Valdelluna – Earbrella prog 28 + BONUS

This is a CSA post, but I’m making it public this week because I feel like we could all use a little good. Feel free to share it around with your friends!

Continuing from November 3rd… not gonna lie making the art was hard this week. But we did something!

And now, to address the orange elephant in the room.

This week US voters elected to the presidency a 78 year old convicted felon with dementia. He was president before 2017-2020 and those years were rough for the US as a whole and the world in general. We’re going to be fighting White Christian Nationalism, fascism, science-denialism, the whole nine crappy yards, for at least the next four years.

If you, like me, are rationally concerned for the future of humanity, here are some resources I’ve found helpful:

Way to be Prepared and Grounded in the wake of Trump’s election

This episode of Jen Rubin’s Green Room

And finally, a poignant excerpt from Dorothy Thompson’s Essay, “Who Goes Nazi?“

Kind, good, happy, gentlemanly, secure people never go Nazi. They may be the gentle philosopher whose name is in the Blue Book, or Bill from City College to whom democracy gave a chance to design airplanes—you’ll never make Nazis out of them. But the frustrated and humiliated intellectual, the rich and scared speculator, the spoiled son, the labor tyrant, the fellow who has achieved success by smelling out the wind of success—they would all go Nazi in a crisis.

Believe me, nice people don’t go Nazi. Their race, color, creed, or social condition is not the criterion. It is something in them.

Those who haven’t anything in them to tell them what they like and what they don’t—whether it is breeding, or happiness, or wisdom, or a code, however old-fashioned or however modern, go Nazi.

Dorothy Thompson, 1941

My take-away from this is: first and foremost take care of yourself. Do what you need to do to stay safe and stay sane. It is OK to run away and hide for a while. As long as you use the while to recover yourself, get centered, and get ready to come out swinging.

But also, be joyous! Be merry! Take delight in the good things, however small. Be nice, be kind, and be aware that most people are also, if given the chance, nice and kind as well.

And, if you like, you can try making my Peanut Butter Tiramisú—just don’t eat it all in one day, like I did. It does not make you feel better.

Instructions:

1. Boil one cup of water and whisk in cocoa powder, coffee, and cinnamon. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and condensed milk until it is fully blended. It will be very stiff, almost like cookie dough.
3. Warm some water and slowly mix in until you have something more like thick pudding. Set aside to cool.
4. Whip the cream into stiff peaks. Fold into the peanut-milk mixture. Put away in the fridge.
5. Place a strip of parchment paper around the interior of your springform pan (skip this if you’re using a regular pan).
6. Pour the cocoa-coffee into a shallow dish. Then, quickly dip the lady fingers into the mixture and lay them out in a layer on the bottom of the pan (you’ll have to cut them down to get them to fit nicely). Keep them sugar side up. If you’ve only dipped them on one side, use a pastry brush to cover their tops with the cocoa-coffee. (Don’t use too much!)
7. Pour half the peanut-cream over the lady fingers. Then repeat Step 6 on top of the cream.
8. Pour the rest of the peanut-cream over the second layer of lady fingers. Cover the dish and set in the fridge overnight or at least four hours.
9. When ready to serve, cover the cake with a thick layer of cocoa powder.
10. Get at least three or four friends over to help you eat it!
11. Plot your revenge upon your enemies! I mean—ENJOY!

CSA family, I’ll be back for you next weekend with more goodies. And if you’re not a member and want to join, sign up here!

Best,

G