#together: our community cookbook

[sussex-newswire]

"Even though she hasn't been a working royal since 2020, [Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex's] efforts are still paying off for the Royal Foundation. According to the organization's annual report for 2023, [Meghan's] 2018 cookbook, Together: Our Community Cookbook, continues to bring cash into the royal coffers. The Duchess of Sussex created the book with a group of women who had been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, a disaster that killed 72 people. Working with Hubb Community Kitchen, [Meghan] collected recipes and stories from the area after she took a 'quiet trip to Al-Manaar, a mosque close to the Grenfell community.' The book marked her first solo charity venture as a royal and even included some of her personal recipes.

...

"Last year, the book earned approximately $111,850, according to Express. Since its 2018 release, however, the cookbook has raised a cumulative £911,000, roughly $1,205,420."

[theafroamericaine]

Soul Food: A Black American Cuisine

Baked macaroni and cheese, candied yams, collard greens, smothered chicken, fried chicken, fried fish, oxtails, ham hocks, okra, jambalaya, dirty rice, gumbo, cornbread, shrimp and grits etc... the possibilities are endless when it comes to down this ethnic cuisine.

Originating in the American South amongst enslaved Africans this cuisine combines West African, Central African, Western European, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas. Having to survive off of inadequate provisions and trying to preserve their traditional recipes, enslaved peoples laid the groundwork for soul food. "Soul" is used to describe African-American culture and its' people as a whole, the term gained popularity in the 1960s. Initially soul food was looked down upon and wasn't respected in the North amongst other Black communities it garnered attention due to the Great Migration and has since become a staple in most households. From Sunday church gatherings to backyard barbecues (cookouts) to dinner tables to restaurant menus, this cuisine has become a symbol of cultural pride and perseverance.

Truly food from the soul.

Cornbread, greens, mac and cheese, yams and fried chicken.

Soul food is closely associated with the Southern cuisine of the United States. There are a few different versions of soul food, you can have it Creole, Cajun or Gullah style; just like most dishes it depends on the region.

Jambalaya and Louisiana seafood gumbo

Spaghetti and catfish

"Soul food historian Adrian Miller said the difference between soul food and Southern food is that soul food is intensely seasoned and uses a variety of meats to add flavor to food and adds a variety of spicy and savory sauces. These spicy and savory sauces add robust flavor. This method of preparation was influenced by West African cuisine where West Africans create sauces to add flavor and spice to their food. Black Americans also add sugar to make cornbread, while "white southerners say when you put sugar in corn bread, it becomes cake"[9]. European immigrants seasoned and flavored their food using salt, pepper, and spices. African Americans add more spices, and hot and sweet sauces to increase the spiciness, or heat of their food.[10] Bob Jeffries, the author of Soul Food Cookbook, said the difference between soul food and Southern food is: "While all soul food is Southern food, not all Southern food is soul. Soul food cooking is an example of how really good Southern [African-American] cooks cooked with what they had available to them."[11] - Sourced from Wikipedia

June is National Soul Food Month.

Red Drink aka Liquid Soul

Red drink is derived from West Africa's hibiscus tea called bissap. The plant's flower petals are brewed resulting in a cranberry-red to magenta-purple color, depending upon dried or fresh petals being used. Kola is another one that's brewed using kola nuts. Bissap and red kola nut brew are hospitality drinks that can still be found in West Africa to this day. Jamaicans also have a similar drink called sorrel.

Like with soul food African-Americans created an adaption from their homeland's drink. Red lemonade was popular in the 1870s-1880s, coloring the beverage with fruits like cherries and strawberries; then red soda in the 1890s and finally powdered drinks such as Poly Pop and Kool-Aid in the 1920s. Just like bissap or red kola nut brew, liquid soul is our hospitality drink. Whenever there's a gathering you can almost bet this beverage will be there. It doesn't matter the flavors or drink type just as long as it's red.

"What exactly do I mean by “red drink?” Well, in soul-food culture, red is not just a color, it’s also a flavor. We soul-food aficionados don’t get caught up in describing a drink as “cherry,” “strawberry,” or “tropical punch,” and we don’t say it has “hints of cranberry.” It’s just “red.” Red drinks have such a special cultural resonance that whenever African Americans gather together, there’s usually a red drink in the mix. In short, it’s liquid soul." -Soul Food Scholar, Adrian Miller

Writing this piece has been enlightening and entertaining; my goal is to showcase our ethnic cuisine and give some history behind it for a better understanding for Black History Month. There is so much more to soul food history that I would be here all day if I wrote it out. I also love to find similarities among the diaspora. Our jambalaya rice is similar to West Africa's jollof rice, our gumbo is similar to West Africa's okra soup. Red drink is also referred to as "red drank" in some areas, here in Detroit we prefer Faygo red sodas (pop), but in the South they prefer Big Red. "Red, in many West African cultures, is a symbol of strength, spirituality, and life and death, according to historians."

I would like everyone to list their favorite cultural meal in the comments below and their favorite drink along with it. Thanks for reading!

Source 1. Source 2. Source 3. Source 4. Source 5.

