Coq au vin

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
• flour
• 3 to 4 pounds chicken breasts or preferred parts
• small jar white onions, drained
• 1 can mushroom pieces, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup red wine

1. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Dredge chicken in flour and brown well in the butter. Add remaining ingredients, cover, put into very low (275 degree) oven and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2. Serve with rice,

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

also from the Boston Sunday Herald Traveler

Best Pork Chops

• 6 thick pork chops
• 1 or 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 or 2 large mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1. Put pork chops into a casserole dish. If you like and have the time, brown them in a skillet first. But you don't have to brown them. They don't even have to be thawed out first if you add 15 minutes to the cooking time.

2. Cover with onions and mushrooms. Cover with mixture of sour cream, yogurt, seasonings and wine. Turn chops over, so both sides are covered with sauce. Cover with lid or foil and bake about 1 hour @ 375 degrees, or until chops are tender. Serve over rice, with a dash of paprika for color. Makes 6 servings.

from the Boston Sunday Herald Traveler—must have been centuries ago...well, at least during the last century just past!

True Colours

by Cyndi Lauper, but I especially love Phill Collins' version

You with the sad eyes
don't be discouraged
oh, I realize
it's hard to take courage
in a world full of people
you can lose sight of it all
and the darkness inside you
can make you fell so small

But I see your true colours
shining through
I see your true colours
and that's why I love you
so don't be afraid to let them show
your true colours
true colours are beautiful
like a rainbow

Show me a smile, then
don't be unhappy, can't remember
when I last saw you laughing
if this world makes you crazy
and you've taken all you can bear
you call me up
because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colours
shining through
I see your true colours
and that's why I love you
so don't be afraid to let them show
your true colours
true colours are beautiful
like a rainbow

poetry party 28

Abbey of the Arts: illumination!


Christine took this beautiful photograph at a retreat center on the Hood Canal.



luminist painters revealed light—
we otherwise wouldn't see
luminaries in arts, in sports, in politics, too—
are more than usually visible
luminarias show pathways—
during a season of darkness
the smile on your face—
illuminates your love
J the B decreases because in him, just as in us—
the light of Jesus Christ increases...
illuminating the world!