Movies & TV the Penguin “I’m not broken” — The Penguin’s “Cent’Anni” Sofia learns the truth about Penguin as more of her own backstory is revealed… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on October 15, 2024 Credit: Macall Polay/HBO Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Macall Polay/HBO After watching this week’s episode of The Penguin, I find it impossible to believe that someone on the production staff, whether it’s executive producer/showrunner Lauren LeFranc or someone underneath her, isn’t very familiar with Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Written in 1892, Gilman’s story is a scathing indictment of the treatment of women by the nascent psychiatric community of doctors, with women fobbed off into useless and/or harmful “treatments” to cure them of whatever ailments they were suffering from, whether real or imagined, and often an excuse to get rid of “problematic” women. The narrator of the story is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. The tale is both a brilliant bit of social commentary and a magnificent horror story, as we get a first-person look at the narrator’s descent into madness, which is due, not to hysteria, as the male doctors have insisted, but her confinement in this one room that’s supposed to be for her own good. The reason why I know that someone on the staff has to be familiar with the story (or, perhaps, one of the film adaptations of this nineteenth-century classic that has been done in the twenty-first century) is that Sofia Falcone’s story in the “Cent’Anni” episode of The Penguin is a pretty direct analogue to that of Gilman’s never-named narrator. About two-thirds of the episode is given over to Sofia’s backstory. We start with the other half of the end of last week’s episode. Nadia Maroni makes it clear that she’s not going to put up with Penguin’s nonsense anymore. She also reveals to Sofia that Penguin, not Sal Maroni, killed her brother Alberto. Then Vic runs over one of Nadia’s thugs, Penguin shoots two more of them, and they get in the car and drive off. Somewhere in there, Sofia suffers a major head injury. She calls Dr. Rush to ask for help, then passes out… …at which point we flash back a decade. Sofia is the good daughter to Carmine Falcone, the one who actually knows what she’s doing, as opposed to ne’er-do-well fuckup Alberto. We get the full story of how Sofia’s mother died: nine-year-old Sofia found her having apparently hanged herself. Carmine (played by Mark Strong due to John Turturro not being available to reprise his role from The Batman) tells her that he’s going to name her, rather than Alberto, his heir. Sofia is thrilled. Credit: Macall Polay/HBO (The recasting is only partly successful. Strong has made a career out of playing bad guys—indeed, he has three other comic book villains on his resumé, Sinestro in Green Lantern, Dr. Sivana in Shazam!, and Frank D’Amico in Kick Ass—but one of the reasons why Turturro’s performance in The Batman worked so well is that he had a pleasant charm as the velvet glove over the iron fist of his menace. Strong is all iron fist; his drinking wine with Sofia when he makes her his heir should be more familial, but Strong’s sneer makes that not quite work as well as planned, thus diluting the impact of later scenes when the menace is more overt.) And then Sofia makes her first mistake: she talks to a reporter. Summer Gleeson of the Gotham Gazette (a character who originated as a TV reporter in Batman: The Animated Series, played here by Nadine Malouf) approaches Sofia, and shows her evidence of several women who were killed by being hanged, just like her mother. It also looks like evidence was suppressed, both in the case of her mother and these women, who all worked in the secret “44 Below” club underneath the Iceberg Lounge (which we also saw in The Batman). We already know from the movie that Carmine sometimes slept with the women who worked there—one of them produced a child, Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. And now it seems that someone has killed them but made it look like suicide. Gleeson thinks it might be Carmine. Sofia’s driver, Oz Cobb—whom we see as someone friendly and helpful to Sofia, even though she mostly treats him like the help—is the one who takes her to a second meeting with Gleeson. At first Sofia is concerned, but then she tells the reporter to fuck off, particularly after Gleeson asks her to wear a wire into 44 Below. Penguin tells Carmine about this, of course—how can he not? But Carmine’s reaction is devastating. It’s clear that Carmine is responsible for these women’s deaths—and also possibly for his wife’s death—and it’s equally clear that Sofia is starting to put it together. Carmine is no fool, and he knows his daughter is also no fool. So he preemptively takes her off the board, as it were, using his influence with his family, with the press, and with the police to have Sofia arrested for the murders of all the women, plus