Lazy Pumpkin Pie, Pea Soup

So I used almost half a can of pumpkin for a recipe, and needed to figure out a way to waste the rest – so I decided to make a lazy version of pumpkin pie. Basically I just threw together the basic ingredients in a ratio that felt right, and stuck it in the oven till it solidified – and oh my god, it was amazing. I didn’t do a crust – the filling is my favorite part anyway.

canned pumpkin (about 3/4 a can)
butter (about 3/4 a stick)
2 large eggs
1 cup or so of white sugar
1/2 a cup or so of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cloves and allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder

1. Melt butter till soft.
2. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour into lightly oiled muffin pan, bake at 450 degrees until golden brown on top, bake at 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.
4. EAT!

Next I realized I needed some real food.. so i made pea soup! Basically I just made peas curry and blended it, but don’t tell anyone that.

1/2 an onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 cups (maybe more?) of peas
1 cup (or so) of V-8 or tomato juice
lots of ritz crackers!
1 tablespoon of your favorite masala (i used peas biryani… seemed fitting. I like it because it has mango powder for some sour kick)

1. Heat cumin and mustard seeds in oil till they start to sizzle/pop.
2. Add onions, fry till you see a touch of brown.
3. Add masala, fry for about 10 seconds
4. Add peas and a little water, heat till peas are cooked.
5. Add V-8 or tomato juice, cook until oil begins to separate (an oily film is clearly visible).
6. Blend to desired consistency
7. EAT with crackers!

THE sleep playlist

Sleep Music

YAY super productive day. And after this I’m going to Academy to attempt to force myself to buy running shoes. The ones I’ve been looking for for six months. I’m ridiculous I know.

Anyway, I wanted to blog about the AMAZING sleep playlist I use to go to bed every night.. it makes falling asleep a magical experience really. There are hundreds of songs on this list, so it really never gets old. I tried using it for just daily life background music too, but beware – it has a soporific effect, especially if you’re doing boring work.

I love so many songs on this list, its just incredible. Some of the older tunes are ::blech::, but I just shuffle the tracks, uncheck anything i don’t like near the top, and let it play – I’m always asleep too quickly to hear anything I hate.

Hulchul + mediocre smoothie

Did some studying today, and watched Hulchul… I rarely if ever watch
Hindi movies, and this movie reminded me WHY. It was so mindlessly..
bizarre. I mean there were cute parts, but most of the movie was an
overly melodramatic, cliche rollercoaster about a feud between two
families.

The fight scenes are just pitiful for a “professionally” made movie.
They used the standard “pssh” sounds for every blow.. and the
choreography was incredibly unrealistic and stuttered. But far worse
than that was how the characters motivations and supposedly immutable principles
flipped back and forth between ridiculous extremes. And as a result..
their decisions made no sense.. there’s no coherent arc of any
character throughout the movie. The final resolution is hopelessly abrupt
and matter of fact – with no explanation.

Which is all fine if the movie / dialogue is just fun to watch, or
if it’s visually ravishing – neither of which Hulchul really is.
::shrugs:: I didn’t hate it, but i definitely won’t be watching any
other Hindi movies without glowing reccomendations from friends

Also made a smoothie with fresh coconut – remind me not to do that
again. Even though I let the coconut grind alone with water for five
minutes, I could still make out the pieces, albeit tiny and silky, as I
drank it (the other ingredients were blueberries, yogurt, salt, honey,
and omega-3 oil). I’ve made smoothies with prepared coconut milk that are much
better, and I suppose I could have strained my blended mixture to make
coconut milk. But that just seems like such an incredible waste. I’ll stick to
using fresh coconut only in solid food from now on.

Sinus Infection :( Sinus Rinse :)

Okay, I know this might be a little TMI, but I have really bad sinusitis. Again. I’m worried i have a deviated septum or something (which i don’t want to think about).

But on a happier note, I’ve discovered and wanted to share this awesome, simple way to relieve some of the discomfort of a sinus infection – a sinus rinse.

There’s a bunch of options at Walgreens or CVS – I chose the least expensive at the time, and it works just fine. http://www.saltairesinusrelief.com/eng/home.php It’s basically nasal irrigation, but simpler and at home. Apparently it dates back to the practice of “jala neti”, sanskrit for “liquid nasal cleansing.” Yum. But no really, it’s amazing how much it helps – and even better, you can do it as many times as you want with no real consequences. I mean its just washing with an isotonic saline solution. It gets the gunk and congestion out when the nasal cilia have just given up

Technically you could do it with just water, but its much nicer with an isotonic, pH balanced solution. If you really wanna buy the premade packets go for it, but they’re seriously way too expensive for what is literally baking soda and table salt… I just googled how to make my own. Make sure to use salt that doesn’t have any anti-caking agents or iodine (like dead sea salt). And make sure to use baking SODA not baking POWDER. Totally diff.

Also, how much more alkaline than tap water is the extracellular fluid? 7.4 right? Seems like a lot of baking soda ::scratches head::, but it feels great.

