Becca & Bella: Pilgrimage

Fabulous Cookbooks & the Ambrosia Burger

Not only did I receive Diana Henry's excellent cookbooks (see below) but I also acquired three other incredible books/cookbooks ... Nepenthe by Romney Steele; Big Sur Bakery Cookbook by Michelle Wojtowicz; and Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt. Frankly, I wouldn't need another cookbook for as long as I live if I would just try the myriad of seemingly delicious recipes filling these volumes. Today, I'll share a recipe from the wonderful book Nepenthe.

Nepenthe is just south of Carmel where my mother-in-law grew up and still lives half the year. When we visit Ann and George, we always visit Nepenthe where my husband's family have dined for many years. It is so reminiscent of the best craftsmanship, decor and cooking of California in the 60's. Reading through the memoirs brings back many of our own memories. For those of you who needlepoint as I do, Kaffe Fassett (the needlepoint and craft designer) was only one of the many fascinating family members who were raised at Nepenthe.

There are scores of excellent recipes in this book though it is probably better bought for the history of Big Sur and the art community there. But, the best recipe from our point of view is one we are very fond of mostly for the memories ... the Ambrosia Burger. How often I heard my husband and brother-in-laws talk about this satisfying hamburger. Well, I discovered in the cookbook how incredibly simple this sandwich is. Whisk 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of mild green salsa in a bowl. Preheat grill and form 4 six ounce patties about 1/2 inch thick out of 1 1/2 lbs of freshly ground lean beef. Grill hamburgers to desired "doneness" (medium rare is 6-7 minutes). Add a slice of cheddar cheese to the top of each. Slice 4 French rolls, slather with melted butter and toast in oven or skillet. Coat rolls with Ambrosia Sauce, top with burger, serve! Those were the days before anyone worried about cholesterol.

Post Christmas

Christmas tree down ... castle puzzle completed. 

Avatar (seen three times by Peter). 

 

Grandmama's Christmas Cupboard.

 

Roast Figs Sugar Snow

Every year I seem to have a new culinary muse ... this year it will be Diana Henry who has written Roast Figs, Sugar Snow and Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons. Since I have a 70th birthday party to throw for a friend tomorrow, I'll try Henry's Onion Cider Soup along with Nigella's vintage Spinach and Bacon Salad and Smoked Salmon on Brown Bread hors d'ouevres. There will be chocolate macaroons and birthday cake for dessert. 

This is perfect for a very snowy day and I find it a real joy to have people over during the holidays. Ten or twelve of us sit around a very large table and eat homemade foods (almost always a new recipe). I get to know friends much better around a table than chatting on a street corner or at the market, etc. Making room for others during the holidays is so rewarding. 

Since I have not been posting very regularly lately, I will sometimes use the cookbooks as a reason to post when trying a new recipe. Peace and Joy! (above attempting unsuccessfully to carmelize the onions).

 
 

Advent

 A cold winter night ... 

 

Seattle: Pike Place Market

My daughter, Hannah, and I visited Seattle this past weekend to see my son, Matthew. It was our first time in Seattle and we loved it. What a marvelous city ... it has everything ... university, sea, mountains and big sky. Seattle has a bad rap for weather but we had a beautiful weekend with lots of sun and gentle breezes.

The flower, vegetable and fish markets at Pike Place Market were very impressive. We bought the most gigantic King Crab legs we have ever seen and then ate them for night after night (we had no idea there was so much seafood in each crab leg!).

Old Town Tacoma (my son's hometown) is a lovely residential town with a little cafe, pub and the ubiquitous (and wonderful!) Starbucks. I found the place incredibly livable and beautiful ... the food fantastic and the "things to do" infinite.

Iona

In 563 AD, St. Columba arrived in Iona to found a monastery which was to be the heart of Christianity in Scotland. There are peaceful graveyards of kings and monks, stone oratories, a 12th century chapel, ancient high crosses, a Benedictine abbey and an Augustinian nunnery. 

Besides being a center of spirituality, Iona was well known as a center of scholarship and fine arts. Stone carving and sculpted stone slabs were a feature of the artists. These pieces hang or stand throughout the tiny island offering the pilgrim places to stop and pray. The verse in Colossians comes to mind, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven ... think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth ... your real life is hidden with Christ in God." Iona is a sliver of heaven - a "thin" place where one feels near God just as did the many centuries of men and women who lived and worshipped there.

Summer in Scotland: Islay

Islay is home to many first class whiskey distilleries. Our favorites included Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and Bruichladdich. The distilleries bring a certain sophistication to an otherwise unspoilt and simple island culture. 

We stayed in a B&B, The Oystercatcher, just off the ferry in Port Ellen where we enjoyed the kind hospitality of Lynn and Harry Ross who make the most delicious breakfasts we have had anywhere in the world. We toured Bowmore and Kilchoman distilleries and visited most of the others. It was a delightful few days. We are already planning our return with the entire family in two summers.

Summer in Scotland: Islay

 

Geoff and I met Matthew in Islay for the first weekend/week of July. Islay is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen - windswept, clean, all blue and white. We walked every day - long walks along the water's edge. Magical is an overused word but it fits this Scottish isle.

Sacred Art

Aidan Hart is an exceptional iconographer in Great Britain. His work is inspiring and his articles on sacred art, iconograpahy, Orthodox architecture and more are wonderfully informative and helpful to those of us who are beginning to paint/write icons (the icons pictured here are mine not his). The excerpt below is from his article on Christianity and Sacred Art Today.  

2. The principles of sacred art in general 

Having described the features of the icon in particular, it would be helpful to 

recapitulate by summarizing the principles of sacred art in general. These principles 

will be useful as we now turn to early twentieth century art, and finally, to church art 

in our own times. 

• Sacred art mediates. It does more than offer a fleeting aesthetic experience. The 

way it is painted and used initiates us into a relationship with the person or 

realities depicted. It is original in the deepest sense, in that it penetrates to the 

origins of things. 

• Sacred art participates in what it represents. The icon is the fruit of raw materials 

being gathered together and made into something better still by priestly man and 

then filled with divine grace. 

• Sacred art helps to change our way of seeing the world – metanoia. In unveils the 

inner beauty of things and reveals them as gifts and not mere objects.

• Sacred art is always liturgical, always part of a way of life. The Russians have a 

term meaning “the art of liturgical living” – bytovoe blagochestie. 

• Sacred art can be prophetical. At its best, it gives new insight, brings out the best 

in a given time and culture, reveals God’s providence, is the living wor dof God. 

• Sacred art reveals the inner essences of things. It is never naturalistic, but aims to 

be realistic, using abstract means to reveal not only the visible outer form of 

things but also the invisible realities, what the Fathers called the logoi of things. 

• Sacred art affirms and incorporates elements of its mother culture. It is in fact a 

child born of the union of the eternal God with a particular human culture rooted 

in time. This explains both authentic art’s timelessness and its dynamic quality.

The Island

If you have not seen the Russian film "The Island" by Pavel Lungin, I highly recommend it. It was recommended to me by two very dear friends, a Greek Orthodox Archbishop and his assisting Bishop, who happens to be my brother-in-law. For me, it was a movie about human weakness, Orthodox faith, repentance and suffering but all against the backdrop of the beauty of a soul sincerely seeking God. Contrary to what you might think, the movie is not depressing but uplifting.