Tag Archives: quiche

Day 257: Another Barbara

19 Dec

It was many years ago when we met Barbara and her husband Bill for the first time. We became acquainted with them through our relatives, and liked them immediately. One of my fondest memories of them was when I told Barbara and Bill that I was going back to Staten Island for a week with my kids, and that I had no one to tend to the rabbit that we had at the time. Then Barb and Bill said that they would watch our rabbit for us. Now I ask you, who does that? Not many, and I was really touched that they really were willing to watch our rabbit (at their house no less!) for us while we were away.

Not only did they watch our rabbit… but Bill built him a hutch while we were gone! It was such a gift to us… and our bunny… and I will always remember the thoughtfulness of that gift.

A few years ago Bill passed away and then Barbara moved back to Ohio to be closer to her family. Though I understood her reasons for leaving, I missed seeing her smiling face. And then Barb decided to move back to Ashland and I thought, “How wonderful for us that she is here!”

Yesterday a friend told me that Barb was experiencing some pain and she was also having trouble getting around. I offered to bring her a quiche and so today I prepared one with spinach, red pepper and white cheddar cheese. I wanted to send something that was tasty but also contained ingredients that might enhance her strength. And of course, I put in as much love as I could for Barb is a very gracious lady and also a good friend.

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Day 239: Mel

1 Dec

My daughter saw a message on Facebook last night from a friend. He mentioned that his Dad had recently had some health challenges and asked his friends to keep his Dad in their thoughts and prayers. After she read the message, Alexandra asked if I would please bring a quiche to her friend’s Dad.

Of course the answer was yes… and that is why this morning I gathered together ingredients to make a quiche for Mel and his wife. They included beautiful crimini mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese, spinach and onions. In what seemed like no time at all, the quiche was in the oven and in less than an hour, it was done.

Once it was cool, I walked up to Mel’s house and since he was not at home, I left the quiche on a chair on his porch. Later, I called and spoke with Mel’s wife and explained who I was and told her that I was the one who left the quiche. She told me that Mel was doing well and thanked me for the gift. I can’t help but think it was such an easy way to let them both know that we were thinking of them and sending good wishes their way.

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. Barbara De Angelis

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Day 187: Berniece

10 Oct

As I was thinking about my pie of the day this morning, I thought of Berniece. I first met her a few years ago and I was immediately impressed by her spunk and determination. Berniece is a fireball and I really am in awe of her. She has more energy than people half her age and she always seems to have something positive to say when we meet. That is a gift in itself.

A few years ago, I was working with Berniece on the committee for the 100th Anniversary of the Elk’s building in Ashland. The volunteers met several times a month for nearly a year to help make this event a success. Berniece was instrumental in helping us succeed. She and I put together several gift baskets for a raffle to raise funds for the anniversary celebration. Berniece put a lot of effort into creating lovely prizes for those raffles and we raised a tidy sum of money for the Elk’s centennial fund.

What I (factually) know about Berniece is minimal compared to what I feel that I know about her. Berniece is all heart… and that is apparent from the moment you meet her. She is tenacious when she needs to be and is fearless as well. We can all learn a lot about living by spending a few hours with Berniece.

This afternoon I brought a Mediterranean Quiche to Berniece at work. Unfortunately she was not in to receive the pie, but the young man who was working for her told me that he would call her right away to tell her that a pie was waiting for her.

What I would have said to Berniece if I had seen her is : Thank you for being such a great role model of living life to the fullest. I am honored to know you and I promise to do my best to follow your lead. With much admiration,
Karen

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Day 178: Ashland Birthing Center

1 Oct

On this day, twenty three years ago at 7:02 PM my baby girl was born. It had been a twenty-five hour labor and at times it was pretty intense (as I remember it). Even though I had been to birthing classes and thought I could handle natural childbirth, I was definitely not prepared for the pain. Call me a wimp – it was hard.

In birthing class the instructor had done all she could to help us “imagine” a very hard contraction and we all did the best we could. But who imagines that kind of pain? Well, not me. I had no clue. Suddenly there I was in the birthing center at Ashland Community Hospital screaming my head off.

And I was embarrassed to be doing that because another woman from my birthing class was also in the hospital giving birth. She was a super athlete and I was not even a contender and I did not want to be screaming in pain with her down the hall! (Later this woman told me that she didn’t hear me screaming because she was screaming herself!)

