From Cherie's Kitchen: I try new recipe ... Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

I decided today would be the day I try something new for dinner. So, I told my husband, Chris, to expect anything. If it doesn't work out, there's always veggie burgers.

This recipe for Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie is courtesy of Vegetarian Times.

It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with our food options. Trying something new is a great way to push our boundaries right out of that rut.

VT subscribers are never short on options. In addition to the magazine, VT also publishes cookbooks and more recipes are available via email. I've amassed a vast collection -- it's time to start putting it to use.

I am pleased to say the turned out to be a culinary success. Try serving it with a hearty bread and a green salad.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Sweet Potato Topping

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (1/4 lb.)
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk or plain soymilk
• 1 Tbs. nonhydrogenated margarine or butter
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Filling

• 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 leek, white part thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 2 turnips, diced (1 cup)
• 1 carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (2 tsp.)
• 1/4 cup white wine or water
• 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

To make Sweet Potato Topping:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potato, cover, and boil 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and return to pot. Mash with milk, margarine, cinnamon, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Cherie's note: I microwaved the sweet potato, let it cool, then peeled it carefully. It worked just fine.

To make Filling:

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and leek, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, or until leek is soft. Add turnips, carrot, thyme, and rosemary; cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until carrot begins to soften.

3. Add wine, and cook 30 seconds to deglaze pan. Stir in beans and broth. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until carrots and turnips are soft. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. Remove thyme sprigs from Filling, and discard. Pour Filling into 2- or 3-qt. casserole dish. Spread Sweet Potato Topping over Filling. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.

5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking pan. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

6. Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover casserole, and place on baking sheet. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until filling bubbles and top is golden. Remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Poetry Podcast: "Carry Me" by Doris Runey

Welcome to my first Poetry Podcast of 2011.

This poem was written by one of my favorite Oakland University professors, Doris Runey.

I met Doris in the summer of 2008. I took her modern literature class as a general education requirement.

In addition to being a gifted teacher who encourages new thinking among her students, Doris is a multitalented writer, poet, sculptor, translator and musician. She's also a filmmaker with a wonderful project the works called "Lorelei."

Doris is pro-life. She's also a mom. She wrote this poem for a coworker who was expecting a baby back in 1976. Since then, through the power of the Internet, that baby -- now grown up -- contacted her. It seems the poem has come full circle.

When she wrote the poem, Doris wanted it to express the thoughts and feelings of the child within the womb. It is a moving celebration of life. Enjoy.
Listen to the poem now:

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Martin Luther King, Jr. in feminist perspective then and now

I am taking time to contemplate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on a day that has been set aside to honor him. I have made it known on my Facebook page that I believe observance of this day should mandatory for everybody.

More companies should be encouraged to close in observance of the day. On a day when the stock exchange is closed, government offices are closed, banks are closed, schools are closed -- and granted some businesses are closed, why do some still resist?

Could it be that King was a critic of the capitalist system that fuels a profit-based economy?

Maybe his ideas are just as threatening to certain people and institutions today as they were in his lifetime.

Today I was compelled to Google "Martin Luther King, Jr. and Feminism." I found an interesting paper by Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons titled: "Martin Luther King, Jr. Revisited A Black Power Feminist Pays Homage to the King."

The article was published in the fall of 2008 in the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Volume 24, Number 2.

I urge you to read Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons' paper in its entirety. It can be found in the JSTOR database available at university libraries. Visit jstor.org for a list of participating institutions.

In what she calls "part memoir, part historical reflection," Simmons talks about King in the context of the times in which he lived through her own personal experiences. She goes on to reexamine King through wiser eyes later in her life. Her account is truthful and frank.

"I came to know Dr. King as a volunteer and then as a field secretary in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) ..." Simmons says. "It was as an SNCC 'firebrand' that my new, less-favorable views of Dr. King were imposed upon my first glowing impressions of him as a magnificent preacher and beloved leader of the civil rights movement."

Simmons began to favor a more militant strategy to further the civil rights movement.

"My newly evolving militancy and sense of black nationalist pride permitted me to be rude in speech, arrogant in manner to Dr. King, and despairing of his ideas in person and behind his back," Simmons says.

