Tags
breaking traditions, Childhood Memories, Easter Celebrations, In the Kitchen, Sacrifice, Traditions
No traditional Easter luncheon for us this year.
No baked ham. Deviled eggs. Nor scalloped potatoes or pineapple.
No family gatherings around the dining table. Which is fitting, I suppose, since I’ve no dining chairs to gather around the table. A case of poor timing on my part, they’re off being re-upholstered — and my three married children are off celebrating elsewhere. Kara and Kate are at their father’s place in Chandler and I think Bryan and new daughter-in-law Amy are in Tulsa with her family.
Today, we are a trinity of diners — father, son and an unholy ghost of a mother, who once would have ensured she had at least touched based with all her chicks to know their plans, to perhaps let them know they were loved, if not with exact words, at least with action, as in an invitation to dine. Or to drop by for dessert and a visit — perhaps, the perennial pink-swirled sugar cookies, called “Sweeties,” that became, without thought of tradition-making, my signature grandmother cookie. Or maybe, if I had a few kinds souls to help me eat it, my very favorite coconut cream pie.
Alas, it’s chocolate cream pie for us today. My sacrifice for the two I live with, since husband and son prefer chocolate to coconut. But that’s okay since it’s becoming a day for breaking traditions — it will be my husband, instead of me, cooking in front of the stove today. He offered to cook Cashew Chicken over steamed rice. And I accepted. It’s one of my favorite dishes he makes that — as luck would have it — he no longer enjoys. So making it will become his sacrifice for me.
Perhaps all this off-with-the-old traditional meal and ways of celebrating is a good thing to do at Easter — and other holy days, too — at least on occasion. Who knows but maybe the little sacrificial acts won’t bleed into everyday life. But, even if they don’t, it’s good to take breaks from tradition. Because, I confess, tradition blinds me. It makes me deaf. So much that it takes something new to wake me up — to stir me back to life — to the who and what which lies beyond and beneath the traditions of celebration.
So today, having no need to work heart out in the kitchen — for a feast consumed in thirty minutes or less — I’ve been contemplating the what’s and who’s of my life. I’ve thought of the past, about parents and marvelous Easter dinners I’ve been blessed to enjoy. I’ve thought of past egg hunts at my Granny’s house, when the egg-hiders — my mother and her sister Jo and sister-in-law Georgia, who then seemed old beyond years, but — I see far more clearly, now, even with failing eyesight, — were oh so young — as they told us kids to close our eyes and not to peek. As they’d wander off together laughing, toward the front yard with real boiled eggs dyed all the colors of the rainbow. I’ve thought of other hunts that had nothing to do with boiled eggs, the one all the way back to that first Resurrection Sunday, to that young trinity of visitors to Jesus’ tomb — Mary, Peter and John — and how frightened they were to find no body home.
Funny how I’ve yet to think of the future. But, thinking there now, I can’t imagine the thought of breaking the tradition of ham and hunts and family gatherings forever. I cannot bear the thought of never again hosting all of my children and their families to future grand Easter feasts and egg hunts.
Instead, I hope today is only a slowing down, a braking rather than a breaking of Easter traditions. That I’ll soon recover my motherly mojo — not that I ever had a full cup of this, but at least whatever portion I once enjoyed — enough, to gather my chicks home, to a place that celebrates our joined and imperfect past as it builds bridges to some shared imperfect future.
Because no body, but nobody, like Jesus, lives here at this house. Though sometimes, even in the smallest sacrifice, I catch a glimpse of him or two. Maybe a ghost of his holiness. A taste of him on my tongue. If not in the breaking of bread, then in the braking of tradition.
Cashew Chicken, anyone?
Cashew Chicken for Three
1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut in thin strips 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 Tbsp canola oil 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 small onion, diced 1/4 lb mushrooms, trimmed, sliced thin through stems 1 Tbsp canola oil 3 cups cabbage, shredded 1/2 tsp sugar 3 oz cashew nuts, salt rinsed off, dried 1/2 tsp cornstarch1/8 cup soy sauce
In small bowl, blend soy sauce and corn starch and add chicken. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil with salt in wok over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until white and firm. Add onion and mushrooms, continuing to stir-fry until vegetables are soft. Transfer wok contents to bowl. Add remaining oil to wok with cabbage and sugar. Stir-fry about 3-4 minutes until cabbage is crisp-tender. Return chicken-vegetable mixture to wok, add cashews and toss to combine. Sir in final cornstarch and soy sauce. Cover and steam for a minute. Uncover and stir until sauce is thickened.
Serve over steamed rice.
an everyday life 
One of the benefits of breaking traditions is being able to try new things. And, cashew chicken for Easter Sunday is as good as anything. This looks delicious. Sounds like you’re quite an expert of Chinese cuisine. 😉 As for meals in our home, you’ll be surprised, I don’t need to break any traditions because there aren’t any to break. Whether it’s Easter or Christmas, we operate on impromptu, on-the-whim kind of decisions. But I can tell you, we usually eat out. 😉
Yes, I”m quite expert at eating my husband’s cooking — whether its Chinese or some other pasta dish. It’s the way we began married life — his work day ended earlier than mine, so he did the cooking and we cleaned up together. That changed when I relinquished my “senior” executive status for a role allowing me to better balance home and career, which got me home first, and therefore, into the kitchen.
The dining traditions we keep are ones handed down to me, from Mother’s family, more than others. About half the time, we, too, eat out. Though as I was telling my husband, just this weekend, none of it ever tastes as good as what we can make ourselves. We’ve collected some good recipes over our lifetimes. And I’m betting you have a few recipes for Chinese dishes from your years in Hong Kong!
