Just A Thought...

Thoughts on the Bailout

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Does anyone else feel like the Apocalypse is coming? It was if you believed the media or George Bush on Monday. OMFG!!! The locusts are coming and frogs and the economy are falling out of the sky...

To use the phrase of my favorite blogger, smells like BULLSHIT.

If the rich get any richer by my poor ass getting poorer, I will be waiting for my serf's cottage and plot of land to work.

Desperate Attempt at Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:44:00 +0000

I have an author who's books I love, but she won't ever update her web page. Her last update referred to the fact that at least it hadn't been a whole year since she had update the site. I guess this would be one of those pot calling the kettle black situations since it's almost been a full year since I've posted.

I recently watched the Dixie Chicks doc, called Shut Up and Sing. It's all about the times before, during, and after those now infamous comments about Natalie being embarrassed about George Bush being from Texas. How basically country radio, the media, and legions of once professed fans turned their backs and loosened their fangs on the group.

I wonder about those people, so shocked that one person would dare speak up again the president and the war he was starting. I wonder how they now feel, while paying $3.50 for gas, losing their homes to a government that would have had the money to stabilize the economy if not for this debacle George Bush calls a war. I wonder if they've lost their jobs to this economy.

But most of all I wonder, will these people, who were once so shocked at a simple statement that they would send death threats to a "girl" singer, will they speak up now? Or in November? For the last 8 years, I've wondered how a whole country lost the balls to speak up and stand up to those in government that we elect? And now, he wants us to bail out companies so the rich can get even richer on the carcass of this sickly economy. I guess we know who's got the biggest balls of all...

Last Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:54:00 +0000

I read a book last night that was called "My Last Supper" that basically interviewed famous chefs with questions about what they're last meal would be. It was very interesting and got me to thinking about what my last meal might be like.

So here it goes. My dinner would have to entail the clause that you could eat as much as you wanted and not feel overfull. The book asked 5 questions: where would this meal be, who would attend, would there be music, what would you drink, and what would be on your final menu.

My location would be under a large tree, in an open field in France behind my fabulous (nonexistent) house, in late spring or early summer, where I could smell honeysuckle growing.

My dinner companions would be my family and close friends, Tony Bourdain for those hilarious kitchen stories, Alton Brown, Dave Chappelle would perform, Marilyn Monroe for my brother, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Marlon Brando (circa Guys and Dolls days), the Angryblackbitch.blogspot.com, Shirley Corriher, my Aunt Gailon, my old dog Georgia, and all the various musical, culinary, and cosmetic persons named later. Oh, and Edgar Ramirez, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Olivier Ramirez just for me to look at. :)

My musical guests would include Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Anna Netrebko, Jill Scott, The Fugees, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, and Ella Fitzgerald. And when Ella sang "Rocks in my Bed," and sings that part about being underloved and overfed, for once I would disagree.

To drink I would have Gallons of made from scratch margaritas and tequila shots, untold bottles of champagne, Fiji water for when the tequila made me dizzy, and pitchers of my mint iced tea.

For my last meal, we would start with warm La Brea or Kayser baguettes split and spread with french butter and drizzled with tupelo honey from the Savannah bee company. Then Tom Douglas's panzanella salad and the caprese salad from Taverna, Mario Batali would cook a seafood course with shrimp and scallops, someone from Louisiana would make a crawfish poboy and crawfish etouffee, Mario would also make polpettini, for the main course there would be organic grain fed Bistecca alla Fiorentina with rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper cooked in butter and olive oil till Medium, fried chicken from John T Edge, a risotto from Taverna, my baked penne with sausage and lots of balsamic, a chili cheese dog from Coit's with a homemade Root Beer, my Mom's mashed potatoes, fried okra, grilled zucchini and squash, my Mom's sauteed mushrooms, my grandma's green beans with bacon (the ones from years ago when she had her eyesight), canned asparagus cooked in butter (yes, I know, but I grew up eating them), and fresh corn.
For dessert, there would be in season fruit at it's magical peak, peaches from the way they tasted when I was a kid, fraise de bois, raspberries, blood oranges, cantaloupe, cherries from Alice Waters, who would handle all of the fruit and veg, then Ina Garten's brownies without the instant coffee, pastries from Pierre Herme, Dalloyau, Gerald Mulot, Francois Payard, and Laduree, my pralines or prawleens if you will, a cake or cookie from Martha, chocolates from Valrhona, La Maison du Chocolate and Scharffen Berger, a selection of Bologna's finest gelato and Sicily's finest granita, my peach and strawberry ice creams, Terry's butter cookies w/vanilla sugar, cream puffs, and at very last, a cappucino w/sweet whipped cream and another warm baguette, buttered and honeyed. Then we'd listen, dance, and sing along with all the concert performers. Then I'd bid adieu to everyone but my closest family, then go inside and shower and then Federic Fekkai, Oribe, Oscar Blandi, and Orlando Pita would fight to do my hair and Keyvn Aucoin would do my makeup (I want to look pretty when I go). I'd get into the softest, fluffiest bed with soft sheets and my husband would hold me and I would hold my kids (neither of which I have right now) and then I would retire.
So, how about you? What would you want for the last meal of your life?