I’m Tired of Having to Fight to Get Married

The Tyra Show had a semi-interesting (though really overdone) show about how being “gay” is the new “black”. And all the cliche old arguments were trotted out, and people on both sides said things which made them seem ignorant… and that made no sense. The only glimmer of real, profound, novel thought came from Tyra herself, believe it or not!

She said something along the lines of, “I respect everyone’s right to believe what they want to believe. But something thats really important to me is to be able to see, understand, and identify with another person’s pain. And when we were listening to this young man relating that painful experience, I couldn’t see any empathy in your eyes.”

This is what it comes down to in the end. Whether or not you accept gay people for who they are, it seems impossible to not accept them as human beings. Human beings that are in pain because they want to spend the rest of their lives with someone they love, and want the government to acknowledge that partnership (and provide the CIVIL rights that come with that partnership). There are real consequences to being married to someone in your head, and in your actions, but not in the eyes of your government.

The whole thing seems so ridiculous… part of me just feels like i’m living in some time warp. We think we’re progressive and modern, and care about equality and a separation between church and state, and have a rational approach to solving problems. But really were stuck in some caricature of the past, where none of these things are true. It’s mentally fatiguing, to say the least. As much as I love America, its things like this that make me want to take myself, and my abilities, elsewhere. I know it’ll never happen, because I love my home far too much. The fact that the possibility has even crossed my mind, however, is startling and worrying.

Super Tomatoey Matar Tofu!

Made a really great matar tofu (peas and tofu) curry today, and wanted to record it for el futuro

block of extra firm tofu

canola oil

frozen peas

shredded coconut

tomatoes (this recipe was really tomato heavy, over the usual ratio)

garlic

onion

ginger

jalapeno

olive oil

turmeric

generic vegetable curry spice mix

mustard seeds

cumin seeds

sesame seeds

strained tomatoes or tomato paste (I used Pomi this time)

lemon juice

honey

turmeric

marsala cooking wine

1. Cube the tofu, fry it with a little salt in an inch or so of canola oil until golden brown, strain in a paper towel lined colander.

2. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon or so of mustard and cumin seeds.

3. When mustard seeds just start to pop, add diced onions and a generous amount of salt, and fry till translucent.

4. Add minced jalapeno, ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.

5. When garlic and ginger are cooked (starting to brown, but not burned, its mostly based on smell), add masala mixture and fry for about 30 seconds (until a cooked aroma arises).

6. Add LOTS of sliced tomatoes, stir.

7. When tomatoes start to peel, add marsala cooking wine, honey, lemon juice, and turmeric.

8. Cover and cook until tomatoes are mostly disintegrated.

9. Add fried tofu and frozen peas, as well as grated coconut.

10. Cook covered until tofu and peas are plump, and sauce has reached desired consistency.

11. Salt to taste. Use corn starch method to thicken if desired.

Easy and SO good. This version turned out really light, but had an almost fruity intensity that was really appealing

“Closer to Love” – Mat Kearney

I recently discovered Mat Kearney, and am falling really hard for “Closer to Love.” It’s somehow simultaneously simple and breathtakingly honest but also complex and layered, like all the best songs are. The line “I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees,” is heartbreaking and devastatingly true.

Not quite sure yet what this song is actually about. I’ve debated with some friends; several think it has religious meaning because of Mat Kearney’s Christian faith. While I have nothing against spiritual music, I think this song invokes God without being about god. One friend thought “closer to love” meant “closer to death,” and therefore closer to god.

So far, I think it’s about two friends, one or both of whom has just been hit with a great personal tragedy. The song is about how they help each other cope and get through the tragedy together, intensifying their love in the process. The statement “you pull me closer to love” implies that while the tragedy made the speaker feel hate, contempt, helplessness and anger, he is finding himself  powerfully drawn back to love as he and his friend deal with life’s obstacles together.

She got the call today, one out of the grey
And when the smoke cleared, it took her breath away
She said she didn’t believe ‘it could happen to me’
I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees
We’re gonna get there soon

If every building falls, and all the stars fade
We’ll still be singing this song, the one they can’t take away
Gonna get there soon, she’s gonna be there too
Cryin’ in her room, prayin’ “Lord come through”
We’re gonna get there soon

(Chorus)
Oh it’s your light; oh it’s your way
You pull me out of the dark, just to shoulder the weight
Cryin’ out now, from so far away
You pull me closer to love, closer to love

Meet me once again, down off Lake Michigan
Where we could feel the storm blowin’
Down with the wind
And don’t apologize for all the tears you’ve cried
You’ve been way too strong now for all your life
I’m gonna get there soon, you’re gonna be there too
Cryin’ in your room, prayin’ “Lord come through”
We’re gonna get there soon

(Chorus)
Cause you are all that I’ve waited for all my life
(We’re gonna get there)
You are all that I’ve waited for all my life
You pull me closer to love, closer to love
Pull me closer to love
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love, closer to love, closer to love
You pull me closer to love

Food Related Musings, Rapidshare

So I took the plunge and got a Rapidshare membership – so i can become even more of a music whore than I already am I have a feeling the next few months are going to involve sonic bliss!

