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It has come to be commonplace to hear young ladies of all shapes and sizes declare such tired phrases like "I have fat thighs!" or "I'm too chubby!" even though they are still in the midst of adolescence and assaulted by growth spurts regularly. I look at these young gals and think, 'Wow, if they consider their skinny selves to be too plump, what must they think of a healthy sized mama like me?'
But then I wake up and remember I'm astonishingly beautiful no matter what I look like. I wish those young ladies would realize how truly beautiful and special they are, and stop picking themselves to pieces.
When did things like substance and curves become unattractive? And why the propensity to desire to be like a Barbie doll-excessively thin, impossibly large bust, plastic skin and all? I betcha didn't know that Barbie was modeled after a comic strip in German publication Bild Zeitung that was about a fictional prostitute, did ya? Do a basic Google search on Bild Lilli and find out more!
Sorry. Rabbit hole.
And just look at all the stuff we have to 'improve' ourselves. Take a walk around your local drug store and let the selection sink in...it's amazing! The quantity, the prices, the serums, lotions, powders, masks, foundations, lipstains, creams, hair colors, it's simply mind boggling how we ever got along without it all.
I'm reminded of the old lament--if only people would spend as much time on improving their insides as they do their outsides, maybe the world would be a better place.
Of course, that's not to say that improving your looks is a bad thing. I'm all for good grooming, staying clean, well-trimmed, and fresh. But how far is the leap from enhancing one's looks to all-out reconstruction of the body? It's when we get to extremes like plastic surgery for teens who don't like the way their nose looks, or bleaching a toddler's teeth so she can be better prepared to compete for a pageant that I begin to inwardly curdle.
Anyways, it's been the fashion to despise one's outer self for as long as, well...forever, I guess. As long as beauty products have existed, there has been a drive to perfect the outer image.
I remember when I was little, my mom used to frequent thrift and antique stores...the motive was to entertain her passion for acquiring anything eclectic, beautiful and useful. We had inherited a little wall-hanging chest of drawers that her grandma had purchased at a bargain because it was missing a drawer. Just the thing to keep buttons, spices, and other important doo-dads in, it had a nice flat surface that was of course covered in tiny, eclectic, beautiful and not so useful knick-knacks. One of those was a silver tube that caught her eye at a thrift store. When she brought it home, I popped open the cap, and was surprised to find lip balm. From the 1890's. Still in there. Yum. My sister asked about the flavor of the balm, suggesting that the primitive beauty product manufacturers of the time probably made it in beef stew flavor. Gross! Mom ended up placing it atop the little chest of drawers along with an ancient compact and a fabric flower. We never did find out what flavor it was. Probably a good thing!
Another good thing to look at and absorb is the fact that the average sized woman of today "is 5′4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14" according to an article written by Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP on her WebMd expert blog, part of the WebMD site.If that is true, then why do the fashion editors constantly choose only one body type to represent what clothes look like on women? I'm all for diversity on this issue-why can't the fashion people choose a wide variety of body types to model for them? Pretty comes in all shapes and sizes, and I for one, would love to see what the new clothing lines would look like on a body that's closer in shape and size to mine instead of a tiny pre-teen!
Sorry to rant. Or, no, I'm not sorry. I'm happy to have my little piece of cyberspace in which to position my soapbox, yell a while and shake my fist into the air, then return to my daily routine.
Now for a recipe of dynamic, voluptuous proportions. I did some research online, read a few cheese making books, and blended a few techniques and through trial and error came up with a way that worked for me. It's the basic science of separating the cream and the water that gets you to the point of cream cheese, and I'm not sure who has copyright on that process...anyways, here is the way we make:
HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE
It's a lot simpler than it seems. Trust me!
First, get yourself a carton of sour cream, I prefer the full-fat variety. You will also need a wire strainer (One of those little ones, I have one about four inches across, and it hooks across a coffee mug perfectly.) or some cheesecloth.
In a small bowl, pour out all the sour cream that will fit in your strainer, and add a little salt or other flavoring. You could use anything savory or sweet, I guess. Just don't use too much of anything-a little goes a long way here.
Some fun flavor ideas might be:
cinnamon and sugar
sea salt
chili or cayenne pepper or paprika
chives and garlic powder
parsley or thyme
or use a dried soup mix like Lipton instant tomato, or garden veggie, etc.
(What the heck, make one of each and use them on plain bagels!)
Stir a bit, making sure your salt or spice gets distributed evenly. Transfer the seasoned sour cream into your little basket strainer or a few layers of cheesecloth. Place the basket strainer atop the rim of a large mug or a suitable bowl to catch the drips of water that will naturally occur. Or if you are using cheesecloth, I suppose you could tape the ends to the side of the drip-catching container. The idea is to suspend the sour cream over something that will collect the water that drips out of the cream.
Place this little set up somewhere in your fridge so it won't be disturbed for a while. Just tell the kids it's mommy's little science experiment, and it is going to be velvety and delicious once it's done.
Then let gravity do it's work. Check the consistency in a few days. You will be surprised how thick it gets! Depending on the temp you keep your fridge at, you could have cream cheese in as little as a week. Yay!
Once it is of a suitable thickness and consistency, it's ready for spreading! Discard the dripped out liquid, and break out the bagels!
Eat well, have fun, and love lots!
Antonia
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