I grew up on milk three times a day. I don't drink it quite that much anymore, but it's still an important part of my diet.
One milk-based recipe I've been making a lot lately is batido, which is kind of like the Ecuadorian version of a milk shake (batido means beaten). My host mom used to make them for breakfast. Here's the recipe:
Batido de Banana
1 banana
Glass of milk (preferably Bareman's or another MI brand)
3-4 Strawberries, optional
Toss the banana (and strawberries, if you're using them) in the blender and add a few tablespoons of milk. Puree. Add the rest of the milk and hit whip (or frappe, or whatever button on your blender will beat air into your beverage). Allow to beat until frothy. Serve in a tall glass (tiny umbrella optional).
I've tried this with almond milk with good results, if you're lactose intolerant (like Rebecca) or vegan. I'm not sure all milk alternatives would work equally well, since different products will accept different amounts of air beaten into them.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Productive Meeting
Yesterday, Rebecca and I met with our contact at Gone Wired, Colleen, to talk about details related to our commitment ceremony. Our primary goal was to get the schedule worked out so that we can get started on our invitations. Gone Wired has very graciously offered to close for the day so that we can get everything set up in the morning, do pictures in the afternoon, and have the ceremony and reception in the evening. We also decided to have a rehearsal dinner, more because we want to spend extra time with some of the guests than because we actually need to plan who will stand where.
We talked a little bit about the food and the fact that we want to source as much of it locally as possible (there's no way it will all be MI love because of the time of year and our budget, but we're going to make an effort). Our contact suggested that we talk to some of the community gardens in the area to see what they'll be planting this spring that might be ready in time - brilliant, especially because we have friends that work with the South Lansing Community Development Association and Fork in the Road Diner who would probably know such things.
I also discussed the possibility of having the bundt cakes be . . . not homemade. After all, I only have one bundt pan and so much time in the day, not to mention the fact that the last couple bundt cakes I made cracked while coming out of the pan. Our contact is going to give me the information for their bakery so that I can get a quote.
Overall, it was a productive meeting. Colleen has emphasized over and over that they want to be flexible for us and make the day run as smoothly as possible.
We talked a little bit about the food and the fact that we want to source as much of it locally as possible (there's no way it will all be MI love because of the time of year and our budget, but we're going to make an effort). Our contact suggested that we talk to some of the community gardens in the area to see what they'll be planting this spring that might be ready in time - brilliant, especially because we have friends that work with the South Lansing Community Development Association and Fork in the Road Diner who would probably know such things.
I also discussed the possibility of having the bundt cakes be . . . not homemade. After all, I only have one bundt pan and so much time in the day, not to mention the fact that the last couple bundt cakes I made cracked while coming out of the pan. Our contact is going to give me the information for their bakery so that I can get a quote.
Overall, it was a productive meeting. Colleen has emphasized over and over that they want to be flexible for us and make the day run as smoothly as possible.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Death and Taxes
The two certainties in life are death and taxes. Death entered my life very unexpectedly last month. This month it was time to face taxes.
Tax time is particularly frustrating for LGBT families in states without legal recognition. Not only are there all the regular headaches that come with tax forms, there is no option to file jointly or have a dependent spouse. Decisions about who pays how much rent and who earns interest off of joint bank accounts aren't even questions in the real world - we pay and earn them together. In the tax world, though, we divide them up dutifully, attempting to be accurate. (If you would like to experience the difficulty of dividing such things, make yourself a bowl of soft-set pudding. Then try to divide it into two equal parts by drawing a line down the middle with a spoon and scooping as fast as you can.)
The Respect for Marriage Act would make federal filing easier at least for LGBT families living in states with legal recognition (although it wouldn't change anything for us).
And because Rebecca doesn't really earn money, our taxes were much simpler than they will be in the future. We're at a time in our lives where the lack of legal recognition isn't a huge problem. As we grow older, start earning real money, buy a house, and have children, we're going to encounter more difficulties.
We're committing in the mitten, but sometimes that's a hard commitment to make.