the latest victim: reporter Summer Gleeson. Sofia is committed for psychiatric evaluation. Part of the evidence presented for that are affidavits from several family members, including Carla Viti. You might recall we saw an awkward conversation between Sofia and Carla last week, and this week the flashback shows the two of them thick as thieves prior to Sofia’s arrest. So Sofia is rather devastated to see that one of the affidavits claiming that Sofia has a (wholly fictional) history of mental illness is from Carla. Credit: Macall Polay/HBO And so Sofia goes through what the narrator of Gilman’s short story goes through, only on a much bigger scale. She’s committed to Arkham State Hospital for six months to see if she’s competent to stand trial. We see Rush when he first met Sofia, the assistant to the head doctor, who treats Sofia like she’s already guilty, already diagnosed as being mentally unfit. Sofia’s next door to a blonde named Margaret Pye, who calls herself Magpie. (We also see her being given a red drug that we recognize from last week as Bliss; Magpie calls it “candy.”) Magpie is based on a Gotham City-based villain from the comics, and she’s also completely ’round the bend. Sofia suffers through the half-year, which includes a rather appalling amount of electroshock therapy, expecting a trial at the end of it. But then we find out that the director of the hospital, no doubt at Carmine’s instruction, declared her unfit for trial and recommended she remain hospitalized. And there she stayed for ten years. Throughout, we see the dehumanizing treatment, the assumptions of insanity based on no evidence except for the denial of same, which is both what a crazy person would say and what a sane person would say, so it’s rather poor evidence. The tiny cells, the abuse—at one point, a fellow inmate has somehow gotten out of her chains and assaulted Sofia; she later commits suicide with a fork—and the electroshock do their job a little too well. Driven to her breaking point by the denial of a trial, she beats Magpie to death in the mess hall and then declares to the doctors that she’s “fucking innocent.” During all this, we see the wallpaper in her cell, and it’s yellow (matching the wallpaper in the room where she found her mother). She claws at it, just as Gilman’s narrator did, and it contributes to her downward spiral. Then we cut back to the present. Rush apparently quit his job at Arkham in protest for how Sofia was treated, which is why he’s treating her privately now. We don’t see the exact circumstances of her release, though the fact that it happened after Carmine’s death is probably not a coincidence. Credit: Macall Polay/HBO The main difference between Sofia and Gilman’s narrator is how it ends. Sofia not only is freed, she’s liberated. She isn’t the Hangman murderer, but everyone thinks she is, so she embraces it. She’s spent all her life being victimized at least in part because of her gender. (At one point before she’s arrested, and before Carmine initially makes her his heir, she says frankly to Penguin, “You have a dick, so at least you’re eligible for promotion.”) But now, she’s taking over in the only way she can. Wearing a bright yellow dress, she intrudes on a family dinner and tells everyone there how much she “appreciates” all the support she got from the family, who lied in affidavits and/or never visited or cared about her in the least after she was unjustly committed. Then she wakes up Gia, Carla’s little daughter, and takes her out to the greenhouse for a midnight snack, and they then sleep there, just like she and Alberto did when they were kids. In the morning, she leaves Gia asleep and checks the house while wearing a gas mask: she’s gassed almost the entire house, and with the exception of Gia, safe in the greenhouse, and Johnny, whose room was spared, the entire Falcone family is dead. Why she kept Johnny alive (beyond Michael Kelly being in the opening credits) is not yet clear, but we’ve still got four episodes to go… “Cent’Anni”—an Italian toast that means, “May you live a hundred yeas,” a toast Sofia gives to a room full of people she intends to murder that night—is a brilliant treatise on how it’s still, more than a century after “The Yellow Wallpaper,” incredibly easy to marginalize and relegate smart, capable women by deeming them hysterical. The difference here—because it’s fiction, and you can create your own ending—is that Sofia survives and now thrives. As much as the title character, Sofia Falcone is a smart person who had the misfortune to be born with characteristics that make it easy for them to be dismissed. For Penguin, it’s his looks, deformities, and background. For Sofia, it’s that she was born with a uterus. It will be very interesting to see how the rest of this plays out, especially since they’re on opposite sides now, and the Maronis are still a wild card.[end-mark] The post “I’m not broken” — <i>The Penguin</i>’s “Cent’Anni” appeared first on Reactor.

