Cuisine & Screen: At Home, Part 32

I'm eagerly anticipating the first UNC-Dook basketball game of the season, which happens to be tomorrow (Saturday night). I love the rivalry, and it brings back great memories from my 4 years on the Hill. This is one of my favorite photos of all time, taken at the bar Four Corners, which we used to frequent. I think every receipt should close with this, and that a pint should still be this cheap!

I will always remember.

CUISINE

My sweetheart and I have been watching a lot of "Take Home Chef", the 2006-08 TLC show that introduced the world to Chef Curtis Stone. We've been inspired to recreate several of his dishes, most recently Shrimp Curry. It can seem intimidating to attempt a dish without an actual recipe, but we were actually thrilled with how this came out and wrote down what we did, so we could easily replicate it. She's not a looker, but she sure does taste good. Thank you for the inspiration, Curtis!

3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (you could also use scallops, chicken, or any meaty white fish!)
2 TB butter
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 TB ginger, minced
1 TB garlic, minced
1 1/2 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 TB red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 TB tomato paste
1 tsp Tikka Masala Spice blend
Salt & Pepper
Cooked Rice & Naan for serving
Cilantro and Cashews for garnish - optional

Over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 TB butter and add your onions. Let them soften and begin to caramelize, which will take about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, tomatoes and curry paste. Cook this for a few minutes, until a dark color is developed. Add the coconut milk, tomato paste and Tikka Masala Spice blend and stir to combine. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Taste for seasonings, adding s&p as needed, then add your shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve this over cooked rice, alongside some warm naan, and you'll be good to go. If you want to make it a bit extra like me, garnish with some cilantro and cashews.

Shrimp Curry with Saffron Rice

SCREEN
Thank You For Smoking - I don't know how I let this one slip by me. Aaron Eckhart is in the role of his lifetime as Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, who can enamor and persuade just about anyone he speaks to. He seems to crush it professionally, but we see his struggles at home and in his relationship with his son. It's a dark comedy with a killer supporting cast including J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, Robert Duvall and more. If you missed it like me, go back and check this one out!

The Little Things - I was very excited to watch this film. It had so much potential - a compelling plot, brilliant cast, a score by my favorite film composer, an accomplished director - but it unfortunately fell just a bit flat. Denzel Washington and Rami Malek give OK performances as a sheriff and detective working to track down a serial killer in 1990s Los Angeles. The star here, without a doubt, is Jared Leto, who plays the main suspect and is absolutely perfectly cast as this creeper. Fans of closure at the end of a movie (like me) may be disappointed. Watch this film for Leto's performance, and only that.