this is it

i went to see the movie last night and it was absolutely incredible. after being out of the public eye in a positive way for so long it was sooo comforting to relive what a truely amazing musician, performer, singer, dancer, and man Michael Jackson really was.

as someone who works behinds the scenes on shows, it was amusing to see things like the cue calls and such and how Michael responded and worked with these things. it was truly outstanding. he was so intuitive and understanding. he really had a vision and a message. his genius and talent were unparalleled. what astounded me throughout the entire movie was not only how absolutely happy he seemed when he was performing, but how amazingly entertaining and well he sounded just in tech rehearsal! it was like listening to the CD and he wasn't even trying... he was apologizing because he wasn't really singing out because he was trying to preserve his voice for the real thing! i can't even imagine what that concert would have been like full out- singing, dancing, costumes, the whole bit... my mind's eye won't let me conceive of it. it's overwhelming.

all i can say is it is such a shame that yet another musical legend- the king of pop- was taken before their time. if he could have only seen how much he truly meant to the world. and if the world only knew what they had before it was gone. i guess it's true what they say... only the good die young...

on top of spaghetti

if you've ever tried rice pasta before you probably have come to at least two conclusions already:

1. if you don't mix it with some sort of sauce, serve it, and eat it right away, it gets quite sticky
2. re-heating just isn't an option

if you haven't tried rice pasta yet- be warned of the above. expect for the recipe i'm about to give you. yes, you heard me right.

rice pasta actually isn't bad, i've found it a suitable substitute (again this coming from an italian, whose great grandma made her own homemade pasta in the house). They do also make corn pasta which i feel although it might have a more solid texture at times, it was a little more blah when it came to taste. or maybe not "blah" but it was that i could taste the corn, in that same bland corn chip way, which was off putting where as the rice blends in better. at least in my opinion. anyone's best bet is of course to try both and see which his or her taste buds prefer.

in this experiment i had with pasta, i used GLUTINO rice spaghetti.

GLUTINO is a great easily found brand of gluten-free products, from pasta to breads to cookies & snacks. GLUTINO ONLINE i also love them because the offer gluten-free/dairy & casin-free frozen sliced breads and things in the frozen section on whole foods.

now onto the recipe... this was modified from a friend's recipe that was just done by "eyeing it" so i apologize but i don't have exact measurements. trust me though, if i could wing it, anyone can. i made it with a pound of pasta so i'm basing my measurements on that much pasta. adjust as needed.

Pasta Primavera

things you will need:
-choice gluten-free pasta
-olive oil
-fresh garlic
-chicken broth
-marsala wine
-choice cut veggies (ex: peas, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini... i only had peas & it was still delish!)
-salt
-pepper

put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

take cut veggies and saute in a pan and put to the side.

in a medium to large sauce pan, on low to medium heat, pour olive oil to cover bottom of pan and add slices of fresh garlic from 1-2 cloves and let simmer, being careful not to burn garlic.

once garlic starts to simmer, add one package of chicken broth. (i had a little powder package that had to be mixed with 2 cups of water, so i mixed it and added it. if your chix broth comes in a different form that seems like much to much, adjust to amount that seems more suitable) stir. bring to just a boil.

add gluten-free pasta to boiling water in large pot. stir occasionally.

when the oil and chicken broth has just started to bubble in the sauce pan, add marsala wine. (i just poured it out of the bottle into the pan until i smelled the rich aroma of the wine cooking into mixture. probably a cup or a cup and a half.) stir occasionally. lower heat. add a pinch of salt and if you have a pepper shaker that twists to grind the pepper, twist it 3 or 4 times. add in sauteed veggies. stir. remove from heat.

strain the pasta and add to sauce pan. or, put pasta in a serving bowl and pour sauce over, however you prefer to mix it. serve and enjoy!
  
