Not sure when this turned into a food blog, but that seems to be what I’m working on lately. And since the fabulous Juliana is requesting pumpkin recipes (and since I didn’t get around to making my chili today after all), that’s what you’ll get…

A friend passed this along to me a few years ago, so I’m not sure of the source. I also tend not to measure much, and I can say that the only time I’ve ever screwed this one up is when I added too much pumpkin and didn’t balance it out with extra spices. So really, everything is approximate and spice to taste. Also, I’m writing this from memory so forgive the lack of exact step-by-step directions.

Pumpkin Soup

4+ cups broth
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 15oz can pumpkin
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 chopped cooked potato (optional, to thicken)

Directions

1. Saute onion and celery for about 5 minutes in a bit of olive oil.
2. Add half the broth and spices (and potato, if you want). Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Take off heat and puree in blender or food processor.
4. Return to heat, add the rest of the broth and stir in pumpkin.
5. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

I usually end up adding extra vegetables and with about 6 cups of broth by the end. It’s pretty hard to screw this one up, as long as you don’t burn the onions.

Mirrored from December Project. Comments are preferred there.

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1351#4460

Gee, I guess there just aren't enough vegan cupcakes in the naked city.

[Read Gluten-free, Vegan Cupcakes? Easy: OMG Delivers Directly to Your Mouth| More from frank language]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1353#4459

Yeah, I walked by there today and it was still open, so I thought the rumor was unfounded. Fuck�and they were doing so well, I thought. They were the only truly vegan-friendly Indian restaurant around. Fuck.

[Read Farewell, Madras Café| More from frank language]

Friday Night Lights

( spoilers )

***

White Collar

This episode was full of "Hey it's that guys!" ( spoilers )

***

pet peeve of the day:

it's spelled PER SE. It means by, in, or of itself : as such : intrinsically. not PER SAY, which is just WRONG. If you don't know how to spell it, DON'T USE IT. Because spell check is not going to pick that one up.

Whew. I feel better now.

***

I barely managed to stay awake on the subway coming home tonight, so I took a long nap, but I am still all sleepy. I am very much looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

***

This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/91247.html. people have commented there.

octopon - Pirates of DarkWater fandom asylum. Completed!

gotham_gazetteCompleted!</i>

vagrant_story - Vagrant Story fandom asylum. WIP; will be deleted unless more interest is shown.

And,

Please feel free to join commedia; a personal project of mine, aiming to review and analyze comics (and other selected media) that feature DC Comics' The Joker.

It is currently a WIP because I am still going through my 500+ hardcopy!issues collection. I do not download torrents/scans.

I'd like to point out that currently I have two polls up for debate, as can be seen here explaining two routes the asylum's project can take. IE: spoiler free reviews, spoilerific reviews, and whatnot. =) Otherwise, the FAQ and The Rules are already up. The tags/memory post is still a WIP.

I am also open to affiliating with other comic book and/or Batman related asylums, except for RPGs.

The Man is watching SGU, and I'm in the living room on a work break, so I'm seeing parts of it, too.  This has happened before, I've caught parts of it while he watches, and it's mostly been boring with sides of skanky, though every time Greer is on doing the "Mad Dog" character (or whatever inappropriate thing it was they chose to call the black character), I wince.  Watching Ming Na's character be a cowardly bitch has been less than enjoyable, too.  (Now we know what the "context" will be that they claim will make what they'll do to her all a-okay!  She's a bitch and she deserves it!  *gags*)  But from what I've seen in tonight's episode, just half an episode, I'm beyond appalled.  The way they treat women on this show is HEINOUS.  I can't believe anyone watches this show and enjoys it who thinks of herself as a feminist, even remotely.  YES, I said it and I'm not taking it back.  TPTB are deliberately presenting their beloved young male demographic with these disgusting abuses of women as titillation, completely unapologetically. Seriously, people, this is wrong, and Syfy needs to hear how we feel about it. 

DO NOT comment to me about how you really don't think it's so bad.  Really, don't.  If I know you, I'd like to think better of you than that.  If I don't, I guarantee I won't want to if you say that here.

Okay, so yeah. We went to see Zombieland tonight. I was 500 words shy of daily quota (but am still ahead by nearly half of tomorrow's, thanks to yesterday's push,) and I decided that I wanted a real, grown-up date, with dinner out, and nice drinks, and, apparently, zombies.

