Julie and Julia

I finally saw the movie and am always in awe of how amazing of an actress Meryl Streep is.  She always turns herself completely into character and I love it.  A little bit of movie magic makes the 5'6" actress tower over her co-stars and even the furniture. But Streep as Child is revelatory, real, and irresistible. In one scene, when she responds to some good news from her sister (wonderfully played by Jane Lynch), the mixture of emotions that cross Streep's face in a moment tell us of decades of pain. In another, as the Childs and their friends celebrate Valentine's Day, we see an expression of love and trust so deep and enduring and joyous and sexy that it makes most expressions of movie romance feel like whipped cream made with skim milk and fake sugar.  This is a movie about food and love and courage and dreams and lots and lots of butter, and doing something -- cooking or acting -- brilliantly and with gusto. And it is delicious, nourishing, and good to the last drop.

Of course, after watching this film I had to make food.  So I made a Julia Child recipe found here:
http://myitaliangrandmother.blogspot.com/2009/07/julia-childs-chicken-poached-in-butter.html

Me in my Julia child outfit with Julia Child chicken

The rice was amazing!!  So light and fluffy and divine to eat.  The chicken was a little dry and the only real flavoring was butter so it wasn't amazing but still decent.  I would make it again and still recommend it to anyone.  Nonetheless, it was a fitting supper with a very good movie.