Puppy Mill Awareness

Image via Wikipedia

In May of 2008, I started a group to educate people in my area about puppy mills.  It is now a 501 (c)(3) charity and we have a website:

www.lvpmwatch.org

I will be posting more about puppy mills and the website will also have more soon…if anyone has questions about puppy mills, please visit the site or ask me!

Glenn Beck – Just Too Funny to Not Post

Glenn Beck

If you can’t laugh at this, I think your funny bone may be broken…

http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=Glenn_Beck

GOP John Boehner Takes Speaker’s Gavel from Pelosi

House of Representatives

It is very disturbing to me that this man is taking over as Speaker of the House…

http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=John_Boehner

Granted, yes, this is a comical site from one of my favorite news sites (Huffington Post), but it does have some reality mixed in with actual facts 🙂

Here’s what NPR had to say…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131052930

I wasn’t completely thrilled with Nancy Pelosi, especially her support of the big bank bailouts, but, anyone is better than John Boehner!  Come on people!!!

Sweet Potato Souffle

While I’m on a sweet potato kick, here’s my receipe for Sweet Potato Souffle…

http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe/62493114/Best-Sweet-Potato-Souffle/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 5-6 Medium Yams
• 1/2 C. Sugar
• 1/3 C. Milk (I use Almond Milk)
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 C. Melted Butter

Topping:

• 1 1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 C. Flour
• 1 C. Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C. Melted Butter

Cube the yams and boil until fork-tender. Mix in butter, eggs, sugar and milk. Pour mixture into an oval casserole dish. Combine topping ingredients with a fork (helps to eliminate lumps) and crumble over top of yam mixture. Bake in 350 for 30 minutes.  I use almond milk, but any kind will work.

Sweet Potato Minestrone Soup Vegetarian Recipe

Hi Everyone,

I know several people want to see some recipes and since I’m a vegetarian, I’ll be posting vegetarian recipes!  Here’s the first one and it is sooo good I make it several times during the cold season…

Sweet Potato Minestrone Soup

3 medium/large yams (orange sweet potatoes)

1 lg can of green beans (with juice) or 1 lb fresh

1 can dark red kidney beans (drained)

1 can light red kidney beans (yes, they do taste different)

1 can canellini beans (drained)

1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 red onion (or your fav flavor onion)

3 cloves garlic

1 med zucchini

1 med yellow squash

5 cubes veggie bouillon w/ 10 cups water

(or 3 cans veggie broth w/ 6 cups water)

sea salt & fresh pepper

2 tbl italian spice blend (I use Pampered Chef)

First I saute the onion and carrots (on med/high heat) in the bottom of  nice big soup pot in water or veggie broth (you can use EVOO too).  Then I cube the sweet potatoes and throw them in with some more water/stock.  I then add the kidney & canellini beans because no one likes crunchy beans in their soup!  I add the rest of the broth or water with bouillon cubes and cook on medium/high heat until I get a nice boil.

Then, I add the zucchini, squash, tomatoes & green beans and reduce heat to simmer (low/medium).  I will add water if necessary, you just have to go by how thick you’d like the soup.  If you add too much, just add more boullion cubes.  I then will add the sea salt (about 2-3 tbl for a big pot of soup) and pepper (to taste).  I always add my garlic towards the end, maybe during the last 20 minutes of simmering so that it doesn’t get bitter (if you overcook garlic, it can taste bitter), plus it’s healthier for you if it’s fresher/rawer.  The soup will be cooking/simmering for a total of bout an hour or so, but the longer you let it sit on low, the better it will taste!  It’s even better the next day, because everything sits in the broth…mmmm!

I got this recipe from All Recipes.com, however, I always end up changing it…http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Potato-Minestrone/Detail.aspx

Enjoy!

Interactive Midterm Election Map 2010

Just found this on NPR if anyone is interested…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130514037

I was disappointed with the PA results, it was so close! Ugh 😦

Why be a Vegetarian?

I have a lot of people ask me why I am a vegetarian, so here are a few reasons:

• I love animals and just don’t want to eat them
• I don’t agree with factory farming in the United States
• I prefer to eat healthier items
• I like to do my part for the environment and eating/buying less meat does my part in the fight against greenhouse gasses
• The grain grown in one year for feeding poultry and cattle in the U.S. could feed the entire world’s poverty population
• I never liked beef or most red meat (had my first steak & hamburger at age 25 and never again since)
• I don’t want hormones, steroids and antibiotics in my system

So, now you know…as for those of you who ask me if I’m vegan or why I’m not, basically I love ice cream and cheese, so I’m too selfish to give those up.  But, I do not drink cow’s milk, I buy almond milk (it’s so good) and I try to only buy yogurt or ice cream that is made organically with no hormones, antibiotics or steroids.

 http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

 http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

Tipping: A Short Blog

Ok, maybe I’m addicted already, here’s another one…

I put myself through college, as many people have, by serving and bartending in various restaurants over the years.  Working as a bartender is easier, most people like or love the bartender, especially a female bartender, however serving is a MUCH different story.

