…and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring. Thanks be for no mouse!
It’s about time to add the magic dry brining potion to the turkey who’s been thawing in the fridge since Monday.
The rice cooker is busily engaged in making wild rice for our pseudo-stuffing rice pilaf, which will be complete with dried pomegranate flavored cranberries, fresh herbs from the garden, and spicy pear sausage from our friend and gracious art supporter, Rusty, at Pine Street Market.
The food processor is waiting on deck to shred the brussels sprouts for roasting tomorrow with Pine Street salt & pepper pork belly, diced Granny Smith apples, and toasted pumpkin seeds.
And there’s homemade bird soup thawing for gravy.
I’ve spent much of the day doing my artist thing. Let’s say that I’m making progress…
We decided to escape some technical aggravations and duck out for a couple of last minute errands, with a stop for lunch at our favorite local spot, The Corner Pub. I was feeling grateful for friends to cook for us and a fabulous burger (hold the bun!) when I noticed a volunteer delivering this barrel for the holiday community food drive which was a vivid reminder of just how many things we have to be thankful for.
In fact, that’s one of the growing edges on my journey. Intentional gratitude.
Not just at holiday time, but every day.
When I’m writing and painting, certainly.
Or stashing good, local, humanely raised food in the freezer.
Or thinking of family.
Or helping Luther out the back door and down the steps.
In fact, if you’re reading these words, know that I’m grateful for you, too!
And for the community that has supported my growing. (There’s an art party invitation hanging at Corner Pub, too!)
That gratitude makes it easier to live some of my most cherished beliefs in community. Peace. Justice. A safe, clean planet. Helping girls and women to find their voices. Hope.
There are, of course, days that I feel too small and insignificant to make a difference. And then I remember the normal, every-day, cherished people who made differences in my life and I crawl out of my flannel sheet and quilt coccoon, and flap my wings again.
Yes, you guessed it! It’s Work-In-Progress Wednesday again. At the moment, I could use a week of Wednesday!
The day started with a plan. A plan that included the Legendary Husband being somewhere other than where he wound up today, and doing the hunting and gathering thing tomorrow.
Obviously, hunting and gathering shifted to today. Which meant lots of sorting, measuring, ordering, and calling on my part. Nothing terrifying. Just time sensitive.
Then there’s the whole getting ready for an Art Party thing.
Hand knit, felted hats which appeared from the basement, in the process of being fluffed and embellished with flowers. Roses, of course.
Stacks of Giclées waiting to be signed and numbered.
Small WIP prayer dot canvases for Peace and Hope, drying.
And a flurry of activity involved in ordering new batches of art greeting cards from moo.com Pictures to hunt, decisions to make, proofs to check… you get it. All made possible by my wizard friend Leisa who deciphers what I ask for and pushes the buttons to manifest my dreams.
In between emailing proofs back and forth, Leisa and I had quite the discussion about holiday food and who eats what, or doesn’t. A discussion that was way more fun than the political news!
Long story, short… I now have a recipe for 24 adorable little pecan tarts that is both gluten and corn syrup free. (Leisa is multi-talented!!!)
Just in case you’re curious…
Preheat oven to 350 F.
For crust…
1/2 c. softened butter (In this case, I’d choose salted if you have some.)
1 T. melted butter, cooled so it won’t scramble the egg!
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped pecans (plus more for garnish, if desired)
Place flour in mixing bowl or bowl of food processor. Cut butter and cream cheese in with forks or pulse until small crumbs form, as you would for pie crust. Pat/roll into a 4×6 inch rectangular shape. Wrap in parchment paper and chill for 1 hour.
Mix filling well with wisk or food processor.
Cut chilled dough into 24 equally sized pieces and press pieces into mini muffin tins. These are called Tassie pans at our house! (If you like crispy tart shells, you may blind bake empty shells for 5 – 7 min. or until very lightly browned.)
Fill each cup half full of filling mix. Garnish each tart with pecan 1/2 if desired.
Bake about 20 min.
Cool to room temp before removing from pans and serving.
Please let me know what you think!!! For now… back to Wednesday and lots more WIP’s!
Tomorrow… my piece of the Red Thread is volunteering at an Atlanta rally for Bernie Sanders. I’m sure photos will be involved!
Who knew what a gift it could be to sort out the basement??? (Okay, Marie Kondo apparently did!)
We’ve already delivered a car load of donations to Second Life Thrift Store, near Atlanta, where the proceeds go to benefit animal rescue organizations and spay/neuter programs.
Another big box has gone to a neighborhood family who support a literacy program for children of immigrant families, with more on the way.
