For those of you who remember this post...no apology...poems want to be repeated like a good story....

The clamor was for cheesecake
But instead iambic verse baked

When it's time to pay the bills
Writing haiku triggers thrills

Alluring high-tech gimmicks
Pale in light of lively limericks

Machine can answer phone
While I write a fancy poem

So the bathtub's getting gritty
Can't you show a little pity?
I must finish one more ditty

Do you think I'm getting worse
In my passion to write verse?
Though it won't add to my purse

I am driven by my muse
She wiggles and she woos
Metaphors begin to ooze

And the world is one big rhyme
Magic bells and whistles chime
In macaronic time

You want a Caesar salad?
Try this tasty little ballad

One sure way to getting lighter
Is to be a wanton writer

magnetism waves at me

licks and laps

just like the sea

wraps me in sensation

aurora bores

into my pores

a dance of visceral elation

solar winds

blow through my cells

warm the tides of arteries

in gratitude

embrace the swells

foreign frissons

from galaxies

beyond my

comprehension

Tree bereft of leaves
Was shivering in the wind
Crows cloaked her branches

Naked branch cried out
Purple finches fluttered by
Feathering her limb

Deciduous trees
Were dressed by the chickadees
In the chilly breeze

And so the trees heard
A tribute to the season
A bird elegy

This is a revised poem previously posted a few years ago

feather flurry
bust the dust
worry hurry
energy gust
dress the festive table
arrange the flowers
place cards still to label 
I need more hours
for cranberry crush
yeast dough set to rise
drat! another hot flush
yikes!  don't forget the pies
turkey truss
potatoes mash
now do not cuss
this turkey dash
fill the water glasses
answer the knock at the door
find the liquor stashes
chairs, we’ll need one more
aroma of roast
perfumes the rooms
time for a toast
hostess still zooms
a flood of family laughter
fold hands in grace
wearily ever after
old memories race
across my mind
my mother’s tired face
her words so loving and kind
don’t eat in haste
remember to taste
the bounty of god’s design

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Gather Friends.

This is a revised post from 2007

Sister Faith had a horrible dream
Her eyes opened wild and red
Wizened mouth coughed a bloody scream
Terrified she bolted from bed
Threw on her habit and barefoot fled
Down frigid stairs a'shiver with dread
Pursued by voices wracking her head
Murmuring madly
"God is dead"
Moonlight lit the rusted spade
Through cracked glass door in the garden shed
She grabbed it with her icy hands
Then to the convent gate she made
Passing through to the forest glade
And there below the burning stars
That godforsaken night
She began to hack the sod
Shoveling with all her might
Hoot owl startled in the hick'ry tree
Spooked by fright he took to flight
Moaning low and eerily
But Faith could neither hear nor see
Something dark possessed her brain
'Til finally she felt no pain
Doomed dreamer lost the fight
As breaking dawn dissolved the moon
The bellman rang the morning toll
Waking Father John for his daily stroll
Six hours before the strike of noon
He found the corpse crumpled down in the hole
Sunday choir sang a funeral tune
The minister sang a prayer for her soul
Sisters whispered and grieved in the hall
Warm tears fell fast for the loss of Faith
Sweet mentor to them all
But only John had seen the sinister smile
Engraved on her face like a hideous wraith
He pondered on her curious fate
What evil force would drive a nun
To crave such an awful end?
To hollow out her earthly grave
Then fall in with one last sigh
Not knowing what or even why
Impossible to apprehend
A year from her death on Halloween
The villagers say her ghost was seen 
Her wispy spectre digging there
Pale moonlight on her silver hair
Spade in hand on bended knee
Muttering an obscenity
beneath the gnarled hick'ry tree

[I originally posted this several years ago; I thought I'd post it again for Mother's Day this year.]

When chicken soup simmers on the stove, it fills the kitchen with a fragrant aroma and its scent will slowly infuse the house.  Chicken soup evokes memories of mothers standing over the stove, grandmothers chopping vegetables and friends delivering nurturing broth to someone with a cold or flu.

