Through the Looking Glass - Culinary Institute of America.

Last night I was fortunate enough to attend an event at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.  The graduating class showcased their talents for their Senior Project with an Alice in Wonderland twist.       The evening started with a Mad Tea Party cocktail hour which included drinks, hors d'oevres and a silent auction.  The Queen's Court of Hearts followed with dinner, a live band and dancing.  All monies raised went to the Claudio Cares Foundation and the Side Towel Scholarship.

We entered the building which was transformmed into a garden.  

And received our magic keys to our table.  

Rabbit and hat ice sculpture.  All the staff wore red and white heart suspenders. 

These cocktails were created for the event.  

The Blue Caterpillar was served through a tube in this ice sculpture. 

Hmmm, I wasn't sure what would happen when I drank that Blue Caterpillar.  But it sure was delicious.

Next I tried the Paint Roses Red, which had rose petal ice cubes. 

And of course, I had to try the White Rabbit.  I'm not a fan of coconut, but this was delicious. 

The cocktail tables were decorated with roses in tea cups and books. 

Beet soup shooter next to my Blue Caterpillar.  I would have taken more pictures of the cocktail hour, but I was busy eating them.  

We got a view into the kitchen to see our chefs in action.  

Then we sat down for dinner.  

The menu.  

Intermezzo. 

Entree: Braised Beef. 

Dessert!!!

Alice in Wonderland is a story that is ingrained in our pysche and is iconic in popular culture.  It has spawned movies, television shows, Halloween costumes, collectibles and songs.  There are so many elements that can be used for a themed event or project.

I thought it would be fun to share some ideas.  The winner will get a $10 gift card to Amazon.

Simply put your name and e-mail address on the Rafflecopter form and answer the following questions in the comments below, so that your answers can be shared with others.


1. What would you name your Alice themed event?
2. Where would you hold it?
3. What would you serve?
4. What kind of entertainment would you provide?

 I'll leave the first comment so you get an idea.

TO ENTER:
~Leave your name (use what I can announce on the blog if you win) and e-mail address on the Rafflecopter form.
~Answer the above 4 questions.    (Mandatory.)
~No need to Tweet or Follow unless you would like extra entries.  

RULES:
~Winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter.
~This contest is international!
~Please see my contest policy HERE.
~This contest ends on November  2013 at 12:15 am.
~If winner does not contact me within 72 hours (3 days) of my first e-mail, unfortunately another winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for visiting my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature & Follow (11/15/2013).

Feature and Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Click on the links to visit their blogs and find out more about this great meme.


This week's question:  Are there any book to movie adaptations where you think the movie is better than the book?

I may get crucified for this, but I enjoyed The Lord of the Rings Trilogy movies better than the books.  The books were at times difficult to get through and very wordy.  The movies are, to me, perfection.  A lot of Tolkien purists and fans feel that the movies didn't include important scenes (like Tom Bombadil) and then included scenes that were not in the books (like the romance between Aragorn and Arwen.)  However, in an interview Peter Jackson explains that as a filmmaker he had to cut scenes from the book (of course), but that doesn't mean that the encounter with Tom Bombadil didn't happen in the movie version.  It just means it wasn't shown.  Also, the books do allude to a relationship between Aragorn and Arwen and just because the details didn't happen in the book, doesn't mean it didn't happen at all.  Peter Jackson included his vision of this romance.   Also, I don't know about you, but when I read the books, I envisioned it "cuter" than the movie, if that makes sense.  I understand it was written as a YA story, but the movie was more sophisticated and more realistic for me.  

How about you?  Do you like any movies better than the book they were based on?

Guest post by Adrian Rawlings - 5 Horror Reads If You Liked the Movie.

People always say you should read the book before seeing the movie.  That's because books tend to not only be the original, "authentic" source material, but also because they usually provide much more insight into a story's characters and situations.  Limitless pages allow for extensive development you just don't get with 90 minutes of screen time.

Plus, some aspects of books just don't translate well to the visual medium.  For instance, you aren't privy to character's thoughts and motivations while watching.  And because much of the storytelling and detail rely on the reader's mind, conjured expectations can be tarnished when their visual representations are shown.

However, it's still good to see when a book has made its way to movie format.  It's proof that someone at least has enough appreciation for a story that they find it worth sharing with others via cinema display.  In fact, some books are brought out of obscurity by their silver screen counterparts—essentially reversing roles to the point where people become interested in the book because they saw the movie first.

While not all movie renditions are winners, here are a few examples from horror literature that best exemplify this reversal and may have increased book sales in the process.

Psycho

Everyone knows the name Alfred Hitchcock.  But not everyone knows the name Robert Bloch, the author responsible for the book behind Hitchcock's acclaimed and successful Psycho.