It was laugh out loud, ridiculously funny, that movie. Predictable leik whoa, and probably the closest America will ever get to a zombie movie in league with Sean of the Dead. Zombies come from eating mad cows, apparently. Who knew?

Look, this movie isn't gonna change anybody's life, but it will make you guffaw at Woody Harrelson fan-humping *Secret Stealth Celebrity Cameo who's name I am withholding*'s leg in an epic geek-out moment. Or the four-gun funeral salute, with pause in the middle to reload the double-barrel. Or the Purel scene. Or the squeaky nose.

I'm just sayin.

And I'm also sayin, for a movie in which The Rules Of Survival play such a prominent role, how the HELL is it that when the Hummer rolls up on the gates of Pacific Playland, and pushes gently through as twilight gives way to dusk, Dominus and I were the ones who leaned over to each other and murmured "Rule one: Don't go at night. Rule two: Don't go alone. Rule three: Save the last bullet for yourself." Sadly, none of those rules made an appearance in this film. Though they should have done, as they were all broken at one point or another.

Still, I believe I will officially add Zombieland's rule two to the list from now on, as it bears keeping in mind.
Double tap. Always double tap.

I was looking for statistics* about same-sex marriage opposition when I ran across this precious article posted back in June. (Warning for extreme sexism and various other acts of privilege.)

The author--Sam Schulman--goes on at length about what he objects to about same sex marriage, and what he thinks marriage really is. Bolded sections are emphasis added.

The relationship between a same-sex couple, though it involves the enviable joy of living forever with one's soulmate, loyalty, fidelity, warmth, a happy home, shopping, and parenting, is not the same as marriage between a man and a woman, though they enjoy exactly the same cozy virtues. These qualities are awfully nice, but they are emphatically not what marriage fosters, and, even when they do exist, are only a small part of why marriage evolved and what it does.

Got that? It's important. He's tackling the key issue of what is marriage, which is absolutely crucial to any non-religious discussion of and why same-sex couples can't have it. Brace yourself... 'cos he hits the same conclusion about "traditional marriage" that I got, only he thinks it's a good thing.

Marriage, whatever its particular manifestation in a particular culture or epoch, is essentially about who may and who may not have sexual access to a woman when she becomes an adult, and is also about how her adulthood--and sexual accessibility--is defined.

Marriage is not about raising children, or living together and sharing resources, or being a unit in the community. Marriage is about female sexuality--and the control thereof. In case that wasn't obvious from his earlier quotes, he makes sure you understand:

This most profound aspect of marriage--protecting and controlling the sexuality of the child-bearing sex--is its only true reason for being, and it has no equivalent in same-sex marriage.

He also points out that "A same-sex marriage fails utterly to create forbidden relationships." He seems to think they are important--nay, mandatory, because, "without social disapproval of unmarried sex--what kind of madman would seek marriage?" He then goes on to talk about the "kinship" that marriage creates:

Even in modern romantic marriages, a groom becomes the hunting or business partner of his father-in-law and a member of his clubs; a bride becomes an ally of her mother-in-law in controlling her husband. There can, of course, be warm relations between families and their children's same-sex partners, but these come about because of liking, sympathy, and the inherent kindness of many people. A wedding between same-sex lovers does not create the fact (or even the feeling) of kinship between a man and his husband's family; a woman and her wife's kin.

This kinship is important to him--he says

In a world without kinship, women will lose their hard-earned status as sexual beings with personal autonomy and physical security. Children will lose their status as nonsexual beings.

That latter seems like a bit of a red herring, and he doesn't explain it well. But it does tie into some of his other points, about marriage and illicit sexuality and the importance of at least giving lip service to the idea of virginity.

Marriage, to him, is all about men getting access to women's sexuality, and since same-sex marriage turns that concept on its head, it is wrong.And he doesn't even spend much time grumbling about the "wrongness"--he's bitching about how the inevitible failure of same-sex marriage (because marriage can't survive without illicit sexuality and forced kinship) will destroy the last vestiges of men-owning-women marriage.

Umm.

Yay?



* Stats: Specifically, I was trying to find out if the opposition splits equally along gender lines, or if more men oppose same-sex marriage than women. Any relevant research info would be welcome.