Tax time is particularly frustrating for LGBT families in states without legal recognition. Not only are there all the regular headaches that come with tax forms, there is no option to file jointly or have a dependent spouse. Decisions about who pays how much rent and who earns interest off of joint bank accounts aren't even questions in the real world - we pay and earn them together. In the tax world, though, we divide them up dutifully, attempting to be accurate. (If you would like to experience the difficulty of dividing such things, make yourself a bowl of soft-set pudding. Then try to divide it into two equal parts by drawing a line down the middle with a spoon and scooping as fast as you can.)
The Respect for Marriage Act would make federal filing easier at least for LGBT families living in states with legal recognition (although it wouldn't change anything for us).
And because Rebecca doesn't really earn money, our taxes were much simpler than they will be in the future. We're at a time in our lives where the lack of legal recognition isn't a huge problem. As we grow older, start earning real money, buy a house, and have children, we're going to encounter more difficulties.
We're committing in the mitten, but sometimes that's a hard commitment to make.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
MI Love: Cupcakes
I love cupcakes. They're dainty, small, pre-portioned, and delightful. Our senior year of college, Rebecca and I made 160 cupcakes for her sister's wedding. The guests loved it - there was more flavor variety than there would be in a tiered wedding cake, it was more cost-effective (the time was our wedding gift, and the bride comped us for the supplies), and the visual effect of that many cupcakes on a tier of antique cake plates was stunning.
A favorite cupcake recipe? These carrot cupcakes, which we made for the wedding because the groom likes carrot cake. I've made them a couple times since, and they've been just as wonderful each time.
My previous post discussed my first foray into cooking with beets. Why, you ask? Because yesterday I also ventured into the realm of red velvet cake.
I'm not a fan of Red Dye #40, and regular red velvet uses two whole bottles, but I love the visual effect of a red cake with creamy white frosting. What's a lesbian to do? When I heard about recipes using beets to achieve the vibrant red color, I was intrigued.
I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try this recipe - I've probably had it for two years. Someone mentioned baking cupcakes on facebook, and suddenly I had the itch to make a batch too - so I figured I'd scratch two itches with one stone. I altered the recipe slightly based on reading I'd done of a variety of recipes (some with beets and some with food dye). Here it is:
Fabulous Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: 24
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c white sugar (preferably Pioneer or another Michigan sugar beet brand)
3/4 unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground red pepper
1 1/4 cup milk (I used fat free)
1 T plain yogurt
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 c butter, at room temp
3 eggs, at room temp
2 t vanilla
2 cups beets, peeled and pureed
(Note that to puree the beets, you will probably need to add liquid. Do NOT add water - instead, use a small amount of milk and deduct that from the 1 1/4 c you'll put in later.)
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with liners. Stir together all dry ingredients. In separate bowl, stir together milk, yogurt, and vinegar (I did this to substitute for buttermilk; if you have buttermilk on hand you can just use that.) Beat in butter, egg and vanilla to milk mixture. Now carefully add the beet puree (so that you don't stain your counter, mixer, self, etc) and beat it in. Add wet to dry (or dry to wet, I don't think it really matters) and mix just until moistened - if you overbeat (or overbeet . . . ) the gluten will start to break down and your cupcakes will be tough.
Scoop into the cupcake pans so that cups are about 3/4 full. I highly recommend using an ice cream scoop, because this allows you to dump into each cup in one fell swoop and gives you nice, evenly sized cupcakes.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting (whatever recipe you prefer). I added a teaspoon of almond extract to mine.
A few notes:
These cupcakes came out more brown/purple than red. Next time, I will probably reduce the beets to one cup and add a cup of applesauce. I've also read that the amount of acidity in the batter can affect color, so I'll add an additional teaspoon of vinegar to the milk.
The beet flavor was present, but not too overwhelming. I got a hint of cinnamon, but no red pepper. I would increase the red pepper to 1/4 teaspoon next time, and possibly bump up the cinnamon as well. Most red velvet recipes don't call for these spices, but I thought it might help offset the beets, and I was generally pleased with the combination.
Happy baking!
A favorite cupcake recipe? These carrot cupcakes, which we made for the wedding because the groom likes carrot cake. I've made them a couple times since, and they've been just as wonderful each time.
My previous post discussed my first foray into cooking with beets. Why, you ask? Because yesterday I also ventured into the realm of red velvet cake.
I'm not a fan of Red Dye #40, and regular red velvet uses two whole bottles, but I love the visual effect of a red cake with creamy white frosting. What's a lesbian to do? When I heard about recipes using beets to achieve the vibrant red color, I was intrigued.
