Yet another iteration of one of the great literary classics: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on youtube! Based on Pride and Prejudice, set in modern times, told in video journal style by Lizzie.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Fauxgiving
A few friends of mine host a "Fauxgiving" every year. Despite the name, there is no twist, it's just an extra Thanksgiving that you cook and celebrate with your friends. It definitely gets you in the Thanksgiving mood and, who doesn't love more pie? It was my first year attending, and I brought several dishes, because, 1) I like it when people compliment my food, 2) It sounded like the menu was pretty starch heavy and I have thousands of CSA veggies, 3) I was a little afraid my vegan-ness would preclude me from the "feast" part of Thanksgiving. So, I spent 4 hours cooking on a Saturday morning. It felt just like a real Thanksgiving. I made vegan/gluten free gravy, brussel sprouts, kale and beet salad, and pumpkin chocolate chip mini cupcakes.
The gravy was sadly forgotten, both in the photo and in my leaving the house. I'll have to make massive amounts of mashed potatoes this week to eat all of it. So sad.
The brussel sprouts were roasted in some vegan butter and topped with sea salt. Ah-mazing! The extra browned bits were my favorite, obviously. I only set off the fire alarm twice!
The mini cupcakes were perfect. It was the first time I tried this recipe, from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World", because there are so many other recipes in that cookbook that I already love. But I wanted something Thanksgiving themed, and I had many, many bags of squash in my freezer. Technically, they were probably butternut squash chocolate chip cupcakes. They rose a "Mary Poppins" perfect amount. Sometime vegan cupcakes don't rise as well, or fall after baking, but not these. I topped them with a tiny dollop of cinnamon icing. They were so light and moist!
Look at those lovely bottles! One wine is a Rose from one of my favorite Vermont wineries. I've visited several and there are definite standouts. Lincoln Peak is one, the others are Shelburne Vineyards and Honora Winery in the south of the state. I did not try the Rose, I was drinking Gewurztraminer and I left the Rose as a thank you to the hosts. On the far left is a bottle of Hill Farmstead beer, which my better half got from the brewery, along with two growlers and another bottle of beer. He is a devotee of Hill Farmstead and it is available in only a few select restaurants in Burlington. Now, every time he is in the Northeastern Kingdom, he has to go and get more beer.
The hands down favorite was the kale and beet salad, because, well, it's Vermont. And we love kale. I had a request for the recipe, and since I was already typing it up, I decided to share it! It turns out much brighter than it looks in the photo; the green kale and red beets and pomegranate actually make it a good looking dish for a Christmas season party as well.
1 cup quinoa
4 large beets
1 bunch kale
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
Spiced Walnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tbl sugar
2 tbl olive oil
Dressing
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup mustard (yellow or dijon)
1 tsp wasabi paste (or chili paste or horseradish)
2 tbl soy sauce
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper
Boil beets in salted water until tender. Rinse under cold water to rub off skins. Chop into bite size pieces.
Kale
Chop or shred kale. Prepare a large bowl with ice water (large enough to submerge all of the kale). Steam kale until bright green all the way through. Transfer kale from steam basket to ice bath with tongs. This is how you keep the kale bright green and tender.
Quinoa
Toast the quinoa in a pan, stirring over high heat until the quinoa is a shade or two darker. It should smell nutty and toasty. Add 2 cups water and boil until the quinoa looks like a white dot with a translucent ring around it. All the water should be absorbed.
Walnuts
Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix the sugar, spices, and oil together until blended. Toss the oil mixture with the chopped walnuts and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted and sugar is carmelized.
Dressing
Heat maple syrup and mustard in a sauce pan and whisk until blended. Add all other ingredients, except lemon juice and simmer until reduced about 1/3.
Assembly
Let all components come to room temperature. Toss together kale, beets, quinoa, and lemon juice. Mix in the pomegranate seeds and dressing. Before serving, top with walnuts. The salad can be served room temperature or cold.
The gravy was sadly forgotten, both in the photo and in my leaving the house. I'll have to make massive amounts of mashed potatoes this week to eat all of it. So sad.
The brussel sprouts were roasted in some vegan butter and topped with sea salt. Ah-mazing! The extra browned bits were my favorite, obviously. I only set off the fire alarm twice!
