Downton Abbey Season 5 Group Photo And Stills (Squeee)

Sweet British splendor, Downton Abbey Season 5 stills have been released!!  Which means it is only a few months until Downton returns to the air in the UK! We in the US have to wait until January 2015 for PBS Masterpiece to air the new season, but if you have friends in the UK, or access to torrents, you can get in on the action early! (Note: In no way am I condoning torrenting. Torrenting bad. Bad.)

This season's group photo is above! Look how much the Downton family has grown since season 1!  The babies are children now. How old is the dog?! I know season 1 had a dog named Pharaoh, but he was never actually called by name, just referred to as "boy" in a scene (episode 1.01). Sometime between season 1 and season 2 (1916), Pharaoh passes away and is replaced by Isis. Isis is a bit of an older pup in her first episodes, maybe 9 months old I'm guessing by her size. Season 4 ends in 1923, so Isis must be about 7 years old. Which is good as golden retrievers live an average of 12 years.  I really cannot handle a dog death on this show. Also, I clearly know way too much about the dog's in this show. 

Also released were some great stills from Season 5:

That last picture of Lady Mary, Lord Gillingham, and Branson is my favorite and sparks some interesting thoughts for this season. Lady Mary has been frequently caught between Gillingham and Charles Blake, and perhaps this show that Gillingham will be with us more and more, winning her affections.  I sure do hope so, he is my fave of her suitors. And I just love Branson.  Who doesn't love an Irish rebel?!

Downton Abbey season 5 runs from January 4th to March 1st, 2015 on PBS' Masterpiece Theater. The show will also air in the UK on ITV beginning in September, though no exact premier date has been set as of yet.

Food Fun: Making Homemade Naan

Occasionally I like to bake or try out a new recipe. Today was that kind of day.  I found a recipe for Naan, which is a type of flat bread, and it looked so yummy! I think I have only had Naan once in my life, and it was at a co-worker's birthday lunch at a local Indian restaurant. It was also my firs time trying a variety of Indian foods.  I liked most of what I tried, but I remembered the bread being so light and delicious.  I thought a batch of Naan would go perfectly dipped in the hummus I just bought.

This was my first attempt at making Naan, and I chose a recipe without the use of yeast, because I thought it would be easier for me.  And it was extremely easy.  I adapted the recipe slightly from the one I found via Pinterest at IndianSimmer.

Here is the basic dough  ingredients list, though you can add flavor to your Naan with various spices and herbs. I chose a basic butter Naan with some light Italian Seasoning, because it was simple and I had that readily available.

How To Easily Make Your Own Naan Bread

Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
1/2 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp sugar 
1/2 tbsp oil (for your hands while mixing the dough)

Directions:

Get out your large cutting wooden cutting board. Mix the dry ingredients directly on the board (not in a bowl or mixer). Form a "well" in the center of your dry ingredients.

This was the first time I had made anything like this and not used a bowl.  It was fun.  Radin watched, though I let him squeeze the dough and poke it once it was formed.

Now mix milk and yogurt together in a bowl and pour half of it into the well and slowly combine it together.

I followed the original blogger's advice and added liquid slowly and combined it all together slowly until a soft dough was made.  I did have to use a splash more of milk, because my dough seemed crumbly. The dough should be soft enough for you to be able to dig your finger into it without applying too much pressure. 
She also advised to use oil on your hands if the dough sticks to your hands too much.  My advice is to just go ahead and apritz some oil on your hands beforehand, cuz it WILL still to your hands. Quite a lot. 
Once you have your dough made, cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least two hours. I put my ball of dough in a bowl and covered it with a damp tea towel, then let it sit out at room temperature since it is summer and fairly warm in the morning.

After a few hours, dust your cutting board with flour, take out the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes. Radin helped me with this and loved it. 

Divide the dough into smaller balls. I found it was easiest to roll out the dough a bit, then cut it down the middle, and then across three times, to form eight sections of dough. My naan were kind of misshapen, but whatever.
You probably want to redust the board with flour a few times so that the dough doesn't stick to it. Roll out and flatten the balls to make bread which is a little thick and elongated. In hindsight, I would have liked mine a little thinner. As mine cooked, the dough seemed to retract and thicken up again.

Now sprinkle one side of the bread with whichever flavor you want. I made simple butter naans, so I brushed melted butter on one side and sprinkled a little Italian Seasoning.
Brush the other side with water. I didn't have another brush (mine was coated in butter), so I filled a shallow dish with water and placed the naans in it for just a few seconds.

Heat a thick bottom skillet on medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, place the naan wet (watered) side down and cover with a lid.
Let it cook for about a minute or until you see bubbles forming on top. You may need less time if you roll your naan thinner.  Mine were a bit thick, so they needed the full minute. Now flip the naan and let cook an additional minute.
Once removed from the pan, I re-smothered a good amount of butter on them and let them cool slightly. 

Warm naan is sooooooo good.  Radin seemed to like them too, even though he isn't a big fan of breads.  I packaged them up and will eat them with Hummus later on! MMMMmmmm!

I can't wait to try this recipe with other flavorings!

MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES (A List of Movie Release Dates)

There were a ton of movie release dates revealed at this year's San Diego Comic-Con that I had to compile them with all of the other movies we already knew about so I could keep them all straight.  I present to you, the Girly Geek's master guide of geeked out movies!