Hip, Hip, Hooray! They're Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:18:00 +0000

Happy Marzipan Frankenstein Day!!!
Back for their second year in a row, it's the lovely
marzipan Halloween figurines from Rebecca Russell.
Her website is in my blogroll and I highly recommend it.

These Halloween truffles are also really
cute! But I have to say the ghost's mouth
really gives me a good laugh! It looks like he's seen a ghost.

Honey, We're Killing the ... World

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:03:00 +0000

I saw an episode of Oprah where they were speaking about the show, "Honey, We're Killing the Kids." And they were talking about how they are seeing patients in their mid-twenties and beyond with these fat-related problems. Diabetes, knee problems, back problems, etc... All of these problems from just carrying all that fat around. Sadly enough, I realize I'm one of these persons, but without health care, which I don't have right now, I'm not able to see a doctor. And if I was able to see a doctor, with the lack of preventative care in this country, they'd probably give me a pill.

If you haven't seen Sicko by Michael Moore, I urge you to. I saw the doc and afterwards, I was literally mute. My dad had been bitten by a snake a few days before and the hospital told him that anti-venom would not be covered by his health insurance or Medicare, and that a single vile of the anti venom was $10,000 and that they would start with 2 vials and could use as many as 9. So, they pumped him full of anti-inflammatories and other assorted drugs and after 3 weeks, the toxins in his body regenerated (supposed some snake poisons do this) and tried to kill him again and his whole arm was swollen like he'd just been bitten. Which could have been prevented by the anti-venom. Which he could have received in another country. Yes, I understand that they pay exorbitant taxes, but look at what gains they reap from those taxes.

Sorry, my train of thought derailed a little but the condition of health care in this country is ridiculous. I was talking with a person in a bookstore a couple of days ago, and we agreed that Oklahoma City is playing at being a "city" and in the same context, America is playing at being the world's greatest country. We have all of the resources, but none of the execution.

Truths

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:14:00 +0000

In the mists of crazy that I'm currently experiencing, I'm looking for all the truths I can find. Not anything specifically true, but something or someone who speaks truthfully to me, something that resonates within me. Some light within the darkness, if you will. It is during this quest, that I have found wonderful things and people. And I choose this post to name one of them. Elizabeth Gilbert, and specifically her book, "Eat, Pray, Love."

I found it one day in Borders and very unlike me, I didn't read the back cover to see if it was of interest to me. I just sat down and read it, crying and laughing in the cafe of the local Borders. Yes, I'm a sorry sight right now. But this book helped. I read it cover to cover in one sitting, which for me is the true test of a book's "truth" to me. If a book speaks to me, I read it cover to cover and am normally both simultaneously crying and smiling at the end of it. I recently checked out the book on tape from the library and I highly recommend it as it's read by the author.

As weapons against the storm of my darkness, books and Jill Scott CD's are not the best weapons, but they're the best I have available at this moment in time, other than myself, and she's quite bruised and tired, so I guess they'll have to do.

Song of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:10:00 +0000

Hate on Me by Jill Scott, http://www.myspace.com/whoisjillscott. Listen and sing along.

Lemon Blueberry Yumminess!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:59:00 +0000

Hi All or None,

Had to share my triumphant dessert with ya'll. Yes, I'm from Oklahoma. No, I don't normally write this way. Yes, it's a joke. Little touchy, aren't I? Anyways, I made Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, thanks to Tyler Florence and foodtv.com. Tyler, I always think it's amazing that a man can be a cute as you and cook as well as you do. Here's the recipe. I used frozen blueberries, thawed and drained of juice. I also just eyeballed the berries as in a dessert like this, more berries can be a good thing, just don't go crazy. And these are so good, there's no need for powdered sugar, just a fork.