The mini cupcakes were perfect. It was the first time I tried this recipe, from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World", because there are so many other recipes in that cookbook that I already love. But I wanted something Thanksgiving themed, and I had many, many bags of squash in my freezer. Technically, they were probably butternut squash chocolate chip cupcakes. They rose a "Mary Poppins" perfect amount. Sometime vegan cupcakes don't rise as well, or fall after baking, but not these. I topped them with a tiny dollop of cinnamon icing. They were so light and moist!
Look at those lovely bottles! One wine is a Rose from one of my favorite Vermont wineries. I've visited several and there are definite standouts. Lincoln Peak is one, the others are Shelburne Vineyards and Honora Winery in the south of the state. I did not try the Rose, I was drinking Gewurztraminer and I left the Rose as a thank you to the hosts. On the far left is a bottle of Hill Farmstead beer, which my better half got from the brewery, along with two growlers and another bottle of beer. He is a devotee of Hill Farmstead and it is available in only a few select restaurants in Burlington. Now, every time he is in the Northeastern Kingdom, he has to go and get more beer.
The hands down favorite was the kale and beet salad, because, well, it's Vermont. And we love kale. I had a request for the recipe, and since I was already typing it up, I decided to share it! It turns out much brighter than it looks in the photo; the green kale and red beets and pomegranate actually make it a good looking dish for a Christmas season party as well.
Kale and Beet Salad with Quinoa
Ingredients
Salad1 cup quinoa
4 large beets
1 bunch kale
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
Spiced Walnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tbl sugar
2 tbl olive oil
Dressing
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup mustard (yellow or dijon)
1 tsp wasabi paste (or chili paste or horseradish)
2 tbl soy sauce
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper
Directions
BeetsBoil beets in salted water until tender. Rinse under cold water to rub off skins. Chop into bite size pieces.
Kale
Chop or shred kale. Prepare a large bowl with ice water (large enough to submerge all of the kale). Steam kale until bright green all the way through. Transfer kale from steam basket to ice bath with tongs. This is how you keep the kale bright green and tender.
Quinoa
Toast the quinoa in a pan, stirring over high heat until the quinoa is a shade or two darker. It should smell nutty and toasty. Add 2 cups water and boil until the quinoa looks like a white dot with a translucent ring around it. All the water should be absorbed.
Walnuts
Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix the sugar, spices, and oil together until blended. Toss the oil mixture with the chopped walnuts and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted and sugar is carmelized.
Dressing
Heat maple syrup and mustard in a sauce pan and whisk until blended. Add all other ingredients, except lemon juice and simmer until reduced about 1/3.
Assembly
Let all components come to room temperature. Toss together kale, beets, quinoa, and lemon juice. Mix in the pomegranate seeds and dressing. Before serving, top with walnuts. The salad can be served room temperature or cold.
Friday, November 16, 2012
COTS Speaker Training
I went to a training this morning to become a member of COTS Speaker's Bureau. The training prepares you to give talks and presentations about COTS to school groups and other community members. We spent some time talking about how to prepare for your audience and the two trainers said that they mostly speak to sympathetic groups, but sometimes they are invited to speak to audiences that are less than enthused about COTS' mission.
Oftentimes, COTS uses this as an opportunity to illuminate the faces of family and child homelessness. This is an increasing sector of the homeless population and it pulls at peoples heartstrings to hear about homeless children. I do believe that people should be educated about homelessness and that the stereotype of a homeless person as a drunk, male, bum needs to be broken. However, focusing on families does not necessarily challenge this stereotype.
Now, we have two types: the bum and the innocent child. Families can appear less at fault because the children must be innocent of any mistakes that may have resulted in homelessness and because the adults have the added economic burden of caring for dependents.
What if we look at the "bum"? He is usually characterized as an addict or mentally ill or both. While most of society will admit that addiction and mental illness are diseases, when it comes to homeless or impoverished populations, having a disease does not make them blameless.
I believe this arises from the fact that many people overcome addiction or cope with their mental illness and can function in society. So, we have come to believe that willpower is the cure for addiction and mental illness. It is not. Addiction and mental illness can be treated, not cured.
A person with cancer will earn our sympathy, but a person who has fallen off the sobriety wagon will earn our scorn. Yet, we know that both are diseases. Just as some cancers do not respond treatment, neither do some addictions or mental illnesses respond to treatment.
My boss says the only difference between a homeless person and a housed person is money. And he's right. An alcoholic who has money can afford rehabs, hide his/her addiction, take time off work, or come home drunk. A homeless person cannot enter shelters intoxicated, can be randomly drug tested by employers, and can often end up in jail if they are drunk on the streets. An alcoholic with money may eventually run through all of their funds, but it takes a lot longer and there is a lot of support for this person, not punishments.