Also, I made awesome food today. Cherries + Mangoes + Yogurt + Honey + Cocoa Powder + Salt = the best fruit smoothie I’ve ever made. Basically, fruity heaven. I think I’m going to dub it, Crimson Wave – and yes, i know the connotations and don’t care.

Which reminds me I, I need to jot down some other smoothies I’ve made that I want to remember…

Blueberries + Peanut Butter + Honey + Salt = PB&J smoothie? A good, healthy, protein filled yumfest with lots of anthocyanins.

Pineapple + Strawberries + Orange Juice + Yogurt + Honey + Salt = Sinusitis Killer
This might be made up holistic junk science, but it tastes good in any case. Pinneapple for the bromelain (anti-inflammatory and decongestant), strawberries for the quercetin (anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory), and oranges for taste and vitamin C! And yogurt because its easy to digest and great for your digestive tract. Now that I’ve use the phrase digestive tract, let me assure you that this smoothie tastes AWESOME. Even when you’re crazy stuffed up.

And ps, I put a heaping tablespoon of ALA/DHA oil in every smoothie.. easy way to get my omega-3′s.

Klineberg’s marriage equality news + Rum-Jay-Ho!

Klineberg’s Houston Area Survey made national attention this week for showing a consistent trend toward greater acceptance of gay marriage right here in Houston, one of the most conservative large metropolitan areas in the country. Taking the whole area into account, over 43%of respondents were in favor of marriage equality, while over half (61%) described sexual orientation as an innate characteristic. Even more heartening is that these statistics have seen a steady march towards greater tolerance every year since 1985, with the shift in attitudes picking up speed in the last decade.

On a related note, an engaging op-ed in the New York Times suggests that the gathering storm ad, as a cultural phenomenon, signified a major turning point in the fight for marriage equality. Personally, I find the ads, and the subsequent parodies, absolutely hilarious. Frank Rich hits the nail on the head when he describes the ad as a cross between

that creepy 1960s horror classic “The Village of the Damned” with the Broadway staple “A Chorus Line”?

Undoubtedly the reaction to the ad has made an indelible mark on gay pop culture – it’s likely that terms like “a rainbow coalition” and “gathering storm” will be used for comedic effect for years to come. But despite how much entertainment NOM has provided us with, I think Rich is too quick to dismiss its power. Yes, most people recognize this ad for the campy, incredibly inane scare tactic it is. But if you take a look at some of the ads that supposedly had an effect on the prop 8 outcome in California, they’re not much less ridiculous. These kinds of ads apparently do speak to a lot of people. Is making parodies and using comedy the best way to combat this kind of pathos propaganda? Maybe, maybe not. I guess we’ll find out

On a lighter note, my dance (Rum-Jay-Ho) totally rocked the SAS show last weekend. Watching the video makes me so happy

Blessed are the sick, for they have not used condoms.

Vatican decries reaction to pope’s condom remarks – Yahoo! News

I majorly miss John Paul. Richard Dawkins recently raised the possibility that the pope is either “stupid, ignorant, or wicked,” for suggesting that condoms don’t decrease, and may actually increase the transmission of aids:

“HIV/Aids was, he argued, “a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem”.

The solution lay, he said, in a “spiritual and human awakening” and “friendship for those who suffer.

I think I have to agree with Dawkins. This is so incredibly irresponsible, I can’t even wrap my head around it. It’s as if the man lives in some fantasy land, where you can hug sick people and tell their friends to stop having sex, and one of the greatest epidemics ever to affect human kind would simply evaporate.

The social science behind the effectiveness of condom use in HIV transmission is not particularly simple. It’s especially complicated in Africa, where such a large part of the general population, rather than an isolated at-risk population, is rapidly acquiring the HIV virus. Queerty reviews the topic far better than I can. The take home point, however, is that while condoms certainly work on an individual level (that’s what they’re designed for), broad, constant use is necessary to reduce large scale transmission rates. In places like Thailand and India, areas with widespread, consistent condom use have demolished their transmission rates. There are even success stories in certain areas of Africa. But consistent, widespread condom use has not been achieved on a large scale in Africa, due to a plethora of cultural, religious, and practical roadblocks (and we can now add the Vatican to the list). Thus we haven’t seen success in Africa – yet.

In the AP’s report on the Vatican’s sour response, they speak to a reverend who points to the Vatican’s penchant for martyrdom to validate the pope’s comments:

“Sending a package of prophylactics signifies a lot less in terms of self-giving in comparison to someone who has left their country and dedicates their lives to caring for people sick with AIDS,” Wauck said.

I think this guy is almost.. intentionally missing the point. It’s not about who can be the most “self-giving,” altruistic, or feel the best about themselves – its about alleviating suffering and death. Dedicating your life to caring for sick people with AIDS while knowingly hindering efforts to slow the epidemic does not provide moral high ground.

I’m going to read up on the actual reports on condom use soon – this seems too important to take someone elses interpretation for granted.