Sweet Potato and Brie Soup

Let me tell you now, this was an utter Lobster. I found the recipe, serving size 1, on a BBC site after I’d already sent out a mass text message to local friends promising potato brie soup at HG’s (this place). As the original recipe only served one, I decided to up-size it to feed eight, and add some special dipping bread to the mix.

Now, when it came to actually making the soup, I fudged a bit on some of the originalx8 amounts– I used less water and brie, for example, because the first seemed to be enough, and the latter was too damned expensive.

Soup:

16 tbsp (8 oz) olive oil

4 sweet potatoes, diced

green trimmings from 1 leek, cut into small pieces

400ml white wine (Roughly half a bottle– a bit more)

64 oz hot water

24 oz brie (three cheap 8 oz wheels, Kroger brand)

Bread:

3 or 4 ciabatta buns, cut into 1.5-2″ squares

olive oil (splash some in according to taste)

3 tbsp butter (or more, to taste)

3 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large pot, and add the sweet potatoes. Cook until soft and mushy. Stir in the wine, water, and leek. Keep at a low boil until tender.

Use the in-between times to cut the rind off of your brie, and cut it into chunks. Stir it into the soup until melted. Continually stir at this point to make sure the cheese fully blends. It will start smelling AMAZING.

But first you must prepare the bread. Heat oil, butter and garlic in a separate small skillet. Dip both sides of bread pieces, and then grill or bake them for three to four minutes (we used a George Foreman Grill), until just crisp on the outside, but still chewy.

After the bread’s ready, start ladling the soup and dive in!

My primary recommendation for the future would be to use less olive oil in the soup. I typed the recipe as we used it, but I think 6 oz of oil would be sufficient. Otherwise, when ladling the soup you may want to use a 1:3 ratio of ladle to slotted spoon– that way you get the nummy juiciness, more tasty potato-and-leek, and less flavour-inhibiting oil. Alternately, use the bread to sop up the extra oil, and save it for last.

Enjoy!

“Infidel” and the freedom from religion

I’m going to make this a short post, hopefully, despite my absence of the past couple of weeks. I just finished reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s autobiography Infidel, and let me first state that I am in love with this woman. She has a wonderful voice, and a compelling story. My primary critique comes from not only her book, but also from my interactions with various atheists and Muslims (the former including my dear friend the Homosecular Gaytheist, who loaned me the book).

One of Ali’s major criticisms of contemporary Islam is its inability to adapt to the modern world, which is a necessary and painful transition. “The West would be wrong to prolong the pain of that transition unnecessarily, by elevating cultures full of bigotry and hatred towards women to the stature of respectable alternative ways of life.”

I absolutely agree with her on this point- any way of life that mandates inequality based on any criteria, let alone biological sex, should not be supported by any government. This is why it is occasionally necessary to legislate equality, something you’d think would be common sense to all people.*

Hirsi Ali praises this transition, citing the centuries of Enlightenment Christianity has face as a kind of skipping-stone that Islam can use. “Muslims don’t have to take six hundred years to go through a reformation in the way they think about equality and human rights.”

Yet again, this is something I can agree with. My problem arises from the what-comes-next arena. What Islam is facing, and needs, is a reformation that allows them to update their religion, as Christianity has done, and in order to do this, it will need to look to the spirit of the text, and not the hard copy. Just as Christianity has been able to rebuild itself as a peaceful religion (in a number of ways, at least), Islam needs to be allowed to be re-interpreted. Unfortunately, even Hirsi Ali denies modern scholars the ability to do this.

“Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved, just as the Prophet Muhammad decided years ago.”

“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and I see that it simply isn’t so.”

Hirsi Ali was involved in some of the worst that modern Islam has to offer. We cannot deny that atrocities such as those she encountered and lived through still occur. What needs to happen is a realignment of values under the flag of Islam, such as her father wanted to believe. It will require that people stop looking at the Qur’an as uninterpretable, yes. But even Hirsi Ali will need to allow it to be interpretable: you cannot say “Learn to take this metaphorically!” and then shout down the people who are seeking to do just that, with examples from those who are not as progressive.

