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!!

Zachary Levi

For YEARS my best friend was trying to convince me to watch the TV show Chuck. She was raving about how awesome it was and how much I would love it, and I just never made time for it.

And then, I got tricked into watching the pilot and that was it. I was hooked. And I couldn't stop until I was caught up. Which took me, like, a week. Because when I binge watch, I binge watch until it's done.

And then I went and bought my first pair of Converse shoes, because, you know, Chuck wears them. And so does the 10th Doctor. So, I obviously had to own a pair. Because I'm a nerd. And it's awesome.

Any way, Chuck is played by Zachary Levi. And he is amazing. Not only is he Chuck Bartowski, he's also Flynn Rider on Tangled. He is also Fandral in Thor: The Dark World. AND, probably the best part, he's a nerd. Like, SUCH a nerd. And it's awesome. Check out his iMDB profile HERE.

He's been in a number of fantastic shows playing a wide variety of characters. He's also a fantastic human being in real life, which is why he has made it to the #2 spot on my top 5 list. Here's a PSA he did with Sesame Street:

And every summer he hosts Nerd HQ which happens the same weekend as San Diego Comic Con every year were he hosts so many amazing panels that are live streamed on both Facebook and YouTube. All proceeds from Nerd HQ go to Operation Smile, which is fantastic. Here is a link to a couple of the panels:

An interview with Tom Hiddleston (at the end he does an impersonation of a raptor that is HILARIOUS):

And here's a panel with some friends from Chuck!!!

And in this panel Zac mentions that he loves all things Cookies and Cream, which is why for his birthday I made Cookies and Cream Cupcakes as well as Cookies and Cream popcorn!

For the cupcakes, I highly recommend just going over to the blog I got them from RIGHT HERE.

For the popcorn, here is the recipe I made up a few years ago. The idea came to me when I was watching Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Gale leans over and kisses Katniss and says something like "I just had to know what that was like" and I leaned over to my friend and said "I just had the most genius idea. I really want to make cookies and cream popcorn" and then I worked up a recipe. So delicious.



Cookies and Cream Popcorn

2 bags Pop Secret Homestyle popcorn popped
2 cups white chocolate
2 cups mini oreo cookies

You can use whatever kind of popcorn you want, I prefer the Homestyle variety because it's got a hint of salt to it and isn't overly buttery. You can even just use fresh popped popcorn with no salt or butter. Just whatever you prefer.

First, pop the popcorn and seperate the kernals out. Then, melt the white chocolate until it's smooth. I am really picky about my chocolate because you want a chocolate that will stay smooth when it's melted. You don't want clumpy or gross chocolate.

After the popcorn is seperated and the chocolate is melted, sprinkle half the mini oreos over the popcorn and then drizzle half the melted chocolate over the popcorn and cookies.


Mix that so the popcorn is lightly coated, then add the rest of the oreos and drizzle the rest of the chocolate over that and mix until all the popcorn is evenly coated. Let it set, usually about 20-30 minutes, then eat away!!! You won't be able to stop, though. It's pretty addictive. Just like Zachary Levi shows.

Richard Armitage

Guys. I have been looking forward to today for a year. No joke. Last yea
r around this time I finally gave in to peer pressure and watched BBC's North And South. People had been telling me to watch it for about seven years. And I kept finding other things to do and I thought it was based on that Civil War book of the same title. Oh, how wrong I was. It has nothing to do with America and everything to do with the character named John Thornton played by Richard Armitage. I fell IN LOVE with the story and watched it on repeat for, like, a month or something. Crazy/ridiculous/awesome.

And then, after my marathoning of the mini series, I decided to
look up who played Mr. Thornton because he did a really good job and I was curious if I'd seen him in anything else. I was surprised when I discovered that I had in fact seen him in a couple of different things. The Hobbit being one of them. Which is hilarious because I remember watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on New Years Eve with a guy friend and at the end I remember telling him, "You know, that main dwarf was almost attractive. I wonder if I've seen him in anything else." And my guy friend just rolled his eyes and we went about the rest of our day. And I forgot about the almost attractive dwarf. And I didn't watch the rest of the Hobbit movies until last year.

