Recipe Thursdays--a New Beginning

Hey there,

I'm thinking Thursdays will be "recipe share day" in the new year. So, I figure why not start the week before, while it's on my mind! I get requests for this particular recipe all.the.time, and I always honor them. This is not a secret recipe, nor is it my own---I got it from my mother, and she got it from someone else. I've made it a million times over, and each time it varies (that is to say, if at first you don't succeed with these, do try again!)!


"Chocolate Drop (a.k.a. "Crack") Cookies"

Ingredients:
1 stick of vegan margarine
2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk (I use soy--SILK--but whole milk also works)
1/2 (heaping) cup creamy peanut butter (I really like using natural PB)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2.5-3 cups quick oats (cheaper brands work best in my experience)

Instructions:
In a steel pan (no teflon) melt butter over low heat (be careful to not melt it too fast or over high heat because it will dry out the mixture). When melted add sugar and stir well, then add cocoa and stir well, then add milk and stir well. Turn up heat to "medium" and KEEP stirring---yes, you'll have to stir the whole time. Basically stir until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, then set timer for 1 minute (stirring still). After 1 minute, remove from heat, stir in vanilla and peanut butter (I recommend a heaping helping of peanut butter because I like the flavor it adds to the cookies, but that's me!). After peanut butter is well-mixed in, add the quick oats 1/2 cup at a time. Don't let it get too thick or dry---look while you're mixing the oats in (the oats tend to dry out the mixture, so I usually only do about 2.5 cups, but the original recipe calls for 3).

Spoon onto wax paper (teaspoon/tablespoon sized) and let cool until hard and ready to serve!

Enjoy!

Party Planning Extraordinaire!

If I were planning a party, which I am not, here are a few "vegan" menu items I might include:

• Fresh fruit & veggie tray
• I know this one seems simply and perhaps silly, but let's face it: watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, olives, pickles, celery, and the like are delicious and are always a party hit!
• Olive tapenade
• see my recipe here
• BBQ tofu (maybe on a stick to make it a cleaner finger food)
• recipe forthcoming
• Buffalo seitan
• ok, not finger food but it could be!
• oh, and I suppose I can post the recipe here soon!
• Cowboy cookies
• from my favorite vegan cookie cookbook....I don't know about sharing the recipe--is that illegal?
• "Crack cookies"
• not my name, but named by my friends who insist there is crack in them. 
• They are actually just chocolate drop cookies (or "no bake" cookies), but I make them vegan style!
• recipe forthcoming
• Edamame
• so simple, salty, and tasty!
• Here's a recipe---add some vegetarian parmesian cheese if that's your style!
• Fresh spring rolls
• difficult to make, perfect for the summer time when you can pick fresh mint leaves off the plant, and totally worth it
• recipe forthcoming, with a spicy thai peanut sauce that is to-die-for!

What "vegetarian" or "vegan" style goodies might you try to have at a party for your guests?

Post-Christmas Post

Well hello there,

It's nice to be reconnected. I've had a lovely break--drove to DFW area Texas to see my family and friends, then off to Wichita Kansas to see Dr.Vegan's family and friends, then drove to Kansas City to attend the Chiefs football game (and they won!). We were gone 8 whole days, and it was both lovely and exhausting; we are, needless to say, glad to be home.

Now, I need to get back to writing and blogging!

What did I get for christmas? a couple of books, a necklace, an itunes gift card, a wii fit, a(n ugly) sweater, some socks (I love fancy socks), a beautiful clock, and several other items.  It was a good year!

I should skeee-daddle!! Lots to do!
:)

A recipe to try---Winter Greens!

This recipe is from:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/winter-pasta-recipe.html

Winter Pasta

*substitute whatever pasta you like. 
**spinach can be substituted for the kale. 
***could also be made without the goat cheese, to make it vegan!