Some of the stuff above is on its way to the Mission Haven clothes closet at Columbia Theological Seminary just down the road, and there are more clothes to pack up. (Dave and I wore Mission Haven clothes back in the day!) And the boxes of fabric for kids’ quilts are looking for a home.
A couple of hours ago, I got a surprise. Well, two surprises.
First, a cardboard box Bill brought up from the basement was correctly (!!!) labeled Cookbooks. Not generally things I send to the basement.
Then, I found this particular church cookbook:
Talk about memory lane!
Back in 1999, when I was editor of Monday Morning magazine, I wrote an editorial titled Come to the Table, which found its way to the chair of the cookbook committee who asked for permission to reprint my words…
Some folks collect coins or stamps or baseballs or shoes. I’ve got a thing for tables. I painted a table not long ago. It has wild colors and quotes from many of my favorite folks all over it. It sits in the room where I write and pray and ponder. The coffee table in our living room is an antique claw-footed bathtub with a quilt draped in it and a piece of glass on top.
My very favorite table, though, is one I don’t own. In fact, this “table” is actually a huge hunk of granite that sits deep in the catacombs of a Catholic church in Hungary. I “met” this table in the late ’80’s, just before the Berlin Wall fell. I was traveling with a group from Columbia Seminary. An English-speaking priest gave us a tour, taking us down flight after flight of steep stone stairs. It was cold, dark, and unfamiliar.
Finally we gathered in a tiny room where the priest explained that the Eucharist had been celebrated there, on that “table,” every day for 1,500 years. Every day! It didn’t matter who occupied Hungary at the time, or what they called the nation. It didn’t matter whether religion was illegal or merely ignored. Still folks came to claim power beyond that which seemed to rule their world.
I just had to touch that table. It should have been rough and cold, but, instead, it was warm and polished by all the countless hands that had lifted bread from it and poured wine over it. Every day. For 1,500 years.
Now, I know that many of you have different traditions, and today is perhaps an ironic day to be reflecting on this, at least in the USA, but I am reminded again of the power of the table throughout the world.
And, especially at this time of year, so many of us are pondering what to put on our tables for family celebrations. It seems to have gotten more complicated lately! In fact, I wrote a book about feeding the families we have, who often don’t eat the same things as we do.
The book is packed with recipes I inherited or developed or learned from dear ones. Lots of them are pretty fabulous! The part that still feels most important to me, though, is the discussion on holiday meal planning which begins, as so many things in my world do, with a question.
What are you trying to accomplish???
I come from a family of foodies. These days, when our family gathers, we have a collection of omnivores, pescatarians, some gluten free folks, others with allergies, and a much loved diabetic who’s doing way better lately. And that’s just six of us! There are also the studio angels, who have definite opinions about these things.
My answer to what we are trying to accomplish is that everybody feels included and nobody is eating things they feel badly about because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.
It’s a lot like Intentional Creativity®!!!
Just between us, I have no idea how that will translate into food this year. I’m oddly okay with that. And grateful for our nearby International Farmers Market where darn near anything is possible.
I’m pretty sure, though, that really good dark chocolate will be involved! And, possibly, collard greens.
It was a busy day in the studio! Women gathered for creating and reflecting.
A follow-up to September’s workshop on Abundance Muses.
We began with some noticing and wondering. What had been different since our last time together? A wild variety of answers with one thing in common… our intentions were actually changing things in our lives and the lives of those we love!
Some red thread.
And a new question. What might we be hoping to harvest in this season? As we pondered, rain fell gently in the garden which is a hugely hopeful thing just now.
Then, editing those harvest hopes into a one or two word prayer. You guessed it! Time for dots!!! Each dot a prayer…
I’ll admit it’s the first time I’ve prayed while embellishing the bottom of a pumpkin! Then some time for paint drying and lunch.
And more dots. This time on the tops of the pumpkins!
Plus a few spares for my first artists’ market, known as Bizarre Bazaar, scheduled for October 27th! (Stay tuned to see whether Bill and I can actually put up the tent!!)
After that, some time for our Muse paintings. Some light here. Some shadow there. Moons added in honor of tonight’s full Harvest moon.
A new technique here or there. Scary colors doing magical things.
The new studio table baptized in paint.
Lots of support and encouragement wrapped in stories of how we got here from there.
A visit from my CODEX moon, with some pointers on shading and highlights.
And a considerable amount of leaping over the studio angels, who slept on, lulled by their favorite drum music.
The big wooden bowl in the kitchen is running over with ingredients for my favorite fall soup.
The studio is running over with canvases and paint and (dirty!) brushes and scraps of collage paper and way more extra texture than would be considered optimal by most artists. Luther is still blowing coat!
