Before you start gathering your pitchforks to protest the title, hear me out (and forgive the deviation from my normal topics).
I was recently introduced to a very interesting article through a professional mailing list I subscribe to. The article, written by Junot Diaz, is titled "Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal" and appeared in the May/June 2011 Boston Review. Diaz's exploration of the meaning of apocalypse and what an apocalypse is was particularly intriguing to me. Drawing from James Berger, he explained that there are three types of apocalypses, yet all three types have one common thread: "it must be revelatory" (para. 3).
The idea of an apocalypse as a revelation, while perhaps not a new idea in general, was a revelation in itself to me. Continuing this train of thought, it makes sense then to find the Catholic/Christian description of the Apocalypse (read: end of the world as we know it) to be contained in the last part of the Bible, the book of Revelations. I started to examine the world at large with this new perspective, and I think it is indeed time for an apocalypse.
The point of Diaz's article was that an apocalypse can reveal inherent social and socio-economic problems, which close examination and reflection show were indirect or direct causes of the apocalypse. He concentrates on the earthquake at Haiti to illustrate the facets of his discussion, and the more I read, the more the article made me think (which all good articles do).
We're coming up on 2012, a year that has gained infamy due, in part, to the Mayan calendar that mysteriously stops at December 21, 2012 (I personally think they just ran out of room to include more days). Many people in many professions from astronomy to archeology theorize what the end of the calendar means, what will happen on that day, and what those events will mean for us. A movie came out recently depicting the Hollywood version of what will happen during this year. I don't think that world-wide catastrophe is in our future, but I really hope we have an apocalypse of the third kind, "a disruptive event that provokes revelation" (Diaz, 2011, para. 3). Look around at our society, our world. We need it, otherwise I worry that things won't change--or they'll get worse.
I've posted before about the great (drastic) changes that are happening around the world. Natural disasters, economic and social turmoil, political division, and revolution seem to be happening with greater frequency. The attitude of our society, and perhaps the global society to some extent, has become very "me-orientated" with a strong sense of entitlement (I deserve to have this, no matter the cost). I think part of this is due to our survival instinct kicking in because our livelihood is threatened and we revert to an every-man-for-himself strategy. But as I see problems in some areas worsening and many others so slow to recover, I can't help but think that we all need an attitude adjustment. We need a strategy to promote cohesiveness and compromise because I truly believe that we're only going to successfully get through our current and future troubles as one.
So we need that apocalypse to give us a revelation to help shift our attitudes and give us perspective. We need a jolt to our system to see our way clear through to the other side. Regardless of whether the doomsday predictions are true, 2012 will be a year of change--which we must be prepared to meet.
Diaz, J. (2011). Apocalypse: What disasters reveal. Boston Review, May/June. Retrieved from http://bostonreview.net/BR36.3/junot_diaz_apocalypse_haiti_earthquake.php
Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thanksgiving Leftovers
The holiday crunch has begun. We are all now in that Annual Marathon between Thanksgiving and Christmas where the focus everywhere is food, family, gifts, and giving. Scooter and I did the nearly unthinkable (at least in my family)--we went out of town (just the two of us) to my aunt and uncle's vacation home on the coast for all of Thanksgiving weekend. I cooked the traditional dinner with our Guest of Honor, Mr. Tom Turkey, as the table centerpiece; my first turkey I cooked by myself and he turned out pretty darn good. We watched several Thanksgiving parades--McDonald's Parade in Chicago, and the Macy's Parade in New York--relaxed in the hot tub, marveled at the rare blue sky outside, and ate until we couldn't eat anymore.
This is only the second Thanksgiving I have ever spent away from family. The first time was when I was in college and drove to the LA area to spend it with several friends. The condition of my going was that I called my parents on Thanksgiving to at least talk to them. Since the entire extended family was also there for the holiday, the phone was passed around. Twenty "How are you?'s" later, I said my goodbyes and wished my
parents well. My family is all about spending time together, so any holiday spent away from The Family raises eyebrows at the very least. It's certainly not a bad thing--I'm proud to say that my family has some very strong ties, even considering the conflicts (mostly normal family stuff) that come up. But it does make traveling plans around the holidays difficult, unless the whole family goes too--which we did one year for Christmas (that was a really fun trip).
