Amy Adams: A real Meryl Streep

Hey there guys and dolls! Marcy here updating from beautiful SLO, California. Car troubles have landed me in a motel for the night, but I'm making the most of it. It reminds me of the time Caitlin and I had nothing in the fridge but pepper jack and cheese and a few tortillas. You want to know what we made with those wacky ingredients? Quesadillas.

So here is my "quesadilla" for the night: a gem of an article I found in the LA Times archives while doing my nightly Meryl/Amy research. It's called "That Amy Adams Touch" and it's an exploration of Amy's stormier side. Talk about news we all care about!

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-amy-adams11-2009aug11,0,234631.story

Do you have any DOUBT that life is an adventure?

l-o-v-e

I was munching on a nectarine while Marcy was vacationing with the fam in Santa Barbara (go dolphins!) and suddenly, it hit me: what is love? Isn't that question really what Meryl Streep & Amy Adams & Caitlin & Marcy is all about? From the deep love and care for cooking, to the relationship between Amy Adam's character Julie whatever and her sassy journalist-husband, to Julie's admiration for Julia Child (and Amy Adams' likely admiration for Meryl Streep [and hopefully vice versa because they are quite the movie duo]), to the profound platonic love and friendship between Marcy and me... it seems it all converges at that one four letter word. I don't have any conclusions to offer on this topic; just some food for thought.. LOL!

The Rooster in the Hen House

We had exciting plans for tonight. We were going to get dolled up in our Sunday finest and head out for a night on the town. But alas, life had other plans for us, as always. Here in the Meryl Streep and Amy Adams and Caitlin and Marcy kitchen, we don't let a little snafu ruin our night. If life hands us cinnamon waffles, turkey hot dogs, and a bag of a mozzarella cheese, we make lemonade!

Not literally, of course. Upon further reflection, we could have made lemonade out of the frozen lemonade from concentrate hidden in the back (front) of the freezer. But we made use of what we were given (we selected each item from the refrigerator individually) and put together something you may think is a little "off the wall." This is a great treat for a late night snackfest with your best girls (or boys, don't wanna alienate our male readers). When those pink-clad ladies (or blue clad fellaz, don't wanna alienate our male readers) pop one of these in their mouths, they'll be begging for more.

Step one. Pop a cinnamon waffle (we recommend "Eggo") in your toaster oven if you can L'EGGO (BadaBING!!). You'll want to toast it just long enough to warm it up while keeping it slightly limp. Our grandma taught us a great way to test limpness in toaster waffles: hold that bad boy in your hand. If it hangs down a little bit, it's limp! Step two. Sprinkle a little mozzarella (you could also subsistute a sweet marscapone, if desired) all over that waffle. You want to coat it completely to insure the waffle will stick to your dawg.

Step tres (3). Pop that dawg smack-dab in the middle of the mozzarella (or marscapone)-coated waffle and fold it up at the RIGHT and LEFT ends around the LENGTH of the hot dog. You shouldn't have trouble folding if you listened to our tips on limpness of toaster waffles (see step one). Notice the waffle resembles a plaid cinnamon hot-dog bun in this state-- feed it to your kids and they'll never know the difference! Wrap the rooster in the hen house in a two-ply paper towel and put it in the microwave on HIGH for twenty-five seconds.
We're not gonna sugar coat a thing. It'll come out limper than the marathon tape after the winner has broken through the finish line, but we have a tip to help make that dawg stand on it's own two feet. There's no shame in performing parallel processes in the kitchen. Mimicry is a sign of flattery. Discard the paper towel, slip that dawg back in the toaster for a minute and it'll come out with the rigidity of a well-constructed gymnasium.

The final ingredient is a favorite of ours, Jamaican Jerk Blend. There are two schools of thought on the timing of the Jamaican Jerk. The first, more traditional approach is to mix in the JJ with the cheese before putting the rooster in the hen house in the microwave. This blends the JJ with the cheese, marrying the flavors. The other technique is to add the JJ right before serving, allowing the strong notes of the Jamaican flavor to really stand on their own. This time, we tried the newer approach, to outstanding results. Each bite had not only the strong, spicy island taste of Jamaica, but also the delightful and subtle crunch of flakes.