Janell, I spent the first 15 years of my life in HK. No, I didn’t collect any recipes during those years… my mother neither, I’m afraid. Again, this may be a reflection of our ‘colonial’ life, we had ‘amahs’ cook for us. Glimpses that I can see in Midnight’s Children. When we immigrated to Canada, we started learning how to cook. But the ‘tradition’ of non-cooking has stayed with us, unfortunately. So, I feel I’m more an expert of eating Chinese food, than cooking it. Let’s just say more acquainted with restaurant reviews than recipes. 😉
Yes, of course. I understand now, more what you mean, when you’ve compared your Hong Kong years with colonial rule in India. Our lives can be so very different, one from another, that it’s difficult, sometimes, to grasp the nuances and layers of lifestyle. Maybe it’s this difference that help makes the reading group experience life enlarging — how we read the same words, but regard and take away different phrases as souvenirs.
Regarding a diifferent thread of dialog — from your blog — I purchased a used copy of Chocolat, the novel, this morning — which will be something to look forward to later.
Happy Easter! As I mentioned to Arti earlier this morning, aren’t we lucky to be among those who know that Easter is a season rather than a day – and, if we’re blessed and attentive, even a way of life.
When I saw your photo of the cashew chicken, my first thought was, “Oh! I hope she included the recipe!” Lucky me! A scroll of the mouse and there it was. It’s already copied and in the files.
As for tradition – none for me this year. I didn’t even bite the ears off a chocolate bunny. But I spent a wonderful Saturday in the midst of your old stomping grounds, hunting not for eggs but for Nash prairie. I found it, finally, and it was a perfect Easter experience. As you say, it stirred me back to life – how funny that for you it was a wok, and for me, a walk!
And Happy Easter to you.
How perfect to go to Nash — West Columbia, I presume — which I name perfect, not because I’ve experienced the pristeen prarie in person, but because I’ve heard it called a ‘thin’ place. I look forward to reading your story this morning.
I’m hungry for another trip, which I suppose is good, since my husband and I have planned a short getaway to San Antonio in a few weeks. One of my ‘gal pal’s’ daughters is marrying in the Hill Country, so the time away promises good times of looking back and forward.
And isn’t that, in part, what Easter invites us to do? Looking back — then forward — can become a sort of balancing act, a way of connecting ourselves to the high-wire of time; somehow, this practice of looking back and forward steadies us, it helps us catch our breath, and catch ourselves, and catch up with ourselves, as preparation for the next step.
On an earthier note, enjoy the stir-fry. It’s lovely.
Janell
Happy Easter (a little late!). I enjoyed your blog and could relate to the different Easter holiday you had. We spent Easter in Katy, Texas with our son, David, wife, Kelly and their new twins (Kollins & Kyler) who turned one year old. What fun! David cooked Friday and Saturday for us, but Sunday he had to go to work at 10:00 a.m. (new job with GE Oil & Gas) and we decided not to try to do the church service with the twins. My daughter’s youngest son, Rafe, was with us and he & I flew back to OKC Sunday evening. Frank stayed in Texas to play golf with 17 other Christian brothers for the week. He’ll get to see Glenn Taylor and Ken Anderson. Did Don tell you I called a few months ago to say if Ken & Litha come to visit we will call you guys so we can all get together. Would you mind sending me your coconut cream pie recipe. I made one yesterday for my parents, but would like to try another recipe. You can send it to our email address if that’s easier (frankandrews@sbcglobal.net).
Carol
Happy Easter to you. Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend. And how nice that it still goes on for Frank and Glenn and Ken. And yes, Don did mention the possibility of a small reunion — of course, we would LOVE it! So I hope it works out.
As for that recipe, of course, I don’t really have one — I just adapt my chocolate pudding recipe and pour the filling into a baked pie shell and top it with meringue. Well, better to say I didn’t have one. Because thanks to your asking, we both have it. Enjoy.
Janell
Coconut Cream Pie
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 Tbsp sugar
~~
2 Tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
Separate egg white from yolk — set aside yolk for pie filling. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high until foamy — add sugar gradually, beating until stiff and glossy. Set aside.
One 9″ Baked Pie Shell
Pie Filling
3 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/3 cup cornstarch – scant (minus 2 tsp)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut flavoring
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
In a bowl, hand mix eggs yolks with milk, then set aside. In a large sauce pan, mix all dry ingredients with a whisk. Stir in milk-egg mixture. Mix well and heat on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will thicken in 5 to 7 minutes. When thickened, add flavorings, butter and coconut, mixing well. Remove from heat.
Pour filling into baked pie shell, top with meringue, then lightly sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of coconut flakes. Bake in a 425 oven for 5-7 minutes, watching closely, until golden browned.
Janell
Thanks so much for the recipe. I made your Lemon Cream Pie today for Mom & Dad and they loved it. I sent the leftovers with them and they were so excited. I have so enjoyed cooking for them on Wednesdays at noon. Today we sat on the patio and enjoyed the great weather and watched birds. I know one day I won’t have them so I am chershing this time together. I am hosting a family birthday party Sunday for them. Dad will be 90 and mom 86. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Carol
I’m glad. I bet your Wednesday lunches have become the highlight of their week. Aren’t you glad to be back ‘home’ so that you can celebrate life together — not just on birthdays, but everyday Wednesdays, too?
It has been a lovely spring. I was out in the garden earlier today — still planting perennials — and enjoying the sunshine and the smell and sounds of beauty all around me. Down on my knees in the dirt always makes me glad to be alive!
Glad you all enjoyed the lemon cream pie.