4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 small shallots, peeled
**1 small bunch of kale - 1/2 lb / 8 oz, stalks removed, washed well
1/3 cup / 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
***1/3 cup / 2 oz goat cheese, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons + hot pasta water
fine grain sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
fresh lemon juice - optional
*12 oz / 340 g dried penne pasta
fresh thyme - and thyme flowers

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water generously, and add the garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stir in the kale and cook for another ten seconds. Don't overcook. Working quickly, use a slotted spoon or strainer to fish the greens, garlic, and shallots from the water.
Use a food processor to puree the ingredients along with the olive oil and goat cheese. Add a couple tablespoons of hot pasta water if needed to thin things out if needed. Then season with a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste. Depending on your goat cheese, you might need a little extra acidic oomph if your sauce is a bit flat. If so, add fresh lemon juice a bit at a time until you're happy with it the sauce. Set aside.
Reheat the pot of water and boil the pasta per package instructions. Drain and toss immediately with the green sauce. Serve topped with a few pinches of fresh thyme, and more crumbled goat cheese.
Serves 4-6.

Some food links--tried and true or informative possibilities!

A few websites for the readers around the world. :)

This website offered me information that both educated and saddened me: the 8 foods I didn't know contain meat:
http://blisstree.com/eat/8-foods-you-didnt-know-contained-meat/gallery-page/1/#gallery

I love enchiladas--cheesy or not. These are really fantastic and don't require much prep in my opinion. Give them a try--I did, and I loved them!
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spinach-enchiladas/Detail.aspx

For your holiday food prep notes...the things to prepare before you cook the T(of)urkey!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/dining/18mini.html?_r=2&ref=dining

I haven't tried this one yet, but one of my colleagues is planning to make it for this year's holiday potluck, and I'm totally looking forward to it:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/29033-homemade-tofurkey-with-brown-rice-stuffing

Enjoy!
C

Green, White, and Red Lasagna

*Can be vegetarian or meaty
**Can be gluten free; soysage is not gluten free

This recipe is from one of my friends/co-workers, who is a Pampered Chef consultant. Note that this recipe is not mine...it is the property of  (C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2006. It is tasty, tasty, but there is a bit of prep (maybe 30 minutes or so) involved. Additionally note that you can make this without using the Pampered Chef tools noted within the directions---a simply knife and cutting board works as well as the food chopper, for example. :)

Enjoy!
C

Green, White & Red Lasagna
--------------------------
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  lbs (625 g) bulk hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links, casings removed *
• I use “soysage” with a bit of sage seasoning to enhance the taste **
• 1  medium zucchini
• 1  medium red bell pepper
• 1 1/2  cups (375 mL) marinara sauce, divided
• 6  oz (175 g) cream cheese
• I use a full 8oz package, and it works just fine
• 1/2  cup (125 mL) loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• I love basil, so I use closer to a cup
• 2  cups (500 mL) shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
• mozzarella works, too!
• 2  garlic cloves, pressed
• I use the bottled stuff (pan-sauteed), and it's delish
• 1  1-lb (450-g) tube prepared polenta, room temperature
• you can usually find polenta with your "meat substitutes" at your grocer. It might also be with the "italian" ethnic foods. It does not always have to be refrigerated...so, be sure to read the directions

Directions:
1.  In Classic Batter Bowl, microwave sausage on HIGH 5–6 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles halfway through using Mix 'N Chop. Drain using small Colander and Bowl. Blot sausage well with paper towels; return to batter bowl. Meanwhile, coarsely chop zucchini with Food Chopper. Dice bell pepper using Santoku Knife. Add zucchini, bell pepper and 1 cup (250 mL) of the marinara sauce to sausage; mix well.

2.  In Small Batter Bowl, microwave cream cheese on HIGH 1–2 minutes or until soft. Coarsely chop basil. Add basil, 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of the cheese blend and garlic pressed with Garlic Press to cream cheese; mix well. Slice polenta crosswise into four even pieces. Slice pieces with Egg Slicer Plus(R) to create rounds.

3.  Pour remaining sauce over bottom of Deep Covered Baker; arrange polenta rounds over sauce (do not overlap). Scoop one-third of the cream cheese mixture over polenta; spread evenly with Small Spreader. Top with one-third of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers two times.

