Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Onion Soup and Sadness

Recipe: Rustic Onion Soup

All things end. But I don’t have to like it.

That’s what I wrote the day it became clear that my Cousin Helen’s cancer was both terminal, and progressing quickly. She was just short of eighty;  she lived with humor, grace, passion, and an undercurrent of strength.

My best friend called me last week to say her Dad is dying. I’m never ready for this news, always brought short by the inadequacy of words.

I took to the kitchen for my own comfort.  This soup is one to make on dark, cold days – be that the external or internal forecast. It’s not fast, but you can cry as you slice the massive amount of onions, and then, as they roast in the oven for two hours, you’ll start to pull it together as their earthy aroma permeates the house.

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Relish

Till last week, I hadn’t smoked anything in years.

As much as I like urban living, it has drawbacks.  In Seattle my neighbors were really close-in. One in particular, and she always made her presence felt. In the first week that we lived in the house, she complained about  my dogs, my parking and the noise our movers made. And the first time I lit my grill she let me know  how much she objected to the smell of a genuine wood fire.

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