Well, it looks like April showers won’t bring many blossoms known as movies this month. I only see three that I’m putting on my must-see list. Sigh. But wait, May brings lots of blooms – I may be living at the Cineplex come May 1.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I put together a list of a few April releases that may tempt you to head for the theater.

Fast & Furious : The fourth in the franchise, this movie reunites Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster as they reprise roles from The Fast and the Furious (2001). Agent Brian O’Conner (Walker) and fugitive Dom Toretto (Diesel) return to the streets of Los Angeles, reigniting their feud until a common enemy brings them together. I love the tag line: New Model, Original Parts. Rated PG-13, Fast & Furious opens April 3.

Adventureland : While comedies aren’t usually on my list, Adventureland might be an exception to the rule. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds, among others, this angst-driven comedy tells the tale of a recent college grad working at his hometown amusement park, and how the supposedly nowhere job helps him prepare for real life. Rated R, Adventureland opens April 3.

The Escapist : Only in limited release, this British film stars Brian Cox, Damian Lewis and Joseph Fiennes. Cox portrays a man serving a life sentence without parole who plans a daring escape to visit his estranged and terminally ill daughter. First released at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, The Escapist had its DVD premiere last month in the United Kingdom, so please no spoilers! The Escapist opens April 3 (I’m not sure when it goes into wide release).

State of Play : An excellent cast makes State of Play a must-see in my book. Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, Harry Lennix, Viola Davis and Helen Mirren star in the political thriller. Based on a BBC miniseries, State of Play focuses on the friendship between a reporter (Crowe) and a politician (Affleck) after the senator’s aide (and mistress) is killed. Mirren takes the role of the hard-hitting newspaper editor to the next level. Not yet rated, State of Play opens April 17.

American Violet : Based on astonishing true events, American Violet examines corruption in a small Texas town through the life of Dee Roberts, a 24-year-old African American single mother. An extensive drug bust puts Roberts (played by unknown Nichole Behaire) in jail, faced with pleading guilty to being a drug dealer and getting to go home a convicted felon, or fighting the charges and risking a long jail term as well as the custody of her young daughters. Also stars Alfre Woodard, Will Patton, Michael O’Keefe, Tim Blake Nelson and Xzbit. Rated PG-13, American Violet opens April 17.

earth : This documentary follows three animal families – whales, elephants and polar bears – in the same way as the television series Planet Earth. Originally released in 2007, the British version of the film has made it around the globe and is already available on DVD in some parts of the world. Timed to correspond with Earth Day, the U.S. version is part of the Disneynature series and is narrated by James Earl Jones. Rated G, earth opens April 22. Another website is set to go live April 1.

The Soloist : Based on an incredible true story, The Soloist stars Robert Downey Jr. as LA Times writer Steve Lopez, a journalist unsure of his place in the world, both professionally and personally. Jamie Foxx brings his musical and acting gifts to the role of Nathaniel Ayers, homeless and mentally ill yet with remarkable musical talent. The two men meet, and while a story is all Lopez is looking for in the beginning, the friendship that evolves changes both men and their lives. Rated PG-13, The Soloist opens April 24.

Other movies find themselves in limited release in April, and a few caught my attention. Check out Alien Trespass and Gigantic, opening April 3; Is Anybody There? which opens April 17; and The Garden, a documentary opening April 24. Oh, and Mom and Dad, be careful the weekend of April 10: Hannah Montana: The Movie opens.

 

 

 

Most people who like to play in the dirt have probably had their gardens planned for a long time now. I suspect it’s actually a constant thing – a continual revising of the garden in one’s head, imagining the colors, the textures, the produce. How it will look and all work together. Even dreaming of the harvest to come, and the preserving of the wonderful treasures coming from your very own garden, I’m sure are part of mental gardening.

Those of us who haven’t gardened much in the past (or none at all, as the case may be), are just now thinking of a semblance of a garden. In my case, it also helps that the six sedum my sister and I transplanted last fall are all, yes, count them, all, showing green. Still no word from the hostas (we split and transplanted eight) on how they survived the transplant and winter. Remember my Garden Headaches post?