Column Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “A Distant Star” By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on October 15, 2024 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “A Distant Star”Written by D.C. FontanaDirected by Jim JohnstonSeason 2, Episode 4Production episode 204Original air date: November 23, 1994 It was the dawn of the third age… We open on the EAS Cortez, an Explorer-class vessel under the command of Captain Jack Maynard, who has a very specific message sent to B5. They’ve been out mapping the rim, and are coming to B5 for resupply. The ship comes through the jumpgate and proves to be almost as big as B5 itself. Maynard and Sheridan are old friends—the message he sent refers to Sheridan as “swamp rat”—and their reunion is a happy one. Maynard, who was Sheridan’s first CO, is surprised to see Sheridan in a desk job, and also discusses some weird stuff he saw out on the rim. Perhaps conscious of Maynard’s dismissive tone toward his new job, Sheridan bites Garibaldi’s head off when the security chief comes to him with a shoplifting issue, which Sheridan thinks is beneath his notice. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Franklin puts Garibaldi on a diet—which he calls an “eating plan” to make it sound less like he’s on a diet. Garibaldi insists that he has always eaten whatever he wants, and Franklin says that was before he got shot. Garibaldi also says he’s soon going to be making bagna càuda, but as soon as he lists the ingredients of same, Franklin puts his foot down that he absolutely should not have that. On a roll, Franklin also provides eating plans for Sheridan (who’s put on weight since taking over the station) and Ivanova (who, like Garibaldi, needs to change her diet due to her injuries). Maynard and Sheridan tell war stories over dinner with Ivanova, Keffer, and Zeta Team Flight Leader Ray Galus. Afterward, Maynard tells Sheridan about a big black ship he thinks he saw, but couldn’t confirm. (We now know that it was a Shadow ship.) A Minbari named Teronn meets with Delenn. There is great concern among the Minbari on the station regarding her transformation. They’re not even sure she is Minbari anymore. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The Cortez heads back out, now fully resupplied. But once in hyperspace they suffer a major malfunction, which knocks main power offline and causes the vessel to drift, losing their link to the hyperspace beacon. Maynard’s visit has not been good for Sheridan, as now he feels like he’s been beached. He was trained to be a starship captain, not the mayor of a city in space. The eating plan isn’t helping, and he, Ivanova, and Garibaldi at one point try to trade foods, until Franklin walks past them with a stern look. Garibaldi works with Orwell, a customs and import worker, to get the ingredients for bagna càuda, Franklin’s order be damned. Orwell points out that won’t be cheap or easy, but Garibaldi is willing to pay whatever’s necessary. Delenn goes in for an exam, to her annoyance, but Franklin insists, especially given the unique nature of her transformation. During the exam, Delenn mentions hearing Garibaldi mentioning the arrival of the bagna càuda, which the ambassador mistakenly believes is a new alien race coming to the station. Maynard orders a distress call sent. It’s a long shot, as it may not penetrate into normal space, but they have to take the chance. Sure enough, B5 hears the distress call. Sheridan sends out the Starfuries, ordering them to act like a chain, with one Starfury at the jumpgate, and others moving increasingly inward, providing a lifeline for the Cortez. Galus and Keffer are the final two ships in the lifeline, and they locate the Cortez. However something (a Shadow ship) moves through hyperspace; it destroys Galus’ Starfury and damages Keffer’s. However, Keffer is able to fire his weapons, and does so continuously in a straight line, giving the Cortez a path to take to the rest of the Starfuries. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The Cortez and all but two of the Starfuries return to B5. Sheridan is saddened to learn that Galus and Keffer didn’t make it. Franklin shows up in the cargo bay just as Garibaldi is unpacking his box of bagna càuda ingredients. Garibaldi finally explains why this is so important: when he was a kid, his father would always make bagna càuda on his birthday. Since his Dad died, Garibaldi always makes it on his birthday to honor him. Franklin relents and allows Garibaldi to go ahead—but only if he makes enough for two. Delenn sees Sheridan in the Zen Garden and offers him words of comfort, assuring him that the universe generally puts us where we’re supposed to go. As Keffer drifts in hyperspace, he sees another Shadow ship. It pops out of hyperspace, and Keffer is able to use that as a reference point to steer back home. Sheridan is relieved that at least one of them made it back. They hold a wake for Galus, and Ivanova also tells Keffer that he’s now in command of Zeta Wing. Franklin enjoys the hell out of the bagna càuda, even though he admits that he can feel his arteries hardening just being in the same room as it. Meanwhile, Sheridan digs into his mountain of paperwork, feeling better about being mayor now. Get the hell out of our galaxy! Weirdly, even though it was established that Maynard and Sheridan hadn’t seen each other in at least five years, Maynard doesn’t once bring up Sheridan’s wife, who’s only been dead for two years. Ivanova is God. Ivanova eats well and exercises, so she’s more than a little put out by Franklin’s eating plan, especially since it means she’ll gain weight initially. This prompts a complaint from Ivanova about how she’s fought against imperialism all her life and now is becoming the expanding Russian frontier, to which Franklin makes the rather icky riposte, “With very nice borders.” The household god of frustration. Garibaldi didn’t have the closest relationship with his father, but the birthday bagna càuda is one of the fondest memories the security chief has of him. The ritual obviously means a great deal to him, and it’s to Franklin’s credit that he not only lets him go through with it, but asks to participate. Credit: