Uncoupled

Because, if you fuck him

in our turn-of-the-century Craftsman bungalow,

under the Egyptian-cotton sheets

where we vowed to hold our sacred bond

       above

       all

       else,

my heart will collapse in despair,

our children will suffer plagues of misfortune,

our families will wail and gnash their teeth,

and all who hold us in esteem

will mourn the loss

of another romantic construct

stripped of its false ornaments.

That is the story I tell myself

of divorce

and its malignant offspring.

It is a harrowing tale,

born of the same antiquated sentiment

that compelled us to declare,

       "Till death do us part."

But I can tell a different story,

perhaps a daring, triumphant one

that breaks this rising tide 

of borrowed myth and bitter prophecy.

In this version, no child is marked by ash,

no curse descends,

the ground does not split open.

I forgive you for breaking rank.

You forgive me for making an altar of us,

then polishing the stones

as the fire went out.

We let the myth keep its martyrs

and learn, instead, how love can transform itself

without vanishing.

Here, grief is not an executioner

but a midwife,

and the child she delivers is not tragedy 

but a second life blinking

in the unfamiliar light.

We release each other back into the species,

leaving the altar unattended,

candles burned to the nub,

flowers gone to seed,

guests returned to their homes.

Nothing sacred is broken

because nothing sacred is owned,

and we, uncoupled,

are not the ruin foretold,

but two figures in the open air

astonished 

by how much sky remains.

**First published in The Nelligan Review

Creamy Mushroom & Cauliflower Soup

  When the temperature drops, you feel it in your bones.  This soup brings the kind of warm comfort that lingers.  A trio of mushrooms, a browned onion, and a whole cauliflower cook down into something velvety and deeply savory, built on structure rather than excess.  The thyme anchors it, the cayenne sharpens it, and the cream brings everything into focus without weighing it down. 

  Finish with warm sourdough and a drizzle of olive oil, and you get a quiet, reliable meal for a cold winter day.

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 (8 oz) yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 8 oz shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 8 oz portobella mushroom caps, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 1 (8 0z) cauliflower head, cut into florets
• 4 oz fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 16 oz vegetable stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Sourdough bread
• Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

     1).  In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil until butter is bubbling.

     2).  Sauté onions for 5-10 min on medium-high heat, until they begin to brown.

     3).  Stir in garlic until fragrant (2 min).

     4).  Add all mushrooms and sauté for 7-10 min, until the mushrooms have released their liquid.

     5).  Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper; stir.

     6).  Add cauliflower, bay leaves, vegetable stock, Worcestershire and soy sauce.

     7).  Bright the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes.

     8).  Taste to adjust any seasonings.

     9).  Remove the pot from the heat source, pour in cream, and season with salt and pepper.  Let cool slightly, then use an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

     9).  Serve with warm sourdough bread, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh thyme.

SERVES 6-7 

Iyla Grace 13.0

  Iyla Grace 13.0 is live──a teenager!  

  This release celebrates her journey toward young womanhood.  She is now fully immersed in hair, makeup, music, and fashion.  

  My Papa heart yearns for that baby girl who road the handlebars of my bike through East Austin.  Now she wears lip gloss and takes plane flights solo. 

  Still, there is some comfort in braces──those tiny metal parentheses around her smile are a lingering symbol of childhood.  Her sister promptly rebranded her:  Iyla "Brace" Lambert. 

  This version is packed with new delights, talents, and adventures.  I relish every moment, and I love her with all my heart.

  Happy Birthday, Iyla Grace!

Eloise Jane 9.0

   Eloise Jane v9.0 drops today, fully loaded with curiosity, compassion, and an unwavering affection for animals and insects.  Equipped with her sketchpad and boundless imagination, she captures the animal world's quirks and charms in her signature artistic style.

   This year's upgrade includes an aquatic turtle: a slow-and-steady companion to last year’s brood of neurotic chickens, who, despite the odds, remain alive and enthusiastic egg producers.

   Happy Birthday, Miss Eloise Jane Lambert. Every release is a gift from the gods! I love you so very much!

Marry-Me White Bean, Spinach & Sundried Tomato Skillet

  This creamy, flavor-packed skillet is love at first bite! Velvety white beans simmer in a garlicky sun-dried tomato sauce, folded with wilted spinach and finished with a melt of grated Parmesan for irresistible richness. It’s a one-pan wonder that’s hearty, wholesome, and irresistibly delicious ... The kind of dish that just might inspire a proposal.