Update: These are even better refrigerated with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, 2007
For the base:
Butter, for greasing
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 graham crackers
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 lemons, zested and juiced
About 1/2 cup sugar, eyeball it
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For the base:
Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.

For the filling:
Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 10 bars
User Rating:5 Stars

Episode#: TU0301
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Preach, Alton, Preach

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:50:00 +0000

This is a post from Alton Brown's web page about the E-coli infected spinach outbreak. It's brilliant. Here you go.

Edible News
Tuesday, September 19, 2006E. coli 0157:H7

It’s 11:30 pm on Monday night and as of 1pm today 114 persons are infected with E. coli 0157:H7 in 21 states. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention here’s the breakdown:
California (1)Connecticut(2)Idaho (4)Illinois (1)Indiana (8)Kentucky (6)Maine (2)Michigan (4)Minnesota (2)Nebraska (1)New Mexico (5)Nevada (1)New York (7)Ohio (10)Oregon (5)Pennsylvania (4)Utah (15)Virginia (1)Washington (2)Wisconsin (32)Wyoming (1)

In short, a lot of people are sick and one person has died in Wisconsin. This is a bad thing. And yet, it was going to happen. It was bound to happen.

I don’t want to sound like some crazy, anti-establishment bio-terrorist but maybe, just maybe this is a wakeup call. Truth is our food system has major flaws which point to one reoccurring theme: too much of our food is produced by centralized, industrial concerns. At this hour the continued suspicion is that the spinach, which may have been infected by irrigation water in a field, incorrectly composted manure used as fertilizer on organic crops, or by water used in processing. It may be quite a while before we know.

Now look at the states listed above. 21 states affected by spinach grown not only in one state but in one region of one state. Had the spinach stayed near home odds are good this would have been caught sooner. But packaging and trucking just gave the 0157:H7 time to grow. (For some reason I’m reminded of Charlie Sheen in Apocalypse Now talking about “…every minute Charlie squats in the bush he gets stronger…”.) What’s my point? Had the big chain grocers and restaurant suppliers purchased locally grown produce, this wouldn’t have happened. But don’t blame them. Nope. Blame us. By demanding fresh spinach year round (or anything else for that matter) we create the monster. It’s like Dan Akroyd thinking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghost Busters. Our own unnatural desires and our refusal to consume locally grown foods have brought us to this sorry state.

And to make matters worse, our ever-wise government has told us to eat no fresh spinach at all. They could have advised us to eat only locally grown spinach but Noooooooo. Let’s shoot every poor farmer in America that’s doing his or her job in the foot. And why? Because we can’t sort out what went there when and how and what it might have touched or been near. Here’s the news kids: when the system gets this big and out of whack, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men (and the USDA and the CDC, and the FDA) cannot keep us safe. I want you to think about that a minute. It’s not their fault. it simply cannot be done. It should not be done.

Right now everyone is doing what they have to do and by the looks of it they’re doing it right. I’m hoping that ground zero for this outbreak will be discovered and that something will be learned. But I still hold that until we diversify and decentralize our food growing system and learn to eat locally and seasonally, we only open up ourselves for more of the same.

And let that be a lesson to us all.

Help! (as in the Beatles' song, not an actual cry of physical help, just mental and emotional help needed)

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 21:30:00 +0000

Hello All or None,

This is a whine, as opposed to my normal rant, so you've been forewarned.

Last week, I got a speeding ticket in a speedtrap (guess it was quota time) and today, on lunch, I went to start my car and the battery wouldn't start. So, I had to purchase a new battery. Good thing I just got paid on Friday, but now with all of that, I don't have money to pay any of my bills or buy any groceries.

So, to whatever meta-physical being that's decided I need to learn something, remember you can't get blood from a stone. In other words, I'm tapped out, so nothing else please.

The only solace I have right now are the brownies and cookies I made yesterday since I had the day off. Which, if you're wondering, is the last thing I need to be eating. But hey, it's either that or go home crying. So, I'm voting for fat and sugar (which turns into fat, BTW.)

The recipe for the cookies and brownies is below if you're having my kind of week (month, year, decade...

