Building Your Future in the United States The Immigration Insider
October 2019
From the Desk of
Clare Corado
Indiana Immigration Law Group had the honor of participating in the Bloomington Pride Festival and the Fort Wayne Pride Festival last month. We hosted a booth that provided information to festival attendees about immigration opportunities and issues specifically faced by the LGBTQ+ community. We were able to meet many other community partners participating in the festivals and hope that some important collaborations will come out of those meetings. We also created a webinar course to teach more about important LGBTQ+ immigration topics, including marriage-based green cards for same- sex couples, asylum claims based on persecution in foreign countries, issues with immigration status of children conceived with assisted reproductive technology, and more.
During the chilly nights of autumn, most people turn to one of three piping hot drinks to keep them warm: hot chocolate, apple cider, or tea. But take it from us — you can do much better. There’s no better place to be during the fall than in your warm kitchen experimenting with the plethora of hot drink recipes the season has to offer. Thanks to the rise of celebrity chefs and kitchen keyboard warriors (aka food bloggers), there are dozens of variations on hot chocolate, apple cider, and hot tea out there and even more unique potions splashing onto the scene all the time. First, let’s address the favorites. You can easily improve your hot chocolate game by melting your own chocolate, adding a bit of cinnamon, and using whole milk instead of water, but the world of cocoa is much larger than that. For an extra sweet twist, try using white chocolate instead of milk chocolate or topping it with crumbled toffee and toasted hazelnut pieces instead of marshmallows. You can spice up your drink with pepper to mimic the Aztecs, or make a 21-and-up version by adding a shot of peppermint schnapps and whipped cream. When it comes to apple cider, try getting in the Halloween spirit with Food Network Canada’s Spooky Apple Cider Punch; the recipe calls for cinnamon sticks, cloves, and floating apples carved to look like shrunken heads. If you’re looking for an adult beverage, Apple Cider and Beyond Creative Drinks to Keep YouWarmThis Fall
Keep an eye out for upcoming webinars and other events at
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–Clare Corado
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mulled wine is a fun alternative that tastes similar. To make a batch, just add a bottle of red wine, sliced oranges, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and honey to a pan and simmer it for half an hour. For more kick, add 1/4 cup of brandy. As for tea, you can gussy up your cup with a splash of orange juice, a hint of lemon, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract to replicate the recipe for Russian tea from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. stoop to the over-hyped pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks when it’s easy to make your own healthier, tastier version at home with a coffee maker, whole milk, spices, and a can of pumpkin puree. For an indulgent upgrade, drizzle on some of Simply Sissom’s homemade salted pumpkin spice syrup. Fall lattes aren’t limited to pumpkin, either. It would be a shame to go the whole season without sipping a chai — whether homemade with Indian spices or from your favorite coffee shop. In your quest for a soothing hot drink, don’t forget about coffee. There’s no reason to
Another healthy option is Green Kitchen Stories’ warm, spicy apple and carrot drink, which is an autumn concoction made with fruit and vegetable juices in addition to the usual spice suspects. That said, there’s nothing wrong with striking an indulgent note when it’s cold outside. Try A Spicy Perspective’s drinking caramel or Lick My Spoon’s maple-bacon hot buttered bourbon for an extra- sweet treat.
Last, but certainly not least, are the fall drinks that you’ve perhaps never heard of. Foremost among them, for those of drinking age, is hot buttered rum, which is a warming drink that dates back to colonial days. You can make the rich brew at home if you have rum, butter, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of salt. For the younger crowd, try hot vanilla, Oatmeal with a Fork’s alternative to hot chocolate. Not only is it something a bit different, but the recipe is dairy-free, vegan, and paleo.
Pumpkin Screams 5 Tips for Longer-Lasting Jack-O’-Lanterns
integrity of the pumpkin. Cutting from the bottom is not good, either, because all the liquid inside the pumpkin will ooze out. For the best results, carefully cut a hole in the back of the pumpkin. Apply petroleum jelly. After you’ve scooped out all the “pumpkin guts” and carved your masterpiece, apply a little petroleum jelly to the cuts. This will help seal in moisture. The Farmers’ Almanac also recommends spraying your pumpkin with anti-humidity hairspray to lock in freshness. Go electric. Using a real candle heats up the inside of the pumpkin, causing it to decompose faster. An LED tealight with a flickering effect will create that classic spooky jack-o’-lantern look and keep the pumpkin cool. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any trick-or-treaters getting burned if they accidentally trip over your pumpkin. These tips are to help your jack-o’-lantern last longer. When it comes to designs, feel free to let your imagination run wild! The best jack-o’- lantern is one you’re proud to show off on Halloween.