Here are some in-progress pics from the studio, complete with repair work underway. The soup recipe comes next!
First, the beginnings of an owl who has insisted on having tea with my Midnight Muse.
Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day and awakens and refines the appetite. – Escoffier
Makes about 6 quarts of soup. Leftovers freeze well.
Equipment: You’ll need a 10 quart stockpot and a couple of pans for roasting veg. I use heavy gauge stainless ½ sheet trays. An immersion blender, food processor, or Vita-Mix type blender are really handy. In a pinch, a food mill will work. Or a hand potato masher.
Ingredients: I try to pick organic squash that are more cylindrical in shape, than those that have the bulbs on the bottom. They’re easier to cut up and peel! Also look for smaller squash, about 2 lb. or less in size. They have thinner skin and smaller seeds. Plan ahead for this soup and buy pears about 5 days ahead of time so they’ll be ripe. If you need to purchase stock, the varieties in the shelf stable boxes, no salt added, organic if you can find them, are usually the best choices. A small, local butcher may have broth periodically. That would be a great choice! This soup is comforting in the same way that the m-m-good tomato stuff from the can seemed when you were six. But way better!!!
Note: Additional ingredient suggestions are listed below under Garnishes.
2 quarts bone broth or veg broth, preferably homemade. Chicken, turkey, or pork are all great. Veg works really well, too, for an easy vegan dish.
About 6 – 8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with a bit of kitchen string.
1 – 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh.
3 – 4 lb. total butternut squash (about 2 smallish ones), washed and peeled, with seeds removed. (If the squash are really small and tender, sometimes I skip the peeling!) Chop into chunks about 1 inch square. The pieces don’t have to be pretty. They just need to be about the same size. (If you want to save the seeds, rub orange strings from them with a clean, dry dish cloth. Rinse well. Spread on paper towels to dry.)
Good olive oil.
Good grey Celtic sea salt.
Freshly ground pepper…black, mixed, or pink.
3 – 4 ripe organic pears, washed, cored, seeded, and chopped to about the size of the squash pieces. (Substitute organic apples if they’re more local or pears aren’t available.)
2 large or 3 medium organic red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, washed, cored, seeded, and chopped.
2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Cover 2 sheet trays with unbleached parchment paper, if desired to help keep veg from sticking.
In a 10 quart stockpot, place the broth you’ve chosen and heat gently, adjusting heat as stock thaws or warms from fridge. Bring to very gentle boil. Skim any foam that appears on top, and continue to simmer slowly while you prepare the veg. Add thyme and bay leaves.
Place squash pieces in a large bowl. Drizzle with good olive oil to coat lightly and season with salt & pepper. Toss together well. Be a bit generous with the s&p.It will be most of the seasoning for a big pot of soup. Hold on to the bowl. You’ll need it again in a few minutes!
Spread squash on prepared sheet tray, in single layer. Place in oven at 450 F for 15 min.
While squash begins to bake, prep veg and pears or apples as noted above. Add to bowl. Drizzle all with good olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss together well and arrange in a single layer on 2ndsheet tray. Add 2ndtray to oven and continue to roast, along with squash, another 20-30 min.
You’ll begin to smell the veg as they get close to done. Check with fork for tenderness. They should brown to about a medium tone. The squash will get darker than the pears and onions. Remove trays when done.
Check simmering soup stock. Raise temp a bit so it’s simmering fairly boldly, but not boiling. Remove bay leaves and herbs if used. Transfer all the veg into the stockpot CAREFULLY. An extra set of hands is helpful for this. Mix well and allow to simmer to blend flavors, 10 or 15 min.
Prepare desired garnishes. Get creative! Here are some thoughts to start:
Chopped pumpkin seeds. (Save squash seeds until fully dry and use, lightly toasted, in other soup or salad, or save them to plant in your garden.)
Popped corn, lightly salted.
Finely chopped fresh parsley or other herb or green of choice.
Crumbled, cooked sausage-preferably local in spiced pear flavor or Italian sausage, mild or hot, to taste.
Good, homemade toasted bread croutons, pan fried in a bit of melted butter.
Crumbled local goat cheese
Really fine, aged Balsamic vinegar for drizzling just a bit.
A dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.
Chopped avocado.
Just before time to serve, puree mixture. A hand-held immersion blender is easiest. Other wise, transfer in batches to a food processer or VitaMix (blender). Use caution with hot liquids – only fill containers ½ full! If using a food mill or potato masher, allow liquid to cool a bit first to avoid burns. Working in batches, mash and blend soup well.