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i wish i could serve you guys taste test samples of this. it was sooo good! even my mom had a big bowl of it and she doesn't even need to eat gluten-free. it just smelled so good. and since it's a oil-based sauce it cut the rice pasta's tendency to get sticky and i even dared to refrigerate it and reheat it two days later and it was just as good! i couldn't believe it myself. even real pasta has a hard time with reheating sometimes. we used to make pasta primavera all the time in a cream sauce which i, of course, can't have anymore but i think i just might like this more. and it's a great way to get your veggies.

eating a book

...so if you didn't already know, i've been on a wheat-free/gluten-free dairy-free diet for about 8 months now. and when i say dairy-free, i mean completely dairy-free not just lactose-free, there is a difference (i didn't know that a first either). the difference is this annoying little milk protein called "casein". so when products say "lactose-free" they are not completely dairy-free, or vegan. i am not vegan because i do eat meat and chicken but when i bake or when i am shopping, i look for vegan products because then i am sure they are dairy-free. luckily, it is now a little easier to find wheat-free/gluten-free & casein-free products because recently they seem to have found links to this type of diet helping children with autism so companies are targeting a demographic. whole foods is my sanctuary.

this wasn't a choice at first but it's grown to be. i really believe our culture weighs too heavily on wheat, esp when i hear more and more everyday that people's bodies turn on them from what seems to be a wheat overdose. I think that's what happened to me. Years of being overloaded with wheat (it's in EVERYTHING, literally, take a look) and then i just couldn't break it down anymore. i'd been having stomach issues for a few years then i got seriously ill for like 10 days in February. i was vomiting and i couldn't even swallow anything except tiny sips of water to stay hydrated. i subtracted wheat from my diet and i was like a new person.

i knew i had always been lactose intolerant but i'm italian so i just kind of ignored it. what is an italian without cheese? in a lot less pain- for this one anyway. I saw a special on TV about doctors that are in the middle of doing studies because there is a new theory that although we need our protein and calcium that doctors have told us to get from cows' milk for so long, they think it isn't natural for us to be getting it from cows because they are a different species and no mammal drinks milk past infancy. hmm, interesting... makes so much sense.

soy milk is a fine substitute. soy- the miracle protein! and the lactose-free cheeses aren't half bad, but if you're like me and have to go vegan, cheese territory is rough. REALLY rough. tofutti brand vegan cheese substitutes are a shining light in the industry. i don't know what they do but i hope they keep doing it. the cream cheese, sour cream and american cheese slices have possibly saved my life.

Pizza was what i longed for the most and having yet to find a shredded cheese or a block to shred (tofutti doesn't make one) because vegan cheese gets really weird when it melts most of the time, i DID finally score a pre-made frozen option by Ian's. actually really good. two thumbs up Ian's. you made my day... or 8 months...

while these are my main vices, since i have such a sensitive stomach i also try to stay away from fried foods, foods high in fat, acids and citrus such as tomato sauce and orange juice, caffeine, chocolate, coffee, tea, carbonation (beverages), egg yokes, & artificial sweeteners. just to name a few. it was kind of exhausting at first but nothing compares to being in pain nearly 24/7. it's a way of life and once you know what to eat and what not to eat it not so bad. i've been thinking about putting together a book/recipe book. i would have bought it.

come together

after watching this 3-part video of O-bomb standing up for LGBT rights i got to thinking...

Obama addresses gay rights group (human rights campain)

i, personally, don't believe in god. therefore, i don't believe jesus was his son. however- i do believe there was a man, just a man, who walked this earth who realized the importance of love and acceptance and that his pure and rather simple message has been slandered by the narrow-minded power struggle of man throughout the ages, even in his own time leading to his demise. our very own country was founded on the ideals of freedom, rights, and equality for all- which is laughable because all it really meant was the right to be free and equal if you we just like "them". sadly, even though it is 2009, apparently we as a people have not evolved enough to OPEN OUR EYES and realize that something like sexual orientation does not define a person and does not give anyone the right to judge them.

why are people so threatened by gay people wanting to love one another? in a world of war and murder, rape and abuse, there has to be HATE for people LOVING one another? seriously? gays are going to ruin the sanctity of marriage?  uhhhh, more than half the people who get married now-a-days get divorced, and infidelity doesn't even hold up in court anymore. i hate to break it to you but straight people are ruining the sanctity of marriage.

The bible may frown on homosexuality, but doesn't the bible also say love thy neighbor? correct me if i'm wrong but the latter seemed to be a MUCH more dominant theme. and if you're gonna play the religion card you can't pick and choose your scriptures. if someone is happy loving someone else and in turn making that someone else happy then what the hell is the problem?