It's all part of being fierce, folks.
Want to help Haiti and don't know how? Here you go:
George Bush and Bill Clinton organize to help Haiti: http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/
Of course, the Red Cross is a good choice. You can either text "Haiti" to 90999, or you can donate online: http://www.redcross.org/
People have been buried under rubble for nearly six days now. Many who are rescued will have to have limbs amputated because of gangrene. Most will die from their injuries, dehydration, and starvation. Those who were not buried under rubble will suffer from dysentery and be vulnerable to crime and violence.
Remember how lucky we are to live where we do, that we have building standards, a stable government, safe access to drinking water, and a living wage. Hug your loved ones and be grateful for them.
Peace.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
"Charming" French Onion Soup
I've decided to fill the void that is the Sons of Anarchy hiatus with one of my other passions: cooking. Bobby Elvis and I are soul mates in this respect. I love cooking for the people I love. I'm not an especially effusive person when it comes to public displays of affection, so I show folks I love them by making tasty things to eat. My dear husband probably blames his inability to lose his grad-school weight on the fact that I insist on cooking with real butter and whole milk.
Anyway, I made this amazing pot of French onion soup tonight, and during the process I thought to myself: "This is something Bobby Elvis would do for the boys in the club house. He's a worldly guy...he probably tries to expose the guys to as many different dishes as he knows how to cook."
So, here's my recipe. I'd like to think it's something Bobby would throw together. And, in the spirit of Bobby's enthusiasm for organic foods, I used as many organic ingredients as possible.
Ingredients (for six to eight servings)
1 1/2 pounds organic sweet onions (about two large).
1 big tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons organic sweet cream butter
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
3 heaping tablespoons flour
2 quarts organic broth (I used a quart of vegetable broth and a quart of onion/beef broth)
1/2 - 3/4 cups Madeira (or other dry California white wine)
Organic Jaarlsburg cheese (Swiss or Parm work, too)
A loaf of organic French bread (day-old okay)
Instructions
Peel and slice onion to your preferred thickness. Steam on low in a covered, four-quart soup pot or saucepan with the butter and olive oil for about 15 minutes. If the onions start to brown too quickly (which it may do if you sliced it thinly), turn the heat down a little.
Add the sugar and salt to the onions. The salt is for flavor and the sugar (also a little for flavor) helps the onions brown evenly. On mid-to-low heat, cook the onions slowly until they are a golden brown. They may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on onion thickness.
When the onions are a golden, carmelized brown, add the flour. I know this sounds strange, but trust me...it's all part of the process. Stir until the flour is absorbed.
At this point, your house probably stinks of onions. I apologize for that.
Add the broth and bring to a slow boil. The soup will seem relatively thick at this point. Then, add the Madeira. Return to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and let simmer for 40 minutes. Make sure you partially cover the pot so the yummy flavor stays in there. Stir and taste occasionally to adjust flavor.
Slice and toast the bread until just crunchy. I prefer big, beefy slices of bread, but this is a personal preference thing. Place in oven-safe clay or porcelain bowls (if you have any bowls with handles, well, that's even better).
Pour a big spoonful or two of soup over the bread. Top with a slice of cheese and place in a toaster oven. I used the toaster-setting and toasted the soup until the cheese was melty and bubbly. Microwaves work, too. You could also put the bowl under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Yummy. Here's to keeping resolutions!
Anyway, I made this amazing pot of French onion soup tonight, and during the process I thought to myself: "This is something Bobby Elvis would do for the boys in the club house. He's a worldly guy...he probably tries to expose the guys to as many different dishes as he knows how to cook."
So, here's my recipe. I'd like to think it's something Bobby would throw together. And, in the spirit of Bobby's enthusiasm for organic foods, I used as many organic ingredients as possible.
Ingredients (for six to eight servings)
1 1/2 pounds organic sweet onions (about two large).
1 big tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons organic sweet cream butter
1 heaping tablespoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
3 heaping tablespoons flour
2 quarts organic broth (I used a quart of vegetable broth and a quart of onion/beef broth)
1/2 - 3/4 cups Madeira (or other dry California white wine)
Organic Jaarlsburg cheese (Swiss or Parm work, too)
A loaf of organic French bread (day-old okay)
Instructions
Peel and slice onion to your preferred thickness. Steam on low in a covered, four-quart soup pot or saucepan with the butter and olive oil for about 15 minutes. If the onions start to brown too quickly (which it may do if you sliced it thinly), turn the heat down a little.
Add the sugar and salt to the onions. The salt is for flavor and the sugar (also a little for flavor) helps the onions brown evenly. On mid-to-low heat, cook the onions slowly until they are a golden brown. They may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on onion thickness.
When the onions are a golden, carmelized brown, add the flour. I know this sounds strange, but trust me...it's all part of the process. Stir until the flour is absorbed.
At this point, your house probably stinks of onions. I apologize for that.
Add the broth and bring to a slow boil. The soup will seem relatively thick at this point. Then, add the Madeira. Return to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and let simmer for 40 minutes. Make sure you partially cover the pot so the yummy flavor stays in there. Stir and taste occasionally to adjust flavor.
Slice and toast the bread until just crunchy. I prefer big, beefy slices of bread, but this is a personal preference thing. Place in oven-safe clay or porcelain bowls (if you have any bowls with handles, well, that's even better).
Pour a big spoonful or two of soup over the bread. Top with a slice of cheese and place in a toaster oven. I used the toaster-setting and toasted the soup until the cheese was melty and bubbly. Microwaves work, too. You could also put the bowl under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Yummy. Here's to keeping resolutions!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
SAMCRO Resolutions: 2010
I know, I know....resolutions.
