"complatency" Published in The Closed Eye Open Issue X

I’m pleased to share that “complatency” has been published in The Closed Eye Open, Issue X. I’m grateful to the editors who selected my work not only for this issue but also for their themed issue Ripples on the Pond: Meditation, published in the summer. (You can discover more of my published work here.) I’m also grateful to my “2nd Mondays” peer review group. “complatency” was one of those…

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#amwriting: I've Got Rhythm

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Citrus Coconut Chicken

Citrus Coconut Chicken is another variation on a recipe theme you’ll find here. It goes by a couple of names: spatchcock and butterfly. The basic idea is to cut out the spine of poultry and lay the bird flat before applying a dry rub. This recipe calls for an orange zest and coconut rub that adds a lilt of flavor. Why so many recipes with this theme? Ever since I started cooking poultry this…

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Goat Berry Muffins

Goat Berry? Don’t google it! Goat Berry Muffins don’t have goat berries in them. Goat berries are not a thing, a new variety of berry, or some strange new sister or close cousin of the gooseberry. This recipe is named for two key ingredients in these tasty muffins: goat milk and berries. You can use any berry of your choosing, but hubs and I really enjoyed the organic blueberries I used to test…

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Mandarin Coconut Salad

Ah, spring! Here in Tennessee, a thousands greens explode on the scene, along with pastel blooms that burst open throughout the season. It’s glorious. It’s also when we start eating more salad greens, dressed up in pretty colors: like Mandarin Coconut Salad. I first became acquainted with mandarin oranges as a child—the kind that came in syrup-filled containers, the kind that tasted as much of…

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Classic Chicken Stock

I used to buy cartons or cans of broth or stock to use in my cooking. I occasionally made a quick and easy chicken stock, but after viewing Celeste Rogers’ Start-up Cooking Library on Craftsy, I added a French-style stock to my repertoire.   Mirepoix  The basic elements of the stock are Mirepoix—onion, carrot, celery—and parsley. Just add chicken and some seasonings, and you’ve got a…

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Peanut Meatballs in Jelly Sauce

I can’t remember exactly when I first had peanut meatballs, but I’m fairly certain I was in high school, so it was a long time ago. I  just remember another human telling me that peanut meatballs were good and that the jelly and mustard sauce made them even better. (I also remember thinking it sounded pretty disgusting. I was wrong.) Years later, whenever I brought Peanut Meatballs in Jelly Sauce…

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Poulet Papillon Provencal

Ahhh, Provence! I can smell the lavender from here. Romantic, rustic, a place that speaks to my heart.… Well, in theory. I’ve actually never been. I never even got a T-shirt. But I did get some herbs de Provence, and that led to Poulet Papillon Provencal, an homage to the loveliness of this region of France.   Oui, Paris I visited France three times as a teenager—twice to Paris, a city ripe…

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Seafood Gumbo

Gumbo—especially seafood gumbo—brings back happy memories for me. It was typically served at some point during annual visits to see family, which meant hanging out with a gaggle of cousins I rarely saw … along with aunts, uncles and my grandparents. I loved crabbing with my grandfather to bring home a key ingredient for grandma’s gumbo: blue crabs. Landlocked Here in Tennessee, procuring the…

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Incredible Carrot Cake

I have a not-so-cherished memory of elementary school lunches with so-called carrot salad, which was basically sliced carrots and raisins in some kind of vinegar. I was not terribly picky about school lunch, but this…. Just no. It was perhaps why decades passed before I ever considered making a carrot cake, let alone an Incredible Carrot Cake.  Resistance is Futile My husband has long enjoyed…

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Maple Salmon

Many meals are forgettable moments that run on automatic through the days. Others stand out. I’d been hankering to make a recipe using fresh fish of some sort and had thought I was going to have to settle for frozen when we lucked into a huge slab of wild caught salmon that looked fabulous. And this is how I came to create a memorable meal—Maple Salmon—baked en papillote and flanked by roasted…

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Shrimp Scampi

After I left northwest Florida for Tennessee, I traded one paradise for another. Indeed, Florida’s striking white sands were created when the Appalachian mountains I now call home travelled south to the Gulf Coast. I am satisfied with my trade, but I dearly miss Gulf seafood—the freshness, the easy access.… Just down the road one could buy fresh-off-the-boat shrimp from shrimpers off the back of…

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Roasted Asparagus

I once had the most delectable asparagus crudité at an upscale cocktail hour in a New York City penthouse. It was a moment that turned me on to fresh asparagus forever. One of the things I love about asparagus is that it feels indulgent but is actually a very healthy food. Roasted Asparagus gives that crudité a warmed-up run for its money. Add that it is easy to prepare and quick to have on the…

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Sunny Italian Smoothie

I love a good tomato soup—the rich flavor, the meaty melt-in-your-mouth feel, the way it fills you as much as it warms you…. I can’t believe I waited years to make my own (vegetarian) version. But when it came to a winter-friendly smoothie, the tomato soup vibe wasn’t working for me. I wanted something lighter … something that felt like a sunny day. Thus, Sunny Italian Smoothie was born. While I…

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Broccoli Goat Milk Smoothie

I don’t remember how I ended up buying a can of dry goat milk a few years back, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with all those baby goats in pajamas that reigned the internet a few years back. At any rate, I now keep goat milk around from time to time because it adds a distinct flavor to dishes, and there are times nothing else will do. For Broccoli Goat Milk Smoothie, you could use…

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Portobello Pocket

My last stuffed bread adventure led to Leek & Spinach Stuffed Bread. Portobello Pocket features the mushrooms I’ve had my eye on since then. I think portobellos would be a great addition to leek & spinach, but I didn’t have any on hand when I was ready to create this recipe. Portobellos are not just tasty, they’re healthy and … photogenic. I love taking pictures of them raw because they create…

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Kickin Chicken Noodle Soup

One of the best things about cold winter nights is curling up in a pile of blankets, especially in front of a fireplace. And while I’m highly likely to layer on clothes and stay inside through most of winter, at some point I do venture outdoors. Roan Mountain’s Round Bald is on my “to do” list: I want to enjoy its wintry wonders and capture all that beauty on camera. Afterward, some Kickin…

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