Hello beauties! How are you today? Here we can’t complain – I was speaking at an online conference for International Women’s Day and I had been very nervous for the past few weeks: I was very excited about the invitation and also about sharing my research. But I am not good at all at public speaking, like that’s not my skill. However, I have also been invited to give a workshop with a colleague at an in-person conference in June. So I thought that if I can manage this online one, it will be good prep for the in-person one. Also, at this past online conference I prepared the presentation, I rehearsed it and it was an excellent chance for me to share my research project and my findings.
And you know what? I nailed it! Two of my colleagues were following the event and they both came after my talk to tell me that I did very well, they learned new things and also they gave a hug! The attendees at the conference left many lovely positive comments and one person also suggested that they can help progressing my research. I won’t lie: I was DRAINED after the event, but couldn’t stop because I had another event I had to attend with a colleague (that also went well!). Yesterday I was working too, so such a busy week!
And you know me, even if I’m busy I want something tasty, some kind of comfort food and it has to be easy and quick. I was so lucky to stumble upon this recipe for a Pear Almond Torte Tatin by Miyoko Schinner. I am not a fan of pears, but oh goodness this is such a great recipe! (Also, now the Pear Galette, my go-to recipe with pears, has some competition!)
2/3 cup of brown sugar (plus 3-4 tablespoons for the caramelization)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus 2 tablespoons for the caramelization)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C;
Prepare an 8-9 in cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper at the bottom;
Brush the 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the paper and sprinkle the 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar (this will help with caramelization);
Put the pears now: you can fan them out or just set them there without much attention (the fanning will make the end result prettier, but to be honest I just threw them there) and set aside;
Put the half cup of oil with the 2/3 cup of sugar and stir;
Sift the flour with the baking powder then add the almond flour;
Add half of the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir;
Then add half the milk and whisk well;
Add the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour;
Add the vanilla extract;
Pour the batter over the pears and we’re going to put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Check with a toothpick if it comes out clean. Flip it upside down and let cool.
Happy Sunday, cats! How was your week? Here, it has been another fairly busy week, and I am also preparing to speak at an online conference next week (no pressure!). We’re also going to host an event for International Women’s Day on Friday afternoon – so, plenty to do! I haven’t been feeling like trying new recipes, but while I was making my cabbage soup for the weekend, I noticed I had a lot of cabbage so that’s when I decided to try the Roasted Cabbage Steaks by EatSomethingVegan. They didn’t disappoint! Extremely easy to make and a great result. Definitely will make it again, maybe with some basmati rice and a tempeh roast. Will let you know!
Cut the stems off the cabbage heads and then cut each one in half, then in half again. You should have four flat discs of cabbage that are about ¾ to 1 inch thick from each head. Place the cabbage steaks on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper, allowing some space between each one to even cooking.
Brush the cabbage with the olive oil, coating them thoroughly. Then generously sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, and paprika on the cabbage steaks. Flip the cabbage over and repeat, brushing them with oil and sprinkling the seasonings. Then add a pinch of red pepper flakes to each one, if desired.
Bake the cabbage steaks at 400°F for about 25 minutes, until the leaves are browned and the center is tender. Serve hot out of the oven and enjoy!
Happy Sunday my kittens, I hope you are well! It’s been a long week and I’m just back from a lovely afternoon: my partner’s sister organised a fundraiser for Palestine, so many lovely people brought delicious food (mostly vegan!) and there were also 2 Palestinian women. It was a great atmosphere despite the horrors that are currently happening in the Middle East, but it showed that many people are not supporting said horrors. Please keep reading about it, and keep talking about it because while you might think that this is something that doesn’t touch you, it actually does, it involves all humans.
Lightly oil and flour the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the olive oil, orange juice, milk, orange zest, and vanilla.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir the batter until almost all of the lumps are out. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake the cake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, carefully invert it onto a plate.