Yes, Hirsi Ali is an atheist, and that is her right. But just as atheists clamour for freedom from religion, we must also remember to allow the religious among us their freedom to religion. Some people will want to maintain their religious faith, even when tempering it with reason. Hirsi Ali gives lip-service to the idea of updating Islam, but then has a sad disregard for those who are attempting to do just that. Reformers in Islam deserve support, the same as those Christian philosophers who struggled for centuries to allow reason and faith to coexist–which they can.

If we want Islam to skip the centuries of transition that Christianity required, we should support those who are striving for a moderate, modern Islam, instead of disregarding based on the actions of the literalists.

I’ll have to revisit this later to streamline it, I believe, but I’m afraid Two Smokin’ Hot Freethinkers are expecting me next door.

*The next Two Smokin’ Hot Freethinkers podcast will feature more opinions on legislation and the church-state division, once we re-record it.

How $3500 could cost my friend his life, and a four-letter-word could save it

[originally posted to my DailyKos diary]

I realize I’ve only posted anecdotal stories here, and I’m sure I’ll move onto something a bit more analytical when I have something of the sort to say– unfortunately, I had to miss Pres. Clinton’s speech in Roanoke yesterday.

But for the first time in months I returned to my local pub, and caught up with some friends I hadn’t seen since July. One of them, a young guy with a lip ring, wacky hair, and a penchant for karaokeing to the Strokes, joked around with me for a few minutes before dropping a bombshell I never would have expected.

“So, I’m glad I got to see you again before I go into the army.”

I thought at first he was joking, and it didn’t help that he took it all very lightly.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to go build sandcastles. I’ll even take a picture and send it to you guys.”

Now, he hasn’t enlisted yet– he, um, needs to wait a month or so in order to get his physical, if that tells you a bit more about him. But he’s made his decision, and plans to be out of boot camp by February.

At least he won’t enlist until after the election (“If John McCain gets elected, I’ll be screwed anyway.”), but nonetheless I spent the night trying to talk him out of it, or at least into the Air Force– I have two siblings and an brother-in-law in that branch, though they all enlisted in the 90s.

He qualified to join the Air Force, he explained to me, but they didn’t offer the same things that the Army did– apparently, the latter will pay off his credit card debt, whereas the AF wouldn’t.

“You’re twenty years old! What are you doing with a credit card?” And this is when I finally started to acknowledge the effect the financial meltdown has had, and will continue to have, on the life of poor kids like me.

“Well, when I was eighteen I had a really great job, and was making a lot of money. So I figured, I’ll get a credit card, I can pay it off easily, and I’ll build credit for myself so I can buy a house later. But I guess that’s when the economy started to sink, because I lost my job, and I had the debt, and now I can’t find a job that pays enough to live on.”

I practically wailed, “So the Army’s your answer?”

“Yeah. They’ll pay off the $3500 I owe. And I can retire when I’m forty. I mean, you can’t argue with that.”

“Yes I can.”

“Well, I can’t.”

And I realize that I don’t have it in me to argue with him anymore. He’s a healthy twenty-year-old high school grad working at McDonald’s because there are no prospects in this area, with credit card debt he got into to help plan his future responsibly. I just want to spend what time with him that I have left, and I regret not reconnecting with him sooner. I’ve never known someone who saw the military as the only option.

Besides, what right do I have to criticize his choice? He doesn’t agree with the war, but he has to do what he can to get by. I’m not doing any better myself, really– I’m a soon-to-be 23-year-old with excellent undergraduate qualifications that have landed me $40,000 in debt (which is supposed to start being paid off next month), working for $9/hr at a pharmacy chain. My landlord told me he couldn’t pay the mortgage on the house I rent part of, partially because I and a few other tenants of his couldn’t pay rent, and he’s too good of a person to boot us, if we make good-faith payments.