At one point, perhaps twenty two hours into labor, I lost it – I simply forgot how to breathe. When the contractions came I tensed up and held my breath. The nurse who was on duty kept telling me to breathe… but somehow I had forgotten how to do that. A short time later, as I held the hand of the nurse with my left hand and my husband to the right I felt a contraction coming. I tensed again and instead of screaming I chose to bite down on my left hand. And it didn’t even hurt. When I looked at my hand I saw that instead of biting my own hand I had bitten the hand of the nurse!

Immediately I began apologizing to her, and to her credit, she did not slap me! She just told me again that I needed to breathe. When I told her that I did not know how to breathe, she held my face between her hands and demonstrated how to breathe. I remember looking at her and thinking “Wow… she is amazing.”

Tonight, I brought a spinach, roasted pepper and caramelized onion quiche to the birthing center at Ashland Community Hospital to thank the nurses for the work that they do. It is such a wonderful gift that they give to all of the families that have their babies there. And I am very thankful for their efforts. And to that nurse whose hand I bit, I really am so sorry.

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Day 161: Roberta

14 Sep

A week or so ago I asked the readers of my blog to “nominate” a person that they thought would appreciate a pie. My friend Gary wrote to me and suggested that I make a pie for his friend Roberta. This is what he said about her, “She is a woman who will do anything to help others and I have experienced her kindness and “givingness” in so many ways.” With an intro like that it was certain that Roberta was going to get a pie.

When I wrote back to Gary, I asked for more information – Would Roberta prefer a sweet pie or a savory one? If savory, could it include meat (sausage, bacon, etc)? And since I always wonder how someone I don’t know might react to my bringing them a pie I asked Gary if he wanted to call ahead to introduce me. As you might have guessed, I needn’t have worried.

Today I called Roberta and explained my “pie project” and told her that Gary had suggested her name as a pie recipient. When I said that I had made her a Spinach, Mushroom and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche she seemed delighted. She told me, “You don’t know how perfect this is” and then explained why my quiche was exactly what she needed today. While I don’t understand how this confluence occurs, I am honored to be involved.

As I was saying goodbye to Roberta, she told me that she planned to share her quiche with several friends and that I could not imagine how many people would be touched by this one pie. In a way she is right… and that is part of the beauty of this endeavor.

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Day 142: Lechi and Nathan and Pretty toes!

26 Aug

Yesterday I met my friend Leslie at Ashland Nails in the Ashland Street Shopping Center, next to the cinema. I wanted to repay her for helping me last weekend and so I arranged for us to have “mani-pedi’s” together.

I arrived at the salon a few minutes early and immediately the owner, Nathan, had me sit in the chair massager and got right to work on my toes. He had me laughing and relaxed right away. A few moments later, Leslie walked in and sat down in the chair next to me. Nathan’s wife and co-owner, Lechi, started getting ready for Leslie’s pedicure while Leslie and I chatted. Soon, we both had the prettiest toes and then we were whisked off to have our manicures. Leslie chose a pretty shade of pink, but I opted for clear since it is best to have minimal color on your hands in my line of work.

Leslie and I had a wonderful time while we were at the salon and I highly recommend Lechi and Nathan to anyone. They are very friendly and I love how pampered I feel when I leave. It’s funny but somehow it seems easier to pamper someone else – and that should not be the case. If we don’t feel good and take care of ourselves, how can we give to others?

Yesterday, while Nathan was painting my toes, I remembered the last time I was at the salon, Lechi told me that sometimes when she gets home from work she is too tired to cook. We all can relate to that feeling. So as she worked on Leslie’s toes yesterday, I asked Lechi a few questions – What kinds of foods do you like? What don’t you like? Have you ever had quiche??? You can see where I was going with this. I was preparing for today’s pie which turned out to be a chicken sausage, onion and pepper quiche.

When I walked into the salon today with the quiche, both Lechi and Nathan looked so surprised! It was such fun to “pamper” them in return for the lovely work they did for me and Leslie. It never ceases to amaze me how the simple gift of a pie can appear to mean so much.

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Day 139: Matt and Kristin

23 Aug

Less than a year ago, Matt and Kristin had their second child, Luke. One day I called and asked if I could bring over a pot of soup and some bread so that Kristin might not have to fix dinner. Kristin welcomed the suggestion and a short time later I was at her front door with a simple soup. Kristin opened the door holding Luke who was crying. I offered to hold him for a bit. And immediately I started bouncing him and cooing and soon he’d stopped his crying.

