In a perfect world, you’d whip up a Bolognese sauce from scratch every night. But time constraints are a thing, and a lot of the time the best you can do is use your brute strength to twist the airtight lid off a jar. But we just found a faster (and tastier) way to make homemade pasta sauce from scratch.
What you need: A cheese grater and a pound or two of fresh or slightly bruised tomatoes. (The softer and juicier the tomato, the better.)
What you do: Slice the bottom off the tomato, then, using the large holes in your cheese grater, grate the cut end of each tomato into a bowl until you reach the stem. Sprinkle generously with salt, then simmer the tomato mixture in a skillet until the consistency thickens. (Five minutes should be good.)
Now pour it over the pasta. Your deliciously easy dinner is served.
Eating healthfully is always important, but the nutrients you need most can vary by the decade. Here's your guide to what to eat and when from your 20s through your 60s and beyond.
In Your 20s
The Food: Yogurt
Why: For the bone-building calcium. We stop building bone mass around age 30, making your 20s make-or-break (no pun intended) time for gaining bone strength. At this age, you need 1,000 mg of calcium per day to meet your recommended intake–8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt has 42 percent of that. (Just watch the sugar in any low- or non-fat varieties, as it's often added for taste.)
Where else you can get calcium: You know it's present in other dairy products, like milk and cheese, but there are a lot of non-dairy options too, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, the manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute. Tofu, salmon and leafy greens like kale are all good sources.
The Food: Eggs
Why: Their yolks have vitamin D, which helps your gut absorb all that calcium you're taking in. "You really need both to build up your bones," says Kathryn Sweeney, RD, a dietitian in the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Where else you can get vitamin D: Swordfish has lots of vitamin D, but it's also among the highest-mercury fish, so eat it sparingly. Sardines and canned tuna are high-vitamin-D foods you can eat as often as you like.
In Your 30s
The Food: Sunflower Seeds
Why: Arthritis doesn't usually strike until later in life, but the joint damage that can lead to it starts in your 30s, says Kirkpatrick. Seeds like sunflower seeds are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which can minimize that damage by helping lubricate the joints and lowering inflammation.
Where else you can get healthy fats: Omega-3-rich foods include nuts, other seeds like chia seeds and flaxseeds and, of course, fish like mackerel and anchovies.
The Food: Asparagus
Why: It's high in folate, "which is an important nutrient whether you're pregnant right now or just thinking about having kids," says Jennifer McDaniel, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (Folate is the naturally occurring form of vitamin B9–folic acid is the synthetic version that's often added to fortify foods or used in supplements. There's no evidence that one form is better than the other.) Just four boiled asparagus spears have 22 percent of your daily folate needs. (You need 400 mcg per day normally, but 600 if you're pregnant and 500 if you're breastfeeding.)
Where else you can get folate: It's found in beans, dark, leafy green veggies, avocados and nuts.
In Your 40s
The Food: Lentils
Why: "Plenty of my patients have slowing metabolisms in their 30s, but it's more common after 40," says Kirkpatrick. "That's when the weight, especially belly fat, starts coming on and it becomes really difficult to take it off." With 15 grams of fiber in a 1 cup serving, lentils are among the highest-fiber foods, and can help you manage your weight in an easy way. In a small 2015 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, focusing solely on fiber intake (30 grams per day) was nearly as effective for weight loss as a more complicated diet that required followers to eat more fruits, vegetables, fish and lean protein plus cut back on salt, sugar, fat and alcohol.
Where else you can get fiber: Fruits like berries, apples and pears are excellent fiber sources, as are whole-wheat spaghetti, popcorn, beans and vegetables like peas and broccoli.
The Food: Grilled Chicken Breast
Why: Your 40s are when you need to start minding your blood sugar, because your diabetes risk is higher. Lean protein can help limit fluctuations and the insulin your body pumps out in response to blood sugar spikes, says Sweeney. Sixty-three percent of diabetes diagnoses happen between the ages of 40 and 64, according to the most recent national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health recommends that you start getting tested for diabetes and pre-diabetes at age 45. (You should talk to your doctor about getting tested earlier if you're overweight or have other risk factors like high blood pressure or cholesterol.) Lean protein can also help counteract the changes in body composition that happen in the years leading up to menopause, says Kirkpatrick, when lean muscle tends to drop while body fat increases.
