eG Foodblog: racheld - Thanksgiving and Goodwill

[Lori in PA]

Ah, what a week! I have loved learning about your life for a space of time, Rachel. I really want to see a picture of YOU, but even without it I know one very important thing about you: you have a generous spirit. I thank you for all you have shared in the past few days and since I first "met" you here.

[Shaya]

Thanks for serving us a huge slice of your life, Rachel. Hanging out with you here really makes the rest of the world temporarily disappear. You have a sunny manner that is contagious.

It's wonderful to see you sharing your life so closely with your daughter, in particular all the meals you cook and share together. All Mothers should be so lucky.

Edited November 27, 2006 by Shaya (log)

[Cadbury]

Rachel, thank you for such a wonderful blog, full of kind words, wisdom, food and fairies. I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

I will be printing off your poem for my Oma to see, as she used to write little poems (with illustrations too) for us to enjoy.

[racheld]

it's a fairly busy morning here---Caro, on her day off, is upstairs thumping big plastic containers full of Christmas decorations about; Chris is getting all the calls in order before he takes off, the Cable Guy is outside swinging from wires and doing his magic, and I am here, about to bid a warm farewell to this blog and to all of you who made my week so special.

We had a quiet evening last night, a sweet little Hallmark program to soothe and to set the Season, and Chris had PROTEIN---a big, blackened, purple-middled steak, with some caramelized ears of corn and a salad with avocado.

I made a little skillet of tender pork chunks, cooked slowly in chicken broth, then a last-minute addition of chopped red bell pepper, sliced celery, some onion and a handful of snow peas, with a little garlic, a little soy, and the merest whisper across the top of the sesame oil bottle. A little cornstarch slurry stirred in, and dinner on trays.

A small pot of pearly Calrose rice and a salad, and a calm evening to close and begin the week.

I just thank the thousands of you who have peeked in, said lovely things, added your own questions and answers.

And most of all---the Grandmother stories and names and remembrances. They have enriched us all this Holiday Season, those times with our kin, those days and celebrations and kitchen memories. Thank you for sharing these most personal, most wonderful, most evocative stories.

And just thanks for being here; it's been like a teaparty with old friends.

moire nother day,

rachel

[Ann_T]

Rachel, I want to add my thanks. I've enjoyed your blog so much. You shared so much with us. Even my husband got hooked on reading it.

Ann

[ghostrider]

Along with a lot of lovely teas and coffees, sweeteners and flavorings.  We love to sit down with a pot of tea on a cold afternoon when he's in from work early, just pouring another cup and talking about our day, or the plans for the next.  On nice days, we take pot and cups to the patio, to enjoy the outside for as long as we can.  We nibble a cookie, pour another cup, and gain much more than a pick-up in energy.  There's a lifting of the spirits in the togetherness, the sharing, the uniting power of a pot of tea.  If only people who frequent bars knew:  A smile over a teacup trumps one over a martini every time.

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Ah, splendid paragraph there.

Not only do we share teapots, we have virtually identical tea cabinets, down to the color of the stain on the wood. The only difference is that all 3 of my shelves are filled with tea, and tea alone (apart from a corner that's been usurped by my medications, but I don't want to talk about that here.)

Thanks again. I come from such a fractured & fragmented family, with both of my paternal grandparents passing on years before I was born, & my surviving grandmother, God rest her soul, not a great cook. It's been so nice to spend time with your clan where there's such continuity & connection between the generations.

[dockhl]

Thank you, rachel...............

[Mooshmouse]

Dear Miss Rachel, thank you for sharing your heart and your home with us this week. It has, indeed, been a privilege and we are truly blessed.

[miladyinsanity]

What a beautiful foodblog!

And it's great to meet another Linda Ravenscroft fan.

[Pontormo]

Rachel: I have got a LOT of catching up to do to read through your blog in full, though I definitely will. I just wanted to thank you, too, and to say that I am delighted not only to learn more about your signature line, but to see a genuine Southern deep-fry demonstration, here, towards the end. It's lovely to see your new avatar, a visual reminder to come back to this and scan all the pages for words overlooked.

[MarketStEl]

And just thanks for being here; it's been like a teaparty with old friends.

moire nother day,

rachel

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Nice way to get in the hands -- and you didn't even have to make meatloaf to do it!

I have absolutely enjoyed your warm, wonderful, well-written blog. If my blogs are the Convention and Visitors Bureau crossed with the Chamber of Commerce, singing the praises of the places I love, yours are the Welcome Wagon, the kind neighbor who invites you to the neighborhood, shares stories and fond memories with you, and invites you over for a delicious dinner and a little tea afterwards. Should I ever again contemplate driving back to my actual hometown from my adopted one, I will make sure to stop off at some of the places you've highlighted off I-465 to sample their wares.

Keep the prose and poetry flowing as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you ever so much.

[racheld]

The sun is setting, and I'm sure the "Closed" sign will blink on at this address very soon.

Thank you, Thank you all for the dear, kind messages.

And Sandy---stop at our house---we're just as close.

[Kouign Aman]

A lovely blog, a lovely holiday. I'm over-full from looking, and so happy I got home in time to read it thru and add my thanks.

I wish Chris much ease and no more stones. Nasty things, they.

"preposterone" -brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Another tiny illustration of your excellence with words.

The glass which holds the fruit - we found a single one of those in a thrift shop, and used it to hold the munchkin's first solid food meals of rice cereal.

And one last item, a treat-beyond-marvel...

Ambrosia:

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Fare well, and sweet dreams, and many fairies about you.

You and Gracie give them a much more gracious reception than that recorded in Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book !

[hzrt8w]

At the risk of being repetitious, still, thank you for an enlighting blog, Rachel!

[Priscilla]

Rachel, lovely blog. The food, the stories... all excellent. Not to mention the dish and glassware. What a treat.