This entry is crossposted at http://elf.dreamwidth.org/280002.html. You can comment there with OpenID from your LJ or IJ account. Comments so far:

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SuperVegan/~3/u6_XZIdTWeE/entry.php

The latest episode of the popular mainstream Fox TV show "Bones" featured an animal rights/veg story line. Entitled "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken," it's surprisingly jam-packed with info and intelligent discussion. Centered on a murder at a poultry processing plant, footage and info on how chickens are treated were shown, including video of the debeaking of newborn chicks. It isn't all blood 'n' guts (they show those images only briefly), there is an emotional discussion between characters on the ethics of saving one pig from slaughter. Animal activists are also part of the story line. But that's enough. I won't spoil it...

I have decided to start a temp agency. If you are looking for work or looking for prospective hires, you may want to check out this post over on LJ. :)

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4458

my god, some vegans are the worst nightmare of veganism. i rather have "half assed" people who have an impact than "the right kind of vegans" who just put people of with their purity and self-righteousness. when will we learn?

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4457

While I am frustrated by what I perceive to be JSF's initial wishy-washiness on actually committing to going veg in the first place--and now with going vegan--I gotta give him credit for taking on that blowhard Anthony Bourdain, who is the actually far more of an "enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit" than me and my fellow vegans. See the original quote here: http://veganbits.com/anthony-bourdain-is-not-a-vegan/
And the run-in occurred on Larry King Live. Here's an interview with JSF describing what happened: http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/60160/

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Veganne]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4456

It took me 4 years to go vegan - I was "just" a vegetarian that time, and yes, all that time I knew that there's more suffering in every glass of milk and every carton of eggs than a chunk of veal. Does it mean that during that 4 years I was "a poser" and shouldn't have been speaking up for animals?

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Patrick Kwan]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4455

Thanks for this article -- I'm disturbed by some of the resentment against JSF. I don't want to see veganism remain fringe. I'd like to see it go mainstream.

Moving people in the right direction is better than not moving them at all, or telling them it's all or nothing. 17 years ago I went vegetarian and 1 year later I was vegan -- I didn't go from 0-60MPH and neither did most other vegans I know.

JSF is definitely reaching a wider audience. He's making people think about the issues. He's making people think about their food choices. He's making people look at a problem most can easily avoid. I wouldn't give a fig if he was a cattle rancher from Montana -- if he can can make people confront an issue that is well hidden from the spotlight, kudos to him.

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?]

For those of you confused by the subject line, the Celtic Pagan New
Year, Samhain, just occurred on Oct 31 :-)

I mentioned briefly in another post that the celebrations I attended
were lovely - a good gathering of people to renew our friendships and
enrich our spirits. Friends Misal and the Pyrate wrote a great ritual
for Samhain, with interesting food for thought that I felt was
especially thinky for the writers out there; especially considering
the time of year it is for us. With NaNo and all the variations
inspired by NaNo and with Yuletide and the other holiday fic exchanges
looming, this is in a way, the New Years for fan writers.

The metaphor they used was seed planting:

There were seeds you planted that flourished and produced a good crop
--Was that because you were diligent and found the right seed,
watered, weeded and checked with your local extension service for
advice on pests and diseases? (Or in our terms, researched your source
material, kept up with your word counts, ruthlessly edited and took
the advice of your betas.)

or
--Was it because you picked something easy to grow that would come up
whether you watched it or not? (or in our terms, did you dash off a
flash fic or a PWP that were bound to be crowd pleasers.)

There were seeds that were planed and failed.
--Was it because you chose something challenging and lost interest?
--Was it through no fault of your own and the elements (or real life)
worked against you?

There were seeds that you did not plant at all
--Did you think that there were already too many things to do?

It doesn't matter all what the answers are, because another year has
past and the harvest is in. No way to improve the word counts for this
year. All that's left is to think of what you want the coming year to
be like.

Namaste!
--

It may not shock you to learn that after six months of intense RPG action, the Askworld kids have kept in contact. Because we both work for nonprofit agencies, snaxcident and I tend to have the occasional "Hey, NFPs could use this!" moment, which I swear is all that I intended when I sent an innocent email...that prepared me for WORLD DOMINATION.