Simmons says King was sexist, but wisely goes on to "contextualize it within the historical period." Judgments must be made in that context.

"Sexism was definitely a problem throughout all civil rights organizations. Dr. King, not surprisingly -- like most if not all men in the movement who were products of the Black Church and American culture was sexist. ... The civil rights movement was hardly a model of female inclusion in the area of leadership. Patriarchy plagued the black freedom struggle on all sides. ...All men had difficulty seeing women in leadership roles."

She goes on to say that "Kings inability to see movement women as his peers and even mentors prevented him from forging strong connections with radical black women who could have been his greatest allies in the struggle he was about to launch against economic oppression."

She is speaking here about King's "Poor People's Campaign for Jobs and Income (PPC)."

However, the wisdom of later life has prompts Simmons to say this, " ... I believe that if he had not been shot down in the prime of his life when his political and social thought was undergoing profound transformations, it is justifiable to think he would have advanced his consciousness about the social construction of gender roles and the injustice of patriarchy and sexism..."

She also expresses "shame and remorse" for her behavior in view of her "ignorance and lack of maturity at the time." Yet, there is no need .

Given the honesty, frankness, and accessibility of her paper, she is to be credited with her progressive thinking and wisdom.

We can only wonder what the world would be like today if Dr. King had lived or if he would have come aboard the women's movement.

As it stands, his "three evils" remain in place in U.S. society. They are racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.

Dr. King made the connection between these oppressions saying, "I don't believe capitalism as it is constructed (in our country) can meet the needs of poor people and that what we might need to look at is a kind of socialism, but a democratic form of socialism."

This statement is just as radical today. And it frightens people today just as it did then.

Keeping Dr. King's dream alive involves introspection as well as examination of national policies. It also involves advocating change in a nonviolent way.

King biographer Vincent Harding said King never advocated violence but, "he was urging the nation to examine itself and to correct its wrongs before it was too late."

It's still not too late, and if we truly "advocate feminism," we will continue to work toward the elimination not only of sexism, but the other oppressions associated with it.

Feminist Quote Bag

"If you are aspiring to leadership, whether you're a biochemist like I am, or something else, you're going to have to work hard and commit to it. If you expect to be a world-class scientist, you can't take off six years to raise your children. ... If you've got your sights on the top, there are certain realities you just have to understand.

-- University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman at a breakfast hosted by Inforum, an 1,800 member business alliance, during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Cherie's two cents: Of course you have to work hard and commit to any profession -- aren't most of us already doing that? The reality in this statement is that the patriarchy is still firmly in place.

Follow the link to Rochelle Riley's column "Inforum gets candid on women's futures," from today's Detroit Free Press on my Twitter page @cherwyro

Just for fun: The best girlfriend gifts ever

The true acceptance of a gift is in the use of it.

That doesn't mean it has to be expensive or fancy. The best girlfriend gifts I've received so far have been simple and meaningful. And they keep giving over and over again.

Cherie's best girlfriend gifts -- to give or receive:

1. Friendship: It sounds cliche, but it's not.

2. Knitting Pretty by Kris Percival: This book with its simple instructions and projects kept me focused and probably saved my life when I was depressed.

3. Pillow Talk 50th Anniversary DVD: Starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. A cute story about gender roles -- both new and traditional -- and antiquated technology. It's been my bedtime story many a night.

4. Lavender sachet: Made with Michigan-grown lavender from Yule Love it Lavender Farm. If I'm nervous, stressed, or can't fall asleep, a few deep breaths of lavender chill me right out. Buy several while the farm is open in season.

5. Starbucks Gift Card: Great for those mornings when I want someone else to make my coffee.





All these gifts were courtesy of my friend for almost 16 years, Lisa Craig. And my goal this year is to be a better friend in return.

Feminist Theory: The crash course

I am liberal.


I am a feminist.


But, I'm not a liberal feminist.


Say what?

Two years ago, that's what I said, too, until studied feminist theory at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

This is where I learned that feminism isn't just one thing -- and "one size does not fit all." And yet, since the majority of educational institutions do not include feminist theory in their curricula, stereotypes centered around beliefs of what has come to be known as "mainstream feminism" persist -- and some of them are true.