Optionally sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve. (I omitted the sugar)
Hi my beautiful cats! I hope you are well. Recently, I haven’t been much active here and there are many reasons:
Since December, I’ve had an on-and-off cold: it seemed I got rid of it 2 weeks ago, but it came back with a vengeance. Definitely, it doesn’t help that at work we are still without heating and we are passing these bugs around with my colleagues, like playing tennis with the cold;
Despite taking all of my “concoctions” (from tea with turmeric and black pepper, to oregano oil and apple cider vinegar) I can’t quite shake this cold off and I am currently on day 4 of antibiotics – before this, I hadn’t needed antibiotics, for years;
I have let the current world events deteriorate my mental health: I am struggling to understand the people defending the criminal actions of the Israeli government and I am really losing hope in the human species. All the NATO/Russia is also not helping.
However, here I am today with some comfort food – I had a single eggplant waiting to be used in the fridge and this Spicy Eggplant Pasta by ConnoisseurusVeg was exactly what I needed.
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed, divided
1 medium (1 pound or 450 gram) eggplant, salted if necessary, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can diced tomatoes
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving, optional
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving, optional
Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander when it’s finished cooking.
While the pasta cooks, coat the bottom of a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced eggplant in an even layer. (Notes 1 and 2)
Cook the eggplant for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces only once or twice, until they’re browned on multiple sides.
Remove the eggplant from the skillet and transfer it to a plate when it’s finished browning.
While the eggplant cooks, coat the bottom of a large pot or skillet with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, capers, red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, and allow it to cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until it thickens up a bit. You can add a splash of water if it becomes too thick.
Stir the eggplant into the sauce and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes more, until the sauce very thick and the eggplant is very tender.
Add the cooked pasta, parsley and basil to the sauce and stir everything well to distribute the ingredients and wilt the herbs.
Remove the pot from heat and season the pasta with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
Divide onto plates and serve. Sprinkle with additional parsley and basil, if desired.
Hello beautiful cats! I hope you are well and surviving the umpteenth storm that has hit the UK! Only yesterday, I found out that a Global Strike is going on at the moment in support of Gaza: I wanted to take part by not going to work for one day but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Since I was going to have a meeting with my line manager today, I decided to ask: you might think it was silly because he’s my boss, but he’s a very open-minded person and very supportive. He asked me why I would want to do something that might have negative repercussions on me, no one would know that I was going to strike so why would I want to risk my work for something that wouldn’t have any real impact? I thought that losing one day’s pay, for me, compared to what people in Gaza are going through, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. As he wasn’t sure what to do, he decided to ask his superiors. Later on the day, he said that the advice received was that a possible strike of this sort would probably end up with me receiving a disciplinary note. However, while he was asking his superior, he also asked some other of his colleagues, and one suggested that while I do my regular work I could donate my day’s pay to one association helping Palestinians. And this solution seemed a good option for me. Another alternative would also be to ask one of the union’s advisers about the possibility of going on strike for one day: the representative wasn’t working today, but I can ask him tomorrow and in the meantime I have been researching possible charities to donate to.
The Global Strike
So what is this strike we are talking about? This has been called by a Palestinian journalist, Bisan Owda: she has been updating her Instagram and TickTock accounts with videos on what is going on in Gaza, to show support for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war. She reports on how the conditions civilians are living in following the continuous attacks of the Israeli army on Gaza and Palestinian people: watching her videos is always heartbreaking because you can see the real face of war, unmediated by the mainstream media bias (you can read about this here, here and here). If you don’t know what is happening, you can read this blog post.
With this, Bisan has called for a Global Strike from the 21st to 28th of January, asking people to not go to work, not go to school, but also not to purchase anything, especially with debit and credit cards.
How can you take part?
There are various ways you can strike in support of the ceasefire in Gaza:
As I was saying earlier, if you would like to strike at work, but you are a bit in a pickle like me, then you could donate to a charity that would benefit as directly as possible the Palestinian people. It is never 100% sure, however, in this case, the only one that would seem more legit to help is the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
In conclusion
There are still 4 days to go – please try to take part in this strike and be vocal about it. As shown by my conversation with my manager this morning, already other 5 people have come to know about the strike because he talked to them. And if those 5 people are talking to 5 people each, the knowledge of the strike will spread to more and more people: and some of these might be curious about why the strike is taking place, pushing them to do more research on the whole situation.
While I am waiting to hear from the union rep, I have already decided I am not buying anything this week and I am sharing this with you.
Your voice has power. You have power. Do not forget this.
