July 9, 2013

Obamacare: Three sentences that say it all

I was poking around on the healthcare.gov site when I came across this gem in the pre-existing conditions section:

Being sick doesn't keep you from getting coverage.

Starting in 2014, being sick won't keep you from getting health coverage. An insurance company can't turn you down or charge you more because of your condition.

It's only three sentences, but for me it captures the essence of the miracle that is the ACA.

I'm sitting here tearing up at what this means for so many. What it means for me and my extended family. What it means for all of us.

This is what change looks like. And it's amazing to be alive to bear witness to so much history in the making.

July 8, 2013

We need more positive Obama news on the homepage

DU, it seems, is becoming little more than a platform to bash president Obama.

I log in today and the first thing I see on the front page is a message thread about how Obama isn't progressive.

Are these people insane? Obama is the most progressive president of my lifetime and by a wide margin. Does universal access to HC insurance and mind-boggling progress on LGBT rights mean nothing to people?

Do posters understand how the legislative process works? The ACA is a platform that we can build on. The entire NSA apparatus was put in place long before President Obama took office. I could go on and on.

And of course there are valid criticisms of some policies, but personal attacks on the president's character need to stop.

I used to enjoy spending time on the site a lot more than I do now. I can't see myself giving DU up completely, but it's a buzzkill to see the president being bashed day in and day out.

Where is Skinner in all of this? Does he take a position? I'm scratching my head over the mission of DU, because I don't understand it now.

Women are being stripped of their rights across the country and the GOP is doing everything in its power to discourage people from exercising their right to vote.

These are real issues that are here now. We need to unite, focus and work as hard as we can to get Democrats elected into office.

DU can be a positive force for good. It doesn't have to be known as Demoralizing Underground.

Honestly, there's less Obama bashing on Yahoo comment streams than DU now. And that's saying a lot.

And it also tells me that DU isn't like the rest of the world. And now I'm glad of that. It pains me to say that, since DU used to be a respite from vitriol being flung at the president.

There are millions of us Obama supporters out there, but are we still welcome in the main forums like GD?

I am finding that I spend more time in the subgroups, which hasn't been a bad thing. I'm getting to know some pretty awesome people that I have a lot in common with.

I don't know what the answer is for DU or if there is a solution to be found.

But you know what? Obama continues to give me hope. Everything about his story proves anything is possible. I hope DU can become constructive again even as I fear the current climate is driving people away since it's no fun being the victim of the bash mob.

The front page enraged me today, which is why you're seeing this rant.



I'll close with a positive note by sending hugs to the BOG and other posters who still have faith in our remarkable president. We are the change we seek.

July 7, 2013

My name is politicub and I can not roast a whole chicken

There. I've said it. And now I am starting to be okay with it. Acceptance is the first step.

I'm a pretty decent cook when it comes to most things. But for the life of me, I can't seem to get a roast chicken to come out right.

I have tried numerous recipes, and each time something doesn't come out correctly. The problem I have most often is the meat not being done on the thigh, even when I use a meat thermometer. I've tried adding more time than called for, baking in a hotter oven, using a cooking rack, not using a cooking rack, cooking it on its side a la Cooks Illustrated, trussing, brining, not starting with the chicken ice cold, cooking it low and slow (I roll my eyes every time I hear someone say that, and I feel dirty typing it), slathering it with butter, not putting a lemon in the cavity, starting with a lilliputian bird, getting a showtime rotisserie oven, doing a chicken dance before it comes out of the oven... but it doesn't matter.

I thought this evening would be different. I followed Pioneer Woman's recipe to the letter. It has step by step pictures, for crissakes. I added a good amount of extra cooking time. How could it go wrong?

Well, it did go wrong.

The chicken itself was beautiful. But it turned out that its perfectly browned skin was just there to mock me. When I cut into the thigh, I had high hopes. But WTF - I did it again.

So now it's back in the oven. Having already been cut into, it's going to come out dry and sad.

The bitter irony? I can roast a turkey. What's up with that?

I'm not looking for help. Just someone to listen.

So thank you for listening, DU Cooking & Baking group. The wine beckons.

July 4, 2013

Oven BBQ chicken

It's too rainy to BBQ outside, so I'm going to try to BBQ my chicken in the oven. I guess that technically it won't be BBQ, but you catch my drift.

I found a recipe that sounds good - http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/04/13/oven-baked-bbq-chicken/ - but thought I would ask the group for suggestions or links to other recipes you've tried.

I'm cutting up a whole chicken, so not just leg quarters like the recipe above calls for.

It will be served with coleslaw and baked potatoes.



On edit: Made the recipe as it was described on the site except for adding cilantro. It turned out great. I wanted sticky BBQ, and this recipe didn't disappoint.

Now I have to figure out what to do tonight with the leftovers!