THE VILLAGE VOICE

" I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show." ~ Andrew Wyeth Michigan Snowy Countryside

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories." ~ From the movie An Affair to Remember MOONSET/SUNSET (January 21, 2011) __________________________ RYE BRISKET with VEGETABLES (30 year old recipe adapted from Bon Appetit) Whole brisket (8 pounds) 2 large chopped onions 2 cloves crushed garlic 2 packages onion soup mix 1 bottle chili sauce 1 can beer 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 3 slices rye bread 8-12 large carrots cracked pepper chopped parsley Rub brisket with garlic and place on bed of chopped onion in tight covered roasting pan. In order over brisket sprinkle fresh pepper, Worcestershire sauce, soup mix, chili sauce, and beer. Lay carrots around brisket. Tear bread in small pieces and tuck under brisket so liquid is covering bread. Cover and place in oven at 350 º for 45 minutes. Reduce oven to 275º and cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until done. (Check to see if bread is covered by liquid). Remove and cool. Slice and arrange meat and carro...

" Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins." ~ Indian Proverb January Full Moon 'Great Spirit Moon' ~ Obijwe (Gichi-manidoo-giizis) Lone Leaf on a Branch One leaf left on a branch and not a sound of sadness or despair. One leaf left on a branch and no unhappiness. One leaf left all by itself in the air and it does not speak of loneliness or death. One leaf and it spends itself in swaying mildly in the breeze. ~ David Ignatow "The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living." ~ Russian Proverb Winter Dew Drops "Man's life is like a drop of dew on a leaf." ~ Socrates "Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." ~ Henry David Thoreau

"White ... is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black.... God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white." ~ Gilbert Keith Chesterton [British author, 1874–1936] “A Piece of Chalk,” Tremendous Trifles (1909)

"If you want to be happy forever, make a garden." ~ Chinese Proverb ORIENTAL POPPY ( Papaver orientale ) ____________ SPICY BAKED 'Pink' SHRIMP ~ a simple one plate 'happy' supper 1/2 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley 1 Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. soy sauce pinch of cayenne pepper 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, shelled, deveined lemon wedges French bread Combine first 7 ingredients in 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour. P reheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake until shrimp are cooked through , stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with crisp fresh French bread and favorite tossed salad topped with feta cheese. Garden 'Happiness' ____________ A Color for All Seasons Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the yea...

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson Happy Thoughts of Early Spring _______________ BRANDIED BEAN & SAUSAGE CHOWDER ~ Perfect Winter fare, sure to make you 'happy' 2 lbs. special bean soup mix (e.g. '16' bean assortment --- with large lima, navy, red kidney, baby lima, great northern, speckled lima, black, pinto, cranberry, pink, and black-eyes peas, green and yellow split peas, lentils, etc. ) 3 lbs bulk Italian sausage (one plain, one hot or spicy and one fennel ) 3 quarts organic chicken broth 1 large chopped Spanish onion 3 large chopped garlic cloves 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 large chopped green pepper 1 large chopped red pepper 1 lb. peeled and diagonally sliced carrots 1 can (28-ounce) Italian style diced tomatoes 1 jar (32-ounce) sugar-free pasta sauce 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 cup chili powder 1 Tbsp. oregano 1 Tbsp...

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce