It is Absolutely Not rocket science to know that sometimes the best way for me to navigate through a passing maelstrom of mind, mood, spirit is by making something that will potentially be used or enjoyed by others. The doing of the thing is the first good and the sharing of the thing follows. Not…
Tag: kitchen
Grace: a Poem
Have been thinking more and more about Grace lately…thinking more about it and experiencing it with and through people with whom I am close/familiar and with and through strangers. It is a beautiful awareness to walk with and something I want to share… Grace Grace is the not insignificantin-between, thecurrent that carries, the round-edgedrolling weight,the quiet,…
The There and The Then and the What Will Be… a Poem
The There and the Then and the What Will Be There were things that I could have donebefore leaving:The sink which hadn’t seemedall that bad; the community of goodsgathered in the fridgewho since my goingand returning once again,have overstayed their welcome;desktop mountain rangeswith would-be landslidesarranged to topplewith the slightest addition.However, standing as I amin a…
A Bowl of Incense and a Spoon: A Poem
A Bowl of Incense and a Spoon With the good knife rescuedfrom a thrift store pegboard,The soup pot thurible is readyto incense the kitchen chapel.halve the onion, slice from the root,cross cut into a small dice.I settle my senses into thiswelcome ritual of prayer and blessing.Garlic: three cloves or four, depending,mashed into a paste with…
Why I Bring a Book to the Kitchen
Why I Bring a Book to the Kitchen The relaxation of travelby reading and sinkinginto elsewhere’s talewhile gently, unquestionably,bound to the holy of hereby the the hum of the refrigeratoris as much a sign of your loveas anything else, at the end of the day.Sometimes, that’s all it takes—the grounding reminders of presence,of the goodness…
Zanahoria means Carrot
One might reasonably wonder about the origin story here… I was making dinner last night and helping someone with English at the same time. She asked what we were having… I replied “Something different! We’re having ‘picnic.’ ” Brats, cole slaw, potato chips, and as a nod to the falling snow, roasted carrots instead of…
A Psalm of Vinegar and Molasses
A Psalm of Vinegar and Molasses How wondrous are your flavours,oh Lord of balance and surprise; How wondrous to spend time within the intimacy that is cutting board and quiet;that is the scent of toasting seedsand the crack of release when they are pressed against the grain, leaving for history an echoing amenbefore being pinched up to dustthe glory…
Sweet Wonder
Sweet Wonder I am grateful for a lemon knowing its bitter-bright fresh worth and knowing too how to catch the eye of cinnamon’s ‘hello there.’ I am grateful for the way that chemistry welcomes -ish (up to a point—as science is science and has reason keeping watch); for the resistance of dough that welcomes my…
Because it is Pleasing to my Soul (or Breaking out the Big Mixer)
When I was a child, I associated my father with the making of certain specific foods. He would produce occasional batches of what we called “New Orleans square doughnuts” throughout the year and do the cranking on homemade ice cream in summer. Above all, though, bread-making was a favourite. Both parents made bread, and we…
Biscuits with Lyrical Jam
Because sometimes a blog entry comes out like this…and the biscuits are delicious, by the way. Biscuits SIFT: 2 c. flour 4 t baking powder (PLUS if desired… 3 T granulated sugar, a bit of cinnamon, a bit of cardamom—a decent 1/4 t each?) GRATE INTO DRY: 1 stick of really cold butter (I am…