Hi cuties, I just wanted to wish you all the very best for this brand-new year! I don’t really believe in the “New Year, New Me” theory – it is a very arbitrary way of viewing life and forcing ourselves to make a quick switch in habits that is really not doable for many people. As I see things, gradual changes, easing myself into things and building consistency is more what works for me.
Set Your Priorities
There is always room for improvement, but you have to look at what you want to do and set priorities – it’s detrimental to your mental and physical health to start 5 different projects and then feel overwhelmed if you don’t manage to finish any of them in time. Not everything is urgent: some things will need to be done before others and some can wait a bit longer.
“Word of the Year”
I am going to take a few days to choose my “Word of the Year” and will let you know as soon as I’ve decided. It might seem silly, but setting a “Word of the Year” has a grounding effect on me whenever I feel overwhelmed by the situations around me: I go back to that word and focus on what I was thinking when I chose it, why I chose it and this usually helps in centering my attention to what I want to do.
Your health is your wealth
This is a phrase that I learned when I started working at the library, and it was my boss who told me this. And I am always thinking about that – it is absolutely useless working yourself to maximum strain to get more money if then you’ll be sick and unable to enjoy it. If you’re healthy, that’s the main thing!
Concluding
In conclusion, I truly wish you all the best for the next 365 days!
It might sound like one of those phrases that people say “focus on the small things in life” – but in a world overly complicated, constantly bombarded by sensationalist news, ideas of appearing in a certain way, and owning things, really what we need is to look at what we have and be grateful for it. Practicing gratitude will let you see that what you have is all that you need. Gratitude is diametrically opposite to greed and by being grateful to what you have, you are quietly but surely going against capitalism and consumerism. And that is good.
Gratitude changes my focus on what is good in my life
Hiya beauties! As we’re getting to the end of this year, I wanted to share with you my favourite reads of the year. In the past few months, I managed to read a bit more and I would like to share what I loved. Despite the stressful time of the move, or maybe because of it, I have been trying to cut out more reading time at the end of the day to read. I don’t know why, but during the first half of the year, I found it very difficult to sit down and read: once back from work, made dinner and watched a couple of episodes of a TV series, I would go to bed, get a book and almost immediately fall to sleep.
However, in the second half, a lot of the time I would do all of the above, except that once in bed I would manage to read at least one chapter! And I’m sure I haven’t been less tired than in the previous months. considering also the fact that I have been adjusting to the new living arrangements, having moved from being my cat and me, to being my cat, my partner and me. Who knows how more reading?!
A new factor
While I am enjoying podcasts on Spotify, lately the app started offering audioBooks: 15 hours of audiobooks per month. It’s a great way to get started on this wonderful source that I never considered before. At the library, I was used to issuing audiobooks to the elderly, and people driving a lot for work. Honestly, it didn’t even seem like a viable solution for me as it was usually in CD format. But there it happened, while I was browsing Spotify I got a notification about available audiobooks: I thought of looking at the titles and there were many interesting and popular while some others were a bit more obscure. After having selected my interests, I tried the first one and….couldn’t stop listening to it! So I started the next one – and stopped only because I ran out of the 15 hours. Then I remembered that with the library card, one gets also access to BorrowBox for eBooks and eAudiobooks (as well as PressReader for newspapers and magazines) so clearly being addicted to this “new” thing, I looked at the online catalogue available with BorrowBox there were so many interesting audiobooks – all for free!
Through this, I have been listening to eAudiobooks while doing chores at home, when I get to do some more creative tasks at work, while at lunch, and when I have to drive. It’s brilliant. And sometimes it’s the same authors that are reading their books, which is awesome because they know how the characters should sound or put a particular emphasis on some scenes. But also there are books read by actors who played characters from the books they are performing, such as Elizabeth Moss reading The Handmaid’s Tale – impossible to stop listening!
So, without further ado here is my favourite books of 2023:
Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter
Thanks to a cup of coffee drank way too late in the evening, I finished this book in one night. It made me laugh and cry and it felt so relatable, but apparently, it’s one of those books that you either love or hate.
