Feminism Meme and Donuts

We were celebrating my mother's 80th birthday this weekend. I was surrounded by all but one of the most important women in my life. I spent most of my time joyfully manning the kitchen. So, first off in the idea of five things I have from feminism is this:

1. There isn't any such fucking thing as women's work around here. You are free to consider and follow your strengths without gender assignment. If you are a man who loves to cook, by all means, cook away. Same thing goes with any other role you might want to fill. Freedom and equality for women means we all benefit.

2. My mother was a lifetime schoolteacher. Two sisters are also teachers. This was one of the few options that used to be open to women when it came to careers. My older sister is a nurse, and a damn good one. My daughter though, is currently kicking GPA ass in Medical School. Because women took the first crumbs that were thrown and ran with it the options have been expanding. The more they expand the boundries the more free we will all become.

3. I got a better view and respect for the traditional Apache views on women and their value as human beings and members of a society. The old ways of the Apache value women as equals in council and in war. Later, after years of war against the Spanish, Mexican and American governments the population of the people was so totally reduced that there weren't enough people to waste on stupid things like gender or sexual orientation discrimination. People were valued equally because every single life became rare and precious. That remains to this day.

4. I was able to raise my daughters to be independant, strong individuals. I have been able to see them grow and become women I am proud to know and feel priviledged to love. I was able to give them the best available information and options on reproductive choice. I got to watch my daughters grow into self assured sexually aware adults. I love it and so do they.

5. Because I was raised among strong and independant women I have always been attracted to women that are like that. Knowing that they were strong in their own personality and had a sense of their own worth that didn't need me to do some "Jerry McGuire He Completes Me" bullshit allowed me the freedom to follow my own muse and become a professinal musician. Of course, when my self-absorbtion got to be unbearable they all (all four of them) divorced me. I figure, so what? Life's full of trade offs right? I was incredibly lucky to have these women in my life for the time that we had. I was also the major fuck up in the soup to boot. During one conference with attorneys I was able to get a laugh out of my little zen riddle "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, will it still be my fault?" The answer of course is "you bet asshole."

Now to the donut part. In my mother's family, on the morning of your birthday, my grandmother would always make donuts. The recipe our family used is the same recipe that the salvation army used. Except for the quantities (the army made them for an army)
which have been reduced to make 15 donuts instead of a bazillion.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (bread flour makes the best donuts but all purpose flour does just fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon shortening or lard (no taste or consistency difference here, i just usually have lard around for pastry crusts)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. Cream 1/2 cup of the sugar and the shortening. Set aside the remaining cup of sugar in a plate for coating the donuts after frying. Add in the liquids and the dry ingredients and mix into a nice, soft, elastic dough. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to between 1/4" and 1/2" thick. Cut into circles with a small hole in the middle.

Heat at least 3 inches of oil (I use peanut oil but any oil at all will do just fine, the secret is in the temperature) to 375°. Turn the donuts frequently as you fry. A dark, golden brown color should happen in about 3 minutes. Drain well in lots of paper towel. While still hot roll in sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or glaze with powdered sugar dissolved in a little water.

You'll find these donuts to be crustier and sturdier than donut shop donuts. That means that they are the ultimate dunking material. They are still my favorite donuts in the world. Mom loved 'em too.