During the class, I began to question if I wanted to be identified as a feminist. Some of the models are "out there," and even though they contain interesting ideas and valid points, I would say to myself, "If this is feminism, I don't want it."

That was until I found a model I identified with.

But you don't have to limit yourself to one specific model either.

I 'd like to introduce a new occasional series: "Feminist Theory: The crash course." Since I'd like to explore the state of feminism today, its prominence in society and whether it should be reinvented or scrapped in favor of a new social movement, I think it's important to look at different models and what we can learn from them.

I will be drawing on the writings of Rosemarie Tong, bell hooks and other great feminist minds. But my goal is to write in terms that everybody can understand. It's theory for "the rest of us."

So join me back here for the crash course. It should be interesting and enlightening.

Feminism in the year ahead

January is named for the Roman god Janus who has two heads. He is looking backward to the past and forward to the future simultaneously. There he is on the Janus Funds logo.

It's that kind of time in my personal life. I've just finished my long-neglected education and I'm now transitioning to freelance journalism all while keeping my home life in balance.

It's that kind of time for feminism too. Where does it belong in the political and social scene? Does it still have an identity or its own, or is it being absorbed into other movement? Do we still need feminism? Do we still call it feminism?

This is an exam essay I wrote pondering the question, "Where do I go from here with the knowledge I've been given?"

I tried to answer that question, and asked more questions. And sometimes, asking the question is more important than having the answer.

WGS 364

Final exam essay #5

Gender makes the world go around. Whether positive or negative, the effects of the roles men and women play on the international stage affect everything from the tourist industry, to the military, to social adjustment policies, to language, to consumption. It’s all connected and even our personal actions such as where we decide to take a vacation, or if we decide whether or not to eat meat have an impact on the lives of women around the world. We have also explored how governments and big business have twisted feminist principles to exploit women.

So, what am I supposed to do with all of this? As I leave Oakland University and embark on my media career, I take with me something that every journalist does not have -- a feminist perspective on world events. I look at world events and people differently with an understanding of how difference contributes to international, domestic, and personal relationships. And, I have the ability to recognize, respect, and accept difference. I can see the connections between oppressions of sexism, ageism, racism, and naturism that I did not see previously.

This is why I now say, “ I advocate feminism,” because it opens up the way for discussions to other oppression and difference.

As a journalist and media professional, I am a guardian of language and a conduit of knowledge to the general public. This is a weighty responsibility. Through writing --- through language -- I have the ability to educate the public and further make known the things I have learned. This feminist knowledge is so essential and yet is not part of the mainstream education curriculum – nor is it a topic for the mainstream media. For example, the only way people would know about different kinds of feminism is by taking a feminist theory class – which the vast majority of the public does not. So there is a need to make this information accessible.

I was most influenced by the postmodern analysis of Carol Adams in “The Sexual Politics of Meat” and the Marxist analysis of Hester Eisenstein in “Feminism Seduced.” Although their schools of thought are different, I believe both are useful.

While Adams uses the postmodern micro analysis of postmodernism to examine how language perpetuates patriarchy and the oppression of women, Eisenstein uses the macro analysis of broader social and political systems to examine how governments and big business have used feminist principles to achieve their neoliberal capitalist goals.

Eisenstein insists that feminist research needs to move away from the micro analysis of postmodernism that focuses on a few individuals. She says the feminist agenda must be broadened to bring more results to the working class women of the U.S. and women of the third world.

In my mind, I can utilize both. As an agent of language I can affect change by rooting out old stereotypes and patriarchal language that has become the norm. I can also do my part to see that new ones don’t come along to replace them.

The question in my mind going forward is – given the negative connotations surrounding mainstream feminism, do we try to salvage and redefine the word – or do we create new language? If we create something new, what would it be called? What issues would be at the center of the movement? What approach is best – radical or subtle? Should we try to “rewind” and include things that early feminists missed in the beginning – like including men in the movement?

The point of intellectual inquiry is to perpetually ask questions and be in pursuit of better and better answers.

My plan for the immediate future is to grow my blog into a formidable online publication that raises questions. The idea is not necessarily to get people to agree with me – but to plant seeds of knowledge that make them to think – and in turn ask more questions. And so on, and so on, and so on …