[theiconicmeghanmarkle]

Spotted: Together: Our Community Cookbook seen in Vice President Kamala Harris cookbook stack 📚

[ms-m-astrologer]

2024 Cancer Solstice

Thursday, June 20, 20:51 UT

Chart erected for Washington, DC

The Sun, Mercury, and Venus are huddled together in the first decanate of Cancer. They all make sextiles to Mars/Taurus (I’m stretching that for the Sun, though). That is all about feeling comfortable and safe; we can work hard on domestic projects, but it’s really more of a “find we a time for frighted peace to pant” feeling. The little Centaur Pholus opposes that Cancer stellium, upsetting applecarts and blowing up everybody’s tranquility.

The ruler of that Cancer stellium, the Moon, is in Sagittarius - and is the focus of a mutable (new situation) t-square. She’s square both ends of the Juno-Lilith/Virgo opposition to Saturn-Nessus/Pisces. This new situation manages to be both judgemental and commitment-phobic. There’s a lot of pressure for “traditional” values and relationships, a lot of guilt trips going out. Some of us need to consider how “perfectionism” is really a cover-up for not wanting to do something.

One solution is to fill in the empty leg and work on those qualities. Here, that is Gemini. Be a little intellectually detached - light-hearted - don’t insist that there is Only One Right Way to do things - and work on listening and communication skills.

Go ahead and focus on those domestic projects, but don’t shut out the rest of the universe. We need to be aware of what’s going on because that improves our plans. It’s still a Cardinal- and Mutable-sign emphasis; things are changing.

=+=+=+=+=+=

Back when I had a teenaged boy to feed, I always made a vegetarian feast for the Cancer Solstice: Spanish rice salad, lime-thyme potato salad, carrot-mango-pineapple salad, and Starhawk’s summer solstice cupcakes. Most of those recipes are now on the internet. Back then, I worked out of cookbooks and cooking magazines.

The teenaged boy always demolished most of that; once he moved out, though, the then-teenaged girl wasn’t quite as ravenous. (She also isn’t fond of leftovers.) I finally gave up on making the feast. This year, I think I’ll make tuna salad for just me!

I like the green lushness of this time of year (even though, living as I do in a semi-arid climate, I don’t always get it). There’s a lot of wild sweet peas, now - and chicory - which I also enjoy, and watch for.

But, it’s not remotely my favorite season, mostly because I hate hot weather. I probably need to work on that a bit. (Ms M Jr, on the other hand, hates cold weather. We have a good balance!)

[mariacallous]

The inside cover of my grandmother’s cookbook is inscribed with her handwriting, “Think of me when you cook.” It is a copy of the same spiral-bound book that has been given to all of the women in my family. “The Sephardic Cooks: Comé Con Gana” has somehow made its way from one synagogue in Atlanta to Sephardic communities and families from New Jersey to California. It has all the classic recipes, including a section titled “Main Dish Pastries.” These dishes are the cornerstone of the Sephardic tradition, desayuno.

The word “desayuno” literally translates to “breakfast” in Ladino, the dying Judeo-Spanish language historically spoken by Sephardic Jews. Yet, the meaning extends beyond that one meal. In Sephardic culture, desayunois a category of foods associated with the large Saturday morning meal that would be served after Shabbat, including egg dishes and savory pastries. 

These desayuno foods are some of my favorite things to eat and the ones I most associate with my own family traditions. The blocks of crustless quajado (spinach quiche) that always seemed to be in my childhood freezer, ready to thaw for lunch. The doughy, cheesy spinach boyos my grandmother would have ready for our breakfast every time we traveled to visit her. The pasteles (mini meat pies) my great-aunt taught to a room filled with four generations of cousins at our family reunion last summer. The rice-and-cheese-filled bureka pastries my mom comes over to make with my kids and me. 

While delicious and crowd-pleasing, these are also some of the most time-consuming recipes to prepare. I picture my great-grandmother standing in a friend’s kitchen as all the ladies of the community work together to knead mounds of dough, mix a vat of filling, fold and crimp sheets and sheets of burekas. Whether this is accurate or just my imagination justifying why it feels intimidating to make these by myself, desayuno pastries do not align well with today’s fast-paced, individual lifestyle. Save for the times my mom comes to bake with us (importantly, bringing a container of prepped filling), making dough and pastry from scratch is not happening in my kitchen. 

I hope to be a part of the thread that keeps Sephardic traditions alive, yet I do not want to let perfection be the enemy of my intentions. I think my grandmother would agree. While she baked burekas with all of her grandchildren and always had a freezer full of freshly baked rosca (coffee rolls), she was never one to turn down a good shortcut. She developed her own boyo recipe featuring Hungry-Jack biscuit dough as the base and once described to me a full lentil soup recipe, only to end it with, “or you could just buy a can of lentil soup.” She loved when I would call her to share that I had tried a Sephardic recipe, such as cinnamon biscocho cookies or lemon chicken soup. Whether my attempts had been successful or a flop (like my rock-hard biscochos), her smile would be audible through the phone saying, “I’m just so glad you tried.” 

As Sephardic culture and traditions fade and assimilate, food provides an important outlet to preserve history and share it with family and friends. More important than getting it right or spending hours in the kitchen is remembering our traditions, trying recipes, talking about or simply eating Sephardic foods, regardless of who made them.  