4.  Microwave, covered, on HIGH 14–16 minutes or until center is hot. Carefully remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend; cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 24 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 85 mg, Carbohydrate 17 g, Protein 22 g, Sodium 1120 mg, Fiber 2 g
 

PC Tip: To prepare in oven, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Cook sausage in (12-in./30-cm) Skillet 4–5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Drain; blot excess moisture and place into Classic Batter Bowl. Proceed as directed through Step 3. Bake, covered, 40–45 minutes or until center is hot.

Recipe compliments of: (C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2006
 www.pamperedchef.com

Picture Taking...

Hey folks,

I've been taking pictures this week in the Kleinau Theatre, my academic departments experimental theatre space, where students and faculty perform their art. I thought I'd share some of my favorites from the shows--this was a double-bill weekend.

From the Current Season linked website

December 2-4th, 2010 Double Bill!

Meat My Package Written and Directed by Anna WilcoxenThis solo performance turns the dominant paradigm on its end and soaks the audience with a reality check. Through themes of queer female sexuality, this show will douse your senses. Bring your umbrella, because it's about to get WET. (WARNING: Mature themes.) 

 

Cutting the Fat

Written and Directed by Brian Healy

Cutting the Fat is a one-person auto-performance dealing with issues of size and identity as read in and against media representations of large men. The performer investigates the relationships between his large body and the societal norms that continue to discipline large bodies. Through this performance, he asks the audience to begin answering the question, how do I fit in?”

Hope you enjoyed the show!

C

Holiday Roast

Last year at christmas, my partner and I found a delicious, local brand of holiday roast (to replace the "turkey" portion of the holiday meal). This year, we went in search of the same product for Thanksgiving, and luckily we found it!

The website for this product is:
http://www.matchmeats.com/index.php

Today, though, my partner sent me a new blog to follow, and I've been perusing it this evening, and she (he?) made the holiday roast from scratch. This recipe also looks so very easy that I think this christmas (if we have an opportunity to cook (we're traveling) or next year (if we don't) I'll make it instead!

:)

Be well...

Monday Madness...

Today I feel like I'm on the fast track to drowning...

• I have reading to do for my Gender and Comm class that is tomorrow afternoon
• I have three prelims questions to write this week, and though some of each of them is written none of them is complete
• I have a major writing assignment to prepare, but thankfully it's not due until next week (and I'm feeling fairly together about it)
• I'm trying to hunt down a slew of books before the December break arrives

However, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving week--a week that we get the entirety off to celebrate here at SIUC. This means that last week when I should have been working, I was spending time with my sweetie, holiday shopping, cooking delicious food, and being generally relaxation focused (before the madness hit!).

Well, guess what!? The madness is here, and it's taking over the next three weeks of my life (and probably yours).

So, today I'm feeling the Monday Madness like never before, and well, I simply wanted to pause to share! For lunch, I had leftover pizza from Quattro's and the final slice of my chocolate pie. What's for dinner tonight? Lemon-pepper tofu with rice pilaf. My tofu has been marinating since yesterday, so I'll post info and directions tomorrow (hopefully!).

C

Southern Fried Tofu

Ok, so it's not the healthiest of meals since it's deep fried, but it enabled Dr.Vegan and I to finish off our leftovers today...

So, since we don't eat meat (i.e. fried chicken), we make fried tofu instead. This is not the asian variety that you might get at your local chinese restaurant....this is breaded and deep fried and delicious (in a different kind of way)!

How do ya make it vegan, southern fried style? Simple.
Something you should know about tofu:
Tofu naturally has water both in the container that holds it and in the tofu--for instance, sometimes I press tofu to get the water out and then marinate it in other things (i.e. soy sauce or lemon juice) to soak up the marinade (not this time, though). As an example, I'll soon post a lemon-pepper tofu recipe!
For Southern Fried:
When you open the container, drain the water out of the container, slice the tofu into squares (size varies, depending on your tastes, but I like them a little smaller than a 1x1 cube so that they get a little crispier), toss them in a flour, salt, pepper (or whatever other dry seasonings you might ordinarily use in a "breading") mixture, and then drop them into your deep fryer (hot grease, of course).
Depending on the age of your grease (that is, how long you've been using it), the breading will be either a light or dark golden brown, but it only takes about 5-7 minutes for this stuff to cook up if your grease is hot before you put it in.
The breading will get crispy and perhaps golden brown, and the tofu inside will be nicely cooked (don't worry, it really doesn't take long for it to cook!)