Turtle Brownies
(makes 16 brownies)

For the batter:
4 Tbl unsalted butter,
plus more for pan
3 oz good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 C milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

for the topping:
1 C sugar
1/3 C heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (4 oz)

Preheat oven to 325. Line a buttered 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2" to hang over sides; butter the lining, excluding overhang; set pan aside.*Make batter: Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a a separate bowl; set aside.Put sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, milk, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl until well incorporated.Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies come out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 27 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.
Make topping when brownies are cool. Bring 1/4 C water and the sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. When water comes to a boil, stop stirring, and wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is medium amber, 5 to 7 minutes.Remove from heat and immediately add cream, vanilla, and salt.** Gently stir with a clean wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until smooth. Add pecans, stir until caramel begins to cool and thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Pour caramel over brownies; spread with a spatula. Let caramel set for about 1 hour. ***I melted about 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate from Schaffen-Berger with just a little milk or cream (wisk until smooth and don't burn the chocolate) and poured it over the top after the caramel had set up then put them in the fridge overnight. These may be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.***

Cranberry Hootycreeks (goofy name, I know, but I really good cookie)
makes 32 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

Deep Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:07:00 +0000

Hello All or None,

I'm super tired so this blog will be short, but I feel the need to comment on what I see around me lately. I can't believe it's been 5 years (yesterday) since I woke up and turned on the TV to see the world falling apart. I was watching some video footage yesterday from someone filming on the street before anything happened and showed both planes crashing into the towers. It looked like something out of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. It still doesn't feel real. I was here in Oklahoma City when the bombing happened but I actually felt that move the earth under me so it's a little more real to me. But I can't imagine watching that from the street and seeing people jump out of the buildings.

It should have never happened and as adamant as I am against the war, something inside me is conflicted because the people who were behind this should be dealt with. But the war we're fighting isn't doing that. In trying to defend our country, when we should have gone after the specific group who did this, we went and did something else completely. We put ourselves smack in the middle of one of the biggest messes possible. And by we, I mean our government.

Speaking of our government, I didn't watch the state of the union speech last night because I make a point not to watch something I know is going to irritate the piss out of me. But I did read the transcript, as you can here, http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/11/bush.transcript/index.html. Basically, to me, it was a "let's scare the American public with lies so we can continue with our war."

This whole notion that if we don't continue with the war, the terrorists will come and kill us in our beds is ridiculous beyond belief. It's just a way for the Bush administration to make money off their oil concerns while Americans don't have enough money to eat, go to the doctor, or afford a decent place to live and pay their bills. They are killing our country in addition to killing our servicemen and women because of this stupid war.

The thing I love the most is not once did he speak about anything else but the war, not one other thing affecting the country. Not Katrina, not the new hurricane that hit Florida, not gas prices, just the war. I hope our next president can make a dent in fixing all the things that this administration has fucked up.

So, I guess my post wasn't very short, huh? :)

Laborous Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:17:00 +0000

Hello All,

I had a good weekend, although it seems like I spend most of my weekends cooking now. Which isn't a bad thing I guess, as long as I don't spend all of my weekends eating. :)

I made my first gumbo Saturday night (Chicken, Sausage, and Smoked Turkey Gumbo) with Pralines and Calas for dessert. Calas are little fried rice cakes. Not at all like a popcorn style rice cake, but imagine fried dough with cooked rice in it and dunked in powdered sugar and drizzled with honey. If you're interested in cooking cajun or New Orleans type food, please visit www.gumbopages.com for some awesome recipes. Spaghetti with Sugo Sauce on Sunday and Clean out the pantry pasta last night (plus I made more pralines :D).

When my mother comes to town, she always wants to buy groceries for me. And if you've read what I've just written, you'd know I don't need anymore groceries. But I don't really use meals in a box or overly processed stuff like that because that's why I learned how to cook, so I wouldn't have to eat that stuff (that my Mom made.) So, I have stuff in my pantry from her that I'll never use like instant cheesecake mix, premade piecrusts, and hamburger helper. The gourmet in my head is cringing just typing those words. Ugh. So, I cleaned out the pantry and decided I would make jazzed up hamburger helper since I had two boxes of the lasagna hamburger helper. I used Italian sausage instead of hamburger and sauteed some crimini mushrooms and added some red wine and balsamic vinegar. This may be the best clean out your pantry meal I've ever made. Yummy!

Think!