Where else you can get lean protein: Look for lean ground beef, lean cuts of pork and, for your non-meat options, choose Greek yogurt or eggs.
The Food: Walnuts
Why: They're incredibly high in omega-3 fatty acids. Recommended in your 30s for your joints, in your 40s, these fats may be just as important for your state of mind. There's a link between inflammation and depression, and omega-3s have anti-inflammatory effects on the body. Here's why that matters right now: Women between the ages of 40 and 59 had the highest rates of depression, according to data gathered by the CDC between 2009 and 2012.
Where else you can get omega 3s: You know that fatty fish and seeds are among your best options, but lesser known sources include spinach, tofu and navy beans.
In Your 50s
The Food: Cottage Cheese
Why: Your bone density stays pretty steady from 30 to 50, according to the NIH, but in the first few years after menopause, most women experience a sharp drop that puts them at greater risk for osteoporosis. That's why you need an extra 200 mg of calcium per day after age 50, which you can get from many sources, cottage cheese included. At this age, food sources may be a safer bet than calcium supplements–a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that women between the ages of 45 and 84 taking calcium supplements for their bones were more likely to have plaque buildup in their arteries, increasing the risk for heart attacks.
Where else you can get calcium: The usual dairy sources, or you can branch out with foods like white beans, black-eyed peas or seaweed.
The Food: Salmon
Why: After age 55, women's heart-disease risk goes up, partially because estrogen helped protect your body against it, and now that you're through menopause, your estrogen levels are lower. "Fats from fish like salmon can help lower your risk," says McDaniel. Research in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a Mediterranean diet (which emphasizes healthy fats like omega-3s) reduced the risk of serious cardiac events among people at high risk for developing heart disease. Fiber is also important, notes McDaniel, because it can help keep your cholesterol levels down.
Where else you can get healthy fats: Olive oil, nuts, seeds or any of the other omega-3 sources we've already mentioned.
In Your 60s and Beyond
The Food: Shellfish
Why: They're high in vitamin B12. This vitamin is found in lots of animal products, so unless you're vegan, it's rare to be deficient when you're younger. "But B12 needs stomach acid to be absorbed, and we start to lose stomach acid in our 50s and into our 60s," explains Kirkpatrick. Plus, there's a type stomach inflammation that occurs in up to 50 percent of elderly people that can make it hard to absorb B12, which means you'll need to eat more just to get your recommended intake. Finally, B12 is one of three B vitamins that can help lower your levels of an amino acid linked to dementia. (The other two B vitamins are folate and B6.)
Where else you can get B12: Rainbow trout and sockeye salmon, along with milk, yogurt and eggs.
The Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in North America—for good reason. Combining the tang of lime and the sweetness of orange liqueur with the distinctive strength of tequila, our classic Margarita strikes all of the right keys.
Although many people reach for premade sour mix, we highly recommend using fresh lime juice. The end result is—let’s face it—superior.
When talking Margaritas, it’s easy to get lost in stories about who invented the drink or get mired in debates over salt versus no salt; blended or frozen; triple sec, Cointreau or Grand-Marnier. In our opinion, this version is the tried-and-true recipe for the best Margarita you can make. Memorize it, and you’ll always impress.
INGREDIENTS IN THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL
3/4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice 1 oz Cointreau, triple sec or another orange liqueur 1 1⁄2 oz Blanco tequila Kosher salt (optional)
Garnish: Lime wheel Glass: Cocktail or rocks
HOW TO MAKE THE MARGARITA COCKTAIL
Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
For a slightly sweeter drink, add a dash of agave syrup (one part water, two parts agave nectar) before shaking.
OTHER INFORMATION
Watch top bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout make a twist on the classic Margarita in our How to Cocktail video.
The holidays have arrived! Parties are in full swing, and the crush will be on this weekend to get some last minute shopping done. It’s always great to pause during the hustle and bustle of the holidays for a good cocktail. Today’s libation comes to us from the fantastic new coffee table book, Southern Living’s Christmas All Through the South.
The book is chock full of gorgeous photographs, recipes for all types of food and drink, traditional and not so traditional. Southerners may be known for their fondness of bourbon, but there are plenty of campari lovers south of the Mason-Dixon line as well.
In less than ten minutes, you can whip up this gorgeous cocktail, perfect for the holidays. I’ll have more to say about this book on my companion blog, Savory Exposure coming soon.
