Spring Fruit Compote

½ cup orange juice or Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)

2 Tblsp orange marmalade

½ cup quartered dried apricots

Grated rind and sectioned fruit of 1 navel orange

1 fresh pineapple peeled, cored, cubed

4 pints fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries

Combine orange juice, marmalade, apricots, orange rind and sections, and pineapple up to 24 hours in advance. Up to 1 hour before serving time, rinse berries. Slice or halve strawberries and blackberries. Leave blueberries and raspberries whole. Toss berries as gently as possible with marinated fruit. Garnish with vanilla yogurt if desired.

Sunday Spirit

She let go.
Without a thought or a word,
she let go. She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments. She
let go of the confluence of
opinions swarming around her
head. She let go of the committee
of indecision within her. She let
go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without
hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to
let go. She didn’t search the
scriptures. She just let go. She let
go of all the memories that held
her back. She let go of all the
anxiety that kept her from moving
forward. She let go of the
planning and all of the
calculations about how to
do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She
didn’t journal about it. She didn’t
write the projected date in her
Day-Timer. She made no public
announcement and put no ad in
the paper. She didn’t check the
weather report or read her daily
horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she
should let go. She didn’t call her
friends to discuss the matter. She
didn’t do a five-step Spiritual
Mind Treatment. She didn’t call
the prayer line. She didn’t utter
one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it
happened. There was no
applause or congratulations. No
one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing. Like a
leaf falling from a tree, she just
let go. There was no effort. There
was no struggle. It wasn’t good
and it wasn’t bad. It was what it
was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let
it all be. A small smile came over
her face. A light breeze blew
through her. And the sun and the
moon shone forevermore.

Reverend Safire Rose

Crabapple Ham Glaze

1 (17 oz.) jar spiced whole crabapples

1 c. brown sugar

1 fully cooked center cut ham

sliced 1" thick (about 1 1/2 lb.)

Drain apples reserving 1/2 cup syrup. Combine syrup with brown sugar; heat until boiling. Put crabapples in foil with a little syrup drizzled over, seal and put over fire at edge of barbecue grill. Grill ham over low coals 10-15 minutes on each side. Brush with syrup. Cook 1-2 extra minutes.

Roasted Mushrooms with Spring Garlic

Serves 4

Spring yields an abundance of mushrooms, including morels and porcini. Choose an assortment for this dish, chopping them into an array of shapes. Add mild spring garlic, also known as green garlic, plucked from the ground before the bulb has a chance to develop, and chop the tops, too.

2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 bell pepper, chopped 5 stalks green garlic, chopped 1 pound mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped, salt and black pepper to taste, 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 1/2 cup water, 4 thick slices bread, toasted.

Set the oven at 350. In an ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper and water. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Place mushrooms atop toasted bread and serve.

Tulips

BY A.E. STALLINGS

The tulips make me want to paint,

Something about the way they drop

Their petals on the tabletop

And do not wilt so much as faint,

Something about their burnt-out hearts,

Something about their pallid stems

Wearing decay like diadems,

Parading finishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer,

The tulips make me want to see—

The tulips make the other me

(The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right),

Glance now over the wrong shoulder

To watch them get a little older

And give themselves up to the light.

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

For winter's rains and ruins are over, And all the season of snows and sins; The days dividing lover and lover, The light that loses, the night that wins; And time remembered is grief forgotten, And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, And in green underwood and cover Blossom by blossom the spring begins. Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909)

Indian Egg Curry Recipe

Eggs (hard boiled)
1 onion
1/2 tomato (pureed)
3-4 flakes of garlic
1/2-inch piece of ginger
1-2 green chilies
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt To Taste
Red chili powder to taste
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp garam masala
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil / ghee
1 cup green peas or 250 gms paneer

Remove the shell of boiled eggs & keep aside. If using Paneer cut into cubes and fry till golden & set aside for later use.

Make a paste of onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies in a mixer or chopper. Heat oil in a kadhi or wok and add onion-garlic paste and fry till golden brown.

Add all the spices (salt, turmeric, coriander & chili powder) except garam masala and fry for a minute and add tomato puree. Fry till it starts leaving oil.

Add a cup of water and cook till it is dry.

Now add the fried paneer cubes or green peas (which ever using) and boiled eggs.

Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil and reduce the flame.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Garnish egg curry with garam masala and coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha, roti or rice.

The last fling of winter is over ...

