HIGH HOLIDAYS 2019 – A SAVORY SOUP RECIPE TO ENTICE THE APPETITE

Winter, and especially the high-holiday season that is winter’s centerpiece, brings with it for me an air of nostalgia, a wistfulness for the Thanksgiving Days of old, the days when at the end of a long country lane, the white square farmhouse of my maternal grandparents came into view, and within its walls my large family would soon gather around an immense table groaning with a homegrown Thanksgiving meal. With the elapsing of time, the torch has passed to my aunts and uncles, and then to the members of my generation. The work of keeping the traditions of our family alive and well continues to be handed down. This Thanksgiving my immediate family will gather at the home of my daughter, Elizabeth, the person who often as not, has hosted our celebration for several years. I am so grateful for the young people of my family, and for the time and space to hunker into the winter of my life, to gather my provisions, as well as to relax into my unbound hours and make the most of them.

            Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and several side dishes of vegetables, sweetened at meal’s end with pumpkin pie and whipped cream, and a wide selection of additional heavenly desserts was our traditional fare. This year, we plan to broaden our menu with some new dishes. My contribution will be a lovely ‘Farmhouse Cheese Soup’ laid at table as an appetizer. The recipe comes from Stacey Pirtle of ‘Southern Discourse,’ where it is described as “…oogey, gooey, goodness…a zesty comfort food even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.”

           



INSTRUCTIONS: On medium-low heat, melt 1 stick (½ cup) of butter in a large stockpot or automatic cooker. Add 1/3 cup each of diced onions, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook until vegetables are translucent. Add 32 oz. chicken broth (I prefer the low-sodium brands) and ½ cup of diced roasted red peppers. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of Chardonnay (can be omitted) and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 6 cups (1 cup at a time) of grated sharp cheddar cheese, stirring after each cup until the cheese is completely melted. Continue to add the cheese until the mixture is melted and combined. Add 6 cups of half-and-half a little at a time, stirring continuously. Add 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1½ teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of white pepper. Cook on very low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle bacon bits on top of each savory bowl. Shredded chicken added to the recipe is a nice add-in. Enjoy! -Linda Lee Greene



Multi-award-winning Ohio author and artist, Linda Lee Greene’s books are available in eBook and paperback on Amazon. A CHANCE AT THE MOON, her latest novel, is at https://www.amazon.com/CHANCE-AT-MOON-Betrayal-Murder/dp/169984402X/. 

TEDDY THE SQUIRREL AND THE OAK TREE©

TEDDY THE SQUIRREL AND THE OAK TREE©

By Linda Lee Greene, January 5, 2019

Teddy the Squirrel, whom I introduced to you in a blog posting over the Thanksgiving holiday, is mad at me. If you wish to read my origination story about Teddy the Squirrel, click here> (https://ingoodcompanyohio.blogspot.com/2018/11/an-air-of-gratitude-thanksgiving-2018.html?spref=tw). I swear that Teddy actually spat at me from his perch on the postern of my gate when I ventured out this morning to run my errands. It is pretty easy to figure out that the source of his ire is that I was the instigator of the slaughter of his favorite tree, which I believed at the time to be a menace to the roof and windows of my condo. I have since begun to question the wisdom of my actions. For the backstory of the saga of my tree, clink this link> (https://ingoodcompanyohio.blogspot.com/2019/01/my-conundrum-over-tree-by-linda-lee.html?spref=tw)

My tree was an oak, by the way. I have determined its genus based on the shape of a few remaining brown leaves on the ground. I am ashamed to admit that my ill feelings toward it prevented me from going as far as even acknowledging its identity before now. And is it any wonder that Teddy is mad at me? Now he will have to go shopping for his acorns far beyond his neighborhood, thanks to me. I am sure he yearns to move to a more convenient locality, and to get away from me, but he is an old and nearly feeble fellow, and moving might be harder on him than he could withstand.