There are as many different stories to homelessness as there are homeless people. But just because someone fits the stereotype does not meant that they are a "bum". You probably know someone a lot like them who has a home. They deserve to be treated as individuals and they did not "bring this on themselves". It is a part of a disease and they need treatment.
It's time to stop treating the homeless and impoverished like a subset of our society.
Oftentimes, COTS uses this as an opportunity to illuminate the faces of family and child homelessness. This is an increasing sector of the homeless population and it pulls at peoples heartstrings to hear about homeless children. I do believe that people should be educated about homelessness and that the stereotype of a homeless person as a drunk, male, bum needs to be broken. However, focusing on families does not necessarily challenge this stereotype.
Now, we have two types: the bum and the innocent child. Families can appear less at fault because the children must be innocent of any mistakes that may have resulted in homelessness and because the adults have the added economic burden of caring for dependents.
What if we look at the "bum"? He is usually characterized as an addict or mentally ill or both. While most of society will admit that addiction and mental illness are diseases, when it comes to homeless or impoverished populations, having a disease does not make them blameless.
I believe this arises from the fact that many people overcome addiction or cope with their mental illness and can function in society. So, we have come to believe that willpower is the cure for addiction and mental illness. It is not. Addiction and mental illness can be treated, not cured.
A person with cancer will earn our sympathy, but a person who has fallen off the sobriety wagon will earn our scorn. Yet, we know that both are diseases. Just as some cancers do not respond treatment, neither do some addictions or mental illnesses respond to treatment.
My boss says the only difference between a homeless person and a housed person is money. And he's right. An alcoholic who has money can afford rehabs, hide his/her addiction, take time off work, or come home drunk. A homeless person cannot enter shelters intoxicated, can be randomly drug tested by employers, and can often end up in jail if they are drunk on the streets. An alcoholic with money may eventually run through all of their funds, but it takes a lot longer and there is a lot of support for this person, not punishments.
There are as many different stories to homelessness as there are homeless people. But just because someone fits the stereotype does not meant that they are a "bum". You probably know someone a lot like them who has a home. They deserve to be treated as individuals and they did not "bring this on themselves". It is a part of a disease and they need treatment.
It's time to stop treating the homeless and impoverished like a subset of our society.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Collection of Photos
I have a few photos from my non-blogging period this fall that I wanted to show off.
First off, the COTS Zumbathon! My awesome coworker is a Zumba instructor and organized a Zumbathon with a bunch of local Zumba teachers! The Daystation, the day shelter where I work, was destroyed by a storm in July of this year. I personally raised $635!!!A big Thank You to my wonderful family in Cincinnati- aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, and parents! Also thanks to one amazing AmeriCorps and my former AmeriCorps supervisor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I was afraid there wouldn't be any pictures where I wasn't completely red and confused looking. Fortunately, this one mostly showcases my sweet outfit!
I want to do a whole post on the wedding I went to at the beginning of November, but here is a quick photo to hold you over until then. I'm still waiting for the rest of the photos, but I promise a pic soon.
Here are some preliminary graphics I'm working on for another COTS fundraiser! It's a music compilation CD. More to come if they decide to use my designs.
Look at this beautiful cantalope! I hope you're jealous Claire. This was from my summer CSA. I am now onto my winter CSA, and all its beets.
I'll close with this photo of a sunset over Lake Champlain. Which happens at 4:30 these days . . .
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Homelessness
Just a little video for your entertainment! This is George Carlin on homelessness. George Carlin is hilarious, but very much NOT WORKSAFE. (He curses a lot.) I have now appropriated the term "elitist" for all things I think rich white people do that are stupid. I use it almost everyday. Interestingly, George narrated Thomas the Tank Engine, so if this ruins your childhood memories, I'm sorry.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Cupcakes and Crafting
 |
| That 2 Copas wine is excellent! |
On Friday, I invited a couple who are friends of mine over and made chili and guacamole. They were very appreciative, which always feels good, and they brought wine. The pictures here are from my last entertaining venture. The pink cupcakes are vanilla with raspberry icing and the white ones are ginger cupcakes with ginger icing.We had an early night and I met up with another friend, N, the next day for lunch and errands. Apparently, the fact that this was the first weekend of hunting season meant all the females were out shopping and lunching on Church St. It was Christmas time level crowded, but I had good company, and we powered through our to-do lists.
 |
| Just an extra Croatia shot. |
Next time, I'll try to have some more current photos.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Song Remains the Same
I thought I would talk a little bit about the recent US election, but then I decided to touch on something related but much more compelling to myself.