2014

August 1 - Guardians of the Galaxy
August 8 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
August 15 - The Expendables 3
September 12 - Resident Evil 6
August 22 - Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
September 19 - The Maze Runner
October 24 - Kingsman: The Secret Service
November 7 - Big Hero 6
                    - Interstellar
November 21 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1
December 17 - The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five

2015

February 6 - Jupiter Ascending
February 13 - Fifty Shades of Grey
March 13 - Cinderella
May 1 - Avengers: Age of Ultron
May 15 - Mad Max: Fury Road
June 12 - Jurassic World
June 19 - Assassin's Creed
July 3 - Independence Day 2
July 7 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
July 17 - Ant-Man
November 20 - The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part 2
November 25 - Finding Dory
December 18 - Star Wars Episode VII

2016

March 25 - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
May 6 - Captain America 3
June 10 - Uncharted
July 8 - TBA Marvel movie (rumored to be Doctor Strange)

November 11 - Sinister Six

2017

May 5 - TBA Marvel movie
July 28 - Guardians of the Galaxy 2
November 3 - TBA Marvel movie

2018

TBA - The Amazing Spider-Man 3
May 4 - TBA Marvel movie
July 6 - TBA Marvel movie
November 2 - TBA Marvel movie

2019

May 3 - TBA Marvel movie

Jennifer Lee (Frozen) Will Adapt ' A Wrinkle In Time' For Disney

Jennifer Lee, writer and co-director of Disney’s blockbuster Frozen, has been tapped by Disney to adapt one of my favorite childhood books, A Wrinkle In Time.

Squueeeeee!

Let us hope that this adaptation is better than that terrible "made for tv" Disney version from 2003. 

No director has been named as of yet, but Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand have already been announced as producers. Jennifer Lee is the second screenwriter to be announced, as Jeff Stockwell (Bridge to Terabithia) worked on the original script when Disney first announced they would adapt A Wrinkle In Time back in 2010.  I am ecstatic that things appear to be finally moving forward.  Hopefully a release date will be announced soon and casting can begin. I wish Emma Watson could be cloned as a young teen and star in this.

I have incredibly high hopes for this movie.  Jennifer Lee has given the impression that she can create memorable strong female leads, and that is what we need for Meg.  Also, now that I have a son, Charles' character really resonates with me.  A little brainiac who prefers to keep his words to himself or close family.

Also, if you have not read A Wrinkle In Time, you are missing out.  It holds up incredibly well now that I'm an adult.  I highly suggest you check it out of your local library. Or if you prefer, there is an amazing graphic novel adaptation by Hope Larson (Chiggers).

And enjoy these adorable character designs by Ruby Chen! Too adorable!

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook for all things girly and geeky!

Is Evangeline Lilly Playing Wasp in Ant-Man?

Marvel Studios has officially announced the roles of Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stiles for Ant-Man.

Stoll will play the film's "bad guy" named Darren Cross, AKA Yellowjacket (cuz, you know, bug themes).  Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man (played by Michael Douglas, will be the mentor for Darren Cross, until their relationship goes sour.  

Fans of the comics remember that Yellowjacket was actually one of Hank Pym's alter-ego's when he spazzed out and went all crazy.

Lilly was confirmed as playing Hope Van Dyne, daughter of Hank Pym.  Fans of Ant-Man instantly recognize Van Dyne as the last name of Janet Van Dyne, otherwise know as Wasp. 

In the comics, Janet Van Dyne was married to Hank Pym and both were founding members of the Avengers. 

This raises interesting questions about how Wasp will play into this movie, if she even shows up at all.  It would seem strange for them to cast an aged Janet Van Dyne as Wasp. My guess is that Janet Van Dyne is deceased and that her daughter will actually take up the mantle of Wasp and will become romantically involved with Paul Rudd's character, Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man. Everything is fun speculation at this point though.  

The Guardians of the Galaxy Get Their Own Cartoon!

The Guardians of the Galaxy opens in theaters this week, and I could not be any more excited!  Then I learn that Marvel announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the GotG crew is getting their own cartoon!  Now I am basically frothing at the mouth.

According to Comic-Con attendees, Marvel showed off a 1-minute sneak peek of the cartoon featuring Star-Lord and Rocket test footage.  No date has been set for the debut of the show, though we know it will broadcast on Disney XD alongside Marvel's other current cartoons, Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Avengers Assemble.  Marvel also stated that the Guardians will be making guest appearances in the other Marvel cartoons before they launch their own series, to keep the team fresh in the audiences mind.

Lets hope Marvel makes something good this time. I'm really over the nonsensical plot-lines and fart jokes that plague Ultimate Spider-Man.  Also, I am not digging the Rocket character design AT ALL (see below). But, again, this is a cartoon and aimed at kids, so I really shouldn't complain.  I get a full length GotG movie in less than a week! WOOOO!

Marvel Releases Movie Lineup For Next 5 years

Marvel Studios has released their movie lineup through 2019, which includes five films without titles!  There are two unnamed films in 2017, two in 2018, and one in 2019. According the the announcement, the new films will be hitting theaters July 28th and November 3, 2017 (on top of the previously untitled May 5th, 2017 title); July 6th and November 2nd 2018; and May 3, 2019.  My mind is reeling with speculations! I am betting we find out a bit more of what these mystery movies will be at ComicCon next week.  Please oh please oh please let there be a Black Panther and a Captain Marvel in there somewhere! Can you imagine if Captain Marvel was announced before a Wonder Woman movie?!  Here is what the timetable (and some of my predictions) now looks like:

2015

May 1: The Avengers: Age of Ultron

July 17: Ant-Man

2016

May 6: Captain America 3

July 8: Doctor Strange

2017

May 5: Untitled (Captain Marvel?)

July 28: Untitled (Black Panther?)

November 3: Untitled (GotG 2?)

2018

July 6: Untitled (Avengers 3?)

November 2: Untitled (?)

2019

May 3: Untitled (?)

The fangirl inside me wants to see banners like this in the ComicCon footage:

Created by the talented SkinnyGlasses

Created by the talented SkinnyGlasses

Created by the talented SkinnyGlasses

Created by the talented Pencils and Nougats