Mia is a childfree forty-something woman who loves her cat, has a good job and a nice boyfriend. One might find her a bit peculiar because she wants separate bedrooms and she likes things done in a specific way. But this makes her so much more relatable to me and I can understand her very well. Also, her boyfriend’s friends are mean to her because of her cat and if you are a cat lover then you will read the usual nasty comments you surely have heard many times by ignorant people.
It’s a perfect mix of humour and drama – I recommend it.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
This was the second eAudiobook I tried on Spotify, when I ran out of the allotted monthly listening hours, but I was enjoying the story so much that I went to look for it on BorrowBox to see if it was there in any format and found it as an eBook!
A darkly funny book – it’s set in Nigeria and I loved reading the story of Korede and how yet again she helps her serial killer sister Ayoola. While there is murder involved, there is also a subtle and interesting social commentary on women in Nigerian society.
Funny and easy to read – absolutely recommended.
The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye
This has been such an interesting and eye-opening read – again done half as eAudiobook on Spotify and eBook on BorrowBox.
There has always been a lot of talking about transpeople in the news, but never knew much about it and before attending university, I didn’t have any idea of the issues that members of the LGBTQIA+ have to face in life, but as I started meeting more people I also became a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ causes. However, I never investigated the “transgender issue” properly, so when I saw this book I thought it would have been a good starting point to get some information.
Shon Faye writes beautifully about a complex topic, bringing facts and statistics where most of the time the other side only brings personal opinions and feelings, clearly explaining what it means for people to be transgender, how they are viewed and treated by society, and bringing possible solutions.
It is the perfect book to get you started on this topic.
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Absolutely brilliant! I listened to the eAudiobook on BorrowBox, read by Natalie Haynes herself.
It is the story of Medusa and Perseus from the point of view of Medusa – but it’s not only that, there is the re-framing of many stories from Greek mythology looking at them with “modern” eyes, without the romanticised and patronising views with which they were written by men.
Without risking a spoiler, I’ll just say that the beheading of Medusa here is not seen as a courageous act by Perseus.
Another eAudiobook that was really difficult to pause.
My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes by Doon MacKichan
In her autobiography, Doon MacKichan takes the chance to show how misogynistic is the world of show business, but also that change is possible. She is vulnerable and strong: while I am only familiar with her work in the TV series Good Omens, reading this book made me want to go to the theatre and watch some of her plays.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
It would seem that people have not loved this book too much: I believe it’s because some were expecting something different after years of waiting for a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. As I’ve read the first one just this year, after having watched the TV series, I personally have loved The Testaments.
It is different from the first one because it has a different format and there is a change in the main character, nevertheless, it was gripping. Maybe it can be predictable in some points, but there were more surprises and unexpected events. Plus, Atwood’s writing is excellent.
The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor
This is the second book in the Black Stars series of short standalone sci-fi books by Black authors. The protagonist of this book, Issaka, goes back to his home in Timbouctou which is then raided by al-Quaeda. While this happens, he learns about a supernatural entity that was trapped in one of the books burned during the raid and decides to follow it.
It’s a short but intense story and one of my favourite in the series.
Conclusion
So between physical books, eBooks and audiobooks, we are in the golden era of reading media and it’s heaven for readers. Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and what do you think 🙂
Food is one of the most important aspects of life as it is necessary for the survival of all living beings. As humans in a society mostly consumeristic and capitalistic, many of us have lost touch with how food is made and how it arrives on our plates. Especially those eating meat and fish, and drinking milk have a high cognitive dissonance with how what they eat did arrive on their plate – not only for the animal lives involved, but also for all the workers who had to process them.
This is not to say that vegans are always fully conscious of all that is behind their food, but we have connected some dots. However, unless you are producing your own food, many people have been handling your food, from the seed to getting the final product on the shelves. When you are making your next meal, think about how those ingredients have arrived in your hands and thank all those who have worked so that you could have them in your kitchen.
I realize that whatever I eat and drink passes through many hands before reaching me. I am thankful to all these people.
This is so important and it is not easy because there are so many circumstances that make you feel like you do not have the energy and passion to make your thoughts a reality. But I found that creating a routine does help in dedicating some energy to do this – even chipping away 5 minutes per day it can be useful to build your passions, and then you can eventually build up from there.
I have the energy and passion to make my thoughts a reality.
The Vegan Cat Librarian 