Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook–so glad you’re here!
The holiday season is in full swing and let’s face it–the holidays can be overwhelming–which is why it’s important to make some time to spend on listening in quiet reflection. This is the third week of Advent. The third candle of the Advent wreath is the Shepherd’s Candle and represents joy–the joy that the angels brought to the shepherds of the birth of Jesus.
Joy is sometimes elusive, and it is easy to rely on worldly things to bring joy. I engaged in a fair amount of worldly-good collecting after my dogs and my dad died, myself. The comfort the new things brought was real, but fleeting; and all too often, things turn into clutter which later leads to anxiety, at least for me.
My year has been arduous–I might even say ghastly, and it’s been hard for me to recognize joy in anything. But, this year has taught me that sometimes joy doesn’t come in traditional packages. With time and reflection, I find that there are moments of joy that stand out: the too-many-to-count cards and the flood of flowers sent by friends and family when my precious Jino died; the plane ticket my friend Paul bought so he could fly to Texas to attend my dad’s funeral because he wanted me to know he loves me; my darling husband who didn’t say a word about how much it was costing to fly me back and forth to Texas to support my parents nine times in eleven months; my in-laws who all came to honor may dad’s memory; my friend Monica who ordered me to call her at any time day or night, even when she was away tending to her own parents.
The too-expensive sweater I bought to make myself feel better is lovely, but even now, it’s not what comes to mind when I think of what joy has looked like this year. The gifts of love are those that stand out. While my feelings are still quite raw, I can already tell that what I will remember about this time in my life will be the gentle kindnesses of people who cared about me and wanted to make sure I knew I was loved, not the new sweater. This is why it’s important to spend time during this hustle-bustle season in quiet reflection in order to recognize the joy that arrives in unexpected ways that surrounds us even in times of trial.
As the holiday gets ever busier with social engagements, cards, gifts and special meals to cook, time is the one thing most of us don’t have. So what to do? This week, I’m featuring some foods that feel festive on a cold winter’s day that are also big time-savers that may help you find that quiet moment.
I’m starting with a favorite breakfast stand-by: bran muffins:
This recipe has been in my family for, literally, generations. My paternal grandmother handed it off to my mom back in the 1960’s. And since the cereal “All Bran” came out in 1916, it’s quite possible that my Granny got this recipe from her mother. This recipe doesn’t match either of the recipes I found on-line claiming to be the “original All-Bran bran muffin” recipes (both different from each other, by the way–ha!), so I can neither confirm, nor deny, that it came from the good folks at Kellogg’s.
What I can tell you is that these muffins are absolutely delicious, easy to put together and super convenient because you can make a batch of the batter, keep it in the fridge and bake muffins on-demand in the morning, thus giving a host the flexibility to respond to different schedules and different needs. The batter will keep in your fridge for about a week, allowing you to bake up a few muffins at a time in the morning in the time it takes you to get ready to leave for work or walk the dog. I love to keep this batter on-hand for when I have out-of-town guests staying with me who have an early morning flight. I get up, pop some of the batter into muffin tins, and whisk my guests off to the airport with warm muffins in their hands for the road.
Join me tomorrow for another celebratory recipe that will help you find time to find some joy.
Until then.
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