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:24:00 +0000

Hi All or None,

Be forewarned, this is a rant. I'm pissed off and I can't take it anymore. My post from yesterday opened up this discussion at work and when people started giving armchair advice for the Katrina victims, saying they should pack up and get a new life elsewhere, it was all I could do to keep my claws sheathed. I guess I really do need that massage tomorrow, huh? :)

The victims of the flooding in New Orleans shouldn't have to pack up and move elsewhere. New Orleans is their home and it was torn apart by a lackadaisical government and the corps of engineer’s poor building and not properly maintaining the levees. If you broke it, fix it. Don't put these people up in trailers for a year while you let their homes sit broken and full of debris. Don't tell them it would be easier to move away from all they know and own. Get into the city and fix it! Don't promise them money and maybe give it to them a year later. Don’t allow the insurance companies to not pay these people. It really seems like the government is helping get all the poorer people out of New Orleans, so vultures can swoop in a buy these people's property for nothing and then turn around and sell it for sky high prices. If we ignore this, there won't be a New Orleans.

For the people posting comments to my topic yesterday, saying that it's too easy to blame the government about this situation. I completely agree with you. From the way that the office, that says it represents and serves us, conducts itself, it is entirely far too easy to blame the government.

This is the government that can spy on us illegally, and put us into a war to find Osama Bin Laden and weapons of mass destruction, and then go after Hussein (which is strictly for oil. Don't let that aw shucks got to protect the country talk about weapons and terrorism fool you. This war is strictly about money, which is what most wars are about.)

This is the government who turned the biggest budget surplus ever into a $8,507,362,238,764.27 budget deficit as of Aug 25, 2006. That’s 8.5 trillion dollars. Just thought I’d spell that out for you. :) This is the congress that doesn't use the system of checks and balances to protect our rights that are being infringed upon by the executive branch. This is the government that is using this so called war on terror to further their own agenda.

You do remember that the Bushes are in the oil business, right? And that they waged a war in the Middle East, where there's oil, right? So, you take out the evil dictator and make it easier to make money of your own on oil once you're out of office? Right? Hmm...sounds funny when you think about it. We believed this was about terrorism??? That's hilarious.

So, yes, for me, it's entirely way too easy to blame the federal government about what's going on with the state of our union and all the other messes overseas that Bush has pushed us into. When you’ve fucked up so much, it’s hard not to blame the government. This is the government we elected to stand for us and pass laws for the good of the nation? Really? I only have to say this, “Is it 2008 yet?”

Thinking about Hurricane Katrina

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 15:44:00 +0000

Monday and Tuesday, I watched "When the Levees Broke" on HBO. This is a documentary by Spike Lee about the victims of Katrina in New Orleans and includes interviews from local residents, state and city government officials. I want to say that I've never been so moved by anything I've seen on television ever. The documentary talks about things that weren't really talked about in the main stream media, like that New Orleans wasn't hit by Hurricane Katrina. It was missed by Hurricane Katrina. It was the levees breaking the day after Katrina that flooded and destroyed the city and killed so many people.

The documentary also interviewed professors at LSU who talked about a research study conducted by FEMA a year before the hurricane, called Hurricane Pam. The study used a computer model to see what would happen to New Orleans if it was hit by a Category 5 Hurricane. The study showed that the levees would fail, flooding New Orleans and yet Fema or the government did nothing about this. I've never been what you'd call fond of our present government, but I thought at least in a national disaster that they would do what needed to be done. But people in New Orleans still live in trailers, sometimes with no electricity or sewerage systems.

That the federal government has money for these people yet it's tied up in red tape is a mockery of our government and what it is supposed to stand for. That there are still houses that stand full of debris and who knows what else is ridiculous. The government should have people down there cleaning out people's houses and helping them rebuild.

New Orleans was called the City that Care forgot, but it's more like the city that the government lied to, forgot about, and then fucked over. It's beyond ridiculous that we live in America (a country that will go overseas to help out another country within 48 hours) but the federal government waits 5 days after a major national disaster to start helping our own people. The government waits 5 days while people are without food, water, and sit dying in the heat and filth of a city where all the sewers have backed up.

There are no words to describe how fucked up that is. After watching this documentary, I feel just like I felt after watching the news footage last year, but more angry and frustrated. I want to help but without money, I don't know where to start. Someone needs to help these people because the government isn't. And the national media has forgotten about New Orleans for the most part.

