Tom Hiddleston

I daresay Tom Hiddleston was probably the first actor I genuinely wanted to meet in real life. Not just as a fan, but as an equal. I have always felt like Tom was rather down to Earth and just charming. I am not alone in this thinking. MANY woman love and adore Mr. Hiddleston. And who can blame them, really? I mean, everything he does is with such grace and humility that you can't help but love him. And with the accent, I mean, come on! I could literally listen to him all day long. He could read a phone book and I'd melt into a puddle on the floor. And so would everyone else.

He's everyone's favorite 'bad guy' as Loki in Marvel's THOR series alongside Chris Hemsworth. Though I was never a huge Loki fan. I have loved his portrayal of nice and kind characters. Cranford, for example. Even though he's so blonde in that one, it's a little weird. Here is Tom Hiddleston at Nerd HQ this last
summer. It's a half hour well spent (there may be some swearing, I can't remember):

And here he is doing an impersonation of a velociraptor:

He held the #1 spot for a good long while. And he only lost it after a fall from my good graces after I watched him in Only Lovers Left Alive. I get that it's an artsy movie, but the language was atrocious and the content left so much to be desired and after it was over I remember thinking to myself "What even was the point of that movie. AND, why did Tom do it? Didn't he read the script beforehand? WHY DID TOM DO THAT MOVIE?!" and he slipped a little then. And he did a number of projects that, while artistic, left me wondering why he chose that role. But, I am a bit of a traditionalist. I don't usually go to a movie because it's artistic or unique. I don't write those things either. So, I found myself parting ways with Tom and accidentally fell into the abyss of Richard Armitage that replaced Tom.

And, I don't think we need to talk about the crushing, heartbreaking time last summer when I had to take him entirely off the Top 5 list because of a girl that will remain nameless, but none of us really liked her before, and them together made us like her less, am I right? I am. I totally am. And it wasn't because she was dating him. It was because when she was dating him we saw her for what she really is. Because next to him, there was a difference. He is a genuinely good person. I think he would try and save the world if he could. Because that's the type of person he is. He goes to Africa to help the poor and needy. He'd probably give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it. I'm assuming. Because I don't actually know him. But, I like thinking of him that way. I like thinking of him as the charming and sweet guy that spends his free time helping those less fortunate than himself.

 So. Tom Hiddleston. Have you read the GQ article that was just barely written about him? If not, read it HERE. It's worth it, believe me. It reminded me of why I gave him the #1 spot to begin with. It reacquainted me with Tom and made me want to meet him all over again. I would love to sit down and just chat with him for a while. I feel like we'd be friends.

And, it gave me hope that Tom will be in movies that I can watch and not wonder what he was possibly thinking. Plus, he's coming back this November as Loki in Thor:Ragnorok. Can we be excited for that? ABSOLUTELY. I think it will be a fantastic film. And his portrayal of Loki is just beyond stellar. He does such a good job as an actor and gives so much to each role. It's phenomenal.

Have you guys seen him in The Hollow Crown? GO CHECK IT OUT. Also, his portrayal of F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris is so great. And, let's not forget his role in Cranford. It was brilliant. For all of his many roles, check out his iMDB profile.

He loves to sing and dance wherever he goes. He is always seen talking to everyone he can and just being a genuinely good person. The world needs more people like Tom Hiddleston in it. And I need to be friends with him. Just saying.

And, in honor of his birthday, just a few days after my own, we have made this amazing Lemon Loaf. I adapted the recipe from Averie Cooks. Check it out HERE.

Lemon Loaf

Loaf
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (MUST be lemon EXTRACT. It won't work the same with lemon oil or lemon juice!)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

For the loaf, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Averie makes one big 9x5 inch loaf, I make 3 smaller loafs instead. You want to prepare the pans by either spraying them with a cooking oil with flour, or by greasing and flouring your pans. Then set them aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and sour cream until smooth. Then, slowly stream in the oil while whisking. Don't over mix your batter. Mix until just combined and then add the lemon extract and zest. Then, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. There may be lumps, but it'll be fine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake in the oven for 50-52 minutes if making just one loaf, or about 35-38 minutes for three smaller loaves. Check after 35 minutes. They should be lightly browned with a toothpick coming out clean from the center.

Once the loaves are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans before removing them. Once cooled, remove from the pans and prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, mix the lemon juice slowly into the powdered sugar in a bowl until the desired consistency is reached. You don't want it too thin, so don't add all the lemon juice at once and then stir. Add it slowly, stirring constantly so it doesn't get too thin. Then, once the desired consistency is reached, drizzle the glaze over the bread. It will taste so amazing, I promise. And then you can go watch a Tom Hiddleston movie and people won't be sure if you're drooling over him or the bread. In reality, it'll be both. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! Enjoy!!