Satisfying on its own, it also pairs nicely with pork tenderloin or a delicate white fish for a more elevated meal.

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• ½ cup finely chopped green onions
• ½ cup drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 (5 oz) packages baby spinach
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed; navy beans can be used as a substitute.
• ½ cup unsalted chicken broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 2 tsp oregano
• Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

     1).  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

     2).  Add onions and sun-dried tomatoes; cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened (5-10 min).

     3).  Add garlic, salt, chili flakes, and oregano; stir until fragrant (2-5 min).

     4).  Add wine and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring often until the wine is almost fully reduced (5-7 min).

     5).  Add spinach; cook, stirring until wilted (3-5 min).

     6).  Add beans and broth; cook, stirring gently until heated through (5-7 min).

     7).  Remote the skillet from heat.

     8).  Stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese.

     9).  Serve with sprinkles of Parmesan and basil.

SERVES 6 

Chicken & Vegetable Korma

    I was introduced to Indian cuisine while studying abroad in England ('95-'96).  At that time, a decent meal in town was most certainly not British in origin, but to be found in the rich, flavorful curries of Indian restaurants.  

    This creamy, mildly-spiced curry is the diplomatic middle child of the Curry Kingdom:  it gets along with everyone, offends no one, and still manages to be a favorite ... Accompany with Basmati rice and/or warm Naan bread.

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 oz frozen peas
• 2 medium carrots, sliced in ½-inch pieces
• ½ lb golden potatoes, sliced in ½-inch pieces
• 8 oz cauliflower florets, cut in ½-inch pieces
• 8 oz chopped green beans
• 8 oz tomato puree
• 4 oz full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 4 oz heavy cream
• 3 tbsp cashew butter (almond butter can be substituted, if necessary)
• 1 tsp ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chilies, finely chopped (deseed for less heat)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

     1). Pound the chicken to tenderize, then cut into ¾-inch cubes and set aside.

     2). Boil water in a pot; add carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, green beans; cover and bring to a boil; cook for 10-15 min, until potatoes and carrots are fork tender; drain and set aside.

     3). Heat oil in a large skillet.

     4). Add onions with a tsp salt until soft and golden brown (15-20 min).

     5). Add garlic, ginger, chilis, and cumin seeds; cook until fragrant (5 min).

     6). Stir in garam masala, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom; cook until fragrant (5 min).

     7). Add tomato puree, cashew butter and ½ cup water, plus a tsp salt; cook until oil starts to bubble up and shimmer on top.

     8). Immersion blend the sauce to a puree.

     9). Stir in chicken; cook, covered until cooked through (10-15 min); add more water, if needed, to prevent scorching.

     10). Add the peas, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans; simmer on low-medium heat, stirring frequently.

     11). Stir in the yogurt and cream; simmer on low heat to meld the flavors (5-10 min).

     12). Add salt and garam masala to taste.

Accompany with basmati rice and/or warm Naan bread

SERVES 8 

Certitude

I was certain of many things.

When they told us an invisible man

was watching and keeping score,

I believed them.

I conjured the man's likeness 

from portraits in the church foyer

and mother's dining room:

        tender, mesmerizing eyes,

        alabaster skin, 

        scarlet sash over 

        a seamless woolen tunic,

        an immaculately trimmed beard;

        leading man looks in 1979.

The relationship was fraught

from the get-go.

When they declared Halloween

Satan's holiday,

I put away the Spider-Man costume

and joined my siblings in the basement

to hear our old man read scripture

by candlelight.

I tossed my Beatles

and Led Zeppelin cassettes

into the fire

to cleanse myself

of their demonic influence.

And I tried Christian rock.

I really tried,

but its flagrant mediocrity 

only aroused my enthusiasm

for secular music.

I endeavored to keep lust

out of my heart.

The man forbade it.

Lust crept in anyway, day after day,

until temptation metastasized 

into a crippling fear of girls.

We thought it best 

to avoid girls altogether,

but there is no safe harbor

from an adolescent boy's libido.

After my first nocturnal emission,

I wept,

certain I had offended

the creator of the universe.

I begged the man's pardon

as a flood of imagined sins

washed over me.

I thrashed in the undertow

until the whole arrangement,

the surveillance,

the score-keeping,

the heavenly disappointment,

collapsed under the weight

of its sanctimony.

Like a tent revival

in a hurricane.

The guilt drained off, thick and useless,

leaving only the sour film

of self-inflicted martyrdom.

Yeah, I was certain of many things.

So were you.

When I became a man,

I put away childish notions.