So yeah, Richard Armitage. I read on Pinterest somewhere that he doesn't like being reminded of his age on his birthday, is that a real thing? I have no idea. Sometimes Pinterest lies. But if so, that's funny. Hence why I just put the number 5 on his birthday cake that I will go into later. I also read on Pinterest that he is a huge anti bullying advocate, which I greatly respect. And he's a bit of an introvert which I TOTALLY relate to. He gre
w up in Leicester, which is in northern England and joined the circus in Budapest when he was 17 to get his equity card. He has such a rich, deep voice and sounds amazing when he sings. He also plays the guitar, flute and cello.

I barely missed his birthday last year because I didn't know who he was yet and I was so mad that I missed it that we had a Richard Armitage marathon in September when I discovered who he was. He currently holds the #1 spot on my Top 5. He knocked Tom Hiddleston off last September and has maintained the #1 spot ever since. I would LOVE to work with him at some future date. I think he is a phenomenal actor.
If you don't know this for yourself, I highly recommend watching North and South, BBC's Robin Hood series (even though the costuming is abominable the first three seasons and it's trying so hard to be as great as Merlin, but it's not. Watch it for Richard and nothing else), The Hobbit movies, the second half of the last season of Hannibal. His role is mostly silent in that, and he plays a killer, but if you want to see his acting ability, he is so amazingly good. Also, you should watch him in The Vicar of Dibley. I think that is one of my favorite roles of his. I love the character and he has mentioned that his character, Harry Kennedy, is probably the most like him in real life. Which is wonderful because his character was so awesome on that show. You also need to find a copy of The Crucible from The Old Vic theater in London in 2014. Richard plays John Proctor and Oh. My. Gosh. He is phenomenal. I know I already used that word, but I felt stupid saying that he's really really really really really really good in it. Because he is. Holy cow. He's amazing. Go watch it. Or, if we're friends in real life let me know because I have a copy of it. And I'll gladly watch it again.

Because he is at the very top of my Top 5, I decided to make an AMAZING birthday cake for Richard even though he may not ever see it. Which would be sad. But I'm the one who is going to eat it with some friends during my Richard Armitage marathon, so it had to be good, and I think this is the most amazing cake I've ever made. No joke. It's a triple chocolate cake because I read on Pinterest somewhere that Richard loves chocolate and I'd like to think that if he were actually here to celebrate his birthday he'd enjoy the amazing cake I made. So, here's the recipe!!

The original recipe comes from Recipe Girl's blog HERE.





Triple Chocolate Cake

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs

CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2/3 cup + 2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons light (white or golden) corn syrup

For the cheesecake layer, which you will want to make first, preheat the oven to 325. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and then set aside to cool a little before adding it to the cheesecake batter. While that is cooling down, cream the cream cheese until it's nice and soft. Then add the sugar and the cocoa. I use a rich, fancy cocoa and it actually does make a difference. This cake is amazing and I recommend going all out for it. Buy the expensive 70% cocoa chocolate bar. Buy the fancy cocoa for the cake. It will be the most amazing cake you've ever tried in all your life. I promise.

Any way, once you add the cocoa and sugar, add the eggs one at a time mixing it thoroughly after each addition. Scrape the sides to make sure everything is mixed thoroughly.  Then, slowly pour in the chocolate. Mix until just combined. Pour into a 9 inch springform pan. This batter will be thick, so be aware of that. Then, pop it in the oven for 45 minutes. You can bake it in a water bath, but I have found it still works either way.

Once the cheesecake is done, you want to cool it down before you use it. This can take a couple of hours, so plan accordingly.

While the cheesecake layer is baking, you're going to mix up the cake itself. Start by grease and flouring two 9 inch round pans. This is essential so that you can get the cakes out perfectly. Once the pans are prepared, set them aside. Then, in a stand mixer combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda and wisk them together. Then add the eggs, butter, 1/4 cup of buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix on a low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then turn the mixer to high for 2-3 minutes to get the batter nice and fluffy. Once the batter is well mixed, slowly add the remaining buttermilk. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then mix for 30 more seconds to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed. Pour into your prepared pans and turn the oven up to 350 degrees after the cheesecake layer is finished baking. Bake these cakes for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling outside the pan.

Once you are ready to assemble your cake, you are going to melt the 2 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips and the butter in the microwave melting in 30 second spurts until it is completely melted. Once melted, add the corn syrup and sour cream and stir until well combined. Then, let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes until it is to a consistency that you can spread it on the cake. Frost the cake and then viola! You'r ready to curl up on your amazingly comfortable couch and watch this youtube video of Richard reading you a bedtime story!!