( Canadians fucking love webinars. )

Between this and getting metaquoted last night, my conquest of the internet continues apace.

So, a lot of you asked for the recipe for/location of the peppermint-tea ice cream. WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN!

Basically all the ice cream I make comes from one recipe.

( Universal Ice Cream Custard Base )

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4454

i find him not being vegan puzzling too, but again, he hasn't had this information for a long time, he's not defending non-veganism with some argument he's crafted, and he's obviously open to the idea. he said it's "where he wants to be" or something like that.

seeing him speak, in the context of the bigger issues he was talking about, whether or not he had cut out the last eggs and dairy from the local farm he says he gets them from seemed pretty far down on the list of important things to talk about. and i think this because he has not said veganism isn't the goal. if he was saying veganism was a bad idea or he had no intention of ever going there, i'd be way more concerned than i am with someone who is clearly on the path. weren't we all in different places on this path?

our concern with personal behavior (with one single person's personal behavior) over the bigger issues he's talking about bother me. if we ask him why he's not vegan in a room full of non-vegans, is that a better question than "can you explain how the slaughtering of animals from the "friendly" farms varies or doesn't vary from the slaughter of factory farms?" which one gets useful information into the room and which one scratches our personal itch?

if NBC news did a week long special report covering exactly what foer is covering, would we be celebrating or would we be concerned whether the whole news division had given up every animal product in their diet?

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=727#4452

Glenn Beck left CNN for FOX in 2008. This article was written March 25, 2007. Do your own research.

[Read Glenn Beck on Steakhouse Liberals| More from Laura Leslie]

On any asylum, you should always read their info first for rules and any regulations. :)
(Please note that all asylums listed below have been around for a good while; these are not new.)

graphix - A great graphics asylum that offers making and posting of many types of graphics.
NOTE: We currently are in need of active makers, please help!

ijelite - Another great graphics community that offers icons and all sorts of graphics.

christians - A place for Christians and non-Christians alike to discuss the Christian faith, prayer, and problems.
NOTE: Need active members; please join us!

iconism - An icon only asylum.
NOTE: Sister asylum of graphix.

hardball - Want to debate? This is the place to do it. Please read rules before posting/commenting.

addme - A place to find friends to add!

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4451

Foer openly criticizes Michael Pollan in "Eating Animals" for doing just that - eating animals - and having little to no regard for the animals themselves (regardless of how nicely or locally raised they were). Foer distills the reasons Pollan and others eat animals down to an irrational choice of taste. So, in addition to praise from animal rights/vegan peeps for the book, Foer opens himself up to criticism from that community on the same grounds - taste and a blindspot of committed consideration for the animals used to produce eggs and dairy (no matter how nicely raised...). Asking him about veganism is a totally legitimate question.

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Cat Clyne]

HEY GUYS

WE SURVIVED THURSDAY

And now I have freshly made peppermint-tea ice cream in the freezer, and fresh bread for gashouse eggs for dinner tonight.

And I'm hauling a bunch of stuff home from work so I get to take a taxi, and tomorrow I'm going to the Art Institute (!!) to see the exhibit of Caldecott book art and the Victorian photocollage and the freshly opened Apostles Of Beauty.

And it's member discount week, so I am going to treat myself to the fancypants restaurant instead of the cafeteria for lunch. I love the fancypants restaurant!

*MAKES RESERVATIONS LIKE A MOFO*

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=727#4450

Glenn Back is not on CNN. Glenn Beck is on FOX. Do a little fucking research.

[Read Glenn Beck on Steakhouse Liberals]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4449

I (obviously) think it would be great if he became vegan and thus followed the logical conclusion of the powerful argument he is making (and my feeling is that he will at some point). But either way, he is reaching a lot of people and making them think about these issues for the first time, and that's great. Ultimately, people have to draw their own conclusions from the facts, and he is giving them the means to do so in a very powerful way. I understand the frustration with his emotional and narration-based approach, but he is, after all, a writer, and he does in this book what he does best - telling a story. I appreciate someone like him putting his incredible talent to work for our cause, and I believe that he wouldn't be anywhere near as affective in his approach if he tried to do it any other way.

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4448

"Hooten is the right kind of vegan" means I like and respect how Josh approaches and relates to veganism and animal liberation. It's an endorsement of his authority and the worthiness of pasting in that giant quote from him.

