Faux Oreo

There are four reasons why I'm sharing today's recipe.

1.  It is black and white week. Is there anything more fitting than an Oreo?

2. I just got back from 10 days of vacation with both my children. Without my husband. This gurl needs some sugar.

3. It is ridiculously easy and I am super tired. See Reason #2.

4. Kent (brother of Tracey, husband of Erika) loves them.

Since both of my kids are yelling at my husband and I need to prep for a night out with the hubs before I pick up my sitter (Mary, Sarah's sister. Oh, it is a tangled web.) we are going to keep this short and sweet.

Go make these cookies. Now. Eat them with a large glass of milk. Watch some of Sarah's black and white movie picks and browse the interwebs for the darling clothing pieces Erika hunted down for you.



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Prejudice Today and Implicit Association Tests

For our third installment in Black and White Week, I'm making an admittedly odd interpretation of the theme by having a little micro-discussion on racial prejudices. Won't you join me?

I remember some years ago coming across a study (no idea how academic it was, to be fair) that said our generation is a bit impatient with the notion of racism. As in - why aren't we past this already? Why does this keep coming up? It's a nice thought, in a way, but it also implies the danger that we are not giving the issue its due diligence. Feeling impervious to what is considered a widespread concern creates a sudden vulnerability: those who forget the past and all that.

Still, it's just some random article - probably misremembered at that. But the idea rings true to me. The fact is, racism does keep coming up; a brief glance at the last month's news will tell you that. Being flippant about it doesn't deal with it properly. And in spite of our blog's raison d'etre, I don't plan on offering up much more of an opinion on this topic today. In fact, I more just want to make the observation that racism is still very relevant, still a problem.

But then, where to start? How does a better discussion begin? Lately I've been fascinated by the Implicit Association Tests study going on at Harvard right now. The intro page offers up the suggestion that people might not know their minds as well as they think. The tests are an effort to compare/contrast our conscious views with our unconscious ones. This includes attitudes toward gender, religion, race, and much more.  They are careful to warn before taking the test that you might not like the results, and furthermore, they acknowledge that these results are ultimately just interpretations.  Still. Aren't you curious? Maybe in order to have a better conversation about troubling prejudices, we need to better know where we stand.  To use another very famous quote, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Take the tests here. Thanks for reading my ramblings today. Erika's back tomorrow with black and white outfit ideas, and in case you missed it, be sure to check out Tracey's black and white soda from yesterday!

But If You're Thinkin' About My Baby It Don't Matter If...

It's Black. It's White. It's Black and White Week! Over the next few days we'll be treating you to some recipes, fashion, and...social science? You know it, and all of it will fall under our big black and white umbrella. Have any monochromatic life problems? Send them our way!

Today, I'll be sharing a couple of black and white movies that, should we sit down to lunch together, I would tell you very matter-of-factly to add to your Netlfix queue. Now, I am far from an expert on this topic. (For example, shouldn't I technically be calling them black and white films? Ah, well.) And it's funny how we sometimes lump black and white movies all together, as if they are their own genre.  But I will say that watching a black and white film seems to carry an inherent nostalgia with it. So, in that mindset, here are some black and white films that are on my keepers list:

Casablanca - The quintessential, no? Humphrey Bogart is jaded ex-pat Rick Blaine, who finds himself torn between the greater good and the love of his life.  It's cliche to call this one flawless, but hey, it is. Watch It For - The long list of classic movie lines. "As Time Goes By". Ingrid Bergman. The endless discussion of whether you like the ending. Then, as a bonus, watch the Marx Brothers' spoof, A Night in Casablanca.

[caption id="attachment_1736" align="alignnone" width="632"] Equally flawless, I say.[/caption]

Sabrina - Ugh. This movie. It's so charming it hurts. Chauffeur's daughter Sabrina pursues wealthy ne'er-do-well David Larrabee, whilst David's older brother Linus does his best to sabotage. It's old-fashioned in every way, so be forewarned if that's not your thing, but know that I easily prefer it to most every rom-com from the last 5 years. And why this over the Audrey Hepburn pantheon? The clothes, darling. Watch It For: Billy Wilder's direction. Edith Head's costumes!!!! Audrey Hepburn, the reason for 90% of the film's charm. "La Vie en Rose". Mid-century glamor.



And The List Goes On...

Here's a few more that I love, but might not categorically recommend.
The Elephant Man - If you want to see a David Lynch work without losing your mind.
The Manchurian Candidate - If you like a slow-burn thriller.
Citizen Kane - If you somehow escaped formal education without seeing it, and thought The Social Network could use a more "best American film of all time" quality to it.
Modern Times and/or City Lights - If you love premium physical comedy.
Young Philadelphians - If you have a crush on Paul Newman.
To Kill a Mockingbird - If you, again, escaped formal education without seeing it.
The Apartment - If you liked Sabrina, but wished it was wittier and a little more depressing. Or if you'd like to see more of young Jack Lemmon out of drag. Or if you just really like gin rummy.
12 Angry Men - There's no way you escaped formal education without seeing this. Stop playing.

What are some of your favorite older movies? Love - or hate - any above?