So that four-letter-word that Sen. Obama spelled out earlier– J-O-B-S… I can’t explain how much they’re needed. Another college graduate friend of mine is hoping to get a job at a sporting goods store. Another one is working at a gas station. Another is assistant manager at a retail store, another AM at a fast food place. One works full time for $200 less per month than her rent costs, at a bookstore.

And the one that breaks my heart the most is my mother, a staunch Republican who buys the Obama-is-a-secret-Muslim line, who’s been unemployed for more than half of this year already for the first time in her life. She’s been a computer programmer since the machines took up a whole room, and her last boss said he was looking for “younger” employees (yes, I know, age discrimination– but her spirit’s too broken to argue). She’s waiting to hear back about a couple of state jobs she applied for, but how long?

I’ve got an out, at least. I wanted to take a year off before grad school to do the twentysomething working-stiff thing. So by next fall I’ll hopefully be back in academia, researching in the UK and earning a stipend in sterling pounds. But I can’t just think “Lucky me” and ignore everyone else.

My young friend at the bar is the third friend I’ve had decide to go into the military over the past year, though one went for duty, and the other will re-enlist because “I’m 31 and have nothing else to do”. The latter, another college graduate, has been working as a cab driver.

There is this sense of despair that clings like a cobweb to the skins of the people I know, and myself. It’s just as thin, and easy to miss, but it is tugging at us. And we need hope.

This, these people, are the reasons I am voting for Barack Obama in three weeks. It is because even though we try to close our eyes to it and get through each day, we are in the dark places now, and need a move towards the light. This is why the Obama campaign’s message is so powerful. In times like this, in places like these, we need hope, and we need change.

The polls look nice now, but we can’t rest. Talk to the people you know, the people you love. Make sure everyone you know is going to vote, and talk to people you don’t know about voting. Be ready on November 4th, because we need– we DESERVE more than this.

What I want to eat right now

This is for Kimi– I’ll be cooking it tomorrow, if my zucchini can hold on one more day. This recipe comes to me by way of my New Mexican friend Megan, who I met in Northern Ireland. It is best served over penne, with feta. Because we needed it to be even more unhealthy.

Zucchini with Roasted Peppers, Corn, and Cream

yields 2 cups, 4 servings

1lb zucchinis, cut up
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs veggie oil
the kernels from 1 large ear fresh sweet corn (about 1 cup)
1 fresh chile poblano, roasted and peeled, seeded and cut up
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup thick cream or whipping cream

1) sweating the zucchini: (I never do this, if you leave them for even a little bit too long, they turn horrible and salty and nasty but I shall type this bit up anyway) In a colander, toss the zucchini with the salt, let stand over a plate or in the sink for 1/2 hour. Rinse the zucchini, then dry on paper towels.

2) Cooking the veggies: Heat the butter and oil over medium high in a skillet large enough to hold the zucchini in a single layer. When quite hot, add the zucchini and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is browned and tender. Remove the zucchini, draining as much butter and oil as possible back into the pain. Reduce the heat to medium.

Add the corn kernels, chile, and onion. Stir regularly until the onion is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3) Finishing the dish: A few minutes before serving, stir in the cream and the zucchini and simmer for a few minutes, until the cream is reduced to a thick glaze. Add a little salt, if necessary, scoop into a warm dish and serve.

NOM NOM NOM.

Who says the debate won’t affect the election?

[cross-posted to my DailyKos diary]

Mind you, what I am about to say is purely anecdotal. I had to miss last night’s debate myself because I was busy using my Bachelor’s degree to earn $9/hr stocking shelves at a popular pharmacy chain– and only that much because it’s third shift.

So this isn’t about my perspective on the debate, as it’s still loading in YouTube.