The crazy thing is that this didn't have to happen. Sure, Hurricane Katrina would have come and caused wind damage and some flooding, but if the government and the corps of engineers that built the levees had done there job, the major flooding that killed people and destroyed homes wouldn't have happened. That breaks my heart. To know that all the little kids who lost their Moms and Dads, all the parents who lost their children, could have been saved. No words can express that level of disappointment with our government, the organization that's supposed to help us.

Piense antes de que usted cocine con los chiles calientes

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:11:00 +0000

Hello all or none, I'd been sick last week and just came back to work yesterday. So, that's why I haven't been posting. But to make up for it, let me tell you a hilarious story.

My best friend's birthday was Friday and we had a gathering Sunday that I cooked for. The menu was Mexican food so I thought I'd pull out my authentic Mexican cookbooks and get to work Saturday night. So, I was in the process of making a salsa roja for the first time and the recipe calls for you to toast dried chilies in a skillet and then put them in a blender with roasted tomatoes and canned chipotle peppers and some water.

No one ever warned me about this step, so I'm putting this out there to hopefully help others from hurting themselves.

Do not put your face over the blender after you've blended the mixture of peppers and
Do not put your face over the skillet while you're toasting the dried chilies.

My face has never burned so much. I had pepper burns all around my nose and mouth. So, I put a cold rag on my face and it helped a little, but as soon as I'd take it off it would start to burn again. Then, I mixed up a paste of baking soda and water which just made the burning worse. After some thought, I finally found some whipping cream in my fridge and put it on my face and it stopped the burning. So, I walked around my kitchen cooking with drying whipped cream on my face. I was a sight.

And I cooked so much on Saturday and Sunday, that my back is now killing me and I feel like I've been beaten. Thankfully, my job has gladly decided to give out bonuses Friday, so I'm taking Saturday as a Spa day and I'm getting my hair cut and colored and a massage. I'm so happy I would do a backflip if I could bend backwards. :D

I think I might email Rick Bayless to add a addendum to his cookbooks asking people to be cautious when making salsa in the blender so they don't burn themselves. lol

Penser à Mme Julia Child

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:27:00 +0000

Hello all or none. :) I made pretty good on my promise to do nothing this weekend. I spent most of my time over at my friend's house hanging out and watching TV or cooking. Which was a nice change of pace. I was web-surfing Friday and found out that the 2nd anniversary of Julia Child's death was Sunday and that her birthday is this Tuesday. And I knew that me and my group of foodie friends needed to honor her. We normally have some sort of dinner gathering on Sunday nights, so I thought we'd have a French dinner with lots of rustic, simple country French food, nothing crazy fancy. But we ended up having a French brunch.

Let's just say this. To all the people who normally attend our gatherings, thanks for not coming. That was some of the best food I've had in a long time and I was really happy I didn't have to share. :D Quiche Lorraine, Pommes Anna, Country French Bread, Pain au Chocolat, Croissants, and fresh fruit, tomatoes, and yogurt. Hmmm.mmm. And I have leftovers. I know all this is not traditionally French. The French normally have coffee and bread and a cigarette. But this was possibly the best breakfast I've ever had.

I was telling one of my co-workers about the breakfast and that we were doing it in honor of Julia Child and my co-worker didn't know who she was???!!! I almost had a fit. Then, I calmly explained that Julia Child was one (if not the first) chefs on TV, that before Julia most Americans ate mostly canned goods and fresh food was not the norm. That because of Julia, American housewives demanded fresh produce and bought good kitchen equipment, and starting cooking real food. Julia changed the way American ate and shopped for food. She also changed television.

I remember watching her when I was a kid and teenager. Giving instruction and information with no pretension or ego. Which if you watch the Food Network that lack of ego is something of a novelty. She was funny, bright, and genuinely loved food. The more I watch Food Network, the more I realize how amazing she was. I think watching her on PBS at such a young age really formed how I think about food. And after reading her latest book, My Life in Paris, I think even more highly of her.

I think it's really sad that people don't know more about her. But when they get fresh greens or specialty cuts of meat from the grocery, they should know that Julia helped make that happen. And if they don't know, I'll tell them.

You Think?