Chicken soup graces tables worldwide.  Cubans use onion and garlic for flavor while Germans use celery, parsley, onions and garlic.  Eastern European mothers use sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, chicken bits and onions.  The initial broth is one of the most versatile ingredients to have on hand.

Of all the recipes I taught to my children, the basic chicken broth proved to be one of the most important recipes.  The magical properties of chicken soup have been touted since the 12th century when Maimonides praised it in a treatise.

A flavorful chicken broth is the perfect base for a wide variety of soups, sauces, creamed vegetables, casseroles and is even considered to have medicinal qualities.

For years, medical researchers and doctors tried to demystify the healing properties of chicken soup.  Their conclusion, based on studies at Mt. Sinai Hospital, the University of Nebraska, the University of California at Los Angeles and several institutions in Europe, tout chicken soup as an alleviant for upper respiratory infections, congestion, depression, stress and as a mild anti-inflammatory for nasal passages and lungs.

Chicken soup can be served as a clear, clarified broth or a hearty bowl of meats, vegetables, and hot chilies.  It can be thickened with cornmeal or cornstarch, or made creamy with sour cream, heavy cream, milk or coconut milk.  The ethnic variations are endless.

When adding your own touch to a chicken stock, remember to add the vegetables near the end, perhaps the last hour depending on their size, to prevent overcooking them.

Hard herbs, like thyme or rosemary should be added in two parts.  Add half when the soup is half finished and the remainder about 15 minutes before the soup finishes.

Add any soft fresh herbs, like cilantro or basil, after the soup is removed from the heat and allow it to rest for several minutes. 

In my home, chicken soups curative abilities have worked magic on broken hearts, chasing away an evening chill, and comforting runny noses and hacking coughs.  We always keep some old-fashioned homemade stock in the freezer.

Since the observance of Passover begins next week, this recipe adds matzo balls to my classic chicken soup.

CHICKEN SOUP with MATZO BALLS
Serves 12-14

4-5 lb. Stewing or roasting chicken - cut up, skin removed
4 previously frozen, reserved chicken carcasses, defrosted
1 large onion pierced with 8-10 cloves
1 large parsnip, peeled
1 stalk celery, with leaves
Several sprigs parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Clean the chicken in cold water.  Place in 6-quart stockpot.  Stick onion with cloves. Place in pot with parsnip, celery, parsley, salt and pepper. Add water to cover and bring to boil.

Skim the top of the soup and cover pot. Turn heat to simmer and cook slowly for 2-3 hours.  After the first hour, check to make sure the parsnip is not overcooked.  If it is soft, remove it with a strainer and discard.

Cool. Discard the onion, celery and parsnip, parsley.  Remove the chicken and save meat.  Remove the carcasses.  Refrigerate broth overnight.  Remove congealed fat.  Strain the soup.  Refrigerate again.  Remove any remaining congealed fat.

Taste for seasoning and adjust.  At this point, you may choose to add diagonally sliced carrots, a squirt of lemon juice and/or the reserved chicken (shredded).  Add matzo balls and reheat to serve.

MATZO BALLS
Yields about 12 large or 18 small matzo balls
(can be doubled or tripled with ease except for the salt.)
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup matzo meal

Combine egg yolks with salt, pepper, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold them slowly into the egg yolk mixture.

Slowly fold in the matzo meal, 1/4 cup at a time; it should be absorbed but still hold air and not become thick like paste.  You may not need the entire 3/4 cup; it all depends on the size of the yolks. Cover and refrigerate.

Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil.  Remove the matzo ball mixture from the refrigerator.  Moisten hands with ice-cold water and form balls, dropping them gently into the boiling water.  Cover the pot. Turn the heat to simmer and cook for about 40 minutes.

Carefully remove the matzo balls with a slotted spoon.  Add them to the chicken soup.  Simmer 15 minutes before serving.