But there's something to be said for resolutions that may be fairly easy to keep, given enough inspiration and the occasional reminder. Thus, I present to you my list of Sons of Anarchy inspired resolutions. Note, there is nothing here about losing weight or quitting my somewhat embarrassing chocolate habit.
1. Share the road. If anything, Sons of Anarchy is a great reminder for those of us cagers out there to keep our eyes open for our fellow motorists on two (or three) wheels.
2. "I accept that." My new mantra for the year 2010, inspired by our two-fingered friend Chuckie. I'm not known as the most flexible person in the world, so my next resolution for the year is to be willing to accept the things I can't change and learn to live around them.
3. Bake lots of banana bread. What better way to show the people you love how you feel than to bake them banana bread? Or buy them fresh, organic muffins. I wonder if Bobby's recipe is posted anywhere.
4. Be fierce. Granted, I just said that I'm going to "accept" those things I can't change...but I'm not going to back down from the things I can and know I should. This includes standing up to power-tripping administrators and wrong-doers.
5. Take one for the team. In times like these, sometimes we need to consider the bigger picture. We need to think about our wider role in the system, rather than our place at the center of it. So, here's to putting aside some of my own wants and desires this year in the name of a greater good. This is my shout out to you, Juice and Otto.
6. Embrace diversity. This is a given, and I'm mostly good at it (I hope). However, there's always room for improvement. Here's my effort this year: porn stars are people, too. However much I want to do what Gemma/Tara did to their cars at CaraCara....it's better to befriend than cause extensive damage that requires expensive repairs and filling out painful insurance claims.
7. Care for my community. I love where I live - I love the weather, that there are no drive-thrus, that I have a thriving downtown to stroll and that all of the big box stores are on the outskirts. This is a resolution to be a more active member of my community, to speak out when I don't like where someone wants to take it, and to use my voice and my wallet as forms of activism. We don't have a chapter of the SoA in our town, so we need to look after ourselves.
8. Stay out of prison. Let's face it, a stay in prison has more minuses than pluses. Sleeping in a cell designed for four with twenty other folks just isn't my idea of a pleasant time. I enjoy my privacy too much and don't fancy getting shived for not being in the right group. I've had good luck with this one so far, so let's hope this is another successful year. And, really, orange just isn't my color.
9. Keep out of the ATF's radar. Yeah...Agent Stahl is one scary bitch. I don't plan on doing anything that would attract someone like her to my quiet little corner of the world. Therefore, I shall not be making any nefarious arrangements with scary underground groups.
10. Be a good listener. Here's to really listening to people. Here's to trying to understand what someone else is trying to say instead of formulating a response based on what I think they are saying, or try to solve their problem before they've even asked for advice (and maybe don't even want any). We've all done it...and it isn't very helpful. I resolve to be a good and careful listener. That's really what people want: someone to listen.
11. Forgive.
But there's something to be said for resolutions that may be fairly easy to keep, given enough inspiration and the occasional reminder. Thus, I present to you my list of Sons of Anarchy inspired resolutions. Note, there is nothing here about losing weight or quitting my somewhat embarrassing chocolate habit.
1. Share the road. If anything, Sons of Anarchy is a great reminder for those of us cagers out there to keep our eyes open for our fellow motorists on two (or three) wheels.
2. "I accept that." My new mantra for the year 2010, inspired by our two-fingered friend Chuckie. I'm not known as the most flexible person in the world, so my next resolution for the year is to be willing to accept the things I can't change and learn to live around them.
3. Bake lots of banana bread. What better way to show the people you love how you feel than to bake them banana bread? Or buy them fresh, organic muffins. I wonder if Bobby's recipe is posted anywhere.
4. Be fierce. Granted, I just said that I'm going to "accept" those things I can't change...but I'm not going to back down from the things I can and know I should. This includes standing up to power-tripping administrators and wrong-doers.
5. Take one for the team. In times like these, sometimes we need to consider the bigger picture. We need to think about our wider role in the system, rather than our place at the center of it. So, here's to putting aside some of my own wants and desires this year in the name of a greater good. This is my shout out to you, Juice and Otto.
6. Embrace diversity. This is a given, and I'm mostly good at it (I hope). However, there's always room for improvement. Here's my effort this year: porn stars are people, too. However much I want to do what Gemma/Tara did to their cars at CaraCara....it's better to befriend than cause extensive damage that requires expensive repairs and filling out painful insurance claims.
7. Care for my community. I love where I live - I love the weather, that there are no drive-thrus, that I have a thriving downtown to stroll and that all of the big box stores are on the outskirts. This is a resolution to be a more active member of my community, to speak out when I don't like where someone wants to take it, and to use my voice and my wallet as forms of activism. We don't have a chapter of the SoA in our town, so we need to look after ourselves.
8. Stay out of prison. Let's face it, a stay in prison has more minuses than pluses. Sleeping in a cell designed for four with twenty other folks just isn't my idea of a pleasant time. I enjoy my privacy too much and don't fancy getting shived for not being in the right group. I've had good luck with this one so far, so let's hope this is another successful year. And, really, orange just isn't my color.
9. Keep out of the ATF's radar. Yeah...Agent Stahl is one scary bitch. I don't plan on doing anything that would attract someone like her to my quiet little corner of the world. Therefore, I shall not be making any nefarious arrangements with scary underground groups.
10. Be a good listener. Here's to really listening to people. Here's to trying to understand what someone else is trying to say instead of formulating a response based on what I think they are saying, or try to solve their problem before they've even asked for advice (and maybe don't even want any). We've all done it...and it isn't very helpful. I resolve to be a good and careful listener. That's really what people want: someone to listen.
11. Forgive.
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