So green showing in my front garden, houseplants that are doing well, a series of novels set in a greenhouse (lots of talk of flowers, seeds, propagation, grafting and the like) and a kitchen garden article in our May/June issue of Grit have all combined to start my mind whirling.

I’m going to container garden this year.

Well, that’s the plan anyway. I’d like to start with at least two containers on the back porch (it’s a slab of concrete outside my sliding glass doors, but I call it a patio) with one tomato plant, at least, and the other … Well, I haven’t made up my mind yet.

I miss homegrown tomatoes. A former neighbor planted almost half his backyard in tomato plants, and he was kind enough to keep me supplied with gorgeous fruit all summer long. I’d like that experience again, just with fewer numbers, I hope.

So I’ve decided. It’s time to get over my dislike of playing in the dirt. I can get my hands dirty, I can handle the bugs and the heat. I can do this.

Now all I have to do is decide on the containers!

Any suggestions for this neophyte gardener?

 

Photos from top: iStockphoto.com/pixonaut; dirkr; kkgas

Each of the Ogden publications creates an electronic newsletter of some type, and some titles have more than one. GRIT’s is called GRIT eNEWS, and it’s become my baby.

The newsletter’s been hitting cyberspace since September 2007, and we moved it to weekly publication earlier this year. Each week, I dig through e-mail and paper press releases to see what might interest our readers. Hank often forwards e-mails he’s received for GRIT eNEWS, so between the two of us, the file is usually fairly full.

Most issues are filled with new information, though we have been known to spotlight blog posts or articles from our current print issue, and we’ve occasionally also highlighted an article from one of our sister publications. Those save a bit of time. It’s fun, though, to discover something a bit different.

This week, for instance, we spotlighted an exhibit on WASPS, women pilots who served in World War II. It’s Women’s History Month, afterall. And a culinary challenge in Michigan found its way on the menu. Then we spotlighted two articles from our March/April issue – on Arbor Day and low-tech garden tools – and for our last spot, we again called for new members of our Editorial Advisory Board.

All the articles can be found on our website, just use the search function.

An e-mail from a member of our Marketing team prompted this post; Katie tells us that since one of GRIT’s articles (on scissor sharpening) was featured in a DIY electronic newsletter published by our sister publication, Mother Earth News, the number of people signing up for GRIT eNEWS took a big leap. Which is great news for GRIT eNEWS!

This post is going to be on the short side – we’re under the gun for the May/June issue of GRIT – so I hope you’ll take a look at GRIT’s website, our GRIT eNEWS and the other Ogden publications.

You may have noticed I like recipes (oh, and food, although that goes without saying!) and cookbooks.

One of Grit’s sister publications is Good Things to Eat, a digest-size recipe magazine published quarterly. I just proofed the next issue, for Spring 2009, and I have to say, it is awesome! It reminded me why I so enjoy collecting these little mags. A pile of them take up most of a shelf on my kitchen bookcase, and I refer to at least one on a regular basis. It has the Hash Brown Casserole recipe – although I’m not sure why I need to keep referring to a recipe, considering how many times I’ve made it for work food days!

Anyway, back to GTTE. The theme for the new issue is Simple & Delicious, with chapters for Main Dishes Made Easy, Simple Sides, No-Fuss Breads and Desserts in a Dash. I lost track of the number of times I said to myself, “Oh, I have to try that recipe!” When this issue of GTTE arrives in my mailbox, it will quickly become well-worn and dog-eared, I guarantee.

My fascination for recipes goes back a ways, and I’m not sure why I continue to be so obsessed. My collection, as detailed in my Recipe Collector post, is more than a little disorganized, although I do plan on working on it one of these days, I promise. The Good Things to Eat issues, while disorganized on my shelf, are a great way to keep a number of recipes in one place, and with easy access. Not a bad thing for my kitchen!

It was difficult selecting just a few recipes to include here, so I picked two from each category. Enjoy! Oh, and if you’d like to order Good Things to Eat, just call our Customer Care department, toll-free, at 1-800-678-4883, or visit the magazine's website.

