| Assata Shakur |
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| Favorite Quote of the Day |
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"Moreover, it is not essential to the free-thinker that he should hold more correct views, but that he should have liberated himself from what was customary, be it successfully or disastrously. As a rule, however, he will have truth, or at least the spirit of truth-investigation, on his side; he demands reasons, the others demand faith." --- Freidrich Nietzsche, _Human, All-too Human_ |
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| My New Blog! |
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Wednesday, May 21 2008 @ 08:37 PM PDT
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 5
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My blog is being continued here. Please update your bookmrks/favorites.
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| Beating the Heat |
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Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 03:57 AM PDT
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 10
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Well, summer is hitting us even though it's technically just late spring. I'm feeling like myself again after thirteen long years of struggling against my own body, so I've been getting back into my RealNicole lifestyle.
I've done really well since mid-winter, and have survived, nay thrived during the dollar crash and my daughter's first couple of cell phone bills. It's easy to be frugal in winter though, because I have plenty of energy, and it's cool enough to cook alot...but now we're getting into the hot weather, and it'll be more challenging. I'm butched though.
Normally in summer, I don't like to cook, so we end up eating way too much convenience food. This is bad for the budget and the triglycerides, and ends up making us feel worse than we should. Since I have the energy now, I've rolled back my definition of "convenience food" to the more Italian one I learned as a teen, combined with some flavor from my grandmothers, who grew up without air conditioning.
My plan is to cook ahead, recipes that can be made into a variety of dishes, and make breads at night. This way, during the heat of the day, we always have something fast, light, but nutritious available to grab.
Some time ago, when I was doing artistic catering, Shai got me some cooking equipment that I'm going to use to make my life easier. One thing he got me that I like is a press grill that I'm going to use to make flatbreads. Once a week, I'll make flatbread for the week, so there will always be something to wrap beans, vegetables, and/or meat in, or spread cheese on.
I'm also going to keep a steady supply of some kind of beans and rice in the fridge. During the winter, I did some experimentation to find out what kind of beans Shai and Moon liked, and how. They like best, Tex-Mex style pinto beans, barbecue or cassoulet white beans, or the big white beans as part of a cholent.
Since every once in awhile, it's nice to have a fatty treat, I got some chicken skin from the butcher, and started making schmaltz. Schmaltz is German for "fat", but the term is normally used for chicken fat that has been rendered from chicken skin and some onions.
It's kind of unhealthy to have it too often, much like bacon would be. In moderation though, it's great for adding flavor to things, or spreading on bread. Apparently, most people around here have forgotten about it or don't like it, because I got a big bag of chicken skin for less than a shekel per kilo.
So, it's going to be a good summer...fun and healthy too. :-)
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| Falling Into Place |
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Wednesday, April 02 2008 @ 10:21 PM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 10
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There's been a lapse in posting because I've had alot on my mind recently. I got some truly grave news about someone that I'm not allowed to post about...at least not yet.
Things with Papa2 and Allball seem to be coming along nicely. Both are still busy, but then so am I. There are still the same issues to deal with that there were before, but at least everybody's made their feelings clear, and the uncertain time of who's allowed to call whom how often and when is over. None of us is obsessive or a drama queen. All of us know how to self validate. So we're cool with one another. It's "fire at will". We call each other when we have the time and energy.
I also had the pleasure recently of seeing BK after I think it's been 2 years. He's back working at the Bear. It's good to know he's still alive and well. It was difficult being around him at first, but it got easier about the third or fourth time I repeated in my mind, "He chose someone else."
No more major news. It's just the really horrible thing has been heavy in my heart lately. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude for their sake, but it's really hard. I'm selfish that way about people I care about.
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| Someone Else Noticed |
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Tuesday, March 25 2008 @ 10:43 AM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 12
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Like Shai often says, when sh!t splashes, it doesn't only hit one spot. It hits everything around it.
Apparently I'm not the only one who's noticed the problems involved with dating (most) Israeli men, even the ones who think they're good people.
Have a read of this.
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| Barbecue Wings and Mashed Yams and Potatoes |
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Tuesday, March 25 2008 @ 12:06 AM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 17
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Last night for dinner, I made barbecue chicken wings, yam and potato puree, and peas.
The puree is an idea I got from Izzy. I boil some yams along with the regular white potatoes, and then before mashing, put in some sour cream, a dash of garlic, a pinch of dried parsley, and a small handful of sunflower seeds.