Serve with your favorite southern style sides (green bean casserole, mashed taters/gravy, etc.), a roll, and some (sweet?) tea, and you've got yourself a meal. This simple recipe is one of the reasons I believe people say "Tofu tastes like chicken." Though I don't agree with the statement, I appreciate the sentiment: tofu can easily replace chicken in one's diet.

"gal"

PS I don't drink sweet tea, but some southerners consider this a staple in their diet!

YAY!

As of last Sunday evening, I have finally completed a draft of the Instructor's Resource Manual I've been writing. I suspect there will be edits to complete, but at least I can effectively move onto the next major task: prelims. Since Sunday, though, I have simply basked in the glory of completion....it feels so good!

In honor of my basking, here're a few pictures from or vegan (except for that Chocolate Pie) Thanksgiving...

Thankful

I realized recently how lucky I am that my mother took the time to teach me to bake my favorite pie: chocolate. So, I'm thinking that today--in honor of a day of thanks-I'll share that recipe...

Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 c sugar
• 12 T flour (these can be a little bit on the "heaping" side)
• 3 egg yolks, separated so that each has its own small bowl for meringue making 
• (or 2 eggs, if not making meringue)
• 3 c (whole) milk
• 3 T cocoa (for chocolate pie, but I also use this recipe to make banana pudding and lemon pie, so I'll note the differences after I wrap this up)
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 T butter

Directions:

• using a copper bottom or stainless steel pan,
• mix dry ingredients
• add one cup of milk and one egg at a time, mixing well for each
• cook on low at first, slowly working your way up to medium-ish heat (you don't want to scorch the milk), stirring constantly (and I do mean constantly)
• mixture is done when you can run your spoon through and the mixture holds its form (i.e. the groove from the spoon stays rather than refills with mixture)
• after it's cooked and ready, add butter and vanilla and mix well
• let cool and then top with meringue (or cool whip or nothing, lol)
• let cool, then eat!

And, it should look something like this!

If making lemon pie: no cocoa; substitute 1/2 c lemon juice and 1 1/2 c water for milk
If making banana pudding: add 6 or 7 bananas (one or two while it's cooking, and the rest for right at the end, with some wafers!); no cocoa

Writing...

I haven't had the opportunity to take many pictures recently, but what I have had time to do is write. I've been writing a couple of things...

I've been writing the Instructor's Resource Manual for my advisor and his writing partner's new textbook (that is officially in print as of Friday the 15th). Now...I just need to finish the IRM. It's not easy, for the record. Writing exam questions is a real booger, especially for a text of this kind. I feel like in some ways it attempts (and maybe this is because of who I am writing for) to debunk the reliability of Multiple-Choice and True-False questions, and yet, in order to sell a textbook, these things have to be included. It's kinda gross (as my friend, the cheese, would say).

I've also been trying to write a fellowship application. This application is awarded based on one's dissertation research that adds to the literature about education issues. I think my dissertation will add to that literature, but before writing it, I'm having difficulties putting into words what it will add. Fun times...

Finally, I'm trying to prepare for my preliminary exams. I think I have written the beginnings of one of my possible questions. I'm going to paste it below.

:)

Happy days...

Possibility:

On a beautiful spring day in May of 2010, one of my instructors invited the class to sit outside during classtime. I had chosen to wear a short skirt that day and therefore was miserably self-conscious; moreover, I was uncomfortable because of the way I had to contour my body to sit without revealing my unmentionables. I wrote the following, in my class notebook, that day:

Sitting on the ground reminds me of the size of my body, a size that I have grown to both have and love over the years—granted, there has been progressively more love than hate. The size of my body, however, has not been accepted (nor loved) by much of western society as beautiful, healthy, or o.k. I know, though, that the curve of my hips and thickness of my thighs are who I am in this space, uncomfortable as I may be physically on the ground.

Earlier the same semester, plus size clothing retailer Lane Bryant produced a television commercial that was “banned” by Fox and ABC during prime programming for shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. Though Fox eventually relented and allowed the commercial, ABC offered that the commercial could be run at a later hour. The argument from the media stated that the advertisement bared too much cleavage to be aired in primetime hours, but the public read an implication that the choice to not run the advertisement was a clear example of weight discrimination.