 

YUM-YUM CASSEROLE

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S March 13, 1990.

1 box (6 ounces) long grain or wild rice, cooked
1 pound broccoli, steamed
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken or ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of celery soup
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup crushed croutons, mixed with 2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Evenly coat 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread rice evenly in pan. Layer on broccoli, chicken, cheddar cheese and mushrooms.  

 

Combine mayonnaise, soup, mustard and curry powder; mix well and pour over layers in pan. Sprinkle buttered croutons and Parmesan cheese over top.

 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until casserole is heated through, cheese is melted and croutons are golden brown.

 

EASY TURKEY STROGANOFF

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S Nov. 16, 1999.

1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 small can mushrooms
Cooked rice or noodles
Sour cream 

 

In skillet, brown ground turkey and onion; season with salt and pepper. Add green pepper and soup; simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms. Serve over hot rice and top with sour cream.

 

RED CORN

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S WEEKLY March 23, 1971.

2 cups stewed tomatoes
2 whole cloves
2 tablespoons chopped onion
Pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can (12.5 ounces) whole kernel corn
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup buttered bread crumbs 

 

Cook tomatoes, cloves, onion and cayenne in saucepan for 20 minutes; strain out juice and reserve. Set tomatoes aside.

 

Heat oven to 450°F.

 

In same saucepan, cook reserved juice, butter and flour, stirring over medium heat until sauce is thick and smooth.

 

Place corn in greased baking dish. Spread tomatoes over corn; sprinkle top with cheese. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes.

 

YUMMY POTATOES

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S WEEKLY Nov. 9, 1982.

8 cups mashed potatoes
1 carton (8 ounces) French onion dip
1 carton (8 ounces) sour cream
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese
Salt, pepper and paprika 

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat together potatoes, dip, sour cream and cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Turn into buttered dish; sprinkle paprika on top. Bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through.

 

GOLDEN CORN BREAD

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S Sept. 1, 1992.

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup melted corn oil margarine
1 cup milk 

 

Heat oven to 400°F.

 

Sift flour, salt, baking powder and sugar into medium bowl; stir in cornmeal. In small bowl, beat eggs, margarine and milk together; add to dry ingredients and mix well.

 

Pour into hot, greased iron skillet and bake for 20 minutes. Cut while hot.

 

BUTTERY BISCUIT ROLLS

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S Nov. 9, 2004.

2 sticks butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
2 cups self-rising flour 

 

Heat oven to 350°F.

 

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sour cream and flour; mix lightly.

 

Spoon mixture into 24 ungreased muffin tins, filling each to the top. Bake for about 15 minutes. 

 

Editor’s Note: To freeze rolls, remove from oven several minutes early and cool completely; place in freezer bags and freeze. When ready to use, thaw rolls and bake at 350 degrees for a few minutes, until golden-brown.

 

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S WEEKLY March 29, 1960.

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, separated
8-inch pie shell, baked
2 tablespoons powdered sugar 

 

In saucepan over low heat, combine lemon juice, extract, sugar, cornstarch, boiling water and egg yolks. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture forms a custard. Pour filling into pie shell; set aside.

 

Beat egg whites until they hold a stiff peak; beat in powdered sugar. Spread meringue over filling in pie shell and place in hot oven (400°F) until nicely browned.

 

BERRY BROWN COBBLER

This recipe appeared in CAPPER’S July 23, 2002.

3 cups mixed fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and/or sliced strawberries
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt 

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle berries in an even layer in prepared dish; set aside.

 

In small saucepan over very low heat, melt 2 ounces chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.

 

In medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate mixture. Blend in flour, salt and remaining chocolate; mix well. Pour batter evenly over berries in dish.

 

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until center is set and wooden pick inserted in outside edge comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Photos: covers courtesy Good Things to Eat; mashed potatoes, iStockphoto.com/creacart; corn bread, Grit photo library; dinner rolls, iStockphoto.com/gmnicholas; lemon pie, Grit photo library; blueberries, iStockphoto.com/Jamesmcq24