One thing Thanksgiving always seems to result in is leftovers. Regardless of how many people you have over for Thanksgiving, you still end up with them. It almost seems like a Law of the Universe--no matter the size of the crowd, you'll be eating mashed potatoes, turkey, and gravy for days. Now while I'm all for eating turkey, it can get tiresome after a couple of days. So I tried to figure out what can be done with the rest of the turkey and came up with a couple of ideas. All the leftovers were put in the freezer for turkey soup (to be made sometime this month during the cold weather) and a turkey pot pie recipe I came up with to help use some of those leftovers. Here's what you'll need to make your own turkey pot pie:
What you'll need:
1 9-in pie crust
2 to 2 1/2 c. shredded turkey
1 1/2 c. turkey gravy
1/2 12-oz. bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2 to 2 c. mashed potatoes
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust in an ungreased pie pan and gently mold the dough to the sides of the pan. Shape and trim the edges of the pie crust as desired.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the shredded turkey, the frozen peas and carrots (no need to defrost them), and the gravy. Mix until all the turkey and veggies are coated with gravy.
3. Add the turkey mixture to the pie crust and spread until it forms an even layer. Add the mashed potatoes to the top and create an even top crust (like a shepherd's pie).
4. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pie is bubbling around the edges. Serve with leftover pumpkin pie for dessert!
The great thing about this recipe is that it's fairly easy to put together, and if you don't have some of the necessary ingredients, you can make some fairly quickly or buy from the store. The pie crust can be homemade or easily bought to cut down on prep time. If you've gotten low or run out of gravy, you can buy a 12-oz. jar to use instead. If there are no mashed potatoes left (or the leftovers have already turned into a science project), boil 1 1/2 russet potatoes and mash with 2 Tbs. butter, 4 oz. cream cheese, and a handful of chopped chives or crumbled bacon pieces (optional)--or go the really easy route and get instant mashed potatoes. I would definitely recommend a hot pot pie for cold weather.
Enjoy!
This is only the second Thanksgiving I have ever spent away from family. The first time was when I was in college and drove to the LA area to spend it with several friends. The condition of my going was that I called my parents on Thanksgiving to at least talk to them. Since the entire extended family was also there for the holiday, the phone was passed around. Twenty "How are you?'s" later, I said my goodbyes and wished my
parents well. My family is all about spending time together, so any holiday spent away from The Family raises eyebrows at the very least. It's certainly not a bad thing--I'm proud to say that my family has some very strong ties, even considering the conflicts (mostly normal family stuff) that come up. But it does make traveling plans around the holidays difficult, unless the whole family goes too--which we did one year for Christmas (that was a really fun trip).
One thing Thanksgiving always seems to result in is leftovers. Regardless of how many people you have over for Thanksgiving, you still end up with them. It almost seems like a Law of the Universe--no matter the size of the crowd, you'll be eating mashed potatoes, turkey, and gravy for days. Now while I'm all for eating turkey, it can get tiresome after a couple of days. So I tried to figure out what can be done with the rest of the turkey and came up with a couple of ideas. All the leftovers were put in the freezer for turkey soup (to be made sometime this month during the cold weather) and a turkey pot pie recipe I came up with to help use some of those leftovers. Here's what you'll need to make your own turkey pot pie:
What you'll need:
1 9-in pie crust
2 to 2 1/2 c. shredded turkey
1 1/2 c. turkey gravy
1/2 12-oz. bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2 to 2 c. mashed potatoes
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust in an ungreased pie pan and gently mold the dough to the sides of the pan. Shape and trim the edges of the pie crust as desired.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the shredded turkey, the frozen peas and carrots (no need to defrost them), and the gravy. Mix until all the turkey and veggies are coated with gravy.
3. Add the turkey mixture to the pie crust and spread until it forms an even layer. Add the mashed potatoes to the top and create an even top crust (like a shepherd's pie).
4. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pie is bubbling around the edges. Serve with leftover pumpkin pie for dessert!
The great thing about this recipe is that it's fairly easy to put together, and if you don't have some of the necessary ingredients, you can make some fairly quickly or buy from the store. The pie crust can be homemade or easily bought to cut down on prep time. If you've gotten low or run out of gravy, you can buy a 12-oz. jar to use instead. If there are no mashed potatoes left (or the leftovers have already turned into a science project), boil 1 1/2 russet potatoes and mash with 2 Tbs. butter, 4 oz. cream cheese, and a handful of chopped chives or crumbled bacon pieces (optional)--or go the really easy route and get instant mashed potatoes. I would definitely recommend a hot pot pie for cold weather.
Enjoy!
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