In that spirit, I would like to propose lowering our standards, for the greater good of keeping traditions alive. Consider a desayuno with fewer parts or with a little help from the freezer aisle. Rather than the large spread my ancestors would prepare for days in advance, consider making one thing from scratch (though I won’t tell if you cook zero things). You could make a batch of burekas or a quajado, arguably the easiest of the Sephardic breakfast dishes, or even just prepare a pot of hard-boiled eggs. Supplement with frozen spanakopita, Ta’amti Bourekas or a Trader Joe’s Greek cheese spiral for a full table. 

Nothing will taste quite like homemade pastries fresh from the oven and I still aspire to make them (occasionally). Yet, even when I munch a makeshift Sephardic meal, I will be thinking of my grandmother, just as she inscribed in her cookbook. As long as we are sharing food together, talking about Sephardic traditions, remembering meals and people who matter to us, I will call it desayuno. I think my grandmother would be proud. 

[rolandtowen]

Chapter Six of I'm Doing This For Revenge is live! Which means this fic is now completed. My utmost love and appreciation to everyone has read so far. Merry Christmas and Chag Sameach!

Read on Ao3 or under the cut:

Saturdays are Bucky's meal prep days. He's slowly been working his way through a variety of cuisines and tweaking them to suit his enhanced metabolism. This week, he's settled on a pot roast. He can't remember his Ma's recipe, but thanks to the internet, he easily found a New York community cookbook from 1938 that had been digitized. Should be close enough.

The recipe calls for brisket, and that element he does remember. Even with his and Steve's families pitching in together, they had to settle for the toughest cuts of meat, and even those were only bought sparingly, saved for special occasions like their joint celebrations of Passover and Easter or Hanukkah and Christmas. Pot roasts cook low and slow, tenderizing even the toughest of cuts, so a pot roast was an all-day commitment.

Bucky knows there's new cooking tools these days – some kind of special pot Sarah had mentioned? – to speed up the cooking process for long dishes like these, but Bucky's found that he prefers the process. It's grounding, having to check on a pot throughout his day. The fact that his apartment smells delicious for days is just a bonus.

Since his impromptu cooking lesson with Sam, his skills have improved considerably. He now knows dozens of types of knife cuts, from roll cuts to various bias cuts. Carlos had recommended art therapy early on, and to Bucky – food is art. He loves learning and mastering new techniques, experimenting with new flavors, and refining even the smallest of details, like plating. The last time he'd cooked for Sam, his boyfriend had looked at him with a little bit of awe at the bowl of Coq au Vin set in front of him. Bucky liked that look. He loved being able to kiss it off of Sam's face.

Bucky smiles fondly at the memory as he seasons and sears his brisket. Into his thrifted dutch oven go the brisket, his chopped vegetables, and enough beef stock and red wine to almost cover everything. The pot goes into the oven at a low temperature, and Bucky takes a few minutes to methodically reset his kitchen.

He'd cleaned a lot when he was a kid – primarily as part of his chores, and then to keep Steve from getting sick so often. But he'd never thought of cleaning as a form of mindfulness until Carlos suggested it. “Mindfulness doesn't have to mean seated meditation or yoga – cleaning ties you to your present moment and your surroundings.”

Bucky dumps his dirty dishes into the sink and turns on the hot water. Though his apartment came with a dishwasher, like so many things he does, he finds the manual, traditional process grounding. After thirty minutes, Bucky has a spotless kitchen. He checks the temperature of the brisket, then curls up in his armchair with his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. A hot meal, a clean kitchen, and a good story. It is a good Saturday. He writes in his notebook:

glimmers: the smell of pot roast, a clean kitchen, reading

Sundays are even gentler than Saturdays. When Bucky's in New York, he likes to take these days to enjoy the city. Sunday mornings are his favorite time for this. Though Brooklyn could never be described as “quiet”, there's a calm that covers the borough for several hours on Sunday mornings, when the rest of the neighborhood either sleeps off last night's indulgences or attends church services. The contrast amuses Bucky. This Sunday, he orders his usual online, before retreating to Prospect Park. He'd never tell Sam, but he'd gotten into birdwatching recently (blame Banner), and he likes to spend a few hours walking the grounds of the park and soaking in the birdsong.

glimmers: a caramel latte, spotting a Dark-Eyed Junco

On Monday and Tuesday, Bucky shops. He's been invited to the Wilson family Christmas, and he has no idea what to bring. He visits Lydia at the bookstore and asks what a good gift for a chef would be. She gives him several recommendations, and he lands on Julia Child's book, The Art of French Cooking, which Lydia tells him is a classic.

The whole of New York must be shopping too, judging by the crowds in the stores. Bucky came well prepared with his headphones and his fidget, weaving through the crowds with a practiced ease. For Sam, he buys several records in the Motown genre, plus one record the storekeeper has insisted on. “Diana Ross,” the young woman tells him. “If your guy likes Marvin Gaye, he'll love this one.”

