Insert controversial title about gay marriage here

I'm getting to the point where a crap ton of people I know are getting married, engaged, having kids, etc. (If my boyfriend reads this, don't worry, it's not a hint). It's just that it's a very relevant topic right now.

In case you live under a rock and haven't seen the news lately, a federal appeals court overturned California Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, saying it violated constitutional rights to equal protection and due process (aka the 14th Amendment).

Here's the NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/us/marriage-ban-violates-constitution-court-rules.html?hp

I'm not gonna get into all that. Like I said, this is not a post about gay marriage. This is about the group that sponsored the bill.

Here's what I am gonna get into: In the article, it talks about ProtectMarriage.com, the support group behind Proposition 8. Their reasoning behind Proposition 8 is that they want to protect the traditional union of marriage. On their website, under the "Why Marriage Matters" section, it says:

Traditional marriage is the foundation of society and has served our state well for centuries. California’s constitutional marriage amendment exists to strengthen society, encourage monogamous and loving marriages and to provide the optimal environment to ensure the well being of children.

Ok really? Banning gay marriage will strengthen society and encourage monogamous and loving marriages?

According to the CDC (and ok, I'm not sure why this information is on the CDC, but it's got good info. So does the Census Bureau, but those were pdfs and these are easier to link)...anyway, according to the CDC, there were 2,096,000 people who got married in the United States in 2010. There were also 872,000 divorces and annulments. Some quick fourth grade division and that is about .416...meaning that 41.6% of marriages ended in divorce or annulment that year.

A look at the PDFs from the Census Bureau shows the breakdown by state. In California in 2009, there is an 8.0 divorce rate per 1000 men and a 19.1 marriage rate out of 100 men. So again, the divorce rate is almost half the marriage rate.

Keep in mind, this is 2009, the year after Proposition 8 was enacted.

I don't think gay marriage is ruining marriage.

I think a group that is soo concerned with preserving marriage would have more important things to worry about, but ProtectMarriage is not concerned with preserving marriage. They are trying to legitimize their narrow-minded, conservative, views so they can make a law to force everyone to agree with their beliefs.

According to one of the judges that voted to overturn the ban, "Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different people differently... Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gay men and lesbians in California."

Easy Fajitas

I really don't have time to do this (notice how my last post was in October?) And I'm also not trying to make this a food blog with a bunch of recipes, but I'm a starving college kid, so when I find something quick and easy that doesn't come from a box, I get excited about it.

This was born from taco leftovers, but I got sick of tacos. So....I made fajitas!

1/2 lb Chicken breast
Taco/fajita seasoning*
1/2 large green or red bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
However many sliced onions you want
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Rice (optional)
Large tortilla shells

I cook for one person and got two or three servings out of this. You could really easily double the recipe and get a normal amount food.

Spray large skillet with nonstick spray and heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add chicken (make sure to defrost first if using frozen chicken). Sprinkle seasoning on each side of the chicken breast to taste. Sautée chicken until cooked through, pulling it apart in chunks as it cooks. When chicken is fully cooked, add green peppers, tomatoes, and onions to the skillet. Add more seasoning to taste and sautée until vegetables are tender. Warm tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Fill the tortillas with cooked fajita fillings, shredded cheese, salsa, and rice.

For the rice, I like Lipton Rice Sides Mexican Rice. You can use white rice or any other kind of Mexican/Spanish rice. It also makes a good side dish if you don't want it in the fajitas.

*For the seasoning, you can use the packets, but I would only use about half the seasoning packet for this recipe, unless you double it and use a whole pound of chicken. I didn't have seasoning packets so I used ground cumin and cayenne pepper.

I also apologize that I don't have a picture. If you google "Chicken Fajitas" you get lots of them that look pretty much exactly like this does.

Sour Milk.

Ok so there's that expression "Don't cry over spilled milk." I can honestly say I don't think I've ever cried over spilled milk.

Sour milk is something different. I had a half gallon of milk that was supposed to expire on September 30th. A few days ago (September 25th) I had a bowl of cereal, not thinking anything of it. And the milk was bad. Very, very bad.

That was depressing in of itself, but when I went to eat something else, my grapes were moldy and my spinach was all nasty.

Sigh...

One of the hardest things about living on your own is buying food for one person. I have two roommates, but we all get our own groceries and such. I'm kind of a fresh food nut, so I never buy anything frozen or boxed. It's good for you, but I can't eat it fast enough. It also doesn't help that between my two night classes (and my three other day classes) and working 25-30 hours a week, I'm pretty much never home to eat food anyway. So I'm living on PB&J, even though I love cooking.

I'm figuring it out though. I love my crock pot, and I've been making things that I can get some leftovers from. I've also had to suck it up and start getting frozen chicken breasts and vegetables. And very small amounts of fresh fruit and veggies. This means I have to go to the store more often, but I suppose it's better than wasting money on food that goes bad.

My favorite crock pot recipe: Herbed Chicken and Tomatoes (Taste of Home Slow-Cooker Recipies)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) Italian diced tomatoes
1 envelope savory herb with garlic soup mix
1/4 tsp. sugar
Hot cooked pasta
Shredded Parmesan cheese

In a 3 qt. slow cooker, combine chicken, tomatoes, soup mix and sugar. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve on pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes about 4 servings, although I got about a week of leftovers from it.

*I couldn't find the soup mix, so I just added some of my own seasoning--Italian seasoning, oregano, chopped onion, and garlic salt, and a bit of Italian salad dressing. It would probably also be good to add some more fresh vegetables like onion or mushrooms.