Sam Worthington

Once upon a time I started writing a book. The book was called Changing Tyde. Technically, I'm still writing it. But that's neither here nor there. 

Now, when I write a story, especially one I've been working in as long as Changing  Tyde, I tend to cast the roles as if it were a movie because I see all of my stories as movies in my head. The main character in Changing Tyde is a very attractive actor named Jason Tyde (hence the title.... See what I did there?) so, I had thought about a number of actors that I thought would do a good job, but no one was really sticking out to me until I watched Terminator Salvation. Odd, I know, and I was most of the way through the movie when there was this scene and Sam Worthington's character is looking directly at the camera and I paused the movie and walked up to my TV and just thought 'Oh my gosh. There's Jason Tyde. Right there. He's him.' no joke, that'd what happened. So, of course I had to go look him up. And then watch everything he's ever been in. because that's how  I roll. 

So. Sam Worthington. He is 5'10" born in the UK, but raised in Australia. He has dark hair and blue eyes, which I am a total sucker for. I see a guy with dark and blue eyes and almost swoon every time. I wish that was a joke, but it's not. 

He was the first actor to claim the #1 spot on my top 5. What is my tip 5, you ask? Well, its basically just my top 5 favorite actors. Over the years I added some rules to it that I can't explain. Like, no one in my top 5 can be married because I think that's disrespectful. I don't know why. So, Sam held the #1 spot for years until I found out who Zachary Levi was. No joke. Of he's not married, because I honestly don't know, but if he's not, he's got the #4 spot.

I think he will always be who I think of when I am writing Changing Tyde. He has also appeared in a lot of action movies such as Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans, Avatar, Man on a Ledge, and of course, Terminator Salvation. I feel like he's rather under rated, but I love his movies. 

He's very good at beating people up and being awesome and I highly recommend giving some of those movies a watch. Because I know most of you haven't seen them all. You could even play a drinking game with Man on a Ledge. Everyone takes a shot whenever they say "man on a ledge". Haha. I don't drink alcohol, so I'd have to come up with something else, but you get the point. 

You can check out his IMDB credits here. 

He's got some new stuff coming out that I will definitely be seeing. And not just because he's in it... Probably... 

And so, on to our delicious dessert for Sam's fantastic birthday. He's 40 today, btw. In case you were curious. But yeah, so I made these AMAZING Brownie Chocolate Chip Thumbprint cookies. I found the recipe on Chelsea's Messy Apron blog. And I'm definitely going to suggest you go check out the recipe HERE because she's AMAZING and has a very fun post about them. And I know that it's awful to just post these pictures and not just put the recipe below like I always do, but seriously, peeps. Just go the Chelsea's blog. You'll thank me. 

Chris Evans

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new venture!! So, in case you are new and haven't visited my previous blogs or have ever met me in real life, I should explain. I am a HUGE pop culture nerd especially when it comes to movies and TV Shows. And even more specifically with the comic book genre. For the last three years I have posted on specific celebrity birthdays what shows of theirs I would be watching and what treat I would be making to celebrate the day. Often these lists would be longer than the actual hours in the day, but mostly it was to recall the amazing shows I already love to watch.

That said, I am starting with one of my favorite actors. Chris Evans is from Boston (a place I'd LOVE to visit!) and I actually met him last September. I have been a huge fan since around 2003 when I watched Perfect Score and then I loved him as Johnny Storm in the original Fantastic Four movies. And then he was in a bunch of other movies that I have seen, but I'm not entirely sure 80% of my friends have even heard of. To be honest, I own copies of most of them. (Can we talk about the ridiculous ending of Push?! I mean, I know you wanted to do a sequel, but c'mon. Give the audience at least a little bit of closure!!)

And then, he became Captain America and now you all know who he is. I was going to make something very Captain America-esq like Apple Pie, but then I thought that I wanted a classic. Because Chris Evans is a classic. SO, I give you the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie. Mmmmmmmm. You know you want some. Just look. And, without further ado, here's the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Shortening
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix until well combined and then add:

1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix well and then add:

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

And, in case you need a list of ALL the Chris Evans movies you can watch today, here you go:

Before We Go

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Captain America: Civil War (I'm totally #teamcap!!)

The Avengers

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Push

Snowpiercer

What's Your Number

The Nanny Diaries

Cellular

The Perfect Score