Warner Bros. Television If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Delenn is pretty obviously flying blind and without a net, as the Minbari doubt that she’s even still Minbari, and the non-Minbari don’t really know what to make of her, either. She also quotes Carl Sagan without attribution… The Shadowy Vorlons. The Shadows apparently like to just hang out in hyperspace… No sex, please, we’re EarthForce. Delenn bucks Sheridan up, which proves beneficial to him, and which also gives us the first signs of their eventual relationship. Welcome aboard. The big guest is the great Russ Tamblyn, of West Side Story, Peyton Place, and Twin Peaks fame, as Maynard. Other members of Maynard’s crew on the Cortez are played by Daniel Beer and Patty Toy. (Toy previously played a Psi Corps representative in “A Voice in the Wilderness, Part I.”) Art Kimbro plays Galus and Miguel A. Nuñez Jr. plays Orwell. Joshua Cox is back from “The Geometry of Shadows” as Corwin; he’ll be back in “A Spider in the Web.” And Sandey Grinn plays the first of three different roles as Teronn; he’ll return as a Narn captain in “Acts of Sacrifice” and a human telepath in “The Exercise of Vital Powers.” Trivial matters. Bagna càuda is a real thing, a fondue-like dish full of garlic and anchovies, which has its origins in Piedmont, Italy, and which is common in northern Italy and southeast France, as well as places like Argentina and parts of the U.S. that have lots of immigrants from that region. Keffer mentions reading an article about the possibility of something living in hyperspace. He’s probably referring to the Universe Today article, the headline for which was seen in “And the Sky Full of Stars.” Much of Delenn’s pep talk to Sheridan lifts from Carl Sagan, particularly the famous quote “we are starstuff.” Sheridan acts as if he’s never heard the phrase before, which I find difficult to credit for someone who makes his living in space, but I suppose it’s possible. Ivanova is still injured from last time, mirroring the real-life injury suffered by Claudia Christian. The echoes of all of our conversations. “You think that’s good, wait till dessert.” “Now wait a minute, I didn’t authorize dessert.” “No? Then you can’t have any.” “What is it?” “Doesn’t matter—you’re not getting any.” “No no no, let’s not be hasty.” “No no no no no, too late.” —Garibaldi torturing Franklin over bagna càuda. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The name of the place is Babylon 5. “We are starstuff.” To me, this will always be the bagna càuda episode. While it’s not something that was ever in the repertoire of my various Italian-American relatives, it’s still a yummy Italian food, which always makes my heart happy. And it’s a nice tradition Garibaldi has with his Dad. I especially like that, once it becomes something personal, Franklin modulates from Garibaldi’s doctor to his friend and asks to partake in the tradition. Having said that, the put-everyone-on-a-diet subplot is weak-tea sitcom nonsense, complete with silly 90s euphemisms (“eating plan”), creepy dialogue (Franklin’s oogy “nice borders” line), and mediocre humor (the plate-switching scene). The rest of the episode is good. As with last time, the guest casting hits it out of the park, as Russ Tamblyn is superb, making Maynard a very lived-in character, with perfect best-friend chemistry with Bruce Boxleitner. The rescue mission is handled well, especially since the Cortez is made up entirely of guest stars, and killing off the main character’s heretofore-unseen best friend is a long-established cliché, so there’s an expectation that Maynard and his crew might not make it. Adding to this is the constant stream of portentious utterings about the coming darkness we’ve been getting since “Chrysalis,” and you genuinely fear for the Cortez. Which makes their rescue all the sweeter. Alas, the redshirting of Galus doesn’t land as well, nor does the attempt to give Keffer a minor spotlight. Both characters are complete ciphers, making it hard to get worked up over their danger, especially since Galus is a guest star and Keffer is an opening-credits regular, so the former’s death is expected for the same reason that Maynard’s was feared, and Keffer’s survival is almost a given. (Caveat necessary for reasons that will be clear at season’s end.) This is Keffer’s second appearance and he has yet to be granted a personality, which is problematic. I’m iffy about the writing decision to have Delenn quote Carl Sagan without attribution, but it’s such a great quote, I think I can forgive it. And it’s nice to see Sheridan come to embrace his job, and also see the beginnings of the Sheridan-Delenn pairing in the conversation where she quotes Sagan. Next week: “The Long Dark.”[end-mark] The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “A Distant Star” appeared first on Reactor.

News The Monkey The Monkey Trailer Reminds Us Everybody Dies, Sometimes in Very Gross Ways This monkey is not your buddy By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on October 15, 2024 Credit: Neon Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Neon The Monkey, Osgood Perkins’ adaptation of the Stephen King story of the same name, got its first trailer today. And based on what we see, it looks like a gory, wackily f****ed up tale where a lot of people die thanks to a toy monkey causing freak “accidents” wherever it roams. Here’s the official synopsis: Twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them. This is Osgood Perkins’ next movie after the much-hyped horror film Longlegs, which starred Nicolas Cage as a notorious serial killer. The Monkey looks equally gruesome, though today’s trailer suggests it will be tinged with dark humor. The clip also gives us glimpses of some of the cast, including Theo James (Divergent), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and the young Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth). Elijah Wood is also part of the cast, and James Wan is the film’s producer. The Monkey premieres in theaters on February 21, 2025. Check out the trailer below.[end-mark] The post <i>The Monkey</i> Trailer Reminds Us Everybody Dies, Sometimes in Very Gross Ways appeared first on Reactor.

