Poetry Friday: Recipe Poems

The challenge for November was to create a recipe poem---any form or subject---and "serve it forth."   I fear mine is half-baked, but here it is:

HOW TO MAKE DINNER

5:00 PM

Open fridge.

Check date on yogurt.

Really should use it soon.

5:05 PM

Sift through recipes

until one rises

to the top: golden

carrot soup—with rye

toast croutons—

and tarragon-scented

yogurt swirl—

YUM. 

 

5:15 PM

Open fridge again.

Using gloves,

dispose of moldy bag

of carrots.

5:20 PM

Google

substitues—

beets (really?)

parsnips—

who has those

on hand?

celery—

no need to peel

but…

YEECH. 

5:30 PM

Pour a glass of wine.

Imagine

a world where

Star Trek is real

and replicators 

produce carrots

on demand.

Eat celery

while considering

if potatoes

are close enough.

5:35 PM

Open freezer.

Stare at contents.

Close freezer.

5:40 PM

Add carrots

to your grocery list.

Chew on pencil.

Think.

5:45 PM

Open Grubhub.

Scroll.

No one delivers

carrot soup.

You knew that.

Who are you

to crave

such a thing—

Bugs Bunny?

6:00 PM

Stare at

grocery list.

Inspect bite-marks

on pencil. 

Open your mind.

When ready,

underneath “carrots”

carefully write

everything else

you need

you love

you will fight for 

until time

gets frothy

and

evaporates. 

YESSSSS. 

Repeat, 

for as long

as it takes 

to feel full.

Serve it forth. 

 

    ----Sara Lewis Holmes (all rights reserved)

My poetry sisters' recipe poems can be found here:

Liz

Tanita

Laura

Tricia

Kelly

Mary Lee

Andi

Poetry Friday is hosted today by  Ruth at There Is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town. 

Soup, Soup, and more Soup

I'm working.

But I wanted to say:  this soup is delicious!

Wolfgang Puck's Organic Thick Hearty Vegetable 

His Organic Chicken & Egg Noodles is excellent, too.

I'm on a soup testing jag.  It seems to go well with the obsession of a rough draft.  I don't have to do anything but open a can and it fills me up for hours. Plus, I can be creative in what I sprinkle on top of or stir into the soup.  (Nearly every soup can be garnished with chunks of ripe avocado. Yum, yum.)

So far, these creations get my thumbs up:

Imagine Bistro Corn Chipotle Bisque (good with tortilla chips crumbled on top)

Imagine Bistro Cuban Black Bean Bisque (yummy with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkling of cheese.  Also makes great nachos.)

Progresso Vegetable Classics Lentil  (a favorite for a long time. I don't like thin lentil soup, and this isn't. It isn't too onion-y either, a prime fault of some brands.  I do like the local Lebanese place's lentil soup the best though, if I'm not too lazy to drive there.)

Pacific Split Pea with Ham and Swiss Cheese (wonderfully thick and filling. Load it down with oyster crackers.)

On the take-out side,

Panera's Vegetarian Creamy Tomato soup is delicious, especially with their cheesy croutons, but I see from their nutrition info that it's really not good for me. (I guess creamy should have been the tip-off.) 

Their Low-fat Chicken Tortilla soup is healthier, and just as delicious. 

And if I'm making my own soup, it's Green Chile Chicken Stew, which I posted the recipe for here.

Okay, that's your public service announcement for the day. Share your own favorite, if you want to. 

Marshmallows

I wanted to burst back in from my blog vacation with a post shining with casual glamor, like returning from the Caribbean with a golden, glowing tan. I would unload my suitcase of carefully chosen literary souvenirs, which I had scooped up during my time away, slide photos of my high-minded pursuits into the conversation, and weave an amusing, insight-laden tale of my days sans modern comforts like blogging.

But that would mean that I'd been think-blogging during my time away, now wouldn't it? (Think-blogging: composing posts in your head while experiencing real life.)

The reality is that my daughter's been home; I've been enjoying her company; and I'm about to tackle the fifteen-page revision letter for New Recruit. (Don't cry for me. I love this stuff.)

So all I have for you today are marshmallows:

1) From NBC's official site for Lost: Sawyer's Nickname Generator. Maybe you've already played with this, but I hadn't. My nickname? Moonbeam. I'm irrationally pleased. Not the reaction Sawyer intended, I'm sure.

2) In extremely light, but strangely satisfying news: Blogger has now removed the unnecessary quotation marks from its Delete Post page's "Cancel" button. Get the initial investigative outcry here, and the official capitulation here.

3) If you're not watching Masterpiece Theater's Cranford, why not? As the town gossip puts it: "Put no further pastries to your lips or you will choke when you hear the news." Watch the trailer here.

3) And should you lack delightful pastries to refrain from choking upon, I offer my brother's Marshmallow Bites recipe:

1 pkg puff pastry, both sheets thawed for 40 minutes to bring to room temperature
1 bag large marshmallows
2-3 Tablespoons melted butter
cinnamon sugar (store bought or mix 1 T. cinnamon into 1/2 cup sugar)

Roll out the pastry to gently smooth any folds and thin it slightly. Cut each sheet into 12 squares. Roll marshmallows in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar. Place each marshmallow in a pastry square and squeeze the edges together, like wontons. Pop the squares into well-greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool enough to avoid molten sugar burns. Eat plain or with vanilla ice cream or top with sliced bananas and chocolate sauce.

Mmmmmm.

A Gift and a Blog Break

I went postless yesterday, but I promise, I was blogging. Just not publishing. I think I have my blog poetry gift for you wrapped and ready to go for Poetry Friday. Then it's a Blog Break for me, while I enjoy the holidays with my family.

Today, though, I want to share a recipe for Green Chile Chicken Stew. It's easy, delicious, and gets better the next day. Perfect for the crazy business that this time of year brings. Best of all, you can read a book while the pot does all the work. :)


Green Chile Chicken Stew
(Serves 4, but can be easily doubled if you have a large pot)

1 pound of chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T. oil
1/4 cup flour
1 quart good quality chicken broth
3 cups red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 16-oz jar green tomatillo salsa (Frontera is the best and can be mail-ordered or found at Whole Foods and Bloom. If you can't find it, try to get a green salsa in which the tomatillos are roasted. SuperTarget sometimes has a good one.)
1 can creamed corn
1/2 can chopped green chiles (can use whole can or omit, depending on how hot you like it!)
1/2 tsp garlic powder


Toppings: chopped avocado and fresh cilantro

Saute chicken in oil until cooked through. Stir in flour and coat all the pieces. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring as you go so the sauce thickens without lumps. Bring to a low boil and add the potatoes. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender. Add salsa, corn, garlic, and canned chiles. Simmer for 30 minutes, or longer if you have time.

Serve topped with chopped avocado and fresh cilantro. Good with corn muffins.