In his book, Bloch does a great job creating suspense and a general sense of unease with his perspective changes and build-up pacing.  The 1960 movie capitalized on this, and upped the ante even further with iconic scenes that will forever be embedded in the minds of its audience.

If you've only seen the movie, read the book for even more shocks and deviations that are sure to surprise you.

Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary's Baby is considered one of the horror movie greats, having garnered both critical acclaim and financial success—two things that rarely go hand and hand with the genre.  But many forget that this movie actually came out just a year after Ira Leven published his best-selling horror novel of the same name in 1967.

If the movie can still hold up to your horror standards today, just imagine what nightmares will come from reading the book.

Jaws

Though the terrifying sea creature doesn't have a timeless name like Moby Dick, the shark from the novel Jaws is arguably just as famous because of his unforgettable on-screen presence.

Interestingly, the film's producers were so enthralled by Peter Benchley's 1974 novel, they bought the rights to the film before the book was even published.  This publicity helped keep it on the bestseller list for 44 weeks.

No, you won't read the infamous "You're gonna need a bigger boat" line in the book—as that was ad-libbed by the actor Roy Scheider—but, you'll still get just as many scares.

The Exorcist

A page turner of page turners, William Peter Blatty does a remarkable job at being brilliantly descriptive while also allowing the reader to conjure up his or her own satanic horrors of Christian mythos.  Few horror authors even venture to give you the kind of granular character depth that Blatty does—with layer upon layer revealed as the story progresses.  This creates pure intrigue, which forces the reader to keep going.

The movie is a little more overt, but the added elements of atmospheric music, pea-soup projectile vomit, and superb actor portrayals make the movie a stand out all its own.  Either way, you'll want to leave the nightlight on.

Let Me In

A different approach to the traditional vampire tale, Let the Right One In is a more recent foreign horror novel, written in 2004 by Swedish author John Ajvide Linkqvist.  The story features pretty heavy themes of alcoholism, murder, bullying, and absent parents, to name a few.  Oh, did we mention vampires?

There's been a lot of hype since the 2008 movie rendition, and its American adaptation in 2010.  But the book covers more ground and plunges further into the events and consequences that the main characters must face as their relationship blossoms.

What do you think?  Did you know these were even books before you saw them?  Which did you like better?

AUTHOR: Adrian Rawlings; @adrianrawlings2

BIO: Adrian Rawlings is a TV and horror blogger. Look to him for the scoop on hit movies and TV shows, horror films, tech reviews, how-to guides, and more.

Wicked Business.

Title/Author: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich.

Read by: Lorelai King.

Genre:  Paranormal Romance.

Publisher:  William Morrow.

Source:  Library.

Synopsis: When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murderedand thrown off his fourth floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust.  

Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government building, and multimillion-dollar residences, leaving a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and spontaneous seduction.  ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts:  Wicked Business is like an adult Scooby Doo.  There are comical villains, kooky characters, a mystery and lots of hijinks.  The adult part is the sexual escapades and language, although it is pretty tame.

I didn't realize this was the 2nd book of the "Lizzie and Diesel Adventures," until I was pretty much into it already.  Although yes, there are some things I wasn't clear on, Wicked Business is still easy to follow and the fact that it was the second book didn't ruin any enjoyment.  

Although the plot was a bit confusing and lacking for me, what made up for it were the hysterical characters throughout, including a humorous counter girl always looking for love, an evil villain who is quite comical, and a monkey named Carl that flips people off just to name a few.  

Lizzie is the main female character in this wacky story and from what I could understand she has a power to sense power...whether an object is magical.  Diesel is her male counterpart and has other powers and talents of his own.  Unfortunately, they can't get together because if they get physical it would be like a bad spontaneous combustion. So there is sexual tension, flirting and some nuzzling but that's it.  Their relationship is cute and I like both of them.  I'm not sure I'll continue reading this series, but I'm rooting for them just the same.

They go through some investigating and puzzles, search old buildings and even caverns to solve the murder mystery and to find the elusive and mystical Luxuria Stone.  There is some subterfuge and doublecrossing and help from unlikely sources.

Narration:  Lorelai King was great.  There were a lot of different characters and it was easy to distinguish who is speaking in a conversation. Once in a while, the dialogue seemed a bit forced, but the energy was up the whole time.  I really think she took this story from a travesty to a comedy.  If a less dynamic narrator had tackled this, I think it would have come off really poorly.  I also don't know if I would have had the patience to read this in print.

Wrap up:  A cute and very light read.  If you're in the mood for a silly, paranormal story, this one fits the bill, just don't expect much substance.

Other Editions:

77 Shadow Street.

Title/Author: 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz.

Read by: Peter Berkrot.

