Welcome to the last Thanksgiving, the last holiday season, and the last month, of this decade! As I hunker down in my kitchen to cook and drop off three Thanksgiving dinners for my clients, I am gifted a lot of time to think and reflect.
My mind is full of 2019 high-lights and low-lights, lessons and observations, milestones and setbacks. One of the standout experiences from this year was a field trip with my sister Jules when she was visiting New York City.
Jules loves history and organized a day for us at The Auschwitz exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It wasn’t the cheeriest day, as you can imagine. Sobering. Saddening. Maddening. Eerie. And strangely beautiful to memorialize lives lost from such an incomprehensible time in world history.
The quotes projected onto the walls throughout the exhibit have stayed with me. This one resonates especially as we plan to gather this week with loved ones; cooking and sharing food, opening up our homes and hearts to give thanks for our incredibly lucky lives.
“You had to have a partner - a partner to take care of you - and you to take care of him. A partner you could organize food with and would share food with. You had to have someone to help because if you stood by yourself, you couldn’t survive. You didn’t survive. There were those people who didn’t want to share anything. They were always afraid to share a piece of bread. And those were the people who went first.”
Auschwitz survivor Mike Vogel 1999
So I give Mr. Vogel’s words extra value this season. I’m not afraid to give and share. I know there will be enough for me. And I take pride in the opportunity to ‘partner up’ and ‘organize’ food with my loved ones and clients.
I’m closing out my year with another inspiring quote from the exhibit walls.
“You who are passing by
I beg you
Do something
Learn a dance step
Something to justify your existence
Something that gives you the right to be dressed in your skin in your body hair
Learn to walk and to laugh
Because it would be too senseless after all
For so many to have died
While you live
Doing nothing with your life.”
Auschwitz survivor Charlotte Delbo 1971
So what will you do to justify your existence? How are you earning your keep inside your precious skin and hair? And ya know what? It’s okay if we don’t have answers to those questions. It’s something to meditate on as we greet December. And we can have a head start on wishes for the New Year. We can stay open to inspiration and give thanks to those who came before us paving the way for a life of less suffering. Be strong and have courage. May guidance find us in 2020.
One of the dishes that will be on my holiday table this year is something a client asked me to create. She said ‘make something with wild rice and brown rice and a vegetable like Brussels sprouts.’ The first time I made it I thought it needed elevated somehow, an herb or a garnish to make it taste special. Aha! I reached into my cabinet of culinary secret weapons and grabbed my Pomora Rosemary oil and drizzled it over my rice creation.
My client asked what my secret was, she couldn’t believe that I hadn’t soaked the rice in butter, stirred in herbs, or boiled it with any oil in the water. She said it tasted incredibly rich and flavorful. And I make it for her every. single. week. I’m so proud of my relationship with Pomora oils. Everything I cook using their oils tastes like something from a fine dining restaurant. For the holiday, I added dried cranberries to my rice dish. They are a compliment to the chewy wild rice and the sweet tang pairs well with the savory, vegetal rosemary oil.
Wild Rice Pilaf
2 cups trimmed, halved Brussels Sprouts
1 cup wild rice
1 cup brown rice
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Olive oil for roasting
Salt and pepper
Pomora Rosemary Olive Oil for finishing
Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray and scatter the Brussels sprouts. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven, turning them over with a spatula halfway through the cooking time.
While the sprouts are roasting, separate the vegetable broth into 2 sauce pans, place the wild rice in one pan and the brown rice into the other one. Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce to a simmer and place a lid on both pans. Cook until the broth is absorbed and the rice is expanded and fluffy, 30-40 minutes.
Combine the cooked rice with the sprouts and cranberries. Drizzle with Pomora rosemary olive oil.