Saturday, March 30, 2013

Exhale…and some comfort food!!!



It’s been a whirlwind of a week after mom’s transition to non-physical and the busy-ness of getting ready for the service. I returned to work this week with a cluttered desk and less than normal energies….alas there arrived the libra full moon and now we are on the edge of the celebration of easter…...
 


With all the activities of the week stacked like cord wood, there has been precious little energy available for cooking or housekeeping…. so last night I opened the cabinet and whipped up a tasty spaghetti dinner.

I try to keep the ingredients on hand and was lucky enough to pull this off with perfection!!
 
Here is my simple recipe….

  • 1 large sweet onion chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper chopped
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbs organic coconut oil
  • 1.25 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1 tbs raw cane sugar
  • 1 tbs italian seasoning
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 can petite diced tomatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Cooking or Kitchin witchen is like a prayer, a meditation or a spell. It must be done with purpose and respect. Chop your onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and heat coconut oil in a stock pot. Sauté chopped veggies until they start to brown and add ground beef stirring until done. Drain off extra grease and oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slight boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 1-2 hours checking and stirring each half hour. MMMMmmmm!!
 
 
Great sauce for the pasta of your choice. Top with parmesan cheese!!
 
 
Add a tossed salad and purrrrfection!!!
 
Comfort food…Exhale….. <*)

 

 

 

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Swan Song

Swan Song

We held the celebration of life service for my mother on Saturnday!! I believe it was a fitting tribute to her legacy. My cousin shared that my mom was Women’s Lib before there was such a thing. She never held her tongue and pretty much just spit out whatever she was thinking! It was her truth. Another shared about memories of Girl Scout camp and swinging vines. There was a story from a young grandson of her attention to his discovery of a fossil and from a granddaughter of her love. One after another they shared their memories of love, laughter and mama’s light. It was joyful to revisit the energies of my childhood and my super mom. It has been a long journey from where I walk today.

Just the day before, my sister and I had planned the program as a last ditch effort to organize a service my mother would have approved. When we came to a proper name for the ending of the service, we couldn’t connect with closing, conclusion and finale. Through an internet search on the thesaurus we discovered swan song.
 

Wikipedia suggests that a swan song is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans (Cygnus spp.) sing a beautiful song in the moment just before death, having been silent (or alternatively, not so musical) during most of their lifetime. This belief, whose basis in actuality is long-debated, had become proverbial in Ancient Greece by the 3rd century BC, and was reiterated many times in later Western poetry and art.
 

We knew that our mom’s final exit was akin to one last performance for a life well lived. Live until you die and live brighter than life for your swan song. A lesson well taught by my mother, Nola Jean Gragg Couts’. Love you Mom!!  You will be missed but never forgotten.

Till next time…