Are you in the mood for a hearty, healthy, fulfilling meal? Then you’ve come to the right place. You’re going to love our vegetarian roasted pumpkin chili recipe. It’s loaded with rich and savory flavors, protein and nutrients. Better yet, it’s easy to make – and freeze leftovers for quick future meals.This recipe happens to be vegetarian (vegan) but meat-eaters also love it! Feel free to add cheese or sour cream on top at the end. Making and freezing pumpkin chili is one of our favorite ways to preserve extra homegrown pumpkins and butternut squash from the garden too.Note: This post was originally published in October 2019.RELATED: Want to make it homegrown? Get our top tips on growing pumpkins and winter squash. Also don’t miss our easy guide on how to make and freeze homemade pumpkin puree or how to make the best crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds.We often use homegrown butternut squash for this recipe. These adorable Autumn Frost butternuts look like pumpkins, and taste even sweeter.Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.What kind of pumpkins to make pumpkin chili?You can make vegetarian pumpkin chili either using whole fresh pumpkins, store-bought canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), or homemade pumpkin puree. Using canned pumpkin makes this recipe extra quick and easy, but roasting fresh pumpkins makes the chili even more chunky, rich and flavorful!If using fresh pumpkins, it’s best to use petite sugar pie pumpkins – also known as pie pumpkins or baking pumpkins. However, you can also substitute with similar hard winter squash like butternut squash, fairytale or cinderella pumpkins, kabocha squash, or hubbard squash. We often make this recipe with butternut instead.Avoid using big jack-o-lantern pumpkins; their flesh is too bland and stringy to make good chili.Classic pie pumpkinsIngredientsThis recipe yields about 3 quarts of vegetarian pumpkin chili. However, we almost always double it to freeze extras!Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili Base1 whole sugar pie pumpkin to roast. For reference, we’ve found the average pie pumpkin to weigh about 2.5 pounds when whole, before being gutted. Or substitute with 1 can of plain pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). 3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed. We love the combination of black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans. If you prefer to use dry beans instead of canned, you’ll need about 4.5 to 5 cups total after cooking. 1 large white or yellow sweet onion, diced4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced1 can (14.5 ounce) of diced or crushed tomatoes. Opt for a roasted variety if possible! Because we double this recipe, we usually use one can of diced roasted tomatoes to add some chunkiness, plus one jar of our thick homemade simple roasted tomato sauce from the freezer.2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth. Learn how to easily make homemade veggie broth here! Or, use concentrated “better than bouillon” paste mixed with water to achieve the same volume. 1 large bell pepper of choice. Again, because we double the recipe, we usually do one red or orange plus one green.2 cups of diced brown crimini mushrooms (just under an average 8-ounce package) 2023 update: We’ve added corn to a few batches now and really enjoy it!Pumpkin Chili Seasonings1 tsp cumin 1 to 2 tsp chili powder (sliding scale based on personal spice preference – I usually keep it light) 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce  1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano, OR 1 tsp dried oregano  A tiny pinch each of nutmeg and ground clove Optional: 1 Tbsp onion powder Instructions1) Roast the Pumpkin If you’re using canned pumpkin, skip right to Step 2. Preheat your oven to 400°F. First, wash your sugar pie pumpkin, cut it in half, and scoop out the guts and seeds. Save the seeds to roast, compost them, or feed them to your spoiled chickens! If you do opt to eat them, I highly suggest soaking pumpkin seeds before roasting them to make them more nutritious and easier to digest. Add a light drizzle of olive oil over the pumpkin “bowl”, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flesh side facing down. Poke the back skin side of the pumpkin with a sharp knife in a few places. This helps steam get between the skin and flesh, and makes it extra easy to peel the skin off after roasting. Roast the pumpkin for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, until soft. 2) Start Chili Base Prep the other ingredients while the pumpkin roasts. Once it’s almost done roasting (or finished), heat a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add a good splash of olive oil along with the diced onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Saute until everything softens a bit and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.  Next, add the minced garlic, fresh (or dry) oregano, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, clove, nutmeg, soy sauce, and onion powder to the pot. Stir to coat, and cook for another few minutes. 3) Combine EverythingOnce the pumpkin is finished roasted and slightly cooled, gently peel away the pumpkin skin. If it doesn’t come away from the flesh easily, use a knife to remove it, or a spoon to scoop the cooked flesh out.  Now, pour in the called-for veggie broth, tomatoes (with juices), optional corn, and beans (strained, without the can liquid) into the pot. If your pumpkin flesh is thoroughly cooked and very soft, you can toss it into the pot in large chunks. It will break up as you mix and continue to cook the chili. If it still seems a little firm, mash it up in a bowl first to break it apart. Mix well.  