The soup and matzo balls can be frozen separately for up to 3 months. Feel free to jazz this up by adding a Puerto Rican sofrito (roasted onions, red peppers & tomatoes), a bit of horseradish hidden in each matzo ball, or a fresh sprig of dill to your stock. Follow your tastebuds!

*Updated and republished

This week, all over the world, boxes of Matzo appeared on store shelves.  Matzo, the ancient unleavened bread used for Passover, becomes the bread of affliction for the Passover Seder.

Traditionally, matzo's fame originates in the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  Although the Passover story* is not found in the Torah (known to Christians as the Old Testament), it is a traditional time of remembrance for Jewish families.

Matzo, a simple flatbread made with just flour and water, endures a complicated maturing process.  From the planting of the grain, rabbis monitor the crop insuring no fermentation takes place at any time in the growing or harvesting seasons.  Timing is everything.

In the story of Passover, told around tables worldwide as part of the Seder meal, matzo becomes the main character as the Bread of Affliction.  You could say that it is the original fast food.

In their haste to leave Egypt, the Israelites lacked time to wait for the bread to rise and carried it with them for sustenance as they fled.  The recipe for matzo remains the same today as it did in ancient times: unfermented flour and water.  Knead and bake within 18 minutes until crisp.  That's it.

The time limit prevents leavening to occur and is only suitable for Passover if the rabbis monitor the process.  The flour can be wheat, spelt, barley, rye or oats.

In my kitchen, however, matzo is the bread of creativity.  With a little imagination, the matzo cracker's uses are endless.  A board of matzo becomes the base for a pizza with melted cheese and oven roasted tomato topping, decorated with fresh basil.

Matzo substitutes very well for noodles in a lasagna recipe or even broken into pieces and used in place of macaroni for a Matzo-roni and cheese dish.

Softening matzo in milk or water allows the board to be rolled for enchiladas or folded for tacos.  The softened boards blend well into many strata recipes in place of cubed bread.

One of my favorite uses for matzo is as a replacement for panko breading.  Simply break a board of matzo into a food processor or blender and grind it into fine granules.  It can be used to coat meats, fish, vegetables or chicken.  I usually add a bit of seasoning to it as well.

Matzo's versatility carries it through the spectrum of foods from appetizer to soup to main courses and even dessert.  Ground matzo replaces flour in cake recipes as well as matzo balls for soup.  Although an all-time favorite in my house is a chocolate-coated matzo drizzled with caramel sauce and a touch of strawberry coulis.

In my kitchen, Matzo becomes a miracle food with a thousand uses.  It's not just a dry cracker.

(Since my kitchen is not yet cleaned for Passover, I've inserted an unrelated photo from last year, Dessert Matzo, to show the versatility of the matzo board.)

Matzo Crusted Fish
(4 servings)

4 white fleshed fish fillets, approx. 6 ounces each
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
2/3 cup crushed or ground matzo
¼ cup Italian parsley
¼ cup chopped chives
3 tablespoons chopped almonds or pecans
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme, rosemary or basil
Squirt of one half lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
olive oil

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
Place 1/3 cup of matzo on a plate.  Reserve for first coating.
Mix the remaining 1/3 cup of matzo with the parsley, chives, nuts and herbs. 
Add the squirt of lemon.
Gently whisk in the eggs.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat the fish in the ground matzo, covering the entire fillet.
Dip the matzo coated fish into the egg mixture.
Coat the fish a second time in the ground matzo.
Add the fish to the oil and fry, turning once, until the fish is lightly browned and crispy.  The takes about 4 to 5 minutes for a thin fillet to cook.
Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Transfer to serving platter and serve.

This dish goes well with fresh green salad, some roasted asparagus and oven-browned spiced potatoes.

*Note, (updated and republished, originally posted 2007): The story of the Israelites Exodus is recorded in Chapter 13, Book of Exodus, where we are commanded to retell the story to our children, however it is not the same story found in the Haggadah with narrative, songs and discussion points.  The Haggadah is the book, or script, used to conduct the rituals for the Seder.