Bucky's last stop is the gaming store on the way back to his apartment. Cass and AJ have started calling him “Uncle Bucky”, so of course he has to spoil them. Even if Sarah might not appreciate every one of his gift selections.

glimmers: seeing Lydia, buying gifts, getting music recommendations

On Wednesday, Bucky flies to New Orleans. Being Avenger-adjacent does have its perks – including a private Stark jet. It'd probably be damn near impossible for him to go through TSA anyway. When he lands four hours later, Sam's waiting for him at the airfield.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” he teases affectionately, opening his arms to Bucky. Bucky folds into them, nuzzling into the warmth of Sam's shoulder. “How was your flight?”

“Can't complain,” Bucky says. “A lot smoother of a ride than with Torres.”

Sam laughs at that. “Come on, Sarah's got dinner all planned out.”

Louisiana is almost balmy compared to New York, mid-60's and drizzling. Sam catches him up on the last mission he'd gone on, something about freeing a few more Widows with Kate and Yelena. He'd been working the two of them off and on since the fall, trying to finish what Natasha had started.

Sarah greets him at the door with a warm hug. “Come on in, I've got dinner all laid out. Oh!” She gasps when she sees Bucky's duffle bag full of wrapped gifts. “You shouldn't have!”

Bucky grins. “You might actually mean that tomorrow.” He whispers to her: “I might've gotten the boys a drone.”

Sarah laughs. “Lord have mercy, as if Redwing wasn't enough.”

Sarah pulled no stops in creating her Christmas feast: roasted carrots, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and on and on. What she was most proud of was her roast turkey, beaming when Bucky shyly passed his plate to her for seconds. At the end of the meal, she sends the boys upstairs to get ready for bed. When they protest, she emphasizes: "PJs, then presents.”

Bucky flicks his eyes to Sam. “Tell me they haven't been waiting all day for me to get here before opening their presents.”

Sam waves it off. “Of course not. They opened the stuff from us this morning. They have stuff to give you though. Which, while we're alone,” Sam pulls out a box wrapped in blue paper.

“Kate and I talked a lot on our first mission together, and I wanted to get this for you. I don't know how much you still practice, but–” Sam cuts himself off, thrusting a box into Bucky's arms. “She told me about Hanukkah, and how it's about rededication, and with all the work you've put in this last year, it seemed – I thought you might want to celebrate.”

Bucky unwraps his gift from Sam, and tears spring to his eyes. It's a beautiful gold menorah, but it's so light, which must mean…

“I had Shuri make it out of vibranium.” Sam's breath catches, like he wants to say more, but doesn't. Bucky quirks an eyebrow at him and he continues. “I thought – Hanukkah is supposed to be about resistance too, so –”

“You made an indestructible menorah.” Bucky's at a loss for words after that, turning the gift over in his hands, running his fingers down the stems. “Sam, I…I don't know what to say.”

“It's okay if you don't like it,” Sam offers quickly, worried he might have overstepped. He knew Bucky was Jewish, but was this too far? Did Bucky want to keep this part of his life private?

“Sam.” Bucky's voice pulls him out of his spiraling thoughts. “I love it. You don't know what this means to me.”

When the sun begins to set, Sarah gathers the boys as Bucky places the menorah in the window and gathers two candles, placing one in the furthest right stem, and one in the center stem. Bucky searches his memories, worried he's forgotten, but the prayers fall from his lips like water in a stream.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah

Baruch atah, Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh

Baruch atah Adonai, elohenu melech ha’olam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh

Bucky strikes a match, lighting the center candle, the shamash first, then using it to light the candle on the right. He feels a flicker of a memory, his mother's hand on his wrist, guiding him in lighting the menorah for the first time, and then it's gone. He lets out a sigh and opens his eyes.

Sam squeezes his hand. “All good?”

“Yeah,” Bucky breathes out.

“Does this mean Uncle Bucky can open our presents now?” AJ asks.

“Wait, I want him to open mine first!” Cass protests.

Sarah shoots Bucky and Sam a look, mouthing “boys”, while shaking her head in a laugh. AJ and Cass run to the tree in the living room to get their gifts for Bucky, and the two men savor the momentary quiet. “Happy Hanukkah, Buck.” Sam murmurs.

“I think this is my first Hanukkah in eighty years, Sam.” Bucky's voice cracks from the weight of his words. “I didn't think I'd ever have this again. Carlos said it might be good for me to go to temple again, just try it one time, but I –” Bucky's words end in a choked noise. He tries again, his voice small. “I know it wasn't really me, Sam, but…this body…my body, it followed Nazi orders. And I can't bring it – myself – into a synagogue. I won't.”

Sam's heart clenches. He is so out of his depth here. “Listen, I'm no expert, but my mama used to say that sitting in church didn't make you any more Christian than sitting in a garage made you a car. So I imagine the same is true with Judaism. Your religion ain't a place, it's your actions. So make it whatever you want, sweetheart.” Sam takes both of Bucky's hands in his. “I'm here for wherever that leads you.”

glimmers: Hanukkah, Sam, family.

fin.

[anonniemousefics]

I have this distinct memory of driving down South Willow Street in Manchester, NH, preparing to turn onto the interstate at a series of traffic lights on a bridge, and internally bemoaning the fruitless direction of my life. I remember how badly I wanted to be a writer -- it's all I've ever really wanted to do -- but all of the advice I'd gotten was to write the things *you* want to read. Write what's on your insides, they'd say. And I knew in that moment, with my turn signal clicking and my heart in my shoes, that if I wrote what I really wanted, then I would lose everyone.