The media provides television viewers with a barrage of commercials every hour, many of which fuel our consumerist tendencies while also speaking to our cultural expectations and reifying our cultural norms. Commercials address the cultural expectations and stereotypes of women and women’s bodies, in particular beauty norms.

Hart and Daughton (2005) suggested several critical probes that feminist critics might use in order to interpret the “possibilities of a message” (p. 285). For this analysis, I will use the following of those probes (found on pages 285 and 291):

·         In what ways does this artifact suggest that women and men should look, think, feel, behave?

·         In what ways are women and men advantaged or disadvantaged by such portrayals?

·         What does the rhetor present as “the norm”?

·         What intellectual, mythic, or role conventions does the artifact offer?

·         What are the implications of these depictions for men and women (people of different classes, body sizes, sexualities, ethnicities, nationalities, etc.), both in terms of how they see themselves and in terms of how others see them?

Using the constructs of feminist rhetorical criticism, I am interested in analyzing this commercial, the rhetoric surrounding it, and my own lived responses to it.

I disappeared

Hello people...

I disappeared about two weeks ago. Why? Because I'm still not done! When will I ever finish this writing project? I don't know, but I hope soon....there are other things I would like to do, sheesh!

BTW, Dr.Vegan and I popped into Wichita for a weekend about 2 weeks ago for the wedding of one of his cousins (or 2nd cousins, or 1st cousins once removed...you get the point). I drove, he flew--there's something not right about this! So, next weekend, I'm flying to Pittsburgh to go as his date to the wedding of one of our Pittsburgh friends. :)

Hope all is well elsewhere in the world: This girl's gotta write!

C

A week in meals: Looking ahead...

In order to keep me from eating out (and because I'm going to be traveling in a few weeks and don't want to buy food that spoils), I'm thinking I need to plan my meals a week in advance, so here goes for the coming week.

Tonight and tomorrow are football nights, so I'm going easy:
Sunday: buffalo seitan (made my deep frying the seitan and then using the buffalo sauce recipe on the back of a bottle of Frank's sauce--using vegan "butter") & homemade fries!

Monday: Gardein "Crispy Tenders" and veggies

These things are so delicious, I don't even know how to begin talking about them!







Tuesday: lemon-pepper tofu (made by thinly slicing tofu, and pan seering with lemon-pepper seasoning--I sometimes press the tofu for a bit to get the water out, and then let soak in lemon juice for the day beforehand, and that too works for adding lots of lemon-flavor), rice-a-roni long grain and wild rice blend (made vegan), and veggies

Wednesday: I'm having a friend over for dinner, and because I know she misses Tex-Mex as much as me, I think I'm going to make some tacos, black beans, and rice. probably vegan, except for the ability to add cheese.

Thursday: pasta--yum! a little penne with oil and garlic sauce, with broccoli, maybe some vegan bread with garlic baked into it and a little bit of parsely baked on top! And, this is the perfect evening to start with an "appie" of olive tapenade!

Friday: hmmm......I need ideas?!

Just Stuff...

It's week 3 of school, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Here are some of the things/ideas floating around in this head of mine...without pictures.

Whiteness--yes, I took a class this summer, but after a racist chalking incident on campus during the first week, my passion against the oppression of marginalized groups has been reignited.

Violence against women---yes, I chose those words explicitly. Not "gender violence" because I honestly think these two phrases have particularly different meanings. These will be explicated in another post at another time....perhaps when I'm less upset.

Sensationalization--Defined from this free website. To cast and present in a manner intended to arouse strong interest, especially through inclusion of exaggerated or lurid details. I'm interested in having conversations with you because I have you in mind, because you are my friend, because I want to be a part of your friend rankings....not because I want to arouse my own (or any others) personal interest.

Open Learning--not really defined, as much as my own explanation. I've always been interested in creating (in as much as possible) an accessible classroom, for a variety of learning styles and abilities. I believe this is a two-way street, though, in that a teacher can only do so much to engage a student on her/his own. While abilities and styles of learning are very different topics, when talking about the classroom and student engagement, I attempt to create an environment that is open for all bodies...