To muddy this whole matter, Foer was quoted in the Globe and Mail yesterday saying "I don't eat eggs or dairy, but my kids do. I don't think it's fair to ask a three-year-old not to have birthday cake at parties." Assuming he wasn't misquoted, he's either oversimplifying for a mainstream press interview or has emphatically changed his diet since Drummond interviewed him. (My bet's on the former.)

(Thanks to reader Ryan for bringing this to my attention via Twitter.)

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Jason Das]

* 3,000 words today. An entire action scene. I am exhausted, but I still rock.

* I officially adore Hairy Meg. I predict I may have trouble keeping her from upstaging the main characters if she keeps on being so very awesome.

* Cat piss flouresces AK green under blacklight. This has led to some innovative, and infuriating revelations around Mandala House this week.

* No, I have NOT checked to see what other bio-fluids flouresce, thanks, I've been writing, like a good girl!

* Forgot to remind Allyson to come and visit tonight. Woe. Although solitude did contribute to wordcount win, so... *shrug*

* saw Chiropractor. Made The Noise. Now have fierce adjustment headache. (And am planning to raid the final hold-outs from last year's broken-shoulder painkillers, so I'll be able to sleep through it while my neck and back get used to things being where they're meant to be again.)

* Am suspicious that the writers of Criminal Minds are setting out to deliberately nail each and every one of Clue's personal squick-triggers this season. *Huddles under the bed, shielding eyes with fists, and rocking quickly back and forth. There might be keening as well...*

* Brother Godric wishes it known that he is not a fan of NaNoWriMo, as it drastically cuts down the availability of lap and pettins.

* I have a venus flytrap. Alas, I no longer seem to have any fruit flies infesting my kitchen for said flytrap to trap. Hamburger will do for now, I suppose.

* And now, to bed. More words tomorrow. Avaunt.

I did have things to say about Bones, but I don't remember what most of them were. ( spoilers )

***

Supernatural: Changing Channels

( rambling about the episode, with spoilers )

I will probably have more thoughts tomorrow.

( spoilers for next week's preview )

Oh, also, here is Matt Roush's review of the episode. (Spoiler: he really liked it.)

***

Damn, I totally didn't realize that the parade tomorrow is going to fuck with my commute (or my walk to the office after the subway, anyway). Maybe I will sneak out of work and try to see some of it. I did in 1996, when I worked down on Wall St. (I mean, I literally worked in a building on Wall St., not that I worked in the financial industry at that time.) and it was kind of awesome, even though they are not my team. Hmm...

***

This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/91064.html. people have commented there.

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4447

Thanks Cat, I see it now. In Katie Drummond's interview, JSF says: "Even now, I still sometimes eat dairy and eggs � never at restaurants, but at home, from a farmer I know, maybe."

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Vegan Maven]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4446

See what he says about veganism in Drummond's interview of him (scroll down), which Jason referenced above: http://trueslant.com/katiedrummond/2009/11/02/eating-animals-jonathan-safran-foer/

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Cat Clyne]

http://www.supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1360#4445

The journey from ovo-lacto-vegetarian to vegan works differently for each person. My route to being vegan came when I finally really understood about abuse of animals that is continually perpetrated by the egg and milk industries. Once I got to this point of "understanding", I saw how much of a hypocrite I'd been in condemning animal abuse whilst still condoning it by my consumption of eggs and dairy products. I wrote a blog post about this journey called "Are Vegetarians Hypocrites Or Was I The Only One? ("http://veganmaven.com/blog/are-vegetarians-hypocrites-or-was-i-the-only-one").

As for JSF, I am about a quarter way through his book and, to me, his writing style and the evidence he provides results in a compelling argument for veganism that many in the mainstream will read and relate to. I think it has the potential to make a significant contribution for the cause of veganism. However, I agree that it is inconsistent (and a bit puzzling) that he would write this powerful stuff and then not go vegan himself.

I'm curious, does anyone know what is he still doing/eating that makes him vegetarian rather than vegan? (Has he said that he is still consuming eggs/dairy/honey; wearing fur/leather/wool, etc?) I'm really asking, how far along his "transition" to becoming vegan is he?

[Read Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?| More from Vegan Maven]