Ruby Red Negroni
Makes 6 servings
2 cups fresh red grapefruit juice (3 large grapefruit) 1 cup gin 1 cup Campari 1 cup sweet vermouth Crushed ice 1 1⁄2 cups club soda Garnish: fresh orange slices
1. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a pitcher. Cover and chill. 2. Fill 6 double old-fashioned glasses with crushed ice. Divide juice mixture evenly among glasses. Top each serving with 1⁄4 cup club soda, and stir gently. Serve immediately.
Easy to assemble and beautiful to behold, it's the ideal dessert for a crowd
If you've never had a trifle before, today is your lucky day. Trifle is the ideal dessert for feeding a crowd, because it's easy to assemble but looks impressive, you can make it in advance and it holds up well for a few hours. In this summery version, we layer cubes of blueberry pound cake with grapefruit pastry cream, stewed cherries and pistachios. It's the perfect way to put summer's ripe berries and cherries on display.
If you're prepping this in advance, make all the components up to a day before. Then assemble the trifle a few hours before your guests arrive and hold it in the fridge. That way, dessert is already taken care of, and you can focus on your guests.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Yield: 10 to 12 servings Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus macerating, cooling and chilling time Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus macerating, cooling and chilling time
INGREDIENTS
For the Pound Cake:
Unsalted butter, softened, for greasing 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1½ cups blueberries 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup plain Greek yogurt ½ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 eggs
For the Grapefruit Curd:
1½ cups sugar ¾ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 1½ teaspoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 eggs, plus 3 yolks 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons grapefruit zest
For the Stewed Cherries:
4 cups (1½ pounds) red cherries, stemmed and pitted ¼ cup kirsch cherry brandy ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted 1 teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Grapefruit Pastry Cream:
2 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt Grapefruit curd
For Assembly:
Pound cake cubes Grapefruit pastry cream 1 cup blueberries Stewed cherries ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped ½ cup cherries—stemmed, pitted and halved
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the pound cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with the sugar, mashing slightly to release some of the juices. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to macerate.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir in the macerated blueberries, followed by the dry ingredients; mix until a smooth batter forms.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
4. While the pound cake bakes, make the grapefruit curd: In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, grapefruit juice, cornstarch, salt, eggs and egg yolks until smooth, then place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain, then stir in the butter and grapefruit zest until smooth. Cool over an ice bath. Then chill until firm, 2 hours.
5. Make the stewed cherries: In a medium saucepan, combine all the cherry ingredients, except the cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the cherries have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
6. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of juice from the cherry mixture until smooth. Then add that to the pot. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until thickened, 2 minutes, and remove from the heat to cool over an ice bath.
7. Make the grapefruit pastry cream: In a large bowl, combine the cream, confectioner's sugar and salt, and, using an electric hand mixer, whip to stiff peaks. Set 1½ cups of the whipped cream aside. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the grapefruit curd until smooth.
8. Assemble the trifle: In a 3-quart trifle bowl, layer one-third of the pound cake cubes, followed by one-third of the grapefruit pastry cream, ¼ cup of the blueberries, one-third of the stewed cherries and 2 tablespoons of the pistachios. Repeat this layering process 2 more times to fill the trifle bowl. Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top layer, then garnish with the remaining ¼ cup of blueberries, the remaining 2 tablespoons of pistachios and the halved cherries. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Trussing a chicken before roasting is not just for fussy cooks who put presentation above everything else (although we'll admit, tying the legs and wings so they're tight against the body does make the finished dish look picture-perfect). The practical reason for trussing is to help the bird cook evenly and stay moist. Otherwise, hot air circulates inside the open breast cavity, drying out that portion before the legs are done. It's as simple as taking some string and securing it around the legs, as this video shows.
You're Putting the Bird in with No Blanket
Peterson says another easy way to prevent "roasting a chicken to death" is to cover the breast with aluminum foil during the first 20 minutes of roasting. This will slow down the cooking of the breast meat so it ends up being done at the same time as the thighs. Just tent the foil (don't wrap it tightly) so air can flow underneath.
We know an instant-read thermometer is the best way to determine doneness on a whole chicken (it should be 140 degrees where the thighbone joins the rest of the bird, says Peterson). But if you don't have a thermometer handy, use the hand test. Press on the muscle with the base of your thumb; that's what raw or undercooked meat feels like. Now make a fist and press on the muscle again; that's what cooked meat feels like.