Too many people not only take servers for granted, but they abuse them.  Servers in Pennsylvania only make $2.83 per hour, per hour!!!  Most other states are similar, but this is a ridiculously low minimum wage and it is only because servers work on tips.  Now, I have issues with the minimum wage for servers, but that’s for another blog 🙂

My issue for now is that people do not understand that when they come in with their family (and sometimes bratty kids) for an hour or so for dinner and then leave 10%, that server just worked for about $6-8 and hour.  The work that a waitress has to do is not just bringing food out to a table, it involves having a good personality and the ability to remember who ordered what (even if it’s written down), the skill of being able to carry trays that can sometimes weigh up to 15lbs, the stamina to be able to work hours on their feet, walking quickly back and forth to and from the kitchen and the ability to do all of this, while dealing with rude people and keeping a smile on their face.  This is not an easy thing.

On a side note, if you cannot at least make eye-contact or look at your server at least once while ordering, then don’t bother to dine out.  It is rude to treat people waiting on you as if they do not deserve your attention and respect.  You may also get spit in your soda.

Maybe if everyone had to work a week as a server, they would understand that it is a tough job and the people doing it are NOT well-compensated by their employers, so they rely on the customers to TIP THEM!  A respectable tip for a good server is 20%.  If your server was not good, tell him/her and then tip accordingly, but make sure your issue lies with the server and not the kitchen or restaurant management.  If your food was wrong, sometimes it is a mistake on the part of the kitchen, if the restaurant is short-staffed, that is not the fault of the server.  If you have a server that just goes beyond the call of duty and helped you to have a truly enjoyable dining experience, then show them your appreciation with a nice big tip!

This is interesting:

http://expat21.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-real-reasons-why-lavish-tipping-practices-continue-in-u-s-restaurants/#comment-954

First Blog: Same-Sex Marriage (SSM)

Image via Wikipedia

So, this is my very first blog, ever, so hopefully I don’t disappoint you!  I thought about keeping things light for my first blog, maybe discuss something like “Learn the Right Way to Tip Your Server” or “Why Don’t More People Recycle?”, but I’ve decided to delve right in and discuss the issue of gay marriage.  Maybe because the topic is on my mind with today being election day, but I do have some strong opinions on the matter.

First of all, I am not gay, so unfortunately my opinion does come from a heterosexual female.  However, I do feel that I have a strong understanding (or as much as an outsider can have) of the need for rights and understanding.  It is not just about being recognized as equal, but being recognized as different.  Gays are different and they accept that and embrace it, but should not be denied anything because of that.  Gay rights are always a topic of discussion during election times and many times throughout the year, because they are lacking!

The LGBT community fights constantly for same-sex marriage and other rights, just like blacks fought for their rights in the 1960’s and still today. The civil rights era is not behind us, it is just a struggle more for different people now and it is a shame.  Many people say it is a religious issue, however I find that hard to comprehend.  I, myself, am not a religious person, however I have studied many religions and have learned their stance on same-sex marriage.  Many say that it is “unnatural” or “wrong”, but those religious zealots are not condemning people who enter into marriage and then get a divorce a year later, or those who marry and are not religious at all.  If a person does not see marriage as a religious state, should they be allowed to marry?  The people who use religion as an argument against same-sex marriage tend to cherry-pick from the bible about how wrong it is and what a sin it is to just be homosexual.  These people don’t tell you that the bible also says that it is a sin to eat shellfish or that you should buy slaves from neighboring countries, but these things have all been written by men in a different time.  Times change.  Marriage can mean different things to different people and does not have to be a religious endeavour.

Some people, although I think they are the minority, just feel it is wrong, especially if the couple decides to have children.  I think this is the most stupid argument ever.  There are so many things wrong in this world and two people that actually love each other enough to fight for marriage and then fight to adopt a child are definitely NOT one of those things!  The majority of children that are abused, orphaned or worse, are not from the home of same-sex parents.  Gay marriage shouldn’t even have to be called “Same-sex marriage” or “gay marriage”, it should just be marriage, like any heterosexual marriage.  It is a shame that this has to be an issue that is such a struggle. 

I’m not an expert, I certainly don’t claim to be, so I’m just offering my opinion on this matter.  I have researched this issue in an undergrad class and presented a report with my findings, so I do have some resources if anyone is interested.  I’ll post a few links below:

http://normallemons.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/a-tale-of-two-mommies/#comment-223

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marr.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/gay-marriage

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112448663

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-same-sex-benefits-20101101,0,6867494.story