One of my “go to” books when life throws me a major curve and I need help getting back on track is psychoanalyst and author Judith Viorst’s “NECESSARY LOSSES, The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow.” At the time she wrote the book, the bedroom she and her husband shared sat within the top floor of their multi-storied house. A wide span of windows in the room overlooked a small woodland. She enjoyed lying in bed and watching the squirrels beyond her windows scamper about in the canopy of trees. Her theme of the squirrels/trees reference in the book was to point out to her readers that unlike many human beings, squirrels have no illusions about who they are and what is right for themselves. At least in her and my corner of the world, squirrels are creatures suited to living in trees and earning their living by harvesting the bounty of those trees. Take them out of that environment and their form of work, and they would wither and die.

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle in his book “STILLNESS SPEAKS” tells us that the essence of our Being is to be found in stillness and peace rather than in squirrel-like industry. I have scoured my neighborhood and have identified other oak trees in which Teddy might continue to express his squirrel nature. My wish is that he is up to finding them, for only then will my sense of peace be restored.

***

http://booksbylindaleegreene.gallery-llgreene.com/

To date, Linda Lee Greene has authored five novels: “Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams” (http://amzn.to/VazHFG); “Guardians and Other Angels” (http://goo.gl/imUwKO); “Rooster Tale” (http://goo.gl/vNq32g); and “Cradle of the Serpent” (http://amzn.to/VazHFG), which was designated as a finalist in the 2018 American Fiction Awards Competition. It was also awarded a 5 Star Review by Readers’ Favorites. Scheduled for release in early 2019, her latest novel titled “A Chance at the Moon” will be available in soft cover and eBook at Amazon.com. An extensive exhibition of Greene’s artwork can be viewed at www.gallery-llgreene.com. 

 

An Air of Gratitude - Thanksgiving 2018 by Linda Lee Greene

As I write this essay, visible beyond the window of my working space, 2018s first real wintry weather has arrived in my little corner of the world. Teardrops of rain frozen to silvery icicles fringe the edge of my patio roof and dauntless little birds flit in and out of cubbyholes beneath it, snug and secure crannies in which they are setting up house for the season. Wily squirrels scamper across the top of the fence surrounding the enclosure, their cheeks puffy with walnuts from my tree that they will salt away in secret caches—their wintertime supermarkets.

            A particular squirrel never fails to capture my attention. He is an elder among his peers, his girth bloated with the years of his sumptuous diet he enjoys among my vegetation, his coat scraggly, and his magnificent bushy tail of his primary years nearly hairless now. While his friends make of my fence a speedy competition as fast as the Indy 500, he sits quietly and unmoving for long periods on the postern at the entrance of my patio, and he stares at me through my window, or at least it seems to be the case. I fancy that there exists something of a kindred nature in our connection, as if like me he endeavors to acclimate himself to a slower pace of life, to handing over to the younger generations the major responsibilities of their squirrel way of life.

            I have christened him “Teddy” after our nation’s former president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, because to my mind, the two of them are similar in ways. Like Roosevelt, I just bet that Teddy the Squirrel was an alpha male, and that if I could get close enough to him to run my fingers through his fur, I would locate battle scars, and feel the beat of an heroic heart enormous with life’s experiences, and a grand passion for it. But still, I cannot help but wonder if in some deep region of his being he yearns for his youth, or if indeed he really is nestled as perfectly as he appears to be in his current station among his squirrel society?

            Winter, and especially the high-holiday season that is winter’s centerpiece, brings with it for me an air of nostalgia, a wistfulness for the Thanksgiving days of old, the days when at the end of a long country lane, the white square farmhouse of my maternal grandparents came into view, and within the walls of the place my large family would soon gather around an immense table groaning with a homegrown Thanksgiving meal. With the elapsing of time, the torch has passed to their sons and daughters, and then to their grandsons and granddaughters, and the work of keeping the traditions of our family alive and well, continues to be handed down to subsequent generations. This year for the first time, my immediate family will gather at the home of my niece Samantha, even though she is one of its youngest members.

