Today I completed random act of kindness number 19. We headed over to get some pizza for dinner on the way home and I decided to buy a pizza for the next person to come in and order “The Cowboy” (we were at Papa John’s and that’s their most popular pizza). The cool part was that when I told the guy at the counter what I wanted to do, he asked if I had Twitter. I said yes, why? and he told me he had heard of this #26acts thing. How cool is that? It’s catching on!
This is in honor of Caroline Previdi, a six-year-old who loved the color pink, the New York Yankees, and donated money from her piggy bank to the church toy drive.
Random Act #19: Caroline Previdi
In other news, I know in my original post I had said that I was going to try to have twenty-six acts done by December 31st, but it’s going to take a little more time. I want these acts to be meaningful, so I’m getting rid of my deadline (I’ll likely have them done in the next week or so). I don’t want to rush just to have them done by tomorrow and not do something that helps others.
Last night we rented Baytown Outlaws, a movie that neither of us had really heard of. After our debacle with Killer Joe the other night, we figured it couldn’t be any worse!
Plot Summary (from IMDb): After her ex-husband Carlos shoots Celeste three times in the gut, it’s time to play dirty. In the fight for her godson, Rob, she hires three outlawed and redneck brothers to bring him back to her. But nothing can be that simple in the South. What begins as a small rescue mission rises to a southern battle royal. This odd team must shoot their way through gorgeous female assassins, Native American hunters, Federal agents, and a whole lot of metal coming after them, while protecting Celeste’s innocent child.
Rating: On Demand.
I actually thought this movie was pretty good. It had equal parts of shoot-em-up and comedy, which made it appealing to both Mike and I. As always, Billy Bob Thornton plays a hilarious role and the three brothers (I haven’t heard of any of them) were perfectly cast. This is a good, entertaining movie!
Ratings Explanation:
Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
This one randomly came to me while I was driving today – I wanted to do something that would be special to a child since many of the victims were children. I stuck 50 cents into one of the sticker machines at Safeway. I know the kid who gets it may not understand, but it makes me happy to think that I’ll put a smile on a child’s face today. This is in honor of Noah Pozner, the youngest victim in this massacre. This sweet boy once told his family that he wanted to be a taco factory manager. 🙂
Random act seventeen was to stop by my local plant nursery and leave a gift card for the next people to come into buy something. I like to think they’ll plant something pretty that will help them to remember this little act of kindness. This is in honor of Jack Pinto, a six-year-old boy who loved football so much that he was actually buried in his favorite Victor Cruz jersey.
Random act number sixteen was to buy two scratcher tickets and leave them in a random mailbox. Hopefully they win a little something! This is in honor of Emilie Parker, a sweet little six-year-old who loved to make people smile and draw pictures.
Random act number fifteen was a fun one that tested my willpower. I walked into a local donut shop, paid for a dozen donuts, and walked out without a single one. I’m very proud. This act is in honor of Anne Marie Murphy, a teacher who died shielding her children from the gunfire. She leaves behind a husband and four of her own children.
For act number fourteen, I left a SpaFinder gift certificate in someone’s mail box. It’s this great light pink box that I drive past every day and I figured with a pink mailbox, there had to be a woman in the house who would enjoy it! This act was in honor of Grace McDonnell, a seven-year-old who loved seashells, pink & purple, and gymnastics.
Tonight I decided to try a new recipe for smothered pork chops. I’m not gonna lie, they were pretty darned delicious. And it’s a nice change to the general cooking of pork chops that actually keeps them juicy.
Smothered Pork Chops
Ingredients
4 center-cut bone-in pork loin chops
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
3 Tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy creamhot pepper sauce, to tastesteamed rice
Instructions
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chips to the pan and cook until the undersides are browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown the second side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Add the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. When the butter has melted, add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits in the pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the thyme. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to a simmer.
Return the pork chops to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the pork shows no sign of pink when pierced, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chops to a plate. Stir the cream into the gravy in the pan and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and hot pepper sauce. Pour the gravy over the pork and serve with steamed rice.
On a side note, my mom got Kati and I “garbage bowls” for Christmas. We were both a little shocked (I had never heard of one) and joked about it. I used it last night for popcorn and Mom said to call her when I used it for real. Well, I did. And I stand corrected. It really is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It has a non-stick bottom that keeps it from moving around and is way easier to throw everything into as you’re chopping (instead of the plastic bags from the store or running back and forth to the trash). It’s the perfect size and I love the color! Thanks Mom!!!!
So apparently all of television takes the week between Christmas and New Years off. Mike and I settled onto the sofa last night only to find that nothing was on. We started surfing through the On Demand movies and came across Killer Joe, which looked pretty decent. We were wrong. Very, very wrong.
Plot Summary (from IMDb): Finding himself in considerable debt, Chris Smith, a Texan drug dealer, decides the only solution is to murder his mother to collect the insurance money. Conspiring with his father, Ansel, the ex-husband of Chris’s mother, they decide to hire “Killer Joe” Cooper, a police detective who has a parallel career as a contract killer. They plan to give the money to Chris’s sister Dottie, who Chris thinks is the beneficiary of the mother’s life insurance policy. Chris is unable to front Killer Joe’s fee. However, Chris agrees that Joe can take Dottie as a retainer until the insurance comes through.
Rating: Skip It.
Seriously, it’s a terrible movie. Any movie that starts with someone knocking on the door only to have the door opened by a naked white trash woman is not going to end well. It was all downhill from there.
Ratings Explanation:
Theater: This means the movie is awesome. Go see this movie in the theater – well worth the $100 you’ll spend for a night out to see it on the big screen!
On Demand: Since no one actually rents movies anymore, this category has changed to On Demand. This means it’s a great movie, but it is as good at home as it is in the theater and worth seeing a little sooner.
TV: This means the movie is ok. Wait for it to show up on HBO and see it for free.
For random act of kindness number thirteen, I made a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, a cause near and dear to my heart. My Oma has this terrible disease which affects 26.6 million people around the world. There is no cure.
This act is in honor of James Mattioli, a six-year-old who loved basketball, swimming, arm wrestling, and being outside.
Down The Road I Go 