The sweetness of the cinnamon, the gooey goodness of the cheese, and that salty, homey turkey flavor all combine to make AMERICA in your mouth. Talk about YUM. We recommend pairing the rooster in the hen house with a nice glass of Ralph's Generic White Grape Juice (NO SUBSTITUTE WILL SUFFICE! We're serious on this one, guys!). The interplay of grape and juice and dawg is good.

WARNING: We know those BBQ fiends may say, "hey! why not add some KC Masterpiece barbeque sauce because the sweetness and tanginess in the sauce will echo the flavors of both the cinnamon waffle and the turkey dawg!?" Well, we hear you, our friends, and we understand where you're coming from, but we discovered the hard way that KC Masterpiece barbeque sauce, and probably any brand of bbq sauce (maybe a dab of A1 steak sauce would hold up) will OVERPOWER the subtle, yet erupting flavors of the rooster in the hen house. So, just cast it aside, and give these flavors a chance. You won't regret it.

Sweet French Hungarian Dessert

Well, onto dessert! We came back from the movie, our hearts nourished, but our bodies not. And what better to cap off a night like this than with an old french classic: s'mores! But these are s'mores the Meryl Streep & Amy Adams & Caitlin & Marcy way...

We started with some fine Hershey's milk chocolate (and all that other stuff you need for s'mores). We turned up the heat, threw it all together, and called it a night. But wait! That can't be all! What's a Meryl Streep & Amy Adams & Caitlin & Marcy dessert without our signature special ingredient: a sprinkle of paprika!


I know what you're thinking. Paprika on a dessert? We thought of that too. But we know our paprika. Sweet Hungarian paprika, an export from Hungary, is just what a plain old dessert needs to make it truly special. But we didn't have any sweet Hungarian paprika just in our cupboard!

It's a good thing we're such fine, resourceful ladies. If you're ever in a pinch like we found ourselves and need some Sweet Hungarian Paprika when you've only got Fancy, here's a life-saving tip: mix equal parts sugar and paprika and BAM! you've got yourself some sweeeet paprika. That's what we did, and I know it's rude to say yum at the dinner table, but YUM!

Friday Night: Pepper in Some Fun!

It was a typical Friday night and our stomachs were rumbling. We found ourselves on autopilot, heading to the local burrito joint for a quick fix. But as we clenched the bags in our fists, we felt a pit in the center of our stomachs. Here we were, 21 years old, ripe with intellect and humor/hunger and we were spending our Friday evening outside the kitchen?!

This is not to malign our burritos. Burrito Express is truly a top notch establishment. It has the old world charms of old world Mexico, with a touch of that California flare. But for some reason, those thick, reassuring hunks of beans and meat just didn't seem like enough, you know? Meryl Streep & Amy Adams & Caitlin & Marcy isn't about convenience, it's about Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. So we decided to spice up this otherwise blase Friday night with a little side dish of our own.

Now we should preface this with a warning: this will take some time and patience. We know that you urban divas and city gallavanters want quick home meals, but this one is worth the wait. Trust me. First step, and this one's a must: head to the supermarket and look for a product called Easy Mac. It's very inexpensive and you can usually find it in the mac n cheese aisle (usually!). These little friends come in individual servings so you can buy just the right amount (save the environment!).

The next step is a bit of a doozy. Peel the lids off those bad boys and fill them with water up the "fill line." You're going to want to be VERY precise, as this will determine just how thickly cheesy your mac will be. We recommend using a teaspoon and spooning in water until you've got just the right amount (quick tip: water level should be at the line). It might look a little cloudy. That means it's working.

Don't forget to stir it up before popping it in the microwave. Marcy uses a fork. Caitlin prefers a spoon. Meryl Streep has commented that she tends to agree with Marcy. Amy Adams was out and was not available for comment. Put it in the microwave for THREE AND A HALF MINUTES. This is a precision game, as we mentioned before. If you see that mac getting really soft, leave it in. It's not quite ready yet. And be patient because when it comes out hot and steaming, you will be so proud of yourself. Meryl would be proud!

Stir in the provided cheese powder. We like to mix clockwise and counterclockwise motions. It softens the cheese and creates just the right texture. Now. Here in the MSAAAACAM kitchen we're all about creativity and adding those personal, can-do touches. We spiced up our mac n cheese by sprinkling with some brillant red paprika. I know it's rude to say yum at the dinner table, but YUM.

What a life!

Setting out on an adventure

I know it might sound crazy, but Marcy and Caitlin have decided to embark on a delicious journey through Meryl Streep and Amy Adams!!