You're Starting a Fire When You Grill
Flare-ups are common while grilling chicken, and are usually caused by the fat from the chicken dripping onto the coals during cooking. Although they typically aren't dangerous, they can give the meat a bitter taste (not to mention a light coating of soot). Peterson's advice is to ignore what you read in most cookbooks and cook the chicken flesh-side down first, while the fire is hottest. By the time you're ready to flip it over to the skin side, the fire will have died down somewhat and be less likely to flare up while you're grilling the skin (i.e., fatty) side.
Most people looking for a good love apple “end up with crap,” a researcher says.
Many of the tomatoes eaten these days are too big, too firm and just plain dull compared with those from a half-century ago, according to new research.
In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, a team of researchers say they analyzed the genetic code of nearly 400 varieties of tomatoes ― from the common red supermarket types to the funky heirlooms found in farmers markets. Led by Harry J. Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida, the team found many of this generation’s tomatoes have lost key elements that make them taste, well, like a tomato.
To know what makes a good love apple, Klee said, you really have to understand three things that go into the vegetable’s flavor profile: sugar for sweetness, acid for the sour tang, and dozens of “volatiles,” or aroma compounds, that make up the euphoric, tomatoey scent.
“The tomato is unlike some fruits and vegetables in that there’s no one compound that I’d give you that you’d smell and say, ‘that’s tomato.’ Bananas, strawberries I could give you one compound and you’d know,” he said. “You’ve got sugars providing the sweetness, you’ve got acids counterbalancing and 25 or more volatile chemicals that are the aroma of the tomato. Without those you have no flavor, it’d just be completely bland.”
Unfortunately, Klee and his team found, vegetable breeders have grown varieties of tomatoes over the past few decades that are big and firm (and great for shipping), but missing many of these aroma compounds that make for a good bruschetta. Klee said what may have started as the loss of one volatile here and another there quickly cascaded into a flavorless, bland orb not worth its salt.
“If you compare tomato flavor to a symphony orchestra ... you’ve got a piece of music where you’ve got all these different parts to it. If you remove one or two instruments, it still sounds pretty much the same,” he said. “If you slowly remove instruments you might even be fooled that it’s still good, but over time you say ‘wait a minute, it’s just not right.’”
One big exception to the sad state of the average beefsteak is the resurgence of so-called heirloom varieties seen in farmers markets and upscale grocery stores. Those vegetables are often grown using generations-old seeds, selected for their flavor above all else. But they come at a premium.
Klee said a well-known, flavorful variety, the Campari tomato, can cost nearly four times the price of a regular tomato in his state of Florida. However, “most people aren’t willing to pay that difference,” he said, and “they end up with crap.”
All is not lost, however.
Researchers say most breeders haven’t had access to expensive equipment that can gauge the tastiness of a tomato. Using the new data, farmers can opt to plant vegetables prized for their flavor, rather than appearance, and expand on a $2 billion annual market for the product in the U.S. alone.
“We can easily push it back that 50 years and recapture a good deal of the flavor without compromising the modern tomato at all,” Klee said. “It’ll be much, much better than what’s out there today.”
We're pretty much obsessed with make-ahead meals at Pillsbury, so we created this cheesy Mexican-inspired casserole specifically to be a freezer-friendly dinner. (We've even included instructions for baking it straight from the freezer as well as defrosting it first.) So whether you make it for dinner tonight or prep it now for a time-saving freezer meal later, you're guaranteed delicious results.
Ingredients
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ 25% less sodium taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
2 3/4 cups salsa
1 package (12 oz) frozen whole kernel sweet corn
6 Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch)
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)
Steps
Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, water and bell pepper strips. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Stir in salsa and corn.
Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half; place 6 tortilla halves in bottom of baking dish.
Top with half of beef mixture (about 3 1/2 cups). Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the cheese and remaining tortilla halves. Top with remaining beef mixture and cheese.
Spray piece of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray. Cover baking dish with foil sprayed side down. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
To Make Ahead:Wrap foil-covered casserole in double layer of plastic wrap; label and freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw and bake:Thaw overnight or until completely thawed in refrigerator. Remove plastic wrap. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted.
To bake from freezer (no thawing):Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes or until center is hot (165°F) and cheese is melted.
Transform taco night with this fun, easy and delicious pasta dish.
