Gayle didn't actually buy herself anything frivolous this year; she lusted, that she did, but she ended up buying instead an awful lot of expensive winter running gear after spending a chunk of money signing up for the D.C. half marathon in March, but since she has been running in windchill 10 degree weather, she has been sending a hell of a lot of thanks to whomever has invented this expensive winter running gear because it is incredibly effective and indeed worth every penny when the freezing wind is blowing full force at her and she is FINE, SO. Also, she apparently has purchased a great deal of real estate in the Third Person. I don't know.
So seeing as I didn't buy myself anything this year that I don't actually need, here's the list of things I really, really want for Christmas. Get on this, Jesus.
- I want the entire world to rise up together and condemn solitary confinement and call it what it is: torture. At the very least, it is cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. I want every government to recognize that it is an affront to dignity of humankind, a blight upon our collective morality and conscience, and I want it never, ever used again.
- I want whistleblowers to get human rights defender status. Because that is what they are. Whistleblowers are sometimes the only thing protecting us from the excesses of power and secrecy, and they are heroes, every one. I want people (especially the U.S. media) to stop worshipping at the feet of power and get some goddamn problems with authority.
- I want Congress to stop being the most EMBARRASSING! ELECTED! BODY! EVER! And I would like it to stop being utterly corrupted by money, money that Justice Kennedy called "speech." Conflating money with speech is as threatening to a democracy as you can imagine. And as a corollary, I would like the Courts to find their backbone and do their job, which is being the only effective check that we have on the insane and murderous excesses of the executive branch. BUCK UP, YOUR HONORS. We need you.
- I want white Southerners to stop invoking their treason-in-defense-of-owning-black-people as their proud heritage. The Confederacy formed to defend slavery. Don't pretend otherwise, you assholes.
- I want to nail making skillet cornbread. It is surprisingly hard to find a good recipe.
You are funny. I can't imagine how I came upon your blog ... I was reading famous quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and then suddenly, there you were. Ja-zamm, how'd that happen? Must be magic. Anyway, I do have a fabulous recipe for CORNBREAD ... and you can make it in a black iron skillet if you wish, cowgirl style? That's the way I started out making cornbread, but then I switched to a glass Pryex 9x13 because my black iron skillet (a wedding present from my Dad in Appalachia) would not hold the amount I needed to make for a growing family. Well, 2 kids and growing in the sense that every child must bring home his or her best friend(s) for supper, right? Anyway, I am a 'young' grandmother and have lived all over the USA with the man of my dreams, a handsome young Harvard Law School graduate that I met in a DC law firm when I was in my early 20's, but enough about me ... here's the recipe, which comes from a fabulous historic lodge in Estes Park, CO, 'The Baldpate Inn' which serves only Soup, Salad, and Pie ... oh yes, and heavenly CORNBREAD! Remember always that "Wise Women Share Recipes," and Lois Smith, the owner of The Baldpate Inn, shares her recipes. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete1 Cup Butter
1 Cup White Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Cups Creamed Corn
1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 Cup Medium Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 Cup All-Purpose White Flour
1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Gradually, mix in corn and cheeses. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 inch cake pan. Place in oven, close door and IMMEDIATELY reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. Top will seem moist looking, not dry as with a cake. Center should be set, not gooey. (!?!) Serve warm.
Although the Baldpate Inn is at the very high altitude of 9000 ft. this recipe works equally well at lower elevations. Just plan to make extra, because even folks who say they don't like cornbread, seem to love this recipe!! It does keep delicious and moist for hours - if hidden!
So now, my dear, you may scratch Christmas Wish #5 OFF your Christmas list. A very close friend told me to let you know that He sent me. You see it's true, I do have friends in high places ... Lois Smith and Jesus Christ! (Psalm 37:4)