Once everything is combined, bring the pot to a boil. Thereafter, reduce the heat to simmer for a final 15 to 20 minutes, or until it has thickened and reduced to your liking. During this time, stir occasionally. Also, give the vegetarian pumpkin chili a taste-test! Feel free to add more chili powder if you prefer it on the spicier side.*Note: Using different canned ingredients may result in a different consistency than ours. If your chili is not as thick as you’d like, try blending a portion of the chili (a quarter to a half) either by using an immersion blender right in the pot, or removing a portion to blend and add back in.4) Serve and EnjoyNow it’s time to enjoy! Vegetarian pumpkin chili is delicious on its own, but extra toppings can bring it to a whole new level of good. Popular chili toppings include crunched tortilla chips, avocado, grated cheese, fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, sour cream, or even micro-greens. We often use plain yogurt as a lighter alternative to sour cream too. Don’t forget a side of homemade sourdough bread, or my favorite, sourdough focaccia! Or you can go all out a make a pumpkin shaped sourdough bread loaf to serve alongside the chili. How festive of you.Storage Store leftover vegetarian pumpkin chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 5 days. Or, preserve it in the freezer to enjoy for many months to come. See freezing tips below. If you’re looking for more ways to use it up, it also makes a darn good cold bean dip with corn chips! Freezing Pumpkin ChiliAllow the pumpkin chili to fully cool in the refrigerator before packaging to freeze. If you made a large double batch, you can help expedite safe rapid cooling by putting the pot in an ice bath in a clean sink. (Retired health inspector here!) Once cooled, transfer the pumpkin chili into freezer safe storage containers of choice. We love to freeze chili and soup in these reusable BPA-free freezer containers. The quart size makes a perfect two person meal. Pumpkin chili is good for up to a year in the freezer.Defrost frozen pumpkin chili in the refrigerator a day or two before you want it, and simply reheat on the stovetop in a pot. To make a healthy meal even more nutritious, we like to lightly sauté garden greens such as bok choy, kale, and/or mustard greens in the bottom of the pot before adding the chili to reheat it!Leftover: pre-cooled, packed in our favorite durable freezer containers, and ready to freeze!So satisfying. So good.Thank you for tuning in. I truly hope you love this vegetarian pumpkin chili recipe as much as we do! Please feel free to ask questions and leave a review below.Don’t miss these related recipes:Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage Soup Recipe Delicious Butternut Squash Pie Recipe (Vegan Options) Kale Lentil Soup (Stew): Hearty, Healthy, Vegan Healthy Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Bread Recipe (or Muffins) Print Roasted Pumpkin 3-Bean Chili Recipe (Vegetarian and Vegan) Come try our delicious and easy vegetarian (vegan) roasted pumpkin chili recipe. It's loaded with flavor, protein, and freezer-friendly! Course Main CourseKeyword Chili, Pumpkin Chili, Vegan, Vegan Chili, Vegetarian Prep Time 20 minutes minutesCook Time 30 minutes minutesPumpkin Roasting Time 45 minutes minutesTotal Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes Servings 3 quarts IngredientsPumpkin Chili Base1 whole sugar pie pumpkin (about 2.5 pounds) *Substitute with 1 can pumpkin puree, or other hard squash such as butternut, delicata, or hubbard3 cans beans, drained and rinsed. Kidney, black, and pinto is an excellent combo! (standard 14-16 ounce cans) *Substitute with dry beans, approximately 5 cups cooked1 can roasted crushed or diced tomatoes, juices included (14.5 ounce can)1 large white or yellow sweet onion diced4-5 large cloves of fresh garlic peeled and minced2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth1 large bell pepper of choice diced2 cups brown crimini mushrooms (just under an average 8-ounce package) dicedoptional: corn (canned or frozen)Pumpkin Chili Seasonings1 tsp cumin1-2 tsp chili powder (sliding scale based on personal spice preference)1/2 tsp smoked paprika1 tsp salt1/4 tsp black pepper1/2 Tbsp soy sauce1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced *Substitute with 1 tsp dried oreganoTiny pinch Nutmeg and ground clove1 Tbsp onion powder optional InstructionsCut the sugar pie pumpkin in half, and scoop out the guts and seeds. Very lightly drizzle the pumpkin “bowl” with olive oil plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Then place the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet, flesh side down. Poke the back skin side of the pumpkin with  a sharp knife in a few places. Roast the pumpkin on 400F for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, until soft. If you’re using canned pumpkin, skip right to Step 4. Once the pumpkin has finished roasting and cooled slightly, remove the skin and discard. Combine diced onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, salt and black pepper in a large pot on the stovetop – along with a good splash of olive oil. Over medium-high heat, cook until everything softens and the onions are translucent – about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Next, add diced garlic, oregano, soy sauce, and other seasonings listed above to the pot. Mix well to coat. Allow to cook for another few minutes.Pour in the called-for veggie broth, tomatoes (with juices), and beans (strained, without the can liquid) into the