Ingredients
1
lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1
package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ 25% less sodium taco seasoning mix
2/3
cup water
1
red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
2 3/4
cups salsa
1
package (12 oz) frozen whole kernel sweet corn
6
Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch)
2
cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)
Steps
Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on box.
Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Add taco seasoning mix, crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of the shredded cheese; stir well until cheese is melted.
Fill each pasta shell with about 1 tablespoon beef mixture; place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Top filled shells with plum tomatoes and chopped cilantro; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.
Expert Tips
If you prefer more heat, try some chopped jalapeños on your shells.
Ground turkey is a great substitute for ground beef in this dish.
The competition for the best cannoli in New England is never ending…but what about in the form of a taco? Deep fried and filled with the creamy goodness that you know and love, these Cannoli Mini Taco Boats™ will impress friends at your next get-together.
Prep Time : 60 min
Total Time :60 min Servings : 12
Ingredients
1 container (15 oz) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
Vegetable oil for deep frying
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 package Old El Paso™ Taco Boats™ mini soft flour tortillas
6 teaspoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Fresh mint leaves, if desired
Preparation
Step 1. In medium bowl, beat ricotta cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and orange peel with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 2 Meanwhile, in deep fryer or 3-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least 2 inches oil to 350°F. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, add granulated sugar and cinnamon.
Step 3 Place boats in batches in preheated oil; fry 1 minute on each side, using tongs to turn boats halfway through, until lightly brown all over. Drain boats upside down on paper towel-lined cookie sheet until slightly cool; toss 4 boats at a time in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 4 Just before serving, remove filling from refrigerator, and fill decorating bag fitted with large piping star tip. Pipe filling into cooled boats, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Top with mint leaves. Serve immediately. Store any remaining filled boats in refrigerator.
To customize this pasta bake, try adding any of your other favorite pizza toppings, such as baby spinach, sliced mushrooms or sliced ripe olives.
Ingredients
1 box (16 oz) penne pasta
2 jars (24 oz each) chunky marinara sauce
1 cup sliced pepperoni (from 6-oz package)
1 bag (16 oz) frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (32 meatballs)
2 cups water
1 package (8 oz) shredded Italian cheese blend (2 cups)
Steps
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. In baking dish, mix all ingredients except cheese; mix well. Cover with foil.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Expert Tips
To customize this pasta bake, try adding any of your other favorite pizza toppings, such as baby spinach, sliced mushrooms or sliced ripe olives.
Any of your favorite marinara or pasta sauces can be substituted for the chunky marinara sauce in this recipe.
Photo of Jordan Peele taken by Cullen Tobin for Vanity Fair
Jordan Peele has four more social thriller films in the making.
In an interview with Business Insider the Get Out director said that his recently-released directorial debut is the first of five social thrillers he plans on creating.
“I have four other social thrillers that I want to unveil in the next decade…The best and scariest monsters in the world are human beings and what we are capable of especially when we get together,” Peele said. “I’ve been working on these premises about these different social demons, these innately human monsters that are woven into the fabric of how we think and how we interact, and each one of my movies is going to be about a different one of these social demons.”
Get Out has been both a commercial and critical success, with the film having an impressive $30.5 million debut.
“The psychology of blackness is important in Get Out,” our very own Elijah Watson writes. “We see protagonist Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) have to address a trauma experienced as a child that he has yet to come to terms with, as well as his ongoing paranoia as he begins to realize that the affluent and white neighborhood his girlfriend Rose Armitage’s (Allison Williams) family resides in, isn’t what it seems to be. He laughs off his worries until he no longer can, the real motives of this secluded community unraveled until the movie’s end.”
“…This is what makes Get Out fascinating and why it can only work as what it is. Horror often speaks to its audience psychologically and is an extreme (of sorts) in what we often associate with the genre (gore, violence). Here, we see that extreme used to comment on something very real and extreme in its own right — the black experience in America.”
In honor of its 40th anniversary, we celebrate the greatest hockey movie of all time – and one the best "malaise days" Seventies films ever
Happy 40th anniversary, 'Slap Shot'! Why the greatest hockey movie of all time captures the 1970s better than any other sports movie.
