I just got off the phone with my thirteen-year-old sister Libby, who shared with me her recipe for matzoh brie, which she had made for herself for the very first time this morning. A long-time lover of the brie, Libby has been known to request it as a pre-school breakfast not just during Passover, but year round. Now that she if officially a woman (Mazel tov, Lib!), it seemed only fitting that she make her own matzoh brie this Passover, especially since she is on spring break and has plenty of time. Although I have twelve years on Libby, I have actually never made matzo brie for myself, so she happily shared her recipe with me. I have relayed it here, in her own words:

Libby's Matzo Brie
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
2 pieces of matzoh
2 eggs
Water
Salt
Pepper
Applesauce (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

1. Put matzoh in a tupperware container and smash it up into pieces.
2. Pour water into tupperware so matzoh can soak.
Claire: How long should it soak?
Libby: Til it's mushy.
Claire: Give me a ballpark?
Libby: Three minutes.
3. Squeeze the extra water out of the matzoh.
Claire: With what?
Libby: Your hands.
4. Mix eggs up in a bowl.
5. Pour eggs over matzoh and mix well.
6. Get out a pan and spray Pam in it.
7. Turn on the pan.
8. Pour in matzoh.
9. Cook it.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

The Soup Peddler, a local soup/food delivery service with a unique weekly menu, just delivered our dinner for tonight: corned beef and cabbage. This will probably be the extent of our St. Patrick's Day celebration, other than catching another SXSW movie. My mother made corned beef and cabbage one year for St. Paddy's Day growing up, because her mother used to do so. This is just to say that I have been thinking about dinner since before lunch...

For those of you who haven't been following my tweets (and, by the way, why the heck haven't you?), here's a little update on my SXSW Film Festival experience so far.

Movies watched:

- World's Largest: Plan A was to see Edward Norton's Leaves of Grass, but the line was too long for us lowly film-pass holders to get in (the SXSW hierarchy is a rigid one, we were quick to learn).  So, we opted to see a documentary that explores the various "World's Largest" monuments in the U.S. (ducks, eggs, snakes, would-be lava lamps, etc.), World's Largest started out amusing but took on a sadder tone, as the filmmakers explored the struggles of the American small town.  Made me want to go spend money in Soap Lake, Washington (of the would-be lava lamp), especially. 

- Barry Munday: This comedy about a sleaze who turns his life around showed at the Paramount, the largest theater used for SXSW--it seats 1200!  Highlights: a star-studded supporting cast that included Cybill Shepherd, Malcolm McDowell, Jean Smart, and Billy Dee Williams.  I laughed more than I expected to, but the highlight was definitely sitting across the aisle (six seats away!) from my pals Chloe Sevigny, Judy Greer, and Patrick Wilson. 

- Cyrus: Actually just watched Marisa Tomei talking about this film on The View. Tomei and Jonah Hill are a mother-son pair who are creepy close, and John C. Reilly is the man who comes in and shakes up their world.  It's a more serious comedy, in the sense that the most hysterical moments happen as these characters experience feuds and melt-downs that are not at all funny, in and of themselves.  Still unsure if watching this was worth the amount of time that Ben forced me to wait, a number that I refuse to admit, but I would recommend it most highly of the four movies we've seen so far.

- Beijing Taxi: A look at three taxi drivers from three different generations and three different parts of Beijing, set against the backdrop of the two years leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics.  Very compelling stories (compelling for their ordinariness), and an interesting look at a city and a nation.

Celebrities spotted (in order of appearance): Patrick Wilson, Judy Greer, Chloe Sevigny , John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Edward Norton. 

Up next?  A documentary, The People vs. George Lucas, this afternoon.  More soon...

With my final year in Austin winding down, I have felt compelled to start crossing activities and restaurants off my Austin to-do list that I have, up until now, put off until "next year." So this morning I stopped by Waterloo Records to pick up my film pass for this year's SXSW film festival. I must admit, I'm already a little overwhelmed by the prospect of squeezing as many movies into one week as possible. The woman who sold us our passes recommended that we create a spreadsheet that includes a Plan A, B, and C. Who knew there would be homework involved? Films I'm looking forward to catching (hoping to get into): The Runaways, The People vs. George Lucas, Saturday Night, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and His & Hers. I'm open to suggestions, so feel free to check out the list of films and give me your two cents. Also looking forward to catching a Guy Kawasaki talk about using Twitter as a marketing tool (courtesy of Ayax Systems, of course).