I came across another well written movie review stuck in my career journal. Reading the review title “Once Upon A Time, Before Brothers Grimm” I instantly knew this was a movie I had planned to take my spouse to. Sadly, I never got around to it. The other night I spotted it on Netflix. I asked him on a dinner and a movie date (I think asking your partner on a date is great way to let them know you’re not taking them for granted. It also signals no cell phone or screen time in my house). He declined but turned around and  challenged me to a walnut cracking contest I agreed (the results are below). Here is our review

I enjoyed this strange and unusual movie based on three Italian folk tales. Though, real life confession, I initially found how the movie skipped between different stories a bit disorienting. (Spoiler: they don’t tell you the tile of each story- oh, happy guessing). Since these aren’t the fairy tales that have been done to death, these tales all focus on characters getting what they want and the price paid for their desire. My spouse’s review was similar “I love dark, creepy, strange and odd fairytales (now you see why I wanted him to see this in the theater). I expected to love this movie (I shared the review with him), but I felt like I missed something. I think skipping back and forth prevented me from getting too involved because the minute I got really into one story, another would suddenly pick up again. We should watch it again in a few weeks.”

Have you seen this movie, what are your thoughts? Do you have any recommendations for date night movies?

Boozy Candied Walnuts

• 1 1/2 cups raw walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, loose
• Cinnimaon flavored whiskey
• butter

Instructions: crack nuts, making sure not to get any shells mixed in with the nuts. Once task is complete; mix butter, sugar, walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon whiskey together in a medium  saucepan over medium to medium high heat.  As the brown sugar melts, use a wooden spoon to move the mixture around in the saucepan, making sure that all of the nuts get coated and none of the sugar stays in one place long enough to burn. This process should take about five minutes. Then remove from heat and quickly spread the nuts out on the lined plate. Allow nuts to cool for about a minute before eating.

Real life hindsight– we enjoyed this with our hands, but half way through thought this would be so damn good with some ice cream.  I also realized you could also turn this into an amazing hostess gift if you drain the “syrup”, let the nuts cool, and then place in a container.