Friday for Fifteen

Some weeks seem to fly by, while others couldn't go any slower.  Though busy, this week is crawling. I find that such a week deserves a little special something at the end, a little celebration, a little homage to the fact that it is Friday, and one's work is well done. Now, I know that many of you good readers are students, and you indulge in something of the sort on Thursday. I also know that some of you are busy with work and children, and Saturday night is more the night of celebration. Whatever your week end, here's a suggestion to make it a bit special - a theme.

I'm a sucker for a theme. I don't mean that I had a Star Trek wedding or that Thanksgiving at my house this year will be the Hunger Games, not that at all. What I mean is using overlapping and complementary elements to create a specific ambiance, a sense of specialness and occasion. So, the idea is to pair a food, a drink, and a movie to create a cosy and pleasurable evening for two. Could be your husband (as in my case), your boyfriend, or your best friend. Whatever the case,  the food, drink, and movie should be something special, either because they are old favorites, long awaited, or off the beaten path. Furthermore .... I suggest that this is possible to do with only $15 for food and drink. Here is my drink, food, movie combo for your weekend pleasure:

The Drink: Lindemans Framboise lambic style beer (around $10 for 750ml bottle), served in a champagne flute, if you have it. This raspberry beer is from a farmhouse brewery in Belgium. Unlike most beer styles, a lambic is created using wild yeast. The windows are thrown open and the fermenting liquid is exposed to the wild yeast and bacteria in the air, which is said to give the lambic its characteristic sour bite. The effervescence, sweetness, and acidity provide a nice complement and balance to the richness of...

The Food: Flourless Chocolate Cake (around $4 for the chocolate, you probably already have the other ingredients). This flourless chocolate cake is decadent and has a surprising depth of flavor for such a simple, easy dessert. I usually use a Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Bar, which is available in most grocery stores and is good flavor/value combination. I hear that Callebaut baking chocolate is also a good choice. Find the cake recipe here. The chocolate ties into this movie...

The Movie: Les émotifs anonymes (Romantics Anonymous). This romantic comedy is about chocolate, awkward people, and love (just when you thought my movie descriptions couldn't get any more vague). And, for your viewing pleasure I have included the movie trailer. This movie is not graphic or obscene in the least, but before you write a letter to the editor (it won't do any good, one woman staff here), I give the disclaimer that I do not approve of or encourage premarital relations. Enough said. One more thing, this movie is available on Netflix instant view if you have a subscription. If you don't, you can try the free one month trial by clicking here. Enjoy!

P.S. Lindemans is widely available wherever beer is sold. The label looks like this:

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