Over the last few decades – thanks in part to movies and TV shows like Dazed and Confused, Boogie Nights, Anchorman and HBO's Vinyl – there’s been a pronounced pop cultural tendency to reduce the 1970s to little more than a fabulous parade of campy signifiers like mirrored disco balls, brightly-painted muscle cars, platform shoes, bellbottomed jeans, tube tops, Afro hairdos, pornstaches and piles of cocaine.
It's an understandable impulse, of course. (Who doesn't love Afros or piles of cocaine?) But taking such a superficial approach to the seventies means glossing over the grittier, grimier and more soulful aspects of a decade that was marked as much by socio-economic upheaval and spiritual dislocation as it was by debauchery and decadence. There's a scene early on in Slap Shot – George Roy Hill's brilliant hockey comedy, released 40 years ago on February 25th, 1977 – that may be one of the most quintessentially "seventies" things ever committed to celluloid, even though there's nary a groovy shag carpet or white three-piece suit anywhere in sight. Minor league hockey players Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) and Ned Braden (Michael Ontkean) walk along a dreary street in front of the local steel mill, arguing about what the factory's just-announced shutdown is going to mean for their team and their town.
"What are these poor fuckers going to do when they close the mill?" wonders Braden. "10,000 mill workers will be placed on waivers. Every sucker for himself, I guess." Ned's wife Lily (Lindsay Crouse) then brings the conversation to a halt by drunkenly roaring up in a dingy 1971 Ford Econoline van. Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" is blasting from the radio, and she fixes her husband with a glare as toxic as the fumes rising from the mill's smoke stacks. "Will you ever win?" Stevie Nicks asks, and there were quite a few blue-collar workers during the Nixon/Ford/Carter years who were asking themselves the same question.
Four decades ago, Slap Shot didn't fare particularly well with the moviegoers or critics of the day, many of whom took issue with the film’s violence and raunchy humor — the very things, of course, that would make the film a belated cult hit with viewers who soon discover it on VHS and cable. Nowadays, it's rightly considered a sports-movie classic, and it’s hard to find a self-respecting hockey fan who can't rattle off a few choice lines from the Hanson Brothers — the child-like goons played by professional hockey players David Hanson, Jeff Carlson and Steve Carlson — at the slightest provocation. But there’s far more to this near-perfect puck opera than bloody brawls or sidesplitting antics. No other sports film of the 1970s so brilliantly captures the downbeat look and feel of its era, while also realistically rendering the lives of its subjects, both on the field (or ice, in this case) and off.
Much of its innate authenticity is due to an excellent script by Nancy Dowd, who based the story (and its eyebrow-singeing dialogue) on her brother Ned's brief career as a minor league hockey player. Her sibling, who makes a brief appearance in the film as the dreaded enforcer Ogie Ogilthorpe, played for the Johnstown Jets of the North American Hockey League; at his sister's behest, he often set up a tape recorder in the Jets' locker room and on team bus rides, in order to capture the hilarious off-color repartee of his teammates. While Slap Shot's violence is certainly reminiscent of the brutal brand of play that characterized the NHL during the mid-1970s – as epitomized by the ruthless Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. the "Broad Street Bullies" – all of the film's fight scenes, even the one where the Hansons charge into the crowd in search of a guy who hit one of them with a set of keys, were based on actual incidents involving the Jets.
But Dowd's script also accurately depicts the crushing tedium of life in the minors. Slap Shot’s Charlestown Chiefs spend most of their downtime in seedy dives, diners and motel rooms, watching game shows or soap operas while drinking away their boredom and dreaming of better things. (In the words of Brad Sullivan’s delightfully sleazy Morris Wanchuk, "Here's to all that gorgeous snatch in F-L-A!") The Chiefs' wives have it even worse; at least their husbands get to work out their frustrations on the ice. As Shirley Upton (Swoosie Kurtz) puts it, "I only drink in the afternoon. Or before a game. Or when Johnny's away."
While some of Slap Shot's characters are undeniably cartoonish, others clearly reflect how Americans were grappling issues of personal identity and self-fulfillment in the wake of the sexual revolution, the feminist movement and the psychedelic awakening of the 1960s. A decade earlier, a woman like Lily Braden probably wouldn't have given a second thought to following her husband from Princeton University to a small working-class city like the fictional Charlestown, Pennsylvania. But with the U.S. divorce rate spiking hard at that point, she would have certainly given serious thought to leaving her husband rather than endure another stifling season as a hockey wife. And then there's Chiefs player Dave "Killer" Carlson (Jerry Houser), who's completely down with Dunlop's new strategy of provoking fights, yet also finds inspiration and peace in the "positive-thinking" records of Swami Baha – a riff on the self-actualization cults like EST and the Source Family that were massively popular during the 1970s.
