Recipe for Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup
Egg Drop Soup

Nothing is better than a bowl of Egg Drop Soup. At least when it comes to soup.

I remember going to Chinese restaurants as a child and sometimes wishing I could just order a big bowl of the soup. Which would’ve been a bad thing for me as a child due to a childhood egg allergy.

Thankfully, now that I’m all grown up, I don’t have the allergy anymore and I can make a big pot of it anytime I want. Plus, this is possibly one of the easiest recipes I know.

Egg Drop Soup Continue reading “Recipe for Egg Drop Soup”

Life Advice of Sookie Stackhouse: Reviews Club Dead and Dead to the World

Life Advice of Sookie Stackhouse
Life Advice of Sookie Stackhouse
I did it. I read the next Sookie Stackhouse books, both Club Dead and Dead to the World. Yes, yes, despite my outrage at Living Dead in Dallas. My excuses went from already owning it to being sick and wanting to read something that didn’t tax my brain too much.

For those of you following me on Twitter, you might’ve noticed my #LifeAdviceofSookieStackhouse tag. As I read these novels, I couldn’t help but think Sookie was attempting to give me advice on life. Her advice ranged from fashion — mostly due to Harris’ obsession with detailing everyone’s outfits — to boyfriends — write it down when you get hurt due to them — and wisdom passed down from her grandma — situations were even grandma would swear. I find the idea of compiling all of Sookie’s advice, both good and bad, pretty hilarious.

Pearls of wisdom:

On friendship: When you dump a body together, that creates a bond.

On playing hostess: When hosting a vampire, he’ll love watching Buffy: the Vampire Slayer on tape.

On lust: If there was an international butt competition, Eric would win hands down — or cheeks up.

On fashion: Ash green tracksuits can be prim-but-sexy when accompanied by a bow in your hair & beaded sneakers.

On patriotism: Bad should be stopped; bad should be overcome. That’s the American model.

On feminism: A woman — any woman worth her salt — could do whatever she had to.

But getting back to the books: Spoilers ahoy Continue reading “Life Advice of Sookie Stackhouse: Reviews Club Dead and Dead to the World”

Visibility Matters: Queering the Census

Pride Flag by John Carleton
Pride Flag by John Carleton
Like most college freshman, I lived in the dorms paired with a random roommate I’d never met before. My former roommate Chelsea is a nice person. Score one on the freshman roommate lottery. However, Chelsea had grown up in a small town — smaller than our tiny 2,000 student liberal arts college — and I was the first openly queer person Chelsea had met.

(Or at least thought’d she met as one of her close male friends came out later that year. He also pinged my gaydar when he stayed with us to try out for American Idol and hopped into bed with his SpongeBob SquarePants pj bottoms.)

While certainly not a bigot, I felt Chelsea still struggled with having me being an out bisexual and very active with the LGBT group on campus. At least at first. But by the end of the year, Chelsea even came to a few events as an ally and had a great time.

It’s the little things. It’s knowing openly queer people that makes straight people realize the impact when gay rights pop up on the ballot. Knowing that voting affects real people, people you know, is different than the abstract concept of ‘gay marriage’ or ‘hate crimes.’ And this is where the U.S. Census comes in.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is running a campaign called Queer the Census, where they send you a sticker to put on your census envelope. It reads: ATTN: U.S. Census Bureau, It’s Time to Count Everyone! and then there are check-boxes to mark your sexual orientation and/or gender identity, including a box for our straight allies.

My census — but not my sticker — came yesterday. It asks who lives at my address, if we rent or own, name, sex, age, race, if I live here all the time, all the same information about my partner, and how my partner’s related to me.

During the 2000 Census, I remember how surprised many statisticians were about how many people identified as mixed race. I’d love to see the same surprise about how many queer-identified people live in the United States. In my personal experience — likely extremely skewed — the estimation of 1 in 10 has always seemed low to me.

Counting’s important. Not everyone’s out and not everyone can be out. Being queer isn’t something the farmer selling me parsnips at the Farmer’s Market knows by looking at me. But maybe it’d be better if he did know. I am a loyal customer, supporting his business. On the flip side, it’s also nice to say, I am not alone. I am so not alone.

There will be a sticker counting me on my census.

Recipe for Steamed Beet Greens

Beet Greens
Steamed Beet Greens

Beet greens have become a favorite side dish of mine. I’d never had them until this year. Every week, I call my maternal grandparents, and my grandma told me about some beet greens she was cooking for dinner. I didn’t even know you could eat them!

The best greens are early-to-midpoint in the beet season. You want them to have been picked just as they sprout up and when they’re small/medium sized. Unfortunately, later in the season, they get too big and began to lose flavor.

Steamed Beet Greens

Ingredients:

Beet greens
Salt, to taste

Beet greens only need to be steamed. They take maybe 8-10 minutes until tender and edible. Add some salt while their still warm to bring out the flavor.

Q&A: Relationships with Books

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?

Probably the children’s book about the adventures of a tooth fairy and me. Remember those stands in the malls in the ’80s where they’d put your child’s name in the book and print it right there for you. (Wow, 80s technology, that must’ve been annoying at the time.) Anyway, it’s a thin little memento from my childhood.

The oldest book I own is a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was given to me by my great-grandma. I never read it. And keep it more as a family heirloom than anything else.

2. What is your last read, your current read, and the book you’ll read next?

The last book I read was Charlene Harris’ Club Dead, the 3rd book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Currently, I have a stack of comics to read and am part way through Tara Hunt’s The Whuffie Factor, which I’m reading slowly and taking job-related notes on. I’m not really sure what book I’ll be picking up next. I have an entire shelf full of “to-read” books. Continue reading “Q&A: Relationships with Books”

Recipe for Kale Potato Frittata

Kale Potato Frittata
Kale Potato Frittata

Frittata is one of my favorite things to make. It makes as a wonderful breakfast/brunch or dinner. Kind of like an omelet, except I find it more filling. Kale is a great match, both in texture and taste. It really adds something to the egg, onion, and potato mixture. The original recipe, which I’ve made so many times I don’t even look at it anymore.

Kale Potato Frittata Continue reading “Recipe for Kale Potato Frittata”