I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try this recipe - I've probably had it for two years. Someone mentioned baking cupcakes on facebook, and suddenly I had the itch to make a batch too - so I figured I'd scratch two itches with one stone. I altered the recipe slightly based on reading I'd done of a variety of recipes (some with beets and some with food dye). Here it is:
Fabulous Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: 24
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c white sugar (preferably Pioneer or another Michigan sugar beet brand)
3/4 unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground red pepper
1 1/4 cup milk (I used fat free)
1 T plain yogurt
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 c butter, at room temp
3 eggs, at room temp
2 t vanilla
2 cups beets, peeled and pureed
(Note that to puree the beets, you will probably need to add liquid. Do NOT add water - instead, use a small amount of milk and deduct that from the 1 1/4 c you'll put in later.)
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with liners. Stir together all dry ingredients. In separate bowl, stir together milk, yogurt, and vinegar (I did this to substitute for buttermilk; if you have buttermilk on hand you can just use that.) Beat in butter, egg and vanilla to milk mixture. Now carefully add the beet puree (so that you don't stain your counter, mixer, self, etc) and beat it in. Add wet to dry (or dry to wet, I don't think it really matters) and mix just until moistened - if you overbeat (or overbeet . . . ) the gluten will start to break down and your cupcakes will be tough.
Scoop into the cupcake pans so that cups are about 3/4 full. I highly recommend using an ice cream scoop, because this allows you to dump into each cup in one fell swoop and gives you nice, evenly sized cupcakes.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting (whatever recipe you prefer). I added a teaspoon of almond extract to mine.
A few notes:
These cupcakes came out more brown/purple than red. Next time, I will probably reduce the beets to one cup and add a cup of applesauce. I've also read that the amount of acidity in the batter can affect color, so I'll add an additional teaspoon of vinegar to the milk.
The beet flavor was present, but not too overwhelming. I got a hint of cinnamon, but no red pepper. I would increase the red pepper to 1/4 teaspoon next time, and possibly bump up the cinnamon as well. Most red velvet recipes don't call for these spices, but I thought it might help offset the beets, and I was generally pleased with the combination.
Happy baking!
MI Love: Beets
Sugar beets are a major cash crop in Michigan. In fact, Rebecca and I buy Pioneer sugar, which is made from them. (Yet another attempt to Buy Michigan.)
Yesterday I cooked my first beets ever. I've eaten them before, but I can't say that I had any idea how to prepare them. I'm not sure where these beets were from originally, but I bought them from Horrock's Farm Market, so I supported a local business in some way.
I had it in my head that I should boil them, but I'm glad I Googled - I learned that roasting is a good option, and that seemed potentially less messy. So I spritzed my beets with olive oil (using my Misto bottle, which is an eco-friendly, purer alternative to commercial aerosol oils) and wrapped them up in foil, then baked them for something like two hours at around 375F. (I can't tell you the exact time because I started checking them after 50 minutes and kept putting them back for another 20. According to the website I viewed, age and size of the beets affects baking time so much that that's basically how it goes.)
When they came out, they looked like this. After they cooled, I scraped the skin off with a spoon. (The beet roasting directions said that the beets would just slip out of their skin, but that was a lie.)
Next I pureed the beets in my food processor (in two batches, since my food processor was acquired during an apartment transition and is very small).
What did I do then? Read the next post to find out.
Yesterday I cooked my first beets ever. I've eaten them before, but I can't say that I had any idea how to prepare them. I'm not sure where these beets were from originally, but I bought them from Horrock's Farm Market, so I supported a local business in some way.
I had it in my head that I should boil them, but I'm glad I Googled - I learned that roasting is a good option, and that seemed potentially less messy. So I spritzed my beets with olive oil (using my Misto bottle, which is an eco-friendly, purer alternative to commercial aerosol oils) and wrapped them up in foil, then baked them for something like two hours at around 375F. (I can't tell you the exact time because I started checking them after 50 minutes and kept putting them back for another 20. According to the website I viewed, age and size of the beets affects baking time so much that that's basically how it goes.)
Next I pureed the beets in my food processor (in two batches, since my food processor was acquired during an apartment transition and is very small).
