Friday, January 30, 2009

Virtual Blog Tour of Sites Related to Grief, Loss, Bereavement

Visit http://www.ajourneywelltaken.blogspot.com/ for a wonderful compilation of books, blogs, websites, services, magazine….all related in some manner to loss, grief and bereavement.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Recipe for Happiness

My mother loved to cook and when she became ill with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and was not able to cook anymore, she taught her caregivers. From her recliner, she would tell the caregiver the ingredients to that particular dish, one by one. She never wrote down a recipe, they were all in her head.

At her funeral, one of the caregivers got up and spoke about the gift my mother had given her - she had become a good cook.

This is one of her recipes:
Spanish Flan
6 eggs
1 large can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 can water
1/2 cup water
1/2- 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, beat eggs, add vanilla, evaporated milk, salt and condensed milk. Put water in the empty condensed milk can and pour into mixture. Mix all ingredients. Put sugar and water in a small pot on high heat. Heat until the sugar turns brown. Pour sugar mixture on the bottom of a tube pan (make sure this pan is one piece). Then pour egg and milk mixture over the sugar. Pour water in a large pot or pan and then set the tubed pan inside of it. Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Place the large pot or pan and tubed pan in the oven. Cook for 45 - 60 minutes. You can tell if the flan is cooked by putting a butter knife through the flan, if the knife comes out clean your flan is done.

I am happy to share her joy of cooking with you.
Enjoy!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Ode to My Granddaughter

Have you ever had a poem just flow out of your mind onto paper? This happened to me this holiday when I wrote this:

Little baby girl you are a miracle to behold

You were given my mother’s name but you haven’t yet been told

What a special person she was

But you have her fight, her lust for life, ‘cause

Little baby girl you have my mother’s name

You have quite a legacy and it should be your aim

To live up to your great-grandmother’ s name

We will remind you of her goodness in every way

She is no longer with us, on earth, anyway

But she is looking over you every day

For you see little baby girl you have her name

And you should always be proud and proclaim

I have my great-grandmother’ s name!

I framed this poem and gave it to my son and his wife as a gift to their three month old daughter, whose middle name is Marina.