Kristin thought that I was a miracle worker – but I know that Luke probably just “knew” that something had changed and he was tuning in to figure out what it was. Maybe he could tell that my scent was different than the one he was used to smelling. Certainly my voice was different. And perhaps Kristin didn’t bounce the same way I did. Whatever it was, Luke noticed.

It was about 22 years ago that I had my own screaming baby. For almost three months my darling daughter cried every night – for hours. My friend Dana suggested that she might be lactose intolerant and that since I was nursing, I should eliminate dairy foods from my diet. I could not believe that my baby would have trouble eating dairy. And I held to that misguided belief for three months. And then, I decided I would limit my dairy intake – actually, by then I would have tried almost anything because I was exhausted. Guess what? My baby stopped crying within 48 hours. It was that simple. Damn if I wasn’t wrong about the “benefits of milk.”

About a month ago, Matt called to ask if I could babysit the boys for an evening (I’d offered to do so months before) and I agreed. But then I asked how heavy Luke was. I had just remembered that my broken rib would get in the way of picking up this baby and I had to say no – or at least – not now.

While I was out for my walk this morning I thought of Matt and Kristin and their beautiful boys and thought “I want to bring them a pie.” But I wanted it to be a “helpful” pie and so it turned out to be a spinach, sausage and pepper quiche.

Tonight I send my very best wishes to Matt and Kristin and the boys – may their days be long and full of love.

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

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Day 118: New Life

2 Aug

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to bring a pie to some friends that have recently become grandparents. Their new grand baby has spent the last two months at the hospital due to health issues. With time spent at work and lots of time spent at the hospital, this couple has not had the chance to cook a meal at home in quite a while.

I thought of my friends as I made a quiche for them today. They are being tremendously supportive of their child and will be very involved in the care of their grandchild. While they might not have foreseen this event, they are willingly assuming responsibility for this new baby.

Sometimes life surprises us with situations and we have to make a decision on how to proceed – without any clear blueprint to follow. It seems to me that my friends have made the decision to do all that they can for their grandchild. I am proud to know them and have offered to help them with meals should they need it.

Tonight a Quiche Lorraine (and some brownies) went home to my friend’s house. I hope that the quiche gives he and his wife the nourishment that they need and also gives them the knowledge that they are loved.

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Day 112: Maureen

27 Jul

I first met Maureen because she had donated a certificate for a haircut to a fundraising event that was held in honor of the late Joanie McGowan. I placed a bid on and won that gift certificate and it was soon thereafter that I met Maureen.

I liked Maureen right away, especially because she listened to me before she cut my hair. That’s a wonderful trait in a hairdresser and I haven’t had my hair cut by anyone else since that first haircut!


Map of United States, Oregon on one coast, Staten Island on the other

One day a few years back, as Maureen was cutting my hair, I told her about an upcoming trip and that I was going to New York. She asked, “Do you know anyone there?” and I told her that I was born on Staten Island and that my sister still lived there. And that’s when I found out that Maureen was also from Staten Island! How strange is that??? Here we are in Ashland, OR, roughly 3,000 miles from Staten Island and somehow we are drawn together, in some way, because we were both friends of Joanie.

Maybe this was just a coincidence. Maybe not. What matters is that I feel lucky to have found someone who helps me look my best. That’s a pretty amazing gift.

Tonight I baked a Spinach, Mushroom, Sundried Tomato and Jarlsberg quiche for Maureen. I know that she doesn’t eat many sweets and I thought that she might like a break from cooking after standing all day long fixing hair.

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Day 108: Being a friend

23 Jul

It was a hectic, crazy day for me.  There was still a lot of prep work to do for the wedding that I was catering and yet I definitely wanted to be sure to make a pie.  This is such an important part of the day for me – sort of like a meditation.  It begins with taking the pie dough from the fridge and then considering the possibilities in my pantry and the myriad of pie recipients in the world.

Today, my mind was centered on a friend who was feeling sad because it was the anniversary of her father’s passing.  Her family has had a lot to deal with in this past year and that has not made it any easier.  Losing someone dear to us is difficult enough without the complications of family issues.  Today I made her a quiche with chicken sausages, swiss cheese,  and red bell peppers.  I wanted to let her know that I am here for her and that she does not have to be alone with her sadness.

This morning I called my friend and asked her if she could stop by for a moment.  I had too much yet to do to make a special delivery and so I told her I needed her help.  When she asked why, I explained my predicament – and told her about the quiche that I had made for her.  Her response, “You didn’t have to do that!” Yes, I know, but that’s what makes this project so great – I don’t have to do it at all.  I want to – and that makes all the difference.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein

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