What I want to talk about is a text message I received at 10.42pm last night, from a dear friend of mine. It was short and most certainly sweet, and it said “Jason is registering to vote!”

Jason, my friend’s boyfriend, is a 28-year-old machinist who has never voted in his life. Like his mother before him taught, there just never seemed to be a point; his vote wouldn’t matter.

But watching the debate at home last night, foot propped up from a work accident that fractured the bone, he thought so highly of Joe Biden that he’s going to register to vote. This more than anything makes me excited to watch for myself.

I’ll be the first to admit that I had very little idea who Biden was before the VP pick, and I still have only a vague idea of him outside of his aura of reputation. But to know that a decade-long determinedly non-voting friend saw something in this man to change his mind… that’s very powerful to me. That tells me more about the future Vice President than any pundit could.

It’s not fear that’s going to win the campaign, be it fear of the wider world as McPalin hopes to encourage, or the Obama-leaning fear of having someone like Palin a heartbeat away.

It’s going to be the way our ticket inspires people. People who never thought that their vote would matter are starting to care more about making that statement, damn the consequences.

And that’s how I know, sight unseen, that Joe Biden won last night’s debate.

A few catch-ups

First of all, for the cookies the other day I ended up using my original Almond-Hazelnut recipe, which is a Lobster, but prone to over-baking. I’d cut back a half-cup on the oats. Other alterations include subbing the 1tbsp of peanut butter for 1 1/2 of Nutella. These are cookies that lean more towards the crispy and less towards the doughy.

Sausage and pepper pies are flipping DELICIOUS. Major, MAJOR Lobster. Two changes I would make to the recipe as posted: One, use pre-made pizza dough, because the uniform thickness is helpful; two, after cooking the sausage-pepper-onion-and-garlic mixture, for the sake of your health (and the dough), strain it. Press it well into the colander to make sure all excess oil/fat is gone. Then split and distribute.

Next on the agenda of summaries, a big THANK YOU to my favorite Gaytheist for passing along Ben Folds’ new CD, Way to Normal. It is awesome, though I prefer the “leak”‘s version of “Bitch Went Nutz”. Also, for amazing fun times running and climbing around downtown Roanoke late at night. As I told him, hanging out with him makes me feel like I’m back in high school, in all the really good ways. And yes, I had plenty of good ways back in high school.

At approximately 5.30 this morning I finished reading Neil Gaiman’s new novel, The Graveyard Book. It is fantastic, and I’m re-reading it again already. Books I still need to get my hands on: The Dark Tower series, to fulfill a promise to friend; I’m a Stranger Here, Myself, which I owe to Butch for having left his copy in a hotel room; and… oh hell, there were a couple of things. Butch is also going to loan me American Psycho, in preparation for the musical (he also loaned me the movie in the first place). I need to keep an actual To Read list, however, when I have the time to sit down and do so.

Speaking of Butch, I finally watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which was fantastic. I may watch it again before I return the disc to Butch. Of course, I may alter that nickname of his in light of a conversation we had yesterday, which will lead to my next substantial post on Hetero Sexual Politics.

Finally, I would like to say that it is a great feeling to pad downstairs in my pajamas, socks, and sweater, to get my newspaper off the porch. That’s right, I finally fulfilled a childhood dream of having the newspaper delivered to my house. In honor of this, I will now close with a list of Things I’m Doing Right:

1. I pay my own rent on a two-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood of my preference.

2. I take excellent care of my cat.

3. I pay my own utilities.

4. I pay my own health insurance.

5. I own my car, which is paid off.

6. I pay my own cell phone bill.

7. I have full-time employment.

Granted, there is a lot of negative that can said for each of these (for example, numbers 1 and 3 are often late, and 2′s litterbox isn’t always cleaned in a timely manner), but sometimes you just have to sit back and say, Hey, I could be doing a lot worse for myself at 22. There are things I’d like to change, but I will do those as I can– there are worlds enough, and time.