Hugh Jackman

You know when you're a kid and you LOVE a cartoon so much you run home right after school to watch it? And when you're playing pretend with your siblings you always bring in your favorite cartoon characters? And then, as a teen or adult they (you know, Hollywood, society, or just the collective 'they')  tell you they are doing you this huge favor and they're going to make a live action movie and you're thinking "how is that going to work?!" and you hold your breath because you just know they're going to screw it up and how you're going to have to hate the characters you love so much.

That was me and the Xmen animated series. I also loved the Batman/Superman animated series and had to live through the painfully awful Batman Forever AND Batman and Robin movies. I cringed at the thought of my beloved Xmen falling prey to the same misrepresentation. 

My biggest question was, how on earth are

they goibg to bring Wolverine to life? With his blue hair and yellow spandex, I was certain this was one character that probably only worked in the comics. And then I saw the first preview and my heart fluttered for a brief second because it didn't look terrible. So I went on opening day because I'm that kind of fan. And, I'ma be straight with y'all, I was suuuuuuper impressed with Wolverine. It's like they took a picture from the comics to auditions and when Hugh Jackman came in they were like "you know, if we changed his hair and gave him sideburns.... Yep.... Yep... That's him". And so it was. And I died to death. Because he's PERFECT. 

Obviously, after I watched Xmen 6 times on theaters (I'm Soozee and I'm a comic book movie addict) I watched for other movies with Hugh Jackman in them because he intrigued me. This was early 2000s, so I had to actually wait for movies to come out because I didn't know what iMDB was yet. Haha. And a few years later Kate and Leopold came out and I thought to myself "I just don't see Wolverine doing well in a chick flick" and boy, was I wrong. Again! And I couldn't be happier about it,  either!

A few years ago my friends were like "let's go see Real Steel!! It's like Rock'em Sock'em Robots in real life!" and that sounded interesting, so I went. Um. Have y'all seen that movie?! If not, go find it NOW. I cried at the end. It was so beautiful. I LOVE that movie. A movie about robot

fighting. Yep. 

Did you know he can sing? Did you know he was a teacher before he became an actor? Did you know that he is actually a really fantastic person in real life? That last one I don't know from personal experience, but I have heard that from people that have met him. I will work with him one day. He would be an excellent villain in my story, LIGHTS. 

He's the voice of the Easter Bunny in Rise of the Guardians, which is one of my favorite movies. He is such a versatile actor. For examples, go watch Les Miserables, then The Prestige, then Eddie the Eagle.  And who could forget his role in Australia with Nicole Kidman? The movie was a bit long, but he was amazing.

The new poster for the last Wolverine movie was just released and I am very intrigued. The title is simply Logan. They have hinted at possibly going down the "Old Man Logan" storyline in this film, which would be interesting. I have always loved Wolverine and think it could be a very fitting end for such an iconic character.

Check out all of his credits on iMDB HERE because I've barely even scratched the surface of his amazing filmography.

And with all that said, it's time to get to the treat. For Hugh's birthday, I made a Maple Bacon Biscoff Cheesecake. Yes, you read that right. Maple. Bacon. Biscoff. Cheesecake. It's a hybrid of many recipes, but in the end it's just delicious. 

Maple Bacon Biscoff Cheesecake

For the crust:

1 pkg. Biscoff cookies, crushed 

For the filling:

4 pkgs. Cream cheese

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed 

1 Tbs. Vanilla

3/4 tsp. Cinnamon 

4 eggs 

1/4 cup biscoff cookie spread 

For topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Powdered sugar

4 oz. Cream cheese 

Bacon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Press the crushed cookie crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside. 

Combine cream cheese, sugars, vanilla and spices until combined. Then, mix in biscoff spread. 

Next, add eggs one at a time until just combined. Do NOT over mix the batter. 

Pour over crust and bake for one hour or until the center is almost set. 

Remove from the oven and let cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. 

While you're cheesecake is cooling, cook up some bacon. I cooked a one pound package, but at least a quarter of it disappeared before I finished the cheesecake, so cook however much bacon you're comfortable with. Once it's cooked and cooked chop it into small pieces to sprinkle on top. 

For the mousse, whip 1 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup powdered sugar to stiff peaks Set aside. Cream 4oz.cream cheese then fold in whipped cream and add 1 tsp. Mapeline maple flavoring.

To assemble, place a slice of cheesecake on a plate, spoon or pipe mousse onto the top it it and the sprinkle the bacon on top and enjoy!