one of Woody Allen’s best. The film takes place in San Francisco, first of all. Then there’s Cate Blanchett, who absolutely deserves to be nominated (at least!) for an Oscar for this role. If you’re going to the movie theater this long Labor Day weekend, that’s one movie I totally recommend. For now, let’s wrap-up the week with a recap…

* Hank and Marie watch the VMAs. So perfect.

* Scandal Season 3 promo…October 3 can’t get here soon enough.

* I am officially hooked on Orange is the New Black. If you haven’t yet seen, you know what you should be doing this weekend.

* Woody Allen’s films not only portray strong women, but these strong women have pretty fabulous outfits (hello…Inez in Midnight in Paris)! In Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett rocked some serious Chanel and Fendi.

* So glad Roger Federer is still in the U.S. Open – here’s hoping he makes it to the finals!

* Fun facts you might not have known about ’90’s rom-coms.

* Halloween candy is already on the shelves. Part of me feels like it is too soon, but the other part of me has already purchased 2 bags to devour [photo above].

* Fred Astaire dancing.

Have a happy Labor Day weekend!

{Photo by Lauren}

That’s a Wrap!

We’re halfway through August, which means that with each passing day we are closer to fall TV premieres. There are tons of great shows to look forward to (my mind first jumps to Scandal – I’m hooked!) This weekend I am hoping to spend some time in the kitchen to tackle some of those recipes that have been on my list for weeks. It’s been one whirlwind of a week, so a movie night is very tempting. But in the meantime, let’s wrap up the week with a recap…

* More amazing tidbits from Woody Allen.

* On the topic of Woody, here’s a guide to the spots in NYC from his iconic films.

* Duck Dynasty rules reality TV. It premiered on Wednesday and pulled in 11.8 million viewers.

* I wouldn’t mind a trip to one of these theaters for a night out. Stunning!

* Even in the summer, I always love a good hot chocolate, especially when it comes with a view [photo above].

* The Butler looks like an incredibly powerful film.

* A hilarious attempt by a writer who tries to cook, yet again, with Julia Child.

* Loving this kitchen – simplistic yet cozy.

Have a great weekend!

{Photo by Lauren}

Quote of the Week

“Taste my tuna casserole – tell me if I put in too much hot fudge.”

                                     – Larry Lipton (Woody Allen) in Manhattan Murder Mystery

{pic}