pot. If your pumpkin is thoroughly cooked and very soft, you can toss it into the pot in large chunks. If it still seems a little firm, mash it up in a bowl first to break it apart. Mix well. Once everything is combined, bring the pot to a boil. Thereafter, reduce the heat to simmer for a final 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened and reduced to your liking.Serve and enjoy! Delicious and popular chili toppings include crunched tortilla chips, avocado, grated cheese, fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, sour cream, or even microgreens. It is also amazing with homemade sourdough bread.Enjoy within one week if stored in the refrigerator, or freeze some to enjoy for months to come! Allow the chili to cool slightly before packaging. Defrost frozen pumpkin chili in the refrigerator a day or two before you want it, and simply reheat on the stovetop in a pot. Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post Easy Roasted Pumpkin 3-Bean Chili Recipe (Vegetarian and Vegan) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. UK Science Secretary Peter Kyle sees “loopholes” in the UK’s Online Safety Act censorship law, and is promising to “close” them. The law is sweeping, influencing a broad swath of the industry and people’s right to free expression, but as ever when having to justify highly controversial policies, politicians start thinking and talking, quite narrowly, and insistently, about “the children.” Kyle doesn’t appear to be the most charismatic, innovative, or indeed, persuasive of politicians, so he sticks to the script. The script is this: (despite the uproar in the free speech/privacy advocacy community because of it) the law is still lacking. There’s “loopholes.” https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/UK-Science-Secretary-Peter-Kyle.mp4 And Kyle is the one who gets to say he will “close them.” While at it, he (and the media, like the BBC) perpetuating this, refer to another kind of campaigner. Those, apparently, are not yet happy with how far the Online Safety Bill currently stretches. Blocking adults from adding children as “friends” on social platforms? Sounds reasonable, if, that is, one can establish who is an adult and who is a child. Maybe – in itself, an extremely controversial issue known as “age verification” – could solve that while opening another Pandora’s Box? But either way – closing the loopholes, (not amending the law to better reflect democratic traditions) – of which free speech is fundamental – was the thing Kyle was, and was not talking about while appearing on the BBC. When all the media-trained “think of the children” yammering is taken out of the interview, however, Kyle’s basic message is this: the bill can be used in yet more restrictive ways. Such as forcing tech companies to “prove” their products and updates are “safe” (as defined by a very broad political, and politically useful brushstroke). “They (tech companies/platforms) are the only sector I can think of in society that can release products into society without proving they’re safe before release,” said Kyle. (Governments, perhaps, and their wild narratives at the end of the day, accountable to nobody, can be viewed as another such “sector”?). The high-ranked UK official seems to be purposefully conflating concepts here. Either that, or both “political” and tech “products” – like parroting platitudes – require equal legal scrutiny, as, say, civil engineering or food safety do. It would be interesting to hear how Kyle sees the world from that point of view. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post UK Science Secretary Plans to Close Loopholes in Online Censorship Law, Suggests Blocking “Unsafe” Tech appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The county recorder in Arizona’s Maricopa, Stephen Richer, decided to “seek help” from two controversial groups – one foreign, although funded by the US State Department, and one domestic but ideologically biased. This is according to an exclusive report based on email records, which speaks about Richer and his ilk’s “war on disapproved speech.” From their point of view, however – or according to the narrative they push in the media – it’s actually a “war on disinformation.” The groups involved in helping Richter and his office navigate the “treacherous waters of free speech” so to speak, are the States United Democracy Center NGO, and the UK-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which has a reported track record of censoring conservative speech around the world. As a county recorder, Richter is in charge of keeping public records and voter registration, as well as that related to early voting. The Federalist now writes that the emails it has seen reveal he thanked the States United Democracy Center for assistance in “deep-scanning the internet for disinformation.” An email Richer, a Republican, sent in late June 2022 reads, “Thanks very much to States United for the kind offer to let us piggyback on some of the deep scanning you’re contracting for election threats and disinformation.” The email was addressed to Bo Dul, who was at the time the NGO’s senior counsel. But – “Oh what a tangled web we weave…” as the classic verse goes. Before this role, Dul served as senior elections policy adviser and general counsel in the Arizona secretary of state’s office, led by a Democrat. Given Richter’s role as the county’s “elections chief,” engaging with the NGO in this way, considering its bias and activities, is deeply controversial. According to the report that cites InfluenceWatch, the group “consistently opposes Republican election integrity legislation like voter