My world at the time was filled with religion and church expectations. I was married to a pastor, a new mother myself, and my life course felt very set. Women in my position wrote cookbooks or memoirs of their faith intended to encourage other women only -- they didn't write about girls who saw ghosts and learned magic and fought just as well as boys. Women weren't allowed to preach at our church, let alone best a man at something.

But this was my community at the time. I'd come to depend on friendships and routines and the support of my family, and all of it was built on these beliefs: that there was an order to the world, and within that order, I could not have the same kind of authority as men.

So I didn't write.

I didn't write -- and I lost everyone anyway.

It took another couple years from that moment on South Willow Street, but eventually I woke up to what I'd done to myself. The world was shifting. People I'd once respected had begun to say and support ideas that were more extreme than I'd ever been used to that I felt I had to start educating myself outside their worldview just to help myself feel less insane. And that's when I started to understand -- all of these relationships, this entire community I'd relied on my entire life, existed because people like me tolerated being used. There had never been any genuine respect for the person under the gender. Leadership was pleased with you and comfortable with you as long as you said the right things and did the right things and *were* the right things. The support I thought I couldn't bear to lose was entirely dependent on my compliance and unwavering obedience, not love and respect for me as a fellow human being. I had never really known what that would look and feel like.

The process of piecing this all together was traumatic. The woman I'd been on South Willow Street was right to fear it. Every new lightbulb moment was rage-inducing and horrifying and gut-wrenching. I spiraled briefly into madness. I needed medications and therapy, and if I hadn't had a few solid friendships outside the church in the midst of this, I don't know if I would have made it at all.

Eventually, though, I learned how to choose myself.

Eventually, I started writing again.

And this time -- oh, this time.

This time I got to experience what I'd been wanting from the start.

I got to meet people who liked the same things as me. I got to meet people who laughed at the same jokes that made me laugh. I got to be loved for who I am, not for how well I perform. I found I could withstand letting go of relationships that couldn't compare. I learned how to say No, lovingly and often. I discovered that learning to love myself exactly as I am -- the thing that I'd heard pastors decry my entire life as one of the many slippery slopes to Satan -- was actually the secret ingredient that made loving others easy. I learned the thing the church has always actually feared was never really our sins -- just the loss of control.

If I had one thing to tell that woman I was on South Willow Street, I'd whisper so gently to her to choose herself instead. I'd tell her to choose the pen and the page, which are always there for you without conditions. I'd tell her to start there -- that is your new standard, I'd say. I'd want her to know it's worth the risk. I'd want her to know the pain will be as terrible as she fears, but that she is so much stronger than she knows. I'd tell her -- and I'll tell you -- if given the choice between community and writing, choose to write. Because a community that can't accept you for you isn't a community at all.

[kikisdeliveryzine]

✨Contributor Spotlight✨

Whipping together a batch of delicious treats, VeloxVoid (Bluesky | Ao3) joins us as one of our zine's chefs!

Alt text below:

A graphic that reads 'Contributor Spotlight' at the top in bold letters, below that in smaller text is 'Chef: VeloxVoid, with the social handles for bluesky and ao3 as VeloxVoid. Below this is question and answer section.

Q. chef fact A. Hey there! I'm Hawk, and I've loved Ghibli since I was a tiny, tiny kid. It's an absolute honour to join the zine community in creating for this gorgeous zine! P.S. Have you read the original Kiki's Delivery Service book? It's ADORABLE. Q. fave character A. Tombo 🥺🥺 Q. What's kiki delivering? A. A full 12 hours of sleep

In the lower right of the graphic is a hand drawn sign labeled with Food Inside pointing to the next spotlight graphic.

The second graphic shows a photo of Syrup's Magical Mushroom Toast created for a Legend of Zelda cookbook! It's a herby garlic mushrooms on toast, with sauteed onions and baked beans :D

[lazyworksinprogress]

Cookbook Club: First Lunch

My friend Su started a Cookbook Club this year ~ we read a cookbook we're interested in or about a cuisine we're keen to learn about and have a bring-and-share meal made from recipes from that book.

This quarter, we read Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan.

Amidst the ongoing use of famine as part of the genocidal acts against the Palestinian people (and during Ramadan), I had mixed feelings about sharing a feast and celebration.

I am not religious, and we are a group of shared values but disparate faiths, availability, and beliefs. Conspicuous celebration and plentiful food can be used to mock people in unimaginably cruel circumstances. I wondered about appropriateness and respect for the scale of the unfolding historical moment. I approached it with the thought that there is a gravity and simplicity to acknowledging our lives are being changed by witnessing this injustice through a meal at a lowkey home gathering. The timing was difficult, but so is the situation, and we decided to go ahead.

My contributions to the shared dinner: aubergine and feta kefte, and a molten chocolate dessert (not pictured).