Social Justice. For me, social justice is a combination of the legal system, societal values and norms, and morality.
So, I am going to address one small matter in that wide and varied subject. It's actually more a matter of linguistics. How does the word equality work against the struggle for social justice in our American, US, society?
The word equality was used extensively during segregation in the US, when "separate but equal" was considered just. It is very important to remember that equal does not mean "the same". Generally speaking, racism is considered very taboo now in our society, but it is not gone. Racist people and institutions have merely changed the words that they use, not the meaning behind them. Many people still believe there are large groups of people within our society who are less, or worse, than their own group.
The phrase "equal opportunity" is most commonly used when speaking of employment, and employers. It means every person who applies for a job, or has a job, will be given an "equal" chance to succeed. I used quotation marks because this is an instance where equal means the same. That means at one small point in time, i.e., when a person is applying for a job, they will be held to the same criteria as all the rest applying for that same job. However, nothing about the way people live their lives in the United States is equal.
A qualifier word, opportunity, is tacked onto equal. Opportunity implies that the people who fail simply were not trying hard enough. If they had worked harder, they could have gone to college. If they had put forth more effort, they would have got the job. If they had made better choices, they wouldn't have gone to jail. And none of that is true.
I am going to use the main theme of a horrible movie about relationships, "He's Just Not That Into You" because it works. The main idea is that when you hear about relationships that succeed despite going against everything you know about human behavior and social norms, it proves the exception, not the rule. You shouldn't keep going out with someone who is not that into you because you believe that is going to magically change one day.
I want to compare that to the stories you hear about people pulling themselves up from nothing, just through hard work and perseverance. These people prove the exception, not the rule. The reason those stories are so popular and get made into movies is because they are so special and so rare. If it was possible to pull yourself up by your bootstraps simply through hard work, everyone would be doing it.
Equal is not the same. We live in a vast, multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic, multirace country. We are all very different, and unfortunately, not even close to equal. We could be so much closer. With equality so tied up in our national identity, I would say it is a worthy goal of the United States, to strive for equality.
Social Justice. For me, social justice is a combination of the legal system, societal values and norms, and morality.
So, I am going to address one small matter in that wide and varied subject. It's actually more a matter of linguistics. How does the word equality work against the struggle for social justice in our American, US, society?
The word equality was used extensively during segregation in the US, when "separate but equal" was considered just. It is very important to remember that equal does not mean "the same". Generally speaking, racism is considered very taboo now in our society, but it is not gone. Racist people and institutions have merely changed the words that they use, not the meaning behind them. Many people still believe there are large groups of people within our society who are less, or worse, than their own group.
The phrase "equal opportunity" is most commonly used when speaking of employment, and employers. It means every person who applies for a job, or has a job, will be given an "equal" chance to succeed. I used quotation marks because this is an instance where equal means the same. That means at one small point in time, i.e., when a person is applying for a job, they will be held to the same criteria as all the rest applying for that same job. However, nothing about the way people live their lives in the United States is equal.
A qualifier word, opportunity, is tacked onto equal. Opportunity implies that the people who fail simply were not trying hard enough. If they had worked harder, they could have gone to college. If they had put forth more effort, they would have got the job. If they had made better choices, they wouldn't have gone to jail. And none of that is true.
I am going to use the main theme of a horrible movie about relationships, "He's Just Not That Into You" because it works. The main idea is that when you hear about relationships that succeed despite going against everything you know about human behavior and social norms, it proves the exception, not the rule. You shouldn't keep going out with someone who is not that into you because you believe that is going to magically change one day.
I want to compare that to the stories you hear about people pulling themselves up from nothing, just through hard work and perseverance. These people prove the exception, not the rule. The reason those stories are so popular and get made into movies is because they are so special and so rare. If it was possible to pull yourself up by your bootstraps simply through hard work, everyone would be doing it.
Equal is not the same. We live in a vast, multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic, multirace country. We are all very different, and unfortunately, not even close to equal. We could be so much closer. With equality so tied up in our national identity, I would say it is a worthy goal of the United States, to strive for equality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)