ID laws and supports Democrat attempts to diminish election security.” It was States United that put Richter in touch with ISD, which has also worked with various governments, ideologically anti-conservative organizations and funders, as well as Big Tech. One of Richter’s targets was Arizona State University (ASU) Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Associate Aaron Ludwig, who expressed his misgivings about elections online. “He (Ludwig) is a regular purveyor of election disinformation and misinformation. I ask that you assess if he is fit to be part of the ASU faculty,” Richer’s July 31, 2022 email, which contained a link to the professor’s Twitter account, said. The real question now is – how long has this been going on, and has it stopped? The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office chose to appear to “respond” to these questions while actually ignoring them. The office said it has “worked with numerous entities (…) over the last several years.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Maricopa Recorder’s Email Trail Sparks Controversy Over Censorship War appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Pander Plotz: Michigan Arabs Refuse to Endorse Kamala

Gallup: Even Democrats Are Losing Faith in the Media

The NFL might largely be “woke” — but that hasn't stopped several of its players' wives from coming out in support of Donald Trump on social media. The latest show of support for Trump is from the wives of two Miami Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and running back Raheem Mostert, who were motivated to make their opinions public after the hurricane response. Tagovailoa’s wife, Annah, reposted a video from conservative influencer Benny Johnson that showed footage of the former president hosting 275 Florida Power and Light linemen at his resort in Miami. The former president did not charge the linemen and made sure they remained safe during the hurricane while it made landfall. Mostert’s wife, Devon, blasted Kamala Harris for going after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) following the devastation of Hurricane Helene and called the vice president “textbook trash.” “These husbands, these huge stars, Tagovailoa has an insane contract, tens of millions of dollars, right, and they’re not saying, ‘Honey, let’s not be political here, I’m the star quarterback.’ They’re just letting it fly,” Blaze News writer Andrew Chapados tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” “That’s completely different than what I think we’ve seen from athletes in years past,” he adds. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs also has a wife who has been open in her support for Trump. “And then he’s throwing to a guy, Travis Kelce, who’s got a sponsorship with Pfizer and Bud Light,” Chapados says. “And Taylor Swift is dating him allegedly, and you know her political leanings going back to 2017 have been Democrats.” Chapados notes that he says “allegedly” because he doesn’t believe the relationship is real. “I’m a resident Swifty,” Savage comments, adding, “I’m totally with you.” Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Former President Donald Trump told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck that his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden are "fighting like cats and dogs" after the Democratic Party apparently forced Joe Biden out of the upcoming election.During a phone interview with Beck this week, Trump accused the Democratic National Committee of effectively overthrowing Biden to install Harris.'One of the worst rescues ever.'"He's angry," Trump said, referring to Biden, "because he got 14 million votes, and he was thrown out." "This was an overthrow of an American president. There's never been anything like that before," he declared.Trump said that despite Biden winning the primaries, the party moved to push him out of the race following his poor debate performance, prompting widespread bipartisan concerns about his mental abilities. "They came to see him, and they say, 'We want you out.' I'm amazed he agreed to it, actually," Trump remarked.Trump stated that Biden "looks better" now than he did during his entire presidency.He mentioned that Biden recently publicly snubbed Harris over her comments about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Harris alleged that DeSantis had made it difficult for the federal government to provide aid following the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. A White House official told CNN that DeSantis had ignored multiple calls."Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they're going to put politics aside and put the people first," Harris told reporters.She called DeSantis "utterly irresponsible" and "selfish" for allegedly failing to put "the people first" ahead of "political gamesmanship."DeSantis claimed that he was unaware that Harris had tried to reach him.Hours later, much to the embarrassment of Harris, Biden revealed that DeSantis had taken his call. He even praised the governor's response to the hurricane. Biden said DeSantis has been "very gracious.""He's thanked me for all we've done. He knows what we're doing, and I think that's important," Biden told reporters.Harris "went at" DeSantis "and just got creamed," Trump told Beck. "Biden was on Ron's side.""He's done a very good job," Trump said about DeSantis.Regarding the administration's disaster-relief response to Hurricane Helene, Trump called it "one of the worst rescues ever.""I think in a league with Katrina, which was pretty bad. Some people say it's worse," Trump added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!