Our group was lively, and subjects were mixed. Neurodiverse women and topic maintenance are not always friends, so gossiping, ideological discussions, and playfulness were what kept us talking and eating into the night together. We were emotional and available to each other. Su read an excerpt from the book before we started eating. It felt significant beyond the mundane, and we all need a ceremony sometimes.

Despite being powerless in some ways, this reminded me that we have transformative ways to resist occupation. I think one is sharing and respecting Palestinian culture. The book itself has many resonant quotes about this idea, and I encourage everyone to read Zaitoun and make the recipes! They're economical, tasty, and can be easily adapted to local produce.

"Palestinian food tasted alive. And in a region that too often feels as though it is dying. I appreciated that more than ever." - Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen.

I think remembering, acknowledging community and humanity, and exchanging cultural memories are absolutely necessary and should be practiced as much as a person is able to, even in grief, even in despair. Oppression denies our humanity. It is nourishing to a human being, to eat and share, and enjoy food. It's part of creating families, communities, and enchanted life moments. Our celebration happened during Ramadan, while some of our members couldn't take part for different reasons, and their absence was felt with bittersweet understanding. Our group will continue to explore, learn, and try to preserve Palestinian cooking as well as cuisine from other people in the world.

[thepowersblogging]

Meghan Markle’s First Royal Project: Together, Our Community Cookbook continue to Pay off for the ROYAL FOUNDATION AS it RAISES 1 Million Euros.

She left in 2020 but Princess Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s work is still paying off for the Roayl Foundation. As per annual report 2023, her 2018 project, Together: Our Community Cookbook ,continues to bring in the money which are used in grants to varoious UK charities that are close to Meghan’s heart. When Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, embarked on her first solo project as a royal,…

[sussex-newswire]

Meghan's Accomplishments

Today in the smear campaign: Tina Brown launched a Substack and filled it full of Meghan-bashing quotes to get clicks. The tabloids are happily picking them up and recycling it all ad nauseum. "The trouble with Meghan is that she has the worst judgment of anyone in the entire world. She’s flawless about getting it all wrong...all of her ideas are total crap."

Hm! Does this bear any relationship to truth? Let's look at Meghan's accomplishments, starting with the toe she dipped into Tina Brown's career area, magazine editing:

The issue of British Vogue that Meghan guest-edited, "Forces for Change," was their fastest selling edition in history, so overwhelmingly successful that they recently revisited it for a fifth anniversary retrospective.

Sure seems like Forces for Change is the kind of "total crap" idea that Tina Brown wishes she could come up with!

But of course, magazine editing was a one-off for Meghan. She just casually hit that home run while strolling through the ballpark. At the same time she was also busy with other projects, like:

Together: Our Community Cookbook, Meghan's first project as the Duchess of Sussex. This cookbook spotlighted the community of women displaced by the Grenfell fire and it was a huge hit, winning awards and raising more than half a million pounds for the Hubb Community Kitchen.

What a total crap idea! Let's look at a few of the others:

Meghan's picture book for children, The Bench, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller in its category.

Meghan's podcast, Archetypes, reached No. 1 in the podcast charts in more than six countries. It won the People's Choice Award for "The Pop Podcast of 2022," and Meghan was named as the "top entertainment podcast host" at the Gracie Awards.

The Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries holds the record for the biggest debut for a Netflix documentary and remains Netflix's second-highest ranked documentary ever.

Wow! Banger after banger after banger! This woman has a golden touch—everything she does breaks records for success!

Oh and speaking of awards:

With Harry, Meghan collected the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award for their "willingness to speak up" and "moral courage." They were also honored with the 2022 NAACP Image Award for "join[ing] the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world." Meghan alone was singled out for her "global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls" at the 2023 Women of Vision Awards.

Moral courage and global advocacy—crap ideas for sure!

And what has Tina Brown done lately, after quitting The New Yorker to go and work for Harvey Weinstein, a choice that she herself now calls "the dumbest career move of anybody’s life"?

Well, she's got a Substack, and the only reason she's getting any attention for it is by putting lies on Meghan's name.

It's pretty obvious which one of these women has good ideas. And it's not Tina Brown.

[newwayastrology]

THE NOEL TYL MASTERS COURSE

When Noel Tyl became seriously ill, he asked me to take over his Master’s Course and payment of noeltyl.com.

Over 500 students have enrolled in the Course throughout some 24 countries; many graduates are now working as professionals at their highest skill level; and all of us are sharing an extraordinary time of learning discovery and fulfillment.

There’s a lot of unrealistic junk being sold as astrology that will lead you down the wrong path. I see things on social media that are embarrassing.

What I liked about Noel’s work from day 1 was the idea of putting the horoscope in the context of the person living it, not the other way around. What’s the other way around? It’s when you take a position, aspect, or whatever and MAKE the person what you read in a book.

I remember the very first knowledgeable person in astrology looked at my chart. He said, With Sun square Saturn, don’t have high expectations of achievement.” Huh? What? I’m not going to achieve because you read something in a book?! I went on to make 2nd team all-state in basketball, worked in a Grammy award-winning production team and more. What’s more, squares and hard aspects aren’t “bad.” They are motivational and tell you what you need to work on in order to grow, evolve, and be happy. The horoscopes of people who achieved are not full of trines and sextiles. Find Steve Jobs’ chart, take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

The Course has 19 Lessons and a Final Exam. Each Lesson is about 2-3,000 words in length, printed. There is no completion expectation. If it takes 3 months to complete a lesson, so be it. You proceed at your own pace. Each lesson has an assignment. Upon completion you email the assignment to me. I go over it and send back any necessary comments. If for any reason you need to talk to me, you can always call as long as it is after 1 PM eastern time up to 8 PM eastern time or we can do a Zoom.