Stop when you like the texture you’ve achieved. Chunky, really smooth, whatever works for you! If you want it super smooth and velvety, you can pass the puree through a fine screen sieve. The cone shaped ones worked well and you can push soup through with a wooden spoon. It’s all a matter of personal preference. I’m fine with a little texture left in mine!
Return all soup to pot, if necessary. If using hand-held blender, be sure plug does not fall into soup! Stir to blend well.
Taste for seasoning. With a good, homemade broth base and generous seasoning along the way, it probably won’t need any additional seasoning. I like the pure, clean taste of all the veg! If you like a little heat, try:
A few drops of hot sauce, to taste, or a pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper. Warm spices like cinnamon, curry, or nutmeg are another good choice.
When it tastes perfect to you, it’s ready! Small children may like to do their own garnishes and are more likely to actually eat the soup if they do.
Set your imagination free on serving options, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Traditional bowls and spoons are great. Try shot glasses in a small bite appetizer setting. If you don’t have enough soup bowls for your crowd, teacups or coffee mugs will work. Add a slice of really good bread and perhaps a piece of good cheese and you have a fabulous meal. Have fun!
Save those leftovers!!! Cool soup before placing in freezing containers. Glass jars break a lot. We use BPA-free plastic but never pour hot food into it. I freeze soups like this in quart, pint, and even ½ pint size containers. Then you can thaw what you need for a family dinner, a comforting lunch on a crazy day, a care package for a friend, or even a creative way to add extra veg to any soup or sauce. Try thawing a small container and using the warmed soup instead of cream or olive oil to mash potatoes!!! Leave an inch of headspace before placing the lids to allow for natural expansion when it freezes. Label clearly including whether the broth base is meat or veg. And be sure to date it. That’s a freezer full of comfort food and all you did was cook dinner!
This week has been a bit of a whirlwind of doing so far. One of those weeks that remind the preacher inside me that Wednesday feels like it comes around way faster than Sunday! And a clear message that time for reflecting leads to things like blogs and sermons and paintings.
There are several gallons of bone broth (aka Bird Soup!) cooling in the kitchen, a creative process which began with thawing on Monday, and simmering from Tuesday until today, about 24 hours of cook time. Surely, at least some of Heaven smells like this!
I’ve painted on three different projects so far this week.
And, a bit earlier today, I joined some of my paint sisters in a guided visioning journey that had to do with steps into the future and gathering and planting, all of which are happening literally and figuratively in my world, just now.
True confession… I have a tendency to wander off on my own during visioning moments, perhaps because the visual part of the experience is often missing for me.
Today, though, I was struck by a particular phrase. Something along the lines of:
What is your right pace for stepping in this moment?
My first reaction was a little faster than I can go right now!
I’m still having some challenges with a muscle injury in my calf.
Ever helpful, Luther seems to have appointed himself resident physical therapist. In fact, I leaped over him conservatively 17 times yesterday while I was getting the broth pot going. Everybody knows the best place to lay is in the middle of the kitchen floor, between the sink and the stove!
And, no, Luther has not yet developed a grasp of getting up and moving unless the spirit moves him. (I’m holding hope on that one!)
When I thought a bit more about the stepping question, though, I realized that the answer for me is to just keep stepping.
It really doesn’t feel like a contest, but more a matter of perception.
I’m choosing to perceive myself as a being in creative motion, rather than a being sitting still. (Even when I’m sitting still in the service of moving some more!)
And, speaking of creating… The photo above is a glimpse of one of my CODEX paintings-in-progress.
Before I tell you what it says, let me explain first that Hebrew was not my best academic adventure!
So, allowing for missing vowel points and a bit more proof-painting to come, the word, read from right to left is pronounced ba-rah and means create.
And here’s the punch line, as it were. I realized, recently, that what keeps me stepping from one stone to another in my world is the deep calling to create everything from paintings to soup to love.
Just between us, that feels like a really good place to be! Where are you noticing creativity in your world?
We decided to escape some technical aggravations and duck out for a couple of last minute errands, with a stop for lunch at our favorite local spot, The Corner Pub. I was feeling grateful for friends to cook for us and a fabulous burger (hold the bun!) when I noticed a volunteer delivering this barrel for the holiday community food drive which was a vivid reminder of just how many things we have to be thankful for.
I’ll admit it’s the first time I’ve prayed while embellishing the bottom of a pumpkin! Then some time for paint drying and lunch.
Ever helpful, Luther seems to have appointed himself resident physical therapist. In fact, I leaped over him conservatively 17 times yesterday while I was getting the broth pot going. Everybody knows the best place to lay is in the middle of the kitchen floor, between the sink and the stove!