Genre:  Horror.

Publisher:  Brilliance Audio.

Source:  Library

Favorite Quote:

Synopsis:  I am the One, the all and the only. I live in the Pendleton as surely as I live everywhere. I am the Pendleton’s history and its destiny. The building is my place of conception, my monument, my killing ground. . . .

The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.

But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.

My Thoughts:  I love haunted house stories so, the premise of 77 Shadow Street intrigued me.  I have to say that there are cons as well as pros to this book. 

Shadow Street definitely included some scary scenes that reminded me of Koontz's earlier works.  The monsters were creative and frightening.  The death scene of one of the characters was truly horrific (and cooool) and there were twists and turns.  Koontz came at hauntings from a different angle and I really liked that.  Time skips, evil scientists and an alternate or possible sorrowful future are explored.   

However, I feel the writing itself could have been edited down, the characters developed more (and some eliminated) and the plot tighter.  I am not a writer and don't claim to be and don't claim to be better than any published writer out there, yet there were times when this book felt like a draft.  Would this have gotten published if it were someone's first try?  I'm just not sure.  

Narration:  I felt that some of the characters were very convincing and some were not.  When Berkrot did the voice of "The One," it was very creepy and menacing.  The female voice portrayals were not very successful as is the case with many male narrators when reading dialogue of female characters.

Wrap up:  I recommend 77 Shadow Street for the cool monsters, the premise and the creativity.  But be forewarned about the long and overdone descriptions.

Other Editions:

 

Halloween Hootenanny Skull Bracelet Giveaway #4

Vampire bracelet...
I made this using red Swarovski crystals, sterling silver beads, and ceramic vampire and coffin beads.  This has been strung on Stretch Magic and just slides on your wrist.  


TO ENTER:
~Leave your name (use what I can announce on the blog if you win) and e-mail address on the Rafflecopter form.
~Leave a comment below.  
~That's it! No need to follow, tweet, or like unless you want extra entries.

RULES:
~Winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter.
~This contest is international!
~Please see my contest policy HERE.
~This contest ends on November 6, 2013 at 12:15 am.
~If winner does not contact me within 72 hours (3 days) of my first e-mail, unfortunately another winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for visiting my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post by Boris Dzhingarov - Funky Couples Halloween Costumes

Halloween is a great time for you are your partner to dress up in couples Halloween costumes. You really need to think of something cool that will work out as a fine choice and be a hit with everyone around you. Here are a few couples Halloween costumes you two could use for Halloween 2013:

1.  Mickey and Minnie Mouse: Well if you love Walt Disney, then Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are the perfect costumes for you two love birds.

2.  A lock and key: If she is one that completes you then dressing up like a padlock with key is a neat idea which your better half will love.

3.  Soap and Loofah: If you wouldnít mind being a Loofah to your husbandís soap bar act you two can hit the streets trick or treating. You can make your children bubbles if you would like to. Halloween costume ideas should be out of the box literally.
 4.  Shrek and Fiona: Some green paint and some medieval dressing sense should help you get into character for the Shrek story. You could dress someone else like a donkey if they are up for it. Having your kids dress up like one is probably a bad idea.
   
5.  Steve Irwin and Terri Irwin: You and your better half could be out in Khakis dressed like the Irwinís did. If you love wildlife and wonít mind to pretend then you should definitely look into this costume. You could even get your baby or child to dress up like a crocodile.

6.  A doctor and an X-ray: If you could play a sexy doctor, your husband could wear a glow in the dark skeletal suit. You two would look awesome together. If you are a doctor this would be a hilarious costume to wear.

7.  Bowing Ball and a Pin Ladies, if your man is obsessed with bowling then let him be a bowling ball while you can dress up like a pin. You will have a blast in these couples Halloween costumes.

8.  A baker and an oven: If you are expecting a baby then it would be great if you could dress up like an oven while your husband dresses up like a baker who put the bun in the oven. Your husband could call himself the bun maker. These Halloween costume ideas for women are will keep you busy planning till Halloween finally arrives.

9.  Edward and Bella:†If you like vampires, it wouldnít be a bad idea to dress up like Edward and Bella for Halloween this year. You could make your pet dog dress up like Jacob.
10.  Batman and Catwoman: Comic book freaks and batman fans can take these costumes and transform themselves into the vigilantes of Gotham city. If you have always wanted rock hard abs, your suit should do the talking for you.

You can also†dress up as other superheroes.   These creative couples Halloween costumes are sure going to attract peopleís attention. For all you know, you could be the talk of the town at this yearís Halloween parties. Why do something alone when you can do it together? You can also check some of the other Halloween costume trends for 2013 online.


Boris Dzhingarov is passionate about blogging. Currently he manage several blogs.