The Lessons in the Course cover every detail of psychologically rich, deep analytical astrology, following the text Synthesis & Counseling in Astrology -The Professional Manual (by Noel Tyl, Llewellyn Publications), a 1,000-page book. With just a few lessons behind you, you'll be able to make valid assessments of analysis of a horoscope.

Additionally, astrologers in the Course are linked together throughout the world on TylNet, a free e-mail channel for networking and mutual support.

The Course is crowned by my certification of you through a full-color, grand certificate suitable for framing and, dare I say, a good deal of prominence, such is the pride I have of my students, my publicity for them, our international internet Course Network, etc..

****I can promise you that after four Lessons, your 'head will be turned around'; after 9, you're a pro; and after 19, you may stand by anyone in the world.****

The prerequisites are important, of course: you must have some experience as an astrologer (some people in the Course have been active in astrology for 20 years, some for 2), with experience doing horoscopes, perhaps minimally 15-20 of them; you must have good astrological software, capable of double-ring charts, mid-point tables, aspect grid, and time changes throughout the world; word processing capability, since the Lessons must come back in executive text, clearly presented; and you must be serious, since the Course takes 1.5-2 years to complete. This is not a lot of this means that cookbook junk.

The cost is US $650 to begin. $300 gets you started and an additional $350 is paid at the onset of Lesson #9. There are no refunds for any reasons, including demise of student or teacher. (My lawyer makes me state that that way!). For those who want to pay the whole thing, I reward you with a reduction to make the total cost $500.

I assure you that the turn-around of communication is swift, and that I am available by phone or internet should a problem arise. I want to share my years of experience (some 25,000 charts, probably) with you in the way that will make you the best astrologer you can be!

I look forward to your personal communique: please telephone me for further discussion, for registering for the Course. We will start a professional, personal relationship that will be rewarding for both of us in the times ahead: 215-432-3385, 14:00 to 20:00 EST/EDT USA.

LESSON TITLES

1. Organization of the Horoscope and First Impressions

2. Indispensable Keys to Analysis

3. More Indispensable Keys to Analysis

4. Still More Keys to Analysis

5. Astrological Patterns of Life Development

6. The Logistics of Prediction

7. Rapport Measurements, Solar Arcs, and Integrated Transits

8. Testing the Validity of a Birth Time, Anticipating Behavior

9. Rectification Study

10. Organization of Life Analysis

11. The Energy of Attitude

12. Fine Tuning Analysis; Analysis from Aspect Grid Alone

13. Vocational Guidance

14. Sexuality

15. Relationships; Health Matters and Body Weakness

16. Making Creative Connections in analysis

17. Special Considerations: Client Need, Astrologer-Client Relationship, the Power of Suggestion, Using Aphorisms

18. The Astrology of Events and Elections; the Consultation Chart

19. Reading My Mind! Analysis of my Analysis

FINAL EXAMINATION: to recognize your personal poise and confidence, your astrological technique; your interpretive imagination and empathic humanistic outreach.

[ifreakingloveroyals]

21 November 2018 | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the Hubb Community Kitchen to see how funds raised by the 'Together: Our Community' Cookbook are making a difference at Al Manaar, North Kensington in London, England. (c) Chris Jackson/Getty Images

[aquafina1000000]

Untitled, 2023. 2m x 1.5m (Digital print on Canvas)

———

This work is an exploration between the division of human and machine. It is an assertion of humanity, searching for community and refuge from technological suffocation.

The role of language.

A driving point of tension, and a fundamental difference, between the person and the machine is the function and interpretation of language. Language to a machine is a transaction of data. A plastic articulation of commands, focused on limitless optimisation, devoid of context, empathy and lived experience.

Language for a human being is essential and takes many forms. It exists as letters, numbers, words and images but also as gestures, tradition, sound, movement, touch.

Through language we reify the irrepressible and fundamental fact that I am real, you are real and that we acknowledge and cherish our shared impact on each other.

It is how we express joy and grief. It is how we console and how we connect.

It is how we find reason to be, and how we celebrate it.

It is a connective tether between our understanding of now, what has been and what will come.

In searching for an expression of connection through the interpretation of language, there also exists a point of finding where language no longer serves machine but persists for us. One of the most universal languages observed in all places, always, is that of food. Regardless of our ability to communicate verbally or through written word, we are able to communicate our affection and our care through the sharing of a meal. It is a biological need that brings us together and one that serves no authentic purpose to a machine.

This work is intended to exist as a technologically impenetrable object.

It is for people, and people alone.

It represents a celebration of humanity, presented in the symbolic syntax of the captcha anti-bot detection system - a presentation of language that is unreadable to the machine but understood by the human eye.

