Get Creative on Valentine’s Day

Every site has an article about how to do something especially romantic. The problem is that the bar keeps getting raised and raised until finally, it’s all just a giant disappointment. That’s why it’s a good idea to break some new ground this Valentine’s Day. Do something creative. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Zigeunerschnitzel

Last Friday night I had the pleasure of attending Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café in Sanford, FL. This restaurant is an authentic Bavarian spot, with shared tables, giant soft pretzels, 3-liter boots of beer, and lots of schnitzel.

While reading the menu, a dish caught my eye: zigeunerschnitzel. This schnitzel is prepared with a paprika and red pepper sauce. The reason I was drawn to the dish is that, when I was a wee one taking cooking lessons, one of the things we learned to make was zigeunerschnitzel. I have made the dish over the years, and I still have the recipe. I don’t know how authentic it is; all the zigeunerschnitzel recipes I found online had significant variations. This recipe doesn’t have tomatoes or tomato paste, but you could add a can of crushed tomatoes or a small can of tomato paste if you want to experiment. Regardless, it’s a yummy dish that will wow your friends and family. Continue reading →

The 2012 Campaign Reimagined as a Series of Terrible Movie Posters


This campaign season is ridiculous. If it was a movie you would be annoyed at how many times Gingrich and Santorum keep showing up even after their story-lines are exhausted, and how crappy Romney’s dialogue is. No actor could utter “Corporations are people, my friend” and not sound like an idiot. Well, Bruce Campbell maybe. And look at Ron Paul. Why is he even still here? On the other hand, there are some entertaining moments. If you pretend its 1980, and you are watching a science fiction movie about 2012, it’s kind of cool. Everybody has phones without wires! Candidates argue about moon colonies! Lando Calrissian is president! Let’s look at some ridiculous pictures! Continue reading →

The Contraception Controversy and the Catholic Church

The Crasstalk political team has been going back and forth about the latest health care controversy: requiring Catholic hospitals, schools and charities to provide their employees with insurance that covers contraception, abortion-inducing medication (like the morning after pill), and sterilization. This expressly goes against the beliefs of the Catholic Church. As much as I believe that these medications and services are necessary, I’m with the Catholic Church on this one.

A key tenet in the Catholic Church is that you treat the person regardless of their faith or beliefs. In other words, one is not required to be a practicing Catholic or to believe in any Catholic teachings to receive assistance from a Catholic charity, care at a Catholic hospital or education at a Catholic school. Continue reading →

The Marilyn Monroe Memes Need to Stop

In the decades following her death, Marilyn Monroe has been exalted as the human embodiment of bygone Hollywood glamour and unmatched sex appeal but recently, she has been given another accolade: the counterweight to our culture’s ever-thinner beauty ideal. The oft-invoked argument centers around the declaration that Monroe was a size 8/10/12/14 and if she were alive today, she would be considered overweight and probably, never would have been a star. (These claims are inherently problematic because women’s apparel sizing has varied considerably over the years, rendering numbers utterly useless as indications of proportion and because such conjectures are speculative and sensational in nature.) Continue reading →