            Despite my longing for the past, I recognize that my family’s traditions are in good hands, the strong and capable and creative hands of my niece, my two adult children, as well as my younger cousins, and I am grateful. I am also relieved, because like Teddy the Squirrel, I am aware that through God’s grace, I have been gifted with the time and space required to accommodate myself to the task of placing my faith in the young people of my family, and to hunker into the winter of my life, to gather my provisions, as well as to relax into my unbound hours and make the most of them.

            German intellectual and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” I would add that the essence of all beautiful life, all great life, is gratitude. American artist Norman Rockwell’s iconic painting “Freedom from Want,” which holds within it an intriguing back story dating to World War II, is the enduring visual symbol of America’s Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Not only do I see in Rockwell’s painting the essence of my childhood high-holiday gatherings, but I also see a spirit of gratitude in it, one that reminds most people who view it to be grateful, too—and yes, to be ever mindful of the faces at our tables that shift over time, and to hold in our hearts the souls whom have departed from them.

You can learn more about Linda Lee Greene at http://booksbylindaleegreene.gallery-llgreene.com/. And while you are at it, take a look at her online art gallery at www.gallery-llgreene.com. You can also find her on social media at the following:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/lindaleegreene

Email: lindaleegreene.author.artist@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LindaLeeGreeneAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LindaLeeGreeneAuthor

Twitter: @LLGreeneAuthor

Blog:  http://Ingoodcompanyohio.blogspot.com

Also look for her on LinkedIn and Google+

The Gift of Inspiration

If your holiday shopping list is anything like mine, there are gaps in it. Figuring out just the right gift for some people is as tricky as catching Santa Claus doing his job on Christmas Eve night. I suggest you do what I plan to do: I’m going to fill in the gaps by giving books to the readers on my list.

                Throughout this month, I will turn this blog over to authors of books that I recommend you consider as gifts to the readers on your list. The authors will tell you in their own words what they want you to know about their books. The first among the group is Paulette Mahurin, an award-winning and best-selling author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, who on this page will feature her brilliant new novel His Name Was Ben, which is based on a true story. All proceeds from His Name Was Ben are donated to dog rescue efforts. Paulette is a great friend to me and I'm honored to have her as my guest. Welcome to my blog In Good Company, Paulette:

The Gift of Inspiration

By

Paulette Mahurin

 

The sun rises over the eastern horizon flooding my bedroom with light, and I awake with gratitude for the gift of my life; a life I do not take for granted. Many years ago, while in college I had the great fortune of meeting and working with a couple who inspired this way of thinking in me. Both of them were diagnosed with a terminal illness when they met and fell in love. It was this love, their expression of a deep intimate sharing that really opened me to what living is all about; right here and now. After meeting the real Ben and Sara, about whom my new book His Name Was Ben is written, my life changed. Into it entered gratitude, a thankfulness for the simplest yet most powerful of things: my vision, my hearing, and that the physiology of my body continues to function to keep me alive.

His Name Was Ben was initially written as a short story while in college and earlier this year published as a full-length novel. The synopsis from the back cover reads: Hearing the words “it’s cancer,” threw Sara Phillips’s life into chaos, until an unexpected turn of events and a chance encounter with a stranger changed everything—his name was Ben. Based on real events, Ben and Sara discover that when all else fails, healing can come in the most unexpected ways. Chilling and heart wrenching, His Name Was Ben is a triumph over the devastating circumstances and fear experienced when faced with a terminal illness. In this narrative, the power of love conquers shadows and transforms the very nature and meaning of what it is to be fully alive. From the award winning, best-selling author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, comes a story filled with soul and passion that will leave the reader thinking about it for days after the last page is closed.