Equal Rights (Amendment)--in 1923, Alice Paul alongside a variety of strong women, worked to gain the right for women to vote. But, the battle stopped there. Women are still discriminated against in the workplace and therefore wages. In 2010, many women are (still) complacent with this information. I am not.

As the World Turns---please don't go off the air. 1956. Though I was nowhere near my mother's 5 year old uterus during this year, I love this show. I love the performers. I love the storylines. I don't know what I will do after September 17th. Of course, I may have said this after the end of other shows that I was addicted to (a.k.a. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, Angel, Charmed, etc.).

Preliminary Exams--Feminist Pedagogy, Critical Pedagogy, Whiteness, Silence, Autoethnography, Gender and Communication, Rhetorical Analysis. I should probably write these questions.

Organization of time---my time is like *whoa* right now. Lots of it, no management of it. I need to create and follow a schedule. I need to get back to writing my (this) blog regularly. I need to finish this Instructor's Resource Manual. I need to get my Prelims questions written. I need to read for class. I need to get lots of academic work done because someday....I'm going to need (and WANT) a full-time tenure track teaching/research gig!


Happy Tuesday.

Why Vegetarian....

Has it seriously been 2 weeks since I last posted (almost 3)!? I will have to use another posting to update generally...I'm kinda on a rant right now!

I've been getting the "why are you a vegetarian" question a lot lately. Maybe it's that we have a new class of graduate students, who are getting to know me, who want to understand. One of them invited me over for dinner recently, and I accepted, and she made a great little vegetarian dish (what she called polenta pizzas, which consisted of sliced polenta from the role, with a little bit of spaghetti sauce and a little bit of cheese on top, baked for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees-they were delicious little bites!)---of course, she also made a meatier, hardier something-or-another for herself, so that was kinda weird for me. I mostly want for people to not go to super-huge efforts to make two separate meals when cooking for me, but she's also on a gluten free diet, so I get the feeling that she's used to it!

Anyways, when I get the question, I never quite know what to say. Of course, I want to say I do it because I want to be an ethical eater, because I care about animals and their lives, because I care about sustainable environments about eating local and fresh and the like.

But, mostly I don't eat meat because when I did eat it, I felt like poo!

Of course, I also carry these other reasons in my heart because my partner, my husband, my love is a vegan, and I want to respect him in our household and at our dinner table. Vegan, though, is a different story. I just don't know that I could do it. I suppose I have considered it, AND when he's cooking, I can definitely do it (minus the late night ice cream snack!). But, on my own, it's harder for me to do...

Interestingly enough, the Speaker's Forum topic this semester is "Do we eat ethically!?" And, I gotta say, I'm super excited about it! The Speaker's Forum is one of the events my department uses to invite students (undergraduates) to engage in civil discourse, by presenting a public speech to a broader audience. It's also a good way to recruit undergrads to our department, and with Illinois' budgetary crisis at the moment, our department (all departments) are interested in recruiting students to ensure we don't get cut too badly! I'm hoping that even I can learn a little something this year, given my already blooming interest in the topic!

This is what I'm thinking about this evening...though, admittedly, I should be reading The Macho Paradox by Jackson Katz for my "Gender and Communication" class.

Happy evening....

Olive Tapenade & Pampered Chef

Dr.Vegan and I registered at Pampered Chef for our wedding---we LOVE to cook! We also love the Olive Tapenade that Starview Vineyards serves. So, today, I decided to merge the two!

Here's how it all started.

fresh loaf of italian bread
about 6 black olives
about 8 green olives with pimentos (for the fun kick)
one clove of garlic (though, it coulda been a little less, teehee)
about 2 T EVOO
and

The PC Chopper!

And....
the finished product:

And, the best part is that it was delicious, homemade, and fresh!

Happy Sunday!

What I learned about Whiteness and Communication....

Grew up in

rural Texas in a

poor

white

uneducated

single-parent

home.