What did I do then? Read the next post to find out.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Letter to a Friend
On Sunday, my church, Mount Hope United Methodist Church (UMC), announced that the pastor of about a decade will be transferred in July. A church leader then requested that the congregation send input to help match Mount Hope with a new minister. This is an e-mail I wrote to him.
Hi Mark,
On Sunday, you asked for input as to what the next Mount Hope pastor should be like. I want to share a brief story that might highlight one characteristic of a good match.
After we moved back to Lansing for graduate school, Rebecca and I tried churches for about a year before we settled at Mount Hope. We weren't looking for a UMC specifically - to be honest, the list we worked off was of gay affirming churches. I had grown up in a church that blamed LGBT people for many of the problems of American society and considered the gay agenda to be one of destruction and hedonism. Rebecca didn't grow up in the church, and we had both gone to Riverview as undergrads, which was much less political than the church I attended as a young adult. However, Riverview was very big and I never felt as though I had become part of a community there, even after four years, so we wanted a change.
We visited many churches that welcomed LGBT individuals, but didn't seem to joyfully greet Jesus himself. We were seeking a place where we could fellowship with other believers whose faith and worship were vibrant. We noticed on the list of gay affirming churches that there were some UMCs, so we decided to try the Oasis service. After our first visit, we couldn't tell whether we would be ostracized or judged for being lesbians.
Confronting this head-on, I sent Pastor Bill an e-mail asking what the church's position was. He explained that the official stance is that homosexuality isn't compatible with a Christian lifestyle, but "that my longing and hope would be that you would indeed find within our local church community of Mt Hope and Oasis a church family that will accept you without asking you to change. I would understand if our official position is more than you want to deal with, but I would be honored if you would offer us the grace to welcome you and continue our journey in Christ together."
This kind of sensitivity to us as a group of people who often feel that the church, and by extension, God, does not love us is one reason that we have continued attending Mount Hope. While I know that the new pastor must respect the official position, I hope that he or she will be willing to extend open arms to all families who come in the church doors.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Mark,
On Sunday, you asked for input as to what the next Mount Hope pastor should be like. I want to share a brief story that might highlight one characteristic of a good match.
After we moved back to Lansing for graduate school, Rebecca and I tried churches for about a year before we settled at Mount Hope. We weren't looking for a UMC specifically - to be honest, the list we worked off was of gay affirming churches. I had grown up in a church that blamed LGBT people for many of the problems of American society and considered the gay agenda to be one of destruction and hedonism. Rebecca didn't grow up in the church, and we had both gone to Riverview as undergrads, which was much less political than the church I attended as a young adult. However, Riverview was very big and I never felt as though I had become part of a community there, even after four years, so we wanted a change.
We visited many churches that welcomed LGBT individuals, but didn't seem to joyfully greet Jesus himself. We were seeking a place where we could fellowship with other believers whose faith and worship were vibrant. We noticed on the list of gay affirming churches that there were some UMCs, so we decided to try the Oasis service. After our first visit, we couldn't tell whether we would be ostracized or judged for being lesbians.
Confronting this head-on, I sent Pastor Bill an e-mail asking what the church's position was. He explained that the official stance is that homosexuality isn't compatible with a Christian lifestyle, but "that my longing and hope would be that you would indeed find within our local church community of Mt Hope and Oasis a church family that will accept you without asking you to change. I would understand if our official position is more than you want to deal with, but I would be honored if you would offer us the grace to welcome you and continue our journey in Christ together."
This kind of sensitivity to us as a group of people who often feel that the church, and by extension, God, does not love us is one reason that we have continued attending Mount Hope. While I know that the new pastor must respect the official position, I hope that he or she will be willing to extend open arms to all families who come in the church doors.
Blessings,
Erin
Monday, January 2, 2012
His Absence, My Absence
Josh was a beautiful soul. His kindness, joy, and patience were evident to many of the people whose lives he touched. He was known as the campus unicyclist at Grand Valley State and performed in several talent shows, juggling and unicycling to the delight of the audience. He was also a dedicated runner, posting ever-faster times to facebook. His intramural soccer team, Facepalm, played with enthusiasm.
He was also the only member of my family who planned to attend my commitment ceremony. He acknowledged that he didn't completely approve of my choice, but he was willing to grant me the grace of his love and acceptance in the form of his presence. That meant the world to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)