Needless to say it was great and everyone ate well and enjoyed. :-)
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| Condoms? You have GOT to be kidding! |
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Monday, March 24 2008 @ 11:10 AM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 21
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Okay, I already knew that Israeli guys, drowning in self deceit as usual, generally don't like to use condoms. They'll try any excuse to get out of it, and only do it begrudgingly if the woman insists.
Well, today I found out that this isn't the worst of it. Guys here actually break up or discount women because of it. So I might not have been easily discarded because of my ethnicity, but because I insist on using condoms.
Somehow, a woman making sure the guy wears a condom gets her perceived as mistrustful at best, and egocentric at worst. I don't understand this...I mean I do understand how someone could think that, but the only way that would be understandable is if the guy is living in a fantasy world where pulling out is good enough birth control, and fat chicks don't get laid very often.
...and here I was thinking that being able to put a condom on with my mouth, or even more smoothly with one hand (reminds me I need to post about the pinky tip pinch technique at some point) was sexy. I even keep different types of condoms for the sake of variety, and extras to give to friends who, for some reason, sometimes like to do it in my bed.
Apparently, making a guy wear a condom here is taken as a blow to his ego, and means that you think he's not boyfriend material, regardless of what you say or how you treat him.
I'm sorry, but that's just insane. With all the diseases out there that someone could carry around for a year without even knowing, I don't take chances with my life...especially with guys who may not care anything for my life.
But, it goes to show that the guys here are not so high on themselves as it seems. If they don't even want to protect themselves, that means they're suicidal, or nearly so. They don't want a woman who cares enough about him not to want to take the chance of endangering his life, or enough about herself to not want to die of stupidity either.
They don't seem to understand that there are a few things that can be transmitted even with a condom. One can get plenty just from kissing...herpes, warts, crabs... So it's a dice roll no matter what. That should make them feel better about themselves...that I'm willing to risk crabs, warts, and herpes...just not AIDS and other stuff that can kill me.
Man, some people are idiots!
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| Acceptance |
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Saturday, March 22 2008 @ 02:05 PM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 18
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After a kind of mild withdrawal phase, I've come to a point of acceptance about Feng Shui. As time passes, my mind settles into the idea that he is really gone, and that I was blind.
Well, maybe not really blind, but way too hopeful that he might be strong enough to at least handle things honorably. Yet apparently he's walked away without even giving me the courtesy of a goodbye. Not just that but weeks have passed, and still nothing.
So I had to come to terms with the fact that not only have I lost him, but that he considers me to be beneath him...someone whose feelings don't matter at all, and to whom no respect or civility is warranted.
What helped me to deal with this though, is the certainty that I did all that I could. I conducted myself honorably. I ended up giving him the goodbye that he couldn't bring himself to give me. Then I deleted his number.
I did this for myself, so I wouldn't be tempted to contact him again. It's not really necessary since even if I was tempted, I wouldn't because he doesn't want me, so talking to him would be stupid. It's just that I don't like having reminders around to distract me when I need to keep my mind on business.
People who don't want to be in my life should not be there. One of the ways I stay positive and truly keep to the "no hard feelings, mosquitoes in the jungle" policies is by not taking it too personally. Just because someone else thinks I'm worthless doesn't mean I have to agree with them.
I know that I would have been a good partner to him in many ways, not just romantically. As he experiences more of the hell of this world, and the people who make it so, he will appreciate the people like me who have blessed his life in one way or another...or maybe not.
Since he didn't appreciate me, perhaps this means that he is somehow spoiled, and won't appreciate others either. I mean...I explained to him how to circumvent the exploitive system of credit card companies here, how to get listed in searches easily, etc. and I think I was at least a passable lover, yet I wasn't even worth keeping around as a lover, a friend, or at least given a proper goodbye.
I don't know what his problem is, but I do have hope that he'll solve it. The romantic side of me even has the occasional brief fantasy that he'll wake up in that regard...but with each passing day, I understand better that this is probably never going to happen.
Still, I wish him all the best...and if not then in nietzschean form, I wish him all the pain and suffering it takes to become the best. The pain I am enduring right now is making me stronger, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not that much.
I am sitting here suffering over a guy not liking me, while there are women being kidnapped and forcibly traded into prostitution. So this little bruise to my ego is nothing compared to what others endure and survive.
...and this is the basis of my acceptance. I have only been injured a little. To dwell on it any longer would be petty and pathetic. So with this entry, I am done with that.
"Onwards and up yours!"
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| Pasta and Meatballs |
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Saturday, March 22 2008 @ 01:47 PM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 23
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Everyone had plenty of fresh vegetables today already, so tonight I made us a little treat: pasta and meatballs.