Jack-o’-lanterns are an iconic part of the Halloween aesthetic, but they can quickly backfire. If you carve your pumpkins too early, you may end up with a moldy mess on Halloween. The first rule of jack-o’-lanterns is to wait as long as possible before you start carving. Here are some other tips to help you achieve the perfect jack-o’-lantern this year. Find the perfect pumpkin. A great jack-o’-lantern starts in the pumpkin patch — or in the grocery store if you’re short on time. Look for a fresh pumpkin with a sturdy, green stem, no bruises, and a flat bottom so it’s stable when you’re carving. Size and shape aren’t important, so long as the pumpkin sparks your creativity. Just make sure you don’t accidentally bring home a small sugar pie pumpkin, which will be harder to carve. Wash your pumpkin. Before you start carving, mix 1 tsp of chlorine bleach with 4 liters of water and wash your pumpkin to help prevent mold. Be sure to wear gloves! Cut from the back. Cutting the top of the pumpkin is traditional, but it removes the stem, which helps keep the pumpkin fresh. It also threatens the structural
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Dia de los Muertos
A Celebration of Life
Full of Life
Despite the common misconception, Dia de los Muertos is not an offshoot of Halloween. While the two holidays often happen simultaneously, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that originated with the indigenous people of Central America, including the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Each year, they gathered and gave offerings to their dead. When the Spaniards came to Mexico, they fused the indigenous celebrations with their traditions of All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2). Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations viewed death as a beginning rather than an end. This was likely tied to agricultural practices and the seasons, with crops dying in the winter and being reborn in the spring. Dia de los Muertos evolved from those roots and is now observed throughout Mexico and the United States. It’s a time of remembering your loved ones by celebrating their lives. Ancient Beginnings
Though the name might lead you to believe differently, Dia de los Muertos is a joyous time. If you visit Mexico during the holiday, the air is filled with music, and the streets are full of dancing and color. Instead of a sorrowful mourning of the dead, it is a vibrant, joyous celebration of life. Intricate altar displays, called ofrendas, honor the spirits of relatives who’ve passed. Families fill them with photographs and the relatives’ favorite food and drinks. It’s believed that during Dia de los Muertos, the boundary between the living and the dead is lifted, and for one night only, spirits come back to visit and enjoy what their families have set out for them. Today, the multiday celebration takes place throughout Central and North America. As tiny Batmans and Skywalkers add the final adjustments to their costumes, other families clean their homes and prepare to honor the
spirits of their loved ones. And in today’s beautiful blend of cultures, many families celebrate both holidays.
Take a Break!
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
HOW TO ASSEMBLE A VEGGIE SKELETON Thosewho eat paleomay struggle to find aHalloween treat suitable to their diet. But nomatter what your dietary restrictions are, everyone can enjoy some rawveggies with a healthy dip. Here are some tips for constructing your very own veggie skeleton—a spooky twist on a time-tested treat.
For the Head
Your favorite paleo-friendly dip makes a great canvas for a face. Pour it into a bowl and build features on top using different veggies.
For the Rib Cage Sliced cucumbers make for great vertebrae, and bell pepper slivers can be used to simulate ribs. Alternate between the two to give your skeleton some backbone. For the Arms and Legs Any long and straight vegetable will do the trick here. If you want to be anatomically accurate, consider using some spherical vegetables for joints.
Don’t be afraid to get creative and wacky with your veggie skeleton. The whole point, after all, is to have some fun and give people a reason to smile.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Clare PAGE 1 Your Guide to Warm Fall Drinks PAGE 1 The Secret to a Perfect Jack-O’-Lantern PAGE 2 The Meaning of Dia de los Muertos PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 How to Assemble a Veggie Skeleton PAGE 3 Amazing Cat Tales PAGE 4
Tails From the Past Mythical Cats of the World
to survive, but he still split his meals with his cat, Tama. One day, Lord Nakaota li got caught in a rainstorm while hunting and took shelter under a tree near the temple. Nakaota spotted Tama near the temple, and the cat raised its leg, beckoning the noble to come toward him. Curious, Nakaota complied, stepping out from beneath the tree just before a bolt of lightning struck it down. The lord’s life was saved, and to this day, the Maneki-Neko (the beckoning cat) is a symbol of wealth and good fortune. Freya’s Skogkatts—Norway In Norse folklore, the goddess Freya had a unique means of travel: a chariot pulled by two cats. These were skogkatts, or Norwegian Forest cats, that were only a little larger than your average house cat. Still, these small felines towed Freya around battlefields as she gathered warriors to send to Valhalla. On top of be- ing the goddess of war, love affairs, and magic, Freya may well have been Midgard’s first cat lady.
Most owners will tell you their cats act like ancient deities. Majestic, scrupulous, and utterly unpredictable, these fascinating creatures have long captured our imaginations. Even before cat videos took the internet by storm, humans have been idolizing felines, placing them alongside some of their most important mytho- logical figures. Bastet —Egypt Of course, a list of mythical cats has to start with Egypt. While many people know the pharaohs and their followers thought cats were sacred, you may be sur- prised by how deep the connection goes. The earliest depiction of Bastet, the feline deity of protection, is a lion-headed woman in battle. But, over the course of 2,000 years, Bastet evolved to resemble the domesti- cated, pointy-eared cats we know and love today. (Maneki-Neko) —Japan Legend has it that in the 17th century, a monk living in a small temple in Edo (now Tokyo) was struggling 招き猫
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