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:04:00 +0000

Hello, didn't post yesterday from the sheer enormity of email in my work inbox from being gone for one day. But the funeral for my Great Aunt ended up being ok. It was so hot outside and the preacher wouldn't stop preaching for like 45 minutes. I'm like heloo, It's 100 degrees outside and it's 10:00 in the morning. Also, I hate when members of the faith don't know the person who's passed on, and they talk about nothing related to the person. They just preach at you. Grrr. Give me someone who can say something about who the person was and how they lived and then be done with it. Especially when it's 100 degrees outside. :)

Last night, my best friend and I, watched Domino. It was something that looked fairly cool and had guns and a cute guy (Edgar Ramirez) so we thought it might be good. It was the most horrible movie I think I've ever seen. Ranks right up there with Magnolia as my 2 least favorite movies. Supposedly, it was 128 minutes, but it felt like I was sitting on the couch for 3 hours. About 45 minutes into the movie, I turned to my friend and asked (just to make sure I wasn't the only one) if she was liking the movie. And she agreed that it was horrible too. We talked to ourselves for the last hour. I would have turned it off if not for her. The best part of the whole movie is when Edgar Ramirez (Choco) is getting ready to fight he pulls the elastic out of his hair and shakes his head. He had beautiful long wavy hair. That's it. 5 seconds of hair and there's the highlight of the movie (for me at least.)

Also, Wednesday night, I watched the lost Dave Chappelle Episodes. I think Dave shot stuff and never got the chance to finish it and the powers that be at Comedy Central took it and expanded it over 3 episodes to make money. Because that was nowhere near Dave's level of comedy. Or maybe he really was on crack. :) Just kidding. But I will wait the baited breath for something that Dave authorizes and until then I'll watch the old episodes, the Block Party movie, and his interview with James Lipton on Behind the Actors Studio, which was brilliant.

Food for Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 18:32:00 +0000

I had a headache and was a little hungry, so I went to the vending machine. I should have known that this would only make my headache worst. This is a rant, just warning you. Fritos for $0.70 and a Sprite for $0.50. Corn chips, and high fructose corn syrup with flavorings??? So, basically all I'm ingesting is corn. Which basically is a food you feed to animals to increase their weight. Not only am paying $1.20 to make myself fatter, but I'm also becoming more chemically dependent on all of the shit they inject into our foods.

And not only does my company allow this vendor of evil into the workplace, that's the only option they have. So, unless you bring something (which I never have the mental forethought to do), you either don't eat or eat unhealthy. It is beyond amazing to me how the food industry can pimp their poisons and pay the government to help them and advertise that it's good for us and we are stupid enough to believe them.

I've been reading some really good but scary books lately, Skinny Bitch and The Omnivore's Dilemma, both of which are really amazing books about the food we eat and how it's killing us. And I would really like to become less dependent on processed foods. My best friend and I went for a month without red meat and now I find I'm much less attached to it. My next big hurdle is trying to go without white or processed sugar for a month to wean myself off it. And recently with all the shit that's been going on, moving and family issues, I have resorted to going back to caffeinated drinks and that's probably one reason why I have a headache right now. Argh!

Ok, I'm going to stop ranting only because it's making my head hurt worse.

Just A Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Eliza524) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 16:38:00 +0000

I was reading a blog, Angry Black Bitch (http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com/), that a friend emailed to me. BTW, it instantly became one of my daily must-reads. And it occurred to me, that blogging could be a forum for me. A cathartic release of word. Which is something I haven't done in far too long. Writing for myself was something I had to do when I was in school just to keep myself sane. And after school, I got caught up in the trivialities of working a lame-ass job and trying to take care of myself. I got caught up in surviving, but not really living.

This past year, when I turned 25, I was so scared. For reasons I didn't understand until now. I haven't done anything since high school. My main accomplishments in 6 years have been buying my car (slowly, 1 year to go :D), moving out of my parents' home, and knowing myself a little better. I've been so scared of how little I've done with my life and how to change it for 9 months now. But with the death of a close relative, I've realized how precious life is and how I have to try my best not to fuck it up. To actually LIVE my life. So, when I'm in that bed, lying there dying, I'll know that my life actually meant something.

I've always been able to lie to myself (we'll do it later, I'll get it done) but I've never been able to lie in my writing. If I write it, I need to be able to justify it. Must be too much time writing for newspapers. Yes, I still have morals, just no motivation. :) So, this is my forum to express myself and learn more about me through word. And for others to learn about me, if they care to. But this time, I'm doing me.