I just boiled some pasta, and added about a quarter of a jar of spaghetti sauce to it. I know, I know, it's not as good as the home made sauce, but it's an okay shortcut in moderation. I wouldn't use it as a sauce on a real spaghetti night.
The meatballs were also simple. I made them with some dried herbs and garlic, moistenned bread, soy and about a tablespoon of the spaghetti sauce. Since they weren't going to be boiled in a sauce, I baked them.
Everyone enjoyed the treat. :)
The vegetable injection today came from my making a vegetable plate and some home mashed hummus. It tastes very different and very much better than the kind already made from the store.
I read somewhere that even the best brand of hummus here only has 20% chickpeas in it. The rest is fillers and such, and it's got enough salt in it to choke a cow.
Tomorrow, I need to go to the shouk to get some more dry chickpeas. Now that we've had the home made version, there is no going back.
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| Chicken, Orzo, and Cauliflower |
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Friday, March 21 2008 @ 01:25 PM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 12
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Tonight, I made baked chicken, orzo with onions and peppers, and some steamed cauliflower.
The baked chicken was fairly normal. I sprinkled some chicken seasoning, a bit of chicken soup powder, garlic, and ginger, then massaged it with some olive oil and white wine before baking.
The orzo, I cooked as normal, but then added some sauteed vegetables with a few bits of sausage, simmered for awhile in a little chicken stock. The sausage I used was thin "Natasha" from my favorite smoke shop downown. Kabanos will work for this though.
The cauliflower was simply steamed with salted water. I just fill the pot with cauliflower, chopped into large chunks and florettes, add some salt, and then fill the pot about a quarter of the way with water. I like the stems, so I slice those and put them at the bottom, so they're boiling directly in the water.
No butter or anything else is needed for this, in my opinion. I don't like too much getting in the way of the taste of cauliflower. It's a nicely aromatic vegetable on its own.
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| Tex-Mex Pinto Beans and Chickpeas and Cooking Slim |
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Saturday, March 15 2008 @ 06:48 PM PST
Contributed by: Kthulah
Views: 22
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Yesterday I was in the mood for burritos, so I made some Tex-Mex style pinto beans, rice, chickpeas and corn. I also warmed some ready-made tortillas because I didn't feel like making them from scratch this time.
I am shopping for a tortilla press since this would definitely make my life easier. Tortillas are one of my favorite breads, and buying them pre-made can get expensive. A press is expensive here, but I wonder if the initial cost might be worth it.
Anyway, of course, everyone enjoyed the meal. Everybody had their own little way of assembling the components.
I noticed that Shai likes to tear up tortillas and put them in his beans or soup, so maybe I'll make him a tortilla soup at some point. If I'm going to do all that I prefer to just make dumplings, but tortilla soup is nice too.
In the coming week I'll be going to the shouk. While I was ill, the cooking channel was having one of their free weeks, so I started watching Kathleen Daelemans's show _Cooking_Slim_. Her tips are working out very well for us, and we actually are eating healthier for less money.
It starts with the shopping. I'm a twice-a-month grocery shopper. I absolutely hate it, so I try to get it over with all at once. Then I only have to go back to the store a couple of times during the month to get more milk or eggs if we run out. This also helps me to stay within my budget because I have set aside what I'm going to spend, and that's that.
I don't usually take a list because it's in my head. Sometimes I forget one or two things, but generally not having a written list is better for me. This way I can stay flexible, and get what's in season and on sale instead of just adhering to the list. It saves me alot, like when they had mixed vegetables on sale. If I'd gotten a bad of each thing they had in the packets separately, I'd have spent alot more.
So I decide what kinds of things I want to make, and then get the supplies for them. This way I'm better prepared when I wake up in the morning. If there's something that's going to take some time, I know to get it started early.
No system is perfect, and even if the system is, people aren't. I have my days when I've been riding the keyboard until all hours, oversleep, etc. but generally things are going smoothly, and the skinny folks are maintaining, and us two big ones are reducing.
When we go to the kitchen and want a snack, there is no junk there. There is however, plenty to snack on that's good for you...like today, there are burrito or rice salad ingredients.
Right now it's not too hot to cook, and I wonder how well I'll hold up in summer. I'm thinking that the best course of action would be to stock up on chicken breasts and sinta, and cut them into shnitzels and minute steaks. I'm definitely getting more bakalao at the place I was the last time. This way even when I'm kvetching that it's too hot to cook, I'll only have to spend half an hour actually in the kitchen.
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