MediCann Hosting Annual Seed Planting

  
MediCann, a statewide group of medical clinics that provide health and wellness services including medical marijuana evaluations, is hosting its annual Seed Planting on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall on Monday, February 15th at Noon. This event is a public action bringing attention to the need for continued support of medical marijuana policy. The tides are tipping in favor of even larger support for medical marijuana use. You can't take Prop. 215 -- the California proposition legalizing marijuana for medical use -- for granted. Continued action is needed for increased visibility and public support.  And this is a great action for a great green cause.

Learn more and RSVP here.

The S. Kitchen Grows and Goes on the Road

  
The S. Kitchen is happy to announce that we are EXPANDING!

MARCH's theme will be "Cooking without the Kitchen" and will highlight the excellent work of OutLook Theater Project. (Stay tuned for date!)

And then in MAY we will be moving the S. Kitchen to Jennifer C's and Huckleberry G's home in Noe Valley. Theme, date, and organizational highlight TBA.

Finally, JULY will be hosted at Anderson Y's and Michael A's house. Theme, date, and organizational highlight TBA.

If you would like to host The S. Kitchen in September or November...Get in touch. We are taking it on the road to continue our growing community of cuisine, camaraderie, and conversation.

Weeds Growing Influence

  
The momentum around marijuana legalization is building. A great example are two articles in both San Francisco Weekly and The San Francisco Bay Guardian in the last three weeks. San Francisco Weekly's "Weed Takes Root" focused on Oaksterdam and the growing social entrepreneurial spirit of medical marijuana growers. The San Francisco Bay Guardian's "Marijuana Goes Mainstream" centered on the actual medical marijuana clubs in San Francisco and Oakland, giving reviews of most of the clubs. And earlier this week, Steve D'Angelo, Executive Director of Harborside Health Center, appeared on G4's (that's geek television) Attack of the Show to discuss the implications of LA's new medical marijuana ordinances.


And what's even better...legalizing pot for recreational use might just get on the ballot this fall.  (NBC3 Article)


Amid all of the chaos that is the state budget and unemployment and cuts to education and other vital services, it is a small glimmer of hope. 

Steve D' Angelo's interview on Attack of the Show.

Cuisine: Tex-Mex Cheesy Corn Casserole

Today, was a Margaret day. It meant a good meal and some wandering. I always enjoy these days. After a lovely lunch at Kate's Kitchen and letting Walter back into the house, we found our way to an LGBTQ spiritual gathering that Cindy invited us to. It was wrapping up, and afterwards Margaret told Cindy about our common shoulder aches. Cindy offered some acupuncture at her office a few doors down. We couldn't resist. It was wonderful and healing.

Later, we walked her dog and drank some tea. It was casual meandering with good friends. A perfect unplanned day.

The evening ended with Cindy driving me part the way home. As we rode down Divisidero, she told me about her love of corn chowder. I'm not a huge fan of corn chowder, but her description of it made me crave it or something like it.

I got home and opened the freezer. There was corn. I immediately set to find recipes among the myriad cookbooks on my shelves. After some tinkering, the Tex-Mex Cheesy Corn Casserole was born.

***
Ingredients:
2 anaheim peppers, whole
1 pasilla pepper, whole
3 jalapenos, whole
2 small yellow onions, quartered
1 head garlic, cloves broken apart
3 cubes bullion
2 1/2 cups water
2 tsp tex mex chili powder
3 bay leaves

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 cup buttermilk
6 saltines, crushed

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

8 oz munster
4 oz parmesan

Directions:
Turn the oven to broil. Place the peppers, onions, and garlic in a cast iron skillet or oven-proof baking dish and put it in the broiler. Check every 3-4 minutes turning when needed. Remove when all sides have browned.

Notes on roasting

Onions - Leave the dry, flaky outer layer of the onion on. Place the onions skin side down on the baking dish. Remove onions when outer layer is dark brown. Remove it and one more layer. Cut off tips and roots.

Peppers - Make sure to rotate the peppers frequently. After you remove the peppers, place in a bowl and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes. Peel and remove seeds.

Garlic - Keep the skin on the cloves. The garlic cloves is perfect when it is a nice golden brown color on all sides.

Dice all onions, peppers, and garlic. Set aside.

Boil a large pot of water. Add rice. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain setting aside 2 1/2 cups water. Set the rice aside.

Mix buttermilk and saltines together. Set aside.

Mix bullion cubes, water, peppers, onions, garlic, tex-mex chili powder, and bay leaves together in a large sauce pan. Add corn. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Cool.

Using a food processor, blend one half of the corn mixture into a coarse cream. Pour into a bowl. Place the second half of the mixture in the food processor. Pulse mixture two to three times. Pour into the bowl. Mix in buttermilk mixture.

Grate the munster and parmesan.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X9 baking dish. Place half of the cooked rice in the bottom of the pan. Layer half the corn mixture on top of rice. Layer half of the cheese on top. Layer the rice. Layer the corn mixture. Top with cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes until edges are brown and bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes.

The S. Kitchen presents...A Very Mary Queer Year

  


The S. Kitchen is back on Sunday, January 31st at 4pm. This time the theme is A Very Mary Queer Year! That's right. This is the year that I am bringing my art to life. And if you know me, you know that my art is most definitely QUEER. So to kick things into high gear, this S. Kitchen will be a launching of Queerly Complex, a portal to art, events, news, and more all from a queer perspective.

What is meant by queer? Good thing ya asked (or well...are at least reading this). Queer is as queer does. It is a way of life. It is about living outside the box. It is expressing who you are and loving who you will. It is not giving a damn and being open to possibilities. It is honoring and promoting voices and experiences of folks that identify as LGBT and the spaces in between. It is being present amidst the chaos of past and future.

How does this all relate to the theme and food? That part is actually very very simple. This time around, I will be focusing on foods that are traditional new year's foods from a variety of cultures. Think black-eyed peas, noodles, collard greens, dumplings, grapes... Then make it your own! This could be a different way of serving, adding that secret spice that you don't tell anyone, buying it from a store and calling it your own. The possibilities are endless!

To get you started with ideas, here is a great resource: http://bit.ly/7HDIRf

And in my tradition of New Years, we will be doing a white elephant gift exchange. That's right it is white elephant, so...DON'T SPEND A DIME! Find something tacky, broken, unused in your home, wrap it, and bring it to the shindig. Hilarity will ensue.

Hope to see ya'll there!