Dowd's script alone would have made for a compelling movie, but it's George Roy Hill's direction that really puts Slap Shot over the top. Hill had previously worked with Newman on 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1973's The Sting (which netted him an Oscar for Best Director); he had a decided flair for telling stories about outsiders, and for getting the most out of sharply-written dialogue. But he was also a stickler for realism, even in a sports comedy, and did much of the shooting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where Ned Dowd had played for the Jets. Hill makes the most of Johnstown's stark industrial landscape, as well as its depressed downtown – where the lone movie theater is showing Deep Throat – and its cheerless Cambria County War Memorial Arena, where much of the hockey action takes place. It's utterly believable that local fans would come to Chiefs games less for the hockey than to blow off steam, or that they'd become galvanized by Dunlop’s decision to refashion the team as a stick-swinging goon squad; likewise, it makes perfect sense that the Chiefs would be revitalized by their followers' newfound enthusiasm.
David Hanson, Steven Carlson and Jeff Carlson (as the Hansen Brothers), 1977
In casting the players, Hill insisted on using actors who could actually skate. Al Pacino was originally up for the role of Reggie Dunlop, but was offended that the director seemed more concerned with his agility on the ice than his acting chops. Nick Nolte, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Tommy Lee Jones, Kurt Russell and Richard Gere also auditioned for various parts in the film; none of them skated well enough to qualify. Ontkean, who had been a star Right Wing at the University of New Hampshire, was perfect for the role of the former college star who wants to play clean, "old time hockey," but Hill also upped the verisimilitude factor by hiring actual hockey players – guys who could not only skate and handle a stick, but could also be shown removing their dentures before hitting the rink. The Hanson characters were actually based on brothers Jeff and Steve Carlson (their third brother, Jack, opted out of filming because his team was in the playoffs at the time, and had to be replaced by Jets player Dave Hanson). Opposing goons Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown and Ross "Mad Dog" Madison were respectively portrayed by Joe Nolan and Connie "Mad Dog" Madigan, professional players whose real-life reputations were as fearsome as those of their characters.
During the last decades of his life, Paul Newman repeatedly name-checked Dunlop as one of his favorite roles, and it's easy to understand why. Though not especially talented as a player or a coach, our foul-mouthed hero managed to hang on thanks to a combination of looks, charm and guile, and he has to utilize every bit of those attributes if he’s going to achieve his aims. In short, he's got to keep the Chiefs from folding, keep his team's winning streak alive and keep his ex-wife from leaving town. The team may be little more than a tax write-off for its ownership, but hockey is Dunlop's life. Despite his protestations that he’s "got nothing to worry about," he knows deep down that he's aging and running out of options.
Newman digs into Dunlop's profane dialogue like a hungry man devouring a steak, but the appeal of his performance goes well beyond, "Damn, Paul Newman is talking shit!" The moment where Coach first realizes that the fans have been fired up by the Hansons' goonery is a thing of subtle beauty, communicated solely via a goofy grin and the crazed gleam in his baby-blue eyes. It's one thing to play the guy as an go-get-'em Knute Rockne type or a grizzled misanthrope, but the movie star plays him as a mediocre leader; only the Hansons are dim enough to be pumped up by his boilerplate pep talks. For all of his "clever" attempts at manipulating the team, its owner and the local media, the only person who’s totally fooled by Dunlop is Dunlop himself.
Rowdy, raunchy, hilarious, absurd, deeply depressing and profoundly human – often all at the same time – Slap Shot is refreshingly devoid of phony uplift or showy monologues. There's no jerking of tears or pulling of heartstrings, no big lessons to be learned beyond the harsh reminder that sports is a business; the passion of its fans and the heroics of its players are ultimately less important than the clang of the cash register. It's the rare combination of both team-spirit uplift and period-appropriate downer. Even hailing from a decade with no shortage of competition (The Bad News Bears, Rocky, Brian’s Song, North Dallas Forty, Bang the Drum Slowly, etc.), Slap Shot remains the greatest sports flick of the 1970s – and we'll gladly "put on the foil" and duke it out with anyone who says otherwise.
