Eventide…The day is past and the toilers cease
The land grows dim, ‘mid the shadows grey
And hearts are glad, for the dark brings peace
At the close of day.
We had only arrived home an hour or so from our temporary evacuation home before Mike, our nextdoor neighbor, came to the front door with a smile on his face welcoming Jan and me home. “Don’t cook dinner,” Mike exclaimed, “Heather has a prime rib of beef in the oven, complete with mashed potatoes and gravy for you and Jan. We had to cook it as it was defrosting,” Mike said. That evening, In the aftermath of all of our troubles, we feasted on a delicious prime rib dinner. Oh, the irony of all this. Fortunately, I have always found a little humor among the sadness in my lifetime.
Comfort food… For many of you it was anything that Mom made, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, meatloaf with brown sugar and catsup on top and in the mornings before school… Hot cereal with brown sugar and raisins swimming in cream.
When we visited our Southern-born aunts and uncles on the weekends we had fried chicken, biscuits and gravy; if we visited our Italian aunt Theresa, who married into our family, we were served from a huge ironstone pot on the woodstove top… Melt-in-your-mouth pot roast in a velvety tomato sauce ladled over a steaming mound of pasta and topped with a layer of pungent parmesan cheese. I always begged for more cheese. And at dinners end, a warm apple dumpling with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
During our thirteen days of evacuation I was so fortunate to have landed in the Happy Valley’s home of a fabulous bread-baker, Cathy (with a ‘C’) Hudson. Our first morning there I awakened to the smell of a loaf of sourdough French bread baking in Cathy’s oven. For me this was absolute heaven for that is my favorite bread. For the rest of our stay with Cathy and Mike, there was always a fresh loaf of that delicious bread for us to enjoy.
As Jan and me said our goodbyes to Cathy, I was treated with a jar of her sourdough starter, which now is resting in my refrigerator. What fun is in store for me when the time is right and the starter is ready. I am grateful for this gesture that put a smile on my heart.
We here in our beautiful San Lorenzo Valley and Bonny Doon have just come through a tremendous upheaval in our lives. For myself, I find great comfort in my kitchen by reading and then cooking a familiar recipe passed on to me by either a relative or a friend. Collecting the ingredients together, I find my mind totally immersed in what I am creating and for whatever time that takes, I am at peace with my surroundings. A musician’s face reveals their approval as they play the notes they are reading, a painter will stand back and admire what they have created, and a cook will taste and utter sounds of satisfaction as they plate that dish they have prepared. All are artists in their own right and all are at peace in that moment.
My household today boasts of two cooks in the kitchen. Isn’t there an expression… Two heads are better than one? Jan, our Mountain Gardener, is the salad chef and I take care of the rest of the meal. This arrangement works perfectly well for two great friends who have come through yet another crisis, together.
Eventide…It speaks of peace that comes after strife,
of the rest He sends to the hearts He tried,
of the calm that follows the stormiest life –
God’s eventide.
…John McCrea
Grandma Anna’s Pot Roast and Macaroni
One 3-4 lb. Chuck Roast
4 cups of precooked (al dente) Penne pasta.
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 large diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
4 cloves diced garlic
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsps. gran. sugar
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 small pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. Chicken Better than Bullion mixed in 1 cup of warm water
1 twenty-eight oz. can diced tomatoes I like Marzano brand.
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sear both sides of pot roast over medium heat until nicely browned. Remove from pot and set aside. In meat drippings add onions, celery and garlic, sautéing lightly. Stir in rest of ingredients and bring to a high simmer. Add pot roast back to the pot. Cover and bake in a preheated 325deg. oven for 2 hours or until meat falls apart.
While meat is cooking bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and cook 4 cups of Penne pasta according to directions on box.
Remove cooked meat from pot and add the cooked pasta to the sauce and heat to a high simmer. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve with a crusty garlic sourdough bread. Warm and comforting.
