| Rayne Today Searching for dharma, in spite of the weather...
Grrr. Rrrradio!!! Blogging is still not a plug-and-play experience, at least not using Radio software. I've been trying to update my blog's home page since 5:00 pm ET and it's yet to show up on the Recently Updated list. An entry cross-posted to my home page and a category (What's for Dinner?) shows up on the category page but not on the home page. A new entry on my home page never updated to the home page (although I can see it's added in my editor page). No, I've made no changes to my system today. No, I've added no new software. Yes, I've rebooted today. Twice, once between each of the last two entries. Yes, I've tried to force publishing from the Radio application. Nada. What's up with this? So much for my concern about a lack of blog content to post!!! Even if I had much to post it wouldn't show up! Adding insult to injury is the flakiness of comments today -- anybody else think the Radio comments are awkwardly slow today? Grrrr!!! 8:49:44 PM  comment []
Dear Andrew Sullivan: welcome to the club, babe! Andrew sounds a little piqued today in Salon; he tries to remind us that many gay men are “not "boys," they're not feminized, hairless, fatless icons on a dance floor.” Yeah, I feel your pain, honey. But really. Not all women are those plucked and pampered beauty queens you see on television programming, featured in movies, promoted in advertising, thin as a rail with boobs augmented and hair colored and every digit painted. Most of us are a far cry from the media’s perfect model of femininity, whether we're straight or lesbian. We’re your mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, neighbors, co-workers. We’re legion. And short of Kathy Bates or Rosie O’Donnell, we’re invisible because we’re don’t fit that mold of perfection that will draw men and therefore improve ratings. We’re chubby to zaftig, we’re mediocre to lousy cooks, we don’t do makeup well nor have we gotten a stylish up-do since prom or our weddings. We collect too much country kitsch and sundry chotchkes. We’re driving the butt-ugly but practical mini-van and picking up the kids and dry cleaning. We’re constantly vacillating between moody and loving. We’re not cut or buff hard bodies, but soft like a fresh baked loaf of bread when hugged. Sure, go ahead, shoot me down if you’d like and tell me how much you love those of us who aren’t Barbie dolls. I’ll be sure to point out the success of programming like America’s Next Top Model, and Friends and 90210 and Melrose Place weren't all about the relationships if you ask male viewers. Of course, big, hirsute men do manage to sell air time, as witnessed by The Man Show and Monday Night Football. Maybe it’s just marketing. Yeah. Or maybe it’s those itty-bitty chicks with the big ta-tas jumping on the sidelines or on trampolines or featured in the beer ads that make the difference. Suck it up, Andrew. The reality is this: bears – big, hirsute gay men -- simply don’t sell air time any more than the average all-American woman does. You're going to be invisible, just like us; so what the hell, have another beer on me. With me. comment []
What’s for Dinner: Fresh Tomatoes mean Panzanella The tomato plants in the garden are doing quite nicely; they're getting quite heavy with fruit. A few of the most mature fruits are starting to blush, pinkening about the shoulders. That means I’d better dust off my favorite recipes for fresh tomatoes! One of my favorite meals for a hot summer evening is Panzanella – Italian Tomato and Bread Salad. A local bakery makes a lovely artisanal Italian bread that’s perfect for this dish; it’s heavy and rich, soaks up the juices of the tomatoes without losing its body. Better yet, there is no cooking required for this dish; my kids will help with picking and washing the tomatoes while I cut and assemble the rest of the dish. Panzanella is also very flexible; it can handle many little changes and still be quite tasty. If I’m short on time, I might used a bottled dressing (like Ken's Steak House Italian or Olive Oil Vinaigrette) or perhaps I’ll slip in a few grates of fresh zucchini or some diced bell peppers. Try it out, see what you can do to tweak this dish. --- Panzanella (Italian Tomato and Bread Salad) Serves 8 as a salad; serves 4 as an entrée 5 cups 1-inch bread cubes (French, Italian, country white, whole wheat) ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar ¼ cup lemon juice 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced ¼ cup minced parsley ½ teaspoon salt Black pepper to taste 6 large ripe tomatoes cut into wedges 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice ½ cup oil-cured olives, pitted and coarsely chopped ½ cup fresh basil leaves ½ cup shaved Parmesan If bread is fresh: dry the bread in a 350° F oven on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If bread is day-old, drying is optional. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Fold in the bread, tomatoes, onion, olives, and basil. Toss with the Parmesan. Serve. Notes: If you find you’ve got a lot of Vidalia onions, they’ll work nicely here instead of the red onion. Scallions also work well. You might also want to start with a 1/2 cup of chopped onion the first time you make this dish; add more if you think it needs it. While fresh basil is definitely best, you can substitute a tablespoon of dry basil, adjusting to taste. You may want to add the dry basil to the dressing for better results. Cubes of mozzarella cheese could be added to this salad for a more hearty meal; plan on an ounce of cheese per serving. Try other olives in this salad, too; plain old pitted black olives are quick, easy, and satisfying. If you’d like to put a little Greek spin on this salad, try Kalamata olives along with 4 to 8 ounces of cubed feta cheese and a little oregano in lieu of the basil. For those of us on low carbohydrate diets, cut back on the bread, add peeled and seeded chunks of cucumbers and chunk tuna (grilled leftover tuna is great here!). The cucumber is refreshing and the tuna is a tasty way to increase the protein content. Another option is the BLT salad; try cooking until crisp 1 to 2 strips of bacon per serving, crumble in at the very last, stir in a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise into the dressing, toss all and garnish with chunks of avocado before serving. Serve with a light-bodied fruity red wine. Andiamo! comment []
WARNING: Slow Blogging continues… Content deprivation sufferer here; want to let you know things are going to be a bit slow through the weekend. I’m stymied. I’m thoroughly peeved off at politics, I’m officially a “discouraged unemployed worker”, I’m overwhelmed with household chores and special projects. And my head is still cloudy with the detritus of a week’s worth of discussion on personal growth and development, on the subject of pursuing one’s bliss. The weather is equally cloudy; storm clouds have threatened all morning, thunder rumbling and teasing off and on in the distance west of here. The sky has darkened again, as it did for a brief time this morning. This time it’s more than a threat – a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued. I’ll have to hop off line, tackle my chores and hope for some sort of clarity once the storm has passed. comment []
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