What is presented is a metaphoric ‘cook-book’, translated to the form of a tablecloth. The text housed on the surface of the textile is a transposition of a meal, consisting of:

An entrée of bread

A main course of egg & bacon quiche

A desert of chocolate & cinnamon sponge cake.

These recipes and their instructions were originally devised by my dear Nana, who passed several years ago. These recipes and their instructions are from hand-written cookbooks she left behind. Written records of love, translated through food, left for her children and their children.

Each ingredient choice, each articulated instruction – every pen stroke - is charged with an irrepressible devotion. It is informed with tender intention for the act to be repeated and reexperienced by anyone that comes across it, so that they too can share that meal with not just those at the table, but with her and her family. It is an invitation to share a time and space, in the same way that a film is an invitation to experience a story together, or that a book is an invitation to mutually explore.

What I’ve attempted to create is an object that serves no purpose to and cannot be mechanically interpreted by the machine but is an articulation of and an invitation to experience shared humanity and community.

Its form as a tablecloth, while pragmatically obtuse in it’s purpose as an instructional document, is intended to communicate and embody the ideological underpinnings of its function.

It is laid over the table at which the meal is eaten, serving as both temporal and gestural signifier of this tender communion between those participating in the meal

[jllongwrites]

The New Hampshire Writers’ Project (NHWP) and WKXL, Concord’s talk radio station are presenting a special collaboration the week of July 24 through July 28 — ��New Hampshire’s Author’s Week.”

Each morning Ken Cail will host an NHWP member author on Ken Cail & Company, the station’s popular morning show. Each conversation will explore the respective author’s style, genre, inspiration, a glimpse into their lives, and a sneak peek at new releases and award-winning books. Each episode will air from 8 to 9 am during the morning commute. Episodes will also be available on demand through the station’s website.

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The line-up is:

Monday, July 24 th, R.W.W. Greene, accomplished science-fiction author. His latest book, Earth Retrograde, Book II of the First Planets, will be released in October 2023. Rob’s interests are nearly as fascinating as his books, ranging from collecting old typewriters and keeping bees.     

Tuesday, July 25th, Christina Holbrook, an author whose debut romance novel, All the Flowers of the Mountain, is set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The novel won an IPPY award and the Colorado Book Award earlier this year. Her latest book, Table for One, a collection of short stories is being released next month.

Wednesday, July 26 th, Cynthia Neale, author of historical novels, cookbooks, essays, and screenplays is currently engaged in a book tour for her latest historical-fiction novel, Catharine, Queen of the Tumbling Waters.

Thursday July 27th, Dan Pouliot recently launched his first book in the young adult supernatural fantasy series, Super Human. The books explore the relationship of fears, desires, expectations, our subconscious on human potential.

Friday, July 28 th, David Moloney released a fiction novel that provides a portrait of nine fictional corrections officers in a NH jail, as only a former worker in a NH Department of Corrections could tell it.

Listeners can tune in on 1450 AM, 103.9 FM in Concord or 101.9 FM in Manchester or listen to the LIVE stream on the website at www.nhtalkradio.com.

"We at WKXL are beyond thrilled to be partnering with the New Hampshire Writers Project for ‘New Hampshire Author's Week!’ This collaboration has given us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our talented local authors and provide them with the platform they truly deserve,” said Catherine C. Martinez, General Manager of WKXL. “For 77 years, WKXL has been dedicated to delivering local news and uplifting the voices, talent and small businesses of our community. Together, let's inspire and uplift our local literary voices too!"

“The WKXL Author Series is a wonderful promotional outlet for our NHWP members and their books! Ken Cail is an incredibly talented and personable host and interviewer, who has the ability to create a heartwarming and insightful human story with his conversation. WKXL and Ken Cail are giving NHWP's authors an opportunity of a lifetime. What a great way to reach new readers and inspire new authors,” said Masheri Chappelle, Board of Trustees Chair, NHWP.

[artsysotherocs]

Royal Velvet Cookie's Bakery Shenanigans

Are you familiar with the youtuber vvv

If you do, you might know about his OC, Royal Velvet Cookie, and his community, Cookie Run: Together.

Well in the discord server, he held a contest that's part of the series "Path to Beyond Creativity." The prompt was Royal Velvet Cookie playing Hide 'n Seek with our cookie OC. Since its summer break for me, I decided to join my first Beyond Creativity. So, here's my submission.

Here, I showcase Muffin Top Cookie trying to find the small cookie. He was in the middle of making bread when the tiny cookie challenged him to a game of hide 'n seek. So, off with the apron to search around the kitchen. Little does he know that the pesky Royal Velvet Cookie is hiding under his hat, Ratatouille style.

I really challenged myself making this, especially the background. The labels are written in French as I headcanon the Hollyberry Kingdom to be Erthbread's France. The jars on the shelf from left to right contain sugar, brown sugar, and flour. The container next to the pepper grinder contains salt.

My favourite prop is the cookbook that references Bacon Cookie. It's a nice thing to tie this to the Cookie Run canon. The title is English cuz the French translation was too long (I only used Google Translate, sorry).

Of course there are mistakes, whether in line work or the designs. Nonetheless, I had fun and was proud of myself when I finished it. Here's to hoping I'll win the contest :D