The earth, the soil itself, has a dreaming quality about it.

It is warm now to the touch; it has come alive;

it hides secrets that in a moment, in a little while, it will tell.

Sultana Teacake

This recipe makes two fruit cakes.

500g sultanas
1 - 2 fruity teabags
250g butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
375g sugar
375g flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170ºC. Grease and line the base of two 20cm cake tins.

Place sultanas and teabag in saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain sultanas, discard teabag(s) and transfer to large bowl.
Stir in butter until melted and mix in vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with an electric beater until foamy and pale and gradually add the sugar, beating until very thick – the mixture should leave a 'trail' or a 'ribbon' when the beater is lifted.
Fold into sultanas with sifted flour and baking powder.
Spoon into tins and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
You can leave them plain, or ice with lemon icing by mixing icing sugar with lemon juice and a little melted butter until smooth.

Taken from New Zealand House & Garden

The New Bee's Knees

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 tablespoons gin
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Mix hot water and dried lavender blossoms in bowl. Let steep 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Strain into another bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the honey syrup, gin, and lemon juice; strain into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled Martini glasses.

A bit of fragrance always clings

to the hand that gives roses.

~Chinese Proverb

I am glad I was not born before tea.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Scones

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup chocolate-covered English toffee baking bits
2 cups cold whipping cream

For Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
granulated sugar

Preheat oven 375 degrees and lightly butter two large baking sheets. In large bowl,combine the flour,1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and toffee. Beat the cream in separate large bowl until stiff peaks form, fold into dry ingredients. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead lightly until a soft dough forms. Gently shape into a circle and with serrated knife cut into wedges. Place on baking sheets a few inches apart. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Winter is not a season, it's an occupation. ~Sinclair Lewis

• 1 medium onion • 1 rib celery • 1/4 head cabbage • 2 tablespoons butter • 1 pound frozen hash brown potatoes • 4 cups chicken broth • 2 cups water • 1/3 cup sour cream • 1 tablespoon flour • 1/4 cup milk • 1 large smoked sausage link, cut into 1/4-inch slices • Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating • freshly chopped chives, optional 1. Chop the onion and the celery. Shred enough cabbage to make one cup. 2. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion looks transparent, about 10 minutes. 3. Stir in the cabbage and potatoes, then add the chicken broth and the water. Cook over high heat until the mixture boils then simmer for 30 minutes. 4. Mix together sour cream and flour; add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir the sour cream mixture and the sausage into the soup; heat. 5. Serve the soup with a generous grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a sprinkling of chives, if desired.

• Beans Baked Boston Style
• 
  
• 1 pound dried pinto beans (2 1/4 cups)

• 12 bacon slices (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/3 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 
  

• Place beans in large bowl. Add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain beans; set aside.

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in heavy large pot until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add beans and all remaining ingredients to pot. Bring to boil.

  Transfer pot to oven. Bake uncovered until beans are tender and liquid thickens, stirring occasionally, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring beans to simmer before serving.)

Albert Anker, Still Life: Two Glass of Red Wine, a bottle of Wine; a Corkscrew and a Plate of Biscuits on a Tray, oil on canvas, 43 x 40cm, Private collection

Baked Brie with Dried Cherries & Thyme

1/2-lb. wheel of Brie (about 4-inch diameter), at room temperature
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

---

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.

Slice off the top rind of the Brie and discard. On a sheet of waxed paper or parchment, roll the pastry out to a 12-inch square and cut two 6-inch rounds from it. Put one of the rounds on a small rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with half of the dried cherries and thyme, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge, and gently press so they adhere.

Set the Brie, rind side down, on top of the pastry, sprinkle with the remaining cherries and thyme, and cover with the other pastry. Crimp the edges together to seal in the cheese. Brush the top of the dough with the butter. Bake until the pastry browns, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes and then serve.

Another fresh new year is here . . .

The perfect Christmas tree?

All Christmas trees are perfect!

~Charles N. Barnard

So often in life, we feel things that have little to do with what’s actually happening and everything to do with the stories we’re telling ourselves in our head—stories that involve assumption, blame, and defensiveness.

But we don’t have to fall victim to our instinctive emotional reactions. At any time, we can stop, assess what’s going on in our heads, and decide to respond a little more wisely based on what we know about ourselves.

Today if you feel yourself getting all worked up over something that isn’t a big deal, ask yourself, “What can I learn about myself that will help me going forward?”