The September Collection

:: broccoli melts, babka, and Arkansas artists ::

Some of my favorite posts from others are collections of what they’re discovering, so I’ve curated a few of my own for you. The whats may change as I evolve in this venture, but I’d like to always share things that are important to me. Check out past collections if you missed them:

THE JUNE COLLECTION - the very first of this second-Saturday-of-the-month ritual where I share what I'm cooking, reading, and noticing

THE JULY COLLECTION - gas prices, frittatas, and the power of our words

THE AUGUST COLLECTION - a book giveaway (that already happened, but read on for another chance this month!), reminders to chill, and a plant named Loretta

Feel free to jump around to different sections (links will be posted after publication):

WHAT I’M COOKING

WHAT I’M READING (I’m giving away another book this month!)

• Printed pages

• On the Web

WHAT I’M NOTICING

What I’m Cooking

By the time this post lands in your inbox, I’ll be arriving home from a three-week stay with my brother, who was discharged from the hospital 16 days post transplant.¹ So far so good, but he must remain within 30 minutes of the Cancer Institute for at least 90 days with a 24/7 caregiver (duties are divvied up among his daughter, girlfriend, and me).

Unfortunately, he didn’t have much appetite the first 10 days I was there, so cooking was limited. But he did want some baked chicken, so I pulled this one from waaaay back in my college days. I don’t know why I don’t cook it more often because it was so simple and yummy!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

• 1 to 2 lbs chicken breasts

• 16 oz. Italian dressing

• Lemon Pepper seasoning (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover bottom of a glass baking dish with some Italian dressing and place chicken breasts in single layer. Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on top of each chicken breast. Pour remaining dressing over the chicken breasts, making sure to get in between the chicken pieces if they are snug in the pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees.

I served it with green beans and carrot slices, and he loved it. In college, I always had a box of mac & cheese cooking while the chicken was baking. So much better than Ramen.

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Creamy Parmesan One Pot Chicken and Rice

The patient indicated he might want some Chicken and Rice Casserole “like Jessica makes.” Trust me, I’m no Jessica (his girlfriend, who is a complete wonder in the kitchen!), but I can google my way through a dish (what did we do before Google?).

I found Creamy Parmesan One Pot Chicken and Rice over at The Salty Marshmallow. I will probably tweak this a bit if I make it again, but overall it was tasty and comforting.

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On a Future Menu

And If you’re reading this and thinking, Ugh…I don’t know what I’m cooking tonight, head over to The Action Cookbook Newsletter where Scott Hines wrote the below post about the dilemma each of us faces at least three times a week. He asked readers to share their “reliable go-to weeknight dinners,” and the comments (usually reserved for paying subscribers but open to all on this post) are replete with ideas! I’m sure you’ll find something that fits what’s currently in your freezer and pantry.

(I’ve enjoyed Scott’s other posts, too, so check out more in the archives and consider subscribing.)

Ah, geez, it's dinnertime again?

Next up, three words for you: Chocolate and Cherry Babka. Okay, so that’s four, but really, CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY BABKA, people! That’s all I can think about since reading Jack Nulty’s anniversary post below of VeganWeekly (for the record, I’m not vegan and he still let me subscribe).

Doesn’t Jack’s Chocolate and Cherry Babka look divine?! I doubt mine will be so beautiful, but a girl can dream. (Image: Jack McNulty)

Seriously though, I’ve been enjoying Jack’s recipes and his guidance for the cook like turning mayonnaise into mayo and the many variations that make me want to make lots of recipes I can add a version of his mayo to. And then there is his post on plant-based milk alternatives, which is wonderful because even some non-vegans want/need to cut back on dairy. And he just launched a series on sauces with this béchamel leading the way.

I’m hoping a photo of that babka will show up in the “What I’m Cooking” section of my October collection. Lofty goals!

Happy Anniversary, VeganWeekly!

Last month I shared with you my love for The Smitten Kitchen’s Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad. Well, Deb has taken that broccoli rubble to a new level, and I’m going there soon! This week she gifted us with some back to school meal ideas, which include Broccoli Melts—broccoli rubble on toast topped with provolone, “broiled until blistered and collapsed.” I’ll let you know how heavenly it is.

back to school

What I’m Reading

Printed Pages

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I mentioned this book in my post on connection a couple of weeks ago. It’s a story of friendship that began with a NYC freelance writer’s inquiry to a used bookstore in London in 1949. Correspondence between Helen Hanff and the book dealer continued for twenty years:

“Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a winsome, sentimental friendship based on their mutual love for books.”1

Have you ever had a book grab hold of you and refuse to let go long after the covers are closed? It was pure magic for me—delicious descriptions of secondhand books, laugh-out-loud lines, and a window into the events of that era.