Some read this and are turned off when they see the word cancer and make the mistaken assumption that it’s a downer story of suffering and loss. Those who have read it and taken the time to review it have a common reaction; it’s a story about life, living it to the fullest, and the healing power of unconditional love and gratitude. On this Thanksgiving holiday, as I reflect on Ben and Sara, this beautiful couple I met so many years ago, I am reminded of the expression “from the ashes the phoenix will rise again.” I never understood the expression until meeting Ben and Sara, and then I saw that it is never too late for a miraculous comeback. And, it can all start with gratitude.

http://www.amazon.com/His-Name-was-Paulette-Mahurin-ebook/dp/B00NTACZ5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417458945&sr=8-1&keywords=his+name+was+ben

Mary Had a Little Lamb, But Not for Thanksgiving

Every schoolchild knows the story of the first Thanksgiving feast:  the Pilgrims and the Indians in 1621.  There was sporadic adherence to it among the Colonists in the ensuing years however, usually reserved for celebrations of the endings of droughts, successful harvests, or victories in battles.  Not until 1777 did the Thirteen Colonists commemorate it as an actual day of Thanksgiving.  It was slow to catch on, though, and it continued its snail’s pace in reaching its place as an inviolable piece of American life, a resistance that held fast despite the 1789 declaration by George Washington that Thursday, November 26 would be “a public day of thanksgiving and prayer,”[1] with the distinct purpose of “giving thanks for the opportunity to form a new nation and the establishment of a new constitution.”[2]  I find it fascinating that it took an invincible midlife woman to inspire its ultimate establishment as a revered national holiday, an influence that only made its mark nearly two and one half centuries beyond the 1621 gathering of the continent’s indigenous people and their interlopers.    

                Sarah Josepha Hale was her name, and writing was her game, and hers is a prime example of the pen being mightier than the sword.  This nineteenth-century Mother of American Thanksgiving is best known as the author of the nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb, but she enjoyed a diverse writing career, one spanning six decades, during that time authoring several hundred poems and two dozen books, among them her hugely successful, first novel, an accomplishment that made her one of America’s premier women novelists.  In the United States titled Northwood:  Life North and South, and in England as A New England Tale, the pre-Civil War book also established her as one of the first of either gender to espouse in print the premise that “While slavery hurts and dehumanizes the slave absolutely, it also dehumanizes the masters and retards the psychological, moral and technological progress of the world.”

                Hale was the progenitor of several other progressive programs, among them her support of equal education for American females, particularly higher education for young women.  She demonstrated her commitment through her efforts in the founding of Vassar College, a groundbreaking event in the annals of women’s rights that she upheld unfailingly in her long writing and advocacy career.  In addition to establishing the first day nurseries for working women as well as public playgrounds, she was the first editor of the first women’s magazine, a publication in which she broke tradition and featured works by American writers rather than just reprinting periodicals from England.  The prestigious literary prize, the Sarah Josepha Hale Award, is named for her.

                An active and vociferous patriot, Hale understood the unifying nature of Thanksgiving better than most, and in an effort to have it designated as a national holiday, she wrote thousands of letters to movers and shakers of the country, including five Presidents of the United States, among them Zachary Taylor, Millard Filmore, Franklin Pearce, James Buchanan, and finally Abraham Lincoln.  Gaining the ear, or rather the eye, of Lincoln, her letter convinced him to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving.  The year was 1863, the mid-point of the Civil War.  The hope was that it would help in coalescing the nation and its culture.

In the words of my friend and fellow author, Donna R. Wood in her wonderful blog, Butterfly Phoenix, “…As we gather at our tables of Thanksgiving, let us remember those who are not feasting at tables surrounded by family and friends.  Let us remember those who are gathered at tables where quarrels and discord are the norm.  And, let us be thankful for those who would lay down their lives for us, those who are taking their feast in a tent somewhere in the world; alone without the benefit of family.” 

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all. 

---

[1] http://history1900s.about.com/1930s/a/thanksgiving.htm

[2] Ibid

My latest novel, Guardians and Other Angels is available in paperback and eBook for Kindle, or your PC and laptop, and other downloading devices at http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Other-Angels-Linda-Greene/dp/1897512562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338336762&sr=8-1.  The book is also available in paperback at barnes&noble.com.     

My first book, Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams with Debra Shiveley Welch, in paperback and eBook is at http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Lee-Greene/e/B00864OVWA.  The paperback version is also sold on barnes&noble.com.

To read excerpts of my current and future books, please log onto www.booksbylindaleegreene.gallery-llgreene.com.

To view an exhibition of some of my artwork, I invite you to log onto www.gallery-llgreene.com.