We all will die––let us
die beautifully.
We are momentary celebrations of love that
somehow
last forever,
even as our heads droop and petals drop,
one
by
one
onto the table.
The vase is still half-full.
We open our pink throats to sing of springtime coming,
still too far away to see
though we
can feel it
in this February sun.
Graceful and green,
we bow,
for death left first, and it will beat the robins here.
(Have we not been dying since our stems were severed;
shall we not, in death,
proclaim resurrection?)
Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of February.
What I Read
Every Woman a Theologian, Phylicia Masonheimer (★★★★★)
Finding God's Will, Kevin Bauder (★★★★)
The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars, Joël Glenn Brenner (★★★★)
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
I had originally planned to try the crockpot form of this recipe, but I pivoted to the regular version, although I oven-baked my meatballs because life is too short to individually brown meatballs. I was skeptical of the meatball recipe––no breadcrumbs and no egg seemed like a disaster waiting to happen––but was pleasantly surprised that they held together without drying out. I was not crazy about the orzo. Even without the meatballs in the pan with the orzo while I cooked it, it still seemed to take forever, and I had to add quite a bit of extra liquid just to keep the orzo grains from fossilizing at the bottom of my pan. The sun-dried tomatoes were nice, but nothing else from the orzo recipe wowed me.
My experiences with Christina Lane's petite and sweet recipes have been mixed. This, unfortunately, was not a particularly positive one for me. The sour cream made it unnecessarily tangy, while the strawberry jam made it overly artificial. Not a keeper.
I love a good taco recipe, and 3 of the 4 taco recipes in my regular meal rotation (beef, chicken, and shrimp) are all from HBH. This one sounded intriguing, and I was thrilled to discover that it was as good as it sounded. This recipes calls for the same cilantro lime ranch from her famous chipotle tacos, and I whipped up some of my favorite Mexican coleslaw from the Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook as well. With avocado, shredded pepper jack, and pickled jalapeños, these tacos were absolute dynamite, and the meat may have been even more delicious served with nachos. My one complaint about this recipe is that the title is unnecessarily long. Tieghan just can't help herself.
What I Created
Unpublished original poem "#13"
Unpublished original essay "Peonies and Providence"
Original blackout poem "Seek First"
May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.