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What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About Edited by Michele Filgate

A friend recently sent me a copy of this book, and I’ve been slowly digesting it.

This collection of essays “candidly explores the fraught, funny, and life-shaping relationships fifteen writers share with their mothers….As Michele writes, ‘Our mothers are our first homes, and that’s why we’re always trying to return to them.’”

This reminds me a lot of The Listen to Your Mother Show that I was a part of a few years ago. Mothers are women who are born into the role when they have children. No two look alike, and no one does the job perfectly. This collection is a balm.

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The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson

Is this a memoir? A collection of essays? I’m not sure how to classify it. The author writes:

“This book is in many ways a memoir, but it’s also an attempt to wake up the reader to the glory of God shining through his creation.”

Peterson writes about childhood, home, memories, gardening, growing…so many thoughts in these pages. I’m taking my time with this one, too, savoring each chapter and unearthing treasures along the way.

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Book Giveaway

I’m going to send one of these books to one of you! Next week I’ll randomly select a name from all the commenters on this post, and the winner will get to choose the book.

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On the Web

I knew I wanted to share these two wonderful posts, but I’ve only just realized after re-reading them that they are both about parent-child relationships. Maybe I’ve overloaded you with that theme lately, but these are so beautiful I must share.

In “Time and Tide,” Ryan Butta writes about time and memory and the end of a life (in this case, his father’s):

“Our attachment to memories is an effort to capture time and preserve it. A vain attempt to avoid the guilt associated with forgotten moments, to avoid the feeling that we have wasted our time, that time is slipping away.”"

Time and Tide

The piece immediately evoked this response:

Oh, to be a sunflower that worries not about the remembering.

Oh, to be a sunflower that simply is,

And with that existence gives a moment of happiness to someone else.²

And Letters of Note posted this missive from Hannah Woodhead to her mother. She poignantly captures the older, wiser version of herself appreciating what the younger version could not—the selflessness of her mother, her persistence in giving of herself even when Hannah was “being a little shit.”

You always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself

What I’m Noticing

I’ve spent a lot of time recently at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, a calming space for patients and their loved ones. On each visit, I’ve enjoyed the art featured throughout the building.

“Prior to the opening of the Cancer Institute’s 12-story expansion tower in August 2010, a call was put out for original art by Arkansas artists. With a total of 215 submissions, a committee of artists from the University of Arkansas system selected 46 pieces representing the work of 28 artists to display in the institute. Some of the works include multiple pieces designed to be displayed together.”³

Here are some of my favorites.

HENRI LINTON, Pine Bluff, AR | Memories of Days Gone By 1 | acrylic on canvas

ANGELA ANDERSON, Russellville, AR | Promise | acrylic on canvas

LATOYA HOBBS, Lafayette, IN | Jamie in Stages (triptych) | linoleum cut

Transformation | Artist: Michael Warrick | “Dedicated to the memory of Arkansas Sentator Jerry Bookout, the Bookout Translational Research Center represents the hope that is found at the crossroads of scientific discovery and medical treatment.”

HENRI LINTON, Pine Bluff, AR | Arkansas Delta #551 | acrylic on canvas

CHARLES HARRINGTON, Bella Vista, AR | View from Mather’s Lodge | acrylic on canvas

And last—Seed of Hope by Michael Warrick.⁴ My brother hasn’t yet reached the momentous toss of a seed-shaped token, but I am looking forward to seeing that day!

Do any of these pieces draw you in? Let me know which is your favorite.

Thanks for joining this window into my world. Release and Gather’s subscriber base is growing (almost in the triple digits!), and I’m grateful to have each of you in this community. Your comments broaden my perspective!

1. Learn more about his story in previous posts: Everyday Tasks and On Being a Stem Cell Donor.

2. Disclaimer: I’m not a very good poet.

3. https://cancer.uams.edu/patients-family/finding-your-way/services-amentites/arts-and-humanities/

4. https://cancer.uams.edu/patients-family/finding-your-way/services-amentites/about-the-seed-of-hope/