Helping Hands

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.

Albert Pike, American poet (1809-1891)

Helen Norris told this evening's audience of church ladies that she's an ordinary person with no particular talent except for the gift of gab. I'd say she's rather exceptional having risen up from pretty dreadful conditions to create the "Helping Hands" street mission in our inner city. She began by following behind the Salvation Army's soup truck and handing out clothes and blankets from her closet to the needy. Nine years later, her mostly volunteer and donation-based organization runs an impressive programme for people who don't have to prove they're needy. Helen was once in their shoes and her motto is, "Reaching out, one hand at a time, with love and respect." I was moved by her story and thankful for the chance to hear her mission. What an inspiration it is to learn of ordinary people doing amazing things for the benefit of others!

In fact, I was so moved by Helen and Helping Hands that I neglected to think about taking a photo for the Chocolate Box. So today's photo is of the Caramelized Pear Gingerbread that Mom and I made for the potluck. Since a couple of people this evening asked me for the recipe, I figured it was something I should share on the blog. It's easy and perfect for fall gatherings.

Caramelized Pear Gingerbread

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
3 large, firm-ripe pears, such as Bosc, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (we used 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cane syrup or molasses (we used molasses -- I love molasses!)
3/4 cup boiling water
5 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger (located with the candied fruits in your grocery store)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the pears and cook until the pears are tender and slightly caramelized, but still retain their shape, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. (You may need to cook the pears in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.) When the pears begin to have a nice color on both sides, add the brown sugar and pecans and cook, stirring gently, to coat the pears with the sugar. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Note: don't let the mixture cool too much because it solidifies like toffee.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and using the 2 teaspoons of butter, lightly grease a 10-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides. Arrange the slightly cooled pears and pecans in a single layer in the bottom of the cake pan. Pour any syrup from caramelizing into the cake pan as well.

3. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg and allspice), and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, molasses, and boiling water. Add sugar mixture to the flour mixture, blending just until combined. Fold the crystallized ginger into the batter and pour into the prepared pan over the pears.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake portion comes out clean. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 5 to 7 minutes. Place a large plate or cake stand on top of the cake and carefully invert the cake. Cool slightly and serve with Molasses Ice Cream (recipe on FoodNetwork.com) or whipped cream (which is very fine).

Source: An Emeril Lagasse recipe provided on the FoodNetwork website.

Sugar and Spice + All Things Nice

Sugar + Spice + Raisins = Love

Comforting aromas of sugar and cinnamon wafted from the kitchen as Mom commenced her baking for the upcoming Christmas bazaar. Is there anything that epitomizes the love of hearth and home more than a warm oatmeal raisin cookie shared fresh from the oven? Not for me. Grandma baked love into each one of her cookies and Mom continues the tradition.

Surprisingly, I couldn't find a quotation extolling the wholesome pleasure and goodness of oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. I did, however come across this thoughtful poem to share:

The Cookie Thief
by Valerie Cox in “A Matter of Perspective”

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings and your problems.

If your problems outnumber your blessings, count again . . .

Chances are the things that you take for granted were not added up.

Rishika Jain, Indian poet

Since the feast days of my childhood, I have loved pulling out Mom's china and silver, putting the extra leaves in the table, and spreading out a long tablecloth. Today we gathered around the special table setting for Thanksgiving lunch. Blessed with abundant good food and good family we caught up on recent happenings and reminisced about all kinds of things: generations of babies in "Jolly Jumpers", road trips, babysitters and teachers, and loved ones who are with us in spirit. We have so much to be thankful for.

Yesterday a young soloist gifted the congregation with moving song "Thankful", composed by D. Foster, R. Page and C.B. Sager and here performed by Josh Groban:

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Forever Young

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.

Samuel Ullman, American poet and humanitarian (1840-1924)

Colourful balloons and cupcakes set the stage for lots of laughter, smiles, and hugs marking today's celebration for S-I-L. With her zest for the game of living, she's forever young.

Happy Birthday!

The Art of Quilting

To send light into the darkness of men's hearts — such is the duty of the artist.

Robert Schumann, German composer and music critic (1810-1856)

When I see something of extraordinary beauty, my lungs contract as all oxygen is drawn out by the beauty's force. I guess that's where the expression "You take my breath away" originates. The quilts of Jim Wilford, now exhibited at the Creative Arts Centre in Ingersoll, are breathtaking.

One of the more whimsical quilts, titled "Thieving Magpies", recounts the story of a magpie stealing a gold ring. (Look closely in the upper bird's beak.) I'm rather enthralled with magpies because until I moved from Ontario to Alberta I thought magpies were fairytale creatures. I now know them to be no better than crows but they still hold some magic for me. How fragments of the tale of the thieving magpies infiltrated my young psyche, I really can't say. No one in my family was an opera buff to have related Rossini's opus. Perhaps one of my grandmothers recited the old nursery rhyme: "One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told." I'll never know how it all began but Jim Wilford's quilt connected with me and my past.

From the arts centre, M-I-L and I went off to see the "Pieces of Magic" show hosted by the Oxford Quilters Guild. Quilts blanketed the upper floor of the arena from top to bottom. The juxtaposition of so many designs and so much colour overwhelms a single visit so I tried to focus on just a few. I took away some good ideas; I just wish my brain had more capacity to take it all in.

"Pieces of Magic" is on until Saturday, September 29th at 4 p.m. Jim Wilford's quilts are exhibited at the Creative Arts Centre until Sunday, September 30th at 4 p.m.

Life's Stories

You must have control of the authorship of your own destiny. The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.

Irene C. Kassorla, American psychologist

Today's first meeting of a creative writing class brought together six students and a teacher from very diverse backgrounds. By the conclusion of our 10-week class on writing life stories, we will be strangers no longer. For me, the class promises to be an interesting exploration of my life in distant lands. My goal is to dig into the past, with a pen instead of a trowel, to uncover and preserve treasured experiences. Wish me luck!

Food & Fellowship

Laughter is brightest where food is best.

Irish proverb

Eight lucky people 'won' the silent auction prize of dinner in the church parlour. None of us knew what to expect. One person suspected that we would be served the cold plate dinner of sandwich quarters and pickles that is normal fare at her church. Thankfully, that was not the case. Rather, we were dazzled by the table decked out with linen and crystal and a centerpiece composed of fresh sage, kale, basil, rosemary and parsley, and amazed by the flavours and presentation of each course. With good food and good wine there was much conviviality around the table of strangers who were drawn together for a single evening. Fellowship springs up in unexpected places.