In Carbondale, I

Moved to the

“Graduate

Student

Ghetto”

(a.k.a.

the Comm Studies Ghetto),

“Ghetto,” the image of which has been [the]

source of shame and embarrassment when

spoken outside of

certain black contexts”[i]

Saying I

live in the “graduate student ghetto”

is

problematic.

Living alone, I

lock my doors

when I come home.

“Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

ClickClickClickClickClickClickClick.

The clicking sounds are

always accompanied by nervous gestures and eyes

[eyes] that want to

look but are

hesitant to do so.”[ii]

I don’t

live in the ghetto,

In

a

ghetto.

I don’t live in a

segregated living space

that is the

result of

bias or

stereotyping.

I live

amongst friends,

amongst departmental family,

amongst …

“Whiteness is not

merely an

objective social location entirely

independent of the self, but rather, a

central feature of subjectivity, or

one’s lived, interior self. Whiteness is

learned,

in process,

developed over the modern era and

still developing, but

lived on the inside as well as

attributed to

one’s

external

appearance.”[iii]

“Whiteness is not simply and solely a

legally recognized property interest. It is

simultaneously an

aspect of

self-identity and of

personhood…”[iv]

“Whiteness produced

—and was produced by—the

social advantage that accompanied it.”[v]

bell

hooks

grew up “in the

social circumstances created by

racial apartheid to

all black spaces in the

edges of town…”[vi]

Away from the city center

marks the streets

as dimly lit by the moon,

darkening the luminosity as well as

(in hooks’ description)

marking the

bodies

as
dark.

Like McIntosh, “If I should

need to move,

I can be

pretty sure of

renting or

purchasing

housing

in an area which I can

afford and

in which I would

want

to

live.”[vii]

Moreover, my

white privilege means that

I get to live in a

fairly nice,

well-located

neighborhood and refer to it as

the ghetto, with the

expectation that my

neighbors and friends will

laugh

at the association I’ve made.

“Whiteness

not only points to the

ways in which

colorism

(white as believed to be supremely

beautiful,

untainted,

moral,

good,

intelligent,

civilized, and

lawful)

is the hallmark of

North American racism but also

points to those

phenotypical whites who

make

every

effort to

guard against racist beliefs.”[viii]

As a white body, I

benefit from the

white,

racist

social structure.

“Whites need not

intentionally invest in

whiteness in order to

reap

the

benefits…”[ix]

“By

avoiding

whiteness as a

raced term, whites

effectively

distance themselves from

whiteness as a

governing

racial

ideology

in the United States.”[x]

“Whiteness, after all, is a

master

of

concealment;

it is

insidiously embedded within

responses,

reactions,

good intentions,

postural gestures,

denials, and

structural and material

orders.”[xi]

“In order to

transcend

current

race

relations,

which is a concrete possibility,

we must

first

go through race

in order to

have any

hopes of

going beyond it.”[xii]

Until then,

“as an

antiracist racist

I believe that I should

always

feel

conflicted,

full of contradictions,

never as though I have

“arrived”.”[xiii]

And,

until then,

I will

say “I

live

in the

tree streets

of

Carbondale.”

---

[i] Leonardo, Zeus.  Race, Whiteness, and Education.  NY: Routledge, 2009. Print. (123)

[ii] Yancy, George.  Black Bodies, White Gazes: The Continuing Significance of Race.  Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print. (xix)

[iii] Yancy (x-xi)

[iv] Harris, Cheryl.  “Whiteness as Property.”  Black on White: Black Writers on What it Means to Be White.  Ed. David Roediger.  NY: Schocken Books, 1998.  103-118. Print. (104)

[v] Harris (116)

[vi] hooks, bell.  “Whiteness in the Black Imagination.”  Killing Rage: Ending Racism.  NY: Owl Books, 1995. 31-50. Print. (39)

[vii] McIntosh, Peggy.  “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies.”  Readings in Sociocultural Studies in Education, 2^nd ed. Kate Rousmaniere, Ed.  NY: McGraw Hill, 1995. 189-195. Print. (190)

[viii] Yancy (25)

[ix] Yancy (53)

[x] Yancy (46)

[xi] Yancy (229)                 

[xii] Zeus. (125)

[xiii] Christine Clark, as quoted in Yancy (227)